Tag: James Curnow
Robots in Cinema: Artificial Intelligence and the Moving Image
The recent release of the trailer for the new Robocop remake started me thinking about the many films that deal with notions of artificial intelligence and robotics. From Frankenstein to Transformers, the creation of consciousness (accidental or otherwise) has been a part of the popular imagination for well over a century. While many have merely…
Hong Kil Dong: The Ironic and the Indestructible
At a recent Melbourne International Film Festival screening of North Korea’s little seen gem, Hong Kil Dong (1986), one attendee enthusiastically declared to the entire cinema that it was the best film he’d ever seen. His statement was not delivered without irony, but he still meant it. The story, so far as it goes, is…
All is Lost: A cinematic exploration of human dignity in a gargantuan, gorgeous and indifferent universe
“He rested sitting on the un-stepped mast and sail and tried not to think but only to endure.” ― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea It would be difficult for anybody who has read Hemingway’s novella to put it out of mind when watching J. C. Chandor’s latest film, All is Lost. They…
Six more pieces of solid cinema from the cinephile circuit
The Melbourne International Film Festival has come to an end, and I’m left with copious notes on films that I’ve yet to fully review. While I attempt to readjust to the horrible glare of sunlight and real life, and before I put together a few long-form reviews of some of the festival’s best offerings, here…
The Act of Killing: A tragic demonstration of the banality of evil
Historically, the human race has always depended on a reductionist approach to morality – one that helps us to clearly delineate the difference between good and evil. From the Cold War to the Crusades, societies have elected to believe that their enemies represent an absolute evil – an idea often strategically encouraged by the powers…