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Thursday, May 22, 2003
I really loved The Matrix Reloaded. Three viewings were not enough. If I hadn't been about to physically expire, I would have seen it a fourth time on opening day. It's so, so, so good.
However, as I mentioned in a comment below (which you probably can't read, since Haloscan is ALWAYS down), I've been avoiding posting a review of it. I actually started writing one in my head, and I realized that no matter how I approach it, it will invariably turn into a sickening soup of sci-fi geekery, dense allusory plot references that will be unintelligible if you haven't seen the movie, and hormone-fueled odes to Carrie-Anne Moss's vinyl-clad, motorcycle-riding ass.
Worse, there's a better than 50% chance that I'll try to convince you that it's more than just a summer popcorn chopsocky flick. I'll try to forcefully demonstrate, through the use of compelling quotes from info-age media gurus and European philosophers, that the film is an important metaphoric exploration of modern life, human identity, and Carrie-Anne Moss's ass. (Descartes was seriously into skin-tight bodysuits.) Nobody wants to read that, so I'm sparing you, my dear readers, from the pain such a post would no doubt inflict.
Instead, I'll let someone else do it for me. The article below appeared in Salon the other day. Although the author cops out at the end, the article is an interesting survey of some of the philosophical influences that show up in the movie. (Note that you'll need a Salon subscription or day pass to read it. I finally got sick of watching the day pass ads and just ponied up the money for a subscription. We'll see if it's worth it.)
So that's as far as I'm going to go in trying to convince you of the depth of The Matrix movies. I've come to terms with the fact that the super-nerd aspect of The Matrix is not for everyone. I am right in the creative wheelhouse of these movies, so if you don't already dig the super-nerd part, then there's probably not much I can say to influence you. In a weird way, they're a lot like David Lynch movies. Either they're your cup of tea or they aren't, and there's little one can do to change a person's mind in either direction. And for once, I'm OK with that. How's that for a Zen awakening?
P.S. If you really want to get in on the hardcore discussion, check out the "Matrix Reloaded conclusions" thread on feng's movie forum. It's brimming with spoilers, though, so don't look at it unless you've seen the movie.
However, as I mentioned in a comment below (which you probably can't read, since Haloscan is ALWAYS down), I've been avoiding posting a review of it. I actually started writing one in my head, and I realized that no matter how I approach it, it will invariably turn into a sickening soup of sci-fi geekery, dense allusory plot references that will be unintelligible if you haven't seen the movie, and hormone-fueled odes to Carrie-Anne Moss's vinyl-clad, motorcycle-riding ass.
Worse, there's a better than 50% chance that I'll try to convince you that it's more than just a summer popcorn chopsocky flick. I'll try to forcefully demonstrate, through the use of compelling quotes from info-age media gurus and European philosophers, that the film is an important metaphoric exploration of modern life, human identity, and Carrie-Anne Moss's ass. (Descartes was seriously into skin-tight bodysuits.) Nobody wants to read that, so I'm sparing you, my dear readers, from the pain such a post would no doubt inflict.
Instead, I'll let someone else do it for me. The article below appeared in Salon the other day. Although the author cops out at the end, the article is an interesting survey of some of the philosophical influences that show up in the movie. (Note that you'll need a Salon subscription or day pass to read it. I finally got sick of watching the day pass ads and just ponied up the money for a subscription. We'll see if it's worth it.)
The Matrix Way of Knowledge(This article also contains a fantastic quote from Phillip K. Dick: "The symbols of the divine initially show up at the trash stratum." Reading this the first time sent me into paroxysms of creative energy, in which I envisioned myself penning a sweeping cinematic epic about an unlikely messiah who rises from the anonymous plastic streets of modern city life to save the world with his superhuman kung-fu skills, amid an ever-growing group of worshippers who believe that he is The One. Then, as always happens when I have ideas for screenplays, I realized that this movie had already been made; in this case it was called "The Matrix". I then shut up and continued reading the article.)
"No one is surprised when filmmakers like Andrei Tarkovsky or Chris Marker or Stanley Kubrick use future shtick for metaphysical purposes, but it's another thing for Hollywood action fare -- designed to reap big bucks from the popcorn crowd -- to create a space of inquiry into philosophical, political and spiritual questions, however "comic book" the frame...Some reviewers imply that this metaphysical kitsch detracts from the fun; for some of us, it is the fun."
So that's as far as I'm going to go in trying to convince you of the depth of The Matrix movies. I've come to terms with the fact that the super-nerd aspect of The Matrix is not for everyone. I am right in the creative wheelhouse of these movies, so if you don't already dig the super-nerd part, then there's probably not much I can say to influence you. In a weird way, they're a lot like David Lynch movies. Either they're your cup of tea or they aren't, and there's little one can do to change a person's mind in either direction. And for once, I'm OK with that. How's that for a Zen awakening?
P.S. If you really want to get in on the hardcore discussion, check out the "Matrix Reloaded conclusions" thread on feng's movie forum. It's brimming with spoilers, though, so don't look at it unless you've seen the movie.
Monday, May 19, 2003
Apparently "The Matrix Reloaded" was also popular with non-Scott Dierdorf moviegoers:
'Matrix' Enters the Record Books with $136 Million in Four Days
'Matrix' Enters the Record Books with $136 Million in Four Days