Pi

Rating:
Summary: Is God an Equation?
Review: Darren Aronofsky's black and white artistic film, Pi, is an intense cinematic experience. This is also the type of film that you can watch repeatedly and see different aspects in it each time you watch.

This film will make you think and intrigue you with its spellbinding mixture of real mathematical concepts and their parallels in our everyday lives.

Follow the protagonist, Max Cohen, as he tries to make sense of the connections between complex mathematics and the seemingly endless representation of patterns in our daily lives. But, Max is not alone is his exploration of mathematical applications and persuit of the "truth."

Max discovers that he is shadowed by ruthless people who wish to exploit his understanding of these patterns. When he is attacked by these people, he finds a haven in ancient Jewish tradions based on mathematics, extending his search for answers into the realm of religion and spirituality.

This film leaves lingering questions about the natural world in which we live. Is God merely an equation?

Rating:
Summary: One of a kind.
Review: The this reviews title bears the whole truth about the movie Pi. It a one of a kind scifi thriller that leaves you wondering and guessing to the spectacular ending that you would not of guessed. The movie shows the paranoia of middle aged mathematician that is possesed by his inscrupulous doubt that everyone and everything are out to get him. His only outlet is a friendly companion that soon leads him on to believe that chaos cannot have a pattern and his attempts are futile, as the old man relives his past experience with the workings of Pi. Throughtout the movie the man is hunted by Wall Street, Hasanic Jews, and a crippling disease that requires constant attention and medication. The ending is suberb as the young man learns the truth about nature through his weaknesses. Its a must see but certainly not a tv movie.

Rating:
Summary: Movie for people that like Math
Review: If you like Math, this movie is for you. If you're not into Math at all, don't watch this movie. It will be a waste of time for you. I give it 5 for being original.

Rating:
Summary: Interesting but flawed
Review: Forget the hype and ignore the five-star ratings too lavishly bestowed on it by others. The film is a promising debut for its director Darren Aronofsky and, hopefully, more substantial things can be expected from him in future when he has a bigger budget available and has matured to the point where he no longer feels the need to make studenty, art-house gestures. Intellectual labour is a difficult thing to dramatize and so, not surprisingly, there is not much here in the way of plot progression. The film is more of a portrait than a story: a portrait of a young and brilliant mathematician, inching anxiously forward to some momentous discovery. Predominant images are those of his face wracked in pain at some unspecified ailment, numbers billowing along a computer screen, and his cluttered room where he lives a reclusive existence, intent only on his work. Ultimately unsatisfying, (the plot strands concerning the fanatical Jews and the corporate thugs don't go anywhere much), and splashed too liberally with yawn-worthy surrealist scenes, the film is nonetheless worth watching and its director even more so. Just don't expect too much.

Rating:
Summary: hard as they come
Review: I think "Pi" will do for indie thrillers what "Clerks" has done for indie comedies. Both movies are shot in a somewhat gritty b&w film, both have a great vision, and both have actors you've probably never seen before but who do a bang-up job nonetheless.

The similarities end there. This movie is pretty hard-nosed, and it's not for the faint of heart or for anyone with a short attention span. I actually enjoyed watching this movie by myself and making my own conclusions - I suggest you do the same at first before watching again with your friends. It demands your full attention.

Especially for those fascinated with numbers, this movie will knock your socks off. The main character is hunting for a pattern to Wall Street. This makes him quite popular with a group of individuals looking to bank some serious cash. Also interested is a sect of Jews looking to find a 216-digit number that will unlock the secrets of God. Think of the pressure! The man understandibly suffers headaches and an eventual mental breakdown.

Most people have been introduced to chaos theory if they've read "Jurassic Park." It's a good start, and "Pi" will take you further down those roads. There are ample "A-ha!" experiences of insight, and though the ending is kind of the easy way out (hence 4 stars instead of 5), it will be quite enjoyable. "Pi" is one great reason why you should explore an independent film now and again: It is definitely a departure from the realm of big-budget entertainment that puts special effects and pretty faces ahead of good acting and a good plot.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: This film is what it is. Don't expect a spoon fed explanation of everything, or to have the ending wrapped up and handed to you. If you don't like it, either a) you don't understand it; or b) you don't enjoy thinking. Good luck.

Rating:
Summary: if you like to play lotteries ...
Review: This movie is about crazy people, who believe that numbers are more than just numbers. You will find it very informative if you like a lot to play lotteries or to gamble, otherwise I do not think you will be thrilled very much by the story. But the good thing about this movie is not the story, but how they have filmed it: it is dynamic, strange and very unusual. The whole movie is in black-and-white, which works surprisingly well, makes its schizophrenic flavor more intense.

Rating:
Summary: STRUGGLE TO WATCH THIS SO-CALLED MOVIE
Review: I DID MANAGE TO WATCH THE WHOLE THING! MY WIFE WENT TO BED, I WISHED I HAD. DON'T BELIEVE THE REVIEWS. I DONATED MY COPY TO RENTAL AND I BET THEY HAVE TO GIVE REFUNDS.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic introduction to a brilliant new voice in film...
Review: I saw this on video the day it was released to video stores. I was not expecting much, but much is what I got! This hyperkenetic, disjointed, mind-numbingly paced film is one of the more interesting independant films to pop up in a while. The main character feels that he can solve the "pattern" behind the stock market's seemingly unpredictable ups and downs. His theory makes him the target of wall-street corporations who want to make a fortune from his theory and, most interestingly, a rabbi who feels that his theory can help prove the truthfulness of religous texts. He drives himself mad, and the movie becomes just as insane as it's main character. While this IS a fantastic movie, I don't feel that the technique is as innovative and original as many say. Go find Tetsuo: The Iron Man, a 61 minute Japanese experimental film from '89, and compare the styles. Aronofsky owes more than a little to that movie... A fascinating film though... Check out the superior, though much different, follow-up Requiem for a Dream.

Rating:
Summary: Pi: Faith in Chaos (1997) d: Aronofsky, Darren
Review: An award winning low-budget, black and white cyberpunk assault on the senses, about an insane math genius and part time numerologist, Max Cohen who is desperately trying to crack the code behind the Stock Market. After accidentally discovering the hidden numbers in connection to Pi that will make him rich, a group of Orthodox Jews realize that these same random numbers also reveal the true name of God. After being chased and stalked by the Kaballah sect, and wall street thugs all searching for the complete 216-digit code, a disorienting wave of horror, hallucination and paranoia overwhelm Max. The only hard copy print out of the number is quickly memorized and destroyed. Director Darren Aronofsky (winner at the prestigious 1998 Sundance Film Festival appears on the commentary track, along with star Sean Gullette) has created an excellent pulse-pounding thriller. Who would have thought that a film about numbers would be so exciting.