Movie Review: Automata

Your vacuum has come down from the tree...

Finally a science fiction movie that examines the relationship of robotic evolution and human extintion that doesn't cram robophobia down our throats! Automata had a very limited release earlier this year and hopefully will see a wider release sometime next year. If you're looking for big budget robo-pacalypse this movie is not for you. I found the hypothetical dystopian future believable and the story of Jacq Vaucan and his journey with Cleo the self aware robot through the desert wastelands to find sanctuary from humanity quite thought provoking.
The movie did have some intelligent contrasts which were subtly hinted at like when Dr. Dupre explains that she spliced two biokernals together and it installed it in Cleo the result was no longer Cleo the sexbot but a new self aware robotic life form which I found to be an interesting contrast against Jacq's pregnant wife who was carrying a new human life created by the combination of Jacq and Rachel's sperm and egg.

This contrast reminded me of the conversation between Makoto Kusanagi and Project 2501 in the first GiTS movie,

Puppet Master: I refer to myself as an intelligent life form because I am sentient and I am able to recognize my own existence, but in my present state I am still incomplete. I lack the most basic processes inherent in all living organisms: reproducing and dying.
Major Motoko Kusanagi: But you can copy yourself.
Puppet Master: A copy is just an identical image. There is the possibility that a single virus could destroy an entire set of systems and copies do not give rise to variety and originality. Life perpetuates itself through diversity and this includes the ability to sacrifice itself when necessary. Cells repeat the process of degeneration and regeneration until one day they die, obliterating an entire set of memory and information. Only genes remain. Why continually repeat this cycle? Simply to survive by avoiding the weaknesses of an unchanging system.
Puppet Master: It can also be argued that DNA is nothing more than a program designed to preserve itself. Life has become more complex in the overwhelming sea of information. And life, when organized into species, relies upon genes to be its memory system. So man is an individual only because of his intangible memory. But memory cannot be defined, yet it defines mankind. The advent of computers and the subsequent accumulation of incalculable data has given rise to a new system of memory and thought, parallel to your own. Humanity has underestimated the consequences of computerization.

Now this quote regarding memory is interesting when used in context with Automata, Jacq has memories of the beach as a youth or are they dreams? And aren't dreams influenced by memory? Are Jacq's memory of the beach his own? I always prefer when movies leave things like this unanswered, leting the audience come to their own conclusions.

Automata also touched upon the oft discussed idea that God created Mankind in his image, Mankind evolved to a point where they thought they no longer needed God due to technology, Mankind created Machines in their image from technology....what happens when machines evolve to the point they no longer need us? 
Another fascinating conversation that inevitably concludes with robo-pocalypse....Terminator, The Animatrix: The Second Renaissance, Promethius (David8) etc.
As I stated before if you're looking for Sci-fi like Bayformers, Oblivion or PacRim this isn't for you, but if you like sci fi films such as Gattaca, Europa Report and District 9 definitely look for Automata! Also there's another film coming out in 2015 with Oscar Issac,  Ex Machina that looks like promising.

For more about Automata check out automata-movie.com

B+

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmahakawanzaavidad!
Yeah I know it's the 26th, I had to work yesterday so you know where you can stick those silver bells???
Brad what's the name of that German Christmas Demon that comes for bad kids??? Total nightmare fuel! Post a pic if you find one!
Anyways I'll be gettin my PS4 in Feb....just a little while longer till I return....

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Speculation/Theory #3

So in my last speculation/theory post I focused on Kira Rey and Luke, this time around I'm gonna focus on the Dark Side.
There was an interesting leak on the interwebz awhile back it briefly talked  about the role Andy Serkis will play and his character.
According to the article it's implied that Serkis' character had some association with Palpatine/Sidious pre TPM.
And as far as I recall the only Sith mentioned pre TPM was in episode III at the opera when Palpatine tells Anakin about Darth Plagueis.
"He became so powerful, the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power...which, eventually of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death...but not himself."

So the voice in the first trailer is confirmed to be Serkis, and according to the article I read Serkis plays an ancient alien Sith Lord....that may have some connection to Sidious pre TPM. Based on what Sidious tells Anakin it could be a red herring to lure Anakin closer to the Sith or Darth Plagueis was truly Sidious's master and was "killed" by him in his sleep. But perhaps this ancient evil allowed his apprentice to "kill" him giving himself to the force much like how Obi Wan did in episode IV, because he discovered a way to cheat death and return in another body.
I'm not anti to the idea of Darth Plagueis being the alpha Sith in this trilogy, it would connect the Prequel Trilogy to the Sequel Trilogy but many of the senators at the Galactic Senate are not as keen to the idea. And if Serkis plays some other ancient Sith that's somehow survived in the shadows during all the events of the PT and OT so be it but that is gonna need some real good explanation! Other wise it will just seem like wise ol' Master Yoda made up the Sith Rule of Two.
Now onto Kylo Ren...

 he could be an interesting Sith....is he the supposed collector of ancient Sith relics? I hope so because that would lend credence to the cruciform Lightsaber with the unrefined blade and his recently revealed helmet.
As far as the lightsaber I'd accept rudimentary understanding of lightsaber construction or ancient Sith artifact. 




The helmet, IMO is too similar to Vaders' especially without the gold highlights which apparently have been removed in the final design. I much rather find out this was an ancient Sith armor design when the Sith Order was at it's Apex and Vader's Helmet was an Updated version of this design. Otherwise it's uninspired and unoriginal IMO. 

365 days until Star Wars Episode VII

Sith Lords, Jedi Masters, and Padawans start your countdowns! Episode VII hits theaters in 365 days!
May the Force be with you....

Capcom Cup 2014 Street Fighter V Trailer

This reveal pretty much narrows down the timeline of SFV...I'm gonna go with right after III just like IV came right after II. I think V is gonna retcon III something fierce! So parries may be making a comeback...if they are in I don't think they'll be an exact cut and paste from III, time will tell! I think Capcom is on the right track so far, the Charlie reveal was a great teaser and I'm psyched to see the connection between Charlie/ Abel and Remy...as now I'm certain there is one! And yes bring Guile back....that's a no brainier the man's been looking for Charlie for how long?!?

I'm also fairly certain we will get an Alex reveal but not for a long time...gotta keep the hype train Rollin!

 And here is the gameplay demo for SFV from Capcom Cup 2014. I think the bowl of ramen should fall off her head when she performs a SBK.

Mad Max Fury Road Trailer #2

Now here's a movie the whole family can enjoy! I gotta say 2015 is shaping up to be a stellar year for movies. Hardy and Theron seem perfectly cast in the continuing adventures of Max Rockatasky!

Street Fighter V Announcement Trailer!!

 And now I have a reason to go get a PS4...was gonna anyway but now....
I'm sure the game is still at least 3 years away but this is exciting as shit for me! Since my PS3 died last February I've been stuck playing all my PS2 Street Fighter games. There are gonna be those that will bitch and complain that Capcom needs to put out new IP's and I agree but I am Street Fighter. I love this series. And like IV we get Ryu and Chun Li confirmed first, I'm sure we'll get the original 8 in the roster but will everyone from USFIV make it to V...I don't think so. The stage in the trailer is very similar to Yun & Yang's stage from SFIII. SFIII had the Parry System, SFIV had the Focus Attack, what will SFV's gameplay mechanic be???

The Walking Dead S5E8 Coda

Obviously officer Lamson hasn't seen Chris Rock's PSA video on how not to get your ass kicked by the police....
If Rick Grimes has to come get ya, you know he's bringing an ass kickin' with him!
Rick Grimes "I have a 480 in progress, I'm in pursuit"
I love how Rick so calmly says to Lamson "you didn't stop"
Then we get an awesome 420 Cop V Cop all out brawl between officer Dawn and officer O'Donnel that concludes with Beth performing a fatality on officer O'Donnel.



FINISH HIM!!!

Ya know what's more dangerous than an honest cop?
 A psycho female cop on the rag!
So Rick heads to the hospital with his team to go thru with the hostage exchange and it looks like we're gonna reach the mid season on a happy note, but Dawn alters the deal at the last minute saying Noah can't go since she's giving Beth and Carol back, and Beth gets all up in Dawns face and tries to make a point with a pair of operating scissors....Dawns gun goes off and Beth takes one to the dome!
Daryl avenges Beth by bustin' a cap in Dawn's cranium.
Surprisingly shit did not get real after that!
That scene caught me off guard and I'm sad Beth died, she was just starting to grow on me!
And seeing Emily Kinney on Talking Dead afterwards was very sad!
RIP Beth

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Teaser Trailer #1

With a little over a year to go, JJ Abrams, Lucas Film and Disney give us our first look at Star wars Episode VII The Force Awakens!

First off that was the fastest 88 seconds of my life! I love the aesthetic of the trailer, it looked and felt more like the Star Wars I grew up with than the PT ever did. 

No sign of Luke Leia, Han, Chewie, R2, 3PO or Lando.....where are you Lando!!!

We see Boyega in a Storm Trooper uniform apparently running from someone or something on what appears to be Tatooine, Daisy Ridley (Kira) driving some type of vehicle that somewhat reminds me of a Podracer, and Oscar Isaac  piloting an X Wing over a lake...I like the Voice Over, it almost sounds like the Inquisitor from Star Wars Rebels. I'm not feeling the new light saber with little blades on the hilt, but the Falcon doing a barrel roll was sweet! I suspect we'll be getting another trailer soon which will showcase the OT actors and then in May a third when Avengers 2 hits theaters we'll get a full trailer.

Movie Review: Big Hero 6

So I just got home from my 7 day vacation at Walt Disney World on Friday....I'll be updating my YouTube channel with video's from my trip and I have over 3000 pictures to go thru.
Saturday I went with my wife and son to see Big Hero 6 and we all loved it, especially my son!
Big Hero 6 has alot of heart and NO singing, so fellas you can breathe easy knowing you wont have the kids singing in the back of the minivan on your next road trip.
Visually Big Hero 6 is gorgeous, San Franciscokyo (???) blends the two cities together into one stunning megalopolis that is a joy to see as Hiro and Baymax fly across it's skies....think back to the feeling you had the first time you saw RDJ as Tony Stark fly out of his lab in IM1...just as impressive in Big Hero 6!
The amalgamation of Tokyo and San Francisco in this movie was similar to Macross Frontier's.
The story deals with Hiro grieving the loss of his brother Tadashi but the message is very positive and never becomes sad or depressing.
Baymax's matter of fact personality is hilarious when paired with Hiro's adolescent energy and exuberant outgoing personality. Don't be deceived by Baymax's emotionless appearance, the big inflatable bot has a big heart!
I also liked the message the movie gave little kids that science can be exciting and fun, the other members of the team were all unique and enjoyable, Gogo, Wasabi, Honey lemon and Fred.
This is a Marvel property so be sure to stay for the post credits scene.
Big Hero 6 was a fun movie from start to finish that kids and adults can enjoy. It's chock full of emotion and humor and the visuals are gorgeous.
A-

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Speculation/Theory #2

Based on Friday's article on io9 I have taken all I've read so far and come up with a plausible theory of how Episode VII may play out. Kira finds Lukes lightsaber and shows it to the local tavern/cantina owner, he doesn't know what it is but the crazy ol Cyborg von Sidow spots the light saber and suddenly becomes coherent and offers to help Kira. The cyborg happens to know someone whose  very interested in Jedi antiques. Han and Chewie just happen to be doing some honey do job (find Luke...he's our only hope) for senator Leia Solo-organa-skywalker in the very same place is asked to take them to planet (x) to meet with this antique collector (think Walter Donovan from IJatLC). Before they leave the cyborg contacts someone and says "It's been located". So Kira, Hann, Chewie, and the mysterious cyborg set out to meet this antiquity collector, once they meet he shows them his impressive collection, Han spot Vader's helmet in a glass case but acts like he's unaware of what it is. The collector  hires them to find some other Jedi/Sith artifact which eventually will lead them to the planet Luke has been hiding on for the last 20/30.

Like my original theory Luke becomes a hermit because of his fear of how powerful he's become as mentioned in the io9  article . Perhaps Luke has discovered the same power Darth Plagueis had mastered....eternal life by becoming one with the force without leaving his physical body.

I think it would be pretty awesome if Kira tracks down Luke similarly to how Indiana Jones tracked down the Holy Grail in IJatLC and must go through rooms full of traps 

 

at Lukes temple to save (Han?). Once she finds him at the rumored temple Luke is in a room in such a deep meditative state that he appears unconscious but levitating slightly off the ground with stones levitating around around the room. He is unaffected by Kira's presence but when the villain enters moments later his eyes open and stands up from his levitating sitting stance, the stones drop to the floor and there is a luminous glow around him. Kira is shoved to the side as the villain ignites a lightsaber and charges Luke. Luke's new lightsaber levitates from under his robes in front of him and parries the attacks in a similar way Vader parried Lukes attacks in TESB. The villain attempts to force push Luke as Luke floats closer towards the antagonist but Luke isn't budged as his robes show the force of the villains force push. Luke counters by force pulling the antagonist towards him.

Anyway that's my lastest theory. It is said Luke saves the day in a bad way....I don't think Luke will die in VII but I do have a feeling he will in IX and by someone close to him...a phantom menace so to speak.
Darth Kira has a nice ring to it, doesn't it...

"He became so powerful, the only thing he was afraid of was losing his power...which, eventually of course, he did. Unfortunately, he taught his apprentice everything he knew. Then his apprentice killed him in his sleep. Ironic. He could save others from death...but not himself."

Charlize Theron's Ravenna vs Angelina Jolie's Maleficent

So my wife and I watched Maleficent the other night, we recently got Sleeping Beauty (the 1959 animated movie) on Blu Ray. I had never seen it before but I was familiar enough with the story and the stories antagonist Maleficent As far as villains go she is definitely up there on the nightmare fuel list! After watching Sleeping Beauty I thought to myself there is one evil bitch! But as an adult I want to know more about her, why is she evil? Has she always been evil? Apparently Disney thought so too after the relative success of Universals 2012 live action fairy tail Snow White and the Huntsman.
I remember seeing the trailer for SWatH and thinking "wow this movie looks promising". And for the most part it was, even with Kristen Stewart's Ctrl. C-Ctrl. V performance SWatH was good. SWatH had up and coming star Chris Hemsworth and A-lister Charlize Theron which IMHO elevated this movie from mediocre to better than bad. In all honesty Charlize Theron owned every scene she was in in this movie and rightfully so....the movie should have been called Ravenna's Quest for the Ancient Chinese Pearl Cream.
So getting back to Maleficent, I understand it's Disney's property and they can do as they please with their characters, but my wife and I were both let down by this revision of the story of Aurora and Maleficent. I do appreciate the alteration of the "true love's kiss will break the curse" much the same way as Frozen  poked fun at one of Disney's infamous tropes,..love at first sight->marriage-->live happily ever after. I'm glad to see Disney has outgrown the naivety of it's older films and have stayed relevant in our cynical day and age.
But herein lies my conundrum!  I want Maleficent to be that evil bitch I saw in Sleeping Beauty I feel like they neutered one of their most iconic villains! So in this case I think the 21st century version of Snow White's curse breaking kiss worked better, it allows Ravenna to be Ravenna...an evil bitch!
Both films have their strengths; incredible actresses that elevate their characters, impressive use CG for the fantasy creatures in both films, and a more truthful/believable explanation of "true love".
But both also have their short comings: weak performances from the title character coughsnowwhitecough, and too drastic a deviation of the primary villain and other key characters.    

Movie Review: John Wick

"People keep asking me if I'm back, yeah I'm thinking I'm back"
Shit happens and when it rains it pours, this is the case for John Wick, his wife dies, he gets a puppy, he gets knocked the fuck out in his house at night during a home invasion, his puppy is killed, his sweet 69 Mustang Mach 1 gets stolen.
I'm gonna be honest, there isn't much most women will find entertaining about this movie John Wick is 100% testosterone, from the cars, the music, the women (yeah I'm lookin at you Ms Perkins) to the gun fight in the club! That scene in the club could've felt long and overdrawn but didn't the pace was just right and the way they edited the action to the music was perfect!
Michael Nyqvist was fantastic and oozed confidence till the end I loved the scene where he explains to his son who John Wick is, and again the editing between that scene and Keanu "digging up his past" was perfectly done...."that fuckin nobody is John Wick" "He's the one you send to kill the fucking boogey man".
That scene could've come across so cheesy and roll your eyes bad but Nyqvist knocked it out of the park with utter believeability.


The idea of a hotel that caters to assassins and is where they congregate during jobs or between was a refreshing idea.
All in all I think John Wick has potential for growth similar to Jason Bourne, It would've been cool if they were able to put some cameo's in the continental such as Mat Damon, Daniel Craig, Robert DeNiro (Ronin), etc.

Lets not forget Keanu was Neo and Neo was the fucking man in the Matrix trilogy even when Reloaded and Revolutions didn't live up to expectations.  Keanu has not been on his A game since the Matrix trilogy but this movie should give his career a boost of momentum. And for the record I enjoyed 47 Ronin I think Keanu was a terrific Jedi Master Kai.....
B+
.

The Walking Dead S5E4 Slabtown

While Rick and the gang are on their religious retreat with Father Gabe and Abe, Rosita, Eugine and the rest of Z troop are on their rescue 911 road trip we finally catch up with Beth....ya remember her....Maggie's sister...
So while everyone else has been fighting to not be eaten by cannibals or bit by Walkers Beth wakes up in a soft hospital bed with clean sheets fresh scrubs and is surrounded by cops and a doctor! Beth has access to medicine, clean water yummy gerbils, so what's the problem? Well for starters Officer Dawn Lerner basically run's the hospital like some credit card companies, you're debt...being rescued or captured (however you want to look at it) whether you want be or not....the princiiple might seem within reach but the interest will keep you paying FOREVER! And if you're deemed valueless you get the shaft...literally! EXPRESS ELEVATOR TO HELL, GOING DOWN!
It's hard to keep the officers morale up when there's nothing but death and destruction every direction you look in, which leads me to problem number two...
You better be a master at a trade that isn't already taken in this hospitable because those who have a job at Shady Memorial will do ANYTHING to keep it, and if you don't have "skills" you might find yourself  sucking Officer Gormans'                                                          lolipop

What?

What'd you think I was going to say?

Good Episode, all the fresh faces were a nice change of pace, Beth's struggle reminded be ALOT of baby doll's struggle in Sucker Punch!

Remember Beth if you don't believe in something, you'll fall for anything.

Bad Robots

So I couldn't convince John Walsh to write this article and John Connor wasn't available so here we go!
Humanity is doomed, the sooner you come to terms with this the better off you'll be, if the Zombie apocalypse doesn't get us the Robots certainly will! And since I've been old enough to go to the movies I've been reminded that we will eventually be ruled by our own creations! God creates man in his likeness, man forsakes God for technology, man creates machines in their likeness, machines forsake man...we've seen that story line time and again...it's like we're predicting our own demise!
With the recent Age of Ultron trailer and the plot reveal for Terminator Genisys (ugh why!?) it dawned on me that we need to smash our technological shackles and start planting trees and realigning with the the erf!
So as a public service Free Swim is giving you Humanities 10 Most Wanted Robotic Criminals! (in no particular order)

1. B166ER (Animatrix): This robot pretty much told his owners to eat a dick and killed em! Tired of helping Evelyn put on her depends under garments he strangled Harvey and then cracked Evelyn's cranium like a fortune cookie.

2. Legion (Mass Effect) We can learn ALOT from the Quarians! They get evicted from their home world and then when you're forced to choose between the Geth and the Quarians in ME3 if you choose the Geth the remaining Quarians are exterminated by the reapers and Tali commits suicide!

3.Mark 13 (Hardware) Just when you thought it was safe to resume your love for sculpture with junk laying around  the wastelands of a dystopian future....

4. Ultron (Avengers Age of Ultron) He's gonna show us something wonderful..no strings on our boy Ultron

5. Megatron (Transformers) The ruthless leader of the Decepticons, hell bent on destroying the Autobots and ruling Cybertron and sucking the earth dry of it's natural resources..(energon).

6. T-800 (Terminator) Ahh Cyberdyne systems model 101 Out to kill the mother of mankind's last best hope but then to protect her son that in the future kills him but is reprogrammed and sent back to chaperon him to a bunker before Skynet becomes self aware and declares war on humanity....oww my brain!

7. Roy Batty (Blade Runner) Poor Roy the Replicant just wanted to live a little longer....don't we all.

8. Ash (Alien) A last minute change to your crew's science officer may raise a couple flags,,,Ash lost it because of Ripley's incessant nagging....shoving a news paper down the bitch's throat might not be the most prudent approach...

9. David 8 (Promethius) Ok David....you are a curious one aren't you? Obviously you have some degree of an a Oedipus Complex your working out.

10. Lore (Star Trek TNG) Ah the old Ying Yang of the Universe....For every Data there's an equal and opposite Lore...if you find the remains of a cyborg scattered across the galaxy, best to leave it alone! There's a reason.

Happy Halloween 2014!

Happy Halloween!
Leave it to the Irish to come up with a holiday where we cut up veggies and dress as the things that scare us as kids!
I remember as a kid going trick or treating in the apartment building with Douglas and Joseph and we'd start on the 6th floor and woirk our way down then go to the other buildings in on our street. As I got older the eggs and shaving cream...the next day McGeory and Noble were a mess!

Now that I'm older I still enjoy this bizarre holiday but for different reasons...

Macross Delta Announced!

 So last week I decided to introduce my son to the wonderful world of anime, and I choose my favorite anime series of all time Super Dimensional Fortress Macross!
My wife says he's too young to appreciate it....she may be right but he's definitely fascinated by the Valkyries and the Macross...the whole love triangle appears to be lost on him. I find it funny that he realizes the Intro/Outro songs as well as Minmay's songs (Mari Iijima) are in Japanese but it doesn't bother him. (I think he would rather listen to Minmay than Anna and Elsa).











The night before last my son wanted to build robots with his little boy lego's and we ended building the Macross (it didn't take 10 years). Not half bad considering my limited supplies :)









































So today I paid a visit to macross world ....it's been awhile since I visited that site! I went there on the daily back in 08/09 when Macross Frontier was released.
I didn't expect to see news on a new series for at least a few more years but alas it appears the search is on for the next galactic idol!
Macross (Delta) circa 2067 chronologically  only 8 years after the events of Macross Frontier. Hopefully there will be updates before the end of the year!

And for the record Sarah Nome and Sharon Apple should be in the above poster also! 

DECULTCHA!!!