philosofee_lvr2003 Reviews

The Elephant Man (1980)

If Your Life Sucks Watch This Movie

[27 July 2004]

'I am not an animal! I am a human being! I …am …a man!'

John Merrick (as portrayed in The Elephant Man)

'If Your Life Sucks, Watch this Movie' 'The Elephant Man,' directed by David Lynch and written by Sir Frederick Treves and Ashley Montagu, is a macabre story about Dr. Frederick 'Freddie' Treves (Anthony Hopkins) who shows compassion for a man with Proteous Syndrome John Merrick (John Hurt). The story is based on the true account of John Merrick's life as a side show freak in the nineteenth century. The viewer is taken on a journey of a man trying to regain some self-respect and the doctor who is helping him to do so.

If you are like me and in a bad space in your life, watch this movie. Although a depressing film there are brief moments of hope with the interaction of Merrick and Treves. But, mostly it is scene after scene of abuse, torture and the dark side of human nature. This is not a movie that a viewer is going to want to watch time and time again. Watching this movie is like being drug through a crime scene, most don't want to look but most can't help themselves. After viewing the film, I felt a lot better about my life, and right now I am unemployed, fat and alone.

That being said, the movie taken as a work of art was excellent. The black and white cinematography really added to the Victorian feel of the nineteenth century. The character development was superb and the acting of Hopkins and Hurt phenomenal. The makeup and costuming was dark as the film itself and the direction by Lynch, using his signature 'dream' scenes only added to the dimness of the entire film. I highly recommend this film once because it is beautifully directed and a great story. But, unless you are a masochist, once is enough.

The Matrix (1999)

The Reality/Appearance Distinction for Dummies

[29 June 2004]

The Matrix, written and directed by the Wachowski Brothers, stars Keanu Reeves as Neo and Laurence Fishburn as Morphius. They are the preservers of reality. Neo is a man whose everyday world is turned inside out when he discovers that he (and just about everyone else) is living in a false reality. The Matrix is literally a computer based program which is set up by powerful machines to trick people into believing that life as they know it is truly real. Morphius and his band of rebels have to convince Neo to join their 'merry men' because he is the savior who can save all humanity from the energy sucking evil machines. Of course, they do convince Neo with the help of Trinity (Carrie Ann Moss), a love interest. The movie continues on to be a man against machine type sci-fi thriller.

The reason this movie is better than the usual man against machine thriller is that the Wachowski Brothers have taken on academic existential inquiries about the perception/reality distinction in a way for all to enjoy. How do we know what we experience in the world is real? could there be an evil genius literally pulling the wool over our eyes? if so, do we really want to know that our reality is an illusion? This movie has many heavy philosophical undertones attached to it. The directors are trying to thrust the viewers into a different way of seeing there own reality, and I believe they succeeded in doing so.

Unfortunately, the reason this movie was a box-office success was not because of its philosophical inquiries, but because it is a visually stunning film. The fight scenes are impressively creative, unlike any I have ever seen before. The use of color in the film separates reality (dark, grey clothes and scenes) from our perception of reality when inside the Matrix (bright techno-colors and shiny black latex). There are so many beautifully stimulating visuals in this movie that the fans don't even acknowledge the bad acting of Reeves. Although the dialogue in the film is a little confusing for the average Joe/ Joanne who isn't a sci-fi nut or philosophy major, the overall pace of the movie is excellent and it is a must see film.