A.I. Artificial Intelligence Review

A.I. Artificial Intelligence


Release Date: 13th September 2001 - Australia


Production Companies
Warner Bros. Pictures
DreamWorks SKG
Amblin Entertainment
Parkes+MacDonald Image Nation (Uncredited)
Stanley Kubrick Productions
The Kennedy/Marshall Company (Uncredited)


Genre: Sci-Fi

Rating: M

Runtime: 146 minutes


Budget: $100,000,000

Box Office Gross: $235,926,552 (Worldwide)


Plot Summary
David is the first robot boy programmed to love. A Cybertronics employee and his wife adopted him as a test case. Although he begins to become their child, a series of unexpected events make this life difficult for David. Unacceptable to either man or machine, David sets out on a journey to discover where he truly belongs, discover a world in which the line between robot and human is both broad and profoundly fragile.


Cast
Haley Joel Osment - David
Frances O'Connor - Monica Swinton
Sam Robards - Henry Swinton
Jake Thomas - Martin Swinton
Jude Law - Gigolo Joe
William Hurt - Prof. Hobby
Ken Leung - Syatyoo-Sama
Sabrina Grdevich - Sheila
Theo Greenly - Todd
Ashley Scott - Gigolo Jane
Brendan Gleeson - Lord Johnson-Johnson
R. David Smith - Welder
Jack Angel - Teddy (Voice)
Robin Williams - Dr. Know (Voice)
Ben Kingsley - Specialist (Voice)
Meryl Streep - Blue Mecha (Voice)
Chris Rock - Comedian Robot
(Voice)

Matt Winston - Executive

Eugene Osment - Supernerd

Clark Gregg - Supernerd

Enrico Colantoni - The
Murderer
Paula Malcomson - Patricia in
Murdered Room

Kathryn Morris - Teenage Honey

Adrian Grenier - Teen in Van
Michael Berresse - Stage
Manager
Hunter King - Amanda
John Provsky - Mr.

Williamson, the Bellman
Brian Turk - Backstage Bull
Lily Knight - Voice in the Crowd (Voice)
Michael Shamus Wiles - Cop
Clara Beller - FemMecha Nanny
Eliza Coleman - General Circuita
R. David Smith - Welder
Bobby Harwell - TV Face
Billy Scudder - Mechanic
Michael Mantell - Dr. Fraizer

at Cryogenic Institute
Matt Malloy - Robot Repairman

Crew
Screenplay/Producer/

Director - Steven Spielberg
Based on the Short Story "Supertoys Last All Summer Long" - Brian Aldiss
Concept - Stanley Kubrick (Uncredited)
Based on a Screen Story - Ian Watson

Script Supervisor - Ana Marie Quintana
Executive Producers - Jan Harlan and Walter F. Parkes
Producers - Kathleen Kennedy and Bonnie Curtis

Casting Director - Avy Kaufman
Production Designer - Rick Carter
Conceptual Artist - Chris Baker

Illustrator/Product Designer - James Clyne

Illustrator/Vehicle Designer - Tim Flattery

Illustrators - John Bell, James Carson,

Warren Manser, James J. Martin,

Christopher S. Ross and Oliver Scholl

Art Directors - Richard L. Johnson,
William James Teegarden and Thomas Valentine

Assistant Art Directors - Ramsey Avery,

Jann K. Engel, Elizabeth Lapp, Andrew Menzies,

Harry E. Otto, Patrick M. Sullivan Jr. and

Suzan Wexler
Set Decorator - Nancy Haigh

Property Master - Jerry Moss

Assistant Property Master - Andrew Petrotta
Costume Designer - Bob Ringwood

Key Makeup Artist - Ve Neill

Makeup Artist - Joel Harlow
Photographer - Janusz Kaminski

Director of Photography: Blue Screen Unit -

David Drzewiecki

Underwater Photography: "Flesh Fair" Crew -

Pete Romano

Unit Production Manager - Patricia Churchill

First Assistant Director - Sergio Mimica-Gezzan

Second Assistant Director - David H. Venghaus Jr.

Stunt Coordinator - Doug Coleman

Choreographer - Francesca Jaynes
Robot Character Design and Animatronics -

Stan Winston
Effects Supervisors: Stan Winston Studio -
Lindsay MacGowan and Alan Scott

Key Concept Artists: Stan Winston Studio -

Mark 'Crash' McCreery, Aaron Sims,

John Eaves and Christopher Swift

Art Department Coordinator: Stan Winston

Studio - Scott Stoddard

Animatronic Designers: "Teddy", Stan Winston

Studio - Matt Heimlich, Richard J. Landon,

Bob Mano and Bud McGrew

Key Animatronic Designers: "Mecha",

Stan Winston Studio - Eric Fiedler,

David Kindlon, Mike Elizalde, Christian Ristow

and Rick Galinson

Model Department Supervisor: "Mecha",

Stan Winston Studio - David Merritt
Special Effects Supervisor - Michael Lantieri
Visual Effects Supervisors - Scott Farrar and

Dennis Muren

Visual Effects Supervisor: PDI - Henry LaBounta

Visual Effects Associate Supervisor: ILM -

Douglas Smythe

Visual Effects Producer: ILM - Ginger Theisen

Associate Visual Effects Producer: PDI - Daniel Brimer

Visual Effects Executive Producer: ILM - Mark S. Miller
Visual Effects Art Director: ILM - David Nakabayashi

Visual Effects Directors of Photography: ILM -

Martin Rosenberg and Pat Sweeney
Animation Supervisor - Hal T. Hickel

Computer Graphics Supervisors: ILM -

Barry Armour and Curt I. Miyashiro

Computer Graphics Sequence Supervisors: ILM -

Christopher Townsend, Tom Martinek and

Joakim Arnesson

Model Supervisor: ILM - Steve Gawley

Senior Model Makers: ILM - Dave Fogler,

Aaron Haye, Grant Imahara, Victoria Lewis,

Ben Nichols, Lorne Peterson and Mark &

Melanie Walas

Digital Matte Artists: ILM - Jonathan Harb

and Yusei Uesugi

Lead Concept Designers: ILM - Warren Fu,

Joshua Rosen and Wilson J. Tang

Concept and Storyboard Artists: ILM -

Christian Alzmann and Aaron McBride

On-Set Visualisation: ILM - Andy Hendrickson,

Seth Rosenthal and Mike Sanders

3D Matchmove Artists: ILM - Duncan Blackman,

Brian Cantwell, Dave Hanks, Steve Sauers

and John Whisnant

Editor - Michael Kahn

First Assistant Editors - Richard Byard

and Patrick Crane

Assistant Editor - Michael Trent
Sound Designer/Supervising Sound Editor/

Re-Recording Mixer - Gary Rydstrom

Assistant Sound Designer - Shannon Mills

Supervising Sound Editor - Richard Hymns

Sound Effects Editors - Kyrsten Mate,

Teresa Eckton and Christopher Scarabosio

ADR Supervisors - Larry Singer and

Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

Sound Mixer - Ron Judkins

Re-Recording Mixer - Andy Nelson

Additional Re-Recording Mixer - Gary Summers

Foley Artists - Dennie Thorpe and Jana Vance

Foley Mixer - Tony Eckert
Music - John Williams

Music Editor - Kenneth Wannberg

Music Scoring Mixer - Shawn Murphy


Awards

2002 Academy Awards
Best Original Score - John Williams (Nominated)
Best Visual Effects - Dennis Muren, Scott Farrar,
Stan Winston and Michael Lantieri (Nominated)

Review
Shortly before he died in 1999, the legendary filmmaker Stanley Kubrick was developing a film called A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. The film was in the early stages when he envisioned it as a futuristic take on Pinocchio. Unfortunately, Kubrick had gone through three decades sorting out writer after writer until he felt that he could not get the right team to help him pull off the emotional resonance for A.I. His directorial reins got handed over to his friend Steven Spielberg. Unfortunately, Spielberg had a similar problem of failing to have the right talent to handle the technological advancements for the film's calculated artistry. He returned it to Stanley, who later put A.I. on hold as he was committed to producing Eyes Wide Shut, his last picture. Spielberg took over the famous director's masterwork after his death and did his best to salvage what was supposed to be Kubrick's vision of the future.

During its initial release, A.I. had earned divided responses from critics who complained about the ending as they felt it was strange and uneven. They believed Spielberg intended to create that finale to try and emulate Kubrick's vision when Kubrick himself came up with the idea. I learned that fact recently when researching the film's production by coming across tidbits of information. Though Spielberg kept A.I. alive and warm in memory of his dear friend, his sentimentality gets in the way of Kubrick's cold bleakness as this feature was a stylised mixture of their creative talents. I compliment the visual eye candy, and it fits the futuristic setting.

Haley Joel Osment was fresh from the success with The Sixth Sense. Here, he plays a childlike android named David, who acts like a robot but has the heart of a child, which is part of his programming. While under the guidance of Spielberg, Haley can portray the character's transition with the robot/human emotions and pulls it off in his extraordinary performance. Jude Law's character, Gigolo Joe, is an android prostitute framed for murder. The actor brings authenticity into the role, and Frances O'Connor is David's primary caregiver, Monica, for whom she provides motherly instincts in her role.

While A.I. is far from the best movie, it combines Kubrick's genius with Spielberg's heartfelt optimism. It is a must-see film if you're into Kubrick's and Spielberg's work.

Star rating: (7/10) Good Movie

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Smokey and the Bandit Review

Smokey and the Bandit

Release Date: 25th August 1977 - Australia

Production Companies

Universal Pictures

Rastar Pictures

Distribution

Universal Pictures Australia

Genre: Action/Comedy

Rating: M

Runtime: 96 minutes

Budget: $4,300,000

Box Office Gross: $300,000,000 (Worldwide)

Plot Summary
Two truck-driving southerners, Bandit and Cledus, are hired by Big Enos to pick up a shipment of beer in Texas that is illegal in the Mississippi River and bring it to Georgia within 28 hours. The Bandit has even picked up a hitchhiker named Carrie, who happens to be a runaway bride. Sheriff Buford T. Justice is out to get her for not marrying his son. Thus, a high-speed chase with the Bandit has just begun.

Cast

Burt Reynolds - Bo "Bandit"

Darville

Sally Field - Carrie

Jerry Reed - Cledus

Mike Henry - Junior

Paul Williams - Little Enos

Pat McCormick - Big Enos
George Reynolds - Branford
Macon McCalman - Mr. B
Linda McClure - Waynette
Susie Ewing - Hot Pants
Laura Lizer Sommers - Little Beaver

Michael Mann - Branford's Deputy

Lamar Jackson - Sugar Bear

Ronnie Gay - Georgia Trooper

Quinnon Sheffield - Alabama Trooper

Jackie Gleason - Sheriff Buford T. Justice of Portague County

Crew

Story/Director - Hal Needham

Story/Executive Producer - Robert L. Levy
Screenplay - James Lee Barrett, Charles Shyer and Alan Mandel
Producers - Mort Engleberg and Jules V. Levy (Uncredited)
Art Director - Mark W. Mansbridge

Set Decorations - Tony Montenaro

Director of Photography - Bobby Bryne

Director of Photography: Second Unit -

George Boulliet and Robert C. Jessup

Second Unit Director - Alan Gibbs
Stunt Coordinator - Stan Barrett

(Uncredited)
Special Effects - Arthur Brewer
Film Editors - Walter Hannemann

and Angelo Ross

Sound Editor - Anthony Magro

Sound - John Speak and Ray West
Music - Bill Justis

Music/Writer/Singer: Songs - Jerry Reed


Awards

1978 Academy Awards
Best Film Editing - Walter Hannemann and Angelo Ross (Nominated)

Review

I watched SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT on Netflix as it was an ongoing tribute to the late actor Burt Reynolds in the wake of his untimely death. Released in 1977 when Star Wars held the #1 spot at the box office, BANDIT is the second highest-grossing film of that year. However, the movie has several classic high-speed car chases and is energetic and hilarious. The plot has no importance whatsoever. The feature's popularity may have inspired the TV show Dukes of Hazzard, which has the old-fashioned car chases that BANDIT has.

The performances are great with actors like Burt Reynolds, Sally Field, Jerry Reed and Jackie Gleason. I dare say Burt is wild, more irresistible than ever and has the top billing over the other actors. Gleason is fun to watch when he plays the elderly Sheriff Buford, who wants to catch the Bandit and has no luck getting him. Sally Field is attractive as the runaway bride. Jerry Reed plays the trucker. As a funny ensemble, these legendary actors (except for Jerry Reed) would do much bigger and better things.

SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT may seem like an ordinary, average movie, but its popularity 41 years later shows its value. And people like escapism and the idea of running away from it all, which is captured perfectly in Hal Needham's fun flick.

Star rating: (8/10) Very Good Movie

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