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23
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34
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60
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46
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78
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69
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58
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47
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33
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54
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67
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86
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30
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83
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45
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96
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35
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28
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88
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71
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67
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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
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86
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70
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45
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28
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50
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89
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64
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81
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63
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73
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74
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94
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29
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16
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75
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83
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61
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70
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19
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66
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80
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59
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34
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xx
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54
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77
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65
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76
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79
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40
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89
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66
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69
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64
Where is Where?
xx
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74
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69
World's Greatest Dad
70
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69
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xx
You, the Living
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.
Robot Stories

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 5 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama | Sci-fi
Written by: Greg Pak
Directed by: Greg Pak
Release Date:
Theatrical: February 13, 2004
DVD: November 16, 2004
Running Time: 85 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: Not Rated
Starring Tamlyn Tomita, Sab Shimono, Wai Ching Ho, Greg Pak, James Saito, and Cindy Cheung
Four stories in which utterly human characters struggle to connect in a world of robot babies, robot toys, android office workers, and digital immortality.
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database View The Trailer Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub
This is a science fiction film, but like all excellent movies in the genre, the focus never strays from the human heart.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Mark Holcomb
A quietly impassioned, genuinely stirring indie rarity.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian Karen Karbo
The subtext is singular: The presence of potentially dehumanizing technology serves to make the characters seem more human.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
As a complete work, Robot Stories is a solid collection.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
In Robot Stories, technology hasn't colonized human life, it's finding ways to make living (and loving) better.
Read Full Review >Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
Four stories with automatons as important characters...The last is the most touching, but all are skillfully made.
Read Full Review >New York Daily News Jack Mathews
The stories are sharply written and well composed. Some are high tech on a low-tech budget, but where they find their strength -- in the emotions of their characters -- money is no object.
Read Full Review >New York Post V.A. Musetto
If you ever wondered how robots make love, here's your chance to find out.
Read Full Review >Entertainment Weekly Scott Brown
The collection can be summed up in four words I never thought I'd see together: science-fiction chamber music.
Read Full Review >TV Guide Ken Fox
Ostensibly about artificial life forms, each of these four short, expertly crafted stories offers a poignant perspective on what it means to be human.
Read Full Review >The New York Times A.O. Scott
The most startling aspect of Robot Stories is not the mix that the director built from spare parts left on the curb but the evolving dramatic acumen of its maker; he's a talent with a future.
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck
Each of the stories, impeccably staged and acted, has just the right length, well befitting the slight aspects of their story lines. Never allowing preciousness or ponderousness to infuse the material, filmmaker Pak demonstrates a real talent for concise storytelling marked by poignancy and humor.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Doug Brunell
I was hoping to be blown away, but was left feeling much like the iPerson in the "Machine Love" segment -- kind of cold.
Read Full Review >Variety Ronnie Scheib
Greg Pak understands the short form well, mercifully avoiding blatant O'Henry twists while pulling off neat reversals of expertly set-up genre expectations.
Read Full Review >Dallas Observer Jean Oppenheimer
Pak's writing has a simplicity that belies the film's emotional impact.
Read Full Review >LA Weekly Scott Foundas
This is a heartfelt endeavor, given weight by Shimono's extraordinary performance, in which the actor uses the subtlest flicks of his weary brow to call forth torrents of sorrow and minefields of regret.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Mark Jenkins
Most of the performances are excellent. The scripts, however, are slight and unsurprising.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Manohla Dargis
Robot Stories isn't any good. I don't say this lightly. There's no pleasure in giving new directors bad reviews and it's especially unpleasant when what's wrong with their work isn't a clumsy performance or two, a sagging second act or a repugnant worldview, but a near-total absence of filmmaking talent.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Chad S. gave it a6:
It's not so much the shoestring budget, but the amateurish performances that hamper "Robot Stories"; in particular, the female lead in "My Robot Baby". She was the weak link in a well-received studio film in '93, and here as well. "My Robot Baby" brought back memories of that gussied-up sack of flour I took care of for a week. It's a good idea that's squandered by acting that draws our attention to the digital video. "The Robot Fixer" is okay. "Clay" needs more time in the kiln. "Robot Love", however, is provocative, better than anything George Lucas, or Shields & Yarnell, ever came up with.
armando s. gave it a6:
This movie has been compared to THE TWILIGHT ZONE but is not nearly as edgy or dangerous. The stories are mostly thoughtful, but the low budget really shows. A good first effort from director Pak-look forward to better in the future.
G. Burton gave it a 10:
A lovely poetic look at life and love and the future. This is a thoughtful, thought-provoking movie. It's a quiet meditation of the stages of life -- from birth to death -- and the love we find or hope to find along the way. Using Robots, the movie shows us the basic need for love and surprising, prescient takes on our humanity. Pak presents a delightful view of the future that echoes the best science fiction -- a realistic extension of the present that may be a bit surprising, but also recognizable, and with both good and bad developments. A feeling of hope underneath the pensive melancholy of the film, its abrupt end leaves us with a question and desire to change our own futures, to guard our sense of humanity, and to find love in our all-too-brief lives.
Alex H. gave it a 9:
I caught this movie at the AFI Silver in D.C. I think Mr. Pak shows a tremendous amount of talent, a real craftsman. The stories succeed in tapping into very human emotion through the world of the inanimate.
Bob H. gave it a 9:
I saw this at Boston's 24 hr Sci-Fi Movie Marathon and it was easily (and by wide agreement) the best in show. Much deeper than most science fiction and more relevant than most art films, this is one you'll remember 10 years from now. But only if you go see it! So, go now!
