I saw this in a cinema during its original run. I remember my reaction to it (as we were walking out of the place) as being “batteries? batteries!?!”

I.e., the reaction any nerd should have.

But watching it now, it looks cooler than I remember it. I mean… opening with that scene with Trinity… it’s fab. And… it’s greener? (This is the latest 4K restoration.)

Keanu does that face very well. Almost as if it’s natural.

Nice jewellery.

It’s Cowboy Curtis!

They’re really into acupuncture.

I guess there’s a lot of info to dump on the viewer, and that’s absolutely what it feels like. Except that they preface it with “what’s going on?” “I have to show you” *infodump while on greenscreen*

So I’m getting a bit bored now.

Finally! Something’s gonna happen again? We’ve spent about fifty minutes on infodumping and setting up the concept?

Nope, still more infodumping.

FINALLY!

So an hour of setting up the concept, and I guess an hour for the plot itself now.

Heh. The agent just explained that the simulation is set in 1999 because that was peak human civilisation. I guess it’s hard to disagree with him now…

The cool bits in this movie are so cool that when those things happen, they kinda blot out how boring the preceding scenes have been. It’s a neat trick.

I mean, obviously the Wachowskis are massively talented, and have thought up a universe here that’s really compelling and interesting. It’s just that they’ve felt the need to explain everything? That is, the world-building is just what we see on the screen, there’s nothing left for the viewer to piece together on their own.

The cool bits here are so cool that it’s totally reasonable to say that this is, like, THE BEST MOVIE EVAR!1! I wouldn’t really argue against that — it’s a unique movie, and it’s got something special going on. For me, though, I was thoroughly bored by at least half the movie, so I’m going with:

The Matrix. The Wachowskis. 1999. ⚃

This is a documentary:

In 1978, the relatively obscure Italian football team, Bastia, made it to a first-time finals of the Champion’s League, against PSV Eindhoven. Tati was asked by fellow friend, and club Mediterrané founder, Gilberto Trigano, to document the final match in Italy.

It’s quite Tati in that it foregrounds everything but the actual match itself.

Heh. Kinda moist, eh?

It has an unrealness going on: Many of the sounds are obviously not real, but added later. Sometimes the sounds are realistic (“squish squish”) and sometimes they’re more for comedic effect.

It’s a pretty odd documentary, but it has charm.

And I’m not quite sure whether it’s really a documentary or a mockumentary. Trying to dry up a pitch with a bucket and a broom… I mean, it could be real?

And if it’s not real, Tati hired a lot of extras.

What!??! Some actual footballering!?

It’s pretty good.

Forza Bastia. Jacques Tati, Sophie Tatischeff. 1978. ⚃

At first I didn’t quite understand whether this movie was showing a genuine thing from France — men standing around, buying each others rounds of patisserie. But that’s the gag: These are alcohol-drenched baked goods, so they’re getting sloshed.

So that’s the joke. But… uhm… OK, it’s a thirteen minute short, but…

Hm:

It won the César Award For best short fiction film in 1978.

It was directed by Tati’s daughter.

Degustation maison. Sophie Tatischeff. 1978. ⚃