There seem to be an abundance of movies that feature robots and we keep coming across them, so of course we are going to encourage you to also enjoy the outdated effects and convoluted plots. This time we found "Making Mr. Right" from 2008 with John Malkovich as both a scientist and inventor of Ulysses, a robot made in his own image. Asimov is undoubtedly very restless in his grave right about now.
Sadly, Dick Tufeld, the voice of the robot (the actor was Bob May) in the TV series "Lost in Space" died Sunday, Jan. 22 at the age of 85. Still, we are fortunate to always have him with us when watching some of the old TV shows or movie. He was even featured in a 1998 documentary with John Larroquette, Will Robinson and Dr. Smith. And he is immortalized in toys as a Remote Control Replica turns, moves forward and back, and will keep on repeating "Danger, Will Robinson" forever (or until his batteries need replacing.)
"Real Steel" has finally come out on Blu-ray for those of you who missed the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em film starring Hugh Jackman. Just think of it as "Rocky" on robotic steroids. Add to that a dysfunctional father/son relationship and you have an instant family viewing night.
If you want something G-rated and on the cheese ball side, "Short Circuit" was released in 1986 and stars Ally Sheedy and Steve Gutenberg. This was pre-CGI animation and consisted of a bot named Johnny 5, who was designed by Syd Mead of "Blade Runner" fame. Because he was voiced by his creator during filming, #5 sounded much more human than previous movie bots.
Robot Snob Holiday Gift Picks - Buzz and Nightlight
Look what Santa found. This Toy Story's Buzz Lightyear Dancer can not only talk in his original Tim Allen voice, you can hook up your iPod or MP3 player and he becomes a dancing fool while his external speaker plays the tunes. Looking for a night light to brighten up the darkness and save you from the evil ones? This Atomic Robot has glowing eyes and mouth and each is individually created by Katsu Designs.
If you like your movies overly long and 90% CGI, then Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon is for you. With inside references that range from Al Pacino to Spock's famous line "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," this film has more great character actors (including Leonard Nimoy as the voice of Sentinel) than any high budget movie needs.
Don't try to keep track of the various plots, but watch for the special effects. There is so much of it that Shia LaBeouf and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (who does the film in heels) rarely do anything but run across a set or scream. And if you have a big screen and Blu-ray, so much the better.
That didn't take long. There is already an authorized Real Steel WRB Built For Battle Set. It includes a 12 x 12" Ring, Atom, Zeus, light up controls and sound effects from the film. Recommended for those over 6 years old. A Rock 'em Sock 'em by any other name...
We have been touting it all summer and finally Real Steel has arrived. What most are calling a Rock 'em Sock 'em event is actually a modern day Rocky, complete with sentimental pap. Hugh Jackman is in his element here as he trains a robot that was built for sparring and...well you know the rest. This is an American movie. It already topped the Box Office chart, making $8.6 million its first day and leaving Clooney, Gosling and their political thriller with sloppy seconds.
Some critics panned it because of the premise that humans would want to watch robots fight, but we think they just have not had proper exposure to Mindstorms NXT, Willow Garage or Battlebots.
It looks like 20th Century Fox now has the rights to Isaac Asimov's 1954 novel Caves of Steel. Henry Hobson has been chosen to direct the movie that is set 1,000 years from now when workers known as Spacers are sent to other planets to toil alongside robots. The humans become paranoid of the bots when one of the spacers is found murdered. A detective and robot disguised as a human are sent to investigate. No specific date has been set for production.
The India Times interviewed actor Shah Rukh Khan of soon to be released Ra.One, and questioned him as to its resemblance to the 2010 movie Robot after comparing the two promos. He claims the science fiction film is more of a superhero movie. We figure you should make your own assessment although some of the effects do look similar. But, no matter how you slice it, it still looks worth a viewing upon release in October.
Whoa! Who isn't impressed by the Real Steel, due out October 7 and starring Hugh Jackman and those incredible Rockem' Sockem' Robots? You can bet that any licensed toys that come out of it will be hot for the holidays. (A poster is already available.) More video trailers have been released like the one above and we think it will be too kewl for skewl if viewed it at an IMAX theater.
Joey Daoud, director of the film Bots High, has announced that there will be a free screening day, so although it is not until October 6, mark your calendar now to attend. As we previously mentioned, the story concerns 3 teams of students who are heading to a national robotics competition. There are 22 screenings planned so far and you can suggest a location or hold your own by gathering a group of 25 and then contacting Daoud.
If you happen to be in the NYC area this weekend, tickets are still available to attend the Robot Film Festival at the 3LD Art and Technology Center, 80 Greenwich St. See 70+ videos, films, awards ceremony, workshops and even an evening BBQ. We think it is a fine idea and our kudos go to founder Heather Knight of Marilyn Monrobot, who knows that all robots deserve recognition. Tickets start at $25.00 and if you cannot make it this year, you can make your own or attend what we hope will be an annual event.
Mater is the latest toy that has spawned from Cars 2 and turned into a toy for the masses. The decrepit, albeit lovable dump truck, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy, is remote control and can race Lightning McQueen . Both vehicles have flashing LED lights, cool sounds and quote phrases from the movie.
"Transformers: Dark of the Moon" arrives June 29 and although the silly plot concerns the past space race between the US and Russia, those who go for the action will love the effects when Shockwave joins up with the Decepticons to fight the usual Autobots. This one is in 3D and Shia LaBeof returns as Sam, while Rosie Huntington-Whitely plays love interest Carly.
Must Have: Making Mr. Right
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