Favorite electronics movies

[Spehro Pefhany]

On 22 Jan 2006 12:41:08 -0800, the renowned "Tim Shoppa"

There was a Gene Hackman movie from the early 70's where he played a
suveillance electronics expert. The electronics aren't really in touch
with reality but the convention he goes to and some of his moral
dilemnas still ring true.

<more snip>

I think it was _Blade Runner_ that first showed futuristic devices
that were less than perfect-- digital-ish noise and that sort of
thing. Prescient to our current state of affairs where we've gone from
good and consistent fidelity black dial phones to scratchy, echoey
cellphones with extra noise and flakiness from the Bluetooth
earpieces, wallowing in a sea of 2.4GHz noise that degrades
performance at random intervals.


Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[Bob Monsen]

On 22 Jan 2006 12:41:08 -0800, the renowned "Tim Shoppa"



<more snip>

I think it was _Blade Runner_ that first showed futuristic devices
that were less than perfect-- digital-ish noise and that sort of
thing. Prescient to our current state of affairs where we've gone from
good and consistent fidelity black dial phones to scratchy, echoey
cellphones with extra noise and flakiness from the Bluetooth
earpieces, wallowing in a sea of 2.4GHz noise that degrades
performance at random intervals.

That is reminiscent of "Brazil" by Gilliam. Typewriters for data entry,
video screens with huge magnifying glasses, big dial phones, and that sort
of thing. The ducts were hilarious... and De Niro as the rogue duct
repairman was simply classic. The torture scene at the end, with Michael
Palin as a kinda likable Mengele was a bit too grim.

--
Regards,
Bob Monsen

"doing what little one can to increase the general stock of knowledge
is as respectable an object of life, as one can in any likelihood
pursue"
-- Charles Darwin

 

[[email protected]]

That is reminiscent of "Brazil" by Gilliam. Typewriters for data entry,
video screens with huge magnifying glasses, big dial phones, and that sort

They were 5" 12VDC B&W TV sets with fresnel lenses hung in front of
them.

repairman was simply classic. The torture scene at the end, with Michael
Palin as a kinda likable Mengele was a bit too grim.

Ah, but which version did you see? There are [at least] two endings.

The version released initially in the United States has the torture
scene, then commandos rappel in from the ceiling, shoot Jack (Palin),
and rescue Sam. He rides off into the sunset with the truck-driving
girl and everyone presumably lives happily ever after.

The version released initially outside the United States shows a
similar scene, but then it gets progressively more bizarre - Sam
gatecrashes the funeral of his mother's friend, who is now just
liquefied organic mush in a coffin - and suddenly it cuts back to the
torture chamber, where Helpmann and Jack are peering at Sam, who is
still in the torture chair. Helpmann says to Jack, "I'm afraid we've
lost him, Jack" - and they exit, while Sam stares into space smiling
and humming the theme song. He's been tortured out of his mind; the
escape was an hallucination.

When I came to the US, I happened across this movie on amazon.com and
bought it - and was VERY surprised at the happy ending.

I believe both versions are available in the US now.

My chair at work resembles ending #2.

 

[Ken Taylor]

That is reminiscent of "Brazil" by Gilliam. Typewriters for data entry,
video screens with huge magnifying glasses, big dial phones, and that sort
of thing. The ducts were hilarious... and De Niro as the rogue duct
repairman was simply classic. The torture scene at the end, with Michael
Palin as a kinda likable Mengele was a bit too grim.

All agreed, although I thought Gilliam was 'camping up' the technology
rather than prophesising. It was *meant* to be ridiculous in retrospect,
in my view. I only saw that film recently, courtesy of a friend's DVD -
I was enthralled!

Ken

 

[Ken Taylor]

Ahhh... got it. Thanks!

.....then they were all arrested by Bob and Doug, who turned out to
really be in the film after all.....

Ken

 

[Tim Shoppa]

That is reminiscent of "Brazil" by Gilliam. Typewriters for data entry,
video screens with huge magnifying glasses, big dial phones, and that sort
of thing.

My take on it all was that if someone wanted to make a documentary
about late 20th century technological society 100 years from now, they
would probably juxtapose stuff from different decades just like you see
in Brazil.

The ducts were hilarious... and De Niro as the rogue duct
repairman was simply classic.

That character is my inspiration. Commando-type repair raids, all
unapproved by the beauracracy. The story of my life!

Tim.

 

[Tim Shoppa]

I think it was _Blade Runner_ that first showed futuristic devices
that were less than perfect-- digital-ish noise and that sort of
thing.

Similar in spirit (although different in technology) are Sinclair
Lewis' novels and Charlie Chaplin's _Modern Times_.

_Blade Runner_ has a lot of really intriguing stuff in it, but what
makes it work is that it was written in with no worry about explaining
how it was implemented. The meld between biology and technology was
particularly innovative.

You can read Philip K Dick's novel (_Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep_) for more details about the world the movie is set in (there's a
whole eco-guilt backstory explaining the android animals and off-world
immigration programs that is only referred to but never explained in
the movie), but while it answers a lot of questions it raises even more
without answering them!

Tim.

 

[Mac]

Unfortunately, any kind of electronics content in movies is usually
most notable for the hilarity it invokes. Such as the movie that cut
to a quick take of a computer screen- a PCB autorouter was operating.
The dialog: "Amazing! A computer searching for a bomb!".

Or, take this dialog (please) from the original "sci-fi" Star Trek
("Court Martial"):

----
Ready, Mr. Spock?
Affirmative, Captain.
Gentlemen, this computer
has an auditory sensor.
It can, in effect, hear sounds.

In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) they travel back in time
to 1986 to transport a Humpback Whale forward in time to the 23'd
century. To expedite this effort, Scotty finds it necessary to
show a chemical engineer how to make transparent aluminum. Scotty sits
down in front of the ordinary, 1986 PC and says, in a commanding voice:
"Computer." The chemical engineer looks very uncomfortable and hands
Scotty a mouse. "Try using this," he says.

So, getting to the point, how is it that the ability of the computer to,
"in effect, hear," is so novel in the original series?

Then again, who cares. Star Trek IV was pretty funny, and it wouldn't have
made any sense if they stayed completely true to technological back-story
of the original series.

By installing a booster,
we can increase that capability
on the order of 1 to the 4th power.

I've heard of the Nth root of unity. I guess Nth power of unity is the
flip side of that coin. ;-)

[snip]

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

--Mac

 

[Rich Webb]

....then they were all arrested by Bob and Doug, who turned out to
really be in the film after all.....

Buncha hosers. Take off eh?

;-)

 

[JeffM]

There was a Gene Hackman movie from the early 70's

where he played a suveillance electronics expert.
Tim Shoppa

Pooh mentioned it: "The Conversation".

 

[Mac]

Similar in spirit (although different in technology) are Sinclair
Lewis' novels and Charlie Chaplin's _Modern Times_.

_Blade Runner_ has a lot of really intriguing stuff in it, but what
makes it work is that it was written in with no worry about explaining
how it was implemented. The meld between biology and technology was
particularly innovative.

You can read Philip K Dick's novel (_Do Androids Dream of Electric
Sheep_) for more details about the world the movie is set in (there's a
whole eco-guilt backstory explaining the android animals and off-world
immigration programs that is only referred to but never explained in
the movie), but while it answers a lot of questions it raises even more
without answering them!

Tim.

I read DADoES. I found it to be very different from _Blade Runner_.
Sufficiently so that, in my opinion, it is wrong to say that _Blade
Runner_ is based on _DADoES_. More like "inspired by."

The film was much more nuanced, complex, and ambiguous.

I liked the film better than the book.

--Mac

 

[David L. Jones]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Yes, a good movie.

Tried "Sneakers"?

"The Dish" has some authentic 1969 moon landing vintage gear on
display. There was some talk on aus.electronics about it when it came
out.

Dave

 

[moby]

Unfortunately, any kind of electronics content in movies is usually
most notable for the hilarity it invokes. Such as the movie that cut
to a quick take of a computer screen- a PCB autorouter was operating.
The dialog: "Amazing! A computer searching for a bomb!".

Yep, remember the scene in "1941" where the Japanese submariners
in Long Beach harbour were trying to manhandle a tombstone radio
down the hatch in the conning tower and one of them comments
"We have to find a way to make these things smaller".
I liked the lo-budget Brit sci-fi TV series (Blake 7? I forget...) that
had
an Avo Mk4 valve tester as a centrepiece on the bridge of the
spaceship.
M

 

[Jim Thompson]

Pooh mentioned it: "The Conversation".

Yup. I have it on DVD.

...Jim Thompson

 

[Frithiof Andreas Jensen]

One of my favorites was on tv tonight - Enemy of the State.

Does anyone here think it was subversive of ABC to schedule this movie
during this time of arguments pitting national security against human
rights?

Red Dwarf - a british comedy series intent on taking the piss out off every
sci-fi movie ever made:

My favorites are the totally unreliable equipment and the robot - Kryten -
who always trying to put a blatantly wrong positive spin on things in spite
of the situation.

f.ex. (From memory):

Crew has entered a ship infected with deadly virus,
Kryten assures everyone that the "biohazard-sensor CTM 2000 is the latest in
hazard detection technology and we are perfectly safe",
checks display "although this model is know to take some time to warm up
....",
then Kryten start beating the unit uttering profanities,
scene ends with "ahhh now the result is .... YES we are going to Live"

 

[[email protected]]

Crew has entered a ship infected with deadly virus,
Kryten assures everyone that the "biohazard-sensor CTM 2000 is the latest in
hazard detection technology and we are perfectly safe",
checks display "although this model is know to take some time to warm up
...",
then Kryten start beating the unit uttering profanities,

.... and then replaces the batteries.

scene ends with "ahhh now the result is .... YES we are going to Live"

Kryten: And we're going to....... live!
Lister: We're a real Mickey Mouse operation.
Cat: Mickey Mouse? We ain't even Betty Boop!

 

[Jim Yanik]

I had that thought while watching that movie.

I don't know if anyone else caught it,but in the movie "Enemy of the
State",the pro-surveillance group was the Democrats,and the Repubs were
against it.

 

[SioL]

... and then replaces the batteries.


Kryten: And we're going to....... live!
Lister: We're a real Mickey Mouse operation.
Cat: Mickey Mouse? We ain't even Betty Boop!

The books are a joy to read, too. Better than Douglas Adams IMO.

SioL

 

[[email protected]]

The books are a joy to read, too. Better than Douglas Adams IMO.

I don't know that I'd go that far - they're different, more modern -
not necessarily better. But yes I enjoyed them mightily.

 

[Richard Henry]

I had that thought while watching that movie.

I don't know if anyone else caught it,but in the movie "Enemy of the
State",the pro-surveillance group was the Democrats,and the Repubs were
against it.

Back in the days when I considered myself a Republican, defense of the
Consitution and Bill of Rights was one of our tenets.