• Cinematic Robots: The Worst, then later, The Best

    From Jack Bohn@21:1/5 to All on Wed Oct 19 06:53:25 2022
    "Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine" robots in the shapes of beautiful women marry the rich and powerful as part of an evil plan of their creator. It's said that no AIP movie ever lost money; this one was such a success -- by their standards -- that
    they made a sequel, "Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs," which suggests the next attack on world leaders skipped marriage and went straight to banging away. Actually, IMDb says that the first was such a hit in Italy, that AIP arranged for a co-production
    with them, getting an Italian director (Mario Bava! Of course, before he was Mario Bava!), a pair of Italian comics, and a bevy of Italian beauties, and a few scenes shot for the Italian version that made it also a sequel to one of their "Goldfinger"
    parodies. The genius of James Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff was in spending as little of their own money as possible. Why am I talking so much about the movie? Because the robots are of no technical interest.

    "Making Mr. Right" An android needs to be taught the social graces for PR purposes for its builders. It's an '80s romantic comedy, so what the people do makes no sense, do I have a right to complain that the robots make no sense?

    Meanwhile, Monday, not part of this robot celebration, is "2001: A Space Odyssey." Ah, HAL. The measured tones of Douglas Rain, introduced as one of the crew, but with the caveat that it was programmed to have us feel that way, and any moments we feel
    we detect the actor not quite as robotic as he could be are balanced by scenes where we catch the computer not being as human as it is trying to seem.

    Later on that Monday is "Brainstorm," from Douglas Trumbull. Well, it's got a prototype for mind-machine interface, with, as someone pointed out, a grasp of product design as it goes from a monstrosity of a helmet to a sleek headset. The robotic
    production line goes crazy in one scene, as I remember, it is about as looney as '50s computers going haywire, such as in "Desk Set."

    --
    -Jack

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to jack.bohn64@gmail.com on Wed Oct 19 08:40:53 2022
    On Wed, 19 Oct 2022 06:53:25 -0700 (PDT), Jack Bohn
    <jack.bohn64@gmail.com> wrote:

    "Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine" robots in the shapes of beautiful women marry the rich and powerful as part of an evil plan of their creator. It's said that no AIP movie ever lost money; this one was such a success -- by their standards -- that
    they made a sequel, "Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs," which suggests the next attack on world leaders skipped marriage and went straight to banging away. Actually, IMDb says that the first was such a hit in Italy, that AIP arranged for a co-production
    with them, getting an Italian director (Mario Bava! Of course, before he was Mario Bava!), a pair of Italian comics, and a bevy of Italian beauties, and a few scenes shot for the Italian version that made it also a sequel to one of their "Goldfinger"
    parodies. The genius of James Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff was in spending as little of their own money as possible. Why am I talking so much about the movie? Because the robots are of no technical interest.

    I really liked them when they came out.

    I caught one on late-night TV about 20 years later. I couldn't stand
    it.

    Tastes change. Sadly.

    "Making Mr. Right" An android needs to be taught the social graces for PR purposes for its builders. It's an '80s romantic comedy, so what the people do makes no sense, do I have a right to complain that the robots make no sense?

    Meanwhile, Monday, not part of this robot celebration, is "2001: A Space Odyssey." Ah, HAL. The measured tones of Douglas Rain, introduced as one of the crew, but with the caveat that it was programmed to have us feel that way, and any moments we feel
    we detect the actor not quite as robotic as he could be are balanced by scenes where we catch the computer not being as human as it is trying to seem.

    Since HAL can complete the mission on his own, the entire ship is a
    robot.

    Too bad it's insane.

    Later on that Monday is "Brainstorm," from Douglas Trumbull. Well, it's got a prototype for mind-machine interface, with, as someone pointed out, a grasp of product design as it goes from a monstrosity of a helmet to a sleek headset. The robotic
    production line goes crazy in one scene, as I remember, it is about as looney as '50s computers going haywire, such as in "Desk Set."

    I seem to recall the title, so I may have seen it.

    Of the film itself, however, I seem to have no memory. At least at the
    moment.
    --
    "In this connexion, unquestionably the most significant
    development was the disintegration, under Christian
    influence, of classical conceptions of the family and
    of family right."

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From Jack Bohn@21:1/5 to Paul S Person on Thu Oct 20 09:56:20 2022
    On Wednesday, October 19, 2022 at 11:40:59 AM UTC-4, Paul S Person wrote:
    On Wed, 19 Oct 2022 06:53:25 -0700 (PDT), Jack Bohn
    <jack....@gmail.com> wrote:

    Meanwhile, Monday, not part of this robot celebration, is "2001: A Space Odyssey." Ah, HAL. The measured tones of Douglas Rain, introduced as one of the crew, but with the caveat that it was programmed to have us feel that way, and any moments we feel
    we detect the actor not quite as robotic as he could be are balanced by scenes where we catch the computer not being as human as it is trying to seem.
    Since HAL can complete the mission on his own, the entire ship is a
    robot.

    Too bad it's insane.

    Once clear of the distraction and irritant of the humans, HAL should have stabilized and been able to carry out the mission on his own.

    Or would he...

    Based on a friend of mine in college suggesting that Dave Bowman took those "stress pills" HAL suggested in their next-to-last conversation, and hence the stargate and the hotel room, how much of 2010 might be dismissed as HALlucination of a deranged
    computer? Two theories, Strong and Weak:

    Weak Theory: most of the story happens as told: HAL is awoken by a bunch of new humans swarming all over his ship. He creates a haunted house to scare them away. This probably requires him to know when Dr. Floyd is in a susceptible state of mind to
    accept old recordings of Bowman as seeing his ghost. This probably means the transmission of the deed granting us "All these worlds[...] except Europa" is its last delusion.

    Strong Theory: HAL, as suggested, is in a dreaming state. He dreams of a reunion with both his "good father," Dr. Chandra, and his "bad father," Heywood Floyd. We must accept the earlier parts of the story as HAL imagining they are related to him,
    probably by Chandra. Even the dead Dave Bowman returns, and HAL finds the monoliths are not traitors to all things rectangular, but have a better fate for him after he does his noble sacrifice.

    --
    -Jack

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)
  • From T987654321@21:1/5 to All on Fri Oct 28 09:14:15 2022
    Goldfoot has the best "robots" ever, just a bad movie.

    --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
    * Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)