Friday, September 21, 2012

Pi

 π (1998)

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Screenplay by Darren Aronofsky

Story by Darren Aronofsky & Sean Gullette & Eric Watson

Stars: Sean Gullette, Mark Margolis, Ben Shenkman, Pamela Hart, Stephen Pearlman, Samia Shoaib, Ajay Naidu and Kristyn Mae-Anne Lao

The blog-a-thon was a good excuse to see the movies that I want  to see from directors that I love like Tarantino and Aronofsky. I am Aronofsky loyalist that will love every movie that they have done no matter what people think about them. Pi was the only movie of his that I have not seen. This must be the end of days, because there is a Darren Aronofsky movie that I didn't like.

Maximillian Cohen (Gullette) is a mathematical genius that is holed up in his apartment trying to figure out a genius equation to solve the secret of the universe. He has built a super computer in his apartment. He is typing away. On the rare occasion that he goes out, Max meets a Hasidic Jew, Lenny Meyer (Shenkman) that share their love for mathematical equation. There is also this sinister subplot about a corporate crony, Marcy Dawson (Hart) want to get a chip from Max somehow.

I completely understand what Aronofsky was trying to do here. He wanted to make movie that has a genius trying to get that history making solution that could revolutionize society. I get it. He is consumed by it that he would go crazy. Fine. I don't find the movie interesting as whole. Having characters talk about complex mathematical equations is like you are stuck in Calculus class at a remedial school. I didn't care for it to be honest.

I know that Aronofsky received a lot of praise for his directorial debut with a Directing Award from the Sundance Film Festival and a Best First Screenplay at the Spirit Award. Good for you. The black and white choice was fine. I saw some similarities with this movie and his follow-up Requiem for a Dream. It has the same sequences when a character is showing popping pills in the same matter repeatedly. Fine.

I felt completely disconnected to this movie from start to when the disk stopped before the film ended. I guess, that was a sign that to waste more of my time with this movie.

My Rating


2 comments:

  1. Aaronofsky was really trying to show audiences the mind of a person on the brink of a mental breakdown. In the begining everything is very chaotic and the imagery is very bleak and dark light. Take a look at the moment when he is watching leaves at the start and at the end. One is very much more clear than the other.

    I never understood any of the math speak, but I found the character of Max to be very interesting. He a lot about numbers and math, but nothing about the human spirit, but by the end he starts to just a little.

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    1. I understand that Aronofsky wanted to show the descent to madness, but I couldn't care less about what happened to Max.

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