The Hack Stamp: TOTAL RECALL | Buzz Blog
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Friday, August 3, 2012

A&E / Culture

The Hack Stamp: TOTAL RECALL

Posted By on August 3, 2012, 10:12 AM

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What kind of lazy metaphors might critics use for the new version of Total Recall? Let's see if I can remember ... ---

Yep, references to memory and recalling are rampant in the reviews of Total Recall 2.0. And apparently, there's something in the Louisiana water that makes the writers there particularly susceptible:

“… as pretty as it is, it won’t take much for [moviegoers] to forget Wiseman’s film.” – Mike Scott, The Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

“When it’s over, there’s not much worth recalling.” – John Wirt, Advocate (Baton Rouge) But my bayou-dwelling colleagues are not alone in their eagerness to trot out the unmemorable memory metaphors:

“Total Recall doesn’t forget its roots. It simply overwrites them with some new memories.” – Daniel M. Kimmel, Sci-Fi Movie Hype

“You'll be lucky to remember anything about this new one when you wake up the morning after seeing it.” – Ethan Alter, Television Without Pity

“This Total Recall is instantly forgettable.” – Laura Clifford, Reeling Reviews

“…you can never quite shake that feeling of déja vu.” – Jason Zingale, Bullz-Eye.com

“an entertaining, visually striking adventure with a main character you will not want to forget.” – Nell Minow, Beliefnet

And what kind of credit do we give this gentleman for acknowledging Hack Stamp-ery, but indulging in it anyway?

“Total Recall plays directly into the hands of metaphor-wielding critics eager to highlight how a movie about a man recovering his memory can manage to be quite so forgettable.” – Todd Gilchrist, The Playlist

Finally, a special tip of the hat for the use of an entirely different Total Recall reference point:

“…as superfluous as a third breast.” – John Semley, Slant Magazine

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About The Author

Scott Renshaw

Scott Renshaw
Bio:
 Scott Renshaw has been a City Weekly staff member since 1999, including assuming the role of primary film critic in 2001 and Arts & Entertainment Editor in 2003. Scott has covered the Sundance Film Festival for 25 years, and provided coverage of local arts including theater, pop-culture conventions, comedy,... more

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