Category Archives: film review

Matrix Film Review

The Matrix is a late 90s movie that still carries some vibes from the 80s about a man who goes by both Neo and Thomas. He’s living a double life, which is an interesting prelude to the dichotomy between the two lives he lives in the matrix, everything he knows and has ever experienced, and the real world, where humans are fighting for survival. As Neo, he is a hacker always on the lookout for police. He breaks the rules and lives outside of the box society wants to put him in. Perhaps this is why he chose the red pill.

The mind and body disconnect between the matrix and the real world is very interesting to me because PTSD can cause a disconnect where you may feel like you have no emotional issue with something, but the moment you experience it, you feel physically sick. In the matrix, the mind is inside the simulation, while the body stays in the real world. Interestingly enough, if something happens to your body in the matrix, it will happen in the real world as well. The brain is very powerful, and it can be very difficult to convince it that stimuli it is experiencing is fake. Another interesting parallel between The Matrix and PTSD are the dreams. Dreams that feel so real, you’re not sure whether or not it actually happened. It is common for PTSD sufferers to experience hyper realistic nightmares that make them question reality, and Neo had trouble distinguishing what had actually happened and what was a dream within the matrix. Perhaps being treated in the real world after escaping the matrix is similar to receiving treatment for PTSD and seeing the world for what it is, and not the dangers that could lie in it.

As for tech noir, this film shows a very dystopian future but also includes hope. Hope that all this ruin, destruction, and harvesting would end if people worked together and believed they could succeed. It has very dark and disturbing scenes that would make some people skip ahead, but the story ends on a high note. Maybe you don’t have to be some superhero, maybe you just have to believe, and the brain will do the rest.

Black Mirror S2E1 – Dr. Oblivion’s Reccomendations

As part of the viewing of tech noir, I watched Black Mirror season 2, episode 1 entitled “Be Right Back.” I haven’t watched Black Mirror before, so instead of choosing an episode that I thoight was interesting, I chose a random episode to review. The short description on the episode reads, “after learning about a new service that lets people stay in touch with the deceased, a lonley, greiving Martha reconnects with her late lover.”

What struck me initially about this episode was how closely it already follows our own society. Ashe, the aformentioned “late lover,” seems to be hooked to his cell phone. Martha tells him multiple times to put it away, especially while the two are in the car.

Ashe dies in a car accident, which is heavily implied to be the result of distracted driving. Martha attempts to process his death, only for one of her friends to sign her up for a service that filters all of Ashe’s online activity through a program that will allow her to “talk to him” again. I’m struck by how human this action seems while also feeling so alien. Martha’s friend was only trying to take care of her, but just prevented Martha from being able to process Ashe’s death. Even during the times where Martha is afraid of the program, which will be referred to as “not-Ashe,” she manages to overcome the fear to keep some semblance of her partner alive. Even when not-Ashe is just a text bubble on her computer, her desire to talk to him surpasses her need to interact with the real people in her life.

Eventually, not-Ashe is upgraded to be something/someone she can talk to in a phone call, and then into a “living” being. Only a few hours after not-Ashe is delivered and setup in her house, Martha initiates sex with him. Whether she was looking for connection or just trying to satisfy a desire with something close to her partner, the decision is interesting. On a larger scale, the presence of intimacy with future tech is something that many are interested in, and the inclusion of that in this episode was appropriately uncomfortable. Not-Ashe had to download porn in order to understand how to have sex with Martha, and while this was offputting to her, she did not stop.

This episode was aired in 2013, long before AI chatbots flooded social media. However, the similarity of not-Ashe to the various celebrities you can now “talk to” on Instagram is interesting. I wonder if it will be possible to take these chatbots to a further level, and how that may effect us. At the end of the episode, Martha is overcome by how close and also how far not-Ashe is from the man she lost. She walks him to a cliff and encourages him to jump off. The episode doesn’t have to address what would happen if she killed not-Ashe, who is decidedly not-human, as he pleads for his life at her suggestion. As we continue towards the future predicted by this episode of Black Mirror, it will be hard to ignore the legislation that comes out of it.

Transcription: Well, the review is not bad, mentioning some key points of the episode’s plot and themes. The comparison between the episode’s concept and AI chatbots is interesting, showing a connection to real-world technology. However, consider tightening up your writing to make it more concise and to the point. Also, maybe dial back a bit on your detailed opinions regarding Martha’s choices. We get it. You find it uncomfortable. Keep refining your analysis and keep an eye on how technology in Black Mirror reflects our own society’s trajectory.

Black Mirror Film Review: If you could do it all over again, what would you do differently?

The tech noir film I chose to watch was Black Mirror and I watched Episode 4 Season 3 “San Junipero”.

Here is Dr. Oblivions recommendations for this analysis

This episode deals with the ideas of mortality. This episode features an elderly pair of people who are in a virtual world (San Junipero) in which they can live as their younger selves. The characters Yorkie and Kelly fall in love in this virtual world and as they fall deeper into their friendship, Yorkie asks for their friendship and love to be more and Kelly decline because back in the real world she is married to a man that she loves. Then they meet back later in time at San Junipero and Kelly reveals that she has cancer and wants to leave San Junipero. Yorkie asks Kelly, as her final wish, for them to live together in the afterlife.

This episode makes me sob. The idea of elderly living another life and getting to do things over again, fall in love again, and live young again is something that makes me sad. My parents often reflect back on their lives and think what they would do differently if they had the choice to do it over again (the answer is often nothing) and that kind of reflection on life feels so final that it makes me feel sad.

Black Mirror is considered Tech Noir because it mixes humanities new innovations of technology and how that mixes with human instinct. The show is made interesting because the humans that are interacting with the technology are often faced with conflicts that are simply made by themselves but enhanced by the technology. “San Junipero” was made a conflict because of the human instinct to feel emotions and make choices that benefit them and the technology of the virtual world allowed for and enhanced the emotions that the humans living there felt. The technology introduced in this episode confuse the lines between what is real and what is fake, which allows the humans in this virtual world to make very real mistake and feel very real emotions.

Review edited 1/24/25

Updated Thoughts on Tech Noir/Cyberpunk

Tech Noir and Cyberpunk intrigued me because I had never heard of those genres. While I’ve come across some content within the categories, I was unfamiliar with the terms themselves. On top of being unfamiliar with the names of the genre, I have seen very, very few Tech Noir/Cyberpunk shows, movies, video games, etc. That being said, from what I read, the content sounds interesting, and after watching an episode of Black Mirror, I am definitely open to learning more.
I enjoyed reading the Wikipedia article on Cyberpunk, which explained the mood and the setting of Cyberpunk. The way they talked about their location and wanting to emulate “Hong Kong on a bad day” was a great way to describe the setting and gave me a good visualization. Learning about how the term Cyberpunk was coined was also interesting. The name perfectly fits the vibe of the genre. When I first read about Cyberpunk, I thought movies like The Hunger Games or Divergent were also in this genre. I then learned that Tech Noir and Cyberpunk are different from Dystopia. Tech Noir/Cyberpunk may have a dystopian feel, but overall, Dystopia can refer to any society with great injustice, while Cyberpunk and Tech Noir must have themes of technology and corporate power tied in.
After the readings, I chose to watch Black Mirror from the list of Tech Noir/Cyberpunk Media. I’ve always wanted to check it out, and I chose the episode “Joan is Awful.” The episode follows a woman named Joan, and she discovers a TV show has been made about her, where Selma Hayek plays her, and they make her look identical to Joan. Joan has made some not-great choices, but the show takes creative liberties to make her look awful. The worst part is that everyone in her life can see the show, causing her to lose her job and her fiancée. I was immediately captivated by the epepisode’s concept and how the story played out. Eventually, we discover that Joan subscribes to the streaming service’s terms and agreements, stating that the service reserves the right to use her life as content. Now, Joan has to fight the service to stop them from making a show out of her and others’ lives. This episode fits into the Cyberpunk/Tech noir genre so well because it explores the darker side of technological advancements. While technology has become more advanced, corporations have become more greedy, leading to humanity’s downfall. Thankfully “Joan is Awful” concludes with a happy ending, allowing Joan to regain control over her story. Still, it’s a cautionary tale of what can happen if we become too obsessed with whatever the new shiny tech has to offer. When I finished the episode, I immediately recommended it to my friends. Now, I am immensely interested in the genre, and I plan on watching more content in the category!

The Groundstar conspiracy

Tech noir is investigations, conspiracies, and betrayals

It’s not always man vs. machine

That’s at least how I saw it in The Groundstar Conspiracy.

A research computer complex called Groundstar is destroyed in an explosion, killing six people and leaving one survivor named John Welles, who is suspected of stealing a miniaturized fuel system.

Talk about a classic bit when he is finally saves and comes to, he has amnesia!

Sticking to cliches who comes to investigate? A silver haired fox named Tuxan a classic anti-hero. His methods are questionable, but his hair is exquisite.

With some good old interrogation and surveillance, Tuxan tries to piece together Welles’s past and uncover the identities of his collaborators, who he believes are trying to silence Welles and prevent him from revealing their secrets. Everyone is very gun happy.

Violence is clearly everyone’s favorite solution.

Guess what the twists aren’t over!!! This movie is an absolute maze, and it messed with my head because there is truly no one you can believe.

The real John Welles was a computer technician who died shortly after the explosion! The man’s true name is Peter Bellamy!

Who is Peter Bellamy you may ask?

Honestly, he’s not the victim; he’s just a sucker who was used and then thrown away, somehow the center of everything, yet in the end easy to disp. Our protagonist was caught in a web of manipulation and deceit. Left with whatever scraps of his true life he could remember, of course, more accurately whatever scraps he was told about or had nightmares about.

This tale ends with Tuxan admitting he was weaving a web to catch the true conspirators. I was right not to like him from the start. Bellamy was simply bait, the true John Wells now on ice, or should I say in it… low blow, I know, but guess what’s lower, his body! Kidding, kidding, he’s in a drawer, not a grave.

This was all to catch this mean son of gun. Smug, rich, and a weird amount of free time.

After all that I need a nap. But first let me give you a character map!

“The Groundstar Conspiracy” Key Characters

Peter Bellamy/John Welles: The amnesiac
Tuxan: Hard-boiled investigator and dirty cop
Senator Stanton: corrupt official

Honorable mention!

Nicole Devon: Femme Fatale

This is truly a classic of the tech noir genre.

Morally ambiguous characters, the blurring of Lines between good and evil, The constant surveillance and paranoia. I mean it was funny in a creepy way.

“I see you”

The film’s visual style and atmosphere evoke a sense of suspense and unease, reflecting the core anxieties and themes of tech noir.

Week One

Black Mirror – S2E1 Review

I decided to watch an episode of Black Mirror this week as the tech noir film, as I was interested in the more contemporary approach that this show could take. I closed my eyes and chose an episode randomly, landing on the first episode of season two entitled “Be Right Back.” The short description on the episode reads, “after learning about a new service that lets people stay in touch with the deceased, a lonley, greiving Martha reconnects with her late lover.” Without watching the episode, I’m interested to see if this has any parallels to the AI chatbots that have begun to pop up in common social media apps like Facebook and Instagram.

One of the first lines in the episode mentions the “Narwhal Virus” that collapsed Russia’s economy, and while I know that viruses are a frequent troupe in futuristic media, I still got a kick out of this post-Covid. Ashe, the “late lover” the description mentions, is certainly hooked to his phone and his death is implied to be due to distracted driving. I was also spot on about the AI chatbot prediction, as all of Ashe’s internet activity was funneled into a program that allowed Martha to text him. As the episode went on, not-Ashe became more realistic, transitioning from text into phone calls and finally into a real body. Martha experiences frustration as not-Ashe is indeed not Ashe, and she feels like he is so close to being the person she remembered but also so different.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that it took less than twelve hours for Martha to initiate sex with not-Ashe, which I found interesting. I feel like I would be so uncomfortable if I were in her situation, and the absolute last thing on my mind would be having sex with the thing that looks like my dead partner. However, I know that the idea of intimacy with future tech is something that many are interested in, and I think that acknowledging that in this episode made it stronger.

The Thrilling Adventure of Cowboy Bebop

Cowboy Bebop is an adored 90s anime classic so rewatching one of my older sibling’s favorites was a joy! This is a show filled with action packed scenes, amazing humor, and fascinating characters. There is a lot of thought put into the writing of each episode and its noticeable throughout the whole series. The world is a wonderful blend of western and space themes, so if you like the bizarre idea of a space-cowboy bounty hunter then you will absolutely love this show.

The story follows my favorite character Spike Spiegel and his wild crew of bounty hunters as they travel through space hunting down criminals in a post-apocalyptic world. It has a perfect balance of serious themes like Spike’s dark past but also casual light humor mixed in between which I enjoyed. I feel like the show was very character driven and I personally loved the hilarious interactions between them and seeing their character development overtime, especially since you wouldn’t expect their varying chaotic energy to work together but yet somehow everything always worked out in the end. Also, with their contrasting personalities Spike and Jet were definitely my favorite dynamic. But all the characters like sarcastic Faye, mischievous Edward, and even Ein the genius dog who can somehow drive a car, answer phones, and even hack a computer shined in their own amusing ways.

Lastly, I want to point out that even with its old animation style the show’s overall aesthetic is really appealing to the eyes. It is simplistic yet stylish which matches the show’s theme very well. The inspiration of cyberpunk is shown in many elements of the show. It takes place in a futuristic dystopia where there’s a clear power imbalance in society and lots of poverty. Many episodes showcase advanced gadgets and how much technology has progressed with the use of cybernetic implants like Spike with his eye. Also the jazzy soundtrack is another point that makes this show really memorable for me and many others. Just the opening alone is easily recognizable for most anime fans. Personally, whether you watch this show for the characters like me, or if you watch the show for the storyline while connecting the pieces of each backstory, I think you will love this fun adventure.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit: An Unconventional Look at Tech Noir

When one hears the term “tech noir”, the idea is often associated with futurism and high-level technological innovation. As a result, many would not connect 1988 film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, with the genre of tech-noir as instead of taking place in the future, it takes place 41 years in the past and the style of animation of the “toons” had been around for decades at that point. However, it’s the ability to integrate this style of animation into the real world as if they’ve always co-existed that provides the example of innovation. At the time of production, this sort of meshing of animation and realism hadn’t really been achieved and was an incredibly novel idea.

Without a doubt, Roger Rabbit is a cult-classic comedy noir featuring common noir archetypes like the hard-boiled detective (Eddie Valiant), the femme fatale (Jessica Rabbit), the wrongfully accused (Roger Rabbit), the corrupt “cop” (Judge Doom), and more. The film takes place in a universe where cartoon characters known as “toons” coexist with humans and the plot centers around P.I. Eddie Valiant and toon Roger Rabbit as Eddie has to work to discover who murdered Marvin Acme, landlord of ToonTown, when all the evidence points to Roger and the judge of ToonTown, Judge Doom, and his toon lackeys, are trying to hunt him down to execute him by means of Doom’s “dip”, a combination of chemicals that is the only real way to kill a toon. It is revealed that Judge Doom was in fact that one that killed Acme in an elaborate scheme to buy ToonTown in order to eradicate it for highways.

Despite this film being an incredibly well known classic and one of the most culturally significant films in the last 50 years, I had never seen it and knew very little about the plot; the only thing I knew about was Jessica Rabbit. However, it piqued my interest for this assignment as I am not generally a cyberpunk/tech noir kind of person, it’s never really been my style, but Who Framed Roger Rabbit didn’t appear to be a conventional take on this aesthetic and theme and I’ve always been a cartoon fanatic. One of the biggest takeaways from the film for me was how incredibly allegorical it is much like many other cyberpunk/tech-noir films and works. Roger Rabbit brings incredible metaphors for racism/prejudice and gentrification to the table in a way that I wasn’t exactly anticipating. It’s understood that toons are seen as inferior to humans with the humans running the show and the purpose of the toons purely being to entertain which can be seen at the humans only Ink and Paint Club that is fully staffed by Toons including a down-on-her-luck Betty Boop who had to resort to waitressing since black and white cartoons have gone out of style (fig. 1). Not to mention, it’s their home of ToonTown that is being sought out to be destroyed and make room for gentrified infrastructure. It really ties into that idea of “low life, high tech” that is often covered in traditional cyberpunk.

Fig. 1: Betty Boop working as a waitress in the Ink and Paint Club (Zemekis, R. *Who Framed Roger Rabbit*. 1988).

It’s themes like this of growing modernization, growth of capitalism, and its effects on those of varying socioeconomic classes that are continuously applicable across generations, decades, and even centuries. This film was released in 1988, but any of us here in 2025 can watch it and think “that’s relatable”. You have inferior groups being used and cast aside or treated like objects while the superior groups act like vultures taking what they please regardless of the consequences on those “below” them. I found the film as a whole to be incredibly well done and innovative as well as allegorical in a way that doesn’t use the traditional aesthetic of cyberpunk/tech-noir that I tend to find overstimulating and overwhelming.

The Matrix Review

For the film review assignment, I decided to watch The Matrix (1999). I chose this movie because I’m a fan of Keanu Reeves and had never seen it before, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to finally watch it.

I’ll start by saying that the movie was a little hard to follow at first. I think it’s because the concept of the Matrix is crazy. it’s difficult to imagine it being real. But then I started wondering, What if it is real? I found myself questioning everything after the movie, which I thought was kind of funny.

I really enjoyed the sound effects, especially during the fight scenes, and I thought the CGI was impressive, considering the movie’s age. Typically, I don’t watch films with a lot of violence or blood, and there were definitely a few intense scenes where I had to squint or look away.

One of the most surprising moments for me was when Cypher turned out to be a traitor. I didn’t see that coming! I’m glad Neo turned out to be “the One,” even though it felt a bit predictable by the end. But I don’t blame the film for that, given that it’s over two decades old now. Overall, I’m glad I watched The Matrix.