The Friday Matinee v1.3

Shalohm!!

This weekend in Tucson AZ, (The current Headquarters of The Friday Matinee) the winner of the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, Pi, opened to resounding indifference on the part of the local population. Which is unfortunate, because it was a damn good film.

Pi is a Kaballistic Pilgrim's Progress of a film. The plot revolves around a reclusive mathematician who is attempting to prove that predictable and significant patterns and numbers exist everywhere in the world, and in the stock market in particular. The main character, Max Cohen, is developed as a person who is haunted by the consequences of a history of challenging authority and convention, while at the same time being portrayed sympathetically as an Everyman who simply wishes to perceive the order he believes governs the world. It is this fine balance between naive curiosity and knowledgable audacity that thrills the audience as Max' quest for his personal Grail leads him to a journey of self-discovery steeped in the imagery of mathematics and Judaic mysticism.

Order, God, Salvation, Respite. Our need for growth, our ignorance, our majesty, and our concept of faith, are explored in the unwinding spiral of the plot. Pi is a challenging film that lacks the whimsy of "Brazil", or the Liberal-conscience rending of "Smoke Signals". It production is gritty, but professional. The coarse lighting and sharp contrasts (accentuated by the black and white film) mirror the absolutes that Max finds he must reckon with. It can be graphic, and some of the imagery and concepts may be disturbing.

However, because of both the quality of the piece technically, and the quality of the piece as a realized expression of art, I would urge people to see it. There simply isn't anything else out there from Hollywood that has intelligently wrestled with this material in recent memory. It will be unique, and I'll admit, some people will not find it to their taste, but if you are at all intrigued by the effort, then the film will at least be appreciated for the fine work it is.

I would reccommend this film to be seen in the theater, but I realize that it may only be playing in brief engagements in your community so put it on your "plan to see on video list" if this article has reached you too late. See it if you DO NOT want to see a dumb film.

*****

This week's episode of The Friday Matinee has been brought to you by the cooperation of Cadet Meyers, who is visiting us in Tucson this weekend. We appreciate his patience and support of our efforts. (Cadet Meyers liked the movie but was afraid that some people might not like it because of violent imagery at the end and the frank discussion of metaphysics.)

Untill next week Cadets, I'll leave you with this vaguely irrelevant thought: "Always Question Authority, so you can know when to Challenge it."

Shalohm!!

P.S. As always I welcome your comments and suggestions. Write The High-Commander, sometimes he gets lonely if he doesn't think you care. THCoC