quote:

Originally posted by mark f:
Do you believe that AI has a happy ending? I'll admit that the entire last third is pretty uncharted territory, but it seems much more complex than most people think. I guess people really wanted the robot kid to spend eternity stuck underwater just this close to some closure? That does sound like an ending from a Grimm's fairy tale, but at least AI kept throwing curve balls right up to the end.

I don't think it was necessarily happy, but you're right, I think I was waiting for the "Grimm" ending. Part of it was, I felt it was just a little too easy to have the future bots come and "heal his pain." What made the rest of the movie so compelling for me is that while it was science fiction, it felt very earthbound and real to me. With the ending jumping ahead into the future, with the new advanced mechas, I lost any immediacy I felt up till then.

One movie I forgot to mention was Minority Report. One of my favorite Spielberg movies...and I think it is very underated as well! I love that movie, and could watch it over and over and not be tired with it, like most or all of Spielberg's movies!

quote:

PRG posted:

I don't think it was necessarily happy, but you're right, I think I was waiting for the "Grimm" ending. Part of it was, I felt it was just a little too easy to have the future bots come and "heal his pain." What made the rest of the movie so compelling for me is that while it was science fiction, it felt very earthbound and real to me. With the ending jumping ahead into the future, with the new advanced mechas, I lost any immediacy I felt up till then.

I can readily understand how the last part of the movie was quite abruptly different and out of sync with the rest of the movie's look and mood. I can acknowledge how this sudden change could be disruptive and distracting to a number of viewers. Personally, as a long time fan of science fiction in both the written and visual form, I was particularly intriqued by the very notion of abrupt changes, unexpected differential mysterious directions that occurs in science fiction - that is in part the nature of science fiction. I enjoyed the ending because it was both happy and sad, it was both uncomfortable and trascendent at the same time. For me, this movie captures some of the best themes and atmospherics of the essence of science fiction and as such it was a great experience for me.

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The thing which freaks me out is that nobody has voted for Schindler's List!?!? That's REALLY scary.

Coincidentally, I just did vote for Schindler's List on the opening poll.

It's been difficult watching it again; however, perhaps that's what makes it so great. The impact, the graphic truth of the film, is deeply etched in my memory. There IS no sadder reality...it 'clings'...it just 'clings'.

But that is why Munich is also such a great film...the sad reality is soul-wrenching...haunting...it does not leave the spirit, which is what is really touched and affected by the film...one's spirit.

My vote goes to Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

I think the voting buttons kraftdeluxe used in the intial message are great, BTW. Is there any way to use them more often -- especially in poll situations on the site, such as in the favorite directors section?

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Originally posted by NButler11:
I think the voting buttons kraftdeluxe used in the intial message are great, BTW. Is there any way to use them more often -- especially in poll situations on the site, such as in the favorite directors section?

Only when the thread originator uses the "Poll" option from the "New" pulldown menu. I don't believe you can convert a "Discussion" to a "Poll" once the topic is created.

It's a nice feature, though. My only complaint is that all too often there are too few selection with no "other" or "none of the above" option given.

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