tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post4562427158008434951..comments2024-03-29T04:57:26.162-04:00Comments on John Kenneth Muir's Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV: Cult-Movie Review: Ex Machina (2015)John Kenneth Muirhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15629979615332893780noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-50966665546915540842016-01-16T13:29:19.989-05:002016-01-16T13:29:19.989-05:00Loved the story, but the casting of Nathan Bateman...Loved the story, but the casting of Nathan Bateman seemed totally off key. The absolute level of genius and seriousness it would take to create Ava....by himslef? He exuded NOTHING in that. Nothing...when would he ever stay sober enough to create anything like that? <br />This miscasting was serious enough to throw my suspension of disbleief all out of whack because I aimply could not get over how badly miscast Oscar Isaac was in this film.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02023410324827216534noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-38053129701338306352015-08-19T09:00:44.748-04:002015-08-19T09:00:44.748-04:00It is a gorgeous, thought-provoking story and a tr...It is a gorgeous, thought-provoking story and a triumph in every way for Garland, who casts three rising stars to make a small film full of big ideas.Click here for Indiana Health Insurancehttps://www.indianahealthinsurance.com/indiana-health-insurance-start.phpnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-29806169960188004122015-07-15T12:34:33.799-04:002015-07-15T12:34:33.799-04:00Mr. Muir,
Excellent review of "ExMachina"...Mr. Muir,<br />Excellent review of "ExMachina", probably the best of all the reviews I have read.<br />And you are exactly right, while Ava easily passes the Turing Test, neither she nor Nathan passes the human test.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12380553.post-16984456402317957382015-07-15T01:06:26.912-04:002015-07-15T01:06:26.912-04:00Great insights, John, as always.
Upon seeing Ex Ma...Great insights, John, as always.<br />Upon seeing Ex Machina, I immediately wanted to see it again, in order to process more clearly the data being presented (so to speak). Also, the dancing scene is worth the cost of admission.<br />The second viewing was on a Friday night, with a group of friends, some of whom were also seeing it again. The theatre was packed, and we had to sit near the back. This is where your Turing Test metaphor seems apt.<br />The commercials sold the film as an action/suspense thriller, in the vein of "I, Robot," relying heavily on physical beats - particularly of Ava running towards Nathan, Caleb punching a mirror, and so on. That's not the kind of film Ex Machina is. It asks a lot of its audience. I got the feeling from that night's crowd that there were not many people who were prepared to use their wetware, to use Nathan's parlance.<br />While the advertising didn't do the content of the film any favors, it certainly put butts in seats, and I hope some of the participants were moved by what they saw. Afterwards, our group had a very lively discussion that lasted well into the night.<br />You are also spot-on in your comment that this film feels very much 70's science fiction in nature. Between this and Under The Skin, I am hopeful for more films that engage audiences as these recent examples have done.<br />At least we have more Oscar Isaac to look forward to in December's release of Star Wars: Episode VII.<br />SteveAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13101722769411384962noreply@blogger.com