Posted on 08/09/2017 3:29:26 AM PDT by EliRoom8
Has Dave Eggers written a parable of our time, an eviscerating takedown of Silicon Valley and its privacy-invading technology companies?
Or has he missed his target, producing a sanctimonious screed that fails to humanize its characters and understand its subject?
Book critics are divided over the quality of Mr. Eggers’s highly anticipated novel “The Circle,” which went on sale Tuesday. But in Silicon Valley and beyond, the book’s theme promises to spark an even bigger debate over the 21st-century hyperconnected world that Mr. Eggers describes.
Set in an “undefined future time,” Mr. Eggers’s novel tells the story of Mae Holland, a young idealist who comes to work at the Circle, an immensely powerful technology company that has conquered all its competitors by creating a single log-in for people to search, shop and socialize online.
The movie is just out on iTunes. Wow!!! It received a well-deserved 100% Rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It takes apart this cult-like worship at places like Google, Facebook, and Apple.
Tom Hanks is brilliant as a suave, charismatic, hip Steve Jobs-ish techie leader. It was referred to me from another Freeper, CodeToad.
For any of those familiar with the Olivet Discourse ("flee to the mountains"), you'll see the parable on a different level. Perhaps not as obvious.
It’s not too hard to imagine how all of this crap could be just a very long-running and far reaching fad, especially among the easily led.
I was debating whether or not to reserve it on RedBox. You just sold me.
Apologies to all for the poorly written reply #1 above. At 66 I’m still learning to write a complete paragraph!
Here’s a trailer to the movie that barely does it justice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxEzUgoCF3w
It has reviews all over the place, from 15% to 70%. It’s difficult to tell why it got those reviews.
It was amusing to watch the trailer, though, with Emma Watson taking on an American accent.
You won’t be disappointed. And talk about timeliness! This recent Google firing at their headquarters is similar to what happened to a minor character in the film.
Movie or novel?
Watched it with my daughter the other night. She asked me if this is what liberal group think looks like. I said to picture everyone hating instead of losing privacy and that’s what Trump looks like to libs.
She said, “now I understand.”
reminds me a little of
“colossus the forbin project”
(onle free here: https://ffilms.org/colossus-the-forbin-project-1970/) [seems virus free]
I didn’t know about either until CodeToad gave me a “heads-up” yesterday.
the powers that be may have spiked the numbers but I’m only seeing
15%/22% on rotten green tomatoes
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_circle_2017/
When I search “The Circle” on google, the first 10 articles discuss only the technical aspects of a movie and give it 1 or 2 stars.
The 11th article, from Amazon, describes it as “exhilarating” which is a positive comment.
When I search “The Circle” (notice the caps) on Bing, the entire screen is a single article about Geometric shapes.
Scrolling down, and scrolling some more, I eventually get to The Circle, the movie. It has several reviews in the first 10 that give it 3 and 3 1/2 stars, not the 1 as on google. In addition to the Amazon article with “exhilarating”, other articles use words like “gripping” which I take as positive.
Oh yeah, Tom Hanks and Emma Watson. I’ll definitely give those two my dollars.
Not.
I’ll read the book instead.
Even Christ paid the temple tax.
funny when I searched Movie the Circle it came right up.
The review will also be influenced by one’s view of these working communities. Even as an Apple user I felt that the adoration of Steve Jobs was cult-like. Others view them as our modern day saviors.
Those evil search engines, making you be specific.
Books are always better than the movies so you’re probably making a good choice.
Regretfully, I can’t find where the score came from. I thought I had seen a 93% red on Rotten Tomatoes. Perhaps that was a mistake.
lol. People need a short course in how to search for what you want!
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