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The Matrix

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KidD01
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Post by KidD01 »

A distubring thought here : Most film mentioned sometime in the future later, computer will take over the humanity. The owrst is they tend to look at humans as a plague :(

Example :
Terminator 1 & 2 : Which Skynet gain conciousness ans then make robots to take over perhaps the correct word is to slave the humans
Ghost in the Shell : An anime where a program used by an organisation in the net after sometime gain a certain conciousness and plan to have a life as human.
Matrix : Human get run over by Virtual reality ?
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Post by Georgi »

Originally posted by Waverly:
<STRONG>Technology to which the laws of thermodynamics don't apply?! That's crazy talk</STRONG>
Yes dear, hence the :rolleyes: ;) duh :p But then aren't scientific principles only valid as long as the universe conforms to them? Or something... :rolleyes:

@Leedogg, oh yeah, AI not aliens, you're right of course, did I mention I haven't seen it for ages... :D
Originally posted by Fable:
<STRONG>Only thing more laughable was the fact that the Evil Guys couldn't hit them with automatics within six feet, guns blazing: riiiiight.. </STRONG>
And the last time you saw a bad guy actually capable of hitting something with his automatic rifle as the good guy picks off each bad guy with a perfect shot in a Hollywood movie was... when? :D ;) :rolleyes:
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Post by ThorinOakensfield »

Well if the evil guy could actually kill people then won't that be teaching the (stupid)masses that evil is better than good, and we don't want the masses to belive that sadly because they control the countries.

A wierd quote i heard somewhere
"Evil always wins, because good...is...dumb"
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Post by josh »

The SWAT guys did not know what was really going on. All they knew was that the guys in black leather were the bad guys, the terrorists. They are still humans trapped in the Matrix, the same ones that Neo and all that are supposed to liberate.
Also I was hoping to see Jet Li in the sequels. He would spice up the action sequences.
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Post by Xandax »

Originally posted by KidD01:
<STRONG>A distubring thought here : Most film mentioned sometime in the future later, computer will take over the humanity. The owrst is they tend to look at humans as a plague :(

Example :
Terminator 1 & 2 : Which Skynet gain conciousness ans then make robots to take over perhaps the correct word is to slave the humans
Ghost in the Shell : An anime where a program used by an organisation in the net after sometime gain a certain conciousness and plan to have a life as human.
Matrix : Human get run over by Virtual reality ?</STRONG>
IMO that is endeed a seroius possiblity if we(when we) someday invent a true A.I. if we can't controll it, it will due to logical thinking want to secure it's own survival, and how do you do that - eleminate the worst competition.

On the positive side - humans have always been quite hardy when comming to conflicts. There are not many cases in history where an race/people will without a fight just let another race/people rule it.
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Post by Vehemence »

Originally posted by fable:
<STRONG>I got a chance to see The Matrix about 8 weeks ago, and my opinion pretty much mirrors yours. They can't let someone out of the matrix after their teens, the venerable Yoda-like instructor/leader tells our young hero; but his remarks at the end of the film show he plans to "free" everyone by doing just that. And those cheerleader cartwheels done by the hero and heroine in the big shoot-up scene? Only thing more laughable was the fact that the Evil Guys couldn't hit them with automatics within six feet, guns blazing: riiiiight.. :D </STRONG>
Oh My! We seem to be forgetting something here people...

It's a MOVIE!!! You know, a ficticious story which is often entertaining. Hence the reason people watch them! ;)

Sheesh! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

They did the cartwheels and massive dodging because it looks cool! It may surprise some of you that often entertainment is perceived to be better than reality. :rolleyes: Let's have an example shall we:

Case1: The entertaining Scene

Neo dodges multiple bullets by doing cartwheels across the screen and massive bullet effects flying everywhere and at the end of it, the viewers get a sense of awe when we feel how really powerful/good he is, since he can kick so much booty, look cool, and still get the girl all at the same time.

Case2: The realistic Scene

Neo runs in with guns blazing. A security cop fires a submachine gun hitting Neo 90% of the time. Neo lies on the floor dead.


Hmmmmm... since this is a MOVIE!!! I think I'll go with case1.

I honestly hope that you all have the capacity to go watch a movie for a good night out and just think that was cool. Yea, a little unrealistic, but it was enjoyable.

If you can't, and feel that you must analyse every instance, it will undoubtedly detract from the experience and you won't be having much fun at all.

One last, parting shot before the flames arrive...

Whose to say these unrealistic things are not possible? Not possible today perhaps... but given time... (hence the movie set in the future)......

George Bernard Shaw said: "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
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Post by Xandax »

Originally posted by Vehemence:
<STRONG>Oh My! We seem to be forgetting something here people...

It's a MOVIE!!! You know, a ficticious story which is often entertaining. Hence the reason people watch them! ;)
<snip></STRONG>
*OMG* - is it a MOVIE????????
Why didn't anybody tell me this, now I feel really down :D :D :D :D

Oh well, poor V. ( :D ) there is nothing wrong with just watching a movie for entertainment.
But there is definatly nothing wrong with looking at the movie and trying to analyze it. Especially when it actually contains an important message to people.
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Post by Anatres »

Originally posted by KidD01:
<STRONG>A distubring thought here : Most film mentioned sometime in the future later, computer will take over the humanity. The owrst is they tend to look at humans as a plague :(

Example :
Terminator 1 & 2 : Which Skynet gain conciousness ans then make robots to take over perhaps the correct word is to slave the humans
Ghost in the Shell : An anime where a program used by an organisation in the net after sometime gain a certain conciousness and plan to have a life as human.
Matrix : Human get run over by Virtual reality ?</STRONG>

This whole concept of 'computer takes over world and destroys mankind' has been around alot longer than T1. 'Fail Safe' comes to mind. 'Tho that was mostly a 'programming error'. Our primordal fear of the machine is evident in all these films. It's just that movie technology has gotten better (thanks to those same machines, ironic isn't it?) so we can be more inventive in the concepts we can show on the silver screen.
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Post by fable »

Vehemence writes:
Oh My! We seem to be forgetting something here people...

It's a MOVIE!!! You know, a ficticious story which is often entertaining. Hence the reason people watch them!
You're the only one who's forgetting something, Vehemence: that everybody here is entitled to an opinion of their own. Considering learning to respect the abilities of others who dare to disagree with your mindset and don't like what you think great. Maybe you're learn something. Maybe not. :rolleyes:

They did the cartwheels and massive dodging because it looks cool!

The film's story was not meant to be satirical. It was meant to be a cyperpunk thriller, and believable within the framework of its own universe, like The Maltese Falcon, or Star Wars. We were supposed to feel tension when the good guys and the bad guys shot it off and did ninja numbers at one another. Instead, the people I was with, including myself, without exception howled in disbelief at the film at this point. (And others points, too--you've neglected to respond to the contradiction in film text I mentioned, earlier.) We all considered it a terrible waste of money, so we rented an old Laurel & Hardy comedy and laughed our asses off.

Oh, but wait: we couldn't do that. Because supposedly we like to analyze films, and can't enjoy 'em. Right. Cancel the above. Of course.

It may surprise some of you that often entertainment is perceived to be better than reality.

It might surprise you that some of us really go for fantasy, including light entertainment; even write it ourselves, and get it published; but that we just don't find the stuff you think great is--how shall I delicately put this? ah, yes--GOOD.

Neo dodges multiple bullets by doing cartwheels across the screen and massive bullet effects flying everywhere and at the end of it, the viewers get a sense of awe when we feel how really powerful/good he is, since he can kick so much booty, look cool, and still get the girl all at the same time.

First, it was both the hero and the heroine. Second, if you don't create a creditable opposition in an action sequence, you don't have a battle. If somebody can shoot at you point blank and you can do cartwheels around their bullets, I yawn. That's not action entertainment, in my book, because there's no challenge. It's like running an immortal, buffed up party in BG2. There's no fun for onlookers when you're no chance that you'll even get scratched.

Neo runs in with guns blazing. A security cop fires a submachine gun hitting Neo 90% of the time. Neo lies on the floor dead.

...Or how about Scenario #3...? (Yeah, there really are more than two ways, Your Way and The Utterly Wrong Way, to look at things.) Neo and the heroine rush in. They use hair-trigger reflexes, lots of weapons, but even bigger smarts to dodge the locations where they think the bad guys are hiding, knocking them off one by one. Lots of tension, and a great sense of release when it's over. What a pity a sequence like that wasn't filmed, because the directors-producers-writers (same folks) were only interested in the techno- side of stuff.

If you can't, and feel that you must analyse every instance, it will undoubtedly detract from the experience and you won't be having much fun at all.

The idea that somebody has to agree with what you believe comprises entertainment or they're automatically wrong is probably the most original concept you've ever had. :rolleyes:

[ 06-25-2001: Message edited by: fable ]
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Post by leedogg »

Originally posted by Vehemence:
<STRONG>

One last, parting shot before the flames arrive...

</STRONG>
at least you knew they were coming! :D :D
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Post by Georgi »

Regarding the lobby scene... isn't it kind of the point, that it's so easy for Neo and Trinity to kickass? :rolleyes: Because, they're not fighting agents, they are fighting normal security guards who are confined by the rules of the matrix, while our heroes have learned how to bend those rules? The security guards aren't supposed to pose much of an opposition, the only people who can come close to being a threat are the agents.

Oh yeah, and it had to be relatively quick and painless ( :D ), in order for the two of them to get through the lobby before the agents realised what was going on. And don't forget Neo's not the brightest guy around... the way they do it is more his style than a stealth attack ;)

So, I figure it fits in ok. And it looks cool. :cool:

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Post by Mr Sleep »

Originally posted by Vehemence:
<STRONG>It's a movie for god sake. :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Doesn't anyone just watch movies for the experience any more?

Analyse this, analyse that... sheesh! No wonder we aren't going anywhere in the world today, where all still chasing our tails trying to figure out how it's stuck on! :D :D </STRONG>
Well i watched the ORIGINAL 'The Haunting' ages ago and jsut kind of got on with it. I sat down and analysed the film on Saturday and came as close to loosing control of my bowels :) it is more scary when you analyse it, the only film htat has ever done that to me.
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Post by Vehemence »

Oh Goody... got someone :D Fable, let's dance ;)
You're the only one who's forgetting something, Vehemence: that everybody here is entitled to an opinion of their own. Considering learning to respect the abilities of others who dare to disagree with your mindset and don't like what you think great. Maybe you're learn something. Maybe not.
No no, I didn't forget. I'm well aware that each and everyone is allowed their opinion (hence me expressing mine). In fact going against the dominant analytical trend in this thread with my entertaining reasoning is just showing an alternate opinion to everyone else who would quickly analyse and pick on certain elements.
The film's story was not meant to be satirical. It was meant to be a cyperpunk thriller, and believable within the framework of its own universe, like The Maltese Falcon, or Star Wars. We were supposed to feel tension when the good guys and the bad guys shot it off and did ninja numbers at one another. Instead, the people I was with, including myself, without exception howled in disbelief at the film at this point. (And others points, too--you've neglected to respond to the contradiction in film text I mentioned, earlier.) We all considered it a terrible waste of money, so we rented an old Laurel & Hardy comedy and laughed our asses off.
I'm sorry but where oh where did you get the impression that I meant that it was satirical by this quote of mine:
They did the cartwheels and massive dodging because it looks cool!
Meant to be a cyberpunk thriller? Yes, so things looking cool would fit right in here wouldn't you say? :rolleyes:

"Believable within its own universe" Yep, I believed it. I'm sorry, I don't have a degree in thermodynamics or physics, so I'm probably not the brightest lightbulb when it comes to these issues, so you'll excuse me if I just enjoyed the fact that they were in a computer program which according to Morpheus, laws could be broken... hence cartwheels, dodging etc etc. I think that more than satisfies the "believable within its own universe" thingie wouldn't you?
We were supposed to feel tension when the good guys and the bad guys shot it off and did ninja numbers at one another
I'm sorry, where you the director? Producer? Maybe the writer? No... hmmm... so by what right do you claim that we (as in all of us) are supposed to see it that way? Perception is highly individualistic and to make an assumption as to how we're supposed to interpret something is more arrogant than anything I have stated. :rolleyes:
Oh, but wait: we couldn't do that. Because supposedly we like to analyze films, and can't enjoy 'em. Right. Cancel the above. Of course
Glad you agree :D
It might surprise you that some of us really go for fantasy, including light entertainment; even write it ourselves, and get it published; but that we just don't find the stuff you think great is--how shall I delicately put this? ah, yes--GOOD
Fantasy... matrix... fantasy... matrix... Yep, sorry, how did we get into fantasy? I thought this was a, what did you call it? Punk Thriller? The fact that you don't find the stuff that I think great is not good is obvious and at the same time, expected. So what's that got to do with it? I was simply pointing out that some of us go for the entertainment value. Are you saying that if you don't like it you analyse it?

First, it was both the hero and the heroine.
Picky picky picky :D :rolleyes:

[QUOTE...Or how about Scenario #3...? (Yeah, there really are more than two ways, Your Way and The Utterly Wrong Way, to look at things.) Neo and the heroine rush in. They use hair-trigger reflexes, lots of weapons, but even bigger smarts to dodge the locations where they think the bad guys are hiding, knocking them off one by one. Lots of tension, and a great sense of release when it's over. What a pity a sequence like that wasn't filmed, because the directors-producers-writers (same folks) were only interested in the techno- side of stuff[/QUOTE]

But now your neglecting their choice to go with the "techno- side of stuff". They did that because it fits with the movie. Plus it was... ENTERTAING!
The idea that somebody has to agree with what you believe comprises entertainment or they're automatically wrong is probably the most original concept you've ever had
Ouch... so much for playing nice. Don't let this get too personal Mr. Radio Man... there's plenty of wet fish in a bucket with your name written all over it ;)

Incidently, I never said everyone has to agree with what I was saying. I was simply putting forth another way of looking at things. The idea that some people go to watch the movies for the entertainment. You saw the promo, you watched the movie... you knew what you were getting yourself into. Don't deny that.
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Post by Gruntboy »

There are very few flawless films. I watched the Matrix and thought it kicked heinie. :D There are plenty of cr*p films you could be criticising. You're all welcome to your opinions but I just sit back, let myself be entertained and let the Dolby Digital 5.1 and my Widescreen TV do its lovely, lovely work. :D

If I want accuracy, I'll watch "The World at War" and thoroughly depress myself.

There are easier pass times than picking gnat sh*t from pepper that is the criticism of the Matrix. You don't think Hollywood ever tells the truth, do you? From a recent movie magazine:

"I'm in a web chat room for movie buffs and this American guy asks me how my country [UK] can justify its war crimes as evidenced in The Patriot. I ask this guy if he really believes everything Hollywood portrays on the screen. He says YES! Private Ryan saved Europe and Ben Affleck saved the day at Pearl Harbor."

:D
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Post by Anatres »

Wow! fable and Vehemence. Nice point-counterpoint. Although it's starting to heat up a bit - but that's a good thing.

Personally, (notice I said personally as in 'me' 'my opinion' 'my feelings' (if you will)) look to movies, TV shows and most written fiction for their entertainment
value. If, in the case of some TV, I learn something in the process that's OK too.

I'm a Systems Analyst in my 'work-a-day' world so I have a tendency to stay away from that process when I'm after pure entertainment. If that entertainment causes me to suspend my belief in reality so much the better.

I happen to agree more with Vehemence's position than fable's in this case. Somethings scream for analysis and some loose all their value when over analysed. To my mind it seems that one can look on the world of entertainment with a too critical eye. Searching for the 'deeper meaning' or the 'reality' in a vehicle that isn't intended to represent 'reality' in the least little bit does, once again in my opinion, seem to detract from the 'entertainment' value.

One last point, if you go to a movie to analyse it for it's adherence to a sense of 'reality', and that's your intent, then enjoy that process. If you watch a movie for the 'entertainment value', whether it be the Matrix or The keystone Cops, then that is your 'personal' experience and brooks no debate from me.
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Post by fable »

Anatres writes:
Wow! fable and Vehemence. Nice point-counterpoint. Although it's starting to heat up a bit - but that's a good thing.
Nope. Not to say heat in a conversation is always bad; it's sometimes pretty damn good. But that's when both people are being fairly represented, and their ideas are under discussion. Instead, I'm just being personally attacked as an "analyst" by people who are ignoring everything I write that disproves these remarks. The subject isn't the film; it's me. If I got angered in my last post (and I did), it's because I don't like being mis-represented, or told I'm automatically wrong by somebody who can't stand an opposing view, and automatically pigeon-holes it--while refusing to deal with the points it raised. After all, you don't need to analyze a film to know you don't like it, and it never hurts to figure out why you didn't like it after you get through watching it.

Vehemence, as soon as you answer the specific points I've raised in both my posts, here, I'll discuss this--or anything--with you. Until then, please, feel free to ignore whatever I write, and rest assured, I'll do the same for you.

[ 06-25-2001: Message edited by: fable ]
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Post by fable »

Gruntboy writes:
There are very few flawless films. I watched the Matrix and thought it kicked heinie. There are plenty of cr*p films you could be criticising. You're all welcome to your opinions but I just sit back, let myself be entertained and let the Dolby Digital 5.1 and my Widescreen TV do its lovely, lovely work.
I don't know anybody who looks for flawless films, and the fact that I'm a fan of anime should have given that away, long ago. ;) I just look at a film, see if I like it, and figure out afterwards why I did, or didn't. The criticism is all post mortem. During the film, as my wife and friends will tell you, I just experience, and my reactions are more uninhibited than most folks, especially when I like something a lot. I've been voted Most Embarassing Person to Attend a Good Comedy With in my circle for six years running. :D I've even been told to shut up by patrons who didn't get gags or didn't laugh at 'em, which I thought were screamingly funny. My reactions are visceral.

So I sit back, too, and I'm entertained--or not. In the case of Matrix, my friends and I simply howled our laughter at points where the dialog contradicted itself or the actions didn't suit the film. Like I wrote earlier, I'm still trying to figure why the hero thinks it would be noble to release everybody from the computer, when his instructor-guru has already explained that he was at the edge of being able to accept reality when he was released: the older you get, the more likely you'll just mentally collapse upon being "freed." Maybe the hero just wants to free 'em and stick the world over 18 in a giant asylum? Or maybe the writers/directors needed to make him sound noble, and didn't bother thinking about whether it contradicted what was said earlier...?

That didn't require a great deal of thought to hear it. Somebody in our crew simply said: "Wait a minute! Didn't..." and we laughed and rolled our eyes again. And we felt the same way about the "cartwheeling" action sequence, and the Corrupted Traitor who adapts the most tired cliche of talking endlessly as he's about to kill the hero and heroine, until their friend revives (from death, it looked like) and shoots him.

Now, if having a different opinion from the majority of people in this thread (or anywhere) makes Matrix-hasters pariahs, so be it: I'll don a hairshirt and a sign saying "Has Unclean Opinions." :D But at least, dislike our views without misrepresenting us. We're not looking for perfect films. We're people like you, same three arms, green blood...um, well, anyway, we're just people who are looking for good films, and we found Matrix to be a very bad one. Enough said. :)

[ 06-25-2001: Message edited by: fable ]
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Post by Anatres »

Fable writes…..

‘Nope. Not to say heat in a conversation is always bad; it's sometimes pretty damn good. But that's when both people are being fairly represented, and their ideas are under discussion. Instead, I'm just being personally attacked as an "analyst" by people who are ignoring everything I write that disproves these remarks.’

First, I hope your referral to ‘personal attack’ was not aimed at me for any remarks I made. It was not my intention to ‘attack’ anyone. Obviously, since I am one, ‘analyst’ doesn’t have a ‘bad’ connotation to me.


Fable continues……

‘ After all, you don't need to analyze a film to know you don't like it, and it never hurts to figure out why you didn't like it after you get through watching it.’

In my case, notice again I am referring solely to myself, the ‘why’ I did or didn’t like a particular entertainment endeavor requires no conscience analysis on my part. I can pretty much determine the why viscerally. If I need to ‘defend’ that feeling, then I’m embarking on a discussion that probably points to the other’s agenda being other than why I did or didn’t like a particular film. These are situations I would rather avoid unless we can get to the real ‘heart’ of the matter.
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Post by fable »

[quote]Anatres writes:
In my case, notice again I am referring solely to myself, the ‘why’ I did or didn’t like a particular entertainment endeavor requires no conscience analysis on my part.

I wasn't including you, above, Anatres, in my comments. As to conscious analysis: well, I'll bet in the end you do as much as I do, because as soon as you pose the question "why," the conscious mind has to furnish some answers. If you mean that you don't engage in any deep, post-structural BS which gains some people their doctorates in schools that should know better, I'm with you on that. :) But if somebody were to say to me, "Heh, Fable, you like Buster Keaton, and you like Charlie Chaplin. You say they were wildly funny comics. Which do you like best, and why?" -I'd have to do some analysis to explain the differences that I see.

I can pretty much determine the why viscerally. If I need to ‘defend’ that feeling, then I’m embarking on a discussion that probably points to the other’s agenda being other than why I did or didn’t like a particular film. These are situations I would rather avoid unless we can get to the real ‘heart’ of the matter.

That pretty much sums up my feeling, here. I simply posted my opinion of Matrix, and suddenly I was slapped with a label, and treated as if my opinion was the result of something I've fought against in print, on radio and tv for over twenty years! (Between pseudo-intellectual BS on the one hand and populist no-nothingism on the other, may the Gods defend us.) So I decided that the best way was to avoid discussion. No offense is meant to anyone, but I don't like being convicted without a jury of a crime I didn't commit by a prosecutor who is also judge and jury and has never even spoken to me. :D

[ 06-25-2001: Message edited by: fable ]
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Post by C Elegans »

Just two words: internal consistency

Like most people, I want to sit back and be entertained, intrigued or in any other way engaged in and absorbed by film I see or a book I read. If I sit there and constantly view the film from a meta perspective, thinking "this is a film", the fun in reduced for me.

I think Blade runner and Brazil are two good, interesting and entertaining films. I think Matrix is a boring and uninteresting film. Why?

This has nothing to do with how credible the scenario is. Blade runner or Brazil are not exactly social realism. But IMO, they have something that Matrix lacks: an internal, "within the film-reality", coherent story. Things like bad acting and incoherent events simply reminds me it's a film.
It's no different from playing BG, if I sit there and constantly think "this is a computer game and Imoen is a graphic animation combined with a few wav-files and a script", it wouldn't be much fun playing BG.
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