Corporate Monopoly Themes in ROBOCOP

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An interesting analysis of the corporate themes in Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop (note: original video was removed by author but will be available on Rob Ager films & articles volume 7 at his site. This shorter version is still up at the moment):

The creator of the video, Rob Ager, has a number of equally intriguing film dissections on his YouTube channel and website for other genre classics such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, A Clockwork Orange, The Shining, The Matrix, Starship Troopers and Alien.

Bonus Clip: Ager’s first impressions of Mad Max 4: Fury Road

Saturday Matinee: La Antena

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In “La Antena” (2007), a surreal Argentine parable written and directed by Esteban Sapir, the population of an unknown city is kept under the complete control of Mr. TV through his monopolization of the broadcast system and food supply. Everyone in the city except for a singer, La Voz, has lost their voice (yet are still able to communicate through visual words). With the help of his scientist henchman Dr. Y, Mr. TV kidnaps La Voz in a scheme to take away the last remaining means of communication from the the citizens. A TV repairman gets word of the plan and attempts to foil it using an abandoned antenna in the mountains.

The film is shot in a silent film style reminiscent of the works of Fritz Lang and F.W. Murnau, but also seems to incorporate influences from modern fantasy films such as Dark City and Pan’s Labyrinth. Unfortunately, the only complete version of the film I could find was without subtitles, but those who don’t know Spanish can still enjoy it because the story is conveyed mostly through (beautifully evocative) imagery and doesn’t rely heavily on dialogue.