War of the Worlds – Seven Inches of Your Time https://seveninchesofyourtime.com Mon, 01 Jan 2018 01:49:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.11 “Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles” Only Scratches The Surface Of A Perplexing Cinematic God https://seveninchesofyourtime.com/magician-the-astonishing-life-and-work-of-orson-welles-only-scratches-the-surface-of-a-perplexing-cinematic-god/ https://seveninchesofyourtime.com/magician-the-astonishing-life-and-work-of-orson-welles-only-scratches-the-surface-of-a-perplexing-cinematic-god/#respond Tue, 09 Dec 2014 16:00:02 +0000 http://seveninchesofyourtime.com/?p=54906 Get hard]]> orson3

It’s impossible to capture a fraction of the enigmatic filmmaker Orson Welles in 900 minutes, let alone 90 minutes, but Chuck Workman’s documentary attempts to do just that, boiling his life and career into five chapters (1915-1941: The Boy Wonder, 1942-1949: The Outsider, 1950-1957: The Gypsy, 1958 to 1966: The Road Back, 1966-1985: The Master).

Each chapter feels like a mangled tease, a broad brushstroke of his life and career, only hinting at the full story, with little hope of providing insights into Welles’ labyrinthine mind. Of course, Welles’ mystery and unreliable storytelling (he’s known for telling shades of the truth, or changing his tune as time goes by) is at the heart of why he’s such an intriguing and interesting character.

Magician features great stock footage of Orson Welles over the years, providing the gregarious commentary you might expect from the ever ballooning and grizzled genius. Highlights include glimpses of some of his many unfinished works, such as his fabled Don Quixote (the ultimate cursed film; will anyone ever be able to finish a Don Quixote movie?), as well as snippets of his original Hollywood screen test, and scenes from many of the films or theatrical productions that only devout film historians have seen. It’s like sitting in on a film studies class in fast forward; you’ll wish you could just watch the movies, or let them linger a bit longer on the screen, just like Welles’ fleeting star.

The documentary feels like a rushed version of a Greatest (and Worst) Hits album of Orson Welle’s life and career, chronicling his prodigal childhood, his mind-blowing theatrical directing career at such a young age, the infamous War of the Worlds radio show that changed everything and the best movie of all time, Citizen Kane, followed by innumerable ups and downs, fulfilling his inevitable downward trajectory, from legend to source of parody and lifetime achievement awards. Even a man of such grandiose gifts can be chewed up and spit up by Hollywood.

orson

Everything is given short thrift to try and squeeze in as much as possible, and the result leaves you wanting more about every facet of Welles’ life. He apparently lived for five years in Peking with his alcoholic playboy father, but that’s only mentioned in passing. There’s a touching and tender moment with former actress Oja Kodar, his longtime companion, who seemed like the only one in the documentary treating Orson like a person and not a mythic/tragic figure. Everyone else, from his friends to historians, has the clinical air of a biographer; Oja has the emotion that this film needed.

Orson is a fascinating guy, one of the most important men in American film history, nay American history period, and he has an even more fascinating story. He was an unparalleled visionary, another man who arrived too soon to be appreciated, the “patron saint of indie filmmaking,” according to Richard Linklater. The idea that Orson Welles was a hero of independent cinema, a martyr for auteurs who had to fall on his sword in order for other directors like him to get the opportunities he deserved a generation later. Orson was a precursor of the indie movement that exploded out of Sundance in the early 90’s, and it likely wouldn’t have without his tireless efforts to make movies in accordance with his dreams, is an important legacy, and one worthy of an entire film. Such is the magnanimity of Orson Welles that there are probably limitless films to be mined from his life story and movies. Magician offers loglines of many of them, but never provides any answers or conclusions.

But there are certainly insights to be had. One would have thought that a man of Welles’ stature and arrogance would’ve cherished being a movie star, but by all accounts he preferred to direct, only using his career as an actor to fund his passion projects. Unfortunately, he became such a gamble with distributors and financiers, that his name as an actor was the only worthwhile bet to make on Orson Welles later in his career. Everyone knows Welles’ films following Citizen Kane were famously butchered by the studios, but the depth and repeated cycle of such torment really comes to light here. We also see how a perfectionist mentality doomed him; he was consumed by a desire to make his films better, which is why he never finished so many of them. This is a guy who was ashamed of “Rosebud,” calling it a tawdry device.

orson2

In many ways, Orson Welles emerges from Magician like the Bo Jackson of cinema, a once in a lifetime talent with a disappointing body of work. The difference is that Welles managed at least one masterpiece (those that have seen Falstaff- Chimes at Midnight would argue he’s made at least one other). Welles was also robbed of a happy ending, and the kind of contentedness that Bo knows. Over his life, there was such wasted brilliance, astronomical potential never met, because of a confluence of events, colored by politics, corporate greed, egos, and an unholy predilection for food and wine.

Magician is an enjoyable way to spend 90 minutes, but it’ll mostly leave you wanting more, frustrated that we don’t have Orson Welles to speak with now, or don’t have the kind of exhaustive biographical look into such an important figure that he deserves. The Beatles have 47 such pieces. Orson Welles doesn’t have a definitive one yet; the beguiling Rubik’s cube of cinema.

Magician: The Astonishing Life and Work of Orson Welles opens in Los Angeles & New York on December 10th, 2014.

]]>
https://seveninchesofyourtime.com/magician-the-astonishing-life-and-work-of-orson-welles-only-scratches-the-surface-of-a-perplexing-cinematic-god/feed/ 0
Androids Achieve Artificial Intelligence In “The Machine” [Review] https://seveninchesofyourtime.com/androids-achieve-artificial-intelligence-in-the-machine-review/ https://seveninchesofyourtime.com/androids-achieve-artificial-intelligence-in-the-machine-review/#comments Fri, 11 Apr 2014 16:41:50 +0000 http://seveninchesofyourtime.com/?p=1611 Get hard]]> THE MACHINE_STILL_13

The UK has been the stomping ground for some of the best science fiction the world has to offer. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, V FOR VENDETTA, THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY, RED DWARF, H.G. Wells’ TIME MACHINE, WAR OF THE WORLDS and INVISIBLE MAN, and of course DOCTOR WHO. Probably nothing in the genre is more profound or influential than Aldous Huxley’s BRAVE NEW WORLD, as every sci-fi movie features shades of that classic. The UK science fiction film THE MACHINE seeks to join the ranks.

THE MACHINE has whispers of Huxley’s influence, of course, but really, most of its inspiration comes from Ridley Scott’s BLADE RUNNER (adapted from Philip K. Dick’s landmark short story, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”). THE MACHINE, written and directed by Caradog W. James (LITTLE WHITE LIES), posits a future where a Cold War with China has steeped western civilization into the deepest recession in history. Instead of a space race, or an arms race, the world is embroiled in a contest to create the first fully self-aware artificial intelligence. Enter brilliant computer programmer Vincent (BLACK SAILS’ Toby Stephens), under contract for the Ministry of Defence, trying to do just that.

THE MACHINE_STILL_2

We’ve gone down this road many times in the annals of sci-fi, but thankfully, THE MACHINE has a few new wrinkles and a slightly different take on the outcome.

Vincent is posited as a genius, and the only evidence we see of that is his frequent usage of the Turing Test, an experiment to determine whether a machine exhibits intelligent behavior. It isn’t until he stumbles upon Ava’s work, an American computer programmer whose program comes the closest to passing the Turing Test of anyone he’s administered, that they’re able to fashion a machine that (who?) is self-aware.

Before Ava comes on board to work for Vincent, we see many of the failed trials, as one android responds murderously to his line of questions, killing his poor assistant. It seems Vincent is blind to the dangers, and might be just as evil as his superiors, represented by Thomson (the excellently understated Denis Lawson, AKA WEDGE ANTILLES!!!). But really, he made a deal with the devil in order to save Mary’s life, his mentally handicapped daughter, who suffers from Red Syndrome. In artificial intelligence, he sees an avenue to repair the damage done to her brain, and allow her to outlive her frail and failing body.

THE MACHINE_STILL_12

Vincent has saved many lives through his experiments, repairing their war-addled brains with implants, but the survivors become mute afterwards, and merely used as guards around the base. It’s clear that these mute Implant guards have a portentous plot up their sleeves, especially when you take a peek at Thomson’s aide Suri (above, Pooneh Hajimohammadi) and the lot speak in some unique language of their own making on the sly. Plus, the bald and scarred guards look far too cool to just be set dressing.

Vincent doesn’t ask any questions of Thomson and the MoD, but Ava (ARROW’s Caity Lotz) is different/a normal inquisitive person. James (RESURRECTION’s Sam Hazeldine), a “patient,” secretly warns her that he’s being held captive, and that she must flee. Next thing you know, Thomson has orchestrated Ava’s murder. Because Vincent and Ava have “fallen in love” (?), and let’s be honest Vincent is a little creepy, when he activates Quantum, the first self-aware machine, he models her/it after Ava.

THE MACHINE_STILL_10

Through her work on ARROW as the Canary, Caity Lotz has quickly established herself as one of the most physical and badass young actresses in Hollywood. That reputation only grows with THE MACHINE, as she plays a wide eyed, loving and conscientious, but unsettling and dangerous machine capable of almost anything. Lotz toes the line between creepy and endearing quite well in the role, necessary because we never know what she’s truly thinking (or if she’s capable of such wide ranging thought).

In Ava, Vincent sees the future, as Thomson merely sees a weapon that can turn the tide in an all-out war that’s brewing. The two jockey for the Machine’s allegiances, each training them differently and separately, until they finally reach a crescendo of conflict by the end, as Vincent finally rages against the real Machine, the government.

THE MACHINE_STILL_11

I loved the idea of a Cold War with China, and a race for intelligent machines, and wished we got more of a glimpse into this dystopian future. Instead, we’re almost primarily stuck in the dark, dank confines of Vincent’s lab and the shadowy MoD station.

THE MACHINE reiterates the dangers of artificial intelligence, but mostly harps on the evils of government and control, and the potential that self-aware machines have, and what amazing things the technology could accomplish. Its message is hardly revolutionary, or new, but thanks to Caity Lotz’s convincing turn as the titular android, the Implants, and some cool visuals and flairs, THE MACHINE is a worthy sci-fi entry from Caradog W. James and company.

THE MACHINE is available on iTunes VOD now, and arrives in theatres on April 25th.

]]>
https://seveninchesofyourtime.com/androids-achieve-artificial-intelligence-in-the-machine-review/feed/ 2