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+

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.

Short Film: ABE

Poor ABE, you work tirelessly for those you love, never looking for acknowledgement of your deeds, you just want to be be needed...to be loved in return. But alas the love you seek in return is fleeting, there when you're new and shiny gone the moment the newer model hits stores. What once was captivating is now obsolete. But ABE you're gonna fix humans....good luck with that!
This is a perfect example of less is more, this short film told a very compelling story in 8 minutes, it has emotion, tension, and decent special effects all wrapped up in a compelling story.

     

One shall stand...one shall fall

First Japan constucts a lifesize Gundam( http://willsfreeswim.blogspot.com/2009/06/rx78-gundam-attacks-japan-wheres-gojira.html ) now China responds with a lifesize Optimus Prime! Optimus stands over 30 feet tall and is made of sterner stuff...10,108 parts of scrap metal. Pretty Impressive China....but does he transform? Huh??

Gundam and Optimus are cool and all but if you wanna impress me you're gonna have to go bigger...I'm talking Super Dimensional Fortress Macross people! 3970 feet, 18,000,000 tons, c'mon the Macross was supposed to depart February 2009...get cracking people!

Giant Gundam robot presides over Japanese wedding

You can see images of the ceremony below.
http://shibuya246.com/2009/08/26/odaiba-gundam-wedding/


Via Shibuya246

RX78 Gundam attacks Japan! Where's Gojira?

Bandai has finished its life-sized Gundam robot in Japan. The 60-foot robot totem is set to make a few trips to various locations around the globe after its initial two-month run in Tokyo. Perhaps the most amazing thing about this realistic-looking construct is knowing that Japan fully intends to one day have one of these things walking around with full robotic controls.

Anime Movie Review: Appleseed

Before Major Motoko Kusanagi and Bateau there was Deunan Knute and Briareos from Shirow Masamune's manga Appleseed. The story revolves around the couple who are members of ES.W.A.T, Olympus's special forces that protect the surreal peace and tranquility of the city state.
The story takes Deunan from the war torn badlands where a war that has ended years ago still goes rages on. Brought back to Earths last remaining city, Olympus. Here she is reunited with her ex Briareos who is now seventy five percent machine. Olympus appears to be paradise, a utopia of sorts, but all is not as it seems in Olympus. The story begins to unfold when Hitomi, a Bioroid, explains that the half the population of Olympus is actually bioroid to help qwell human emotion and maintain the peace and tranquility. But there are some who resent the bioroids intervention with humanity and stage a terrorist assault on the bioroid care center where bioroid life extention is administered, thus causing bioroid genoside. After a special session of congress is assembled Prime Minister Athena declares marshal law without the assistance of the Olympus regular army lead by General Uranus an avid anti bioroid supporter.The only way to save the bioroids now is to unlock the secret of Appleseed.
Shirow Masamune once again pushes the limits of CG animation, the visuals of Appleseed are simply amazing, the first few minutes of the post apocalyptic fight scene alone rival that of top hollywood blockbusters such as Terminator. The story isn't childsplay either, this anime deals with aspects such as racism, human preservation and evolution, fate, love, trust and betrayal and even has shades of Issaac Asimov's I robot and the laws that govern all robots.
The Appleseed soundtrack has some sweet tracks from world famous DJ Paul Oakenfold, the Basement Jaxx, Boom Boom Satellites rocking track I will dive for you and others. The movie is rated R and has a running time of an hour and 45 minutes. Appleseed features Dolby Digital 5.1 and is presented in anamorphic widescreen, extras include commentary by Director Shinji Aramaki and Producer Sori, Staff profiles and music/scene cues. Check out http://www.appleseedthemovie.com for more.
A
Also check out the upcoming Appleseed ExMachina DVD website http://www.warnervideo.com/appleseed/

Movie Review: Transformers

As a kid that grew up in the 80's, I was lucky to be blessed with such animated masterpieces such as Voltron, Robotech, Galaxy High, Thunder Cats, Jem and the Holograms, Dungeons & Dragons, GI Joe, and Transformers! Of all those classic cartoons one grabed kids imagination more than any other and it was the Transformers, not only were the toys really cool but the show was great, at least it was when I was a kid with an over active imagination.

The battle between the valiant Autobots and the evil Decepticons has raged for over 3 decades, been made into an animated feature length film, has had multiple comic adaptations and has now been brought back to the silver screen in a live action summer blockbuster ($309,420,425)! Not bad considering Optimus Prime was going up against Spidey and Jack Sparrow, but that might of been part of the reason Transformers did such phenomenal sales at the box office. I had been following the news of this movie since June of 2003 over at PDT and the feelings of Trans-fans stretched the spectrum from avid disgust at not being faithful to the canon to childish glee at seeing their favorite childhood cartoon coming to celuloid reality.

I fell somewhere in the middle, cautiously optimistic, and after seeing it I can say it did what needed to be done. It told a story of transforming beings from the planet Cybertron that came to Earth to find a source of energy. The Autobots lead by Optimus Prime and the Decepticons commanded by Megatron,a boy named Witwicky who befriends the Autobots and giant robots kicking the crap outta each other. All the rest was filler to grab as many Trans-noobs as possible...apparently it worked! My only complaint about the movie is John Turturo, he might be a great actor, but for the love of Cybertron, what script was he given!? If I could I'd cut every single scene with sector seven and replace it with some Decepticon transmissions with Cybertron. That is all I will say about the movie's short comings because it's a fun movie that will grab your attention with it's squirel-on-crack pace. And the work ILM did on the visuals was as impressive as the T-Rex in JP when I first saw that!

I did apreciate the fan service sprinkled throughout like, "One shall stand, one shall fall" and "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings".

The special transforming DVD case from Target is also pretty cool, too bad DW sold out to Microsoft because there are alot of consumers who would've bought it on Blu-ray, my self included.

Some fun extras to bring fans back to their childhood and show new fans how rich the Transformers mythos goes.

Looking forward to T2!

B+