5/20/2023 0 Comments A glitch in the matrix![]() Beyond that, several of his subjects are well-spoken to avoid the impression of a conspiracy theory pileup, including philosophy professor Nick Bostrom, whose 2003 essay “Are You Living in a Computer Simulation?” remains a cornerstone of simulation theory advocates. ![]() You either roll with the argument or shrug it off from the start.Įven if you do, Ascher provides plenty of reasons to stay tuned, including playful 3-D motion-captured animation that obscures the faces of his many subjects (reducing them to cyborgs, talking animals, and other quirky avatars), an effect that allows the filmmaker to work through the speculation about digital existence in its own language. If that’s the case, why not apply the inverse logic? Ascher doesn’t give voice to anyone who might answer that question: “A Glitch in the Matrix” is strictly a partisan affair. These include Musk, who repeatedly asserrs that “the argue for the simulation is quite strong.” No one should turn to an eccentric billionaire troll for existential insights, but Ascher lets his subjects have fun batting it around.Īscher zips through a dizzying montage of video games and virtual reality as Musk puts the pieces together in clips taken from his interviews: Digital experiences continue to grow more photorealistic, suggesting they will eventually become indistinguishable from our reality. Sure, Dick’s logic turned on inexplicable flashbacks to non-existent memories likely triggered by the sodium pentathol he received for a recent dental surgery, but the prescience of his sci-fi novels - from “The Man in the High Castle” to “A Scanner Darkly” - lend just enough authority to these claims for modern devotees to take the baton and run. Dick, five years before his death, where he made the unequivocal assertion that “We are living in a computer-simulated reality” as a disbelieving crowd looked on. Ascher builds his foundation around fascinating archival material from a 1977 lecture delivered by Phillip K. His rambling assemblage of voices zig and zag, with some observations more engrossing than others, but they create the collective impression of how a single outrageous assertion can gain traction through the number of voices who back it up. Some of Ascher’s subjects sound like they’ve spent too long digging through message boards and YouTube loons, but Ascher is the ultimate chronicler of the “extremely online” effect. Dick and Elon Musk, as they map out the evolution of the simulation theory and how it became such a vast source of speculation. The musings of Ascher’s subjects range from Descartes and Neo to Philip K. While Ascher casts a wide net, “A Glitch in the Matrix” works quite well as an overview of the various epistemological questions it raises. 'To Catch a Killer' Review: Shailene Woodley Tortures Herself (and Us) in Dull 'Silence of the Lambs' CopycatĤ5 Great Films That Failed at the Box OfficeĢ023 Emmy Predictions: Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special ![]() 'Ear for Eye' Review: This Rebellious and Revolutionary Masterpiece Demands to Be Seen If you’re not already one of the diehards convinced we’re living in a simulation, this movie might actually get you there. Drawing on interviews with 10 experts and internet theorists with an endearing mashup of film clips and trippy 3-D animation, “A Glitch in the Matrix” adapts to the internal logic of its echo chamber until starts to sound pretty convincing on its own terms. The so-called “simulation theory” has floated around in various forms for millennia, but became more pronounced after the success “The Matrix” encouraged many viewers to question the reality of their surroundings. ![]() The compendium of voices in “A Glitch in the Matrix” assert with such confidence that the world doesn’t exist that even skeptics might give it some thought. Now comes “ A Glitch in the Matrix,” a meandering but imaginative riff on same scary-fun approach to actualizing outrageous ideas - but this one widens the scope. His provocative feature-length debut “Room 237” mashed up a range of wild theories about the meaning of “The Shining” (Kubrick admitting he faked the moon landing, of course) and his terrifying “The Nightmare” finds victims of sleep paralysis musing on whether they’ve had bonafide supernatural encounters. Rodney Ascher’s movies dwell on absurd theories until they start to make a weird kind of sense.
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