I fell asleep during The Matrix. Its themes seemed to me, at the time of its release, more or less just trite ideas that I had already read about in various intro philosophy texts and whatnot, and the areas it touched on were never my areas of interest in philosophy anyway. It muddled its religious undertones, and the ethical questions were given short shrift. Fifteen years later, I watched a movie nearly twice as long, which eschews action in favor of psychological intensity, and tackles many--but not all--of the same questions.

It was much better this time around.

The first and best difference is aesthetic. Fassbinder has created a science fiction world that looks schlubby. It's populated by suits and…

I’d never heard of World on a Wire before Criterion’s announcement of its re-mastering and subsequent theatrical re-release in 2010. The trailer they’d put together hooked me immediately, based mostly on the retro-future set design and the promise of a strange, hard sci-fi thriller full of intrigue and mystery. The picture did not disappoint. With the recent blu ray release, I was thankful to be able to sit down with this epic film once again and try and make sense of any details I’d missed the first time around.

In the not-too-distant future, a supercomputer called ‘Simulacron’ provides scientists with the ability to simulate and study a virtual society comprised of 10,000 ‘identity units’. When the technical director of the…

Reflections, distortions, refractions, obstructions... Reality is seldom clear-cut, and World on a Wire takes that notion to the extreme. One of the most impressive made-for-TV movies I have ever seen, Fassbinder takes us on a twisted tour of technology, our minds, and reality. Heavy on psychology, philosophy, and gleefully 70s-style zoom-ins, Fassbinder's flair for visually arresting cinematography take this sci-fi tale from dated to exemplary.

The use of mirrors, while seeming almost heavy-handed at times (nearly every other shot seems to have a reflection of one of the speaking actors), hammers home the underlying theme of paranoia - both of the invisible limits of our own perception and our minds' attempts to enlarge our world beyond those limits. In browsing…

Sinister future science company IKZ has created the Sumilcrum, a simulated reality system with autonomous inhabitants, but when one of its creators is found dead near the computers servers, its programmer, Fred Stiller, is brought in to take control of the system. As the police begin to investigate the murder, Fred begins to suspect that the Sumilcrum may have some answers and starts a dialogue with one of the artificial inhabitants...

Originally shot in 16mm for German TV, Rainer Werner Fassbinders two part mini-series is one of the most absorbing sci-fi thrillers I have ever experienced. There are so many twists and turns, so many creepy characters that watching Fred crawl through his existential nightmare, questioning his own sanity, made…

You know a film is long when, after you've finished it, you think to yourself, "Bloody hell, I'm knackered. I'm going to put a film on to relax."

Of course, World On A Wire isn't or wasn't really a film, but a two part mini-series that has since been spliced together into one very, very lengthy whole. But this being me, I wanted to watch it all in one go and having spent 9 hours or so working today, this was my reward. Yes, I do have funny ways of rewarding myself, what the fuck's it got to do with you?!

It's also my first Rainer Werner Fassbinder - sort of. I did start watching Chinese Roulette earlier in the…

March 2016 Scavenger Hunt
Film #21
Task #22: A film that is over 200 minutes long
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Mirrors, reflections, distortions, illusions: such is the world created by Rainer Werner Fassbinder in this epic science-fiction film.

At first, watching Welt am Draht might seem like a hard task, not only due to its length, but also due to its slow nature. However, it is a very rewarding experience, as this film is definitely an impressive one.

Fassbinder mixes virtual reality, noir fiction and philosophy to create an engaging and unique science-fiction thriller. Just like the Simulacron, he creates his own world, filled with interesting details and characters. I also loved the visual elements of this film. Fassbinder uses contrasting colors and…

An earlier and better Matrix, and probably the best of any Phillip-K-Dickalikes put on film.

The story starts off pretty bog standard (I mean, did anyone NOT predict the twist at the end of Part 1?) but when the second part rolls around the plot goes to very interesting places.

More important than the plot though is Fassbinder's shooting, which culminates in one of the most satisfying victories in any movie ever. For the first 80% of the film, our hero is filmed in tight shots, or stuffed in between out-of-focus foreground elements, or shot through mirrors in mirrors in mirrors, or constantly looked over by extras. It all suggests a man who feels suffocated and handicapped; he doesn't have…