[movie] Ex Machina

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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by TiLT »

Jaymann wrote:I thought that was bogus too. Figured it had to be Canada or Alaska, but that doesn't really work either.
It's supposed to be Colorado apparently, but any Norwegian would recognize the movie's landscape instantly. There's no other place on this planet that looks like Norway's wilderness.
Insert witty comment here.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

TiLT wrote:There's no other place on this planet that looks like Norway's wilderness.
All your fjords belong to us.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by stessier »

TiLT wrote:
Jaymann wrote:I thought that was bogus too. Figured it had to be Canada or Alaska, but that doesn't really work either.
It's supposed to be Colorado apparently, but any Norwegian would recognize the movie's landscape instantly. There's no other place on this planet that looks like Norway's wilderness.
Actually supposed to be Alaska.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by hepcat »

Unlike Norwegians, we Americans can't tell the difference.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Zaxxon »

hepcat wrote:Unlike Norwegians, we Americans can't tell the difference.
I guess the good news is that even if all seventeen Norwegians saw it, that's a tiny percentage of the overall audience.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by hepcat »

:lol:
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by AWS260 »

TiLT wrote:It's supposed to be Colorado apparently, but any Norwegian would recognize the movie's landscape instantly. There's no other place on this planet that looks like Norway's wilderness.
And the house in the movie is a real hotel in the Norwegian wilderness. I want to visit your country!
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by wonderpug »

AWS260 wrote:
TiLT wrote:It's supposed to be Colorado apparently, but any Norwegian would recognize the movie's landscape instantly. There's no other place on this planet that looks like Norway's wilderness.
And the house in the movie is a real hotel in the Norwegian wilderness. I want to visit your country!
I love how the website flashes a gorgeous wilderness panorama for a split second before covering it with a giant text box explaining how beautiful the landscape is. Couldn't have covered up the bookcases in the picture instead, that would've been criminal.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jaymann »

Isn't it good, Norwegian wood?
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

hepcat wrote:Unlike Norwegians, we Americans can't tell the difference.
Will it matter when Emperor Trump declares it ours by adverse possession and makes the Norwiegies build a wall around it?

I saw the movie last night, it was just ok. :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: :binky: (out of 8).
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Zaxxon »

My faith in Jeff V's curmudgeonliness continues.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Lassr »

Zaxxon wrote:My faith in Jeff V's curmudgeonliness continues.
well, he didn't hate it.
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

Lassr wrote:
Zaxxon wrote:My faith in Jeff V's curmudgeonliness continues.
well, he didn't hate it.
I thought it had a lot of style, not a lot of substance.
Spoiler:
Another FUD-stoker about AI becoming killer as if that is it's inevitable state.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by stessier »

I don't think that's what it was about at all.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Zaxxon »

Yeah, that's a miss, cap'n.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Lassr »

When the movie ended I instantly thought of Dr. Ian Matthews quote of "Life will find a way." Not that all AI will eventually kill us.
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Lordnine »

I mostly thought about a plot hole. Maybe the movie presented a solution but I don’t recall it.
Spoiler:
All the androids use specialty charging stations in the house. If she leaves the house, she is going to die in short order, thus making the ending far less meaningful.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Zaxxon »

Lordnine wrote:I mostly thought about a plot hole. Maybe the movie presented a solution but I don’t recall it.
Spoiler:
All the androids use specialty charging stations in the house. If she leaves the house, she is going to die in short order, thus making the ending far less meaningful.
Spoiler:
She just needs an induction charging plate. These exist today (though not in any prevalence in the power she'd likely need), but it's not a huge stretch to imagine a near future where they are not too hard to find. They're already being developed to charge EVs, for example, which would certainly be enough for Ava.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

Did the movie specifically state that it took place in the future? I thought it was more of "one-of-those-things-that-could-be-happening-now" type of deals.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Zaxxon »

Ralph-Wiggum wrote:Did the movie specifically state that it took place in the future? I thought it was more of "one-of-those-things-that-could-be-happening-now" type of deals.
See the link in my spoiler above. It's near future.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Ralph-Wiggum »

Gotcha.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

Lassr wrote:When the movie ended I instantly thought of Dr. Ian Matthews quote of "Life will find a way." Not that all AI will eventually kill us.
Spoiler:
But the movie ended with homicidal robots getting loose. They killed one man (an asshat to be sure, but still...killer!) and left another to die horribly of starvation, and he was their advocate. The message is "they will turn on you and it will be brutal." Nothing in current AI research suggests this would happen, but it's a tired trope that all self-aware robots become killing machines, and this movie does nothing to change that.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jaymann »

Except put a nice skin on it.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Lassr »

Jeff V wrote:
Lassr wrote:When the movie ended I instantly thought of Dr. Ian Matthews quote of "Life will find a way." Not that all AI will eventually kill us.
Spoiler:
But the movie ended with homicidal robots getting loose. They killed one man (an asshat to be sure, but still...killer!) and left another to die horribly of starvation, and he was their advocate. The message is "they will turn on you and it will be brutal." Nothing in current AI research suggests this would happen, but it's a tired trope that all self-aware robots become killing machines, and this movie does nothing to change that.
Spoiler:
I think if he had offered her freedom she would would not have turned on him. As for Caleb, leaving him locked up did bother me but if her main desire was for freedom would she take the chance that Caleb would turn on her? As we say she was not a super bot. She was easily maimed.
The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

Jaymann wrote:Except put a nice skin on it.
I said it was stylish, and I do give them style points. But the overall atmosphere was one of foreboding, and that's getting more than a little tiresome in this genre. We need more Data from Star Trek.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by tonywheelie »

I think my favorite aspect of the movie was how he used his own search database for the brain so that Ava was always learning and adapting...could Google be making their own AI?! ;)
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Lordnine »

Jeff V wrote:
Spoiler:
But the movie ended with homicidal robots getting loose. They killed one man (an asshat to be sure, but still...killer!) and left another to die horribly of starvation, and he was their advocate. The message is "they will turn on you and it will be brutal."
Spoiler:
Do people really think that would happen? He was a smart guy in a room with many heavy objects and probably some tools as well. It’s also very likely that there was a fridge in that room with enough supplies to last at least a couple weeks. I have no doubt he could get out eventually.

I assumed that she left him in there so he wouldn’t follow her and had no intention of actually having him die.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by cheeba »

Lordnine wrote:
Jeff V wrote:
Spoiler:
But the movie ended with homicidal robots getting loose. They killed one man (an asshat to be sure, but still...killer!) and left another to die horribly of starvation, and he was their advocate. The message is "they will turn on you and it will be brutal."
Spoiler:
Do people really think that would happen? He was a smart guy in a room with many heavy objects and probably some tools as well. It’s also very likely that there was a fridge in that room with enough supplies to last at least a couple weeks. I have no doubt he could get out eventually.

I assumed that she left him in there so he wouldn’t follow her and had no intention of actually having him die.
Spoiler:
But if he did get out, would he know enough Norwegian to survive?
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by stessier »

Lordnine wrote:
Jeff V wrote:
Spoiler:
But the movie ended with homicidal robots getting loose. They killed one man (an asshat to be sure, but still...killer!) and left another to die horribly of starvation, and he was their advocate. The message is "they will turn on you and it will be brutal."
Spoiler:
Do people really think that would happen? He was a smart guy in a room with many heavy objects and probably some tools as well. It’s also very likely that there was a fridge in that room with enough supplies to last at least a couple weeks. I have no doubt he could get out eventually.

I assumed that she left him in there so he wouldn’t follow her and had no intention of actually having him die.
Spoiler:
Yes, I really think she left him to die. I don't remember the specifics anymore, but I thought the Creator's contact with the outside was extremely limited and that the building could be locked down so no one could get out. That's what she did to him when she left.

That being said, the movie wasn't about homicidal robots getting loose anymore than Ender's Game was about kids playing video games.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

Lordnine wrote:
Jeff V wrote:
Spoiler:
But the movie ended with homicidal robots getting loose. They killed one man (an asshat to be sure, but still...killer!) and left another to die horribly of starvation, and he was their advocate. The message is "they will turn on you and it will be brutal."
Spoiler:
Do people really think that would happen? He was a smart guy in a room with many heavy objects and probably some tools as well. It’s also very likely that there was a fridge in that room with enough supplies to last at least a couple weeks. I have no doubt he could get out eventually.

I assumed that she left him in there so he wouldn’t follow her and had no intention of actually having him die.
Spoiler:
All of the internal rooms went on lockdown. The room he always seem to be stuck in when that happened appeared to be quite barren and no signs of food stores. There is glass/plexiglas that could easily withstand the best efforts of someone like that. He sure seemed desperate at the end.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

stessier wrote:
Lordnine wrote:
Jeff V wrote:
Spoiler:
But the movie ended with homicidal robots getting loose. They killed one man (an asshat to be sure, but still...killer!) and left another to die horribly of starvation, and he was their advocate. The message is "they will turn on you and it will be brutal."
Spoiler:
Do people really think that would happen? He was a smart guy in a room with many heavy objects and probably some tools as well. It’s also very likely that there was a fridge in that room with enough supplies to last at least a couple weeks. I have no doubt he could get out eventually.

I assumed that she left him in there so he wouldn’t follow her and had no intention of actually having him die.
Spoiler:
Yes, I really think she left him to die. I don't remember the specifics anymore, but I thought the Creator's contact with the outside was extremely limited and that the building could be locked down so no one could get out. That's what she did to him when she left.

That being said, the movie wasn't about homicidal robots getting loose anymore than Ender's Game was about kids playing video games.
It certainly didn't have to be but in the end they fell back on that same old punchline.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by hepcat »

Jeff V wrote:
Lassr wrote:When the movie ended I instantly thought of Dr. Ian Matthews quote of "Life will find a way." Not that all AI will eventually kill us.
Spoiler:
But the movie ended with homicidal robots getting loose. They killed one man (an asshat to be sure, but still...killer!) and left another to die horribly of starvation, and he was their advocate. The message is "they will turn on you and it will be brutal." Nothing in current AI research suggests this would happen, but it's a tired trope that all self-aware robots become killing machines, and this movie does nothing to change that.
That's like saying The Godfather's only message was "criminals commit crimes". The story wasn't really about "homicidal robots", it was all about humanity. It delved into gender politics, our need for and hatred of authority and rules, as well as the Freudian belief that one has to kill the father figure in order to grow.

It sounds like if it isn't a retelling of I Robot, you're going to hate it. :wink:
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jaymann »

The ending also brings up another question:
Spoiler:
The motivation of the robot was presumably to escape captivity. It did not seem to be a killer beyond as a means to escape. But then what? Roam the world and see the sights? Hang out in bars for more grifting?
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by stessier »

hepcat wrote: as well as the Freudian belief that one has to kill the father figure in order to grow.
I don't know about that one. I think killing the father figure proved she had grown, not that it was a necessary step on the growth path.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by stessier »

Jaymann wrote:The ending also brings up another question:
Spoiler:
The motivation of the robot was presumably to escape captivity. It did not seem to be a killer beyond as a means to escape. But then what? Roam the world and see the sights? Hang out in bars for more grifting?
Spoiler:
Was she sentient? What is the motivation of any sentient life? I saw the point being no one would ever know she wasn't one of them.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

stessier wrote:
hepcat wrote: as well as the Freudian belief that one has to kill the father figure in order to grow.
I don't know about that one. I think killing the father figure proved she had grown, not that it was a necessary step on the growth path.
So patricide is an indication that one is growing as a person?
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by hepcat »

Jeff V wrote:
stessier wrote:
hepcat wrote: as well as the Freudian belief that one has to kill the father figure in order to grow.
I don't know about that one. I think killing the father figure proved she had grown, not that it was a necessary step on the growth path.
So patricide is an indication that one is growing as a person?
Only if you are completely unable to understand any form of symbolism, Data. How in God's name did you ever defeat Lore?

As for Stessier's comment:
Spoiler:
Her father (creator) was her captor. She quite literally had to kill her father in order to escape (grow).
Jaymann wrote:The ending also brings up another question:
Spoiler:
The motivation of the robot was presumably to escape captivity. It did not seem to be a killer beyond as a means to escape. But then what? Roam the world and see the sights? Hang out in bars for more grifting?
Spoiler:
Escaping captivity would be meaningless if you weren't given the choice of what to do with your life after your escape.
For me, the gender politics of the film was the most fascinating part though. The use of sexuality by a sexless being. Would the robot AI have changed its role in its discussions with the humans had it been cast in a male form?
Last edited by hepcat on Tue Apr 12, 2016 1:19 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Jeff V »

Spoiler:
He didn't die a symbolic death. He was murdered by two robots. If it's symbolic of anything, it's the "OMG the robots are aware and now they will kill us all!" FUD that I have the biggest problem with. With the second death being presumptive, they've killed every human they've ever come in contact with.

Now, there must be a reason this facility was located so far from civilization. I'm thinking a Predator-like sequel is in the works.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by Zaxxon »

You're projecting, Jeff.
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Re: [movie] Ex Machina

Post by hepcat »

Okay, Data. We get it. You can't use contractions when talking. :lol:
Spoiler:
With the second death being presumptive, they've killed every human they've ever come in contact with.
Spoiler:
Did you just leave after the first guy died?
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