IT Movies

[Gouki]

Ok. I have no idea of why this isnt quoting...!

[Andromeda43]

If you love old movies that deal with IT and how computers worked their way into our everyday lives, "Desk Set" is a must-see.

Based on the Broadway play by Robert Fryer and Lawrence Carr, Desk Set represents the eighth screen teaming of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. Hepburn plays the head of a TV network research department; Tracy plays an efficiency expert, hired to modernize Hepburn's operation. When Tracy has a huge computer installed, Hepburn and her co-workers (including Joan Blondell and Sue "Miss Landers" Randall) fear that they're going to lose their jobs. Their suspicions are confirmed when the computer merrily begins issuing pink termination slips. But something is obviously amiss: the computer not only fires the ladies, but also the head of the network--and Tracy, who isn't even on the company payroll! At this point, Tracy explains that the computer was designed to help Hepburn and her staff and not replace them; he also confesses that, given the pink-slip incident, this might not have been such a hot idea. But Hepburn, who has fallen in love with Tracy, is in just the right mood to forgive him--and doesn't need to consult her research files to come up with this decision. -- Hal Erickson

Among the weaker of the Spencer Tracy-Katharine Hepburn films, Desk Set is nonetheless an enjoyable and entertaining trifle. Inevitably dated, the topical film (and play upon which it was based) probably packed more punch when initially released; even today, however, there's more than enough here to make this a worthwhile viewing experience. Chief among its assets, of course, are the stars and their undeniable and fascinating onscreen chemistry. Together, they create an easy goodwill that draws the viewer in and makes him/her willing to overlook the staginess of much of the movie and the artificiality of much of its plotting (including an ending which, while effective, is quite contrived). Tracy in particular comes off well; his early "computer nerd" character has an earnesteness that is quite appealing. The stars are assisted by an exceptional supporting cast that understands exactly how to play light comedy of this nature. Joan Blondell and Gig Young stand out in this regard, but even actors in quite minor parts (such as Harry Ellerbe and Ida Moore) make an impression. If the plotting of the piece can be questioned, Henry and Phoebe Ephron's dialogue is bright and snappy. Walter Lang's direction is smooth and efficient, and the very 1950's look to the film is an added bonus. Desk Set may not set off fireworks, but it has a modest sparkle that's quite engaging. -- Craig Butler

[Andromeda43]

And then if you want a movie to scare the begeebers out of you.....this is another must-see:

Collosus: The Forbin Project

This one shows up about once a year on the Late Show or Sci Fi channell.

Cheers,

Andromeda43

PS: the ultimate computer in the Ultimate Sci Fi movie = Mystery on Planet X

Introducing, for the first time, Robbie The Robot

Edited August 21, 2005 by Andromeda43

[Gouki]

Thanks Andromeda43. Ill check it out ...

[Jeremy]

I have Antitrust on DVD, awesome movie.

[mark]

Not an IT movie but you can't forget HAL in '2001, A Space Odyssey".

Just found this. Flash Kubrick's explanation. Really good. Don't skip anything.

DL

[ratgod]

Antitrust was ok, well reminded me of microsoft. Though I spotted many errors of logic in the film

Takedown is good, but Kevin Mitnick claims its a warped recount of what happened. the most dificult thing of that movie is deciding which is the bad guy and which is the good guy.

Lawnmower Man is one of my all-time favourites, though the sequal is a pile of tosh.

Johny Mnemonic is a clasic too.

[Terminal_Storm]

Tron.. I'd consider it an early IT movie

[cheezus420]

Tron.. I'd consider it an early IT movie

Good call. I cant belive I forgot about Tron Classic

[Terminal_Storm]

Remember the Lightcycle's in Tron??

well, there's a freeware game which IMO is great! anyone who wants to download here's the link

Armagetron Advanced

[cheezus420]

Remember the Lightcycle's in Tron??

I've always wanted one on those

GOUKI, Strongly suggest this movie (if you dont already have it )

[Gouki]

Remember the Lightcycle's in Tron??

I've always wanted one on those

GOUKI, Strongly suggest this movie (if you dont already have it )

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Nice! heheh! Ill try to find here in the local DVD shops

[Andromeda43]

Appologies,,,,,

I mistakenly mentioned "Mystery on Planet X", when I meant to say "Forbidden Planet".

It had the biggest computer ever conceived, that had so much power it could even create matter out of its own energy. (the Monster of the ID)

This one's a keeper.

Sorry to mislead anyone.

Andromeda43

[redder]

Not an IT movie but you can't forget HAL in '2001, A Space Odyssey".

Just found this.  Flash  Kubrick's explanation.  Really good.  Don't skip anything.

DL

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't forget the "2010, The Year We Make Contact"

Interviewer: HAL, you have an enormous responsibility on this mission, in many ways perhaps the greatest responsibility of any single mission element. You're the brain, and central nervous system of the ship, and your responsibilities include watching over the men in hibernation. Does this ever cause you any lack of confidence?

HAL: Let me put it this way, Mr. Amor. The 9000 series is the most reliable computer ever made. No 9000 computer has ever made a mistake or distorted information. We are all, by any practical definition of the words, foolproof and incapable of error.

[war59312]

Well well welll look what I found.

Friend just sent to me via email. Have no clue where he got this listing from though or if its even correct.

Pre 80s movies

Desk Set (1957)

The mysterious man hanging about at the research department of a big TV network proves to be engineer Richard Sumner, who's been ordered to keep his real purpose secret: computerizing the office. Department head Bunny Watson, who knows everything, needs no computer to unmask Richard. The resulting battle of wits and witty dialogue pits Bunny's fear of losing her job against her dawning attraction to Richard.

Alphaville, une étrange aventure de Lemmy Caution (1965)

Lemmy Caution, an American private-eye, arrives in Alphaville, a futuristic city on another planet. His very American character is at odds with the city's ruler, an evil scientist named Von Braun, who has outlawed love and self-expression.

Billion Dollar Brain (1967)

Harry Palmer no longer spies for the British and is instead a starving private detective. He receives a package of money which is followed by a mechanical voice that gives him his instructions over the phone. He accepts the assignment and finds that he has entered the world of a Texas Billionaire who thinks he can bring about a popular uprising in the Soviet Union with the help of a highly sophisticated computer.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

When the world is ruled by apes, one particular group discovers a mysterious rectangular monolith near their home, which imparts upon them the knowledge of tool use, and enables them to evolve into men. In the year 2001, a similar monolith is discovered on the moon, and is determined to have come from an area near Jupiter. Astronaut David Bowman, along with four companions, sets off for Jupiter on a spaceship controlled by HAL 9000, a revolutionary computer system that is every bit mankind's equal, and perhaps his superior. When HAL endangers the crew's lives for the sake of the mission, Bowman will have to first overcome the computer, then travel to the birthplace of the monolith, where whatever alien intelligence controls them decides that humanity is ready to take the next evolutionary step...

Hot Millions (1968)

Marcus is just out of prison for embezelment but discovers that it is no longer a world of ledgers but has become one of computers. Looking for an angle, he convinces Caesar Smith, noted computer whiz to follow his life long desire, to hunt butterflies in the Amazon. Using Caesar's resume, he finds employment in the corporate world and begins a very large operation under the noses of his superiors. On this journey, he meets Patty, who seems to have no real tallents at all. Marcus marries her, as Ceasar and now has the problem of hiding his hot cash.

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970)

Forbin is the designer of an incredibly sophisticated computer that will run all of America's nuclear defenses. Shortly after being turned on, it detects the existence of Guardian, the Soviet counterpart, previously unknown to US Planners. Both computers insist that they be linked, and after taking safeguards to preserve confidential material, each side agrees to allow it. As soon as the link is established the two become a new Super computer and threaten the world with the immediate launch of nuclear weapons if they are detached. Colossus begins to give it's plans for the management of the world under it's guidance. Forbin and the other scientists form a technological resistance to Colossus which must operate underground.

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Alex, a teenage hooligan in a near-future Britain, gets jailed by the police. There he volunteers as guinea pig for a new aversion therapy proposed by the government to make room in prisons for political prisoners. "Cured" of his hooliganism and released, he is rejected by his friends and relatives. Eventually nearly dying, he becomes a major embarrassment for the government, who arrange to cure him of his cure. A pivotal moment is when he and his gang break into an author's home: the book he is writing (called "A Clockwork Orange") is a plea against the use of aversion therapy, on the grounds that it turns people into Clockwork Oranges (Ourang is Malay for "Man"): they are not being good from choice (sentiments later echoed by the prison chaplain).

Paper Man (1971)

Four college students take advantage of a credit card mistakenly issued to someone who doesn't exist, then use their university's computer to erase the charges they run up. But the computer seems to have some ideas of its own ...

Call to Danger (1973)

A federal agent recruits a computer whiz to try to free a Mafia witness who has been kidnapped and held in a heavily fortified compound.

Welt am Draht (1973)

Somewhere in the future there is a computer project called Simulacron one of which is able to simulate a full featured reality, when suddenly project leader Henry Vollmer dies. His successor Dr. Fred Stiller experiences odd phenomena. A good friend, Guenther Lause, disappears in the middle of a conversation and a week later nobody has ever heard of him. And those fits of dizzyness - Stiller cannot believe himself to be fool. There has to be an explanation for all this. Could Simulacron have something to do with it?

Westworld (1973)

A amusement park for rich vacationers. The park provides its customers a way to live out their fantasies through the use of robots that provide anything they want. Two of the vacationers choose a wild west adventure. However, after a computer breakdown, they find that they are now being stalked by a rogue robot gun-slinger.

Logan's Run (1976)

It is 2274. Some type of holocaust has decimated the earth, and the survivors sealed themselves into a domed city near Washington, D.C. To maintain the population balance, the computers that run the city have decreed that all people must die at 30. This system is enforced by "sandmen" : black-clad police operatives who terminate (kill) "runners" (those who attempt to live beyond 30). Logan, a sandman, is sent on a mission to find "sanctuary," which is a code- word used by the master computer to describe what it believes is a place to which runners have been escaping. Logan begins to question the system he serves and after seeing for himself that there is life beyond the dome, he returns to destroy the computer.

Demon Seed (1977)

Scientist Alex Harris, doing research on artificial intelligence, is working on a special kind of computer. This computer grows more and more powerful, and succeeds in raping the scientist's wife, Susan Harris. In the end she gives birth to a hybrid baby.

Hide and Seek (1977)

High school computer wiz kid's program accidently hooks into the main frame computer of a nuclear power plant and nearly causes a melt down!

Red Alert (1977)

A computer at a nuclear power plant malfunctions and receives erroneous information of a radiation leak. It seals off the compound, trapping the crew inside.

Alien (1979)

When commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, heading back to Earth, intercepts an SoS signal from a nearby planet, the crew are under obligation to investigate. After a bad landing on the planet, some crew members leave the ship to explore the area. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship's computer deciphers the message to be a warning, not a call for help. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew do not know the danger they are in until it is too late.

Edited September 11, 2005 by war59312