Robots the movie is totally avant garde

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Social issues the movie Robots addresses:

1. Mortality.

The villain of the film aims to get rid of spare parts, to help her sell her upgrades. Hitherto this group of creatures COULDN'T DIE. Whenever they had a problem, they'd just get a new spare parts. Now they must come to accept the possibility that they very well could be sent to the chop shop (which is a fiery pit that looks exactly like hell and has a soundtrack provided by Tom Waits. Not kidding at all.)

They are going to be remade into other stuff. Reincarnation?

2. Industry

The villain here runs an evil conglomeration that uses the psychology of guilt (feel bad about yourself!) to sell their products. They are heartless and ruthless.

3. Class.

Robots decide what they look like. The main character doesn’t have a lot of money, so he has to wear hand me down parts from his older cousins. Thus, the poor look rusty and the rich look shiney. Their physical self IS a status symbol.

Later in the film, only the rich can afford the upgrades. The rest are doomed to rot in the streets. At one point the doomed proles gather in the streets ready to revolt against the hapless face of the oligarchy -- a used parts salesman who has to tell the crowd that they don't make spare parts any more. One robot actually grabs a garbage can robot and aims to throw it through his storefront ala Do the Right Thing. But the garbage can bot can talk so he doesn't. Oh, and when one robot among the crowd completely falls apart, the rest of the robots scream "HEY, SPARE PARTS!" In desperation, they'd eat each other alive. Sounds reminiscent.

4. Gender

The sex of a robot is only determined by what parts he has. During puberty the main character has to get the torso of a female cousin. He’s literally part woman for a period in his life. Fuck if I know what that’s supposed to mean.

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

looks like you have the makings of an excellent grade ten paper here, david.

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

That was quite snarky enough.

This sounds like an awesome movie.

― sunburned and snowblind (kenan), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:43 (twenty years ago)

how is this avant garde?

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:44 (twenty years ago)

The look of the movie is very interesting, but I'm not sure I can stomach more Robin William's schtick.

― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:44 (twenty years ago)

yeah, i don't see how having "industry" in a movie makes it avant-garde! i mean this is generally a "feel good about yourself" type of movie, there's nothing really thematically new here.

also this movie is very poorly written.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:45 (twenty years ago)

It looks crap.

― just adam (nordicskilla), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

It has the most spectacular computer animation of any film yet. The script was shit though.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:47 (twenty years ago)

Im just fucking around, it's not actually that good. But the plot does have weird undertones.

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:47 (twenty years ago)

I kind of have to echo the "how is this avant-garde?" question, only with a gigantic fuckoff megaphone cranked up to 11.

(xpost bah)

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:48 (twenty years ago)

and yeah industry was forced, every disney movie for like 10 years has had a bad guy industry type -- but you've got to admit that when he got his female cousin's parts it was odd

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:48 (twenty years ago)

Disney's promoting homosexuality again? That's nothing new.

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:48 (twenty years ago)

I said it on the Robots thread I tried to start the other day, and I'll say it again here - it's a shame poor Greg Kinnear always has to get cast as the douchebag.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:49 (twenty years ago)

cool out Dan, jesus

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:49 (twenty years ago)

It's avant garde because they all have huge robot cocks.

― Mr. Harvey Weinstein (mr harvey weinstein), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:49 (twenty years ago)

I think this was a 20th century fox movie actually

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:50 (twenty years ago)

OMG I AM OUT OF CONTROL

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:51 (twenty years ago)

With robot cocks!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

*Through fuckoff megaphone* I LOVE YOU DAN

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

what's the diff, same celeb-voice smiling cartoonz for kids and the nerds with "smarty" pomo refs crap that gets released once a munth by h wood?

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

It's by "Blue Sky Studios", I don't remember if it had the big 20th Century Fox clarion call distribution stamp of approval intro.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:52 (twenty years ago)

Dan, don't make us subdue you with the avant garde cocks.

― Mr. Harvey Weinstein (mr harvey weinstein), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:53 (twenty years ago)

OH IT'S FOX. I see that shitty ass billboard on Fox Studios every morning.

― Mr. Harvey Weinstein (mr harvey weinstein), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:53 (twenty years ago)

What Tom Waits song is in the movie?

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:53 (twenty years ago)

tell me more about this "psychology of guilt"

― mark p (Mark P), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:54 (twenty years ago)

Blue Sky is distributed through Fox, kind of like the Pixar/Disney setup.

― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

well, in one scene a robot farts and kills another robot. that's what I was getting at.

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:55 (twenty years ago)

oh, and robin williams is in it, portarying a glaringly obvious allusion to marx

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:56 (twenty years ago)

Ebert: "This being a PG-rated movie aimed at the whole family, the robots even have the ability to fart, which is a crucial entertainment requirement of younger children."

― sunburned and snowblind (kenan), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:56 (twenty years ago)

It's a NEW song Jordan! It is ridiculously well-placed! It's one of those stompy/choppy ogre-play-drums! type dealies! Probably the second-best part of the movie.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 14 March 2005 19:56 (twenty years ago)

It sounded very very simmilar -- the guitar did anyway -- to something from Rain Dogs.

I saw this movie twice now. Sadness.

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:02 (twenty years ago)

it's not a new song! it's "underground" from swordfishtrombones!!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

why did you see this TWICE?!

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

http://www.ncf.ca/~ek867/cabaretvoltairehugo%20ball.jpg

― The Argunaut (sexyDancer), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

Awesome, I must have it! What's it called?

xpost, this Tom Waits issue must be cleared up immediately

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:08 (twenty years ago)

haha D'OH! it probably is!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)

well on sunday I usually pay for one movie, and then just sit through a bunch all day, and at one point there was nothing playing so I saw Robots again.

I wish I had friends

― David Allen (David Allen), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)

oh david.

― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:10 (twenty years ago)

The scene where Rodney bluebot is riding the runaway Fat Robot Schwartz whose brain is broken is worth watching a zillion times!

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Monday, 14 March 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)

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