2007
interplanetary robot armies
maura @ 10:13 pm
Lately it’s been kind of a dystopian future film fest in our house. Probably the whole thing started when I read Neil Postman’s book Technopoly for my first summer class. He was a media critic at NYU; the book details his criticism of the way Americans unthinkingly idolize new techologies. I had some quibbles with his argument (my agnostic self recoiled at his repeated insistence that spirituality = religion), but basically I liked the book — it was interesting and thought-provoking.
Then last month I read Rainbow’s End, by Vernor Vinge, who is not dead. While the main plot wasn’t really resolved in a satisfactory way, I still liked this novel. Jonathan recommended it to me because there’s a big subplot about libraries destroying books to digitize them. But even more interesting to me was the description of the future world. Wireless computers are integrated into clothing — they call ’em wearables. And most people go around with the internet layered onto reality. Their lifestyle and experience is fully techologically mediated, which I find both scary and fascinating.
But I digress. First we watched Blade Runner. So great. Who doesn’t love Harrison Ford eating noodles? You know you can see the model of the Tyrell Corporation building at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, right? (And some kickass playable old cabinet video games, too.)
Then we moved on to The Matrix. Still holds up after all these years. And so pretty to look at. What’s not to like? And why did they have to go and make all those crappy sequels? Duh.
Next it was Starship Troopers, a hilarious romp starring all your faves: Casper the friendly ghost, Mrs. Charlie Sheen, Doogie Howser M.D., that chick who was Brandon’s girlfriend on 90210, and Jr. Busey. Bugs in Space! Goofy + violent. I still wish they’d figured out a way to make the powered spacesuits from the book translate into the movie (though as Jonathan pointed out, the helmets would have hidden the actors’ pretty widdle faces).
Last night we watched Children of Men. You know, that recent movie with Clive Owen about the future world of infertility. It was good, if very very very depressing. And scary. Not because of the infertility but the dystopian future unrest. For some reason it just seemed too realistic, too close to current events. So count yourself warned, esp. if you sometimes have trouble reading the news from abroad in the papers.
One thing all these future movies have in common is the ubiquity of TV. TV is everywhere — in every room of your house, in public spaces, on some spaceship cruising slowly overhead. And it is always always ALWAYS on! Usually blaring some horrible news. Boy howdy, I will NOT be able to deal with the future if there is that much TV. I’m gonna order me up some of these, stat! Want me to get you one, too?
5 comments on “interplanetary robot armies”
that tv-b-gone is FLY. Our grocery story has multiple tv’s (yesterday blaring sports) hanging down from the ceilings so you can only go 5 feet in any direction before another tv’s blaring at you. why in the grocery store? it makes me crazy. I think I might actually get one.
Wow, Starship Troopers IS like Saved By the Bell in space! That is totally hilarious. It’s different from the book, but they are both good.
TVs in the grocery store is indeed crazy! Is it a British thing or just a thing of that one store? Scary thing from here: after last week’s storm that thrashed the transit system they are considering putting TVs on the PATH trains “for emergency messages.” The beginning of the end?
There’s no TV in the IGA here except the one with me on it as I walk into the door.
We don’t have trains (except Amtrak, which runs through a building that looks exactly like the Hall of Justice!) so I can’t comment much about that. I do know that if the power goes out, the TV goes out, too. Or is there some way around this?
I love the Hall of Justice! Do you mean that the cable goes out when the power goes out? You know we live cable-free here, so I can’t help with that one. We don’t lose power much here either, except for that crazy blackout of ought-three, that was pretty intense.
This one time I was too depressed to get off the couch and I was watching the RuPaul show. Well, Ru had a still-closeted Doog on the show as a guest. He was hyping “Starship Troopers.” Ru went on about how fab it was, and said “It’s like ‘Saved by the Bell in space!” Better than Prozac, that Ru!