An Abyss of Nothingness by Jon Adams

I know of what she speaks...

https://www.instagram.com/citycyclops/
https://www.hisportfolio.com/links

"Raised By Wolves Opening Title" by Ben Frost and Mariam Wallentin

I enjoyed Season One of the dark HBO/Ridley Scott sci-fi series "Raised By Wolves" and have been enjoying Season Two so far, but it is the theme song that has been absolutely haunting me. Written by Ben Frost and sung by Swedish experimental vocalist Mariam Wallentin, there is something so otherworldly and eerie about it while managing to sound like a sad, final lullaby...

The door that finally opens
With light flooding in
Spilling out on the floor

The core that never was
Now it will be
The bones of
What was there before

Every step, every beat
Every thought, every breath
Everything is longing

Pulling you from the sky
Just like love will do

Pulling you from the ground
Just like love will do

http://ethermachines.com/
https://www.instagram.com/mariam_repeatuntildeath/
https://www.hbomax.com/series/urn:hbo:series:GX0WFcAlf5r5cuAEAAADu

"This Time Away"

"This Time Away": a short speculative fiction film by Magali Barbe starring Timothy Spall. A future with AI robots might not be so bad after all...if they are programmed right...   

 

https://www.thistimeaway.com/

https://www.magalibarbe.com/

"2020: An Isolation Odyssey"

Brooklyn filmmaker, artist, and designer Lydia Cambron has created a wonderfully filmic, shot-for-shot remake of the last section of Kubrick's iconic film "2001: A Space Odyssey." She explains:

"2020: an isolation odyssey is a reenactment of the iconic finale of 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968). Restaged in the context of home quarantine, the journey through time adapts to the mundane dramas of self-isolation–poking fun at the navel-gazing saga of life alone and indoors.

This project began in late March and was completed in late May, spanning the height of the pandemic in New York City. Staged in a one bedroom Brooklyn apartment, 2020 presents an obvious similarity to the domestic setting of 2001. The stacked videos and synced movements also reveal parallels in emotion. The narrowness of daily life in a single space, transitioning from confusion to acceptance, a distorted sense of time, and ‘returning’ after a transformational event–all experiences analogous to quarantine.

The adapted version delineates the passing of time through wardrobe rather than age, identifying each phase of the character’s journey with a product of self care or PPE. Tools of private entertainment or self betterment are also used as props, questioning our confidence in products and productivity as anchors during times of uncertainty. Multitasking while #wfh, conjuring guilt or longing with unused exercise equipment, your entire being reduced to a measure of time–these scenes all illustrate the absurd comedy of trying to maintain control during this unprecedented and unpredictable time."

Do stick around for the hilarious credits at the end!

http://lydiacambron.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Études

For their Fall-Winter '20-'21 collection at Paris Fashion Week, design collective Études showed that inspiration can come from nearly anywhere. But this seemingly random mash up of sci-fi elements has a deeper meaning...

The co-founders of Études on this collection: "The idea was to start with science fiction and the future and try to create a contemporary collection that tells a new story," said Aurélien Arbet. "They’re two different visions of the future—one’s utopian, the other dystopian. In 2020 we can consider that we’re living in this imagined era," added Jérémie Egry. And this science fiction took the form of the unlikely pairing of two films, "La Plenete Sauvage" and "Terminator 2: Judgement Day."

We all know about Arnold and the "Terminator" series of films. But the second reference is to "La Planete Sauvage" which was released in English as "Fantastic Planet," an animated French film released in 1973. In it, we witness a race of large blue, red-bug-eyed aliens who keep tiny humans as pets. I saw it in the mid 1970s at a midnight showing, and it is fascinating and frightening, full of inexplicable alien technology, culture, and rituals. But then add in the remaining visuals from this collection--silver-coated outerwear, a re-designed Yin-Yang symbol that includes a third node (ponder that one!), and heat maps of hurricanes and our planet--and we come away with a dystopian narrative the includes climate catastrophe, global transformation, human evolution, and the possibility that the only sentient beings on the planet could end up being AI creatures. Welcome to the future. It starts now.

Here is a trailer for "Fantastic Planet."

I especially love Études' nod to the alien clothing in their very first look...scroll back up and compare.

https://www.etudes-studio.com/

Just finished watching...

both seasons of Netflix's amazing series "Dark."

Recommended by a friend whom I trust, but who thankfully did not say much about the story itself, my husband and I plunged into "Dark" head first without knowing how deep the water is and wow, is it deep. This smart, dazzling, complicated German series (best watched in the original German with subtitles on, and not with the dreadful, lifeless English language overdub) is in many respects unlike anything we have seen before...a feat hard to achieve in a world which seems to tell the same stories over and over again. While on the surface it may be a detective-crime-missing-child story, it is above and beyond all else, a fantastic science fiction story with a very unique point of view. It is also a very effective psychological study of small town and family dynamics, the destructive nature of secrets, and the suffocating, ravaging consequences of keeping emotions inside. It is also about how all of our choices--and sacrifices--in life, whether based on love or hate, literally determine our and other's destiny. Binge watching this series is both fulfilling and necessary as the storyline is a gigantic, compelling puzzle and the plot points are each fascinating pieces that slot together with a satisfying click.

These events take place in the small German town of Winden, in several time periods (1953, 1986, and 2019), where we see its citizens both as young men and women, and then old. "Dark" is certainly a story about time and its effects on us as humans. The cast is simply phenomenal--I have completely believed every single moment from every actor. Which is why it is necessary to hear their voices as they organically produced emotions...and not an overdub by someone in a sound booth who is not invested in portraying truth. The art direction is impeccable for the different time periods as well. All in all, a stunning achievement without being flashy or having a plotline with car chases or explosions. The third and final season has been filmed and will air sometime in 2020. I can't wait to find out what is going to happen.

Recommend? YES! If you don't know much about it, just start watching. Going in without much prior knowledge is the best way for it to work. But I will advise you to PAY CAREFUL ATTENTION as each detail, face, event, clue, and phrase is very important to the puzzle.

https://www.netflix.com/title/80100172

Just watched...

..."Blade Runner 2049."

I had been waiting a long while to see this film--and it was a nervous wait since the film could have been fantastic or dreadful. But even before it was released, I saw it has a lot going for it: co-written by Hampton Fancher who co-wrote the original film, produced by Scott Free Productions (founded by Ridley Scott, the director of the original film), and starring Harrison Ford who played Rick Deckard in the original film. Add to this the fact that the film was directed by Denis Villeneuve who did the extraordinary 2016 Amy Adams film "Arrival," and also stars "La La Land"'s Ryan Gosling (a wonderfully understated and versatile actor, seen previously here and here) and Oscar-winner Jared Leto, well,...it seemed to be a sure thing.

And I must say that the film exceeded any expectations I had. It is a stunningly beautiful film--truly a worthy successor to the original, in every way possible. The visuals are as breathtaking as the original and the art direction is ravishing. The story makes complete, utter sense and in no way feels forced--or unnecessary--as many sequels (especially after so many years) can; the story not only references the original, but is completely dependent upon it in an extremely satisfying and plausible way. Thanks to Villeneuve, the pacing of the film is a marvel: perfectly deliberate and eerie, like dreaming. I love that Fancher and Villeneuve and everyone connected with this film dared to forego the current popular film structure paradigm of an explosion or car chase every 5 minutes. Sure, there are some actions scenes, some explosions, some chasing, but it does not feel distracting, sensationalizing, or sophomoric...they are part of the larger, more cerebral story filled with deep connections that one must pay close attention to and for.

The film presents something else that I just adore: I love when films portray technology that is unrelated to most anything we know now or could possibly imagine. As the great science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke once said, "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." And Leto's character possesses some magical technology that is simply not explained which makes complete sense: if we show current technology, why would we bother to explain how, for example, an iPhone works? In the future, the tehchnology that seems magical now was built on all that came before it. Have faith, it will get there.

And of course it is a real treat to see Harrison Ford as Deckard once again, along with many familiar faces from the original film. The new additions are marvelous too: Gosling, Leto, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, and Robin Wright are expertly cast.

Recommend? YES YES YES! But of course you SHOULD have seen the original first...

http://bladerunnermovie.com/

BEAUTY: Installation--Simon Birch

Hong Kong-based artist Simon Birch has opened a massive art gallery-installation space in Los Angeles called The 14th Factory in collaboration with a host of other artists.

"The 14th Factory is a monumental, multiple-media art installation that will transform an empty industrial warehouse near downtown Los Angeles into a mythic universe created collaboratively through video, installation, sculpture, sound, paintings, and live performance. The 14th Factory weaves together elements of popular culture–science fiction, punk music, graphic novels, and film–with critical re-examinations of social and historical narratives, especially interconnections between East and West. Conceived by Hong Kong-based British artist Simon Birch, the vision of The 14th Factory is to create a new, independent paradigm for socially-engaged art, a kind of guerilla action where art occupies and re-energizes underutilized or even derelict urban spaces and gifts them back to the community in the form of a transformative experience.

Throughout its run, the project will feature collaborative works by a global community of interdisciplinary artists representing Greater China, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States. Entering The 14th Factory, the visitor becomes a central player in a contemporary hero’s journey, leaving the ordinary world behind and setting out on a voyage of adventure and, ultimately, of transformation. Along the way, the journeyer gathers allies, encounters obstacles and battles adversaries, until reaching the challenge and the ultimate prize: A gift that can be passed on to all."

Birch collaborated with Paul Kember of KPlusK, an architectural firm in Hong Kong to create The Barmecide Feast, an immersive replica of the last set seen in Kubrick's masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey," complete with underlit floor. Coincidentally, Kember's uncle and great-uncle both worked on the original Kubrick set!

http://the14thfactory.com/
http://www.simon-birch.com/
http://www.kplusk.net/contact.html

Just watched...

..."Arrival," Denis Villeneuve's 2016 science fiction film, currently in theaters.

"Arrival" seems to represent a new kind of science fiction film. Ostensibly about the arrival of aliens to our planet, we are mercifully spared yet another film war between humans and a race of some kind of spindly, evil creatures who want to exterminate us. Instead, we are treated here to a thoughtful, meditative film--without exploding spaceships or the sight of major cities around the world being destroyed (a bizarre fetish in recent film history)--about mortality, time, communication, and naturally by extension, the nature of existence itself. A Hollywood film that feels like an art film.

Amy Adams is Dr. Louise Banks, a highly regarded linguist who is enlisted to attempt to learn how to communicate with the aliens. Director Villeneuve's deft, masterful hand imbues the story with a special, low-level, slow-moving anxiety. The sense and look of the film is dependent upon this pacing which is exquisitely measured, creating a dream-like atmosphere and Adams fits beautifully into this texture. Her performance is deft and masterful as well: somehow she is able to open herself up and show us the contents of her head and heart while doing very little and existing in some kind of miraculous, suspended state. It's a marvel to see and the film would have suffered if the lead hadn't been able to immerse herself into this unique perspective. While the art direction is spectacular (there is a spartan look to the film, and the aliens are perfectly realized--Arthur C. Clarke said "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic"), special attention should be paid to the incredible soundtrack by Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson. Without giving away any spoilers, the aliens ultimately end up being beside the point. Seems the real point is ourselves in this physical plane.

Recommend? Oh yes. It's beautiful to see but also beautiful to contemplate.

http://www.arrivalmovie.com/

BEAUTY: Clothing--Balenciaga

Ever since Alexander Wang took over in 2012 as creative director at Balenciaga, he has been constructing clothing for a future that may never arrive. Sleek, utilitarian shapes in blacks, whites, greys, exist in his sci-fi world for Spring Summer '16. In past posts about Wang's work for Balenciaga, I have mentioned how the silhouettes remind me of the sci-fi film "Aeon Flux" but something about this collection brought to mind the short-lived English-Italian sci-fi TV series "Space: 1999" with Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, filmed in the late 70s. These beautiful, spartan looks would be right at home on our Moon Colony. Which we don't have yet. And might never have. But we can dream...

Here are some shots of the original costumes from "Space: 1999."

http://www.balenciaga.com/

Just watched...

...the debut film from director and writer Alex Garland, 2015's "Ex_Machina."

Alex Garland, novelist (THE BEACH), screenwriter ("28 Days Later" and "Sunshine"), and now director dreamed up this engaging science fiction story about the inevitable coming of Artificial Intelligence, or AI. It is told with a sparse cast of four in a single setting but it sure packs a wallop.

Surely by now, we are all used to the idea of Artificial Intelligence. It has occupied a place in pop culture films for quite some time with Hal 9000 from Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: A Space Odyssey" to "Blade Runner" to Sky Net from "The Terminator" films to the stunningly brilliant "A.I." by Spielberg to "I, Robot" with Will Smith to name only a few. The idea is that we as a species will eventually create a computer or software, or wetware as it is referred to here in "Ex_Machina" that will not only act and interact with us exactly as a human being would, but will be able to act volitionally...that is to think and feel for itself as well. Ultimately this would mean that the AI would develop beyond its programming as a machine and synthesize original thoughts, ideas, emotions, and actions--it would be sentient.

This film takes this as a given and does not concern itself with the hows and technicalities of AI although we do get some pretty convincing laboratory shots and schematics for the actual robot. No, the film concerns itself with the ethical, moral, emotional, and psychological aspects of the existence of AI. Surely thoughts give rise to feelings. Feelings give rise to thoughts. And feelings, even for us humans, can be both enriching and destructive.

Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson) works for the biggest search engine in the world called Bluebook (a stand-in for Google). Nathan is the creator of the algorithm Bluebook runs on and CEO of the company. Nathan (Oscar Issac) has invited Caleb to his isolated retreat in Alaska to perform the Turing Test on an AI robot Nathan has created. The Turing Test (named after genius mathematician and cracker of the World War II Enigma Code, Alan Turing) is an assessment of a machine's ability to exhibit intelligent behavior equivalent to, or indistinguishable from, that of a human. When Caleb encounters the robot for the first time, he is met by Ava (Alicia Vikander), a humanoid form made of carbon mesh over hardware and wetware but with startlingly lifelike feet, hands, and face.

Part science fiction and part psychological thriller, "Ex_Machina" explores a tight, tense, uncomfortable, claustrophobic scenario. The special effects are just jaw-dropping. Ava is beautifully designed and rendered in a spectacularly flawless way which is all the more amazing considering that the effect was achieved without green screen or motion capture technologies. Everything was created in post-production. The small ensemble cast delivers flawless performances as well...subtle and pitch perfect characters from each actor. But the dilemma comes from the idea that, once AI arrives, and in this case, in the form of a human being, how do we treat them, what do we do to and with them?

If an AI is indistinguishable from a biological human being, how can we say that is still "just" a machine? If it tells us that it think and feels and has emotions, who are we to say--and how dare we say--it does not? How do YOU prove that you have thoughts and feelings? You tell me you do, and I believe you because you act like me. By the same token, how would an AI "prove" such a thing? Is there a difference between identically replicating sentiency and actual sentiency? And if there is, how do we tell? Emotions have positive and negative poles and creating an AI that can feel love means it will naturally be able to feel hatred. If it feels admiration it will naturally be able to feel jealousy. The film leads us--or at least me--to wonder what the point is of making something that looks, thinks, behaves, and feels like a human being if it is only going to be treated like a vacuum cleaner or a laptop..."just" a machine. And ultimately, how one treats a humanoid AI really will have nothing to do with the AI itself but will actually be a kind of "Turing test" for us, testing our very humanity. The film ends up in a very dark place that was quite disturbing to me, just as Garland hoped, I am sure.

Recommend? An enthusiastic yes for the concept, acting, special effects, cinematography, and art direction. A yes with reservations for the emotional fallout. I was and still am fairly burdened by the implications of the story and behavior of characters in the film.

http://www.exmachinamovie.co.uk/