On Seeing Robot Stories
Posted on March 1, 2004 at 1:47 pm | No Comments
Had the pleasure of catching a stand-out indie-flick this weekend, one that needs (and deserves) all the word of mouth, and word of web, that it can muster. Since hitting the festival circuit in late 2002, it’s grabbed almost two dozen awards, and now it’s jumping around the country with short runs at receptive theaters like the Brattle in Cambridge.
The movie is Robot Stories, and it’s actually an anthology of four short-films that share a loose robotic theme. Writer/director Greg Pak pulled together these four stories of his to create something that feels cohesive, exploring issues of “love, death, family… and robots”. Even if you’re one of those weirdos who is sci-fi-shy, don’t be scared… a couple of the stories contain more human emotion and genuine feeling than your average big-name drama.
My favorite of the four was probably the second, called The Robot Fixer, about a mother coming to terms with the loss of her emotionally distant son. (and yes, those are all director Pak’s toys in the film, in case you were wondering). According to Pak, who did a Q&A after our screening, this one actually started filming in New York on September 10th, 2001… and as events unfolded over the following days, all involved were driven to keep working in order to deal with the tragedy.
I also liked the third and fourth stories quite a bit, titled Machine Love and Clay. Not just wonderfully acted, but engaging enough leave you wishing for a deeper look into the worlds they create. Director Pak (sans-beard) does an great job playing a model G-9 worker-robot in Machine Love, aided by some excellent sound effects. Very cool.
Not only does this movie deserve your time & money, but their website deserves a visit, too. They’ve pulled together one of the most complete indie-film sites I’ve seen in awhile. Not because its design is overly-innovative (it’s simple, clean, & fast), or because it’s a flash-masterpiece (it’s flash-free), but because it’s got every bit of info you could want, and more. It’s also one of the first film sites I’ve seen where the director keeps a blog, talking about his current tour with the film around the country. Great stuff. You can also sign up to be a Robot Buddy, becoming an official part of the word-of-mouth network.
This film is the quintessential underdog… no real distribution, but an enthusiastic director eager to interact with his audience, relying on friends telling friends (and site surfers) to hunt it down and check it out. If you’re in Boston, Robot Stories will be showing at the Brattle Theatre through Thursday the 4th. If you’re elsewhere, check out the screenings schedule. If you’re lucky, it’s somewhere near you soon.
Fire Flashbacks
Posted on February 27, 2004 at 10:36 am | No Comments
I hadn’t thought about the fire in awhile, but for some reason this week it came rushing back. I blamed it on finding the original TV news footage last month while scanning through a bunch of old videotapes. I didn’t even know I’d saved it… didn’t even remember recording it in the first place… the weeks a.t.f. are fairly fuzzy. Sitting there among the boxes in my livingroom, watching the surreal TV images of my belongings burn, seeing my old roommates interviewed… hit me like a fist to the face.
This week I started dreaming about it again, I’d catch myself thinking about my pre-fire life, how much that night changed me. Little mini-reminders started popping up in converstations. A co-worker asked if I had downhill skis, and I think to myself ‘yeah, I used to, before the fire’. My boss asks if I have any Stooges records… same answer.
So this morning I realize there’s a reason for all this, and I can’t believe it took me so long to figure it out. It’s the Burniversary again. Twelve years ago this week. My brain knew it, but I didn’t. I don’t remember it every year… the reflections get further and further between. Then, out of nowhere, it feels like it just happened.
My first and only trip overseas came in the wake of the fire. After the first anniversary, I was able to use some of the insurance cash to fly to London for a 4AD music fest. I needed to get away, and ended up having a couple of the best weeks of my life over there. I’ve always wanted to go back.
A dozen years later, in a post-fire frame of mind, and my job is sending me to London. It’s deja vu all over again. Life’s weird like that.