Circuitry Man

Last updated
Circuitry Man
Directed bySteven Lovy
Written by
  • Steven Lovy
  • Robert Lovy
Produced by
  • Steven Reich
  • John Schouweiler
Starring
CinematographyJamie Thompson
Edited by
  • Gregory Neri
  • Jonas Thaler
Music byDeborah Holland
Production
companies
Distributed by Skouras Pictures [1]
Release dates
  • May 25, 1990 (1990-05-25)
(Seattle International Film Festival)
October 31, 1990
Running time
93 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Circuitry Man is a 1990 American post apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Steven Lovy and starring Jim Metzler, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson and Vernon Wells. It was followed by a sequel, Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II , in 1994.

Contents

Synopsis

In post-apocalyptic 2020, pollution has killed off the natural world and the population is forced to live underground. A woman attempts to smuggle a suitcase of contraband drug/chips from Los Angeles to the underground remnants of New York City, while eluding both police and gangsters. Along the way, she is aided by a romantic bio-mechanical pony-tailed android and pursued by Plughead, a villain with the ability to tap into people's minds.

Cast

Production

Circuitry Man was adapted from a student film Steven Lovy made while attending UCLA. Shooting began in July 1989 and took place in Los Angeles and Antelope Valley, California. [1]

Reception

Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "nothing if not derivative" but "consistently distinctive and funny". [2] In The Psychotronic Video Guide , Michael Weldon described it as "a clever, sometimes funny, well-made science fiction adventure" that is more fun than Hardware or Total Recall , two science fiction films that were also released in 1990. [3] Tech Noir author Paul Meehan, discussing film noir in science fiction, wrote that the film attempts to overcome its low budget with gratuitous violence but called Wells "memorably nasty". [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction</span> Genre of fiction

Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of science fiction in which the Earth's civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astronomical, such as an impact event; destructive, such as nuclear holocaust or resource depletion; medical, such as a pandemic, whether natural or human-caused; end time, such as the Last Judgment, Second Coming or Ragnarök; or any other scenario in which the outcome is apocalyptic, such as a zombie apocalypse, cybernetic revolt, technological singularity, dysgenics or alien invasion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Black</span> American actress, screenwriter, and singer-songwriter (1939–2013)

Karen Blanche Black was an American actress, screenwriter, singer, and songwriter. She rose to prominence for her work in various studio and independent films in the 1970s, frequently portraying eccentric and offbeat characters, and established herself as a figure of New Hollywood. Her career spanned over 50 years and includes nearly 200 credits in both independent and mainstream films. Black received numerous accolades throughout her career, including two Golden Globe Awards, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dana Ashbrook</span> American actor

Dana Vernon Ashbrook is an American actor, best known for playing Bobby Briggs on the television series Twin Peaks and its 1992 prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.

<i>Creepozoids</i> 1987 film by David DeCoteau

Creepozoids is a 1987 American science fiction horror film, the first 35mm film directed by David DeCoteau, and starring Linnea Quigley, Ken Abraham, Michael Aranda, Richard S. Hawkins and Kim McKamy. It was remade in 1997 as Hybrid.

"L.A. 2017" is a 1971 episode of the NBC television series The Name of the Game. Sometimes referred to as "Los Angeles: AD 2017" or "Los Angeles 2017", it is a science fiction piece, shot for $375,000. The episode was directed by Steven Spielberg.

<i>Alienator</i> 1989 film by Fred Olen Ray

Alienator is a 1990 science fiction film directed by Fred Olen Ray, produced by Jeffrey C. Hogue, and starring Jan-Michael Vincent.

<i>The Psychotronic Man</i> 1980 film by Jack M. Sell

The Psychotronic Man is a 1980 American science fiction cult film directed, shot and edited by Jack M. Sell, and written, produced and starred Peter G. Spelson. The film opened in Chicago at the Carnegie Theatre on April 23, 1980.

<i>The Power</i> (1968 film) 1968 American science fiction film directed by Byron Haskin

The Power is a 1968 American Tech noir, science fiction thriller film from MGM, produced by George Pal, directed by Byron Haskin, that stars George Hamilton and Suzanne Pleshette. It is based on the 1956 science fiction novel The Power by Frank M. Robinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vernon Wells (actor)</span> Australian actor

Vernon Wells is an Australian character actor. He began appearing on Australian television shows in the mid-1970s, such as Homicide, Matlock Police and All the Rivers Run. He is best known to international audiences for his role of Wez in the 1981 science fiction action film Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior and Bennett in the military action film Commando.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tech noir</span> Hybrid genre of fiction, combining film noir and science fiction

Tech-noir is a hybrid genre of fiction, particularly film, combining film noir and science fiction, epitomized by Ridley Scott's Blade Runner (1982) and James Cameron's The Terminator (1984). The tech-noir presents "technology as a destructive and dystopian force that threatens every aspect of our reality".

Dana Wheeler-Nicholson is an American actress and singer best known for her roles in the films Fletch (1985), Tombstone (1993), Fast Food Nation (2006) and Parkland (2013). She is also known for her roles on television series such as Friday Night Lights, Seinfeld and Nashville.

<i>Creature with the Atom Brain</i> (film) 1955 film by Edward L. Cahn

Creature with the Atom Brain is a 1955 American zombie horror science fiction film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Richard Denning.

<i>Future Force</i> (film) 1989 film

Future Force is a 1989 science-fiction film written and directed by David A. Prior and starring David Carradine. A 1990 sequel to the film was made called Future Zone.

Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II is a 1994 American post-apocalyptic science fiction film written and directed by Steven Lovy and Robert Lovy, and starring Jim Metzler, Vernon Wells, Deborah Shelton, Dennis Christopher, Nicholas Worth and Traci Lords. It is the sequel to the 1990 cult classic movie Circuitry Man.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screaming Mad George</span> Japanese-American artist and director

Joji Tani, known as Screaming Mad George, is a Japanese special effects artist, film director, and former musician. He was born in Osaka, Japan, and emigrated to the United States, where he has become known for his surreal, gory special effects. He has collaborated with director and producer Brian Yuzna on many films.

<i>Alien Seed</i> 1989 film by Bob James

Alien Seed is a 1989 American science fiction film written and directed by Bob James and starring Erik Estrada. It was released by action International

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can't Break Me Down</span> 2014 song by Billy Idol

"Can't Break Me Down" is a song by English singer Billy Idol, which was released in 2014 as the lead single from his eighth studio album Kings & Queens of the Underground.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Circuitry Man (1990)". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . Retrieved 2017-12-09.
  2. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (1990-10-31). "MOVIE REVIEW : Pollution Apocalypse in 'Circuitry Man'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2017-12-09.
  3. ↑ Weldon, Michael (1996). The Psychotronic Video Guide To Film. Macmillan Publishers. p. 108. ISBN   9780312131494.
  4. ↑ Meehan, Paul (2017). Tech-Noir: The Fusion of Science Fiction and Film Noir. McFarland & Company. p. 197. ISBN   9781476609737.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.