numbersix_99 Reviews

The Pervert's Guide to Ideology (2012)

A Compelling Questioning of Our Collective Mentality

[7/10 · 26 February 2013]

A superb documentary which takes a sample of Zizek's capitalism critique and delivers it in bite-sized chunks complete with film illustrations and a dash of wit.

While less focused than his Pervert's Guide to Cinema, here we see him take the ideas from film and open them out to our social and ideological (obviously) reality. He questions the very nature of ideology (often coming close to utilising the process of deconstruction, something he has rejected previously) and how it filters out reality. The film, one could say, is an attempt to make us aware of our ideological constraints. At times it's hard to know if his point is throwaway witticism or central point, but that is the nature of his writing too.

Zizek does look to the future in a positive way, commenting on how OWS and the Arab Spring are examples of society finally looking beyond neo-capitalism (whose ideology is that there is no other ideology), though it would be good to delve further into these examples. But Zizek is aware that solutions are not easy to come by, and finishes more on a question than an answer.

This is a strong documentary that occasionally lags but for the most part is engaging and provocative.

Zeitgeist (2007 Video)

Zealous Conspiracy Theories that Don't Apply its Critical Thinking to Itself

[1/10 · 15 August 2008]

It astounds me that this film can be so well received by so many people. As interested as I am in conspiracy theories, there's nothing worse than aimless hole picking, which is essentially what this documentary constitutes.

Perhaps the most insulting examples concern 9/11 (and for the record, I'm not saying there's nothing dubious about the events). For every "fact" this doc questions, its ignorance towards its own questioning is infuriating. For there are counter-arguments to every "fact" it questions, but the doc fails to address them. Plus, a fact means little without a debate about motive. For if 9/11 is not what we think, then what is it? It is not enough to question veracity. People don't go to jail for lying about their alibi, motive is necessary. It's this kind of ignorance that can be applied throughout the documentary, and what leads to its ultimate failure.

On an aesthetic level, the film is terrible. I understand that it's no-budget, but many sequences of archive and graphics are so heavy-handed and over-long that the doc, which has potentially exciting subject-material, actually feels boring. Plus, in the first section, many of the theories are not attributed to its creators, giving the narrator a false voice of authority.

This project feels like an amateur conspiracy geek with little or no critical thinking faculties trying to give himself a voice, a voice that gives a bad name for the intelligent individuals who question the "official" theories in the correct manner.

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Finally, she will kill bill

[6/10 · 7 April 2004]

I had the honour of seeing an advanced screening of this wonderful movie. However, at this stage I confess I prefer part one a little more.

Part two is different, quite different. It slows down a lot, it hangs on the characters. A great idea in theory, but not in delivery. Tarantino seems a little too much in love with himself and his characters, so he lingers on them a fraction too long for comfort. when the actions comes (the Elle Driver fight scene), boy does it come.

Those expecting more of what volume one promised may be disappointed, and most will find the dialogue a little nerdy and uninteresting, but nevertheless it's a very strong movie, and without doubt worth repeated viewings.