I've seen all those you mention. I have several different versions and spinoffs of Ghost in the Shell awaiting view in my "New Movies" folder. I also have all the Cyberpunk and Shadowrun RPG manuals and novels in my ebook collection, although I don't actually play RPGs. I may discuss some of these in future articles on the impact of the cyberpunk future we're in or almost in.
See, these are two movies that, IF I were still willing to spend a lot of money physically going to the movies, I might have watched. These days, however, I have little interest in either dystopian or alien invasion movies. Despite being something of a "prepper", I tend to dismiss "TEOTWAWKI" concepts as too highly improbable and alien invasion is a trope that has been done to death.There are exceptions. I just watched the classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" recently. And I do have the "War of the Worlds" 2019 version to be watched at some point, mostly just to see what the modern take looks like.
Zombie movies and TV shows are another genre I prefer not to touch with a ten-foot-pole, although the "Resident Evil" franchise has its moments and I've watched all of them. I have the recent animated version in my "New Movies" folder. I watched the first season of "The Walking Dead" which was illustrative. The second season was so slow I stopped watching, although I did drop in on occasion in later seasons until I stopped altogether, and have never watched the prequel series or the current incarnation.
Let's face it - zombie movies are metaphors for how people live now. Ordinary people ARE the zombies. I can see zombies all day long if I want to. :-)
The problem with a lot of these genres is that they serve up a ton of characters behaving like morons. As I say, there are exceptions. But these days if it isn't an action movie, a superhero movie, a spy movie, a martial arts movies, a cyberpunk movie, or a sci-fi movie which doesn't involve aliens or dystopia, I probably won't watch it. I need to see someone doing something competently, even if they're the villain.
I re-watched "Colossus - The Forbin Project" this past week, a movie about AI taking over from 1970:
What with AI being in the news, I thought it was worth revisiting that movie. It holds up, despite the painful special effects representing 1970 computer technology. Check it out.
Watch the "Diabolik", "Fantomas", "Kriminal" and "Dr. Mabuse" movies. :-) All French, Italian and German crime movies, some going back to the 1930's.
Not to mention China's "Operation Red Sea (2018)" - one of the better military movies I've seen recently, definitely on a par with anything the West has produced. Check it out:
Swordfish is a great cyberpunk movie too. Well directed and stylish. it captures the zeitgeist of the late 1990s and early 2000s before 911 and the war on terror. It has many plot twists, awesome speeches, crazy scenes and makes you wonder who the bad guy is.
Yes, indeed, I probably should have included it. Travolta's character was another one of the type I look to for inspiration. He was explicitly described by the character Axel Torvald's (an inside reference to Linus Torvalds, the inventor of the Linux operating system) as follows:
"He exists in a world beyond your world. What we only fantasize, he does. He lives a life where nothing is beyond. But you know what? It's all a facade. For all his charm and charisma, his wealth, his expensive toys... he's a driven, unflinching, calculating machine. He takes what he wants, when he wants... and disappears....You don't find him. He finds you."
I've seen all those you mention. I have several different versions and spinoffs of Ghost in the Shell awaiting view in my "New Movies" folder. I also have all the Cyberpunk and Shadowrun RPG manuals and novels in my ebook collection, although I don't actually play RPGs. I may discuss some of these in future articles on the impact of the cyberpunk future we're in or almost in.
See, these are two movies that, IF I were still willing to spend a lot of money physically going to the movies, I might have watched. These days, however, I have little interest in either dystopian or alien invasion movies. Despite being something of a "prepper", I tend to dismiss "TEOTWAWKI" concepts as too highly improbable and alien invasion is a trope that has been done to death.There are exceptions. I just watched the classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" recently. And I do have the "War of the Worlds" 2019 version to be watched at some point, mostly just to see what the modern take looks like.
Zombie movies and TV shows are another genre I prefer not to touch with a ten-foot-pole, although the "Resident Evil" franchise has its moments and I've watched all of them. I have the recent animated version in my "New Movies" folder. I watched the first season of "The Walking Dead" which was illustrative. The second season was so slow I stopped watching, although I did drop in on occasion in later seasons until I stopped altogether, and have never watched the prequel series or the current incarnation.
Let's face it - zombie movies are metaphors for how people live now. Ordinary people ARE the zombies. I can see zombies all day long if I want to. :-)
The problem with a lot of these genres is that they serve up a ton of characters behaving like morons. As I say, there are exceptions. But these days if it isn't an action movie, a superhero movie, a spy movie, a martial arts movies, a cyberpunk movie, or a sci-fi movie which doesn't involve aliens or dystopia, I probably won't watch it. I need to see someone doing something competently, even if they're the villain.
I re-watched "Colossus - The Forbin Project" this past week, a movie about AI taking over from 1970:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossus:_The_Forbin_Project
Movie Paradise has it: https://movieparadise.org/movies/colossus-the-forbin-project/
You can also watch it free on Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/394729987
What with AI being in the news, I thought it was worth revisiting that movie. It holds up, despite the painful special effects representing 1970 computer technology. Check it out.
"You need foreign movies in your life."
Watch the "Diabolik", "Fantomas", "Kriminal" and "Dr. Mabuse" movies. :-) All French, Italian and German crime movies, some going back to the 1930's.
Not to mention China's "Operation Red Sea (2018)" - one of the better military movies I've seen recently, definitely on a par with anything the West has produced. Check it out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Red_Sea
OPERATION RED SEA Official Int'l Trailer | Intense Chinese Action War Film | Directed by Dante Lam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRNZjtOUpto
Swordfish is a great cyberpunk movie too. Well directed and stylish. it captures the zeitgeist of the late 1990s and early 2000s before 911 and the war on terror. It has many plot twists, awesome speeches, crazy scenes and makes you wonder who the bad guy is.
Yes, indeed, I probably should have included it. Travolta's character was another one of the type I look to for inspiration. He was explicitly described by the character Axel Torvald's (an inside reference to Linus Torvalds, the inventor of the Linux operating system) as follows:
"He exists in a world beyond your world. What we only fantasize, he does. He lives a life where nothing is beyond. But you know what? It's all a facade. For all his charm and charisma, his wealth, his expensive toys... he's a driven, unflinching, calculating machine. He takes what he wants, when he wants... and disappears....You don't find him. He finds you."
Definitely someone to emulate.