Gorgeous and slick, this unnerving sci-fi film has a unique take on a common perspective on AI. Also a fresh take on the Turing Test… by the time a machine can pass it, we might (in the world of cinema at least) be in trouble. Really beautiful to see how a delicate cyborg would “attack” a human differently than a STRONG terminator-type robot might.

We are catching up on Season 1 to prepare for Season 2…. I’ve heard so many good things about this show, and they are all true. The tension, spark, and dialogue between McConaughey and Harrelson (and the beautiful/depressing visuals) keep me very much into this show after just 2 episodes.

Interstellar! Man, Nolan never disappoints. I’ve been thinking about this film for the past week after watching it…. and from what I gather in talking to others, it has that effect on lots of people. Reel Spirituality took a wonderful approach in writing a review of it—they did 3. One centered on the concepts of time, gravity, and love. The first one is here. A movie this epic needs to be accessed on different planes, and I’m still mulling over what it has to say about the power of love (especially between daddy and daughter)!

Man, I love indie science fiction. I think it might be my favorite film genre. Of course, Snowpiercer (based on a graphic novel) was only seemed “independent” because of its limited release due to a controversy that arose when the Weinstein Company wanted the movie dumbed down for Americans, but still. Awesome story. Inventive, dark, thought-provoking, compelling, but not heavy-handed or condescending in its portrayal of class, ecology, sacrifice, and leadership, among others.

Clever exposition throughout, the film takes its time acquainting you to the dystopia in which it is set. I can’t remember the last time my jaw literally dropped during a monologue. Much less by Jake from Not Another Teen Movie!

A friend recommended starting the Fargo television show, so we took it as an excuse to finally watching the Coen brothers’ original 1996 “hit” film.

Those accents!

I can’t tell if we are supposed to admire or pity (probably  a bit of both) the poor, middle-of-nowhere residents who keep going about their mundane lives despite craziness inserting itself into their midst. The favorite part might be Marge talking to the escorts whose jobs and relevant information are delightfully offset by their sing-songy intonation and constant “Ya?!”s that end every sentence. That, or the repeated description of Steve Buscemi as “funny looking” in a nondescript sort of way. The Coen brothers have a talent for creating characters like this: boring yet memorable, mundane yet noticeable. Someone even made a chart about it!

Neighbors was way better than it needed to be.

A truly funny movie finds truths in your own life that you never thought to articulate, then does so perfectly. Neighbors did this with its relationships in a pretty genuine way, and the “pranks” were entertaining as plot catalysts.

Saw ‘ol Cap in action last night. Not sure if it deserves the almost 90% it has on Rotten Tomatoes, but I definitely got my money’s worth. Very fun movie. Robert Redford is great as a baddie, ScarJo’s mostly platonic chemistry with Evans is pretty engaging, and the military industrial complex is, once again, momentarily critiqued…. sort of.

Well, Game of Thrones fans we rewarded tonight. Social media “ruined the surprise” for me a few hours beforehand, so it was interesting to watch the episode culminate with Joffrey’s death. They gave us glimpses of his humanity throughout the episode (scraps to the poor, graciously receiving Tyrion’s book, etc.), so I thought maybe the show was setting us up to feel conflicted about Joffrey’s death, or that it would somehow not be satisfying.

Nope!

Last night we saw Wes Anderson’s newest feat. Delightful and dreamy. Highlight for me might have been hearing Ralph Fiennes’ character deliver a speech— in impeccably proper King’s English—about the importance of projecting strength in prison. Like most of Anderson’s characters, everyone here is quirky and lonely, yet somehow enviable.