this post was submitted on 09 Apr 2024
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Cyberpunk

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What is Cyberpunk?

Cyberpunk is a science-fiction sub-genre dealing with the integration of society and technology in dystopian settings. Often referred to as “low-life and high tech,” Cyberpunk stories deal with outsiders (punks) who fight against the oppressors in society (usually mega corporations that control everything) via technological means (cyber). If the punks aren’t actively fighting against a megacorp, they’re still dealing with living in a world completely dependent on high technology.

Cyberpunk characteristics include:

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I stumbled upon this cyberpunk movie that was called 'Webmaster' in the US. It was also called 'Skyggen' in Denmark, where it was made in 1998. The trailer makes it look like a perfectly bizarre low-budget cyberpunk movie. Honestly, the trailer reminds me a lot of Nirvana with Christopher Lambert in that they both seem to have over-the-top cyberpunk visuals and plot while also being... not good movies.

Anyway, I'd like to watch Webmaster (in english) and I can't find it anywhere. Can anyone help me find some way to watch this movie? I thought it might be posted to youtube under some weird random name but I've had no luck so far. I can't even find any services that would rent it either. But maybe one of you can find it!

Oh, and if anyone cares, here's a synopsis of the movie:

J.B. (Lars Bom) - an ultra-talented Webmaster of an illicit cyber-domain known for massive amounts of illegal money transfers is captured and is put under suspicion by the cyber-domain boss named Stoiss (Jørgen Kiil) when an intruder hacks into the system and steals the Stoiss’s money. Stoiss sticks a heart controller device on J.B. and gives him 35 hours to find who took his money or he dies.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

I have a vivid memory of this movie always being on display at my local video rental place back in the early 00s, I have a copy thats English dubbed, I'll DM you.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 7 months ago (2 children)

Stoiss sticks a heart controller device on J.B. and gives him 35 hours to find who took his money or he dies.

It's like Speed, but with a human instead of a bus.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 7 months ago

So... Crank?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 7 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Or Escape from New York but with some money instead of a president

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago)

Wikipedia says it was released by Sterling Home Entertainment in the US, there is a distorted audio version available on YouTube that runs 2 and a half hours but includes the 97 minute movie with completely distorted audio in the first 97 minutes.

There might be some trick to restoring the audio but I don't know what that is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJdGGAkEyn0&t=5854

It looks pretty fun, I'll let you know if I find something else.

Update: original danish audio with English directors commentary subtitles(getting closer): https://ww1.m4uhd.tv/watch-movie-skyggen-1998-268182.html

Fun fact: in the danish film archives in copenhagen, there's a library where you can watch this and read it's screenplay, with what looks like tons of movies for free in cinema chairs on flatscreens: https://www.dfi.dk/cinemateket/bibliotek-og-videotek/videoteket

It has been poorly dubbed into English according to Amazon reviewers of the DVD.

If you do get a copy, the original Danish with English subtitles might be the way to go.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 7 months ago

I can snag a copy of it for ya! PM me and we can figure out a file transfer.

Proof!

https://lemmy.sdf.org/pictrs/image/67b268de-1b9c-4da1-b701-1d35d6d6bfa7.png

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Was it ever released in the US? I don't see any English-speaking countries listed on the IMDB page for its release date.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

I guess given that it has an English name of Webmaster I just assumed that was the US release name. Skyggen (the Danish name) just means The Shadow so someone renamed it to Webmaster.

Even if there might not be a US release, I'm pretty sure there was an English-language release. I honestly don't know for certain though.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 months ago

Here's a copy on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/452849206 appears to be in the original language with no subtitles though.

If you're in the US, you can (usually) request it through Interlibrary Loan at your public library. Worldcat shows there are 10 copies of the English dub in various libraries in the US: https://search.worldcat.org/formats-editions/708746650

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

Best I could find is the original Swedish version on Vimeo.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

Reminds me of a specific windows media player 7 skin