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The Art of Choosing: The Decisions We Make Everyday of Our Lives, What They Say About Us and How We Can Improve Them

Sheena Iyengar

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Book

Every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go? Whether mundane or...

China's Approach to Central Asia: The Shanghai Co-Operation Organisation

Weiqing Song

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Book

This book examines, comprehensively, the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation, the regional...

Awix (3310 KP) rated Scanners (1981) in Movies

Oct 12, 2020

Scanners (1981)

1981 | Horror, Sci-Fi

7.7

(14 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

Horror-SF from David Cronenberg. A man with psychic powers is sent to infiltrate a dangerous network of others with similar abilities: they have many subtle telepathic and telekinetic powers, such as being able to make people's heads explode.

Actually rather less graphic and icky than the film's reputation (and advertising) might suggest; the really spectacularly gory bits bookend the movie, and much of the rest of it looks like a relatively conventional thriller. The film is arguably ahead of its time in its suspicion of the military-industrial complex and big pharma; there is perhaps a subtext about the souring of 60s idealism as free-thinkers are persecuted or exploited by vested interests. Pretty good performances from the hero and the villain, but (not really surprisingly) Patrick McGoohan steals the film as the protagonist's father-figure. A thoughtful and intelligent film that isn't afraid to really go for the splatter now and then.