*batteries not included

An agéd neighbourhood awkwardly scheduled for demolition posthaste, refuses to abandon one old school apartment and its rambunctious first floor diner.

The tenants see the surrounding wastes yet are unaffected by the deluge, continuing to live as they always have as if nothing has morphed, mutated.

The construction crew has to wait for the go ahead to destructively proceed, so they enjoy tasty heartfelt meals while negotiations wholeheartedly stall.

Unimaginative no-good-nics have been rashly trusted to encourage vacancies, but some people have lived there most of their lives and simply will not swiftly leave.

The rapscallions make things difficult and ruffle riled feathers with ill-gotten-ambition, while an elderly couple cooks crabs and captivates, and a nimble lass befriends an artist.

And just as the pressure seems too much and that their way of life may soon rapidly fade, mechanistic visitors from far off in space suddenly appear to set about fixing things.

Somewhat like Transformers inasmuch as they represent metallic life, they're also somewhat more adorable, and capable of reproducing.

I'm still not sure if enough research has been done to validate the benefits of artificial intelligence, if automatons are built by humans to act like humans is there not the potential for holistic disaster?

Data is generally calm and ubiquitously useful on STNG, but there are episodes when he malfunctions and almost kills the entire crew.

The reasons for his malfunctions are justified, it's like he was suddenly programmed to megalomaniac, but when he's sick the results are horrendous as opposed to the adorable cough of a feverish puppy.

If only I could trust humanoid leadership which seemed much more reliable from 1980 to 2015, but with the rise of Putin it irrefutably seems like imperialistic despots cannot be eradicated. 

The majority of the world may seek the safe integration of benevolent artificial life, but all it takes is one crazy person to hire someone with the knowhow to create fierce warlike robots.

Will the first person to possess the knowledge turn down trillions and keep it to him or herself?

I suppose there are many countries without nuclear weapons.

But forever is a very long time.

Blindspotting

Was really impressed with Blindspotting.

It's a tight hard-edged compassionate hands-on free-flowing intense look at strong characters making up for a lack of economic resources with innovative creative reflexive awe-inspiring initiative, their social capital worth millions in transferable commentaries, their general sobriety critically emancipating soul.

Daveed Diggs (Collin) and Rafael Casal (Miles) work exceptionally well together. They don't seem like actors, they seem like they are Collin and Miles and they're shooting a fictional documentary about their lives, so familiar with each other that they generate ultrareal cascading warp-driven synergies, which disperse practical blueprints for coping with traumatic situations.

Without being preachy.

Collin shouldn't have gone to prison but he did. He has three days of probation left when he witnesses a police officer shoot an unarmed African American multiple times.

If he says anything he may jeopardize his parole or just be chucked back in the slammer for an indefinite period of time.

Injustice haunts him as he jogs every morning yet he's composed enough to keep things calm, cool, and collected, most of the time, which reminded me of RBG.

Miles is more chaotic, a gifted salesperson who can't control his temper, gentrification unconsciously fuelling his rage. Collin looks out for him even though he causes trouble, their friendship enduring in spite of argumentative setbacks and controversial outbursts, the women in their lives doing what they can to cultivate a stable non-violent future (Janina Gavankar as Val and Jasmine Cephas Jones as Ashley).

They're clever.

The film's clever.

Practically every scene has relevant commentary that makes a thoughtful positive impact.

And it's not full of pity or sorrow.

It's rough at points, sensitive at others, a hardboiled blend of raw emotion and logical analysis skilfully woven into the script with expert timing that resonantly bleeds passion.

Making impacts on several fronts, from healthy living to reducing gun violence to making relationships work to listening to and challenging alternative points of view, it scorchingly boils international issues down to the local level, celebrating and criticizing Oakland to advocate change without ignoring how difficult change can be.

Unpasteurized sharp streetwise poetic honesty.

One of the best films I've seen this year.

Mulberry Street (Fantasia Fest 2007)

Mulberry Street is a really touching horror film. It’s one of the few horror flicks where I found myself genuinely caring for the characters and legitimately crushed when some of them bit it. Director Jim Mickle co-wrote the script with Nick Damici who also stars as Clutch, and the two manage to imbue the work with a romantic depth and gentle sensibility that one doesn't expect to find in a film about infected rats biting the citizens of Manhatten, turning them into blood sucking rat zombies. Mickle also tackles the process of gentrification within, deftly pointing out that reconstructing a neighbourhood has dire consequences for its impoverished residents. The rats come across like wealthy developers poisoning the region's humanity, turning friends against one another, leaving the poor with nothing to do but devour each other. A powerful horror flick with a poignant message, hang a right down Mulberry Street if you get the chance, and stay for a cup of delicately brewed scorching hot rat blood.