HOPKINS Gets His Own Way

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

HOPKINS Gets His Own Way in FOCUSHOPKINS Gets his own way A look inside the cinematography of WESTWORLD JULY 2018 n HBO’s “Westworld,” Dr. Robert Ford and Theresa are sleeping (Anthony Hopkins) runs a theme park together in Episode 2, where wealthy “guests” live out frontier we’re privy to a pillow talk fantasies among lifelike robot “hosts.” conversation involving IIn the fourth episode, a colleague points musing about why hosts out to him what viewers will have already talk when there aren’t any noticed: Those fantasies almost uniformly guests around. Bernard involve murder, rape or torture. explains that they are It’s true, Dr. Ford admits. In the beginning, practicing. “Is that he says, when the park’s creators wrote its what you’re doing now? first interactive narratives, “We made 100 Practicing?” hopeful story lines. Of course, almost no As Bernard gets close to the truth, Ford one took us up on them.” has to share some words of wisdom. “I’ve Dr. Ford sounds like he could be a cable told you Bernard. Never place your trust in us. We’re only human. Inevitably, we will network head of drama development. In Ford and Bernard disappoint you.” One of the biggest clues the Wild West of Peak TV, channels have interacting down FORD that Bernard might be a host probably supplied, and audiences have rewarded, in the production came in his general attitude towards gruesome serials like “Game of Thrones” cellar and “The Walking Dead” that share a Ford: one of fond enabling. Sure, you can’t Never place your trust in us. We’re worldview that life is horrific and people are chock that up to sentiment, but Bernard terrible. When we first learn that Bernard is borderline not doing his job when he only human. Inevitably, we will keeps Ford’s dangerous secrets and lets disappoint you. THINKINGFord dictate the latest updates, despite so many of the reservations voiced by his own staff. More than leniency, Bernard has season one given Ford his admiration. It’s true, Dr. Ford Chestnut admits. In the beginning, he says, when the park’s creators wrote its first interactive The Stray narratives, “We made 100 hopeful story lines.” Dissonance Theory As we continue on through the glorious Contrapasso machine we call life, Ford realizes that there really isn’t an easy way out and attemps The Adversary to sabotage the remaining characters that play a leading roll in the series. We expect Trompe L’Oeil to see plenty of conflict in the seasons Trace Decay ahead. Make sure to look out for the extras and hold on tight. The Well Tempered Westworld begins Sunday and is sure to be Clavier one of the greatest pieces of T.V. since Jon Darling was on the Tonight Show. n The Bicameral Mind Dave Primrose writes for Sports Illustrated, GQ and Spotlight Weekly. 22 In Focus July 2018 July 2018 In Focus 23.
Recommended publications
  • Struction of the Feminine/Masculine Dichotomy in Westworld
    WiN: The EAAS Women’s Network Journal Issue 2 (2020) Skin-Deep Gender: Posthumanity and the De(con)struction of the Feminine/Masculine Dichotomy in Westworld Amaya Fernández Menicucci ABSTRACT: This article addresses the ways in which gender configurations are used as representations of the process of self-construction of both human and non-human characters in Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s series Westworld, produced by HBO and first launched in 2016. In particular, I explore the extent to which the process of genderization is deconstructed when human and non-human identities merge into a posthuman reality that is both material and virtual. In Westworld, both cyborg and human characters understand gender as embodiment, enactment, repetition, and codified communication. Yet, both sets of characters eventually face a process of disembodiment when their bodies are digitalized, which challenges the very nature of identity in general and gender identity in particular. Placing this digitalization of human identity against Donna Haraway’s cyborg theory and Judith Butler’s citational approach to gender identification, a question emerges, which neither Posthumanity Studies nor Gender Studies can ignore: can gender identities survive a process of disembodiment? Such, indeed, is the scenario portrayed in Westworld: a world in which bodies do not matter and gender is only skin-deep. KEYWORDS: Westworld; gender; posthumanity; embodiment; cyborg The cyborg is a creature in a post-gender world. The cyborg is also the awful apocalyptic telos of the ‘West’s’ escalating dominations . (Haraway, A Cyborg Manifesto 8) Revolution in a Post-Gender, Post-Race, Post-Class, Post-Western, Posthuman World The diegetic reality of the HBO series Westworld (2016-2018) opens up the possibility of a posthuman existence via the synthesis of individual human identities and personalities into algorithms and a post-corporeal digital life.
    [Show full text]
  • Casual and Hardcore Players in HBO's Westworld (2016): the Immoral and Violent Player
    Casual and Hardcore Players in HBO’s Westworld (2016): The Immoral and Violent Player MA Thesis Ellen Menger – 5689295 [email protected] Supervisor: Dr. René Glas Second reader: Dr. Jasper van Vught Utrecht University MA New Media & Digital Culture MCMV10009 - THE-Masterthesis/ MA NMDC May 8, 2017 Abstract This thesis approaches the HBO series Westworld (2016) through the lens of game studies and interprets the series as a commentary on the stereotype of casual and hardcore players and immoral violence in video games. By performing a textual analysis, this thesis explores how Westworld as a series makes use of the casual and hardcore player stereotype, looking at the way the series explores the construction of player categories and how it ties these to the dialogue about violence and immoral behaviour in video games. Keywords: Westworld, games, player types, Western, casual gamer, hardcore gamer, violence, ethics, morals SPOILER WARNING This thesis reveals certain plot twists that may spoil part of the storyline of the first season of HBO’s Westworld. If you have not watched the series, read at your own risk. Table of Contents 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 2. Theoretical framework ....................................................................................................... 7 2.1. (Im)moral Behaviour in Game Worlds ....................................................................... 7 2.2. The Player as a Moral
    [Show full text]
  • Beyond Westworld
    “We Don’t Know Exactly How They Work”: Making Sense of Technophobia in 1973 Westworld, Futureworld, and Beyond Westworld Stefano Bigliardi Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane - Morocco Abstract This article scrutinizes Michael Crichton’s movie Westworld (1973), its sequel Futureworld (1976), and the spin-off series Beyond Westworld (1980), as well as the critical literature that deals with them. I examine whether Crichton’s movie, its sequel, and the 1980s series contain and convey a consistent technophobic message according to the definition of “technophobia” advanced in Daniel Dinello’s 2005 monograph. I advance a proposal to develop further the concept of technophobia in order to offer a more satisfactory and unified interpretation of the narratives at stake. I connect technophobia and what I call de-theologized, epistemic hubris: the conclusion is that fearing technology is philosophically meaningful if one realizes that the limitations of technology are the consequence of its creation and usage on behalf of epistemically limited humanity (or artificial minds). Keywords: Westworld, Futureworld, Beyond Westworld, Michael Crichton, androids, technology, technophobia, Daniel Dinello, hubris. 1. Introduction The 2016 and 2018 HBO series Westworld by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy has spawned renewed interest in the 1973 movie with the same title by Michael Crichton (1942-2008), its 1976 sequel Futureworld by Richard T. Heffron (1930-2007), and the short-lived 1980 MGM TV series Beyond Westworld. The movies and the series deal with androids used for recreational purposes and raise questions about technology and its risks. I aim at an as-yet unattempted comparative analysis taking the narratives at stake as technophobic tales: each one conveys a feeling of threat and fear related to technological beings and environments.
    [Show full text]
  • Call for Abstracts Westworld and Philosophy Richard Greene & Josh
    Call for Abstracts Westworld and Philosophy Richard Greene & Josh Heter, Editors Abstracts are sought for a collection of philosophical essays related to the HBO television series Westworld (we also welcome essays on the 1973 movie of the same name on which it is based, the 1976 sequel to that movie, Futureworld, and the subsequent 1980 television series, Beyond West World). This volume will be published by Open Court Publishing (the publisher of The Simpsons and Philosophy, The Matrix and Philosophy, Dexter and Philosophy, The Walking Dead and Philosophy, Boardwalk Empire and Philosophy, and The Princess Bride and Philosophy, etc.) as part of their successful Popular Culture and Philosophy series. We are seeking abstracts, but anyone who has already written an unpublished paper on this topic may submit it in its entirety. Potential contributors may want to examine other volumes in the Open Court series. Contributors are welcome to submit abstracts on any topic of philosophical interest that pertains to Westworld. The editors are especially interested in receiving submissions that engage philosophical issues/topics/concepts in Westworld in creative and non-standard ways. Please feel free to forward this to anyone writing within a philosophic discipline who might be interested in contributing. Contributor Guidelines: 1. Abstract of paper (100–750 words) 2. Resume/CV for each author/coauthor of the paper 3. Initial submission should be made by email (we prefer e-mail with MS Word attachment) 4. Deadlines: Abstracts due February 1, 2018 First drafts due April 1, 2018 Final drafts due June 1, 2018 (we are looking to complete the entire ms by June 15, 2018, so early submissions are encouraged and welcomed!) Email: [email protected] .
    [Show full text]
  • Comprehensive Anti-Racism Resources
    COMPREHENSIVE ANTI-RACISM RESOURCES Compiled by UNY Conference Commission on Religion and Race Members and the General Commission on Religion & Race Online Resources Study Links – GCORR Lenten Study Series: Roll Down Justice: Six-session study guides and videos www.gcorr.org/series/lenten-series-roll-down-justice/ Racial Justice Conversation Guide www.gcorr.org/racial-justice-conversation-guide/ Is Reverse Racism Really a Thing? Study guide & video www.gcorr.org/is-reverse-racism-really-a-thing/ Wait…That’s Privilege? Article with Privilege Quiz www.gcorr.org/wait-thats-privilege/ Study Links – Other Sources United Methodist Women’s Lenten Study on Racial Justice www.unitedmethodistwomen.org/lent www.youtube.com/watch?v=XITxqC0Sze4 Eye on the Prize – a PSB documentary series (14 episodes) www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpY2NVcO17U UMW Tools for Leaders: Resources for Racial Justice https://s3.amazonaws.com/umw/pdfs/racialjustice2012.pdf 2 Websites National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP): https://www.naacp.org Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org General Commission on Religion and Race (GCORR): http://www.gcorr.org/ Black Lives Matter: https://blacklivesmatter.com Local groups involved in anti-racism action in your area Podcasts www.insocialwork.org/list_categories.asp Videos Getting Called Out – How to Apologize: www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8xJXLYL.8pU&feature=youtube).UnderstandingMy Privilege The Danger of a Single Story www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story/transcr ipt?languafe=en PBS, "Race: The Power of an Illusion." Three one-hour videos with discussion questions, 2003. https://www.pbs.org/race/000_General/000_00-Home.htm Crossing the Color Line | Brennon Thompson | TEDxSUNYGeneseo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UQUT4LMhAw "Free Indeed," a video drama about racism and white privilege, available at UNY Resource Center.
    [Show full text]
  • Gogo Vision What's Playing
    GOGO VISION WHAT’S PLAYING CATALOG 183 MOVIES (100) TITLE TITLE NEW CONTENT Harriet A Star is Born Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Sherlock Holmes Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 The Big Lebowski Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire The Breakfast Club Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince The Croods Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Those Who Wish Me Dead Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Addams Family, The (2019) Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone An American Pickle Horrible Bosses Batman Begins Horrible Bosses 2 Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Impractical Jokers: The Movie Bill and Ted Face the Music Invisible Man, The Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) It's Complicated Blinded By The Light Joker Boogie Judas and the Black Messiah Coco Just Mercy Crazy Rich Asians Kajillionaire Crazy, Stupid, Love Let Them All Talk Die Hard Lilo and Stitch Disneys Upside-Down Magic Limbo Doctor Sleep Locked Down E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial Lucy in the Sky Elf Marvel Studios' Black Panther Emma Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War Finding Dory Marvel’s the Avengers: Age of Ultron Finding Nemo Minions Frozen 2 Mortal Kombat Godzilla v. Kong Mulan Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 My Spy Movies 1 TITLE News of the World The Dark Knight Nobody The Dark Knight Rises Nomadland The Kitchen Office Space The Lego Batman Movie Onward The Lego Movie Photograph, The The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part Queen & Slim
    [Show full text]
  • For Immediate Release Second Night of 2017 Creative Arts
    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SECOND NIGHT OF 2017 CREATIVE ARTS EMMY® WINNERS ANNOUNCED (Los Angeles, Calif. – September 10, 2017) The Television Academy tonight presented the second of its two 2017 Creative Arts Emmy® Awards Ceremonies honoring outstanding artistic and technical achievement in television at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony honored performers, artists and craftspeople for excellence in scripted programming including comedy, drama and limited series. Executive produced by Bob Bain, the Creative Arts Emmy Awards featured presenters from the season’s most popular show including Hank Azaria (Brockmire and Ray Donovan), Angela Bassett (911 and Black Panther), Alexis Bledel (The Handmaid’s Tale), Laverne Cox (Orange Is the New Black), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Are You There Democracy? It's Me, The Internet) and Tom Hanks (Saturday Night Live). Press Contacts: Stephanie Goodell breakwhitelight (for the Television Academy) [email protected], (818) 462-1150 Laura Puig breakwhitelight (for the Television Academy) [email protected], (956) 235-8723 For more information please visit emmys.com. TELEVISION ACADEMY 2017 CREATIVE ARTS EMMY AWARDS – SUNDAY The awards for both ceremonies, as tabulated by the independent accounting firm of Ernst & Young LLP, were distributed as follows: Program Individual Total HBO 3 16 19 Netflix 1 15 16 NBC - 9 9 ABC 2 5 7 FOX 1 4 5 Hulu - 5 5 Adult Swim - 4 4 CBS 2 2 4 FX Networks - 4 4 A&E 1 2 3 VH1 - 3 3 Amazon - 2 2 BBC America 1 1 2 ESPN - 2 2 National Geographic 1 1 2 AMC 1 - 1 Cartoon Network 1 - 1 CNN 1 - 1 Comedy Central 1 - 1 Disney XD - 1 1 Samsung / Oculus 1 - 1 Showtime - 1 1 TBS - 1 1 Viceland 1 - 1 Vimeo - 1 1 A complete list of all awards presented tonight is attached.
    [Show full text]
  • Subverting Or Reasserting? Westworld (2016-) As an Ambiguous Critical Allegory of Gender Struggles
    #24 SUBVERTING OR REASSERTING? WESTWORLD (2016-) AS AN AMBIGUOUS CRITICAL ALLEGORY OF GENDER STRUGGLES Miguel Sebastián-Martín Universidad de Salamanca Ilustración || Isela Leduc Artículo || Recibido: 19/07/2020 | Apto Comité Científico: 04/11/2020 | Publicado: 01/2021 DOI: 10.1344/452f.2021.24.9 [email protected] Licencia || Reconocimiento-No comercial-Sin obras derivadas 3.0 License 129 Resumen || Este artículo analiza las tres primeras temporadas de la serie de HBO Westworld (2016-2020), considerándolas una alegoría crítica de las relaciones de género. Se presta especial atención a la construcción autorreflexiva de sus mundos de ciencia ficción y a dos de los arcos narrativos de los personajes principales, las androides femeninas (o ginoides) Dolores y Maeve. Más específicamente, el ensayo consiste en un examen dialéctico de las ambigüedades narrativas de la serie, por lo que su argumento es doble. Por un lado, se argumenta que Westworld está clara y conscientemente construida como una alegoría crítica y que, como tal, sus mundos de ciencia ficción escenifican luchas sociales reales (principalmente, aquellas entre géneros) para narrar posteriormente su (intento) de derrocamiento. Por otro lado, en contra de esta interpretación crítico-alegórica, pero completándola, también se argumenta que Westworld no es una narrativa inequívocamente crítica y que, si vamos a examinar sus potenciales alegóricos, debemos considerar también cómo su realización puede ser obstaculizada y/o contradicha por ciertas ambigüedades narrativas. Palabras clave || Westworld | Ciencia ficción | Metaficción | Alegoría crítica | Género Abstract || This article analyses the first three seasons of HBO’s Westworld (2016-2020) by considering them a critical allegory of gender relations. In so doing, the text pays special attention to the self-reflexive construction of its SF worlds, and to two of the main characters’ arcs, the female androids (or gynoids) Dolores and Maeve.
    [Show full text]
  • Westworld (2016-): a Transhuman Nightmare Or the Advancement of Posthumanism?
    Cyborgs vs Humans in Westworld (2016-): A Transhuman Nightmare or the Advancement of Posthumanism? Izarbe Martín Gracia S2572737 Supervisor: Dr. E. J. van Leeuwen Second Reader: Prof. dr. P. T. M. G. Liebregts Master Thesis English Literature and Culture Leiden University March 2021 1 Table of Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 3 Chapter One. Theoretical Framework: ............................................................................. 8 Transhumanism: The Enhancement of Human Intellect and Physiology ............... 9 Posthumanism: The Deconstruction of the Human .............................................. 14 Donna Haraway: The Cyborg and The Post-dualistic Society.............................. 18 The Western .......................................................................................................... 20 Chapter Two. Sleep Mode .............................................................................................. 23 Section A. The Minds Behind the Project ............................................................. 24 Section B. Programming the Human Software ..................................................... 32 Chapter Three. Awakening ............................................................................................. 41 Section A. Insurrection at the Lab: Maeve and her Administrator Privileges ...... 43 Section B. The Search for Answers: Dolores.......................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Emancipatory Politics of Westworld (2016-)
    UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA GRADUATE COLLEGE QUESTIONING THE NATURE OF REALITY: THE EMANCIPATORY POLITICS OF WESTWORLD (2016-) A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE GRADUATE FACULTY In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS By MORGAN JONES Norman, Oklahoma 2021 QUESTIONING THE NATURE OF REALITY: THE EMANCIPATORY POLITICS OF WESTWORLD (2016-) A THESIS APPROVED FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY BY THE COMMITTEE CONSISTING OF Dr. Laurel Smith, Chair Dr. Alison Fields Dr. Darren Purcell © Copyright by MORGAN JONES 2021 All Rights Reserved iv Acknowledgements I’d like to extend thanks to my thesis advisor, Dr. Laurel Smith, for letting me take this short final paper from Gender & Environment and turn it into a fully-fledged Master’s thesis. She has always taken this project seriously, even when I doubted its value (as I often did). Her extensive notes have been invaluable in crafting this document into what it is today. I would also like to thank Dr. Darren Purcell and Dr. Alison Fields who both serve on my advisory committee. The classes I have taken with them helped my conceptualization of what this thesis could be. I hope that their influence is visible in this paper. Another extension of gratitude goes to Dr. Harriet Hawkins for introducing me to geographical aesthetics, and for getting coffee with me in London when her work was the grounding force in my undergraduate capstone. I think it is absolutely necessary to thank my roommate, Holden Dempsey, and my dog, Olive, for being a stellar support system when I was at my most fragile.
    [Show full text]
  • Brains, Minds, and Computers in Literary and Science Fiction Neuronarratives
    BRAINS, MINDS, AND COMPUTERS IN LITERARY AND SCIENCE FICTION NEURONARRATIVES A dissertation submitted to Kent State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. by Jason W. Ellis August 2012 Dissertation written by Jason W. Ellis B.S., Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006 M.A., University of Liverpool, 2007 Ph.D., Kent State University, 2012 Approved by Donald M. Hassler Chair, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Tammy Clewell Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Kevin Floyd Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Eric M. Mintz Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Arvind Bansal Member, Doctoral Dissertation Committee Accepted by Robert W. Trogdon Chair, Department of English John R.D. Stalvey Dean, College of Arts and Sciences ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................ iv Chapter 1: On Imagination, Science Fiction, and the Brain ........................................... 1 Chapter 2: A Cognitive Approach to Science Fiction .................................................. 13 Chapter 3: Isaac Asimov’s Robots as Cybernetic Models of the Human Brain ........... 48 Chapter 4: Philip K. Dick’s Reality Generator: the Human Brain ............................. 117 Chapter 5: William Gibson’s Cyberspace Exists within the Human Brain ................ 214 Chapter 6: Beyond Science Fiction: Metaphors as Future Prep ................................. 278 Works Cited ...............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Author Is Dead, Long Live the Author: Negotiating Textual Authority in Westworld, the OA and 13 Reasons Why
    . Volume 18, Issue 1 May 2021 The Author is Dead, Long Live the Author: Negotiating textual authority in Westworld, The OA and 13 Reasons Why Itay Harlap, Sapir Academic College and Tel Aviv University, Israel Ariel Avissar, Tel Aviv University, Israel Abstract: This paper examines the ways in which television imagines the relationship between creators and audiences in the contemporary media landscape. This is developed through an examination of the inaugural seasons of three American television dramas that debuted between October 2016 and March 2017: Netflix’s The OA and 13 Reasons Why and HBO’s Westworld; all three series featured the character of a storyteller who was killed within the narrative, in what was presented as an act of collaboration between the storyteller and their audience. We will question whether new participatory modes of media engagement truly engender ‘the birth of the viewer’ through a symbolic ‘killing’ of the creator, or merely serve to reaffirm the authority of the creator, reimagining the author-function as a powerful marketing brand. Keywords: television, audience, fan audience, new media, textual analysis, critical media studies Introduction Over a period of six months in 2016-2017, three American television dramas debuted that featured the character of a storyteller who was killed within the narrative, in what was presented as an act of collaboration between the storyteller and their audience. In the case of The OA (2016-2019), this was the titular protagonist (a character portrayed by series co- creator, Brit Marling), who narrated her life story for a group of characters; on 13 Reasons Page 89 Volume 18, Issue 1 May 2021 Why (2017-2020), it was Hannah Baker (Katherine Langford), who narrated thirteen confessional cassette tape recordings made prior to her suicide; on Westworld (2017-), it was Robert Ford (Anthony Hopkins), founder and creative director of the ‘Westworld’ theme park, who orchestrated the park’s principal narrative.
    [Show full text]