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"It's the robots' world, we just live in it...for now."
Any sci-fi fan knows that the first thing an artificial intelligence does when it becomes self-aware is plot the elimination of the imperfect human beings who created it. Yet, despite this obvious knowledge, the very government that is supposed to safeguard the lives, liberties and happy pursuits of Americans could be speeding us toward a real-world "Robopocalypse" by funding research for a project that aims to make computers more human-like by designing them to teach themselves.
MORE >> Posted 03.29.13 by BrentJS -
Movies that put the "story" in prehistory!
For the first time since 2008's 10,000 B.C., a caveman movie was the number one movie at the box office this weekend, with DreamWorks Animation's The Croods raking in $44 million domestically and another $62 million in international ticket sales. The Croods takes place during the "Croodaceous Era," a time when modern animals had yet to fully evolve and a neanderthal girl like Eep (voiced by Emma Stone) could fall for a homo sapien boy like Guy (Ryan Reynolds).
Our prehistoric past has long been a source of entertainment on the big screen, inspiring movies of all different genres, from goofy comedies like Encino Man to gritty dramas like Quest for Fire. However they are depicted, cavemen are infinitely fascinating because, quite simply, they are us, but without cars, microwaves, cell phones or personal hygiene. Put on your wooly britches and bone jewelry and help us choose the movies that best depict our prehistoric ancestors.
Rate the Top 10 Best Caveman Movies >>
Posted 03.25.13 by BrentJS -
What would it be like to communicate with another intelligent species, one not of this earth? Mankind has been contemplating that question since before the concept of "aliens" entered our cultural lexicon. Despite the assertions of religous leaders, empirical scientists and government officials that aliens are not real and that we have not been visited by UFOs, more than 36% of Americans — 80 million people! — believe that aliens, or E.B.E.'s (Extraterrestrial Biological Entities), have visited the earth, with nearly 80% of those surveyed saying that the government is keeping information about UFOs and aliens from the public.
Skeptics can always punch holes in blurry video tapes and eyewitness accounts of aliens, but what if we received a message from a foreign intelligence or intercepted one of their radio transmissions? Receiving such a message or signal is a major plot point of several of the best sci-fi movies, but the strange truth is that we may have already received a signal from an extraterrestrial intelligence.
E.T. Phone...Us? >> Posted 11.19.12 by BrentJS -
If you were one of the multitude of sci-fi fans who began drooling at the thought of seeing an extended cut of director Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey following the news that 17 minutes worth of Kubrick's cut footage had been found by Warner Bros. in a salt mine vault in Kansas, prepare to be disappointed. According to a recent WB press release, the footage was never "lost" to be "found," and the studio has no intention of releasing it as part of an extended cut.
The additional footage from 2001: A Space Odyssey has always existed in the Warner vaults. When Kubrick trimmed the 17 minutes from 2001 after the NY premiere, he made it clear the shortened version was his final edit. The film is as he wanted it to be presented and preserved and Warner Home Video has no plans to expand or revise Mr. Kubrick’s vision.
what was cut from 2001? >> Posted 12.29.10 by BrentJS -
It has long been believed that 19 minutes of footage trimmed from Stanley Kubrick's original cut of 2001: A Space Odyssey had been destroyed at the direction of Kubrick, himself, but now there is new hope that the footage has not been lost and that it may one day find its way onto a 2001 DVD release. According to multiple sources, director and visual effects pioneer Douglas Trumbull revealed during a recent screening of 2001 in Toronoto that 17 minutes worth of Kubrick's cut footage had been found by Warner Bros. (WB) in its vault located within a salt mine in Kansas and that the negatives had been perfectly preserved. Trumbull apparently did not speculate on what WB plans to do with the footage, but a find of this signficance will surely find its way to the masses in one form or another eventually.
what might be in the lost footage? >> Posted 12.21.10 by BrentJS -
OK, if you haven't seen 2001: A Space Odyssey, get to the nearest video store now. And don't listen to your friends who tell you it's boring. Try to imagine seeing it in 1968 in the midst of the "Space Race," and try to imagine you've never seen Star Wars, whose visual effects were a direct result of those in Stanley Kubrick's movie.
With that bit of evangelism out of the way, let's talk HAL. Yes HAL, the spaceship computer system whose calm, icy voice (well, actually it was Douglas Rain's voice) made him one of the most terrifying villains in movie history. Rather than include a spoiler, we'll simply say that at a crucial moment, HAL starts singing the 19th-century ditty "Daisy Bell."
For those who've seen the movie: Ever wondered why Kubrick and author Arthur C. Clarke decided on "Daisy Bell" as the tune of choice? Well, according to a recent article in Switched.com, the choice was the result of a trip Clarke made to Bell Labs in the early '60s. There, programmers introduced him to the IBM 704 — the first computer to "sing" — and a performance of "Daisy Bell." Inspired (or perhaps disturbed) by what he heard, Clarke decided to work the song into the script for 2001, which he co-wrote with Kubrick.
One last observation: HAL served as a warning against the dangers of technological advancement ... and this computer rendition sounds like a precursor to that lovely thing we now know as Auto-Tune. The horror!
Posted 11.06.09 by reelz -
Legendary science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke passed away at 90 yesterday at his home in Sri Lanka. Clarke wrote such famous works as 2001: A Space Odyssey, which he later adapted to the screen for Stanley Kubrick's classic film version. His novels elevated the sci-fi fiction novel from its pulp origins to respected works of literature.
Clarke's Rendezvous With Rama has been long-gestating as a potential project for director David Fincher with Morgan Freeman in the lead role. No official confirmation on that project as of yet, but it is rumored to be in pre-production for a potential 2009 release.
Posted 03.19.08 by reelz