The Comic Critic Reviews "The Creation of the Humanoids."

I really was very young when I saw The Creation of the Humanoids. It had a very lasting effect on me. Until then, I never considered what a thin line there might be between man and machine. How much of a person’s personality is nature and how much is nurture? What defines a creature as being biological? Is being biological a requirement for consciousness? It was all very heady stuff. It’s a good thing The Creation of the Humanoids didn’t have dazzling special effects, roaring chase scenes, or fireball explosions to distract me from those talking heads. My young mind was doing its best to keep up with the implications of their discussions. The acting in this film is very stiff. It’s not improved by the cinematography. Nearly all the scenes are unanimated people talking to each other. But as I watched The Creation of the Humanoids again, all these decades later, I was  struck by how many of the film’s predictions or concepts have came true. I’m also amazed at how the dialog, while a bit uninspiring, continues to touch on relevant social issues, such as surveillance, sexual freedom, relationships, and what constitutes a partnership. You might find The Creation of the Humanoids a clunky old sci-fi movie, but I challenge you to compare it to modern science fiction movies. See if current productions touch on as many social issues, or if they are just eye candy. 

The Comic Critic reviews The Big Sleep

I can understand the need for a director to call an actor back after filming to add some voice-over. Sometimes this is crucial. But what drives me to distraction is that too often it’s used as a lazy shortcut. I dislike movies that are whittled down to the lowest attention-span denominator. The audience doesn’t need to be led by the hand through each and every scene. And when it comes to the genre of Mystery, it’s an absolute crime. What I love are movies that forge ahead with the understanding that the audience has enough intelligence to keep up, or at least will put in an effort to see where the pieces fit. The Big Sleep keeps the viewer riveted because it’s not easy to follow, or even keep up with the events unfolding. When you do receive an exposition, it’s only at the end. Also, the number of tricks and lazy shortcuts of familiar tropes is kept to a minimum. Because The Big Sleep is so well constructed, it has held up over the decades. On top of that, you have superb acting—not only by the stars, but also by some of the best character actors in the business. If you haven’t seen it, you’re in for a real treat.