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Robot & Frank (2012)
Robot & Frank (2012)
2012 | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
6
8.2 (6 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Frank (Frank Langella) is slowing drifting into dementia, although his stiff upper lip and stubbornness refuse him to believe that there is anything wrong. His children fight to offer help despite an ongoing sense of resentment that they have to. When his son Hunter presents Frank with a robot butler designed to look after him he finds another more profitable use for it.

The portrayal of old age in any film can be depressing. We’re all going to end up that way at some point in our lives whether we like it or not. The only control we have is do we go quietly or kicking and screaming. The robot (voiced by Peter Sarsgaard) is not given a name but his calming presence and dry underlying humour make him a perfect compliment for Frank’s brash and rather direct old timer.

Frank’s hidden past was as a jewel thief, spending most of his early life inside made it clear that he was not a good father to either of his children, and he’s been divorced from his wife for some time. It’s a beautifully written script set near enough in the future that it still is in keeping with present day surroundings – uniquely different mobile phones and voice activated Skype chat seem to be the more futuristic of the technologies, robots aside.

As their relationship develops the bond between them becomes closer. It feels very much like a real life Wall-E, Frank relaxes to become dependant on the Robot. It’s a solid film with great central performances with controlled and light hearted direction. The plot is wayward at times but it holds well for the duration.
  
Prometheus (2012)
Prometheus (2012)
2012 | Action, Horror, Sci-Fi
Michael fassbender (0 more)
Watched last night kinda prequel to the ailen franchise without the xenomorphs at all In the film its okay decent sci fi horror with the standout performance going to Michael fassbender as the robot David as u go thru his routine of running the ship whe the crew are in Cryo sleep most of the time its hard to keep up with the plot it can get confusing in places hit I still liked the film buy could have done with some xenomorphs
  
Surrogates (2009)
Surrogates (2009)
2009 | Action, Comedy, Mystery
7
6.4 (7 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Imagine if “IRobot”, “Die Hard”, and Joss Whedon’s television show “Dollhouse” had a child, the result would be akin to “Surrogates”. In the not to distant future technology is developed which gives us the ability to control customizable robots, called surrogates, with our minds. As a result, people rarely leave the house and interact directly with each other as surrogates. This robot filled thriller tells the story of FBI agent, Tom Greer (Bruce Willis), sent to investigate sudden deaths occurring when people are operating their surrogates.

In addition to Willis’s captivating acting, the film shines in part due to well-executed details, from the surrogate’s not quite human enough demeanor, to the underlying bias against people who don’t use the technology. “Surrogates” is a film that will make you reconsider the issue of advancing technology from both sides.

The least impressive aspect of this scifi/thriller based on a popular graphic novel is the fundamentally preposterous premise. One of the film’s main assumptions is that the use of surrogates has eliminated violence and racism. Believing that people, who are in essence operating a real world version of Second Life, would spend no time committing crimes, seems more than a little irrational.

Still, the film is engaging and much more thought provoking than I had expected. “Surrogates” fulfills both sci-fi and Bruce Willis fan requirements and is a visually enticing film. You will see a variety of locations common to a robot filled world, from a surrogate beauty salon complete with drills to the inner sanctum of the robot production line.

Touching on human, technological, and futuristic themes “Surrogates” is a fun film filled with visual effects and a truly engaging plot that is if you can overcome the plot holes that fracture the initial premise.
  
I Am Mother (2019)
I Am Mother (2019)
2019 | Sci-Fi, Thriller
Humans have become extinct. All that's left behind are thousands of human embryos and a robot. This robot defrost an embryo and the only human left to exist is born. The robot raises the child as if its her own, and is known only as daughter which believe me gets annoying to hear mother says it practically every sentence.
Anyway fast forward a few years and daughter is a teenager and becoming very inquisitive about the outside world. This starts when a mouse gets into the facility, upon this mouse being destroyed by mother, daughter explores the facility one evening whilst mother is powered down and she hears a voice from outside shouting for help, it turns out to be another human, what!?! She let's her in and after an argument with mother for doing so, mother agrees to help the stranger but the woman - seing and experiencing the outside world refuses help, she doesn't trust mother at all. You see it turns out there are other droids identical to mother, but they are evil and tear people away from their families. It's little wonder she doesn't trust mother but is she right to be suspicious? You'll have to watch and see.
Now I'm not usually a Sci fi fan but this movie isn't actually all that bad, the fact that mother sounds more human than android you do feel like there's a real connection between mother and daughter, even right at the end.
Throughout the movie I kept feeling torn between trusting mother or the stranger, I did lean more towards the stranger but I did feel for mother too. It was a complete mind bender and messed with you right to the very end.
  
BH
Big Hero 6, Vol. 1
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
<a href="https://awindowintobooks.wordpress.com">Full Review</a>
I received Disney's Big Hero 6, vol. 1 from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review of the book. I am a person who loved all things Disney. When I entered to review this book I was not expecting it to be a comic book. Comic books are not something I enjoy typically. This book is about a boy named Hiro who is a genius and dreams of being an inventor like his older brother. The book takes an unexpected turn when Hiro's old brother vanishes while saving his life. Hiro was devastated. Hiro had every right to sulk in his grief and be lonely and blame himself for his brothers disappearance, but instead he develops a friendship with his brother's last invention; a health-care companion robot named Baymax. The robot was exactly what Hiro needed to get back up on his feet. Baymax and Hiro go on many adventures which helps Hiro to not be as lonely. The book follows the plot of the movie closely but the author has his own twist to it.
  
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)
2016 | Action, Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Story begins before a new hope (0 more)
Starwars prequel
I really loved this movie as far as starwars goes .it s beautiful futureistic settings.strong characters who arnt made for just verry young kids .its verry teen to adult storyline.lots of action beliveable and even the smartmouth empire robot is funny yet not too over powering.ive watched this movie 3 times and could watch again.id have ranked it ahead of the first two made starwars movies but they were the first two and still hold a huge place in my heart...well worth the watch.
  
Nice solid story with a lot of fun elements. The Doctor and Romana stop off in Victorian England and meet up with... Jago and Lightfoot, which EVERY Who story could use more of. The characterizations are wonderful and just as you remember, without all the prejudicial and racist overtones of Talons. The story may not be more than just standard adventure fare (alien tech falls to earth, gets misused) but a Judge Dredd style robot exercising justice based on how guilty you feel is a neat idea. For a full review, visit www.travelingthevortex.com.
  
Autómata (2014)
Autómata (2014)
2014 | International, Mystery, Sci-Fi
A Little Slow but an Interesting Story
All robots have 2 protocols, one is to never harm a living thing, the other is the inability to alter themselves. Something goes wrong and insurance agent Jacq is left to figure out what the hell happened. It's a little slow to start but the story is interesting (except for this really really f**king weird bit where Jacq gets drunk). Feels a little like I, Robot though so I don't know how I feel about it. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't watch it again.
  
What a perfect book for a young child. The age range of 8-12 is great for this book, boy or girl. Frankie Dupont is just like a young modern day Sherlock Holmes trying to solve the mystery at the science fair as to who stole the robot computer chip. The book is a simple but a fun engaging read. Even I was trying to figure out the clues and who-dun-it. I love how Frankie's mind works and how the book takes you through how he solved the mystery. A recommended read!
  
When their friend's father is robbed of a rare comic book, Nick and Tesla use their new self-built robots to try to find the thief.

Kids will enjoy this one. The characters are better than the first and in keeping with a middle grade novel. The plot is strong and actually threw a twist in there that surprised me.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Amazon's Vine Program.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/11/book-review-nick-and-teslas-robot-army.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.