Greetings, class, and welcome to another session of the Film School. For the third week in a row, no class questions, so I will not ask anymore for them. Instead, let me instead guide you through the world of film and television as I see it. The personal viewpoint of a man who set his life around the television and has seen a lot of things on it. Think of this as a second beginning to this little blog. So, let us begin again with a personal favorite from my collection of DVDs. I have a rather large collection and you'll see the movies and TV shows I like to collect.
In 1986, robots have gotten themselves a kind-of bad reputation in Hollywood. They were the villains out to destroy us or the comic relief to some human character. Rarely did they get a moment in the sun. That changed, with "Short Circuit". This film changed how we view robots, made them characters we could side with. All it took was a bolt of lightning and one heck of a personality to win people over, including yours truly. One of my top ten films of all time, let us take a look at the adventures of Johnny Five, aka "Short Circuit"
Two weeks ago, in my review of "For Keeps", I noted how the opening credits showed a creation. So does the opening credits of this film. However, this is a better use, as it is the creation of our main character, Number Five. We see his circuits being wired, his treads being laid out, and his body being constructed. All of this tells us right off that this is a work of technology. He is a machine built by man to be just a machine. A military machine as we see once the credits are over and the movie itself can start.
The first image after the opening credits is a field, complete with flowers, which are soon crushed by a military truck as it and many other pieces of military transport roll toward a set of above ground bunkers. We then see Number Five and his sibling robots fire their lasers at the convoy, destroying it. We then learn that all of this is just a demo for a group of politicians and generals. This is the proving grounds of Nova Robotics, a lab funded by the military and led by Dr. Howard Marner. This scene hits home Number Five's intended purpose as a machine of war.
We also get our first bit of comedy as the scientists program one of the robots to make a cocktail for Dr. Marner. The comedy bit here is to let the audience know that what they are about to see, above all else, a comedy film. Suddenly, an oncoming storm sets the demo inside for a little party. Dr. Marner decides it's time for the man behind the robots to show up. He goes looking for him and finds our comic relief, the foreign stereotype Ben. He informs Dr. Marner, in his heavily-accented ways, that said mastermind is sick. Dr. Marner sees through the ruse and orders him to appear right away.
A quick cut leads us to the lab of Dr. Newton Crosby, Ph. D, played by that man of the eighties Steve Guttenberg. This little lab scene shows the peaceful ways of robotics, with Newton teaching a robot arm the scales on a piano. Ben comes in and tells Newton the order to appear. He tries to get on it again. The dialogue here tells of how Newton feels the military ways his creations are being used for are childish. However, a phone call from Marner, picked up and put down by another robot hand, compels him otherwise and he heads off to the party with Ben. Meanwhile, the robots are being debriefed before he heads off to have their lasers turned off and join the party.
It is here that the moment happens. As Number Five recharges a bit, lightning strikes the overhead lines. That lightning makes its way to Number Five, giving him the jolt of life. At first, his handlers are upset that an expensive piece of technology has been fried. Luckily, things are fine... or are there? Now, let us track this movie in terms of Number Five's mental development. At this point, Number Five is just forming his intelligence, so he still responds to commands, which is head off to have your laser turned off.
As we see Number Five follow his siblings to the disarming station, his new intelligence takes over and as they turn a corner, he doesn't, bumping into a wall repeatedly. Meanwhile, we see scenes at the party Newton is forced to attend. This scene helps to illustrate the point of Newton's real beliefs. He listens to a general telling about turning one of the robots into a rolling nuclear delivery system. He responds by joking his original intent for the robots was as a marriage aide. You can just get his dislike of the ways his creation is being used. A well-done scene, good humor with just enough substance to keep your interest.
Back with the robot, Number Five has developed into the intellect of an infant, curious about the world around him. He soon becomes attracted to the plug belonging to a coffee pot being carried by another kind of robot. However, his pursuit of the plug ends when he gets hit by a garbage-can-pushing robot and pushed into an elevator. Back at the party, the other robots arrive and Marner notices the missing one, so a search begins for him. However, Number Five is already out of the building as he ends up on a truck being its way out of the labs.
One of the best sets in this movie is the command center from which they first track Number Five. Here, it comes out that Number Five has both left Nova and that his laser is still armed. His intelligence is evolving a little and as he observes a butterfly, he seems to have the mentality of a two-year-old. He chases the butterfly and gets himself off the truck. He then heads down the road, further away from Nova. This leads to our third of our leads, Stephanie, played by Ally Sheedy. She's a lunch truck operator and caretaker to less fortunate animals everywhere. She discovers Number Five and thinks he's a alien.
His demand for input is met with book upon book given to him by Stephanie. He soon discovers television and the Three Stooges. Believe it or not, this comes into play later. Now, with the mentality of a five-year-old, he spews out things he has now learned. Stephanie, convinced that the television will rot his brain, takes him outside for more input. It is here she learns the true nature of Number Five. He also learns about death when his attempts to mimic a grasshopper results in him crushing it. He soon equals death with the act of disassembling, which Stephanie says the people at Nova will do to him. Not wanting to die, he takes off in the lunch truck.
Meanwhile, Newton and Ben have been searching all night in their own Nova van for Number Five. They come upon our robot's escape attempt and give pursuit. Once having stop due to a short cliff into the ocean, Number Five informs Stephanie that he is alive. Newton and Ben soon arrive and try to talk Number Five into going with them. However, we soon encounter our villain, name of Schroeder. His troops manage to subdue Number Five enough to turn him off. Ben soon hits the road with the turned off Number Five. However, Number Five turns himself back on, fixes himself, and maroons Ben on the side of the road, while he goes in search of Stephanie.
He manages to find his way back to her. She is a little confused by the idea of a living robot. However, she is soon won over, just in time for her ex-boyfriend to return, wanting now to collect Number Five because Nova is now offering a reward for the fugitive robot. Number Five manages to save himself and Stephanie and the two then hit the road. Newton and Ben, thinking that maybe Number Five is something more than a malfunctioning machine, sneak out of Nova and hit the road themselves. With Schroeder after both the robot and them, the duo manage to make contact with Stephanie.
She tells them for Newton to meet her alone, which he does. She explains to Newton what has happened to Number Five. Of course, he refuses to believe it for a second. However, Schroeder manages to get the drop of them. Meanwhile, Number Five confronts three of his siblings in the woods. He manages to outwit the non-living robots and reprogram them to be the Three Stooges, turning three war machines to the first robotic comedy team. Number Five then rescues Stephanie, leaving Newton confused more than ever at what is going on. He soon gets more confused when Number Five kidnaps him.
Number Five then delivers him to where the lunch truck has run out of gas. The robot reveals that his purpose was so he can talk to his creator. So, a creator and his creation talk on top of a mountain? Unlike last time, the conversation is all about convincing Newton that Number Five has truly become alive. Finally, as the sun rises, Newton comes up with a way: a joke. He tells a slightly bad one, to his credit. However, it induces laughter in Number Five, proving his sentience. As the trio of Newton, Number Five, and Stephanie celebrate this moment, Schroeder's troops arrive and, after some talking, seem to destroy the world's first living machine. Marner promptly fires Schroeder.
Newton and Stephanie then drive off in the Nova van, with Newton having quit his job (if so, then why is he allowed to keep the van?). As they wonder their next move, Number Five is revealed to have lived, having made a clone of himself out of the spare parts in the van. With Number Five again taking the wheel, the movie heads off into the sunset (or sunrise) and ends. Now, we take a look at all the things I didn't cover. A good comedy, in my mind, is one where the laughs come out of the story being told or the jokes make the story. This movie is both kinds of good. Let me explain this by pointing out some examples.
One scene is when Number Five returns to Stephanie. The scene is, she's in the bath as Number Five barges into the bathroom. The music plays it serious until we learn it's just our favorite robot. We get a good laugh and two characters get a much wanted reunion. Another example are the scenes between Newton and Ben during the first search for Number Five. We learn that Newton has been living at Nova for years, causing him to forget much about the outside world, including driving. Ben eventually takes over the driving and Newton tries to figure where his friend is from, with no success. The scenes add to the comedy and help us to understand these two characters.
Those scenes also save Ben from just being comic relief to being a much-loved character. His misuses of common sayings are classic. He also manages to imply certain things about other characters. His energy never dims, even in the darkest moments of the film. The sad thing is that he just drops out of the movie after Number Five kidnaps Newton. Sure, he's there at the climax but it would have been nice to have him there as Newton proved Number Five was alive. That's the best reason for a sequel, to find out the fate of Ben. We did get a sequel with Ben, but maybe if they had worked at it, it would have been better.
How about the ways the human leads interact with Number Five? Sheedy seems to interact with him as if he was a living thing, while Guttenberg is much like his character, it's a machine until proven otherwise. With these interactions, the audience can believe in their characters and in Number Five. The chemistry between the two human leads is also well-done. In any other movie, Stephanie would just be present as a romantic item for the male lead. However, the movie actually manages to downplay the romantic angle and present these two as just two people with a belief they totally believe in.
I first saw this movie as a kid and it has remained with me ever since. It's one of those movies that he have to watch if you want to be a nerd. We all want the day a real Number Five shows up in the world, the first living machine that doesn't want to kill us all. Until that day, "Short Circuit" will keep us company. It's been almost thirty years and the film still holds up. Despite the fact you can tell it is the eighties all around, it still manages to be timeless. That's because the story itself is not tied into its era. As technology marches forward, we can see more and more Number Five coming into existence. Ultimately, I love this movie because it's just a story that will never get old.
This concludes this week's edition of the Film School. Next week, we again pick an item from my vast collection of DVDs. Next week's selection is a television movie from 1973. Like "Short Circuit", it pretty much is covered in the signs of its era. However, I like this movie because it contains a certain redheaded actress who will be one of our guide posts on the Film School. Next week, we take a look at mental illness, the seventies, and television films about mental illness, you'll love this feature, which has arrived on DVD this year just in time for its 40th anniversary. It's "Lisa, Bright and Dark", next week on the Film School.
Until then, this is John Maxwell, saying class dismissed!!!
His demand for input is met with book upon book given to him by Stephanie. He soon discovers television and the Three Stooges. Believe it or not, this comes into play later. Now, with the mentality of a five-year-old, he spews out things he has now learned. Stephanie, convinced that the television will rot his brain, takes him outside for more input. It is here she learns the true nature of Number Five. He also learns about death when his attempts to mimic a grasshopper results in him crushing it. He soon equals death with the act of disassembling, which Stephanie says the people at Nova will do to him. Not wanting to die, he takes off in the lunch truck.
Meanwhile, Newton and Ben have been searching all night in their own Nova van for Number Five. They come upon our robot's escape attempt and give pursuit. Once having stop due to a short cliff into the ocean, Number Five informs Stephanie that he is alive. Newton and Ben soon arrive and try to talk Number Five into going with them. However, we soon encounter our villain, name of Schroeder. His troops manage to subdue Number Five enough to turn him off. Ben soon hits the road with the turned off Number Five. However, Number Five turns himself back on, fixes himself, and maroons Ben on the side of the road, while he goes in search of Stephanie.
He manages to find his way back to her. She is a little confused by the idea of a living robot. However, she is soon won over, just in time for her ex-boyfriend to return, wanting now to collect Number Five because Nova is now offering a reward for the fugitive robot. Number Five manages to save himself and Stephanie and the two then hit the road. Newton and Ben, thinking that maybe Number Five is something more than a malfunctioning machine, sneak out of Nova and hit the road themselves. With Schroeder after both the robot and them, the duo manage to make contact with Stephanie.
She tells them for Newton to meet her alone, which he does. She explains to Newton what has happened to Number Five. Of course, he refuses to believe it for a second. However, Schroeder manages to get the drop of them. Meanwhile, Number Five confronts three of his siblings in the woods. He manages to outwit the non-living robots and reprogram them to be the Three Stooges, turning three war machines to the first robotic comedy team. Number Five then rescues Stephanie, leaving Newton confused more than ever at what is going on. He soon gets more confused when Number Five kidnaps him.
Number Five then delivers him to where the lunch truck has run out of gas. The robot reveals that his purpose was so he can talk to his creator. So, a creator and his creation talk on top of a mountain? Unlike last time, the conversation is all about convincing Newton that Number Five has truly become alive. Finally, as the sun rises, Newton comes up with a way: a joke. He tells a slightly bad one, to his credit. However, it induces laughter in Number Five, proving his sentience. As the trio of Newton, Number Five, and Stephanie celebrate this moment, Schroeder's troops arrive and, after some talking, seem to destroy the world's first living machine. Marner promptly fires Schroeder.
Newton and Stephanie then drive off in the Nova van, with Newton having quit his job (if so, then why is he allowed to keep the van?). As they wonder their next move, Number Five is revealed to have lived, having made a clone of himself out of the spare parts in the van. With Number Five again taking the wheel, the movie heads off into the sunset (or sunrise) and ends. Now, we take a look at all the things I didn't cover. A good comedy, in my mind, is one where the laughs come out of the story being told or the jokes make the story. This movie is both kinds of good. Let me explain this by pointing out some examples.
One scene is when Number Five returns to Stephanie. The scene is, she's in the bath as Number Five barges into the bathroom. The music plays it serious until we learn it's just our favorite robot. We get a good laugh and two characters get a much wanted reunion. Another example are the scenes between Newton and Ben during the first search for Number Five. We learn that Newton has been living at Nova for years, causing him to forget much about the outside world, including driving. Ben eventually takes over the driving and Newton tries to figure where his friend is from, with no success. The scenes add to the comedy and help us to understand these two characters.
Those scenes also save Ben from just being comic relief to being a much-loved character. His misuses of common sayings are classic. He also manages to imply certain things about other characters. His energy never dims, even in the darkest moments of the film. The sad thing is that he just drops out of the movie after Number Five kidnaps Newton. Sure, he's there at the climax but it would have been nice to have him there as Newton proved Number Five was alive. That's the best reason for a sequel, to find out the fate of Ben. We did get a sequel with Ben, but maybe if they had worked at it, it would have been better.
How about the ways the human leads interact with Number Five? Sheedy seems to interact with him as if he was a living thing, while Guttenberg is much like his character, it's a machine until proven otherwise. With these interactions, the audience can believe in their characters and in Number Five. The chemistry between the two human leads is also well-done. In any other movie, Stephanie would just be present as a romantic item for the male lead. However, the movie actually manages to downplay the romantic angle and present these two as just two people with a belief they totally believe in.
I first saw this movie as a kid and it has remained with me ever since. It's one of those movies that he have to watch if you want to be a nerd. We all want the day a real Number Five shows up in the world, the first living machine that doesn't want to kill us all. Until that day, "Short Circuit" will keep us company. It's been almost thirty years and the film still holds up. Despite the fact you can tell it is the eighties all around, it still manages to be timeless. That's because the story itself is not tied into its era. As technology marches forward, we can see more and more Number Five coming into existence. Ultimately, I love this movie because it's just a story that will never get old.
This concludes this week's edition of the Film School. Next week, we again pick an item from my vast collection of DVDs. Next week's selection is a television movie from 1973. Like "Short Circuit", it pretty much is covered in the signs of its era. However, I like this movie because it contains a certain redheaded actress who will be one of our guide posts on the Film School. Next week, we take a look at mental illness, the seventies, and television films about mental illness, you'll love this feature, which has arrived on DVD this year just in time for its 40th anniversary. It's "Lisa, Bright and Dark", next week on the Film School.
Until then, this is John Maxwell, saying class dismissed!!!
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