Thursday, October 18, 2018

Thursday Movie Picks #223: Technology



This being Thursday, it's time for another edition of Thursday Movie Picks, the blogathon run by Wandering Through the Shelves. This week's theme is technology. Two of the movies I've selected this week are a bit sci-fi, with the third being a straight romantic comedy:

Westworld (1973). Richard Benjamin and James Brolin play a pair of friends who go to a futuristic amusement park that has extremely lifelike robots that the humans can interact with. However, something goes wrong with the programming, and the robots go awry killing their masters. One of the robots (Yul Brynner) tries going after our heroes.

Demon Seed (1977). Scientist Fritz Weaver has created what today we'd call a "smart house" that can be completely run by computer interface, as well as a supercomputer at a research facility. The supercomputer gets uppity, wants to experience the rest of the world, and infiltrates the smart house's computer system, holding Weaver's wife (Julie Christie) hostage. The supercomputer's ultimate plan is to impregnate Christie so the supercomputer can live on.

Desk Set (1957). Katharine Hepburn plays the head of the research library at a media conglomerate. Computer salesman Spencer Tracy will be in charge of installing the punch-card fed computer (this is 1957, after all) that will be part of the research department. Of course, all the research librarians think the point of the computer is to take their jobs, so they try to find out what it's really all about. Along the way, Hepburn and Tracy fall in love yet again.

3 comments:

joel65913 said...

Love your choices, particularly Desk Set which is my favorite of the Tracy/Hepburn films and we match on Demon Seed.

I thought this week would be tough but three came to me rather easily.

Frankenstein (1931)-Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) of whom it might be generously said has a screw or two loose attempts with the latest technology to create life by assembling a creature from body parts of the dead in his laboratory deep within the walls of his remote castle. Assisted by the loyal, deformed Fritz (Dwight Frye), he succeeds in bringing his monster (Boris Karloff) to life in florid fashion. However, trouble is brewing when the confused and traumatized monster escapes into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc. Iconic and seminal film impressively director by James Whale, with a touching performance by Karloff, set the standard for all horror movies to follow.

Demon Seed (1977)-Susan Harris (Julie Christie) and her husband Dr. Alex Harris (Fritz Weaver) a renowned scientist live in a home he has modified to be run by voice-activated computers. Dr. Harris has also developed Proteus IV, an extremely advanced and autonomous artificial intelligence program. When Harris becomes disturbed by Proteus’s demands to be let "out of this box". Harris switches off the communications link but Proteus restarts itself, constructs a robot takes control of the house and traps Susan inside. Object: impregnate Susan to assume human form. Strange, unsettling sci-fi based on a Dean Koontz novel is strengthened by having a talent like Julie Christie in the lead.

Tron (1982)-Young computer engineer Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) discovers that his work is being stolen by one of his company’s executives-Ed Dillinger (David Warner). He attempts to hack the system but something goes awry and Flynn is transported into the digital world, facing off against Dillinger's computerized likeness, Sark, and the imposing Master Control Program. Aided by Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) and Yori (Cindy Morgan), Flynn fights a technological battle for control. Though the graphics are wildly dated now they were cutting edge when this was released.

Birgit said...

I would love to rewatch Westworld which I thought was pretty scary. I haven’t seen Demonseed and, sadly, Deskset which I need to change. I know about this movie and, even though the computer is archaic, the idea it could replace jobs has happened.

Ted S. (Just a Cineast) said...

The computer prop from Desk Set got reused in What a Way to Go! several years later. If you look carefully you can clearly see the lights are on circuits such that some of the lights will light up to read "The End" at the end of Desk Set. Watch What a Way to Go! and you'll see the same light patterns, although that movie never uses the "The End" pattern.