Round Two: [La Commune Planet v. Robots in Love]

La Commune Planet (Shokah rank: #3, Burley rank: #7)

v.

Robots in Love (Shokah rank: #2, Burley rank: #11)

FIGHT!

La Commune Planet
In a world constructed for the pleasure of the ultra-rich, every vice can be had -- for a price. But beneath the smiling exterior of the friendly staff, there lurks a growing resentment. When a group of ascetics destroy access to the planet's hidden interdimensional gateway, the employees sieze the chance to declare independence from the governement and its backers. But as they take the profits and the pleasures for themselves, pressures and conflicting desires threaten to blow the planet to smithereens

Pros:The 20th century might have been the biggest political-theory battle in the history of political battles (in this corner, the forced equity of debasement: Communism! and in this corner, darwinism of the richest: Capitalism!), with one obvious winner, but the truth is that class is a huge issue in our world, and will continue to be so as the gap between rich and poor becomes larger and larger. The rich will, obviously, want to retain their riches, and the poor will want some help from life's hardships. Nothing is worse than being down on your luck and seeing some asshole roll by in a gold plated SUV whose only purpose is pimping the coin, but if you earn it, don't you deserve to keep it?

For that reason, I love the idea of capturing this drama--no matter what side one may think of it--in microcosm. I would even go so far as to say that this picture should play somewhat like John Sayles in space, but with a more conventional plot line. That is, make a cookie-cutter sequence of events, but populate them with characters who are in great opposition, but be sympathetic to both sides. Make no easy villains, or if we set somebody up as one, redeem them in the end. The trick would be avoiding the stereotypical rich-person-doesn't-care-about-anybody-else stereotype, and the poor-worker-oppressed-righteously-rises-up stereotype.

Or, it could even be played like Starship Troopers, in that you're rooting for the team that under closer inspection reveals themselves to be fascist (the WOW report had a great piece on this). So, maybe the film is completely sympathetic to the rich people who are being treated unfairly and cruelly by the uprising underclass, but in reality, when viewed objectively, any actions the workers take are completely understandable.

In any case, this idea totally jazzes me. As Shockah knows, the one question I always ask of our characters is: What is the power situation in this relationship? Who has it, who wants it? What's the social pecking order? Once you answer that, in my view, you know a lot about the politics of the scene. This idea is ripe with these questions, and has the potential to be very dynamic and exciting.

Cons:But, it will be very easy to mistakenly (hell, even on purpose) end up with a script that sounds like propaganda for one side or the other. This must be avoided at all cost. Also, there is an uncomfortable parallel between this and Exit to Eden, another of Anne Rice's ernest (yet still a bit laughable) BDSM books (written, obviously, before she became obsessed only with the suffering of one man a few thousand years ago) made into a hideously horrible mis-step of a comedy movie.

We'd have to cull our ideas for what services this pleasure planet offers, and make we really think out the sort of situation that might arise from the ability to have worlds like this (in other words, Besterize the idea) as opposed to just making some shit up that sounds outrageous. We would have to look at current luxury resorts, and extrapolate what future places might be, but I think we would definitely have to do the research to make the atmosphere feel authentic.

Robots in LoveIn a World where robots are immature, but can easily pass the turning test, one young android idolizes a slightly older movie star, and tries everything in his power to become like his idol. As part of his transformation, the robot works at becoming quite the ladies man, but his game is called when he meets a girl that actually likes him and that he doesn't have to chase. She would certainly never sleep with him if she knew he was an android, but being an android he is physically incapable of sleeping with her. Will truth ruin love, or can the technology-crossed-lovers find a way to remain together?

Pros:I kind of see this plot as Pinocchio de Bergerac. And, it raises the age old questions about romance and love stories and euphemisms for sex. In this case, there is no sex option. Obviously, if androids were real, one of the first things that they would be outfitted for is sex (Real Dolls anybody?). But, assuming that there were cultural or physiological reasons that the android couldn't do that (maybe it's a law passed by conservatives worried about the next wave of unnatural loving), then we have our character.

Also, I like the fact that the imprinting happens via a mediascape, so the issue of media effects can be explored (which I am fascinated with. On one hand, I think it's ridiculous to argue that all bad things can be traced back to media effects, but on the other hand to think that media has no effect is just as ridiculous).

And, of course, it's at heart a classic loves story ala, boy tries real hard to find love and can't, until he stops trying and it finds him.

But most interesting is the conundrum of how do you resolve a love story where the lovers can never be lovers? What is the possible solution to this issue, and can it be solved with solutions that will be in a movie that, at best, should have an R rating?

Cons:The main con is my last pro. That damn conundrum will be difficult to solve, I think. More to the point, is an impossible love--one without hope--interesting at all? It's similar in some ways to the impossible problem raised in A.I., which Speilberg gave a pseudo happy ending, but I'm betting it was a difficult choice to make. The trick would be making the revelation of this fact be the journey, and not start with it. In A.I., we knew no good could come, but what intrigued us to watch further? Once it is established that there can be no sex, do we give them other attributes? Do we address of sexless marriages? Is there allowances for her physical needs to be met outside of the relationship, and if so, why does she stay with him?

These questions are ones that will need to be answered, I think, and I see them as difficult questions. After all, two of the greatest filmmakers of all time failed to adequately answer them in A.I. What makes us think that we can here?