movies

261 – The Keeping Room (2014)

spacetime coordinates: the american south, 1865

The Keeping Room is a 2014 American  western | thriller film directed by Daniel Barber and written by Julia Hart. The film stars Brit MarlingHailee SteinfeldMuna OtaruSam WorthingtonAmy Nuttall, and Ned Dennehy.

the keeping roomLeft without men in the dying days of the American Civil War, three Southern women—two white sisters and one African-American slave—must fight to defend their home and themselves from two rogue soldiers who have broken off from the fast-approaching Union Army.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2488778/

movies

218 – Room (2015)

spacetime coordinates: 2010’s Akron, Ohio 

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Room is a 2015 Canadian-Irish independent drama film directed by Lenny Abrahamson and written by Emma Donoghue, based on her novel of the same name. It stars Brie Larson as a woman who has been held captive for seven years, and whose 5-year-old son (Jacob Tremblay) was born in captivity. Their escape allows the boy to experience the outside world for the first time.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3170832/

movies

204 – Cloud Atlas (2012)

spacetime coordinates: Pacific Islands, 1849 // Cambridge/Edinburgh, 1936 // San Francisco, 1973 // London, 2012 // Neo Seoul, 2144 // Big Isle (Hawaii), 106 winters after the Fall (2321)

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Cloud Atlas is a 2012 German-American science fiction film written and directed by The Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer. Adapted from the 2004 novel of the same name by David Mitchell, the film has multiple plots set across six different eras, which Mitchell described as “a sort of pointillist mosaic.”  The official synopsis describes it as “an exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.”  Tom HanksHalle Berry, and Jim Broadbent lead an ensemble cast.

Lana Wachowski stated “people will try to will Cloud Atlas to be rejected. They will call it messy, or complicated, or undecided whether it’s trying to say something New Agey-profound or not. And we’re wrestling with the same things that Dickens and Hugo and David Mitchell and Herman Melville were wrestling with. We’re wrestling with those same ideas, and we’re just trying to do it in a more exciting context than conventionally you are allowed to. … We don’t want to say, ‘We are making this to mean this.’ What we find is that the most interesting art is open to a spectrum of interpretation.”

imdb // wikipedia

movies

0187 – La antena (2007)

spacetime coordinates: nameless city “in the year XX”

La Antena (English: The Aerial) is a 2007 Argentine dystopian drama/fantasy film, written and directed by acclaimed film director Esteban Sapir.

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This near-silent black and white film from Argentina tells the story of a city that has lost its voice, stolen by Mr. TV, and the attempts of a small family to win the voice back. Similar in design to early German expressionist films.

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IMDB, WIKI

movies

182 – The Legend of Ben Hall (2016)

spacetime coordinates:  New South Wales, Australia,   1860’s

The Legend of Ben Hall is a 2016 Australian Revisionist Western film. Written and directed by Matthew Holmes, it is based on the exploits of bushranger Ben Hall and his gang. The film stars Jack Martin in the title role, Jamie Coffa as John Gilbert, and William Lee as John Dunn.

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Writer-director Matthew Holmes made a determined effort to make the film as historically accurate as possible. Holmes worked closely with New South Wales historian and author Peter Bradley since 2007, who acted as an historical advisor on the script to ensure the film’s accurate portrayal of events. Peter Bradley is a descendant of Ben Hall’s younger brother, Henry Hall. Much of the dialogue used by Ben Hall, John Gilbert and John Dunn within the film comes directly from newspaper articles and eye-witness accounts. The film’s story is based on real life events that occurred between August 1864 and May 1865.

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Cast members were chosen to physically resemble their historical counterparts, with their personalities, wardrobe and hair based on descriptions or photographs of the real person.

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http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3844876/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Legend_of_Ben_Hall

movies

0169 – AI

Ex Machina (2014) 

Ex Machina is a 2014 British-American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Alex GarlandDomhnall GleesonAlicia VikanderSonoya Mizuno, and Oscar Isaac star in a story that follows a programmer who is invited by his CEO to administer the Turing test to an intelligent humanoid robot. Film based on The Tempest by William Shakespeare.

ex machina 3
ex machina (2014) – imdb

ex machina 2


I, Robot (2004) 

spacetime coordinates: 2035 Chicago

2004-i_robot-7I, Robot (stylized as i,robot) is a 2004 American science fiction action film directed by Alex Proyas. The screenplay by Jeff Vintar and Akiva Goldsman is from a screen story by Vintar, based on his original screenplay “Hardwired”, and suggested by Isaac Asimov‘s 1950 short-story collection of the same name. The film stars Will SmithBridget MoynahanBruce GreenwoodJames CromwellChi McBride, and Alan Tudyk. In 2035, highly intelligent robots fill public service positions throughout the dystopian world, operating under three rules to keep humans safe. Detective Del Spooner (Smith) investigates the alleged suicide of U.S. Robotics founder Alfred Lanning (Cromwell) and believes that a human-like robot (Tudyk) murdered him.

i robot
I, robot (2004) – imdb

Morgan (2016)

Morgan is a 2016 British-American science fiction thriller film directed by Luke Scott in his directorial debut, and written by Seth Owen. Film scored by Max Richter.

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morgan (2016) – imdb

Bicentennial Man (1999)

spacetime coordinates: 2005 > 2048 >> 2205 San Francisco Bay Area / Washington, D.C.

Bicentennial Man is a 1999 American science fiction comedy-drama film starring Robin WilliamsSam NeillEmbeth Davidtz (in a dual role), Wendy Crewson, and Oliver Platt. Based on the 1992 novel The Positronic Man by Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg (which is itself based on Asimov’s original 1976 novelette “The Bicentennial Man“), the plot explores issues of humanityslaveryprejudicematurityintellectual freedomconformitysexlovemortality, and eternal life. The film, a co-production between Touchstone Pictures and Columbia Pictures, was directed by Chris Columbus.

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bicentennial man (1999) – imdb

Eva (2011) 

spacetime coordinates: 2043, Santa Irene

Eva is a 2011 science fiction film directed by Kike Maíllo. It had its world premiere on 7 September 2011 at the 68th Venice International Film Festival, where it was screened out of competition. The film stars Daniel BrühlMarta EturaLluís Homar and Alberto Ammann.

Eva was nominated in twelve categories at the 26th Goya Awards, scoring three wins—Best New Director, Best Supporting Actor and Best Special Effects. It earned nominations for Best Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Make Up and Hairstyles, Best Original Score, Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Production Supervision and Best Sound. The film was also nominated for sixteen Gaudí Awards, winning five.

The film combines computer generated imagery of robots and engineering devices and retro clothing and props like a Saab 900 car. (wiki)

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eva (2011) – imdb

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) 

spacetime coordinates: the 22nd century  Madison, New Jersey, resort town of Rouge City, the flooded ruins of Manhattan (rising sea levels from global warming have wiped out coastal cities, reducing the world’s population.)

A.I. Artificial Intelligence (also known as A.I.) is a 2001 American science fiction drama film directed by Steven Spielberg. The screenplay by Spielberg and screen story by Ian Watson were loosely based on the 1969 short story “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” by Brian Aldiss. The film stars Haley Joel OsmentJude LawFrances O’ConnorBrendan Gleeson and William Hurt. Set in a futuristic post-climate change society, A.I. tells the story of David (Osment), a childlike android uniquely programmed with the ability to love.

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Development of A.I. originally began with producer-director Stanley Kubrick, after he acquired the rights to Aldiss’ story in the early 1970s. Kubrick hired a series of writers until the mid-1990s, including Brian Aldiss, Bob Shaw, Ian Watson, and Sara Maitland. The film languished in protracted development for years, partly because Kubrick felt computer-generated imagery was not advanced enough to create the David character, whom he believed no child actor would convincingly portray. In 1995, Kubrick handed A.I. to Spielberg, but the film did not gain momentum until Kubrick’s death in 1999. Spielberg remained close to Watson’s film treatment for the screenplay.

Kubrick’s original concept art for A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (2001) via @TIFF_NET

 A.I. is dedicated to Kubrick.

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artificial intelligence (2001) – imdb

Autómata (2014)

spacetime coordinates: 2044, 20 after solar flares irradiate the Earth, killing over 99% of the world’s population. The survivors gather in a network of safe cities and build primitive humanoid robots, called Pilgrims, to help rebuild and operate in the harsh environment.

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Autómata is a 2014 English-language science fiction action film directed by Gabe Ibáñez and starring Antonio Banderas. The film is co-written by Ibáñez with Igor Legarreta and Javier Sánchez Donate, and co-stars Birgitte Hjort SørensenMelanie GriffithDylan McDermottRobert Forster, and Tim McInnerny. (wiki)

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Autómata (2014) – imdb

The Machine (2013)

The Machine is a 2013 British science fiction thriller film directed and written by Caradog W. James. It stars Caity Lotz and Toby Stephens as computer scientists who create an artificial intelligence for the British military. (wiki) / rottentomatoes

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the machine (2013) – imdb

her (2013)

timespace coordinates: near future Los Angeles

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Her is a 2013 American romantic science-fiction drama film written, directed, and produced by Spike Jonze. It marks Jonze’s solo screenwriting debut. The film follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a man who develops a relationship with Samantha (Scarlett Johansson), an artificially intelligent virtual assistant personified through a female voice. The film also stars Amy AdamsRooney Mara, and Olivia Wilde.

imdb