Ex Machina – dir. Alex Garland – 7.8 – What is the difference between human and machine? Is it the soul, or consciousness? Science fiction has long since dealt with this idea and Ex Machina is the latest (that I am aware of). In the film Oscar Isaac’s character, a genius coder, brings in Domhnall Gleeson, a coder who is also slightly gullible, to his secluded research compound to administer the Turing test on his latest creation, Ava (played wonderfully by Alicia Vikander).
Ex Machina is a clever, interesting, and well-shot film that kept my eyes glued to the screen from start to finish and it scored fairly high in most categories. This movie is well worth your time.
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter – dir. David Zellner – 5.9 – When I looked at the final score for Kumiko I was a little shocked. I typically punch in the numbers as soon as possible after watching the film but when I look back I cannot question my attributions. Kumiko is an interesting film about a woman who clearly has some sense of mental illness, probably depression, and becomes entranced with the idea of seeking out and finding the buried treasure from the Coen Bros. film Fargo.
The lowest scoring attribute, in my opinion, is the editing. There are times that the film lags on and I feel it could be re-organized to work a little better. It is a good movie, and I expect to watch it again down the line, but I don’t really think it is for everyone.