ROBOCOP – the future of ‘justice’?

Are you robophobic? 

If so, then don’t go and see the newest incarnation of RoboCop, which as a reboot of the Paul Verhoeven’s 1987 ‘new bad future’ sci-fi film, portrays a bionical manborg taking on the criminal element of Detroit, USA.

Directed by Jose Padilha, the film provides an update to the cyborg concept by combining human and machine to create a new law enforcement product. The new and improved RoboCop (complete with one human hand, visible face and updated robotic wardrobe) is charged with stemming the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit.  

It is the year 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Their drones are winning American wars around the globe and now they want to bring this technology to the home front. Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) is a loving husband, father and good cop, but he is critically injured by a planted carbomb. OmniCorp then utilizes their remarkable robotic technology to save Alex's life, and they outfit him with the Robocop body and software, which gives him enhanced strength along with instant computing information in his brain. 

As the movie progresses we quickly see the outworking of the blurred boundary between humans and computers with the underlying question: When will a human become a computer and a computer become human?

Although this consistent sci-fi paradigm of unease surrounding the relationship of humans and technology is intriguing, what interests me more is the implications of integrating robotics into law enforcement. What does it say about our contemporary systems of justice that we envisage our future as needing high-tech tinmen to provide justice? 

If you watch the trailer (click here), you can see the pervading message that the only solution to a criminal justice crisis, is NOT human. Indeed, Alex Murphy as RoboCop is touted in the trailer as the ‘future of American justice’ to provide support to a new dispassionate justice ‘system’. 

And what is even more fascinating is that, by indicating the human elements of instinct, fear and compassion as inevitable interference with ‘the system’, the film again alludes to the underlying premise that non-human actors devoid of emotion and passion, are the only vessels capable of providing true justice. 

I am looking forward to seeing the film to see how it actually treats the tension between robotising the human, and humanising the robot, as ways of achieving the never quite satiated public desire for ‘justice’.

If you see this film, feel free to let me know your thoughts of the vision of ‘justice’ that is played with and presented. 

A long time ago we used to be friends...Veronica Mars is back!

Vigilante Detective Veronica Mars is finally making it to the big screen…… 

Thanks to the fans.

If you are a Veronica Mars fan, get ready to drink the Kool-Aid again because the (not-so-teen anymore) sleuth is finally bringing her adventures to the silver screen. With the release of the first official docu-trailer this week, the Veronica Mars (VM) team, with creator Rob Thomas at the helm, have demonstrated the enormous power of a committed fanbase. Earlier this year, after years of trying to get the movie off the ground Rob Thomas and several key cast members (including Kristen Bell herself), sent out a call on social media for fans to contribute to the ‘kickstarter project’ which would raise funds for a VM movie production. While Warner Bros were happy for the movie to be made, they had reportedly indicated that they weren’t actually willing to pay for its production. 

And so, the ‘kickstarter’ project was born. Kickstarter is a web-based vehicle for independent creative teams to seek public funding for their projects. Rob Thomas, Kristen Bell and several other cast members created a promotional video seeking funding through Kickstarter to get the project off the ground – you can see them here in a hilarious video promising ‘rewards’ to those who pledge a contribution (if only I had gotten on board earlier I could have had a personally recorded answering machine message from Kristen herself).

Amazingly, within 12 hours of launching the kickstarter campaign, the VM movie reached a massive $2 million in pledges. By the end of the funding campaign they succeeded in raising over $5 million, and broke a number of kickstarter records while doing it.

Fans clearly love this show. And thanks to the fans this movie will be coming to our screens in 2014. But what is so great about Veronica Mars? On the surface it may have seemed like just another high school teen drama, but at its core, it was a show that celebrated the empowered (yet flawed) heroine, and it took the noir detective genre to a whole new generation. As a major character, Veronica was not only intelligent , articulate and independent, but she also had a strength of character that enabled her to pursue justice with angry power and confidence. As a ‘detective’ Veronica was able to defend herself against both cops and criminals, and more crucially against the social elite. As an ‘outsider’ herself through most of the series, she regularly took a stand for the marginalized. And these personal qualities, along with her wry sense of humour and wit, endeared her to the fans.

But for me, it was her vigilante-esque quality that stood out most from this series. Veronica existed within a somewhat lawless Neptune - a world where the justice system is corrupt and the audience was encouraged to support Veronica as she resorted to a form of vigilantism to regain some power and control within her particular landscape. Interestingly, Veronica’s sense of justice was based on a subjective, emotional and personal notion of what is ‘right’ in any given situation, and most importantly, this was usually contrasted with the standard of the prevailing institutional justice system. 

see early promo video here

It looks like this theme is to be continued in the film, as Veronica (newly graduated from law and in New York to land a job) returns to Neptune to defend an old friend against the contaminated justice system. Intriguingly, it is not evident in the trailer as to whether Veronica will deploy her newly acquired legal acumen and knowledge to provide this defence (ie actually provide a legal defence in court); or if in returning to Neptune she returns to the old school methods of good old investigation (ie cameras, stake outs, computer hacking etc).  Either way, let’s hope the old charm and wit has not been lost in law school, and that her legal education only adds to her awesome skills in deduction! 


Til then, MARShmallows, I'm Team Logan!

Connecting with Law Film Competition: And the winner is.... a UOW law student!!

I am pleased to share with you the news that 3 students from my law school at the University of Wollongong (UOW) have been recognised in the Oxford University Press (OUP) Connecting with Law Film Competition 2013! 

Congratulations to Ryleigh Bowman who was awarded first prize (joint winner) for his entry: 5 Senses to Studying Law.

Ryleigh is a first year student studying Law and Engineering who has always had a passion for film making, and so when the competition came to his attention, he jumped at the chance to put his burgeoning skills to good use.

OUP were searching for short films that creatively explored the theme of 'top tips for studying law'. The criteria specified that winning films would be chosen for originality, entertainment value and the level at which they encouraged law students to positively 'connect' with the study of law. Ryleigh (and his filmmaking partner Sam who also appears in the film) explored this theme by finding a concept they believed everyone could relate to: the 5 senses of the body. You can check out his light-hearted satirical winning entry here.

I am also proud to say that 2 more students from UOW Law received accolades in the competition: 

Sigrid Helland was the Runner-Up with her original song detailing a day in the life of a law student - Song About Law (to watch click here); and

Skye Roberts and Lachlan Roberts were awarded with Highly Commended for Life and Law (to watch click here). 

It is great to see law students engaging with aspects of the wider legal culture and particularly exploring the everyday legal consciousness of life as a law student. 

Congratulations to all the winners and participants of the competition. Stay tuned to the OUP website for details of what's in store next year.

Batman v Superman: Who would win?

A combined logo revealed during Comic-Con in San Diego. 
Warner Bros.

With the news at Comic Con in San Diego last month that Warner Bros was going to follow Man of Steel with a Batman/Superman sequel, speculation immediately started about what type of film this would be. 

Would it pit the two superheroes against each other? What would the plot involve? How can they both 'fight for justice' if they are at each other's throats? and probably one of the most important questions: Who would replace Christian Bale as Batman?

The new Batman! 

While Warner Bros had from the beginning hinted at the possibility that the two superheroes could be enemies at some point in the film, it was only a couple of days ago that the studio started an internet frenzy by announcing that it would be Ben Affleck who would don the batsuit this time around. 

Given that Affleck's last superheroic outing as DareDevil didn't exactly wow critics and comic fans alike, it is unsurprising that there is a public backlash against the choice. In fact, some people are so against him that they have signed a petition to 'remove Ben Affleck as Batman'. The petition at last count was up around 60,000 signatures!

But not everyone is a hater.... Joss Whedon gave his approval via twitter: 

Affleck'll crush it. He's got the chops, he's got the chin -- just needs the material. Affleck & Cavill toe to toe -- I'm in.

It might also be helpful to remember that in 2006, most people hated the idea of Heath Ledger taking on the role of the Joker (see examples here) and yet he went on to be universally celebrated for it. 

What do you think? Is Mr Argo any match for Henry Cavill's Superman? And for that matter - who do you think would win in a fight - Batman or Superman?






Although no official images have been released by Warner Bros for the upcoming film (other than the one they put together for ComicCon: see top image), some fans have put together some ideas of what the Batman/Superman concept might look like. 

I've included a couple of my faves here for your enjoyment! 

Designed by: ddsign at Deviant Art see more of this designer here

Designed by  JoshMC at Fan Art Exhibit

Click here for a few more...

Terror on TV – Homeland Season 3 preview

Who do you trust?

It seems commonplace in this new political landscape following the events of September 11, 2001 for television crime dramas to draw on themes of political violence and threats to national security as mechanisms for action-driven drama. Series such as Alias, 24, Lie to Me, The Unit and NCIS all incorporate distinct ‘terror and crime’ conventions that lend themselves to thrilling television drama. From investigating acts of espionage to neutralizing threats against homeland security, the persistent narratives running across these dramas construct terrorists as the ‘other’ while all the while legitimizing violent forms of manipulation and interrogation as investigative tools, and conflating terror with domestic and international crime. 

The US series Homeland, recently completing its second season, takes the perpetuation of fear in relation to terrorism to a whole new level. By dramatizing the possibility that a US war-hero may have been ‘turned’ by the enemy and now poses a unique and ‘sleeper’ threat to national security, Homeland utilizes the same narrative conventions of ‘terror’ described above and bumps them up a notch – so that elements of political tension, violence, surveillance, racial stereotyping and torture become part of a mediated experience of fear for the viewer. 

The first two seasons, which played on the complicated lives of Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) and Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), received critical acclaim and was well received by audiences. In particular, the question of Brody’s conflicted loyalties kept viewers on their toes throughout both seasons. In combination these episodes of Homeland have provoked a number of questions surrounding complex issues of crime, terrorism, power relations and identity. Is there a common enemy to be feared? What constitutes legitimate forms of coercive techniques? How do we know what a ‘hero’ is? Can we trust in the authority of the state to adequately protect us without infringing our rights?

With season 3 to premiere soon (see the preview here), it looks like these issues will continue to be at the foreground. It will be interesting to see how the storyline progresses in relation to Brody’s character.

How do you see Brody – Is he a terrorist or not?

Meet the 12th Doctor!

Ok - so Doctor Who is not a legal tv series - BUT it does consistently play with the seemingly complicated and sometimes inconsistent 'laws of time travel' (eg can history actually be rewritten or not?) and on that tenuous connection I wanted to share the news of the 12th Doctor! 

With much speculation in recent times about who would take over from Matt Smith as the newest incarnation of the Doctor, it was revealed this week that Peter Capaldi will assume the role. 

See the official announcement and a brief interview here.

Previously guest-starring in a 2008 episode of Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi will appear in 2014 after Matt's Smith's departure in the Christmas Special. Apparently, at 55 he is the oldest actor to take on the role of the Time Lord since William Hartnell was the First Doctor in 1963.

After getting used to the bowties and the quirkiness of young Matt Smith, it will be interesting to see how fans will respond to a return to a more mature Time Lord. Let me know what you think about this choice? In the meantime....

Law and Popular Culture: International Perspectives

What does the film True Grit, the tv series The Wire and the books of Harry Potter have in common?

The law of course! 

I have just spent two full days at the Law and Popular Culture: International Perspectives Conference in Tilburg, Netherlands where I was surrounded by the rock stars of law and pop culture scholarship! 

In a setting where I didn't have to explain that my research is actually legitimate before presenting my ideas, inspiration for future projects abounded. 

My paper was a focus on the nature of retributive desire in both pop culture and personal ideas of justice, and I was inspired to think further about something that has popped up before in this blog - the idea of revenge. 

As part of my paper I showed a clip from Arrow - the latest superhero to grace Australian screens and I've included it here as a teaser for more posts from me about this topic.....

As one person commented in a previous post: where does justice end and revenge begin?? This has become my new project......any thoughts?