Robot Stories: And More Screenplays (Paperback)

~ (Author), David Henry Hwang (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

"Greg Pak's fantasy anthology piece, which details the ways robots have complicated the lives of humans, has a dexterous sense of wonder. . . . Mr. Pak's feel for melodrama adds a piercing and thoughtful end note similar to the emotional gravity found in Stephen King novellas like The Body and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, both in Mr. King's collection Different Seasons. But it's Mr. Pak's respect for the actors that he's selected that seems to work hand-in-exoskeleton with the thematic mission of the protagonists in each chapter of Stories. . . . The most startling aspect of Robot Stories is not the mix the filmmaker built from spare parts left on the curb, but Mr. Pak's evolving dramatic acumen. He's a talent with a future."-The New York Times

Winner of dozens of film festival awards, Robot Stories is an acclaimed independent movie written by rising Asian American director Greg Pak. In four intertwined stories, people struggle to connect in a technological world. In "My Robot Baby," a couple cares for a robot before adopting a human child. In "The Robot Fixer," a mother reaches out to her dying son by completing his toy robot collection. In "Machine Love," an office worker android learns that he too needs love. In "Clay," an old sculptor chooses between natural death and digital immortality.

Praised as "the kind of science fiction sophisticated audiences crave and deserve," the screenplay is a rich and rewarding reading experience and follows in the literary tradition of Isaac Asimov and Ray Bradbury.

This collection includes Pak's scripts from his popular comic shorts Asian Pride Porn, All Amateur Ecstasy, Mouse and Cat Fight Tonight. It features original commentary by the author and a foreword by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright David Henry Hwang.

Greg Pak directed his first feature film, Robot Stories, which has played nationwide and won over 30 festival awards. One of Filmmaker magazine's 25 Filmmakers to Watch, Pak studied political science at Yale, history at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and film at New York University's graduate program.

About the Author

Greg Pak directed his first feature film "Robot Stories" which has played nationwide and won over 30 festival awards. With clients including Nike and Marvel Comics, he edits FilmHelp.com and AsianAmericanFilm.com. One of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 Filmmakers to Watch, Greg studied political science at Yale, history at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar, and film at NYU's graduate program.

David Henry Hwang is a playwright, screenwriter, and librettist, best known as the author of M. Butterfly, which won the 1988 Tony, Drama Desk, John Gassner, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. He graduated from Stanford University and attended the Yale School of Drama.

Product Details

• Paperback: 232 pages
• Publisher: Immedium (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597020001
• ISBN-13: 978-1597020008
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,709,704 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robot Stories: 4 Awesome shorts, June 28, 2006

By	Paul W. Young "mr. mud" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Cliff's Notes Review:
+ 4 Awesome, distinct stories
+ Novel central theme "human emotions and robots"
+ Represents the Asian American/Mixed-Race Community without beating you over the head with issues.
+ Charming and Provocative like an independant film/Professional and polished like a high-budget studio film.

My Take:
Robot Stories is awesome. Its is broken up into a series of 4 charming shorties, each related around a theme of "how humans develop emotions when dealing with robots". Each story has a distinct perspective on this central theme. For example, one story is about a couple who wants to adopt a child, but must babysit a "robo-baby" to prove their worth as parents, while another is about a mother trying to re-connect to her sick son through his collection of toy robots. I think the final point that I'd like about Robot Stories and Greg Pak as a director was that he was able to represent the Asian American/Mixed Race characters in normal situations. While this may feel like a minor point, its refreshing. Its nice once in a while to see an Asian American on the big screen who isn't a Lucy Lu Dragon lady, or a Connie Chung newscaster, but as a normal protagonist whom i can identify with.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exploration of the problems between men and machines, June 23, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Filmmaker Pak provides not just the award-winning ROBOT STORIES screenplay, but four other tales which are all infused with considerations about technology. It's not only the futuristic settings which link these plots: it's an exploration of the problems between men and machines, the created and the natural worlds, which creates such a compelling dynamic in these motion pictures. Small black and white shots pepper the account, but it's the screenplays which are the heart of this fine title.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring!!!, January 27, 2006

By	Sarah Santamaria - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I hadn't seen the Robot Stories movie, but a friend of mine did and raved about it. I'd read a few of Pak's comics for Marvel, so I picked up the book and was actually blown away by the amount of thought Pak has put into not just that movie but his career of writing in general. He gives insightful introductions to his many scripts, which run the gamut from sarcastic short spoofs about sex to the recreation of the life of a pioneering surgeon, and finally to the sci-fi feature from the title.

This was the first time I've actually read a screenplay, and it is different than reading a novel. But the book gives some helpful tips to make the adjustment easier. After I while I got used to the format to where I could really visualize the actors and actresses talking to each other.

Somehow I think that is one of the points of the book: to make films more accessible and to inspire people to create their own vision. Pak touches upon a lot of issues: from the craft of writing and the challenges of making an independent film to the media images of Asian Americans (David Henry Hwang's foreword is excellent in this regard). So it has something that can appeal to most everybody. But ultimately, I found the collection to be oddly inspiring to the artist hidden in me, and has made me want to see Pak's movies.