"...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"
-- Jeannette Catsoulis, NEW
YORK TIMES
"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."
-- Steven Puchalski, SHOCK
CINEMA
"Automatons
is an excellent homage to the movies of yesteryear,
and will be quite a thrill for anyone who misses
those old days."
-- Steve Anderson,
FILM
THREAT
"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."
-- Dustin McNeill, DVDACTIVE
"The
beautiful indie sci-fi film AUTOMATONS is a troubling
vision of things to come.
Enough to make you think, worry and pray."
-- Louis Fowler, ROCKY
MOUNTAIN CHRONICLE
"AUTOMATONS
is a wonderfully made, socially conscious low
budget film and I cannot recommend it enough."
-- Brian Harris, JOE
HORROR.COM
"McKenney
has handed us the cinematic equivalent of Proust's
Madeleine, and it's a tasty yet pungent little
cake."
-- Gordon Thomas, BRIGHT
LIGHTS FILM JOURNAL
"Ingenuity
Triumphs Over No Budget in this Indie Sci-Fi Release"
-- Glenn Erickson, TURNER
CLASSIC MOVIES
"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. "
-- Scooter McCrae, FANGORIA.COM
"An
impressive piece of filmmaking that belies its
low-budget nature... AUTOMATONS kicked my ass"
-- Blaine, DVDSCHLOCK
"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."
-- John E. Mitchell, THE
TRANSCRIPT
"Funky
stuff"
-- Sean Axmaker, MSN
"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"
--B. Adam, FILM
REVIEWS BY BRADEN ADAM
"Brilliantly
idiosyncratic"
-- Al Kratina, THE
MONTREAL GAZETTE
"there's
a dreamy fascination to the iconic images"
-- Maitland McDonagh, TV
GUIDE
"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."
-- Brian Simpson, BISFORBRAINS.COM
|
AUTOMATONS
NOW ON DVD!
Released by Facets
Video
& including
these Special Features:
•
DEATH TO THE AUTOMATONS, a 60-minute
behind-the-scenes featurette
• A FEW MINUTES
WITH ANGUS SCRIMM,
a unique interview with the horror icon.
• Camera and FX Tests
• Theatrical Trailer
Available at Amazon,
Facets
Video, NetFlix,
Blockbuster,
Circuit
City, Barnes
& Noble, Suncoast,
Things
From Another World, MTV.com,
DVD
Empire, VH1.com,
Bestprices.com
and other fine retailers.
"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. "
-- Nathan Lee, VILLAGE
VOICE
"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."
-- S. James Snyder, NEW
YORK SUN
"Automatons
is bound for cult status and should be dug up in
ten years and viewed again -- that is, if humanity
is still around"
-- Last Chance Lance, RUE
MORGUE
"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."
--
V.A. Musetto, NEW
YORK POST
"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."
-- S.T. VanAirsdale, THE
REELER
"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"
-- Al Kratina, THE
COMICBOOK BIN
"The
robot action is often much more riveting than similar
scenes in movies with many times the budget and
technical sophistication."
-- Jay Seaver, UGO.COM
"the
battles soar to trippy and novel heights of DIY
experimental filmmaking that feel anything but old"
-- Ed Gonzalez, SLANT
"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."
-- Jason Glastetter, CMJ
"The
storyline, cinematography, the ending, in fact the
entire vision is great"
-- quietearth, QUIET
EARTH
"an
absolute blast...Fans of classic scifi/horror classics
will be in heaven here."
-- Alex Riviello, CREATURE-CORNER.COM
"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."
-- Ed Demko, BLOODTYPE
ONLINE
"AUTOMATONS
does what all good sci fi stories should."
-- Adam Barnick, ENTERTAINMENT
INSIDERS
"a
wonderful and unforgettable experience!… I
love it!"
-- Patrick Van Hauwaert, RAZOR
REEL
"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."
-- Bill Gibron, POPMATTERS
"Best
Shoestring Sci-Fi of 2006"
-- Jason Silverman, WIRED
"I
adore this film for so many reasons...This is the
robot movie you’ve always wanted to see. I
highly recommend it."
-- Lez, B
MOVIE NEWS
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