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Robot Stories Movie
Ant writes "One line synopsis -- Winner of over 23 awards, 'Robot Stories' is science fiction from the heart, four stories in which utterly human characters struggle to connect in a world of robot babies, robot toys, android office workers, and digital immortality." There are a few reviews available.
What about a movie we all can enjoy:
All my circuits - the movie !
Spelling mistakes: My is english spoken not tongue of mother.
I'll be watching this movie in 2 days at the 29th annual Boston Sci-Fi Movie Marathon! Can't wait!
-Tut
Health-Hack.com
Looks like more than 1 line of synopsis to me. Maybe I need a larger monitor?
Independent movie producers like this with their limited movie release schedules must hit Netflix style distributers early.
Much as I would like to see these movies, I am not willing to fly to some other city just to watch a movie.
I hope they make it to Netflix or something similar so that I can support them then.
Just saw this on memepool last night... I feel all ahead of the curve and stuff.
meh
Any idea when this will start showing on the other side of the pond?
The stories look very interesting, a move away from soldier-fighting-eliminator machines and back towards Asimov's humane robots. I'd certainly like to see it.
This is old, they've already done this with the classic movie Short Circuit and pushed the boundries of a robot living in our society with the ever popular Short Circuit 2
*DrugCheese rants*
Johnny 5 reading Slashdot?
:)
Input! Lots of input!!!
Finally, a live version of Robot Carnival. Well, maybe not quite...
No robot story is good without Bender in it.
"Yeah, well I'm gonna build my own lunar space
lander! With blackjack aaaaannd Hookers!
Actually, forget the space lander, and the
blackjack. Ahhhh forget the whole thing!"
Bender.
- these are not the droids you are looking for -
utterly human characters struggle to connect in a world of robot babies, robot toys, android office workers
Yep, I had the same feelings when I worked at Toys'r'Us...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
The disparity between ambition and aptitude has doomed more than one indie, as a veritable graveyard of worthy half-hour films padded to interminable feature length attests. What a pleasure, then, that writer-director Greg Pak gives each episode in his four-part Robot Stories precisely the running time needed to explore its ideas, and not a moment more. Pak, in fact, is savvy and sensitive enough to hold something back in each tale--an audience-grabbing technique even the similarly themed, overdeveloped-in-every-sense A.I. couldn't manage.
As the title says, Pak uses an ostensible sci-fi motif to link his four pieces. What truly binds them, however, is a subtle exploration of the tension between the human and the synthetic, and the sometimes fuzzy distinction between the two. The film also has a distinguishable arc, beginning with an exceedingly nontraditional "birth" and closing with a triumphant death. "My Robot Baby" follows a yuppified couple keen on adopting a child as they take a test run with a mechanical, C-3PO-meets-Furby stand-in. After attempting a disastrous caregiving work-around, Marcia (Tamlyn Tomita), whose own tumultuous childhood is glimpsed in a brief prologue, discovers a nascent nurturing streak beneath her chilly exterior.
The most effective and least science-fictiony of the bunch, "The Robot Fixer," is a poignant, minutely observed study of loss and acceptance. A mother (Wai Ching Ho) stands watch over her comatose son, and with the help of her daughter (Cindy Cheung) and the young man's boyhood toy-robot collection (of which she has no recollection), discerns the scope of the emotional wedge she's driven between herself and her children. The final installments, "Machine Love," a Twilight Zone-esque lark concerning the dawning need for intimacy experienced by an android corporate lackey (played by Pak himself), and "Clay," an edgier look at machine love that slyly asks whether eternal life via a vast computer-network "heaven" would be all that heavenly, are slighter but just as well crafted.
For all the melodrama lurking at the edges of Robot Stories, Pak never resorts to preachiness or pathos. He's an uncannily assured visual storyteller, and his crew--particularly cinematographer Peter Olsen and editor Stephanie Sterne--matches his creative fervor. The result is a quietly impassioned, genuinely stirring indie rarity. As a character in "The Robot Fixer" puts it, "A little care goes a long way."
Source: VillageVoice
I like the quote on the front page:
Translation: "If, during the wine and cheese portion of the dinner party, Kaitlyn and Rog look at you askance when you mention you went to see a movie called 'Robot Stories' down at the Brattle House Theatre last weekend, here are some literary / retropopcult names you can drop to reassure them of your continued hipness. Don't forget to contrast them with George Lucas, chief purveyor of the kind of mass-culture pablum they show on the SciFi channel, which you are so obviously and hiply above"
Not that there's anything WRONG with that. The more exposure scifi gets in different subdivisions of pop culture, the better. We need more people to start thinking seriously and honestly about our future, given how rapidly it seems to be approaching.
"I like stealing, I like takin' things"
Normally you see the complete opposite story.
A robot trying to live/adapt to a human environment.
Bicentenial man (probably spelled that wrong)
Data (from Star Trek TNG)
Short Circuit (who doesn't know this one)
Countless Anime series and movies (Chobits is my favourite, GO BUY IT)
The only series/movie that comes to mind is the (Ani-)Matrix, but that one doesn't really fit the bill either.
This is the sig that says NI (again)
Forget THAT.
I'm waiting for this!
Pure Asimov... gawwhh... next best thing to a Caves of Steel movie.
Data will always be my favorite android!
Naww, I like Ash from Alien. It shows the dark side of artificial intelligence. We can't guarantee that all makers of all robots, or those that control them, will adhere to the "no harm to humans.." Golden Rule.
Trolling is a art,
utterly human characters struggle to connect
Incompatible sockets no doubt...
----------------------------------- My Other Sig Is Hilarious -----------------------------------
They will as long as I can get to a screwdriver, and a bios flashing tool. Consider this; the T2/T3 would make a perfect RealDoll, and the T1 would do a fine job as Governor of California.
Oh, damn, someone beat me to it. But your point is well made, these would be the last word in company men. But speaking from personal experience, "for the tallest wall, there is a taller ladder" and we take pride in customizing our toys.
See xbox-scene.com for evidence.
Remove the spamfreak to speak.
This is like I, Robot, The Rip-off. Although I love to see it. The I-Robot movie hopefully will be written and performed well compared to the stories from the book.
I'll worry about my feelings after I can buy a robot to do all my house work.
I've seen this four times (that what I get for being a film festival projectionist). It's by far the most original film that I've seen in the last year, and it should appeal to lots of different crowds (sci-fi, art house, etc.). It even makes a good date movie.
Anyone in NYC (or DC, or Boston, or Chicago, or LA, or any of the other cities where it is opening today or soon) should make a point of going to see it. Support quality film efforts like this. It's even independently distributed (no MPAA here!).
these film shorts are actually produced by the marketing department in association with the US Govt agency assigned to 'break the news' to the general populace..
it's an attempt to guage the reaction of the 'man on the street' to next months social upheaval.
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
I am disappointed, I thought the movie would be about one of my favorite webcomics, Neil G.'s Robot Stories. Start reading here at page 1. ;-)
PS should you get into the story, just remember: Keren is mine -- I saw her first!
Oh, that was robot babies. Never mind. I say, bring on the robot babes! (possibly NSFW)
I looked into the abyss, and the abyss looked into me--and we both winked.
In other words, the writer is positing by the phrase "utterly human" is that in a world where machines are becoming more human, humans can't meet them half way. We are what we are, that is to say human nature is fixed. However, the situations in which we find ourselves, particularly due to technology, are constantly changing and hilighting different aspects of human nature.
Which is why technology is an appropriate topic for artists to be interested in.
Notes to usage nazis on
(1) Slashdot is more of a cafe atmosphere than a journal. While we the readers appreciate effort in composition, a relaxed and tolerant attitude towards usage and spelling is appropriate. Rampant pedantry is one of the reasons I stopped reading K5. Yes I realize this post is pedantic, but I don't believe in unilateral disarmament.
(2) This is a instance of a common usageanarian nitpick: the application of adverbs to adjectives indicating class membership. The laws of Aristotlean logic don't apply to natural language, because the law of the excluded middle is false. The degree to which adjectives embodying abstract concepts like "good" or "human" apply to a real world thing is not fixed at absolute truth or falsity. It is almost always fuzzy. For that reason it is entirely appropriate to apply adverbs such as "utterly" to adjectives such as "human" which on their own would indicate class membership.
(3) If you are going to get on your usageanarian high horse, you should pay attention to spelling, usage and capitalization in your own posts.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Off topic, but Greg Pak looks just like William Ragsdale from Fright Night. Especially the picture on the blog link...
http://www.robotstories.net/blog/index.html
Maybe it's just the wide eyed unbelieving stare.
Not that I think that would necessarily work as a film, but I've spent too much time trying to figure out how it could be done.
They call it "Robot Stories" and invoke Sterling and Bradbury and not Asimov? It *can't* be *good*!!!
I spoke with the director about the way some webcomics and other online media outlets were giving away content to make $$$. For instance, I bought the Small Stories book, even though I'd already read Same Difference for free online. I thought giving away one of the vignettes from the website would be a do-able notion (especially with advance promtion somewhere like /., followed with a Bit Torrent to ease his bandwidth bills), which could then fuel direct DVD sales of some kind.
Bottom line, if this comes by you, see it! I can't believe a movie like this has been making the festival rounds for so long and has not been picked up by a cable outlet or some type of distributor. Heck, if SciFi has money to waste on some of its crap-tacular originals, I'm sure it has the money to buy up something this small-scale. Maybe a grass-roots geek agitation could help this deserving flick out!
Just another note about the film --- it's far better than its art-house PR blurbs (such as the above) make it out to be. That's the one thing about festivals --- everyone tries to be artier-than-thou. I overheard a guy at one festival describe his film as "a triumph of the human spirit" to a local news crew ... AND HE WASN'T JOKING. Please, people of Robot Stories (and all budding artists), just let the movie stand on its own. Don't try to impress us with your poetic description of your own film. If it is about utterly human characters struggling to connect, we'll know it when we watch it.
/ Blatant subculture karmawhoring
First off, it was excellent. I also had a chance to meet the film-maker, Greg Pak, and was very impressed. He's a geek who's going out and making movies about geek things, but telling them in ways that everyone, both geeks and non-geeks, can understand.
If you're looking for a high-tech special effects thriller that's heavy on hardware, you may not enjoy Pak's stuff. But if you're looking for some moving stories that really nail some of the emotional truths about people and the way they connect with each other, I can't recommend this movie enough.
I think one of my favorite stories was the one about the mother whose son was gravely ill in the hospital, and she copes with his illness by lovingly restoring each one of his childhood robot toys (and yes, they're real toys -- the director understands!)
Pak already had somewhat of a name for himself by making a few quirky shorts which are already on the internet. And I'm pleased to see that he's turned that notoriety into a feature-length film. And I definitely look forward to seeing more stuff from him in the future! He deserves all the support we can give him.
Elonka :)
Space Ghost: The race war had begun. Machines were building robot babies to replace other babies. Everyone knows what happened next. The End.
But I don't want anyone thinking I'm a Robosexual.
Are you Corn Fed?
This film was the opening night feature at the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival last November.
http://www.reelasian.com
I saw it then and thoroughly enjoyed it. Whilst there is a sci-fi element to this film it's not a typical sci-fi movie at all, which was refreshing (and I'm a sci-fi fan). The stories are really all about people, not the robots themselves. Rather than relying on sensationalistic special effects (there are none) this movie plays on our emotions, and does so very effectively.
With this movie Greg Pak has shown that you can make a sci-fi film which can have mass market appeal for a low budget. I hope that this gets a wide distribution and that lots of people get the opportunity to see it. I'm also looking forward to seeing his future movies.
If you get the opportunity to watch this film go see it - you won't regret it.
Chobits is only good for about two episodes.
This too is of a world with quite human-like robots but set in a twilight time of dwindling humanity after a mysterious cataclysm that reduced Japanese metropoles into rural landscape.
The story is slow and quiet, not for those craving massive amounts of action, yet there is this little mystery around the edges, and eerie atmosphere that makes you think.
There are some reviews available at the defunct web zine EX of the manga and the anime.
Recommended.
Anyway, yes, it sounds like a great movie. I'll look out for it. (Just on the off-chance it ever hits these shores...)
Ceterum censeo subscriptionem esse delendam.
Unit 3000-21 is warming
Makes a humming sound
When its circuits duplicate emotions
And a sense of coldness detaches
As it tries to comfort your sadness
One more robot learns to be
Something more than a machine
When it tries the way it does
Makes it seem like it can love
Cause it's hard to say what's real
When you know the way you feel
Is it wrong to think it's love
When it tries the way it does
Feeling a synthetic kind of love
Dreaming a sympathetic wish
As the lights blink faster and brighter
One more robot learns to be
Something more than a machine
When it tries the way it does
Makes it seem like it can love
Cause it's hard to say what's real
When you know the way you feel
Is it wrong to think it's love
When it tries the way it does
-The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots
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They Are Vermin Feeding On Each Other's Feces.
I Hate \.
I saw this in the 2003 Wisconsin Film Festival. The writer/director, Greg Pak, was present for a Q&A afterward. The stories are superficially about robots. By that I mean it's not hard sci-fi, but primarily about people in a sci-fi context. The characters are interesting and much more significant than the plot.
I enjoyed the film. The middle two stories are the best, I think. If you have the opportunity to see it at a film fest where Pak may be present, I recommend that. He is an interesting speaker.
Just saw "Robot Stories" in New York City. Like four really solid episodes of the Twilight Zone, all delicately interwoven. Really good first feature. Go see it this weekend and it's run will get extended!
I saw this at the SXSW film festival in Austin last year. I thought it was very good. I took a friend with me who wasn't very interested in robots and she enjoyed it also. As some of the other reviews stated it did stretch the imagination on how humans and robots might interact with each other in the distant/not to distant future with some comic, some serious issues being addressed. Overall, it was pretty good.
For people in the Washington DC area Robot Stories is showing at the AFI Silver Theater (http://silver.afi.com) from 2/20/04 to 2/26/04
For those of you who want to see the movie but don't live near a city where it is being released, don't despair. Much of the marketing for Robot Stories is being done at the grass-roots level. In other words, if it's not being shown near you, it's time to try to figure out how to get it shown near you. Is there a local art house that might show it? Talk to the manager there, and let the Robot Stories team know so they can help. They're releasing the film themselves, which is a huge undertaking. Normally a distributor would take care of this, but because the film isn't easy to pigeonhole (Asian-American Sci-Fi Anthology, anyone?), getting a distribution deal wasn't in the cards, but you can help make it happen. I've known Greg, the film-maker, for over ten years, and he is both talented and a mensch. He deserves our support not only because he can save us from more Hollywood dreck, but also because he has made (and should continue to make) a beautiful, thoughtful, and yes, entertaining film. Go see it. If you can't see it now, don't just wait for it to appear on Netflix - this film and this director deserve better than straight-to-DVD status.