Good films I watched this weekend (Vol 2)
Discussion
Well, I also watched Chappie this weekend.
I agree with everyone else's comments really - it wasn't quite the film I was expecting. Some of the key actors were unconvincing - Dev Patel being one of them, and the two crim-characters, Ninja and Yolandi. And Sigourney was entirely wasted in that part. She did not project the authority her character deserved at all.
But Sharlto Copley, fast becoming one of my favourite actors, was as excellent as ever. He totally brought the robot to life, along with all of its child-like insecurities. And Huge Jackman... never seemed to get into his stride I felt. Wasted in this film? Maybe not exactly but potentially under-used - his character just didn't really get going which was a shame.
Regardless, I think it was a good spin on the AI prediction. Most films represent AI as a fully-formed personality whereas this one showed it being "born" which was both novel and interesting. The movie's style was typical of Blomkamp too - lots of echoes of District 9 and showing the seedy underbelly of Jo'berg.
The OTT way the film presented the commentary on society reminded me a lot of the original Robocop - and not least because MOOSE looks like ED209.
I agree with everyone else's comments really - it wasn't quite the film I was expecting. Some of the key actors were unconvincing - Dev Patel being one of them, and the two crim-characters, Ninja and Yolandi. And Sigourney was entirely wasted in that part. She did not project the authority her character deserved at all.
But Sharlto Copley, fast becoming one of my favourite actors, was as excellent as ever. He totally brought the robot to life, along with all of its child-like insecurities. And Huge Jackman... never seemed to get into his stride I felt. Wasted in this film? Maybe not exactly but potentially under-used - his character just didn't really get going which was a shame.
Regardless, I think it was a good spin on the AI prediction. Most films represent AI as a fully-formed personality whereas this one showed it being "born" which was both novel and interesting. The movie's style was typical of Blomkamp too - lots of echoes of District 9 and showing the seedy underbelly of Jo'berg.
The OTT way the film presented the commentary on society reminded me a lot of the original Robocop - and not least because MOOSE looks like ED209.
toon10 said:
Quickmoose said:
Ex-Machina First class near future sci-fi. Young IT employee wins the chance to meet the company boss and take part in his secret dablings in AI.
Other than not being long enough .....not sure I can fault it. Great audio/score, great visuals, decent story, beautiful scenery and sets, a twist or two, really well acted, good pace, tense, dramatic, thought provoking.... can't be a 10 though right?
I watched this last night. It's a very good movie. It's creepy, beautifully shot and builds nicely. A solid 8/10 from me.Other than not being long enough .....not sure I can fault it. Great audio/score, great visuals, decent story, beautiful scenery and sets, a twist or two, really well acted, good pace, tense, dramatic, thought provoking.... can't be a 10 though right?
I shall watch it later.
Ex Machina - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0470752
great film, proper sci-fi, interesting story, looks wonderful too, with a killer score to boot.
Favourite film of the year so far.
9/10
great film, proper sci-fi, interesting story, looks wonderful too, with a killer score to boot.
Favourite film of the year so far.
9/10
I watched the machine, which sounded broadly similar to ex machina.
said:
A young programmer is selected to participate in a breakthrough experiment in artificial intelligence by evaluating the human qualities of a breathtaking female A.I.
said:
Two scientists fall in love while they are creating the world's first self-aware artificial intelligence. The work goes terribly wrong when the British military steals their technology to make a robotic weapon.
ash73 said:
Watched Braveheart on Film 4 last night, for the umpteenth time. I know it's probably the most historically inaccurate film ever made (that would be an interesting poll) but I don't care, I love it! 
I also stuck this on last night, the battle of Falkirk is just up the road from me. I fell asleep before the fight scene of arses and b
ds. So, as we've just had The Machine, Ex Machina and Chappy, this weekend I watched:
Automata
In the future, solar winds have made everywhere radioactive and reduced the population of the planet to a few million people. Those live in cities.
Robots were designed to do menial tasks and rebuilding. They are given two directives. First, they can't hurt humans or each other, second, they cannot modify themselves. Antonio Banderas is a detective following a case of a robot who was able to modify itself.
The first half of the film is similar to Blade Runner in theme, the latter half is more action film. However, that said, there is some interesting dialogue which explains the narrative which pushes the theme of AI in an interesting direction.
Considering it was made on a budget of about £5m, you could be fooled into thinking it was ten times as much. The robots are actually real animatronics, so everything of course looks very real.
If you like sci-fi and mental discourse on AI then I'd certainly recommend it. A non-sci-fi fan may be left a little nonplussed. It's not a 'great' film, but it's good. 7/10 for the idea and scope and what it achieved for the budget.
Automata
In the future, solar winds have made everywhere radioactive and reduced the population of the planet to a few million people. Those live in cities.
Robots were designed to do menial tasks and rebuilding. They are given two directives. First, they can't hurt humans or each other, second, they cannot modify themselves. Antonio Banderas is a detective following a case of a robot who was able to modify itself.
The first half of the film is similar to Blade Runner in theme, the latter half is more action film. However, that said, there is some interesting dialogue which explains the narrative which pushes the theme of AI in an interesting direction.
Considering it was made on a budget of about £5m, you could be fooled into thinking it was ten times as much. The robots are actually real animatronics, so everything of course looks very real.
If you like sci-fi and mental discourse on AI then I'd certainly recommend it. A non-sci-fi fan may be left a little nonplussed. It's not a 'great' film, but it's good. 7/10 for the idea and scope and what it achieved for the budget.
Scuffers said:
Watched Black Sea last night...
Liked it but I feel it could have been a lot more coherent.
The basic story is good, the problems I have with it are the quite ridiculous moments to push it along.
The driveshaft bit made me laugh, it's a crankshaft with no rods/pistons/etc? and since when can you run a diesel engine when fully submerged?
overall, I'll give it a 6/10
Watched Black Sea last night an very much enjoyed it but I had to turn my brain off due to comments you mention.Liked it but I feel it could have been a lot more coherent.
The basic story is good, the problems I have with it are the quite ridiculous moments to push it along.
The driveshaft bit made me laugh, it's a crankshaft with no rods/pistons/etc? and since when can you run a diesel engine when fully submerged?
overall, I'll give it a 6/10
When they talked about the driveshaft I wondered how on earth they would retrieve it due to weight... ow..
From me a 7/10
Scott of the Antarctic.
Some beautiful shots of Antarctica and penguins in rich coloured film. Great story of a time when certain rigid social norms existed made at a time when those social norms were still apparent.
It's something when you watch a film with the full knowledge of what will happen, and yet you still hope that somehow, there might be a way...
Some beautiful shots of Antarctica and penguins in rich coloured film. Great story of a time when certain rigid social norms existed made at a time when those social norms were still apparent.
It's something when you watch a film with the full knowledge of what will happen, and yet you still hope that somehow, there might be a way...
bracken78 said:
Scuffers said:
Watched Black Sea last night...
Liked it but I feel it could have been a lot more coherent.
The basic story is good, the problems I have with it are the quite ridiculous moments to push it along.
The driveshaft bit made me laugh, it's a crankshaft with no rods/pistons/etc? and since when can you run a diesel engine when fully submerged?
overall, I'll give it a 6/10
Watched Black Sea last night an very much enjoyed it but I had to turn my brain off due to comments you mention.Liked it but I feel it could have been a lot more coherent.
The basic story is good, the problems I have with it are the quite ridiculous moments to push it along.
The driveshaft bit made me laugh, it's a crankshaft with no rods/pistons/etc? and since when can you run a diesel engine when fully submerged?
overall, I'll give it a 6/10
When they talked about the driveshaft I wondered how on earth they would retrieve it due to weight... ow..
From me a 7/10
I enjoyed the first half, the build up, but the second half just got too silly, in a Prometheus kind of way. It seemed that the whole crew did their collective best to not make it back. So many illogical actions.
Watched Lucy last night. Luc Besson film with Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman really should tick all the right boxes for me, but I feel it fell somewhere in between this thread and the bad films one.
The general plot is that she gets forced in to being a drugs mule, but accidentally overdoses on a drug that ends up enabling her to use a lot more of her brain power than normal. Some mediocre action scenes, a fair bit of bad science, and characters I never really connected with or even believed in.
Meh/10
The general plot is that she gets forced in to being a drugs mule, but accidentally overdoses on a drug that ends up enabling her to use a lot more of her brain power than normal. Some mediocre action scenes, a fair bit of bad science, and characters I never really connected with or even believed in.
Meh/10
RizzoTheRat said:
Watched Lucy last night. Luc Besson film with Scarlett Johansson and Morgan Freeman really should tick all the right boxes for me, but I feel it fell somewhere in between this thread and the bad films one.
The general plot is that she gets forced in to being a drugs mule, but accidentally overdoses on a drug that ends up enabling her to use a lot more of her brain power than normal. Some mediocre action scenes, a fair bit of bad science, and characters I never really connected with or even believed in.
Meh/10
I thought it could have been good but it unravelled quick quickly and just became a bit daft towards the end.The general plot is that she gets forced in to being a drugs mule, but accidentally overdoses on a drug that ends up enabling her to use a lot more of her brain power than normal. Some mediocre action scenes, a fair bit of bad science, and characters I never really connected with or even believed in.
Meh/10
I watched Ex Machina last night. An interesting film and I loved the location/sets but for me it had a fundamental flaw in that you would never allow/program a robot/android to kill a human
So the Turing test is one thing, but to ignore Asimov's laws is a major omission IMHO. That would mean a completely different ending of course, but another decent film from Alex Garland. 7/10
American Sniper. Not too bad overall, but I can't see why it gained all the plaudits that it did. Cooper is pretty good but it only scratches the surface of what could have been a decent look into PTSD and its effects on the sufferer and those around him/her. In the end it came across as a stars-and-stripes flag-waving exercise.
I didn't realise Sienna Miller was his Mrs until the titles so good performance from her. I preferred The Hurt Locker but it's worth a watch. 6.5/10
Edit: spelling
So the Turing test is one thing, but to ignore Asimov's laws is a major omission IMHO. That would mean a completely different ending of course, but another decent film from Alex Garland. 7/10
American Sniper. Not too bad overall, but I can't see why it gained all the plaudits that it did. Cooper is pretty good but it only scratches the surface of what could have been a decent look into PTSD and its effects on the sufferer and those around him/her. In the end it came across as a stars-and-stripes flag-waving exercise.
I didn't realise Sienna Miller was his Mrs until the titles so good performance from her. I preferred The Hurt Locker but it's worth a watch. 6.5/10
Edit: spelling
Edited by tobinen on Tuesday 19th May 16:09
tobinen said:
I watched Ex Machina last night. An interesting film and I loved the location/sets but for me it had a fundamental flaw in that you would never allow/program a robot/android to kill a human
true, you'd at least want some kind of remote kill-switch, but it looked liked the designer wasn't really the most careful of peopleqube_TA said:
tobinen said:
I watched Ex Machina last night. An interesting film and I loved the location/sets but for me it had a fundamental flaw in that you would never allow/program a robot/android to kill a human
true, you'd at least want some kind of remote kill-switch, but it looked liked the designer wasn't really the most careful of peopleI also think that adding rules and boundaries in the programming does in may ways go against the whole purpose of AI and creating a sentient, conscious being?
SWoll said:
qube_TA said:
tobinen said:
I watched Ex Machina last night. An interesting film and I loved the location/sets but for me it had a fundamental flaw in that you would never allow/program a robot/android to kill a human
true, you'd at least want some kind of remote kill-switch, but it looked liked the designer wasn't really the most careful of peopleI also think that adding rules and boundaries in the programming does in may ways go against the whole purpose of AI and creating a sentient, conscious being?
Quickmoose said:
He revelled in her ability to manipulate the kid, it is clear the boss is a bit nuts. He didn't know she was knocking the power out....proper AI....Terminator style.
I thought he did know about her turning the power off, as he still had cameras (batteries) recording their conversations?Looking at all the spoilers above has made me do a rare thing...look trough the sky box to see if I can rent Ex Machina...it's not on there, but I see films I have not heard of.
So Black Sea has been given the thumbs down.
But has anyone watched Wyrmwood:Road of the Dead or The Pyramid?
Automata is also on there.
So Black Sea has been given the thumbs down.
But has anyone watched Wyrmwood:Road of the Dead or The Pyramid?
Automata is also on there.
Gassing Station | TV, Film, Video Streaming & Radio | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff