It's very difficult to keep the line between the past and the present.

Do you believe that someone out of the past can enter and take possession of a living being?

We may be true with the past, but the past is not through with us.

Welcome back to The Next Picture Show, a movie of the week podcast devoted to a classic film in the way it's shaped our thoughts on a recent release.

I'm Tasha Robinson, here again with...

Genevieve Kosky.

Scott Tobias.

Keith Phipps.

On the first half of this episode, we discussed the staying power and startling landscapes of Ridley Scott's 1982 cult hit Blade Runner about a future.

A future bounty hunter chasing rogue

androids through the startling far-flung future of 2019.

In this half, we'll bring in the new sequel, Blade Runner 2049, and consider how

a rival director, Deneve Villeneuve, takes up the story.

We should warn you up front that Warner Brothers and Sony have been extremely careful to not spoil

pretty much anything about this film for viewers.

Generally speaking, that's a positive development, and we're entirely in favor of viewers going into a film as open-minded and unspoiled as possible. But a studio statement read after the film

screened listed off things we shouldn't spoil, including the basic nature of many of the characters,

things we learn literally on their first introductions, or in some cases in the first minutes of the movie. We were advised that if asked about a certain character, I'm quoting the studio here, please say, we meet many striking characters over the course of the film, and she is one of them. I wouldn't want to single anyone out. You'll have to see the film for yourself to truly appreciate where everyone fits in. Now, needless to say, if we tried to leave this podcast discussion at that, it would be very short

and very repetitive. So we are necessarily going to give away plot points here, including right now

in my basic setup of the film. You are warned. If you are not ready to listen to this podcast,

feel free to go hang out in your virtual reality paradise with your wooden toy horse until it's safe.

Okay, so for the rest of you, Denise Lniews Blade Runner 2049 takes up the action 30 years

...