EX MACHINA (2015) – My rating: 8/10

Ex Machina is not for everyone.  It’s strictly dedicated to Artificial Intelligence, genius level minds and the art of manipulation.  I found the movie a little slow but brilliant.  Up until a point, I was able to predict a lot of it but when that point arrived, I was just as surprised as the next person to discover what the writer had in mind.  A genius software developer and CEO of the biggest internet company on the planet also lives on a several hundred acre private mountain retreat/home.  Caleb Smith (Domhall Glesson), a young computer programmer has won the company lottery to spend a week at the CEO’s private mountain retreat/home.  Access to the above ground portion of the retreat was only granted within a designated area by helicopter, then you are instructed to walk the rest of the way to the only set of units that would allow you entry via key card and facial recognition, if invited.  Once inside, Caleb’s adventure would begin.  Eventually, he ends up at a huge underground research facility which appears to only have one employer, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac) who plays the eccentric CEO of the company, and also houses his invention(s),  Artificial Intelligent Androids, awaiting final testing. This testing is called “turing test” which will determine if the AI is ready for prime time.  Nathan decides to ask Caleb to take part in this test and be a part of history.  He introduces Caleb to Ava (Alicia Vikander) who is his latest, beautiful humanoid and tells him all he needs to know to finalize her existence.  It wasn’t long before Caleb finds that this is turning out to be more than he anticipated.  It’s hard to establish trust or truth, thereby making it impossible to contribute accurate data to the project.  Things were not as they appear, or were they?  The head games are plentiful and the movie went to a very weird and dark place.  As I said, Ex Machina is not for everyone, however, the ending justified all.  I liked it but warn you not to see it if you’re not into this kind of high tech, scientific, geeky stuff. BTW:  The special effects are fantastic.

[EX MACHINA is nominated for Visual effects and Original Screenplay]
 

SCORPION – My rating: 7/10

Only 2 episodes have aired so far.  I liked the 2nd episode better than the first which is to say, I can’t fairly judge this series until I’ve seen more.  I love technology and these geniuses are just an added bonus.  This show has good plots however,  I find the acting a little lacking but acceptable.   Elyes Gabel plays Walter O’Brian, the smartest of a group of through-the-roof geniuses who are hired by the government to hack and solve their way through cases of those like them but with criminal minds.   They are an international network of super-geniuses who are paid a handsome sum to be the last defense against global threats.  I’m happy to see Katherine McPhee has landed in a new series, even though she’s not singing in this one.  She’s playing  the part of Paige Dineen, the mother of a genius 9 year old son and the translator (she interprets technical jargon into laymen terms)  for the group.  This show is so high tech, one could get lost if you’re not paying close attention.  The writers must be careful not to out tech the audience or they will surely lose their fans.  I will revisit this series before the season finale so I can give a fair and reboust critique of The Scorpion.  Until then, I am rating it a 7 and think you should check it out.  Keep in mind, Scorpion is not for everyone but CBS manages to do a decent job of keeping you interested.  You can also learn a lot from this series, as these cases really exist.  Check it out!

IRON MAN 3 — My rating: 8/10

Every critique of a movie is actually the opinion of the “critiquer” or the person doing the critiquing.  Having said that, I feel it’s okay to further interject with a personal opinion about certain actors portraying a character.  Iron Man 3 is the subject of this critique.

For a long while, I had given up on one of my favorite actors.  Writing him off to the wilds of drugs and too much partying.  Just when it looked as though he was about to cancel out of society, a remarkable thing happened.  As he had fallen, he got back up for the umpteen time.  Only this time, he stood tall and continues to do so.  Even though I don’t know Robert Downing, Jr. personally, I am so proud of his achievements.  In a strange way, he reminds me of Johnny Depp.  His larger than life personality and aura brings a uniqueness to every character he plays.  I believe he is up there on genius status.  He is brilliant to watch and quite pleasing to the eyes.

Iron Man 1 and 2 were so good, I didn’t want either to end.  I gave each a 10 out or 10 rating.  Iron Man 3 was also good, however I felt there was much to much destruction.  Too many scenes had us witnessing building after building being destroyed.  It really became tiresome.  The “one man’s revenge” thing has also been overdone.  Somebody has run out of fresh ideas on how to come up with a scenario that renders a good plot for evil vs. pretty good.  I know the Iron Man idea is a fantasy, however there are a select number of  folks who sometimes convince themselves that this might be possible somewhere down the line.  Therefore, some semblance of normalcy would be appreciated.  Suffice to say, I didn’t like this third sequel as much as the first and second films but I liked it enough to rate it 8 out of 10.

[IRON MAN 3 is nominated for Achievement in Visual Effects]

LUTHER – My Rating: 10/10

Well here we go again — another excellent series.  Only this time, it’s the BBC who has contributed this master piece of excellence.  A friend recommended Luther, which I had never heard of.  I quickly scanned my Instant Watch on Nextflix and found the series.  This is what I have to say about Luther:

Idris Elba

Idris Elba who plays DCI John Luther is a powerful actor who really does a fantastic job with Luther.  He is brilliant, bordering on genius.  The story has so many surprising twists, that I cannot predict who or how characters will be leaving the show.  Luther focuses on psychopaths and serial killers.  Same old thing you might say but wait, there’s a twist.  Luther has one of these deviants on his side and knows when to call in favors.  Is he corrupt? — absolutely not!  You really have to see for yourself.

There are only 6 episodes in the first season and 4 in the second season, so you don’t have to spend your life on the couch watching it.  Luther is mind tingling and a superbly written series that hasn’t moved me like this since “24”.  I feel I want to discuss Luther with the world — it’s that good.  I hope it’s on for a very long time and I hope you’ll decide to tune in.  Aside from Netflix, you can view full episodes of Luther at TV.COM.