Devs (2020)

There are some really beautiful things happening in Alex Garland's miniseries Devs. What it has to say about humanity is kind of profound. How it gets there though is a rather heady theoretical physics sci-fi lesson. And I didn't really follow it all the way through. I barely understood enough to get the ending. The show overall is extremely slow. I don't think they really needed 8 episodes. Kenton is really absolutely necessary to the core plot; he's more of a distraction. The acting is also really robotic, probably intentionally so. Nick Offerman is certainly cast against type in a dramatic role; it's didn't quite work for me just because we know Ron Swanson and I can't dissociate him from that character.  It's all really unsettling--the sound design, the set, the giant statue of Amaya that never really plays a part but to show how weird this place is.

Annihilation (2018)

I was freaking out while watching this movie, but I feel like I appreciate it so much more in retrospect. It is a trippy science fiction instant classic. Alex Garland has proven himself as a new master of unsettling sci-fi. The ending of this movie is open ended, but I'm somehow unconvinced of the open-endedness. Can we trust the Natalie Portman's biased account of what happened in the shimmer? Can we trust what we saw on screen? I don't know and it troubles me.

Ex Machina (2015)

This is a thriller that achieves its thrilling aspect without action sequences.  This is a more psychological thriller.  It does not slack on an intellectual level at all, embracing the "science" in science fiction--explaining the computer science behind Ava and the complexities of a Turing test.  The movie is one long thought experiment that waxes philosophical provokes the audience into contemplating artificial intelligence.  How can it be achieved? What will it look like? What will it be capable of? How will we know when it becomes self aware? Can we distinguish between artificial intelligence and natural intelligence? Where is technology going?

The story takes place in a secluded estate in the middle of the woods in an environment that resembles Fallingwater.  This is a state-of-the-art facility with security cameras everywhere, ominous lighting and an ultra-modern stylish design to match a stylish movie. The twist at the end is somewhat expected, but extremely well executed and highly satisfying.

The acting is all superb.  Oscar Isaac plays the rich and eccentric Nathan, the CEO of a large search engine, who lives far away from civilization alone with his maid.  Isaac leaves the audience questioning his motives throughout the movie.  Domhnall Gleeson, too, is excellent as an inquisitive, curious Turing test administrator.  But Alicia Vikander steals the show as Ava, Nathan's AI creation. She is simultaneously robotic and human, blurring the already thin line between technology and humanity.