True Reviews, Updates and Common Sense Opinions
Listen to this honest review of Chris Pratt’s new Amazon Prime film, The Tomorrow War in the newest episode Boldcanon The Podcast.
Is this what the Terminator saga needed?
Continue reading “The Tomorrow War – Amazon Prime | Podcast Episode 2”
Do you want the short explanation or the long one about the latest film starring Anthony Mackie and Damson Idris?
Continue reading “Outside The Wire | Movie Review”
Zombieland: Double Tap was a fun movie to watch. It expanded on the Zombieland universe we were introduced to in 2009. Most of the jokes were amusing and I especially liked the references to Terminator 2: Judgement day.
Continue reading “Zombieland: Double Tap highlights (review)”
I was excited to watch Terminator: Dark Fate. I’m a fan of the series, even the ones that are not so critically acclaimed. When Linda Hamilton and James Cameron announced they were joining the project, my expectations for this movie soared. So what are my thoughts after seeing the movie?
Continue reading “Hamilton and Schwarzenegger have undeniable chemistry in Terminator: Dark Fate (review)”
[This review was contributed by (AF).]
As I prepared for another binge-worthy journey into Netflix, I AM MOTHER flashed across my screen as an advertisement. I watched it without going for the skip button. So, reasonably optimistic and armed with a bowl of popcorn, I pressed play.
Story
The story is set in a hopefully uber distant future centered around an Android raising a child within a well-supplied iron fortress. As the child grows up, she becomes curious about the outside world and questions why her mother (the android) keeps her inside.
Enter Hillary Swank’s character known in the credits as woman. She is the catalyst for the young girl’s rebellion. The first act set up the movie with minimal exposition. It’s geared towards a timeline showing the child and machine’s relationship. Fast forward into adolescence and the Daughter presses the red button into action.
Now, I was ok with Clara Rugaard (the daughter) and her acting, but I thought the Swank factor would give me better quality. I was genuinely interested in the second act.
It had me saying “Really?” a couple of times.
But ultimately, Rugaard and Swank didn’t have chemistry or maybe Swank was not happy with her Netflix movie. Either way, it showed in her performance.
Meanwhile, by the third act, the story was going down a weird path. It seemed like the directors realized they made a mistake and then tried to change directions. They added some smoke, dramatic lighting and slow walking to work in a twist try and save the movie.
Mind you, I was impressed with the computer graphics and constantly wondered, “How’d they do that?”
If you watch this movie, you are either going to be surprised or you’re going to roll your eyes at the forced surprise created by the directors. The end wasn’t executed cleanly. I didn’t accept certain character reactions and the story line pay off wasn’t enough for me, but I maintained my resolve to finish the movie.
False Artificial Intelligence
While watching this movie, I wondered if forming an attachment to a machine without a heartbeat could make one feel loved. I love my car. I gave it a name and I talk to it like it’s my baby. I repair it, take care of it and in some weird way, I feel satisfied that beyond the Sell By Date, she still works.
Our human need for companionship and familiarity, at the risk of being hurt, is based on our emotional motivation to acquire a genuine connection. Are we taking for granted that living things are the only entities that desire a connection?
Movies constantly portray the evolution of artificial intelligence as a killing enigma with a growing consciousness and essential affection for a special human. For example, The Terminator, Ex Machina, Her, I Robot and now this movie.
Yes, we always, in the end, are unable to coexist. It’s scary that we keep telling a story about trying to form a connection with a heartless machine.
I AM MOTHER isn’t the next Birdbox, so better luck next time Netflix.
When the Child’s Play (2019) trailer released in April of this year, I watched it. As a result, I freaked out. Who in their right mind would want to bring the concept of Chucky into 2019? Do we really need to give a psychopath serial killer like Charles Lee Ray the ability to connect to the cloud and reign terror as a Bluetooth connected doll?
Apparently not because Charles Lee Ray isn’t a thing anymore. In fact, Chucky, as we knew him, is not a thing anymore either.
Instead of a serial killer on the brink of death putting his soul into a good guy doll, Chucky is now a robot doll plus Skynet. He’s essentially a terminator.
Remember when John Connor tells T-100 not to kill people, so the T-100 decides to maim people instead? Think that but with a doll and the doll doesn’t listen.
Spoilers ahead
I won’t go too deep into the spoilers because this story was very involved. Kaslan Industries creates the newly named Buddi doll and distributes them across the world. But, not before a disgruntled employee removes the safety code from a doll being assembled.
So right away, we lose a lot of the mystic. Chucky is all artificial intelligence.
The defective doll makes it to Andy Barclay as a birthday present from his mother. The Buddi doll imprints on Andy and wants to be his friend until the end.
Hi-De-Ho!
At first, Chucky is fine, he and Andy get close and Andy even starts making other friends in his apartment building. Then there is a situation where Andy’s cat scratches him. Chucky gets mad that the cat hurt Andy and kills it. Andy tells Chucky to kill, but he doesn’t listen.
There’s also a situation where Andy’s mom (Karen) has a boyfriend (Shane) and he’s a complete bully to Andy. Shane’s treatment of Andy prompts Chucky to kill him.
At some point, Chucky gets territorial over Andy and decides he can’t have any other friends. So he tries to kill them. He even murders an old lady in a self-driving Uber.
A big battle-royale of sorts takes place in Zed-Mart, the store Karen got the doll from initially, and all of Andy’s human friends help him destroy the doll.
However, I’m pretty sure Chucky uploads himself into the cloud of Kaslan since he was already connected to all Kaslan products and there will be a sequel.
Maybe.
Overall
Was I a bit disappointed that the reboot took such a technical approach to the Child’s Play idea? Kind of. Here’s why.
The OG Chucky was completely horrifying. He had personality, he had a motive for stalking Andy, and the supernatural aspect of Charles Lee Ray is much more terrifying than a robot turned bad.
This is coming from someone who lost sleep as a child in the 90s because of the Child’s Play franchise.
Granted, Mark Hamill’s voice is the creepiest thing I’ve ever heard in this role. Plus, the film was shot wonderfully. But, if you are going into this film thinking about your childhood, I’d say don’t do that. Wipe your mind fresh and then tell me what you think.
