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Digital Dailies and the Matrix Sequels
rkischuk writes: "IGN FilmForce has gathered several tidbits about the Matrix sequels. Among the most interesting of them is that the dailies from the shooting of the film in Australia will be transmitted electronically to the U.S. using TRW's Picture Pipeline."
I wander who is going to be the One this time? ;)
42 + 1 = 42
Why not just use limewire?
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
My loser ass hasn't even seen all of the first one..
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
I could swear that I just saw CmdrTaco post another article on the Mandrake based supercomputer cluster. I clicked on the link to mod him down as redundant and a man in black told me that there was "nothing to see here."
On returning to the home page, I find the posting gone and this Matrix one in its place. Too strange.
The government Agents in the first Matrix are opposed, at least nominally, to stopping the rebels from slamming a helicopter into a building.
I do not particularly like the idea of an aircraft as a metaphor for shattering a hostile reality anymore, since the people in the building turn out to be very real.
Goat sex free since 2001
It'll hardly be the first time the sequels are delayed. Broken ankles and other health complications have already pushed production back beyond the original timelines.
According to the article, the dailies will be transmitted over the internet and will be Triple DES encrypted plus PGP CAST 128 for the files.
I humbly wish to propose the target subject of the next distributed.net project....
sigh... I miss her :(
whoa!
Whoa!(In my best Keanu Reeves voice)
-atrowe: Card-carrying Mensa member. I have no toleranse for stupidity.
Please. Not another Matrix. The first one was really, really bad. The script was onnexistent, the acting was laughable, the storyline was thousands of years old, and the special effects were from a Gap commercial. Just because it involves computers, that doesn't make it a 'good' movie. If anybody actually paid attention to this movie, you'd realize that it was really, truly, god-awful bad.
Well at least enough stuff happened the last couple of months to influence the Matrix...
I just hope it doesn't get infected by Nimda, that would ruin all my fantasies.
Go figure: the Matrix on IIS? That would not be SF anymore, but screaming horror!
42 + 1 = 42
how could you make it any more obvious that you didn't read the article?
I have seen the new Matrix, and it sucks. Thank-you, come again!
Hammer of Truth
Part of the first movie was spent figuring out what The Matrix really was. That will be missing, kinda like watching the Sixth Sense the second time.
I hope that someday we will be able to put away our fears and prejudices and just laugh at people. - Jack Handey
I don't see how the Matrix lends itself at all to a sequel. It was a pretty intriguing movie with some interesting questions. Can the sequels hope to acheive anything close to the same level of intrigue and interest with the closure of the first movie in mind, or will it simply be a cheap grab for more boxoffice bucks?
XML is like violence. If it doesn't solve the problem, use more.
you're the second post in the first seven that obviously didn't read the article. what the hell is wrong with you people?
Or, to put it in another way: "is critical of the busted-ass /."
According to Corona's Coming Attractions, Gloria Foster (a.k.a. The Oracle) passed away last weekend at the age of 64.
That will most likely hamper production.
Do you like German cars?
Even Neo would have trouble cracking into the system that uses "Triple DES encryption over network, PGP CAST 128 encryption on disk, firewall, [and] intrusion detection."
I bet Trinity could slice and dice it in just a few days, tho...
Seriously, it's great to see encryption mentioned in anything other than a 'Only Terrorist Use Encryption' context.
It's a good time to start using encryption just for the sake of using it. Abilities that are not excercised tend to atrophy. If enough people see that its good to exercise crypto in this manner, we'll have a lot more people install it and grow used to the feeling of security it will give them.
Even MS Outlook users can use PGP...
The next Slashdot story will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and slashdot the links early!
Don't plan on hacking into their system though. Even Neo would have trouble cracking into the system that uses "Triple DES encryption over network, PGP CAST 128 encryption on disk, firewall, [and] intrusion detection."
Here is your chance to be notoriously better than Neo.
Terminator II ;-)
Aliens (well, almost
Anybody willing to set up an X10 cam in there?
I think they should get George Carlin to do a cameo, or maybe even Alex Winter... Pop quiz, hotshot. Somebody asks you which one played Bill and which one played Ted. What do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO?
"Now gluttony and exploitation serves eight!" - TV's Frank
hopefully not supplied by MS. [joke!]
Although I would not mind knowing what they are actually running for the system. The Initial Press release leads me to believe that it is a home grown proprietary system, probably unix based.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
The Matrix AI flowchart diagram in SourceForge/ Mind/ Docs/ at http://sourceforge.net/projects/mind/ (among 350 AI projects)is valid for coding First AI in many programming languages.
Teachers and students of computer science in general and of AI in particular may use the First AI flowchart to address the problems encountered in any phase of the study of computer science and AI.
Authors of textbooks may include this diagram or its derivatives in order to incorporate AI theory and practice into all phases of instruction: systems analysis; programming; quality control; etc. Trivial homework assignments may be replaced with serious AI code. Generations of human computer science students may learn the ideas and techniques necessary to create and interact with a new species of intelligent cyborgs sharing in joint stewardship of the planet. As the runaway Singularity approaches, AI will learn to design AI.
Meanwhile, each Mind module beckons to enterprising students who may concentrate on perfecting the very best implementation of the module or its functionality in any programming language or robot.
Not a land rush but a veritable Mind rush is on to turn the Matrix into reality with an artificial life form of AI Minds.
When are they going to give away another Slashdot Cruiser?
In order to save money, will they just fish the first one out of the lake and give it away again?
Got a full tank of hot grits and a penis bird in the glove box.
Anyone know who they got to replace Aaliyah? Did she even have a big part in the sequels? Man I was looking forward to seeing her kick some ass.
I am not a terrorist
Let me make one thing perfectly clear. For myself, and I believe many other "psedo-trolls" here on /., the reason we bitch and piss and moan and gripe about the problems with /. is that although we are cynically disillusioned, we still want to believe that it can work.
/. to work as a self-regulating discussion board for the tech/open source community. And it really chafes me that it chronically falls short of that ideal. I also feel that annonymous posting is important sometimes, despite it being a wide-open hole for abuse.
The fact that the "editors" lack a basic knowledge of spelling, grammar or good form. The prevalence of group think among the moderators. The apparent abuse of the moderation system by the "editors". The fact that people moderating don't understand that AC's posting at score:0 == not seen by people reading at score:1, the default level. The fact that the admins can't keep the DB from crashing six times a week. The "improvements" to slashcode 2.2. The lameness filter that let's ASCII art through, yet foils real posters. All these things work to pervert people who start at as earnest posters expressing their honest opionion into bitchy, devious trolls.
I really want
As a professional movie critic (laughs) I think the best way to get a higher ROI is to put trinity into a smaller leather outfit. *wink*
No I didnt spell check this post...
When I was in college I interned briefly (more of a class really) at Kliezer Walzack (sp?) Construction Company (I think they are www.kwcc.com).
it was a husband and wife team and they did some micheal jackson vids, judge dread, the spiderman ride at universal and I think Honey I blew up the Kids... all bad films, but cool special effects. At the time, Jeff Lew was there - he is a huge name in the character animation field.
anyway, Jeff (Klisier - again I don't know how to spell it) was one of the owners and his first real film was Tron. According to him, they'd program all the efffects, then never really see them until the process of putting the data to film was complete, then the film would be mailed back to them, they'd watch it, and then make corrections. It was amazing how well and how fast they did it all considering that was the case.
eveyrthing is now net based, so this isn't as big a deal - a much bigger deal that the whole movie is done this way - but as far as adding in digital efects, they've been doing it for awhile now (Sending the stuff over the net that is).
There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
you silly scifi-loving tard
Is that supposed to be ironic? (BTW -- it's spelled tolerance.)
-- It only takes 20 minutes for a liberal to become a conservative thanks to our new outpatient surgical procedure!
You gotta admit that the editors are only human though. I mean, even people with basic knowledge of spelling, gramm, and good form can type "psedo-trolls" instead of "pseudo-trolls". :-)
The rest of the post is pretty much on the ball though.
LOL - reply to my own before someone else does. What I *meant* was basic knowledge of spelling, grammar, and good form.
And I previewed it this time.
Last post!
Right - and forgot to "post anonymously".
God I suck.
despite it being a wide-open hole for abuse.
No shit it's wide open
This was a well-thought-out, well-prepared counterpoint to the original post - and fsckin' hilarious besides.
I think you raise good points, but I still disagree. I don't know how many stories the editors have to handle, but I bet it's quite a few, and I can understand the level of spelling/grammar/form mistakes that I see, and I think I have an above average command of the english language (aside from this run-on sentence)...
/., there are always shortcomings, and people are going to gripe about those shortcomings. If you don't like it, start your own site with a modified slashcode, or whatever. Your opinion is well stated, though, and if I were a moderator, I would mod you up.
If you don't like the AC's posting level of 0, then don't post annonymously. When is it necessary?
It seems to me that the admins do a good job of keeping the site up. They kept it running when they were getting 3x the traffic after Sept. 11th, if I remember correctly. I have had occasional problems logging in lately, though.
Group think? Maybe you've got a point, but I think the Meta-Moderation system is in place to combat this. Most of the comments I see labeled as Trolls are pretty fair.
I can't comment on the lameness filter. I know people complain about it, and I do see the occasional ASCII art, but I've never had anything filtered.
Anyway, overall this is my favorite site to visit first thing in the morning. I think that when you try and implement something as idealistic as
"Now gluttony and exploitation serves eight!" - TV's Frank
The Matrix (the unnamed city in the Matrix was I think Sydney or Perth), Matrix sequels, LotR, Phantom Menace (some parts)... does anyone know why Australia seems to be such a popular choice for filming movies these days? Is it a good choice in terms of political or financial considerations involving shooting a film, or is it just very popular?
Ok ok, I know that LotR and maybe Phantom Menace were shot in NZ (IIRC). Still, it makes me wonder what's so hot about shooting films Down Under.
-Kasreyn
Kasreyn: Cheerfully playing the part of Devil's Advocate to hairtrigger
So many questions to be answered and story lines to be followed, the sequel has a good probability of being just as interesting as the first. Now that the gang has figured out how to infiltrate the AI machine complex, how will they "show these people what you don't want them to see" ? Similarly, how will we show the oppressed people of Afghanistan what the Taliban doesn't want them to see?
with mandatory backdoors into all systems and encryption coming soon watching the Matrix and who knows what else years before the rest of the world would be worth working for the spooks and using only homemade encrytion programs....
I do see the occasional ASCII art, but I've never had anything filtered.
I had the lameness filter trip when I used an ellipsis once. That's lame. If they can't make it work consistently, they need to just fucking turn it off and forget about it. Moderators can handle a few penis birds.
"the system that uses "Triple DES encryption over network, PGP CAST 128 encryption on disk, firewall, [and] intrusion detection."
~S
I really enjoyed The Matrix but I was bothered by the "humans as batteries" concept. If I was a vast AI mind I would not want humans as batteries. For one thing, it wouldn't work. What I would use them for is as massive parallel processors to augment my own intelligence. After all, I have this seemless interface into their brains already. Imagine the computing power of 6 billion human beings plugged into my AI brain! Hahahahahahah! The POWER! The POWER! Hahahaha.
The Moore-Murphy Law: The number of things that will go wrong will double every 2 years.
Gloria Foster, the actress who played the Oracle, died last weekend. She finished most of her role in the sequels.
May she rest in peace...
Link
----------
"They misunderestimated me." --George W Bush, Nov. 6, 2000
Doesn't the DCMA protect them against anyone decoding the messages even if they're encrypted using bad encryption? </sarcasm>
The Matrix left more questions unanwered than Star Wars and really presented a much smaller victory if you think about it. So Neo can fly around in the Matrix now, big deal. Can he free humanity? Can he defeat the machines in the real world?
I think the movie left plenty of interesting questions unanswered and there is still room for the sequels to ask more. Even if the new movies aren't as interesting as the first they will still have lots of sfx and kung-fu magic which will be more than enough to attract a large percentage of the /. crowd.
Lasers Controlled Games!
OK, moderators getting friends to mod down on-topic stuff they don't agree with is rough, but what do you do to prevent this (besides diligent meta-moderation)?
I agree that the lameness filter should be turned off. Maybe they can start giving people special "lameness moderation points", although this could be dangerous as well as cumbersome.
"Now gluttony and exploitation serves eight!" - TV's Frank
Oh, and I'm still wondering when it's necessary to post anonymously.
"Now gluttony and exploitation serves eight!" - TV's Frank
Just to explain the gaping plothole:
"They're powered by batteries made out of people! PEOPLE!!!
...
Oh, yeah, and they have cheap cold fusion."
"But Morpheus, why do they need human batteries if they have..."
"Shut up and watch the pretty VR, Neo."
will it be called "the vector" or "the tensor" ?
yeah great
how about walking up and just takeing the disks before they get encoded
because they are not streamed directly to crpto'd disk they are vunerable
security is lax you can walk onto the set if you want you just got to have the balls to tell the managers where to go and have the right colour band around your wrist
regards
john jones
Matrix II - The Fight for Jericho
and
Matrix III - Return to Earth
Was I right?
MjM
XKCD:Xeric Knowledge Comically Dispen
I don't know if anyone has mentioned this yet, I'm just stopping in from lunch, but Gloria Foster, who played the Oracle in the first movie, passed away last weekend. She had completed most of her scenes in the first sequel.
Found at Corona.
Oh goody, I keep waiting for something better than the G450. The G500 seems kinda like a letdown.
they were filming the matrix in oakland, ca. here are some links: http://filmforce.ign.com/matrix/articles/50939p1.h tml
http://www.matrixfans.net/thematrix2/pics/setpics. html
The Matrix was a pretty nice movie. A sequel will almost certainly be worse.
You need to browse geocities for a couple of hour then you will be able to tolerate spelling, grammar and good form errors.
YUO=
-Linux is SO fast it does an infinite loop in 5 seconds.
Sequels would seal this nomination.
Am I the only one in the world to believe this. (Well, I've found some other closet Matrix dislikers.) The movie wasn't that great. I was bored with it.
Plot and story line was highly transparent. You knew how everything was going to end within 15-20 minutes of the movie starting. Acting was flat and uninspiring. Characters were undeveloped and you never got a indepth knowledge of them or had enough to care about them too much. Special Effects and Sound Kicked Ass they should have been and were nomiated for Awards. But, the rest of it wasn't there.
The thing I was most impressed with was how many people I met saw the movie and never had ever thought about the philosophical precepts of the story and how it started them thinking. I guess it's one more good thing (besides effects) out of the movie.
if you think AC posting is a wide open hole ripe for abuse, then you haven't seen the goatse guy!
maybe if you'd like to post some tidbit of information without making the world (your boss, etc) aware of who you are...
Or if you like to claim to be someone else.
Jeff Bates aka Hemos, too lazy to log in.
This is what I think a logically progression of the Matrix movies would be:
I always thought that this would make a more interesting story progression than just a continuation of the same thing. We know who Neo is, what he can do, so aren't the machines pretty much finished?
All that aside, I'm still going to see the next two -- the first one was so highly creative, that, if nothing else, I want to know what the W Bros are going to come up with.
I think we need a Slashback on this one, it would make a great follow up story. Please /., we need the facts!!!!
All of this is because of one man. P.J. Hogan, who you see as director on many Australian films, and is the direct reason for the existence of such fine film production and stage buildings in Australia.
...
P.J. Hogan is actually Paul Hogan. Yup, Crocodile Dundee. The guy who had that killer Aussie show that was such a yuckfest to those of you in the UK and Canada, but who the Yanks don't understand has done anything else.
And that's why they're filming in Australia.
Us lifetime members of Cinema Seattle know these things
--- Will in Seattle - What are you doing to fight the War?
Just heard it on NPR. Truly and American icon. Even if you didn't see her movies, I'm sure you've heard of her. Blah, blah , blah.
A dumb assumption based on nothing more than the author's own admitted lack of vision for the sequels?
It was intended, from the beginning, to be a trilogy.
The authors have barely scratched the surface of their own mythology. Did you feel that the end of the film rendered sequels impossible? Remember the final quote, with Neo addressing the creators of the Matrix which STILL enslaves almost all of humankind?
The entire film is simply a set-up so that the sequels can TELL THE STORY OF THE ATTEMPTS OF A SMALL-GROUP OF SELF-AWARE REBELS TO LIBERATE A HUMAN POPULATION FROM MENTAL CAPTIVITY. In short, THE STORY HASN'T BARELY EVEN BEGUN YET.
As you may or may not know, the film- in addition to being one bad-azz science-fiction masterpiece- is a profound philosophical statement, as well. It is a message to YOU and to ME, about our OWN captivity by OUR MEDIA, which represents a FALSE version of reality that most assume to be TRUE. The Matrix is real- it is being fed to us through television sets 24/7. It is being delivered to us every morning by the paperboy. It is being used to create WANT, so that CORPORATIONS can SELL products we don't NEED but CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT.
In order to hope to escape it, we must first know that it exists- and that it is distinct from the existence we assume to be real.
SPOILER ALERT.
"The Matrix" sequels are going to touch upon many subjects it hadn't yet addressed in the first. We already know that much of what will be taking place to propel the plot will be sci-fi versions of "culture jamming"- in which the lucid rebels use the tools of the Matrix to waken the sleeping citizenry. Television sets which help to keep the population dumb and entertained ( in both the films and in our real world) might suddenly be overrided by the hackers- so that unexpected, jarring programming comes through- perhaps warning them of their enslavement, or of the reality of the Matrix, or whatever...
There are acts of culture-jamming going on all around us right now. They aren't simply random, unrelated happenings like some dork running onto the stage at the Grammys naked with the words "SOY BOMB" on his chest. They are a part of a movement, one that you might not even be aware of but should be. A movement to fight an enemy common to all of us.
Give the sequels the benefit of the doubt. If you want to speculate about spurious sequels for the express purpose of generating major bucks at the box office, get out your light sabre and take a few swings at George Lucas.
Here endeth the lesson.
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how did that get a 5? the matrix opens up so many doors for sequels, many of which are mentioned in other posts. to add to these, the working title for the next matrix is "The Matrix Reloaded". this could mean that the matrix code has been re-written. perhaps neo can't control the new matrix. not only do i feel that the story has just begun- even if the matrix stays the same, but if it truly is 'reloaded', there are infinite possibilities.
I'm surprised that TRW were able to make
:-) (Blade Runner is a Warner Bros. Film)
that thing work.
When I worked at Warner Brothers (Warner Digital Studios) we were working with University of Southern California and TRW on the "hollynet" project. And we had GTE 3DES encryptors and
Nortel OEMed Fore ATM switches. It was kind of a cool project, we transmitted Blade Runner as the first movie. We had a VCR hooked up and entertained the staff over at TRW with Blade Runner.
All the engineers at TRW were all top notch, but some of their managers were clueless and we had alot of glitches because of it.
It's nice to see that they managed to make into a
usable service... I had some SERIOUS doubts.
I'm surprized that they are not using WHAM! Net.
...I'm sure if the "Fuck You" guy were here, he'd say:
Fuck You.
1. It will suck.
2. It will suck.
3. It will suck.
4. It will suck.
5. A bunch of fags will go see it.
Cheap grab for box-office bucks? Hardly.
First, you assert rather blatantly and incorrectly that "movie-making is a business, of which entertainment is a by-product". Filmmaking is an artform. Hollywood is an industry which uses and very often abuses the artform in the pursuit of wealth. The establishment within Hollywood largely, but not exclusively, pursues films which cost less to make than they can probably be assumed to gross. The artform, then, often suffers, because marketing forces affect both the sort of films which are made, and frequently the way in which films are made.
Having clarified that, let us move on.
Filmmaking is an artform, and certain films are universally recognized as being fantastic works of art- regardless of the processes or powers that created them. You can not look at many of the masterpieces of modern cinema and pretend otherwise. Tell me, was "Taxi Driver" a cheap-grab for box-office bucks? "Citizen Kane"? "Sex, Lies and Videotape"? "Run Lola Run"? "This Is Spinal Tap"?
Few films are both artistic masterpieces and box-office blockbusters. Nevertheless, some films are, and it is elitist and cynical to be dismissive of high art that just happens to be popular and financially successful.
"The Matrix" is, regardless of your somewhat low-regard for the film, a true masterpiece of science-fiction. Yes, the creators of the film offhandedly said the "Matrix is about robots vs. kung fu". That comment was a humble, joking hypersimplification. Sorry if you missed that.
Do some reading. Consider Simulacra and Simulations for starters (a book which Neo has early in the film). Read up on Culture Jamming. There is a war underway, RIGHT NOW, for the control of the minds of mankind. "The Matrix" is a film which addresses that very subject- co-opting the form of a shoot-them-up-sci-fi-FX-supermovie in order to make a bigger point than most of you seem to have realized.
The 60s were a period of great civil unrest and cultural change. Many great films of the day reflected the social upheaval our nation experienced- touching on the subjects of the civil rights (for minorities and women), the counter-culture, etc.
As we speak, a new war rages- but it is a quiet war, an invisible one. The war is being waged by corporate interests, using media and advertising, to create and control a complete version of reality, one which allows them to encourage endless consumption and one that discourages them from questioning the reality. The rebellion is being fought by individuals and groups that realize that the consumption culture is creating empty shells of all of us. It is isolating us from family and community.
The rebellion has no leader- it has no center. It is a thousand small pockets of rebellion, each attempting to use novel means to awaken others to the war. Noteworthy authors include Thomas Frank (One Market Under God), Adbusters, Neil Postman ("The Disappearance of Childhood" and "Amusing Ourselves to Death"), Mark Osborn ("More" (a FANTASTIC short film)and so many, many others.
The film "The Matrix" is a part of this movement. It isn't just a cool sci-fi. Yes, the film is being marketed and used by the Producer Joel Silver to generate a serious mint. The system is necessarily co-opted to subsidize the creation of the expensive, incredibly complex work. Is this hypocritical? You decide. Do the ends justify the means? I would say yes. I'd rather see "The Matrix" realized as a $100M work than see what the Brothers would've been able to come up with using only the money they made painting houses and doing their first film, "Bound".
Watch the movie again with these facts in mind. Research the culture-jamming movement and read everything you can if you want to be a part of the fight. If you don't, at least be aware that it is being waged- and that you minds are the spoils if the powers win the war.
Here is a complete a comprehensive list of sequels that were as good as or better than the original:
Godfather II
Empire Stikes Back
You can also maybe add Toy Story II to the list. If you think Aliens belongs here, you're a fucking fag. I seriously doubt The Matrix II will be on this list - it will be a letdown and cheapen the original.
Or someone who will take up the proposal for a movie of TheMatriXXX.
I think you just violated federal law by figuring out a way to circumvent the studios encryption.
And if you didn't know Coming Attractions and others have confirmed that Gloria Foster (who played the Oracle) past away last weekend.
Didn't you also get a 70 on your chemistry final at that same college?
First, you assert rather blatantly and incorrectly that "movie-making is a business, of which entertainment is a by-product". Filmmaking is an artform. Hollywood is an industry which uses and very often abuses the artform in the pursuit of wealth...
I appreciate your idealistic view of film as an art form; however, I wasn't contesting that. Film certainly is and can be an art form, but the process of movie-making is a business, one that requires a great deal of money. Without that business, a good number of movies (including the rather expensive Matrix) would not be produced. Film as art is quite often divorced from film as business, as the fate of Orson Welles after Citizen Kane (since you bring it up) will no doubt attest. Believe me, I wish Hollywood was altruistic enough to make more good films on a regular basis, and allow the artist all the integrity he desires; but most often that's simply not the case.
I love a good art-house movie as much as the next guy, but the fact is, a movie like the Matrix would not get made unless someone (the studio) fronts a lot of money, and the studio does not front a lot of money unless they're nearly guaranteed to make a whole lot more. Entertaining the audience is a good thing, but ultimately a secondary concern. Thus the term, "shameless cash grab." I should also point out, that wasn't intended as a slam on the Matrix as a film.
Few films are both artistic masterpieces and box-office blockbusters. Nevertheless, some films are, and it is elitist and cynical to be dismissive of high art that just happens to be popular and financially successful.
I certainly agree. I have no quarrel with high art being financially successful or popular. I wish it would happen more often. However, while I do feel The Matrix is a good film with some nice, deep themes -- as deep as the action-thriller structure will allow, really -- I don't find it to be high art.
"The Matrix" is, regardless of your somewhat low-regard for the film, a true masterpiece of science-fiction. Yes, the creators of the film offhandedly said the "Matrix is about robots vs. kung fu". That comment was a humble, joking hypersimplification. Sorry if you missed that.
You've misunderstood, I'm afraid. I'm a huge fan of the Matrix -- I bought it twice, on collector's VHS and then again on DVD, and drive people crazy quoting it in casual conversation. I don't idolize it as you seem to, but I enjoy it a great deal on a number of levels, including many of the ones you point out. While I don't regard it as a science-fiction masterpiece (if only because I'm not very generous with the term 'masterpiece'), it does have a special place in my collection of films, sci-fi or otherwise.
As for the Wachowski brother's comment and its ultimate meaning, it's one that's open to interpretation, unless of course you're Andy or Larry... which is not to say I disagree. I believe a movie that's about robots and kung fu doesn't necessarily exclude it from being high art. I just don't rank Matrix with those movies.
Do some reading. Consider Simulacra and Simulations [stanford.edu] for starters (a book which Neo has early in the film). Read up on Culture Jamming [syntac.net]. There is a war underway, RIGHT NOW, for the control of the minds of mankind. "The Matrix" is a film which addresses that very subject- co-opting the form of a shoot-them-up-sci-fi-FX-supermovie in order to make a bigger point than most of you seem to have realized.
For someone who (supposedly) rails against elitism and cynicism, you make an awful lot of assumptions about what I have or haven't read, and about the bigger point that all us poor, benighted fools just don't get. I don't need the anti-totalitarian theme of The Matrix pointed out to me, nor the presence of Simulacra and Simulations in the film. I find those touches in the film add a lot to it, and round it out nicely, more so than your average brainless sci-fi flick -- but I don't feel they elevate The Matrix to an exalted level of cinematic excellence. If you do -- that's fine.
As we speak, a new war rages- but it is a quiet war, an invisible one... The rebellion has no leader- it has no center. It is a thousand small pockets of rebellion, each attempting to use novel means to awaken others to the war... The film "The Matrix" is a part of this movement. It isn't just a cool sci-fi.
I'm sorry, but I can't find your breathless, dramatic rhetoric to be anything but mildly humorous. You sound like a bad sci-fi movie yourself. However, I appreciate your going to the trouble to generate a reading list.
Rather than refute your point about the Matrix being a subversive call to culture-jamming arms cleverly disguised as mainstream science fiction, however, I would like to ask if you have any resources that substantiate your claims about the nature of The Matrix. I'm not being sarcastic, but genuinely curious.
It's one thing to present or endorse a deeper level to a movie, but quite another to superimpose one's own value system on it and accuse those who disagree of ignorance. If you have some proof that the Wachowski brothers truly did intend to "act within the system to destroy the system" and so forth, I'll gladly take you seriously. Otherwise, what you're saying is very interesting, but nothing more than opinion sheathed a lot of bombast.
Watch the movie again with these facts in mind. Research the culture-jamming movement and read everything you can if you want to be a part of the fight. If you don't, at least be aware that it is being waged- and that you minds are the spoils if the powers win the war.
I don't need Hollywood, or you, to introduce me to the culture-jamming movement, but once again, thank you. I admire the decication and passion you have for the subject, but if you truly style yourself a crusader and educator, you may want to consider toning down the pomposity and condescension a bit. It undermines the integrity of your points (which were good) and doesn't particularly help your cause.
That being said, I'm looking forward to the Matrix sequels and hope they are as excellent as the first movie was.
Its already out. Seriously - I saw it in thailand last january on dvd. for sale for only $2.50 USD.
However - I didnt recognize any of the actors...
won't we all be able to see it sooner if encryption backdoors are mandatory? looks like it isn't so easy to enforce laws when your not blind with rage
*** Ag3nt_Smith sets mode +m