By: Trevor Chartrand For years, filmmakers have pondered the potentially apocalyptic dangers of self-aware, sentient computers: from Kubrick to the Wachowski’s, and everything in between. The machine uprising is an all-too-common cautionary tale, but has also never been more relevant than it is today. With deepfakes and ChatGPT, it appears we are closer than we’ve ever been to this trope becoming a reality. So the timing is right for director Spencer Brown to throw his…
In a rare move, instead of recommending The Pod Generation by itself, I’m asking you to pair the sci-fi indie with another one from the same ilk, After Yang.
In a plot that would make any vacationer anxious, and in the “not too distant future”, novelist James Foster (Alexander Skarsgård) and his wife Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are suckered into a crime that develops into an additional crime during a getaway at a luxurious resort. James, who becomes the most guilty, is given the choice to opt out of his execution if he pays a lump sum of cash for a clone to be made…
Natalie Kennedy’s Blank is the latest addition to the “tech gone wrong” sci-fi sub-genre. This time: an A.I. controlled retreat goes awry after a malware infection traps a creatively-stunted writer, Claire (Rachel Shelley), until they can finish their book. However, the malfunction triggers a loop causing Claire’s “ideal” assistant, Rita (Heida Reed), to frequently reset and welcome in unpredictable and dangerous mechanical quirks.
As much as I would love to compare David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future to his earlier horrors, I’m afraid I’m unqualified because I haven’t seen enough of that catalogue. However, I can see a contrast between the Canadian’s long-awaited return to filmmaking and his other recent dramatic work such as A History of Violence, Eastern Promises, and A Dangerous Method – all of which also star Viggo Mortensen. Crimes of the Future, a gruesome…
While I’m not head-over-heels for Slash/Back, Nyla Innuksuk’s lil’ sci-fi that could, I don’t want the filmmaker to be discouraged by my review. It’s best described as a Northern Canadian Attack The Block, which is an incredible compliment.
Dual is a nifty near-future sci-fi that starts with an interesting and obviously satirical premise and elevates it to make comments on the dire state of personal interactivity. It’s well-trodden territory for this genre, but writer/director Riley Stearns (The Art of Self-Defense) still finds original ways to keep his audience laughing, entertained, and on their toes.
Academy Award nominated filmmaker Richard Linklater revisits rotoscope animation to portray a slice-of-life narrative in Apollo 10 1/2: A Space Age Childhood.
After Yang chronicles the in-between of a family tragedy. Set in the not-so-distant future (similar to Spike Jonze’s Her), an assistive android named Yang (Justin H. Min, in one of this year’s strongest supporting roles) suddenly malfunctions. Yang’s assigned family are shaken up as they grasp for an action plan. The search for a satisfying resolution falls on the father, Jake (Colin Farrell), who slowly discovers more of Yang’s purpose as he shops around for repair…
Watching The Adam Project is like watching someone fall down stairs. The movie stands steadily, stumbles, picks itself back up, and repeats that same process until the film is so exhausted with itself that it doesn’t bother to pull itself together.