http://dystopia.com/ http://dystopia.com/movie/code-46.html
In Michael Winterbottom's science-fiction love story, Tim Robbins stars as Will, a fraud investigator who shows up at the huge Sphinx corporation to find out which employee has been making fake papelles--identity papers that allow people to travel. With an empathy virus inside of him so he can read people's minds, Will discovers that Maria Gonzalez (Samantha Morton) is the culprit, but he instantly falls in love with her and turns in someone else in her place, leading to a dangerous affair that jeopardizes his family, his career, and his life.

The blossoming romance between Will and Maria is reminiscent of the classic BRIEF ENCOUNTER, in which two people are willing to risk so much for true love. Winterbottom, who previously scored such indie hits as 24 HOUR PARTY PEOPLE and WONDERLAND, combines with screenwriter Frank Cottrell Boyce, Academy Award winner Robbins, and Oscar nominee Morton in creating a unique vision of a technologically advanced but emotionally vapid future--except for those citizens who have been banished to the outside, where they struggle every day but have a greater understanding of what's real. CODE 46 is filled with twists, with the unexpected waiting around every corner, but at the heart of the film is the heartbreaking relationship between two compelling cinematic characters.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/code-46.html#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:32:01 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/code-46.html http://dystopia.com/movie/ultraviolet.html
In ULTRAVIOLET's mid-21st century, a virus has turned part of the earth's population into "hemophages," vampire-like creatures with heightened speed and dexterity, and a fascist government is intent on stamping them out. Enter Violet (Milla Jovovich), a hemophage determined to fight for her people. Her battle takes an unexpected turn, however, when she finds herself protecting Six (Cameron Bright), a mysterious young child who was raised in a lab. Tailor-made for young action fans raised on anime and videogames who want nothing more than to see a beautiful heroine leave a path of destruction behind her, ULTRAVIOLET cross-pollinates plot threads from popular franchises like THE MATRIX and UNDERWORLD.

Creating a brightly hued, soft-focus environment constructed entirely with CGI and a green screen, ULTRAVIOLET's look is much like SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW (2004). Cementing the reputation she established with similar athletic, minimally clothed roles in THE FIFTH ELEMENT and the RESIDENT EVIL films, Jovovich will go down in the books as a sci-fi femme fatale for the ages. Her Ultraviolet--who inexplicably changes her hair color and outfits seemingly at will--is a lethal melding of Morticia Adams at a rave and KILL BILL's Bride. Pulling off moves that clearly demonstrate the training she underwent for the role, and usually with a bare midriff, she gives her fans plenty to enjoy. Wimmer wisely leaves the door open for further adventures in the saga.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/ultraviolet.html#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:29:08 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/ultraviolet.html http://dystopia.com/movie/pleasantville.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/pleasantville.html#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:25:49 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/pleasantville.html http://dystopia.com/movie/the-village.html
A meticulous filmmaker, Shyamalan displays his penchant for setting up a fascinating atmosphere in every aspect of the movie, from its distinctive color scheme to its intentionally genteel dialogue to its outstanding cinematography, courtesy of Roger Deakins. Renowned cast members Phoenix, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, and Adrien Brody are excellent, but the true standout is Bryce Dallas Howard (daughter of director Ron Howard), who embodies the heart of the film with her vulnerable but fiercely vital performance. Like Shyamalan's other movies, THE VILLAGE has a distinct twist that offers shocking revelations, but this film's overwhelming sense of menace is what is sure to resonate with viewers long after it's over.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/the-village.html#comments Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:24:43 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/the-village.html http://dystopia.com/movie/renaissance.html
Christian Volckman's first feature film is rendered in astonishing black-and-white "motion capture" animation that continually yields inventive and subtle visual surprises--car chases take on cosmic proportions, cigarette smoke engulfs an entire room like a lovely wraith, and the already beautiful Parisian skyline becomes a dizzying, jeweled spectacle.

A descendent of classic science-fiction tech-noir like BLADERUNNER, Volckman's film envisions the near future as a cold and heartless place where corporations are supreme and surface beauty is everything; whole scenes are constructed from reflections in nighttime windows, mirrors, and other shiny expanses, and false (but pretty) facades are created to confuse and imprison characters. This constant emphasis on empty, backwards images supports Volckman's seeming disgust with society's preoccupation with youthful beauty (and the multibillion-dollar cosmetic industries that keep us hooked), although his own film is relentlessly gorgeous.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/renaissance.html#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:16:39 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/renaissance.html http://dystopia.com/movie/animatrix.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/animatrix.html#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:13:04 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/animatrix.html http://dystopia.com/movie/i-robot.html
I, Robot employs spectacular visual effects innovations beyond any ever before put on screen to bring a world of robots to life. The character of Sonny, a special robot who holds the key to a murder -- and perhaps the survival of the human race -- represents the cutting edge in photorealism. Indeed, Sonny is the most realistic, emotionally complete, three-dimensional CGI character ever created on film.

I, Robot is directed by Alex Proyas ("Dark City," "The Crow"), who creates an extraordinary future Chicago -- circa 2035 -- where robots are completely integrated into society. Bridget Moynahan stars opposite Will Smith, as the robot psychologist Dr. Susan Calvin. Bruce Greenwood plays Lawrence Robertson, the corporate head of U.S. Robotics, and Chi McBride portrays Spooner’s boss and friend Lt. John Bergin. Actor Alan Tudyk’s physical performance inspired the digital creation of the robot Sonny. James Cromwell plays the pivotal role of the brilliant and reclusive scientist Dr. Alfred Lanning.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/i-robot.html#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:09:57 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/i-robot.html http://dystopia.com/movie/wall-e.html
Director Andrew Stanton kicked up the visual acuity of an already-stellar Pixar Studios in 2003 with his reflective, refractive, color-shimmery realization of FINDING NEMO's oceanic world, which genuinely felt as though it spanned the entire earth. Now, with WALL-E, Stanton replaces an estranged journeyer of an apprehensively fishy disposition with a curious and love-struck robotic one, allowing the quest for eternal love to extend from a desolate, dust-covered, palpably polluted future Earth and into an even more mysterious abyss: the far reaches of outer space.

With virtually no dialogue, WALL-E's neatly contained, eerily vaudevillian first act introduces the tragic robot of the title. Whirring amid dilapidated skyscrapers and equally tall compacted trash heaps, he's the last living thing on Earth (aside from a little cockroach friend). WALL-E has developed a tender and inquisitive personality doing what he was built to do--allocate and dispose of human waste--day in and day out for the past 700 years simply because no one turned him off when the human race left the now-hostile planet.

Soon though, the directive-oriented automaton Eve comes crashing into WALL-E's life from above, immediately becoming the object of his infatuation. At the drop of a hat, the little guy follows her back into the dangerous unknown, where the sight of two robots gliding through the cosmic ether, dancing via fire-extinguisher propulsion, joins the many memorable moments of a deceptively simple, expansively romantic story.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/wall-e.html#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:04:50 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/wall-e.html http://dystopia.com/movie/the-island.html
Together with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson), Lincoln makes a daring escape to the outside world he's never known. Now, with the forces of the institute that once housed them relentlessly hunting them down, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a desperate race for their lives. Rounding out the main cast of "The Island" are Oscar® nominee Djimon Hounsou ("In America," "Gladiator") as the leader of the security team pursuing Lincoln and Jordan; Sean Bean ("National Treasure," "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) as the head of the Institute; Steve Buscemi ("Ghost World," "Armageddon") as a man who befriends Lincoln despite working for the institute; and Oscar® nominee Michael Clarke Duncan ("The Green Mile," "Armageddon") as another resident who is elated and envied when he is selected to go to "The Island."

Michael Bay directed "The Island" from a screenplay by Caspian Tredwell-Owen and Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, based on a story by Tredwell-Owen. Walter F. Parkes, Michael Bay and Ian Bryce produced the film, with Laurie MacDonald serving as executive producer. "The Island" is a co-production of DreamWorks Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures, with DreamWorks distributing the film domestically and Warner Bros. handling the international release.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/the-island.html#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 20:00:45 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/the-island.html http://dystopia.com/movie/aeon-flux.html
Based on a series of animated shorts that aired on MTV, the live-action feature film version stars Charlize Theron, in jet black hair, as the secret agent of the title. Aeon Flux is a Monican who has been ordered to assassinate Trevor Goodchild (Martin Csokas), the leader of Bregna--a futuristic walled city that is the last vestige of humanity on 25th-century earth. But a long-buried memory prevents her from killing him, ultimately making both of them targets. As Trevor battles his brother, Oren (Jonny Lee Miller), for control of Bregna, Aeon seeks revenge for the murder of her sister (Amelia Warner) while also being hunted down by her former partner, Sithandra (Sophie Okonedo).

At the center of it all is a secret that threatens to tear everything apart. Theron, who performed most of her own stunts, glides through the film in barely-there outfits, while also jumping, running, slinking, diving, and cartwheeling her way through dangerous situations, recalling the gorgeous movements made by the animated version.

The film alternates between stark gray-and-white sets and brilliant splashes of red, green, and yellow, adding a vibrancy that befits a cartoon adaptation. The taut script, by Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi (who previously teamed up on CRAZY/BEAUTIFUL), delves deep into the relationships of siblings that often border between love and hate. Graeme Revell's smart score never overwhelms the action, which involves a lot of automatic weapons, and Oscar winner Frances McDormand and Oscar nominee Pete Postlethwaite feature in small roles.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/movie/aeon-flux.html#comments Mon, 06 Jul 2009 19:53:24 GMT http://dystopia.com/movie/aeon-flux.html http://dystopia.com/book/time-out-of-joint.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/time-out-of-joint.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:19:45 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/time-out-of-joint.html http://dystopia.com/book/the-three-stigmata-of-palmer-eldritch.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/the-three-stigmata-of-palmer-eldritch.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:17:42 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/the-three-stigmata-of-palmer-eldritch.html http://dystopia.com/book/the-space-merchants.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/the-space-merchants.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:16:11 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/the-space-merchants.html http://dystopia.com/book/battle-royale.html
As part of a ruthless program by the totalitarian government, ninth-grade students are taken to a small isolated island with a map, food, and various weapons. Forced to wear special collars that explode when they break a rule, they must fight each other for three days until only one "winner" remains. The elimination contest becomes the ultimate in must-see reality television.

A Japanese pulp classic available in English for the first time, Battle Royale is a potent allegory of what it means to be young and survive in today's dog-eat-dog world. The first novel by small-town journalist Koushun Takami, it went on to become an even more notorious film by 70-year-old gangster director Kinji Fukusaku.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/battle-royale.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:14:27 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/battle-royale.html http://dystopia.com/book/warday.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/warday.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:12:59 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/warday.html http://dystopia.com/book/atlas-shrugged.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/atlas-shrugged.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:09:00 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/atlas-shrugged.html http://dystopia.com/book/stand-on-zanzibar.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/stand-on-zanzibar.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:05:33 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/stand-on-zanzibar.html http://dystopia.com/book/the-trial.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/the-trial.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:03:55 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/the-trial.html http://dystopia.com/book/we.html
One number, D-503, chief architect of the Integral, decides to record his thoughts in the final days before the launch for the benefit of less advanced societies. But a chance meeting with the beautiful 1-330 results in an unexpected discovery that threatens everything D-503 believes about himself and the One State. The discovery — or rediscovery — of inner space...and that disease the ancients called the soul.

A page-turning SF adventure, a masterpiece of wit and black humor that accurately predicted the horrors of Stalinism, We is the classic dystopian novel. Its message of hope and warning is as timely at the end of the twentieth century as it was at the beginning.]]> anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/we.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 21:01:47 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/we.html http://dystopia.com/book/fatherland.html anonymous http://dystopia.com/book/fatherland.html#comments Sun, 24 May 2009 20:59:29 GMT http://dystopia.com/book/fatherland.html