In the past, I tended to become obsessed with things like obscure animes and Sonic the Hedgehog. I've seen things you people wouldn't believe, and that includes Roy Batty's famous monologue in Blade Runner.
In the first semester at Northeastern, I took RELS1260 or apocalypticism in film for a humanities requirement. It seems that classes least related to accounting and finance make for the best writing material!
What seemed like a weekly movie night also had profound discussions and an impactful final speech, though I accidentally compared the lectures that a few students found boring to attending church especially due to the religious and philosophical content. (I did not find the class boring.) This class had a lasting impact that I embody in the mystique of Blade Runner.
My obsession led me to rewatch the movie twice and annoyingly recommend it to everyone. I also started spontaneously saying quotes when fitting, playing "Blade Runner Blues" and the soundtrack, and replaying key scenes and trailers on YouTube. The futuristic neo-noir ambiance is incredible especially considering its futuristic predictions from the 80s.
Night in Boston
Matching my first semester busyness and occasional dreariness, the Boston landscape started to look like the world of 2019 Los Angeles with the rainy nights, faceless crowds, and glowing buildings like the Prudential. Most touching and relevant to Northeastern, crossing Huntington Avenue and avoiding getting killed by a Mini Cooper created haunting echoes of the traffic light, "Cross now... Cross now..." when Deckard tries to assassinate Zhora. I am also strongly reminded of neon drenched cities in China with their huge populations and occasional rainy/smoggy gloom.
I also considered buying an awesome LED Blade Runner umbrella as a testament to my fanboying. Maybe this article will reveal some insight into my, for better or for worse, obsessive pathologies. I discuss my Blade Runner project in part 1 and part 2.
