I watched the 1982 director's cut once again over the holiday weekend.

One of the greatest pleasures of watching old scifi films is to see how badly they missed it in predicting the future. Blade Runner holds up very well and is always a pleasure to watch. It is good enough to transcend the genre, as evidenced by Alice's willingness to watch it with me.

They missed on a couple of things. First, computers, they are present in the film but they are simply tools for the use of various professionals. They failed to predict the pervasiveness that ocmputers have in the lives of nearly everyone.

Second they totally missed on cell phones. Land lines and pay phones have video capability but personal cells are nowhere to be seen.

Still one of my all time favorite movie lines:

"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe.
Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion.
I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain.
Time to die"

- Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty -

When I was much younger, I sometimes used it as a throw away line (minus the "time to die") when drinking with likely girls in bars. The response was mixed but usually more favorable than not. :) If they knew where it came from I knew I would like them. Not many did.