We’re closing out our series on Japanese cinema by talking about a film we never thought we’d talk about on this podcast because of our differing opinions on it - the Wachowskis’ 1999 sci-fi action flick “The Matrix”! Now, you might be wondering why we would talk about a movie that we don’t really agree on and one that has already been talked about to death? Well, it's because of the influence of Japanese cinema! More specifically, Mamoru Oshii’s 1995 anime film “Ghost In The Shell", which was a major influence on the creation and plot of “The Matrix”. Hell, we’ll take it a step further… “The Matrix” wouldn’t exist without “Ghost In The Shell”. Don’t believe us? You will after this episode. It’s unavoidable like the bullet Trinity puts in the agent on the rooftop. Dodge this.
When “The Matrix” was being pitched to the studio, the Wachowskis showed Oshii’s film to the studios and said, “We want to make this in real life”. They even lifted whole sequences and ideas from “Ghost In The Shell” and threw them into their own film. The falling green code and title card? Yep. The plugs in the back of the neck? Yep. The existential philosophy? Yep. The Wachowskis went even further and incorporated various other generic conventions, philosophies, countercultural ideals, conspiracies, literature, and more. To Otis, “The Matrix” is bogged down by how much they tried to incorporate into the movie, the vagueness and lack of depth in the film’s themes, and the franchise’s very rough expansion. PALMREADER, on the other hand, argues that while everything that comes after the original film doesn’t do the franchise any favours, “The Matrix” is a fun movie, that we shouldn’t take it so seriously, and that we have to look at the context of the film when discussing it. One thing they agree on? “The Matrix” owes a lot to Japanese cinema, the Wachowskis are great “idea people”, and other filmmakers needed to stop using the green “Matrix” tint on everything.
In this episode, the boys break down both films, the legacy and influence of “The Matrix”, how the Wachowskis' film is a direct bridge between Japanese cinema and Hollywood, what works in “The Matrix” and where it all starts to fall apart. We agree that it is an amazing example of post-modern filmmaking but ask does it do too much… or maybe too little? Are all the good parts of this movie taken from something else? Is it a smart movie for dumb people or can we look past that? Of course, the boys praise the technicality of the film and give flowers where they are due… but has the film’s legacy, impact, and lore become too much of a hindrance to it? Plus, we deep dive into what exactly the Wachowskis took from “Ghost In The Shell”, discuss how “The Matrix” gets better when you read it as a live-action anime, explore the vagueness in the film that Otis dislikes so much, read some critical responses to “The Matrix” that summarize some of our thoughts on the film perfectly, and shower praise on “Ghost In The Shell” as the masterpiece it is.
Also included in this episode are a few clandestinely recorded moments from before the “Snow Blinded” screening and PALMREADER gives flowers to the cast, crew, and to his good pal Otis.
CHECK OUT THE SINGLES FROM “ON INFINITE REPEAT” INCLUDING “NO GOOD DEED”:
https://soundcloud.com/cemetery_sound/sets/anxiety-weekend-on-infinite?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
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