Waking Life
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Movie Reviews of Waking Life
Movie Review: This is not a movie, it's art.
Summary: 5 Stars
Waking Life is perhaps one of the most amazing "not-films" I've ever watched. Don't be decieved by the DVD box suggesting that it's a movie. It's a motion picture as art. This film lacks everything a film should have: story, characters, plot, conflict, climax, everything. Then why do I give it five stars? Because it's not about the story, it's about the experience. It's not about the characters, it's about the ideas expressed by the people on the screen. It's not about the plot, it's about being totally mesmerised by the innovative rotoscopy animation. The film is a 100 minute acid trip and you don't get any of the harmful side effects that real LSD poses. Simply just a prolonged disconnection from the world as we know it allowing us to escape from all of the pressures of everyday existence and just be and think and live as a worryless lump of matter for a short while. The worst part about the movie is that if you start watching, it reaches a point that it is over.
Director, Richard Linklater, takes us through a montage of of discussions from people on the screen about scores of philosophical, metaphysical and anthropoligical issues: existentialism, evolution, free will, language, dreams, death, life, reincarnation, pessimism, and so much more. This is not a traditional film. Throughout the whole run of the piece we are simply assaulted with philosophical monologue that may be boring or intellectually stimulating, pretentious or profound, tiresome or envigorating. Either way, I feel that it is a great way to just feel so disconnected and freed from the world for a little while. Among other elements of the film, the rotoscopy animation and the enchanting soundtrack by Tosca Tango Orchestra aids in this effect of disconnection, almost making the viewer feel like he or she is floating. It's important to understand the context of this film. It was released just after 9/11, when everyone needed a break from reality for a little while. Some may feel that presently we are all in need of a break from reality. Whatever the case may be, this is a film that may not be easily recieved by all people of all times. I gave this movie five stars. Covering every point that I just covered, I just as easily could have given it one. The only possible way that one can judge whether they will appreciate or scoff at this work of art is simply to experience it.
Movie Review: Wake up your Mind
Summary: 5 Stars
I haven't yet bought this DVD, but very much plan on doing so. I have always wondered, even to myself, the purpose for *buying* a movie. Am I really going to watch it, over and over again? There are plenty of DVD's I have bought, which I don't think I have watched since I bought them (this question, of course, becomes moot when dealing with a child's movie..since my four year old will watch Star Wars Episode One over and over..and he has relished in the menu aspect of being able to control the movie and its features... he is the new line of movie watchers: the interactive watcher).One common feature that this DVD offers which has been used ad infinitum on most every DVD, but which I have finally found wonderfully useful on this DVD: the commentary. It's neat knowing that the filmmakers have offered comments to run through a movie, but, except for American Beauty, I have not found the urge to use this feature. This DVD offers a running text which gives you background on the philosophic ideas being presented, and even suggestions and excerpts from texts to consider if you want to explore a specific philosophy further.
A reviewer quoted here mentions how most of the audience walked out a third of the way through this movie when it was in the theater.I can understand that since, as a linear piece, it is quite taxing on attention span, despite the engrossing animation. For a world conditioned to be distracted every ten minutes, it is quite a feat to sit through the movie, even for one such as I who feels he has quite a long span of attention. This movie is ripe for DVD. It is easy to pull out pieces to watch, stop, skip, return, repeat, in a way that even video tape could not afford. In a way, this is a showpiece for the DVD format, which makes me wonder if other additional features could be created which were innovative to DVD... perhaps a randomizing feature which delinearized the film...hmmm.
Anyway, if you are a deep thinker and love a mind challenge, BUY it on DVD. If your heroes are Jean Claude Van Damme, Stephen Segal, and Sylvester Stallone at his grunting best, you will be totally bored by this movie...go out and get the latest, blow-all-the-bad-guys'-guts-out Playstation game!!!
Movie Review: Great Movie, but then again I'm a moron....
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a really great movie, totally engrossing and entertaining. I can't recommend it enough. I will, however, acknowledge that it is probably not for all tastes; I just don't understand why people who didn't like it can't do the same. But no, the criticizers can almost never be content with trashing the movie/book/music that they are ostensibly reviewing. Instead they turn their wrath immediately from the subject at hand to those morons, like me, who actually enjoyed the work in question. It's strange....But anyway, I think anyone who criticizes the MOVIE based on the depth of the philosophical content has missed the point entirely and has maybe taken the whole thing a little too seriously. I'm pretty sure Linklater didn't regard this project as his own personal effort to displace Aristotle in the western canon (heck, during the discussion of free will he has a character explicitly acknowledge that much of what is being discussed could be called sophomoric).
Waking Life is anything but didactic. It is, like Lynch's Mulholland Drive, a DREAM. And just as Mulholland Drive is a dream of and by (so to speak) Hollywood, Waking Life is a dream of and by ideas. And you can't (or at least in my opinion you shouldn't) judge a representation of a dream against what you think would be a proper representation of something else altogether.
One thing I would like to say in Linklater's defense: To suggest that NONE of the philosophical riffs in the film have any sort or academic merit is just plain obstinate. Many of the actors in the film are, in fact, academics, and 3 that I can think of off the top of my head are philosophy professors, who helped craft their monologues and presumably know at least a little (though, I grant you, by no means nearly as much) about the topics as our friendly Amazon critics.
In the criticizer's defense: It's true, Waking Life does not reveal the meaning of life or confirm the existence of God. Sorry if that ruins it for you....
Well, I've said my peace, and in doing so I realize that I'm diving headlong into hypocrisy when I urge reviewers to, please, talk all you want about the movie/book/music in question, but leave us poor total strangers alone.
Movie Review: absolutely brilliant film from austin
Summary: 5 Stars
okay, i truly love this movie, every aspect of it! notwithstanding the great animation (each segment of the film being animated from real-life footage by dozens of separate artists), the premise of the film as a lucid dream is simply awsome. i myself have only had a handful of lucid dreams so far though the movie did indeed inspire my latest one! and it's encouraged me to start 'dreaming' more seriously nowadays.anyways back to the dvd. it's chock-full of nifty extras. first off there are 3 commentary tracks, each for a separate aspect of the film. the first one if regarding the animation process and is basically all of the animators (20+) talking about their segments, why they chose them and how they chose to animate them. very interesting but mainly technical stuff so not for the faint-hearted. next is the great commentary track with director richard linklater and cast members. this is my favorite one because hearing hero wiley wiggins on the track just makes you fall in love with him, he's so sweet! third up is a text commentary (i.e. subtitles over the film) which is incredibly fascinating and regards the ideas and philosophies the people wiley's character encounters throughout the film are speaking of. take note though that the subtitles are incredibly long and run by really fast so if you want to indulge in the explanations you'll have to have your finger on the pause button throghout the film to be able to catch everything.
the deleted animated scenes are nice as are the other animated shorts bob sabiston and linklater had made that are included in the dvd (it is a great dvd after all!), and you can catch a glimpse of the real-live action by looking at selected live action takes as well. the featurette is nice and the animation tutorial is incredibly technical and therefore not really engrossing, and finally the trailers are a nice way of seeing how the plot of a movie can be warped entirely by (most probably) hollywood suits to fool people into going to see a movie which is totally different.
this is one movie you'll be watching again and again throughout your life!
Movie Review: Psychedelic, Philosophical, Existentialist, and Libertarian
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a masterpiece. At first it seems that the animation is merely an intro; however it carries on and sets a trippy mood. The basic idea is Dreams Within Dreams. Like a chocolate cake, Linklater must dig his way out of multiple layers of dreaming to finally wake. Along the way there is a ton of philosophy dealing with reality, fate, free will, divinity, and existence. When will he finally awaken? Not before passing through an almost hilariously heavy load of mysticism. Characters levitate and light switches won't turn off, lending proof that, indeed, he is in a dream world. The dialogue is very dense here; it almost feels like a book at times. There are very controversial questions that many an intellectual may have asked him/herself at some time: what comes after death? Is life but a dream? Do we have control over our destiny or is atomic physics in control of our decisions and our actions? These heavy questions are sure to open up some mental floodgates.
I found it hilarious that Linklater packed the film with dialogue relating to libertarianism. Characters advocate free will throughout. Angry political protesters complain about too much statism. The animation moves about on the screen, suggesting hallucinogenic drug use. And there is talk of using firearms to fight back against tyranny--one of the more revolutionary beliefs held by some modern libertarians. If you share this ideology you'll be cheering and applauding in the theater like the audience did at my sitting.
If you like Kevin Smith this is a great choice. If you want an original style film with almost no developed plot, you may vibe here. If you have ever questioned reality or personal autonomy you will find out you're not alone. And if you voted for Harry Browne in the last election I doubt you'll disagree with the political sentiment expressed by the people.
I have never seen the same shadow that this movie casts over its atmosphere. Very unique and tending to raise issues; expect to leave the cinema inspired to pursue your dreams and ambitions in the real world.