SPACE BRAINS PODCAST
EPISODES: 81 TO 90
EPISODE 81
Chappie is a 2015 American dystopian science fiction action film directed by Neill Blomkamp and written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell. It stars Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Ninja, Yolandi Visser, Jose Pablo Cantillo, and Sigourney Weaver. The film, set and shot in Johannesburg, is about an artificial general intelligence law enforcement robot captured and taught by gangsters, who nickname it Chappie.
Back to Blomkamp and his vision of South Africa. We discuss the appearance of rap artists, characterisation of CGI robots and the odd mix of documentary and narrative styles that Neill is known for. On the science front we discuss transhumanism and the quest we have for being better than ourselves.
EPISODE 82
Elysium is a 2013 American dystopian science fiction action film written, produced and directed by Neill Blomkamp. It stars Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Alice Braga, and Sharlto Copley. The film takes place on both a ravaged Earth and a luxurious artificial world called Elysium.
Back to Blomkamp again. This time we talk about his vision of a world divided by a massive wealth gap, both figuratively and literally. We discuss juxtaposition, lighting and samurai themes before diving into the world of ring worlds.
EPISODE 83
Extinction is a 2018 American science fiction action film directed by Ben Young and written by Spenser Cohen and Brad Kane. The film is about a father who has a recurring dream/vision about the loss of his family while witnessing an evil force bent on destruction. The film stars Michael Peña, Lizzy Caplan, Mike Colter, Lilly Aspell, Emma Booth, Israel Broussard, and Lex Shrapnel. It was released on Netflix on July 27, 2018.
Australian directed sci fi is some of our favourite sci fi. In this episode we talk about director’s cuts, portrayal of android on film and the way changing lighting and altering camera angle through movement can help tell a story. Also, can a chat bot have a soul?
EPISODE 84
Archive is a 2020 British science fiction film written and directed by Gavin Rothery, in his directorial debut. It stars Theo James, Stacy Martin, Rhona Mitra, Peter Ferdinando, Timea Maday Kinga and Toby Jones. Set in 2038, the film follows a scientist who is trying to advance artificial intelligence a step further than human beings, all while bringing his wife back from the dead.
Themes abound in this one along with discussion on lighting, scene direction and narrative. We also discuss some science, the science of human looking and feeling robots.
EPISODE 85
Minority Report is a 2002 American science fiction action film[6] directed by Steven Spielberg, loosely based on Philip K. Dick's 1956 novella "The Minority Report". The film takes place in the Washington metropolitan area in the year 2054, in which a specialized police department—Precrime—apprehends criminals by use of foreknowledge provided by three psychics called "precogs".
The cast stars Tom Cruise as Precrime chief John Anderton, Colin Farrell as Department of Justice agent Danny Witwer, Samantha Morton as precog Agatha Lively, and Max von Sydow as Precrime director Lamar Burgess. The film combines elements of tech noir, whodunit, thriller, and science fiction genres, as well as a traditional chase film, as the main protagonist is accused of a crime he has not committed and becomes a fugitive.
EPISODE 86
Ben Young is an award winning writer/director who began his career acting for screen at the age of 12.
He completed a Bachelor of Arts at Curtin University, Western Australia in 2003 and a Master of Screen Studies at the WA Screen Academy in 2005. He has since directed music videos, commercials, fashion films, and written and directed series television.
His 2016 feature debut Hounds of Love, funded through ScreenWest’s West Coast Visions and produced by Factor 30 Films, starred Emma Booth, Ashleigh Cummins and Stephen Curry. Its world premiere was at the 2016 Venice Film Festival where it picked up a prize for Best Actress in a Debut Film, and received 9 AACTA award nominations including Best Film and Best Direction.
Ben’s second film Extinction premiered on Netflix in 2018 starring Michael Peña and Lizzy Caplan.
He recently completed directing a block of Netflix’s Clickbait for Tony Ayres Productions. He is currently finishing post production on Where All Light Tends to Go.
In this episode we interview Ben Young and ask him about his experiences in directing, how he likes to write a script and the difference between directing features, shorts and TV episodes. We dive into his inspirations and gain an insightful look into how the film production process works and how new starters might get involved.
EPISODE 87
The Salute of the Jugger (also released as The Blood of Heroes in the United States) is a 1989 Australian-American post-apocalyptic film written and directed by David Webb Peoples, produced by Charles Roven, and starring Rutger Hauer, Joan Chen, and Vincent D’Onofrio. The film has inspired the creation of the sport Jugger.
In this episode we discuss grocery shopping, violent sports and the way they oppress the masses, the post-apocalypse of podcasting and all the usual narrative and film structure things. Also, how bad are nuclear bombs really?
EPISODE 88
The Day the Earth Caught Fire is a British science fiction disaster film starring Edward Judd, Leo McKern and Janet Munro. It was directed by Val Guest and released in 1961.
The production featured the real Daily Express, even using the paper’s own headquarters, the Daily Express Building in Fleet Street, London, and featuring Arthur Christiansen as the Express editor, a job he had held in real life.
The Space Brains talk about sexism and the male gaze in the ‘60s, modern versus old camera work and editing and how nasty a burning Earth would be. Science-wise, we find out how many nuclear bombs it would take to shift the Earth.
EPISODE 89
Infinitum: Subject Unknown is a 2021 British science fiction film directed by Matthew Butler-Hart. It stars Tori Butler-Hart, Ian McKellen and Conleth Hill. The film was shot entirely on the iPhone during the UK’s first lockdown.
The Space Brains talk about the techniques and symbolism used by Matthew in what is an experimental type iPhone movie. As a movie shot by one person and staring just one person (other than brief appearances by Ian and Conleth), it acts as a great example of what can be done with a little creativity and knowledge.
EPISODE 90
The Blob is a 1958 American science fiction horror film directed by Irvin Yeaworth, and written by Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson. It stars Steve McQueen (in his first feature film leading role) and Aneta Corsaut and co-stars Earl Rowe and Olin Howland. It was distributed by Paramount Pictures as a double feature with I Married a Monster from Outer Space.
The Space Brains.discuss the origin of teen horror, early film camera and lighting technique and Steve McQueen. They also talk about real life alien blobs with mysterious origins and few hard facts.