It’s human nature to believe our hearts are “filled up.” Yet time and again, we make space for new additions. New family and friends, new love and expression. I once believed my faith in art to be at capacity. But then I saw Interstellar… and shit got real, y’all.
Here are five terrifying signs that I’m obsessed with this film.
“Interstellar” super-fan Iain Heath constructed a full-scale model of TARS. The wooden base is connected by metal joints that allow for realistic movement. Then comes steel, plastic, a coat of paint, a screen-print of TARS’ name, and a few iPads for monitors. It’s a truly impressive sight. He even puppeteered it at the Seattle Comic Con!
I’ve never cared much for the Oscars. It’s not about principle; they just don’t matter to me. Yet I was gobsmacked by the academy’s negligence in passing over Matthew McConaughey. His turn as Cooper is layered, earnest, and visceral.
Like Nolan’s direction, McConaughey’s performance is very grounded in the first act. He’s a farmer, a father, and a widower; the blight has sucked all the air from his aspirations. Slowly, we see the explorer awakened. Cooper plummets out of his comfort zone, embracing the possibilities of an infinite universe. By the end of the film, he’s transcended time and place—and through McConaughey’s performance, the audience has also.
Here are ten brilliant acting choices by Matthew McConaughey in “Interstellar.” (more…)
In this video, Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer discuss the origins of Interstellar’s score and provide insights into its performance. I love their musings about the organ. Nolan notes its religiosity; he thinks it represents mankind’s attempt to portray the mystical and metaphysical. Zimmer says “there’s something very human about [the organ], because it can only make a sound with air. It needs to breathe.” Nolan adds: “You feel human presence in every sound. That’s important to keeping the film bound.”
“These articulated machines, by some sort of fluke of circuitry or the beginnings of artificial intelligence, were as emotional as any of the other characters,” said Bill Irwin, the actor behind TARS.
For decades, literature and film have explored artificial intelligence. The modern term “robots” can be traced to R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots), a 1921 play by Czech author Karel Čapek. In the original Czech, robota means “forced labor”; derived from the more general rab (“slave”), robota refers specifically to feudal serfdom. The humans in R.U.R. see robots as appliances, not life forms.
In the years since, many other works have examined robots as a sub-human proletariat, including Metropolis; Into the Slave Nebula; I, Robot; 2001: A Space Odyssey; Blade Runner; Battlestar Galactica; Chappie; and Automata. The robots’ human oppressors are not purposefully cruel; in fact, in dehumanizing artificial life, mankind minimizes its own innovation. It ignores its glory to preserve God as creator.
Treating robots as “things” prevents constructive socialization. There is no foundation of love or understanding. (more…)
I’ve never understood adults who collect action figures. It’s not that I looked down on them; I respect that people like what they like. The appeal just wasn’t there for me.
Until now.
In June 2015, the National Entertainment Collectibles Association is releasing limited addition Cooper & Brand “Interstellar” action figures. McConaughey, Hathaway, and optional helmet action!
If you’ll excuse me, there’s some family photos to be removed from my mantel.
The Art of the Week comes from DeviantArt artist Saryetta86. This is a photo-realistic take on Cooper’s and Murph’s gut-wrenching goodbye.
