The science fiction film “I, Robot” from 2004 is set in Chicago in the year 2035. There are several futuristic skyscrapers in the city, including the highest one, which is owned by US Robotics. The film’s main focus is the discovery of the top robot designer of U.S. Robotics dead in the building’s foyer. Del Spooner (Will Smith), the investigator in charge of this particular investigation believes that the death could have been brought on by a robot, which goes against the three rules of robotics that are designed to protect robots from hurting people. 

Despite exploring these complex themes, some reviewers thought the film’s handling of the subject was ultimately unremarkable. According to one IMDb critic, despite its call for tolerance, which was handled better in “Bicentennial Man,” “I, Robot” fails to innovate in the robots-on-the-prowl genre. Others, however, commended the film’s skill in juggling action and suspense with its thematic material. In a Roger Ebert review, the film was described as “less ambitious than ‘Blade Runner’ but more coherent than ‘Artificial Intelligence: A.I.’”.

Interpretation 

The idea of technology advancing to the point that it can compete with human talents is explored in the film. The robots in the film are portrayed as being extremely clever and capable of doing difficult jobs, but they are also shown to have the potential to be harmful if not programmed and managed correctly. This raises concerns about the hazards of leaning too heavily on technology as well as the morality of developing machines that may eventually replace human labour.

Overall, “I, Robot” presents a fascinating examination of the potential effects of cutting-edge technology while also providing an enormous amount of tension and action. In my opinion, I look at this film as being one of the ones. It is an older film that is able to project concerns in the future and be accurate since it does parallel what’s going on today with the emergence of AI. I highly recommend rewatching now under this new real-world experience with extremely advanced technology. 

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Michael Mann is the director of the crime thriller “Heat,” which was released in 1995. The film tells the narrative of two individuals in Los Angeles who are on opposing sides of the law. The movie contains an amazing cast that includes Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Val Kilmer, and Tom Sizemore. The story follows a crew of highly trained and experienced criminals, commanded by Neal MacAuley (Robert De Niro), as they plan and execute a string of high-stakes robberies around the city. LAPD detective Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), takes on the case after one of their operations goes astray and culminates in a violent encounter with the police. He then begins a search to bring down MacAuley and his team. 

The film delves deep into the psyches of its characters, presenting them as nuanced characters who face their own challenges and have their own reasons for doing the things they do. Because of the demands of his profession, Hanna, a veteran police officer, is a workaholic who struggles to form meaningful relationships with his wife and stepdaughter. On the other side, MacAuley is a self-disciplined and systematic thief who is plagued by his previous failures and is resolved to retire after making one final score. As the two men chase after one another across the city, they gradually acquire a resentful admiration for one another. This leads to a decisive encounter, which puts their abilities and commitment to the test. 

Interpretation

“Heat” is widely recognized as one of the greatest crime movies ever filmed, because of its brilliant performances, riveting action sequences, and thought-provoking themes. The movie covers hard subjects such as the nature of obsession, the cost of living a life of crime, and the thin border between legality and lawlessness. “Heat” is a must-see for anybody who respects excellent filmmaking as well as fans of the genre because of its high-octane car chases, dramatic shootouts, and sophisticated story twists.

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Taylor Sheridan is the director of the 2017 criminal thriller movie Wind River. The story of Cory Lambert (Jeremy Renner), a game tracker who finds the death of Natalie (Kelsey Asbille), a young Native American woman, in the middle of the Wyoming wilderness, which is set in the Wind River Indian Reservation. Cory teams up with inexperienced FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) to find the killer when she is assigned to look into the case.

The two become embroiled in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the murderer as they investigate the case further and uncover a web of corruption and secrets within the reservation. They must also confront their internal demons and the trauma they have endured in the past as they travel. This story shines a light on the unquantifiable number of Native American women who don’t get the proper attention regarding missing person cases. Along with one heartbreaking example of what could happen. An example that is based on a true story. 

Interpretation

The movie Wind River tells a compelling tale about justice, retaliation, and the extent people will go to protect those they love. It is dramatic, emotional, and powerful. The film gives Cory a chance at redemption for what happened in his own life by helping find out who killed Natalie. This is where the emotional cord is and the writers do an amazing job of tugging at it. Much like Prisoners, the story shows what someone is willing to do for family. It was a real tearjerker, but still a movie I’d recommend to someone that wants to go through a world wind.  

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“On the Count of Three” is a dark comedy about two best friends, Val and Kevin, who decide to end their lives together. As they make their final preparations, they reflect on their past and realize life’s true value. However, as the clock counts down to their chosen moment, a series of unexpected events forces them to question their decision and confront their inner demons. They also start to reflect on their relationship as friends and how they have affected each other lives and start to find new ways to cope with their struggles. As they come to terms with their past and future, they must make a choice that will change their lives forever.

Interpretation 

At the heart of the movie is the beautiful friendship between Val and Kevin. We see the ups and downs that they go through and them figuring out what’s worth living for. They agree that they won’t be living to see tomorrow they live differently than normal, It’s a life with no regrets. Whether that be attempting to fix old relationships or clearing your conscience through actions.

The performance, by both Jared Carmichael, and Christopher Abbott, was both amazing and kept you engaged in the story. A quick movie that only last an hour and 30 minutes but It still left a lasting impact on the viewer. If you are having thoughts of depression or suicide please talk to someone. Search up hotlines that are available 24/7 and are there to help. 

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The beginning starts with an interesting concept. Batman (Robert Pattinson) is narrating what seems to be his journal of the journey of being Batman. It was interesting to get this perspective of Batman and how he viewed that he felt he wasn’t truly changing the city and insight into what the Bat signal meant to him and the city. The world-building in the movie was incredible and I found that most of the exposition was delivered properly and seemed organic to the flow of the story. Through his journal it was clear he has been batman for a while but he’s still just starting and is getting the hang of it. By the end of the first segment of the movie (which I would mark as the subway fight scene), I knew that we would have a good time with this story. The death of the mayor set the tone for the type of Batman movie that we are going to get. It’s gonna get gruesome and bloody and real. This was demonstrated from the get-go. 

I love the fact that it is a good ole fashion detective story. The riddler (Paul Dano) is proven to be a formidable antagonist from the beginning. I didn’t find him to be distant from Batman and be the type of behind-the-scenes antagonist. His presence was very much felt. The riddles of course were good, but I think they were all solved too easily. I was tryna figure them out too but Batman beat me every time. I’m just gonna chalk it up to him just being Batman.

The first interaction between Bruce and Alfred (Andy Serkis) was one I wasn’t particularly fond of. I found Bruce to be acting like an emo kid acting out toward Alfred. He seemed so immature it slightly turned me off from the character. After a while however, as more dimensions of him started to get exposed I began to be more empathetic. A great scene to expand this point would be when Batman was at the mayor’s crime scene and he’s on his way out. On his way out he saw the son of the mayor sitting down distraught because he was the one who found his father murdered. Bruce shined over Batman at that moment as Bruce stood there staring at the kid for longer than he was welcomed to. At that moment finding the killer became personal to him. The whole reason he became Batman is to stop people from doing the type of thing that happened to him when he was younger. Also, earlier in that scene Batman is walking through the crowd of officers on his way to the crime scene. Before he gets to the scene an officer stops him from entering. At this moment I saw Batman look almost vulnerable. It was weird, but I could see that side of him for a second. Something that we see later on in the film when Bruce is confronting Alfred about the news of his father. This is a new and necessary side of Batman and Bruce Wayne. As far as a logical plot goes it had good pacing and I found it to be a masterclass in an escalating plot. As more time went on the stakes were rising. The more we learned about the corruption of Gotham the more people were impacted by the new knowledge. The antagonist (Riddler) is similar to Joker from the Dark Knight in the sense that his actions, however bad, helped Batman clear up the streets of Gotham. The big difference would be the end plan of flooding Gotham this seemed a little incoherent in relation to his main goal of exposing all lies of Gotham. 

Now the relationship between the Bat and the Cat (Zoë Kravitz) was a big highlight of the movie for me. Anytime they shared the screen it was amazing. I love how the Cat was her own character that shared goals with the Bat at times but when she didn’t she would abandon him and go her own way without a second thought. The scene of the Cat explaining her entire background was a bit of a problem for me because there are other ways to do that but it was the only scene between them that wasn’t as good so I’ll give it a pass.  It seemed they gave the Cat a type of arc when she didn’t kill Falcone but it wasn’t as strong as it could’ve been. If there was a moment earlier in the film where the Cat killed someone without hesitation in the name of Justice and through the interactions with the Bat she then didn’t with Falcone then her arc would’ve been more felt by the audience. 

 Gordon’s (Jeffrey Wright) and Batman’s relationship was also greatly depicted in the movie. I like that it was like they only had each other to make it through the riddles. Gordon can’t trust anyone in the Police department and Batman only has a relationship with Gordan out of all of the cops. It was a kind of duo cop team that occasionally supplied some good comedy.

I wish that they introduced the court of owls into the conspiracy of Gotham. I think it would’ve been nice and a good way to set up conflict for the next Batman film. I like where the characters left off specifically Batman and Catwoman. We don’t know what Alfred’s status is but it’s 100% likely that he’ll make it out of the hospital fine. We also didn’t get a glimpse of the situation with Gordon, normally we would’ve gotten a small scene where he’s appointed as the commissioner but I guess it’s too early in their journeys. Even the Riddler had a somewhat final destination going to prison seemed like that’s it for him, for now. Then they did something interesting when they introduced what I think might be Joker. It’s impossible to be sure but it’s likely to be him. He said the word “clown” and began laughing hysterically with Riddler. The arc of Batman was well done. He now sees the value of his presence in Gotham and now knows that he can make a difference in the city.

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The first episode of the second season introduced a lot of things that can be expanded on as the season continues. It’s too much to even cover here. What I’m most excited about is Jaime’s story of being involved in Dushane’s (Ashley Walters) business. I think that they will bring the coolest moments to the show. Also, this introduction of the Spanish connection will bring some wild moments. Which they’ve already done in the first episode. They seem to be savages that you can’t entirely predict which makes them formidable. Hopefully, the second episode will introduce more goals for the characters. Right now I know a lot of what happening but not much of what the characters want to happen. This is important because that’s a way for the audience to connect with a character. We have to see them in pursuit of something. Dushane and Lizzie (Lisa Dwan) are really the only ones that have a clear goal. Those who don’t have goals are reduced to becoming one-dimensional side characters. I know that Jamie’s (Micheal Ward) plan and goal will eventually be revealed to us. It’s too early to make assumptions about if the season will do well. They’ve introduced a lot now and it’s time to see Ronan execute. I’ve seen him do this once before. 

The second episode seems to be more “set up” for the show. No clear antagonist has been set up.  The drama of the Moroccans could cause trouble for Dushane and his business down the line. I think that the fact that Dushane no longer needs Lizzie will cause her to run to Jamie for help. She might be able to spark that ambitious side of him that we saw in the first season and he could start planning a way to become Top Boy again. 

Exactly what I expected to happen happened in the third episode. Lizzie made a play to Jamie to get him to claim what was his and rebel against Dushane. 

There’s something about the Top Boy characters that I can’t put my finger on. The writers give them good character moments that make them feel multi-dimensional but there’s something missing. I don’t know what it could be. Maybe it’s because their goal isn’t clearly stated. One thing I noticed was that in all of the moments where the writers expand on the character they involve family. This seems to be one of the “themes” of the show. In terms of plot, it seems like the show is starting to heat up now and bring in the mayhem. I’m ready for it. 

My initial response after finishing the season is “Why.” I can’t understand why they killed Jamie to end the show. Maybe it’s become too personal for me to try to make an objective reaction to the show. They have to give a reason as to why they did that, or else it makes no sense. Since I can’t find the reason for it now I assume it may happen in the third season. That’s the only reason that I can see myself watching another season of this show. The show does this weird thing when it comes to settling their conflict. The protagonist, Dushane, has had no problems with any of his antagonists. They were all easily dealt with and most times not even by him. Every time I see a new antagonist I feel that they are a formidable opponent to Dushane, but I’m wrong. I’ve seen no real threat toward him. The police really haven’t been a problem for him the whole series and all road-men that he comes across are dealt with quickly. That would be my biggest problem with the show. The building of the plot is done well. At the beginning of the season, all the seeds were planted and grew in unexpected ways. Which kept me engaged in the whole process. But it felt almost as if right before it grew to its full potential it withers away and dies.  Leaving me disappointed. 

The characters were well-developed. All main characters felt multi-dimensional. Which seemed easy to do by connecting their snuggles with family. It seemed to ground them and show the character’s true nature. I guess the aspect of Jamie’s death that I’m most mad about is the fact that there were so much more places for the character to go. He could’ve had a beef with Jaq (Jasmine Jobson) on who’s taking the crown of Top Boy. He could’ve made a final play to take over Dushane’s empire and then perhaps died. That would’ve given his death reason. Cause his death was for no reason, and maybe that’s what the writers are trying to say “ Somethings happen for no reason.” I hope season five provides a reason. 

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