Forsaken Stars

I spent the day watching movies about robots, then I took a break to watch the Golden Globes while I drew Forsaken Stars’ own mysterious robot Miranda. Now, without going much into it, my life has taken a darker turn, so as I ramp up to continue the comic, I imagine the comic itself will have a darker edge. And why shouldn’t it? It is about the end of everything, so even the ending, which I was carefully mapping out, might end up darker than I planned. Anyway, here is the finished concept for the new Miranda. Not only darker, but perhaps even more anime-inspired than before.

Several months ago, I started a Forsaken Stars Tale featuring Kyton and his robots, and imagine I will try to pick that up again, hopefully working on it concurrently with the comic.

Here are a few Movies and TV shows about robots, androids, or artificial intelligence worth checking out:

Uncanny (2015) — 3 out of 5 Forsaken Stars — similar to Ex Machina (2015), a Journalist is invited into a scientist’s workshop to write an article on the most advanced artificial intelligence ever developed. Slow paced and low budget, it still boasts subtle and restrained performances by a decent cast. I’m not sure why Rain Wilson popped up, but maybe they have a sequel in mind.

Eva (2011) — Spanish with English Subtitles; 5 out of 5 Forsaken Stars — It’s about a programmer named Alex, returning to his old stomping grounds to create a robot child, and he is inspired by his niece, Eva. Robots abound in the story, most notably Alex’ majordomo Max and housecat Gris.Maybe I rated this film as high as I did because it feels like something I would write (See Cleaner Than Spotless in my Prelude to Spiral Legion Short Story Collection), and maybe it’s because I just watched it today and the joy of a movie I overlooked for three years is still washing over me, but I really love this sci-fi drama about family, identity and belonging.

Ex Machina (2015) – 4 and a half out of 5 Forsaken Stars — Yes, it’s scifi. But it’s scifi Sublime, sexy, brilliant and disturbing. I wrote this after watching it last year: “You can’t NOT reference Blade Runner in an Artificial Intelligence film. Ex Machina does it beautifully in its score by Ben Salisbury and Geoff Barrow. I can hear echoes of Rachel’s theme in Ava’s early scenes. The film, like the score is atmospheric, resonant, sublime, and gets downright terrifying in moments. Daft Punk seems to be a big influence on the sound too. Love, love, love it.”

HVMANS (TV Series, 2915-) — Not Yet Critiqued — I have only seen the pilot, but plan on seeing the rest of the series soon. So far, it’s got a lot of potential and it’s easy to get drawn in by the great cast. “Synths” are the latest gadget people believe will make their lives better–results may vary.

Prometheus (2012) — 3 and a half out of 5 Forsaken Stars — While I could write pages and pages on both the great things and horribly flawed things about the long-awaited Alien Prequel, I think everyone could agree that Michael Fassbender’s nuanced performance of the android David was one of the major highlights of the film.

What are some of your favorite films or television shows dealing with robots, androids or artificial intelligence?