Topic: August Movie Marathon: Radical Robotics

[addicted2dvd]

Yes... for this month's marathon I decided to watch robot movies. But just having a robot in the movie is not enough... what I am trying to do is have the robot be a major part of the story line. Which is why I probably will not watch the Star Wars films for this marathon. As much as I like R2D2 and C3PO they felt more like side characters to the main story. As of this posting I have 40 films I am considering for this marathon. Some of which I never seen before. Some of which it has been many years since I seen it. I do have others I want to add... if I get that chance I will update the list.

My Radical Robotics Collection:
Movies Never Seen in Bold:

Astroboy
*Batteries Not Included
Bicentennial Man
Big Hero 6
Chappie
Chopping Mall
Cyborg
The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008)
Deadly Friend
Death Machine
Ex Machina
Flight of the Navigator
Forbidden Planet
Ghost in the Shell (1995)
Ghost in the Shell (2017)
I, Robot
Inspector Gadget
Iron Giant
Pacific Rim
Prometheus
Real Steel
Robocop (1987)
Robocop (2014)
Robocop 2
Robocop 3
Robot Monster
Robots
Short Circuit
Short Circuit 2
Stepford Wives (2004)
Terminator
Terminator 2
Terminator 3
Terminator: Genesis
Terminator: Salvation
Transformers
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon
Transformers: Age of Extinction
The Transformers: The Movie
Wall-E
War of the Robots

[GSyren]

Gosh, you have two unwatched classics; Forbidden Planet and the 1951 Day the Earth Stood Still. Don't bother with the remake. It's crap!

[addicted2dvd]

Real Steel (2011/United States, India) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Touchstone Home Entertainment, Buena Vista Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Shawn Levy Writing: Richard Matheson (Original Material By), John Gatins (Screenwriter), Dan Gilroy (Story By), Jeremy Leven (Story By) Length: 127 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 7.1, Audio Descriptive: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, French: DTS-HD High Resolution: 7.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton
Dakota Goyo as Max Kenton
Evangeline Lilly as Bailey Tallet
Anthony Mackie as Finn
Kevin Durand as Ricky

Plot:
Enter the not-so-distant future where boxing has gone high-tech — 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots have taken over the ring. Starring Hugh Jackman as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up fighter turned small-time promoter, Real Steel is a riveting, white-knuckle action ride that will leave you cheering. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max (Dakota Goyo) to build and train a championship contender. As the stakes in the thrill-packed arena are raised, Charlie and Max, against all odds, get one last shot of a comeback. Visually stunning and complete with knockout bonus material, Real Steel is a pulse-pounding, inspirational adventure filled with heart and soul.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Bonus Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Outtakes/Bloopers

My Thoughts:

The first thing I thought watching this one is oh boy... Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots: The Movie! Then as so continued to vwatch it felt like I was watching Rocky done with a robot. Either way I enjoyed every second of this one. I highly recommend it. Can't wait to watch it again!

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

The Terminator (1984/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (United States) Director: James Cameron (1954) Writing: James Cameron (1954) (Writer), Gale Anne Hurd (Writer) Length: 107 min. Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: DTS: 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Thai: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Bahasa, Chinese, Danish, English, Finnish, French, Icelandic, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai

Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Terminator
Michael Biehn as Kyle Reese
Linda Hamilton (1956) as Sarah Connor
Paul Winfield as Traxler
Lance Henriksen as Vukovich

Plot:
In this newly remastered film, Arnold Schwarzenegger stars as the most fierce and relentless killing machine ever to threaten the survival of mankind!

An indestructible cyborg — a Terminator (Schwarzenegger) — is sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton), the woman whose unborn son will become humanity's only hope in a future war against machines. This legendary sci-fi thriller from pioneering writer/director James Cameron, written with Gale Anne Hurd, fires an arsenal of action and heart-stopping suspense that never lets up!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

This is a good film I enjoy quite a bit... but it is one of the few that I feel (at least the first) sequel is better then the original. While it has some cool effects... most of them do look dated now, But it is still well worth the time put in to watch it.

Rating:

[GSyren]

If you only judge The Terminator by its entertainment value, then I agree that 3.5 is a fair assessment. And that's certainly a valid way to rate movies. But if you would rate it solely by its importance in cinematic history, then I would give it a 5.

The Terminator is a landmark movie. It is a low budget movie that more or less changed the robot sub-genre. It wasn't the first movie cyborg. That honor may belong to the 1958 The Colossus of New York. But it was, as far as I know, the first movie cyborg that looked totally human. And while "tinman" (or "tinperson", to be politically correct) robots had featured in many films going back to the silent era, they now all but disappeared from movies in favor of cyborgs.

The Terminator was made before CGI was available. The sequence where the Terminator is operating on its eye looks a bit iffy, but apart from that the practical and stop motion effects are pretty amazing for a low budget film. And let's not forget the classic quote "I'll be back!"

The Terminator did for the robot genre what Night of the Living Dead did for the zombie genre. And while Dawn of the Living Dead may provide more entertainment, Night is most certainly the more important movie. The same goes for T1 and T2.

This said, I wouldn't judge any movie solely based on its importance. I would weigh the two aspect together. So for me, The Terminator is somewhere between 4.0 and 4.5.

[addicted2dvd]

 

[addicted2dvd]

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Lions Gate Home Entertainment (United States) Director: James Cameron (1954) Writing: James Cameron (1954) (Writer), William Wisher (Writer) Length: 137 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital EX: 5.1 (Matrixed 6.1), English: DTS ES: 5.1 (Matrixed 6.1), Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Arnold Schwarzenegger as The Terminator
Linda Hamilton (1956) as Sarah Connor
Edward Furlong as John Connor
Robert Patrick (1958) as T-1000
Earl Boen as Dr. Silberman

Plot:
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER returns as the Terminator in this explosive action-adventure spectacle. Now he's one of the good guys, sent back in time to protect John Connor, the boy destined to lead the freedom fighters of the future. LINDA HAMILTON reprises her role as Sarah Connor, John's mother, a quintessential survivor who has been institutionalized for her warning of the nuclear holocaust she knows is inevitable. Together, the threesome must find a way to stop the ultimate enemy – the T-1000, the most lethal Terminator ever created. Co-written, produced and directed by JAMES CAMERON (The Terminator, Aliens, Titanic), this visual tour de force is also a touching human story of survival.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• THX

My Thoughts:

It has been a while since I have seen this one. And while I haven't seen all the Terminator films yet (still need to watch the last one or two)... this one is my favorite so far. I really liked the addition of the T-1000 with his liquid metal morphing abilities. I really enjoyed watching this one again... definitely recommended.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Robocop (1987/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (United States) Director: Paul Verhoeven (1938) Writing: Edward Neumeier (Writer), Michael Miner (Writer) Length: 103 min. Video: Widescreen 1.85:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: DTS: 5.1, Spanish: DTS: 5.1, German: DTS: 5.1, Italian: DTS: 5.1, Portuguese: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Russian: DTS: 5.1, Czech: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Hungarian: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, Polish: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Thai: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Commentary

Stars:
Peter Weller as Murphy/Robocop
Nancy Allen as Lewis
Dan O'Herlihy [Daniel O'Herlihy] as The Old Man
Ronny Cox as Jones
Kurtwood Smith as Clarence

Plot:
In a violent, near-apocalyptic Detroit, evil corporation Omni Consumer Products wins a contract from the city government to privatize the police force. To test their crime-eradicating cyborgs, the company leads street cop Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) into an armed confrontation with crime lord Boddicker (Kurtwood Smith) so they can use his body to support their untested RoboCop prototype. But when RoboCop learns of the company's nefarious plans, he turns on his masters.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Audio Commentary
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Interviews
• Storyboard Comparisons

My Thoughts:

This is one I haven't seen in years... It is one I always remembered liking a lot. I feel it held up well and it had more gore in it then I was remembering. Not that it is a bad thing... I enjoy a bit of gore every now and then. This one is definitely worth the time put in to watch it.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Short Circuit (1986/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Image Entertainment (United States) Director: John Badham Writing: S. S. Wilson (Writer), Brent Maddock (Writer) Length: 99 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles:

Stars:
Ally Sheedy as Stephanie Speck
Steve Guttenberg as Newton Crosby
Fisher Stevens as Ben Jabituya
Austin Pendleton as Howard Marner
G. W. Bailey as Skroeder

Plot:
Steve Guttenberg and Ally Sheedy co-star in this high-tech comedy adventure about Number Five, a robot who escapes into the real world after he short-circuits in an electrical storm and decides that he's human. Because he's carrying destructive weapons, the Defense Department and his designer (Guttenberg) are desperate to find him. But Number Five is being protected by a young woman (Sheedy) who is teaching him a gentler way of life.

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

I haven't seen this one in quite some time. But it held up well and is still a lot of fun. There was several times I literally laughed out loud. Though I must say I want to upgrade it to blu-ray as the dvd leaves a lot to be desired.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Astro Boy (2009/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Summit Entertainment (United States) Director: David Bowers Writing: Tezuka Osamu (Created By), David Bowers (Story By), Timothy Hyde Harris (Writer), David Bowers (Writer) Length: 94 min. Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Spanish: Dolby Digital: 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Charlize Theron as "Our Friends" Narrator (voice)
Freddie Highmore as Astro, Toby (voice)
Ryan Stiles as Mr. Moustachio (voice)
Eugene Levy as Orrin (voice)
Nicolas Cage as Dr. Tenma (voice)

Plot:
Blast off with ASTRO BOY, the thrilling tale of a true hero! In futuristic Metro City, scientist Tenma (Voiced by Nicolas Cage) creates an amazing robot boy with hidden talents unlike anything you've ever seen. Astro Boy (voiced by Freddie Highmore) hass super strength, x-ray vision, incredible speed and the ability to fly. But what he really wonts is to know where he belongs. When the world needs saving, he'll discover he was made for the challenge. featuring an all-star cast of voice talent, ASTRO BOY is a high-flying adventure that soars to new heights!

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes

My Thoughts:

I just barely remember the old anime series this film is based on. So I don't remember the origin story from the anime.... but I liked what they did with it for the film. The animation is top notch and the voice cast is great.... there is some big stars I am familiar with. This film is heavy on story and a little less action then I was expecting... but it kinda needed it for an origin story. The origin is a little darker then I was expecting... but there was some good laughs in the story as well. Definitely worth the time put in to watch it.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman (1987/United States) IMDb |Trailer | Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Ray Austin Writing: Michael Sloan (Screenwriter), Michael Sloan (Story By), Bruce Lansbury (Story By) Length: 98 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles:

Stars:
Lee Majors as Steve Austin
Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Somers
Richard Anderson (1926) as Oscar Goldman
Martin E. Brooks as Rudy Wells
Tom Schanley as Michael Austin

Plot:
After 10 years apart, Steve Austin and Jaime Sommers reunite to take on international terrorrists, Austin's estranged son, and their own romantic past.

Extras:

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed revisiting these characters. It was good to see all the old cast come back together for the reunion movie... and I like what they did with the advancements in bionics. And I must admit I got a little kick out of the moments that Steve Austin was a little jealous of what the new bionics could do. A fun reunion film... if you liked the series you will like this.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Ghost in the Shell: 25th Anniversary Edition (1995/Japan) Wikipedia |IMDb |Trailer | Anchor Bay Entertainment (United States) Director: Mamoru Oshii Writing: Shirow Masamune (Original Material By), Kazunori Ito (Screenwriter) Length: 82 min. Video: Widescreen 1.78:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Japanese: PCM: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English

Stars:
Atsuko Tanaka as Major Motoko Kusanagi (voice)
Akio Ohtsuka [Akio Ôtsuka] as Batô (voice)
Tamio Ôki as Aramaki, Section 9 Dept. Chief (voice)
Iemasa Kayumi as Project 2501 aka 'Puppet Master' (voice)
Kôichi Yamadera as Togusa (voice)

Plot:
2029 - A female cybernetic government agent, Major Motoko Kusanagi, and the Internal Bureau of Investigations are hot on the trail of "The Puppet Master", a mysterious and threatening computer virus capable of infiltrating human hosts. Together, with her fellow agents from Section 9, they embark on a high-tech race against time to capture the omnipresent entity.

Ghost in the Shell took the world by storm, exhibiting a new dimension of anime with unprecedented, mesmerizing cinamatic expression. Seamlessly merging traditional cel animation with the latest computer graphic imagery, this stunning sci-fi spectacle challenged the boundaries of mainstream animation with detailed artistic expression and a uniquely intelligent story line.

Veteran director Mamoru Oshii skillfully creates the ultimate experience in this futuristic masterpiece based on the ground-breaking comic book by Masamune Shirow. A movie that questions human existence in the fast-paced world of the information age, this award-winning, cyber-tech thriller has established itself as one of the leading Japanese animation films of all time.

Extras:

• Scene Access

My Thoughts:

This one... while it was a bit different then I was expecting (I think I got this film mixed up with another I heard about)... I enjoyed it quite bit. It has an interesting story. Though I will say if you don't give it your full attention it is one that can easily loose you. Definitely worth checking out... recommended.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Bionic Ever After? (1994/United States) IMDb |Trailer | Universal Studios Home Entertainment (United States) Director: Steven Stafford Writing: Michael Sloan (Screenwriter), Norman Morrill (Screenwriter), Michael Sloan (Story By), Martin Caidin (Original Material By) Length: 87 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles:

Stars:
Lindsay Wagner as Jaime Sommers
Lee Majors as Steve Austin
Richard Anderson (1926) as Oscar Goldman
Farrah Forke as Kimberly Harmon
Martin E. Brooks as Rudy Wells

Plot:
After twenty years of being bionic together, Steve (Lee Majors) and Jaime (Lindsay Wagner) have finally decided to tie the knot. With only 24 hours to go until the big day, Jaime is struck down by a mystery virus which threatens not only her incredible powers but her very life.

Meanwhile in the Bahamas a US Embassy is held to ransom by rogue terrorist-for-hire Miles Kendrick and a crack commando team, men so ruthless that they are prepared to go nuclear if their demands are not met. Could it be that the two events are in some way connected?

With his own bionics beginning to break down, will Steve be in time to save millions of innocent lives - and his future bride?

Extras:

• Closed Captioned

My Thoughts:

This one is my least favorite of the reunion movies. While still a good watch I didn't care for the story line as much as I did the previous two. Even so... a must see for the fans of the TV series,

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Ex Machina (2015/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Lionsgate (United States) Director: Alex Garland Writing: Alex Garland (Writer) Length: 108 min. Video: Widescreen 2.40:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 7.1, English: DTS: 5.1, English: DTS: 2-Channel Stereo Subtitles: English, Spanish

Stars:
Domhnall Gleeson as Caleb
Corey Johnson as Jay
Oscar Isaac as Nathan
Alicia Vikander as Ava
Sonoya Mizuno as Kyoko

Plot:
After winning a competition to spend a week at the mountain estate of his company's brilliant CEO (Oscar Isaac), programmer Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) arrives to discover he has been chosen to take part in a study of artificial intelligence. Sworn to secrecy and cut off from the outside world, Caleb meets his subject, a beguiling and seductive cyborg named Ava (Alicia Vikander)—and is plunged into an A.I. experiment beyond his wildest imaginings in this epic thriller charged with heart-stopping suspense.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Featurettes
• Digital Copy

My Thoughts:

This film is definitely a must see. It is a fascinating film that keeps your attention with ease. The visual effects are just amazingly gorgeous. I feel the cast and crew did a wonderful job... and without giving too much away... I really liked the way they decided to end the film. I highly recommend this one.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

Forbidden Planet: 50th Anniversary Two-Disc Special (1956/United States) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Warner Home Video (United States) Director: Fred McLeod Wilcox Writing: Cyril Hume (Screenwriter), Irving Block (Original Material By), Allen Adler (Original Material By) Length: 98 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, French: Dolby Digital: Mono Subtitles: English, French, Spanish

Stars:
Walter Pidgeon as Dr. Morbius
Anne Francis as Altaira Morbius
Leslie Nielsen as Commander Adams
Warren Stevens as Lt. "Doc" Ostrow
Jack Kelly as Lt. Farman

Plot:
A dutiful robot named Robby speaks 188 languages. An underground lair offers evidence of an advanced civilization. But among Altair-4's many wonders, none is greater or more deadly than the human mind.

'Forbidden Planet' is the granddaddy of tomorrow, a pioneering work whose ideas and styles would be reverse-engineered into many cinematic space voyages to come. Leslie Nielsen plays the commander who brings his spacecruiser crew to the green-skied world that's home to Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon), his daughter (Anne Francis)...and to a mysterious terror. Featuring sets of extraordinary scale and the first all-electronic musical soundscape in film history, 'Forbidden Planet' is in a movie orbit all its own.

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Feature Trailers
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Gallery
• Closed Captioned
• Thin Man TV Series Episode

My Thoughts:

This one I liked a lot! I was told this is a must see classic... and they were right! Robbie the Robot is iconic in sci-fi film history... especially considering when this was made you can see why. The effects are great for it's time... the cast was all strong. The only down side to this film is that it is very predictable. But even that didn't really take away from the film. This one is definitely a must see.

Rating: