Conference noted::sf

    
    I liked it quite a bit.
    
    I've given a lot of thought to the sort of technology that went
    into building RoboCop -- particularly the interfaces to the human
    nervous system.  I think it warrants deeper exploration in SF. 
    Maybe I'll do it myself, if I find the time.
    
    "You're fired!"
    DFW

    I agree with .1; it was well-plotted and well-acted, didn't have
    any screaming boners or inconsistencies, had some genuine human
    interest that was thoroughly integrated into the SF elements, had
    some good satire, but was certainly very, very violent and bloody.
    
    I enjoyed the ED-209 police robot that Robocop replaces.  It looks
    like a cross between a big, viscious Japanese toy such as have flooded
    the toy market of late, and one of the two-legged scout walkers
    from "Star Wars."  Lest the "Star Wars" connection escape you, ED
    stands for "Enforcement 'Droid."  It was a marvelous parody of a
    killer robot.
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    re ED:
    
    I've only seen reviews so far. One showed the scene where the ED
    is to be demonstrated in front of the board of directors.
    
    The 'droid hauls off and shoots up a few of the executives, and
    all the chairman says to the designer is "I'm very disappointed".
    To which the designer replies,"It's probably just a glitch".
    It was so deadpan that I found it hilarious.
    
    Hope to see this movie (along with a number of others).
    
                                                   
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    I had very mixed feelings about ROBOCOP. The action kept the
    movie going and the characters felt right (Clarence has to be
    one of the slimiest bad guys I've ever seen). But I felt that
    the filmmakers weren't able to take the whole thing seriously
    and camped it up a bit with those cutesy news broadcasts and
    commercials (like the one for the game Nukem). The scene described
    in .3 is the worst example. After a particularly gruesome
    execution of the poor executive, the head of the company (who
    is otherwise portrayed as a nice guy) can only say, "I'm disap-
    pointed"?
    
    What really surprised me was that one of my impressions about
    the film was wrong. I rather expected that Robocop's confrontation
    with ED would be the climax of the film, and be quite long. But,
    it came early and was quite quick.
    
    --- jerry
    --- jerry

    Re .4:
    
    I do not think there was any intent at all to "take the whole thing
    seriously".  The movie was intended to have comedy.  I think it was
    quite well done -- when the poor executive was killed, the audience was
    mortified and amused at the same time.  I am sure that was deliberate.
    
    
    				-- edp

    re .4
    
    I thought the sidebars and marginalia featuring the video news:
    "Give us 3 minutes and we'll give you the world" were *hillarious*.
    
    Those little schticks like the runamok laser from the SDI "peace"
    platform killing 3 ex presidents in Santa Barabara were worth the
    price of the admission ticket.  I haven't seen anything that funny
    since "Network".
    
    

    Caught the (very) tail end of an interview with the producer (or
    was it the director; Eastern European type, anyway).  The humor
    was apparently intentional.  He wants to go off to make a more
    "serious" movie, next.
    
    Dwight (looking forward to that big-screen violence :})

    I liked ROBOCOP (except the name of the movie).

    Murphy's "execution" was rather brutal but well-done (story-wise and
    visually).  That is, I felt every blast that the poor guy took, and was
    almost relieved when he was finally "dead".  It was a tear-jerking
    ending to it when his partner Lewis finds him.
    
    Not yet mentioned was one of the funniest (to me) scenes in the movie,
    where the would-be rapist is holding that blond woman hostage, and
    Robocop shoots, and we are tense because we think he has REALLY screwed
    up, and.... 
    
    Well, I don't want to spoil TOO many things for those who haven't
    seen it. 

    So go see it.
    
    And of course, there is the great ending.
    
    				==ELB==

    re:.8
    
    Hmm... I didn't think he screwed up that time. I figured out
    what he had in mind about 2 seconds before it happened.
    
    re:.5
    
    Oh, I'm sure it was deliberate. I just don't think it was the
    right way to go. Balancing the right amount of seriousness and
    humor is very difficult. I don't think ROBOCOP pulled it off.
    Apparently, I'm in the minority, but that doesn't change my mind.
    
    A good example of a movie that *did* pull it off is AMERICAN
    WEREWOLF IN LONDON, in which the horror was the result fo the
    situation(s), and the humor came out of the characters. ROBOCOP
    was trying to make light of events.
    
    By the way, one of my housemates (Jack) tells me that my other
    housemate (Eirikur) spotted a funny in the copyright notice at the
    very end of the closing credits. It says something to the effect
    of: "Violation of this copyright notice will be subject to punish-
    ment by enforcement 'droids."
    
    --- jerry

    Re .9
    
    Well, there you have it.  I saw "American Werewolf in London" and
    thought it was a failure, an uneven blend of humor and horror that
    couldn't decide if it was comedy or melodramatic tragedy.
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    	Rumer has it due to the 35 million that ROBOCOP made in its'
    first week that we will see ROBOCOP II !
    

      There was an interview with the actor who portrayed "robocop";
    he said there will have to be some serious discussion about"Robocop
    II" because the armour he wore weighed about 100lbs and was extremely
    hot.

    the actor who played Robocop also portrayed Buckeroo Banzai.
    
                                                   
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    Re: .13 (and .12 and .11)
    
    Yes, and if he's going to do any sequels, he should be doing Buckaroo
    Banzai (and you can tell him I said so, too).

    re:.14
    
    Except that ROBOCOP is making lots of money and BUCKEROO BANZAI
    didn't. That's life in Tinseltown.
    
    --- jerry    

    
    Also, I believe that the rights to Buckaroo Banzai are currently
    being fought over.  I don't think we'll see much in the area until
    the smoke clears.
    
    You know what'd make a good Robocop sequel?  He gets some information
    that someone in the BioWeapons division of OCP is cranking out these
    leathery eggs to be dropped into the sewers...
    
    DFW

    
    Addenum to .16
    
    Oooooh, yeah - by Arnold Schwartzeneger in hydraulics!
    
    Carol
    

    I heard that the movie almost got a "X" rating. The part in the
    board room where the guy gets wasted by accident was modified to
    get the "R" rating. They had the robot not stopping by itself, but
    rather kept shooting until it ran out of bullits. Basicly there
    was nothing left of the guy but scraps. The review board didn't
    like that. 
    
    I really liked the movie, but it was very violent.
    

    Some thoughts.
    .14 me too.
    .15 So?
    
    Buck's my hero.
    
    Dave

    	ROBOCOP is due to be released on videotape January 29, 1988.
    
    	Larry
    

I believe it's also premiering on cable this month on either HBO or Cinemax.

							Rod Burr

	All these little tidbits from the Worldcon and 
	No one's talking

	Robocop II Spoiler to follow.



	The film is being made under the name "This cop for hire."
	Which only gives you an idea what it might be like but not
	the title it will really come out as...

	The female cop that was wounded at the end will NOT be
	a robocop.

	A small part at the hospital was cut out, showing her in casts
	and looking like she'd recover.

	But our Robocop goes through an identity crisis and leaves the
	police force. Small Rampage.

	We also get to find out the the President of the Company
	wasn't a simple nice old man.

	The part where the melting man gets hit by the car and
	explodes was done with a hollow maniquain sp (dummy)
	and for two weeks under the hot sun everyone on the set
	had to pour the remains of their meals into the hollow
	dummy until...it was ready! What a scene!

	Thats all I have...

	and a real rumorish thing... Buckaroo Banzi will never have
	a sequel becauses the actors are too embarrassed about their 
	roles.

    
    
    
    Anyone see that Robocop is now a saturday morning Cartoon?
    
    

	No, No, No....  The next logical step is a nauseatingly sweet
    breakfast cereal....   B^)
                                                             -John.

    I'm sorry, my mind cannot stand the idea of a ROBOCOP cartoon. 
    No.  Like all the Christmas things people say they see in the stores
    nowadays, that does not exist in my universe.  I deny it. 
    
    	Merryl-who-sees-what-she-wants-to-see-and-hears-what-she-wants-to-hear

    
    
    
    And it's not full of unhealthy adult violence.
    
    Not much anyways.
    

    Re .26
    
    "Robocop" without violence would be a little like water without
    hydrogen or oxygen.
    
    Earl Wajenberg

    A cartoon? Seems rather appropriate.
    
    - Richard

    re .26 et seq.:  I.e., it's full of "healthy" adult violence?
    
    len.
    

    
    
    
    Well, yes.. He TARGETS on the bodies of the villians and SHOOTS
    their weapons.
    
    The adults don't die. That's healthy. ;)
    
    The whole idea of it being a cartoon is just to twisted for my
    mind.                                                  
    

Robocop was released on video on January 29 over there? Jeez, it's only just been
released over here, thus the late reply..

I thought the scene when they were testing the ED droid was rather amusing, 
but one thing that struck me as stupid, was 'why would they use live rounds 
whilst testing it?', but the question was answered later on in the film.

I never thought it was extreemly violent, as some of you have been saying, 
what was it certificate was it rated over there?

But on the whole, it was a very enjoyable film, and i would deffinately 
like to see a sequel.

A.
 

    
    	Why *did* they use live rounds in ED-209?  I must have missed
    the reason the couple of times I saw the movie.
    
    	The bits from the news, and ads for new games (Nuke Em!) were
    great!!  I about died when the little kid says "You crossed my line
    of death!"
    
    						-SK
    

>    	Why *did* they use live rounds in ED-209?  I must have missed
>      the reason the couple of times I saw the movie.

If i'm not mistaken, just before murphy/robocop was about to arrest that 
bloke who made ED 209, he said that it was no accident, and was intentional 
because they wanted him out. Not sure tho'. Anyone else know?

Yeah..those adverts were quite good..i liked the bit in the toilets, where 
they had those scolling  displays above the loos...original, i must say..

A.

    
    I'm afraid you have your murders mixed up. The poor guy wasted by
    the ED 209 just happened to be in the wrong place and was on the
    wrong end of the totem pole...
    
    The introduction in the board room wasn't a test, it was the roll-out.
    I'd say it was equipped with live rounds because it was already
    "tested" and it's designers/engineers (you know how engineers and
    programmers are about their products :-) thought it was solid. Also
    the low regard Dick Jones had for lower orders of life (ie non-VP)
    might have had something to do with it...
    
    Ray

    
    
    
    Negative. The board romm murder was planned.
    
    Just before the young v.p. was killed the older guy said on the
    video tape that he had Ed 209 kill him.
    
    Pay attention next time you see the movie there will be a pop
    quiz at the end. ;)
    

    Oh, contraire Mssr. Dennis.
    
    The only time the "older guy" said that he had someone killed was
    during the time he was having ED209 try and nuke Robocop.  This
    was taped by Robocop and played back over the video monitor.  The
    gentleman Ed Jones refered to as having killed was the VP wh had
    insulted him in the bathroom (his name escapes me) who he had Clarence
    Brodiker (sp) kill with the photon grenade.  
    
    The boardroom killing was an error caused by a foulup in the ED209's
    circuitry/programming.

    
    
    Now I can see how I made a mistake.
    
    I'm also wise enough not to question your memory Mike.
    
    Ok...Program bug.
    

    Speaking of the grenade, that was one of my favorite pieces of
    hardware in the movie, kind of neat how they added the LCD display
    and such....
    
    Willie

Okay, so I was wrong! But, I did only see the film once, and I was just 
guessing that the poor bloke was murdered. Ah well..was a good guess tho 
don't-ya-think?

A.

                                                                         
    
    
    	Has Peter Weller been in any other movies besides Buckaroo Banzai
    	and Robocop?

    At least one comes immediately to mind: FIRST BORN. I'm sure there
    are others, but I don't have the right reference books with me to
    check.
    
    --- jerry

    Dunno if I mentioned it, but there are a few sixels at:
    
    	SNDUNE::DUA1:[sixels.robocop]
    
    Where *.SVT is (S)ixels for (V)ideo (T)erminals and *.SPR is (S)ixels
    for (PR)inters.
    
    Willie