A.C. Ahn's Blog

There's no place more crowded than this intersection of sidewalk and street.A figure flashes green, commanding the charge of two sides of people.People! And occasionally a lone car wanting to join the fray.Others like me sit still and watch,some with sandwiches, some holding hands;Not quite sure what we're looking for.Entertainment? No.Peace? No.Purpose? Please.There may be no place more crowded than this intersection of sidewalk and street,But there's nothing meaningful to find here.

Yes, it’s a quote of a quote of a quote, but it’s the best way to talk about Ex Machina. The British sci-fi/thriller film is about a programmer named Caleb Smith (Domhnall Gleeson) who is chosen by genius billionaire, Nathan Bateman (Oscar Isaac), to be the human component in a Turing test for Nathan’s artificial intelligence creation, Ava (Alicia Vikander). The ensuring plot concentrates on the interactions and motives among the three characters, exuding a fascinating stench that not only keeps the audience enthralled but also thinking. But despite how captivated I was at the theaters, Ex Machina becomes less and less impressive the more I actually think about it. It’s an unfortunate situation for such a promising film.The entire production is visually stunning, despite its limited settings, which sort of makes up for the defective parts. I was never bored by what was shown on the screen, and the dialogue and music helped too. The exchanges between Caleb and Nathan were smart, and I learned some interesting stuff about AI listening to their conversations. But more importantly, none of the spoken words seemed forced or written in a way to solely carry the plot. As for the music, there was a constant drumming in the background that added to the suspense, which I liked, but may have been overdone. As a directorial debut, I’d say Alex Garland should be proud of the direction he took his movie in.The actors should also be proud of their performances. Domhnall Gleeson as a 26-year-old programmer actually reminded me of a 26-year-old programmer I know; both are intelligent but extremely naive. And Oscar Isaac plays a convincing alcoholic genius. He was commanding in his character and succeeded in making me feel a little sorry for Nathan. Nathan and Caleb’s relationship is strange and predictable—since it’s the product between two humans. That makes each of their relationships with Ava unpredictable. Although she is an AI, she is given a gender, which creates different reactions from the two men (as one is like her father and the other acts as her suitor). Alicia Vikander pulls off the two acts perfectly, and she does it as a robot, which gives the film one of its creepy natures. (The other involves sexual perversion.) Her fluid yet mechanical movements, along with her ability to express and conceal certain emotions will possibly earn her some awards. So does Ava pass the Turing test (which is essentially a test to see if a machine exhibits intelligent behavior that is indistinguishable from that of a human)?Before all that I want to talk about why Ex Machina is only an above average viewing experience. Well, like with many sci-fi flicks, it’s because of the plot holes. After the credits started to roll, I started to think about the plot. And the more I thought, the more holes I could think of. I can’t reveal any of them without spoiling the movie, so you’re going to have to just take my word for it until you watch it yourself. I mentioned earlier that the dialogue doesn’t carry the plot in a contrived way, but some of the actions do.I also thought about the title and what it meant. Now, I found that the title of the film is derived from the phrase “deus ex machina” which literally means “god from the machine.” On screen, Nathan mistakes Caleb’s words of praise and thinks himself a god. But I guess by the phrase he is right: Nathan from the Ava—god from the machine. Which is why the quote up top is the most fitting for the film. The quote, originally from the Hindu scripture (Bhagavad Gita), is used by J. Robert Oppenheimer when commenting on the first artificial nuclear explosion. If Ava passes the Turing test, Nathan will have not only become a god of sorts but also Death. We’ve all seen the apocalyptic sci-fi’s with robots ruling the world, and Ava would be the start of it all. That’s probably what Garland wanted us to think about.So, does Ava pass the Turing test? I think the question we should be asking is does Ex Machinapass the Bechdel test? The Bechdel test determines if a movie suffers from gender inequality. So Ex Machina passes the Bechdel test if 1. it has at least two women in it; 2. who talk to each other; 3. about something besides a man. 1. yes; 2. sort of; 3. and no.

Time is Money. Who doesn’t know this old adage coined by Benjamin Franklin? Everyone, including you, has repeated this saying before, and those who have relied on it multiple times probably work too hard (or have a very high opinion of their own worth). But in any case, there’s no denying the validity of the phrase. Even writers live by it; they depend on it.In 1951, Ray Bradbury had the phrase forced upon himself when he wrote The Fireman. He rented a typewriter at the rate of ten cents per half-hour in UCLA’s Powell Library. It took him 49 hours—spread over nine days—to write the 25,000-word story. The endeavor cost him $9.80. (Almost $100 today.) Imagine the immense pressure he must have been under, not only by the thought that he had a wife and kids at home to support, but also by the fact that he was literally paying for time to write (to ultimately hopefully get paid). Time was money, and he was writing on a dime. But it all worked out for the best. He was later urged by his publisher to double the length of The Fireman so that they could sell a novel. So Bradbury returned to the typing room and completed the canonical work, Fahrenheit 451, in another nine days.I wanted to use this mentality to encourage myself to write more, so I incorporated the adage into my everyday life. Take a look at the watch my designer friend at Modify Watches made for me. It’s pretty cool if I do say so myself. It has the backside of an American dime printed on its face. So like with Bradbury, my time is literally running on a dime. It’s also convenient that the symbols and text on the dime work well to reinforce my writing spirit. The olive branch is a symbol of peace, something writers must be comfortable with when they write. In fact, it was Bradbury who gave the advice in his collection of essays on writing, Zen in the Art of Writing, to “Work. Don’t think. Relax.” The torch is a symbol of liberty, urging writers to run free with their ideas. The oak branch is a symbol of strength and independence, reminding writers that they can only truly rely on themselves to write everyday, and to never give up. Finally we’re left with the motto: E pluribus unum (Out of many, one). Benjamin Franklin, along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, proposed the motto for the first Great Seal of the United States in 1776. Its meaning, one from many, represents how out of many states (or at the time, colonies) emerges a single nation. Likewise, out of many days and pages of writing emerges a single novel. Even if I were to write only 1,000 words a day, I’d have written three 300+ paged books by the end of the year.So what time is it? It’s time to write!

There was a time when your word meant everything to me—Everything.I was clinging on to the edge of a cliff;your ands and buts providing ridges to grasponly to crumble and fall at the slightest touch.A murmur, a spell cascades like a waterfallthe basin is dry yet full of frogswith no where to lay their young except in the poolof your mouth.Bead by bead you spit them outlike watermelon seeds on a hot day.Words, no, sentences hatch with tiny tails of liesno one, nobody, nothing.

It's baseball seasona time when folksfrom all over the BayMake a pilgrimageto the city stadiumpacking trainscrowding roadslittering sidewalksAll to keepan American traditionalive

Everyday he'd bring two boxes of juice.Before anything else he'd finish oneand silently slide me the other.Always fruit punch, the straw punched in,leaning forwardI'd politely accept.A grin, happy yet empty,and I'd smile back, out of habitaided by a sourly tang.

Who is glued to what? I asked.The tip of the question sprung up in my headlike the lighter end of a freight shipsinking in the middle of the ocean.Cargo and meaning disappears into the hidden depths,until even the tip is swallowed beneath the surface.What was the question again?The click clank soon followed both hectic and rhythmic,like the waves crashing against the cliff side,eroding bits and pieces of its foundation.I became used to it.We all do, eventually.I peer over the shining light and see others identical,white blazing across their placid faces. Sheep in the light,blinded by the sheen of their own wool.Only with time does the wool darkenand people break away from the reflective glare,with eyes unobstructed to the reality.But by then it's too late.The vices become too familiar, comforting even,And the years,Too few...

Portraits hung across bright wallseach framing an elusive figureof the past. Some wear strokessmiling, as if their anguish has beenpainted over to be forgotton with time.

Bullet Point Reviewfungreat Jason Bateman movie; he's the best straight manties together the beginning and endmany twists to keep it interestinggreat writing, tightly written storycharacters have natural chemistrytypical final scene, wraps up squarely and a bit too nicelydoes hint at a potential sequeloverall had a surprisingly good timeChad: 4/5

The air is dustand the dust are thingsforgotten, slipped behinda couch herea bed thereScrews, wrappers, coins, and stringbits 'n pieces of a once greater wholebut put them together nowand there's nothing but trash.