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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Police Reports Schneider Art Museum installation re-imagines Rivera UPDATED: Two lanes open after I-5 truck crash near Siskiyou Summit 10 things to know for Friday Education New Southern Oregon University board votes to bump tuition nearly 5 percent in the fall Why OLLI matters: A personal perspective Southern Oregon University names director of marketing Dianne Williamson: College admissions mania ill-advised Rotary Club of Ashland names Riley O'Sullivan as Student of the Month Environment Mt. Ashland Ski Area to host party March 28 Mt. Ashland hopes coming storm will reopen ski area Wild Side: Selfish and other reasons for saving endangered species Mt. Ashland Ski Area: Low snow closes 'bunny hill' chairlift for beginning skiers With pre-season conditions worst in 25 years, catastrophic wildfires expected in region this summer Business Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Snow hopes dashed, Mt. Ashland Ski Area hosts season-ending party Saturday Iconic Ashland bookstore to celebrate 35th anniversary on April 19 Test Drive: 2015 Honda Accord Cars We Remember: The original Candymatic Ramchargers Politics and elections Jackson County Commissioners plan no tax on marijuana for first year Grassroots group campaigns for Plaza paver do-over Arthur I. Cyr: Iran – a crisis without end Short-term rental restrictions kept in some areas, loosened in others Arthur I. Cyr: South Korea represents long-term triumph – for them and for US State News Oregon's governor appoints new secretary of state Nation - World Obituaries Death Notices Alicia Applegate Hardy Death Notices Rosalind Dee Death Notices Shareable Sports Latest Stories Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Ashland Rowing Club hires highly touted coach and national-award winning team director to lead expansion Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Blazers fight back, edge Jazz Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory High school Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Grizzlies rally past GP, to 2-0 start Ashland boys capture another Sato Cup snowboard title at Mt. Bachelor Southern Oregon University Grizz baseball team caps Arizona trip with another win Grizzlies rally past Colorado school for Greenway Festival victory Ashland softball team splits pair in second day of Bend tournament Ducks enjoy the challenge Oregon bows out Voices Latest Stories Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Letters to the Editor, March 27 Editorial Our View: Build it; they will play Our View: How it should work Our View: Ashland High principal is the head of her class Our View: Tuition trauma Our View: SOU's economic clout Letters Letters to the Editor, March 27 Letters to the Editor, March 25 Letters to the Editor, March 23 Letters to the Editor, March 20 Letters to the Editor, March 19 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Guest Opinion: Hannah Thomas-Garner's father thanks the Ashland community Guest Opinion: Ashland is asking for trouble with new room rental rules Guest Opinion: More reasons to oppose Jordan Cove Guest Opinion: It's Groundwater Awareness Week; test your well Columns Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity Philip Maddocks: GOP plan offers hope for poor once they become rich Matthew T. Mangino: A clearer picture of police shootings begins to emerge Jeffrey Gillespie: Pax Americana? At what price? Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Top 5 things to do this week Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Community blog: Words, wine and Craig Wright 4 Things To Do This Week Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Ashland Contemporary Theatre seeks new artistic director Ticket Availability The Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents Eugene O'Neill's autobiographical 'Long Day's Journey into Night' Music Futureshock: Kendrick Lamar release points to road ahead Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick pay tribute to Arkansas bluegrass duo Vern Williams and Ray Park Album reviews: Recent and recommended for March The Farr Side: New format for ‘American Idol’ as show continues a strong run Improv rock and folk band hosts a dance party at the Ashland Community Center Visual Art Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhiits by regional artists Movies Movie review: In ‘Danny Collins,’ Pacino helps us imagine a Lennon story Noah Baumbach talks Ben Stiller, adult comedies and more In 'Timbuktu,' lust for power disturbs peace Movie review: ‘The Gunman’ misses the target Movie listings: March 20-26 Food and Drink Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque App Finder: Best barbecue apps Health Watch: It’s OK to have a cheat day Inner Peace: The good, the bad and the spiritual Antionette Kerr: Tourney fever gets superstitious Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Ashland Calendar: Saturday, March 28 ... Guest Opinion: Ashland council vote on travelers accommodations was less than transparent ... Herb Rothschild Jr: Failing at charity ... Movie review: 'Chappie' is charming sci-fi with a violent edge Comment By Ed Symkus More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Ed Symkus More Content Now Posted Mar. 6, 2015 at 12:01 AM By Ed Symkus More Content Now Posted Mar. 6, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News For its first 20 minutes or so, it looks like “Chappie” is paying an awful lot of homage to “Robocop” (the original, not the remake). There’s havoc in the city streets, there are robotic cops trying to control it, there are point-of-view shots from those robots. There’s even a big bad robot cop named Moose that looks very much like “Robocop’s” iconic ED-209. OK, even writer-director Neill Blomkamp (who made “District 9” and just signed to direct the next “Alien” film) admits that Moose is a direct nod to ED-209, but everything else feels new and fresh and original. Well, expect for the fact that “Chappie” isn’t exactly original. It’s an expanded version of Blomkamp’s 2004 short “Tetra Vaal.” It’s exactly what he did with his 2006 short, “Alive in Joburg,” later turning it into Johannesburg-based “District 9.” Blomkamp is back in Johannesburg with this one, and it’s that city’s streets that are overrun with crime, until the Tetra Vaal weapons company, with its brilliant designer Deon Wilson (Dev Patel), comes up with the robot scouts who, alongside human police, patrol and clean up the streets. They’re a big success. But things, as they do in movies such as this, go wrong. The titanium scouts are effective, but not indestructible. A properly aimed missile or perfectly exploded bomb will send the remains of a scout for reprocessing. There are also human things going wrong. Would-be thugs Ninja and Yo-landi (the South African rap-rave duo Ninja and Yo-Landi Visser, aka Die Antwoord) and Amerika (Jose Pablo Cantillo), get on the wrong side of some much badder thugs over a money dispute. Meanwhile, weapons company Tetra Vaal’s CEO Michelle Bradley (Sigourney Weaver) is funding Deon’s scout program by taking money out of the Moose program, headed up by former military man Vincent Moore (Hugh Jackman, sporting a mullet, and speaking in his Australian accent). Vincent does not like Deon or his scouts. There’s a lot of setting up in this film, accompanied, near the beginning and near the end by fantastic, furious, all-hell-breaking-loose action sequences that are, at different points, loads of fun and extremely violent (parents of young viewers should take heed; the violence is why the film earned its R rating). It’s a human story, it’s a robot story and it’s a combination of the two. The bad guy trio needs money fast. They decide to find out who builds the scouts, steal what they’re sure is a remote control, and turn them off, thereby making it easier to commit crimes and get money. Meanwhile, Deon, who is as bright as the trio is dumb, has been attempting to give consciousness to his robots, to allow them to think for themselves. So he steals a damaged, ready-for-reprocessing robot, and brings it home to work on. Wouldn’t you know it, it’s the same night that our idiot trio kidnaps him, and his ruined robot. Threats are made, deals are made, the robot, dubbed Chappie (Sharlto Copley in a terrific motion capture performance), comes alive as a kind of robotic child, amazed and confused and a little scared of the new world around him. Copley, as Chappie, keeps up with his fellow human actors by clearly expressing himself via short bursts of words and very expressive ears and a mechanical unibrow. Chappie’s a friendly, gentle fellow that Ninja wants to turn into a combination South African gangsta (some good slangy comedy there) and killing machine (dark turns in the film), while Deon just wants him to be able to think, and Vincent, going the villain route, wants him destroyed so his Moose can go online. The story ends up being about Chappie having a very bad time of it, even as Yo-Landi starts developing motherly instincts toward him. Chappie wants to live, but in going for that dream, things turn even darker. Good news: Blomkamp somehow pulls off an out-of-left-field upbeat ending. Yes, there’s a lot going on here, but it never lags. Ed Symkus covers movies for More Content Now. CHAPPIE Written and directed by Neill Blomkamp With Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Ninja, Yo-Landi Visser Rated R By Ed Symkus More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Ed Symkus More Content Now Posted Mar. 6, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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