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Robot Stories

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Robot Stories (2004)

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Reviews Counted:41

Fresh:29

Rotten:12

Average Rating:6.6/10

Consensus: Although its 4 stories vary in quality, Robot Stories is still worth a look for Twilight Zone fans.

Runtime: 85 mins

Genre: Science-Fiction/Fantasy

Theatrical Release:Feb 13, 2004 Limited

Synopsis: Set in the near future, "Robot Stories" tells stories of human beings struggling to connect with each other in a world of mechanical office workers and robot babies. Featuring film stars Tamlyn... Set in the near future, "Robot Stories" tells stories of human beings struggling to connect with each other in a world of mechanical office workers and robot babies. Featuring film stars Tamlyn Tomita ("The Joy Luck Club," "Picture Bride") and Sab Shimono ("The Big Hit," "Jackie Chan Adventures") in four stories, the film explores love, death, family... and robots. The stories include: "My Robot Baby" Before they can adopt a human child, young professionals Marcia (Tamlyn Tomita) and Roy (James Saito) must prove themselves by taking care of a robot baby. But when Roy leaves on a business emergency and the robot begins to malfunction, Marcia must confront her fears of the machine - and of motherhood itself. "The Robot Fixer" Bernice Chin (Wai Ching Ho) has never really known her estranged son Wilson. Now a car accident has put Wilson into a coma. And the only clue he's left behind is a box of twenty-year-old toy robots. As her daughter Grace (Cindy Cheung) presses her to deal with Wilson's deteriorating condition, Bernice becomes obsessed with Wilson's toys, as if repairing the robots will help her connect with her unreachable son. "Machine Love" The latest component of the digital office, the Sprout G9 iPerson is a walking, talking coding machine programmed to fit seamlessly into its work environment by learning from its human co-workers. But when he finds himself in an oppressive office surrounded by dysfunctional people, a G9 named Archie (Greg Pak) learns just how much he needs love. "Clay" In John Lee's world, technology allows people to scan their memories - and thus their consciousness - into computers. John (Sab Shimono), an old sculptor, struggles to complete his design for a major public square project, but his body is falling apart. His doctor, his son Tommy (Ron Domingo), and his digitized wife Helen (Eisa Davis) all tell him the same thing - it's time to get scanned. Then he'll merge with all human knowledge and experience, achieving perfect love, perfect art. But John resists, fighting for the right to struggle and die. [More]

Starring: Tamlyn Tomita, Sab Shimono

Starring: Tamlyn Tomita, Sab Shimono

Director: Greg Pak

Director: Greg Pak
Screenwriter: Greg Pak
Producer: Kim Ima, Greg Pak

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Nov 16, 2004

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Reviews for Robot Stories

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/27/09
Ronnie Scheib
Ronnie Scheib
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Pak sets himself up as a filmmaker to watch, a creator of intelligent, thoughtful stories that refuse to be contained by traditional definition.

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
02/10/05
David Cornelius
David Cornelius
eFilmCritic.com

The title encourages us to think of Robot Stories as the cinematic equivalent of a book of short stories, and I'd say a book in which half the stories are excellent is not a bad bet.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
01/06/05
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Robot Stories doesn't advance the boundaries of imaginative fiction. It's The Twilight Zone reimagined by Lifetime TV.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
01/06/05
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Although uneven and tentative, Robot Stories is sufficiently thoughtful, provocative and original to make you wonder what Greg Pak might do with access to better parts.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
12/03/04
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This compilation of four cinematic short stories is an uneven affair.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
12/03/04
Jim Slotek
Jim Slotek
Jam! Movies
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
11/19/04
Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece
Jocelyn Szczepaniak-Gillece
PopMatters

Each vignette is worthy of admiration — not too much admiration, as Pak's ability as a storyteller is more developed than his filmmaking skills.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas CityLife | comment Comment
09/03/04
Matt Kelemen
Matt Kelemen
Las Vegas CityLife

While Pak shows promise, especially with the final segment, a meditation on the existence of the soul, his reach ultimately exceeds his grasp.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
08/05/04
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Robot Stories has the look and feel of an above-average student film, but Pak's potential promises better things to come.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
06/11/04
Jeff Shannon
Jeff Shannon
Seattle Times

Clearly the work of a beginning filmmaker, modestly budgeted and variable in effect, but it shows promise.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
05/25/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Mr. Pak accomplishes the rare feat of making the viewer think and wonder as he sheds light on little corners of the heart.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
05/13/04
Nancy Churnin
Nancy Churnin
Dallas Morning News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As a complete work, Robot Stories is a solid collection.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
05/09/04
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

These are tales from the heart -- pulsing to a high-tech beat.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
04/30/04
Steven Rea
Steven Rea
Philadelphia Inquirer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Part of the minimalist allure of Robot Stories is that it's much more than the sum of its parts.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
04/26/04
Karen Karbo
Karen Karbo
Oregonian

Robot Stories is a both a throwback and, hopefully, a sign of things to come.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
04/16/04
Peter Hartlaub
Peter Hartlaub
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's a confident first feature from director-to-watch Greg Pak, one that pulls off sci-fi ideas with a lo-fi budget.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/16/04
E! Online
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