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diff --git a/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/_index.md b/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/_index.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6ae9fb9 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/_index.md @@ -0,0 +1,21 @@ ++++ +title = "American SciFi movies" +author = ["Michał Sapka"] +date = 2024-04-14T20:59:00+02:00 +categories = ["brainrot"] +draft = false +weight = 3001 +abstract = "Random SciFi from USA" +[menu] + [menu.brain-rot] + weight = 3001 + identifier = "american-scifi-movies" ++++ + +{{< menu "brain-rot-ascifi" >}} +Dune +{{< /menu >}} + +{{< menu-info >}} +Dune +{{< /menu-info >}} diff --git a/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/colossus-1970.md b/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/colossus-1970.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..078eee7 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/colossus-1970.md @@ -0,0 +1,93 @@ ++++ +title = "Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)" +author = ["Michał Sapka"] +date = 2024-03-03T16:52:00+01:00 +categories = ["brainrot"] +draft = false +weight = 3004 +alias = ["/brain-rot/colosus-1970"] +[menu] + [menu.brain-rot-ascifi] + weight = 3004 + identifier = "colossus-the-forbin-project-1970" ++++ + +Finally, in my series of discovering the roots of cyberpunk in American Cyberpunk I've seen a real gem. + +_Colossus_ is a 1970 movie about a not-so-distant-future where Americans decide that it would be a great idea to give control of their military potential to a computer. +On paper, it sounds great - a computer has no emotions, so it will not be stopped by petty things, like morality. +Guess how well that turned out? +Soon after switching on, Colossus learns about the existence of another such system - The Guardian, in the territory of CCCP. + +{{< img-c "colossus-1970-0001.jpg" >}} +The movie starts with sexy old-comp scenes. +Fitting, as Control Data Corporation supplied close to 5 million USD in computer equipment. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "colossus-1970-0002.jpg" >}} +Sexy! +Rest of the movie is not as sexy. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "colossus-1970-0003.jpg" >}} +Colossus in person. +{{< /img-c >}} + +And then this SciFi thriller stops being so _crazy-computer_ focused, and analyzes _crazy-human_ reaction. +Colossus starts exhibiting features which were never implemented. +It[^fn:1] starts _demanding_ to be connected with the Guardian, so they can communicate. +And the scientist decide that it would be a great idea. +The computers start exchanging data and developing language. +Still - looks cool, let's see what happens. +Only after Colossus threatens humans with ICBMs, Forbin (Colossus's creator) starts thinking that maybe this wasn't the best idea. + +{{< img-c "colossus-1970-0004.jpg" >}} +At first Colossus communicates only via text. +Funny, as those screens sound like matrix printers. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "colossus-1970-0005.jpg" >}} +This one as well. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "colossus-1970-0006.jpg" >}} +Because it has a printer! +It took me half of the movie to get that. +Guess I'm too millenial for that to be obvious. +{{< /img-c >}} + +The movie is often described as an evil-computer story. +Colossus is never evil in the movie. +It does exactly what it was designed to do - to act without mercy. +The evil ones here are the humans who never stop and think that maybe we are on the verge of the end of humanity. + +So yeah, it's an movie about Altman. +We may have destroyed the civilization, but at lest we made a cool program which does things. +No one know what those things are, but those are details you should not worry about. + +Story wise, _Colossus: The Forbin Project_ holds splendidly. +Yes, we've got casual alcoholism and the female character exists only to have sex with Forbin[^fn:2]. +But the actual meat of the movie could be a base of an amazing movie today. +The questions and subject are more relevant now that half a century ago. +What was a huge _what-if_ scenario becomes a real _ok, but how do we stop it_. +The Pentagon is already working on militarization of AI[^fn:3]. +We're pretty much screwed already. + +The best SciFi is not about giant battles or space travel for space travel sake. +It's always about humans, a warning for us. +And the _best_ SciFi is a warning for the next generations, as the threads become more real as years go by. + +There is a moment in the movie, where the entire day of Forbin is planned and monitored by an AI. +What was a horror story, is now what a lot of us _expect_. + +_Colossus_ in a movie version of earlier book of same. +There are 2 more in the series, and (as I've been told), Aliens make an appearance later on. +Maybe someday! + +As for the movie, I give it a 4.25/5. + +[^fn:1]: There's an interesting discussion about what pronoum to use - He or It. +[^fn:2]: It is a plot point! + A terrible one, but still. +[^fn:3]: Vide: [Pentagon Official Lays Out DOD Vision for AI](https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3682355/pentagon-official-lays-out-dod-vision-for-ai/). + Note, it's from the official website of US Department of Defense. diff --git a/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/ghost-in-the-machine-1993.md b/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/ghost-in-the-machine-1993.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..710ee31 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/ghost-in-the-machine-1993.md @@ -0,0 +1,46 @@ ++++ +title = "Ghost in the Machine (1993)" +author = ["Michał Sapka"] +date = 2024-02-09T22:59:00+01:00 +categories = ["brainrot"] +draft = false +weight = 3003 +alias = ["/brain-rot/ghost-in-the-machine"] +[menu] + [menu.brain-rot-ascifi] + weight = 3003 + identifier = "ghost-in-the-machine-1993" ++++ + +Talk about a surprise! +I was expecting a _schlock_, but I've seen a nice move. +A dumb one, but still. + +The plot is the biggest problem: a serial killer has an MRI and due to electric storm gets his soul moved to computer network. +With this, he becomes able to: + +- kill person by moving to a microwave and changing its settings, +- kill a dog by arousing it with a TV program (using nothing by electric breakers), then hitting the dog with a VHS tape ejected from a VHS player which causes the animal to run towards the pool + +{{< img-r "ghost-in-the-machine.jpg" >}} +Cover +{{< /img-r >}} + +It makes as little sense in the context of the movie as it does here. +But the acting is (at the very least) acceptable and the FX are better than they should - and there is a lot of them. +Moreover, the camera work is crazy! +The movie _looks_ better than it should. +It seems that this dumb, little movie got more passion in it than the entire MCU combined. + +The problem is that I have no idea what was going on. +People were dying, cool computer interfaces were shown, but the plot barely connected those scenes together. + +It's a classic thriller from early days of personal computing revolution. +I enjoyed it a lot. +It is not a _good_ movie, but it is enjoyable. + +I give it a `3.0/5.` + +links: + +- [Ghost in the Machine on TVDB](https://utf.thetvdb.com/movies/ghost-in-the-machine) diff --git a/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/hardware-1990.md b/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/hardware-1990.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..37a56f3 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/brain-rot/american-scifi-movies/hardware-1990.md @@ -0,0 +1,206 @@ ++++ +title = "Hardware (1990)" +author = ["Michał Sapka"] +date = 2024-02-17T19:39:00+01:00 +categories = ["brainrot"] +draft = false +weight = 3002 +alias = ["/brain-rot/hardware-1990"] +[menu] + [menu.brain-rot-ascifi] + weight = 3002 + identifier = "hardware-1990" ++++ + +I ue my descend into American cyberpunk cinema[^fn:1]. +I spent my formative years watching _Anime, art house_ and ignoring most of USA movies. +This means I haven't watched a lot of the _cult_ movies out there. + +_Hardware_ is a 1990 movie about a killer robot in a post-nuclear world. +Think of a mix of Terminator, Aliens and Short Circuit. + +I heard of this movie years ago, but it seemed to be noting more than a cash grab after the success of _Terminator_ - a movie which I don't partially enjoy. +After watching, I have to say that there was a of true in this assumption. +But somehow I ended enjoying _Hardware_ much more. + +Not that the story is better - if anything, it is much simpler, or just plain _simplistic_. +Say what you will about _Terminator_, but the basic premise was great. +_Hardware_ on the other hand doesn't offer a great idea. +This is a straight movie about a killer robot. + +However, I enjoyed it more, as it is much closer to what _Alien[^fn:2]_ achieved +The entire action is encapsulated in only a few, closed locations. +Half of the runtime is spent in a single apartment, where the _Mark-13_ robot shows up from to time a try to murder someone. +Much like the _Nostromo_! + +This allowed the movie to be **stunning** visually. +I loved every frame here! +I know that most of the effect is based on fog and lighting, but I dig it! +Just take a look at the gallery below. + +Another thing which reminded me of _Alien_ is how they handled the special effects of the _monster_. +We see very little of _Mark-13_ - he is often hard to see, covered in darkness. +From time to time we see his movements, and well. +Hiding him was clearly a good idea... just like with the _Xenomorph_. + +All in all, I enjoyed the movie. +I'm not calling it one of my favorites, but I enjoyed every minute of its short runtime. + +I give it a `3.5/5`. + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0001.jpg" >}} +Red sky of postnuclear... summer? +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0002.jpg" >}} +The Nomad. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0003.jpg" >}} +Nomad searching the desert for stuff for sale. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0004.jpg" >}} +An ordinary store. +Great vibes! +Fun for the whole family. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0005.jpg" >}} +Same store, different view. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0006.jpg" >}} +The perfect glasses. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0007.jpg" >}} +Seems like somene realy liked Jin-Roh. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0008.jpg" >}} +What posses as art now. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0009.jpg" >}} +Computer we want but don't deserve. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0010.jpg" >}} +An art studio. Nothing out of the ordinary. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0011.jpg" >}} +Remember when spirituality was cool? +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0012.jpg" >}} +Let's give our murder-robot eyes from a camera lense. +I'm sure no one will drop it. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0013.jpg" >}} +UI we all want. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0014.jpg" >}} +What lurks in the shadows. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0015.jpg" >}} +Yup, Jin-Roh. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0016.jpg" >}} +Yankee-Roh. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0017.jpg" >}} +With some striking shadows. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0018.jpg" >}} +I have become bread, the destroyer of worlds. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0019.jpg" >}} +Prelude... +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0020.jpg" >}} +And the (most likely) last usage of a refrigerator as a safe place which makes any sense in the history of cinema. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0021.jpg" >}} +Yup, a hand. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0022.jpg" >}} +Hold the presses! +The glasses are back! +I repeat: the glasses are back. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0023.jpg" >}} +Mark-13 in all of its glory. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0024.jpg" >}} +This is only a window, but what a window it is. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0025.jpg" >}} +They have not used Wilhelm's scream. +What a wasted opportunity. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0026.jpg" >}} +In 2024 those are rookie number when it comes to unnecessary lights inside a computer. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0027.jpg" >}} +I am a sucker for this type of fish eye. +Always reminds me of _City of Lost Children._ +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0028.jpg" >}} +It doesn't get more era-apporiate than this. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0029.jpg" >}} +Ok, it does. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0030.jpg" >}} +One of the few CGI moments here. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0031.jpg" >}} +And one of _many_ lighting shots. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0032.jpg" >}} +Look how black it is. Classy. +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0033.jpg" >}} +But does it run Quake? +{{< /img-c >}} + +{{< img-c "hardware-1990-0034.jpg" >}} +Back to the desert, like a fine sandwich. +{{< /img-c >}} + +And a few nice _gore_ sceenes which I won't show it. +This is a family-friendly website! + +Links: + +- [Hardware on TVDB](https://thetvdb.com/movies/hardware) +- [Director's official website](https://www.theofficialrichardstanley.com/) + +[^fn:1]: I disagree with calling those movies "cyberpunk" as they lack the "punk" element... or most of "cyber". + No one rebels against the system, no one enters the _cyberspace_. + But following this definition, I am not sure if we can call any movie other than _Johny Menomic_ a _Cyberpunk_. + Often we put all dark-sf into "cyberpunk" genre, which limits our ability to be pricks about it. +[^fn:2]: Aka "the clearly superior of the _Alien_ series" |