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anon_xdc8rmuek44eq
Guest
Another long time board tradition is the discussion of films, and after seeing the first of the summer for me today, I thought I'd write a quick review and recommend the very excellent, somewhat indy, sci-fi thriller 'Ex Machina'. The plot is pretty straightforward - Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson - will be super famous after Star Wars this winter) is a programmer at a cutting edge tech company called 'Bluebook'. He wins a lottery of sorts at work and gets to spend the week with Bluebook's enigmatic founder, Nathan (played by the very excellent Oscar Isaac - will be even more famous after starring in Star Wars this winter *and* X-Men: Apocalypse next summer). Once he arrives at Nathan's amazing compound/home (which is actually the ridiculously amazing, beautiful, Juvet Landscape Hotel in Norway), he's offered the opportunity to learn about Nathan's new project, which turns out to be a stunningly lifelike humanoid AI named AVA. Nathan tells Caleb he's there to perform the 'Turing Test' on AVA (a nice little treat for those who watched 'Imitation Game'), and from there things take a few turns into 'thriller' territory, with characters playing off of one another, and truths revealed at a very slow burn. At one point I thought I had things figured out, then I didn't.
Anyway, it's very slick, and beautiful. The digital effects on AVA (played by relative newcomer Alicia Vikander) are subtle but simple, and she's very convincing as an AI. The shots of Nathan's home are stunning - I've never seen anything like it before. Isaac is perfect as an alpha male genius and Gleeson (whom I loved in 'Frank'), who carries a lot of the emotional weight in this film, is great as well. The only other notable cast member is Kyoko (played by the gorgeous British/Japanese actress/ballerina Sonoya Mizuno), Nathan's assistant, and while she doesn't say much, she's captivating to watch.
All in all I'd highly recommend this for those looking for a smaller scale sci-fi fix before settling into the big budget explosions and grandeur of Mad Max and The Avengers. The story raises questions about free will, consciousness, and most other re-hashed concepts related to artificial intelligence, though this is done in a way we haven't really seen before. AVA is really unlike any AI on film. So, go out and see it, and let me know what you think! Also anxious to hear what others have seen thus far - I expect to see The Avengers next week.
Anyway, it's very slick, and beautiful. The digital effects on AVA (played by relative newcomer Alicia Vikander) are subtle but simple, and she's very convincing as an AI. The shots of Nathan's home are stunning - I've never seen anything like it before. Isaac is perfect as an alpha male genius and Gleeson (whom I loved in 'Frank'), who carries a lot of the emotional weight in this film, is great as well. The only other notable cast member is Kyoko (played by the gorgeous British/Japanese actress/ballerina Sonoya Mizuno), Nathan's assistant, and while she doesn't say much, she's captivating to watch.
All in all I'd highly recommend this for those looking for a smaller scale sci-fi fix before settling into the big budget explosions and grandeur of Mad Max and The Avengers. The story raises questions about free will, consciousness, and most other re-hashed concepts related to artificial intelligence, though this is done in a way we haven't really seen before. AVA is really unlike any AI on film. So, go out and see it, and let me know what you think! Also anxious to hear what others have seen thus far - I expect to see The Avengers next week.
