Next showing: San Diego ComicCon International Film Festival - Saturday, July 28 - 4:30 pm
Next
showing: San
Diego ComicCon International Film Festival
- Saturday, July 28 - 4:30 pm
"...the
movie’s loving attention to light and shade transcends its hermetic
setting and meager budget. At times the buzzing static and fizzy backlighting
recall the glistening surrealism of the filmmaker Guy Maddin... enormously
endearing" "AUTOMATONS
is a smart, thought-provoking tale equipped with the moody ambiance
and intellectual integrity of a classic episode of THE OUTER LIMITS.
That's high praise indeed." "Automatons
is an excellent homage to the movies of yesteryear, and will be quite
a thrill for anyone who misses those old days." "Automatons
is a winning science-fiction prize with so many facets worthy of praise...
Arguably his most important film to date, Automatons is a tour de
force for director James Felix McKenney." "The
beautiful indie sci-fi film AUTOMATONS is a troubling vision of things
to come. "AUTOMATONS
is a wonderfully made, socially conscious low budget film and I cannot
recommend it enough." "McKenney
has handed us the cinematic equivalent of Proust's Madeleine, and
it's a tasty yet pungent little cake." "Ingenuity
Triumphs Over No Budget in this Indie Sci-Fi Release" "It’s
sci-fi existentialism at its rawest --a kind of WAITING FOR ROBOT,
if Samuel Beckett’s tale had involved warring machinery... the
best Super-8 home movie made by a 12-year-old boy in the body of an
adult that I’ve seen in a very long time. " "An
impressive piece of filmmaking that belies its low-budget nature...
AUTOMATONS kicked my ass" "Automatons
is like an old fashioned cautionary science fiction short story melded
with a '70s NYC underground feel. The result can be claustrophobic
and sometimes wincingly gory, but it's never, ever as dull as the
basic CGI techno show-off reels that get shown at local cineplexes."
"Funky
stuff" "There
are so many layers, ideas and messages in this film that it reminds
me of the way Philip K. Dick structures his stories to overflow with
incredible concepts.... Automatons is high-concept science fiction
at its finest... 9 out of 10" "Brilliantly
idiosyncratic" "there's
a dreamy fascination to the iconic images" "What
a joy!...Automatons leaves you extremely satisfied. Nothing is lacking
in this unique vision of the future. It delivers an interesting story
and intriguing characters, simple as that." "Best
Shoestring Sci-Fi of 2006"
|
"Automatons
is what happens when Eraserhead and Tetsuo the Iron Man bong themselves
into oblivion and collaborate on a minimalist avant-garde sci-fi cheapie
shot in a toolshed... Robot radness achieved! Budgets are for bitches.
" "It's not a film
of compromise but of sheer determination, refusing to be defined by its
budget and liberated by a decision to overcome its bank account with sheer
imagination." "Automatons is
bound for cult status and should be dug up in ten years and viewed again
-- that is, if humanity is still around" "Ed Wood, the
notorious director of Plan 9 From Outer Space and Glen or Glenda, has
risen from the dead and returned to filmmaking as James Felix McKenney...
And I mean that as a compliment." "a chiaroscuro
love child of Eraserhead and Team America: World Police ... Automatons
fuses surging political critiques to experimental sci-fi in a gritty,
grainy 8mm black-and-white that plants viewers squarely in its heroine's
nightmare." "The aggressively
inventive movie is a textbook example of how imagination, ingenuity, and
an obsessive love of White Zombie videos can overcome a low budget"
"The
robot action is often much more riveting than similar scenes in movies
with many times the budget and technical sophistication." "the
battles soar to trippy and novel heights of DIY experimental filmmaking
that feel anything but old" "While
the film may have some rough edges, it’s still an entertaining watch.
A friend of mine first clued me into the film solely being fascinated
by the statement “This is how humanity dies,” and if that’s
enough to spark an interest, the rest of the film will be just as enjoyable." "The
storyline, cinematography, the ending, in fact the entire vision is great" "an
absolute blast...Fans of classic scifi/horror classics will be in heaven
here." "One
of the most impressive independent projects I've seen in a long time...
one of the most skilled and ambitious shoestring budget movies I've seen
to date." "AUTOMATONS
does what all good sci fi stories should." "a
wonderful and unforgettable experience!… I love it!" "Far
more original than such hints of homage suggest. The “This is How
Humanity Dies” tagline should be rephrased to state “This
is how true speculative storylines are handled”. That’s this
small film’s greatest achievement." "I
adore this film for so many reasons...This is the robot movie you’ve
always wanted to see. I highly recommend it." |