eXistenZ

eXistenZ

Culture

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Baby Gauss

Ceres

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07 Mar 08

I can only tell that this movie made me think a lot. When I finished viewing for the first time I just had to see it again. Then I saw it yet another time with my girl and then yet another time alone.

This type of story telling strucks a chrod with me. I love thinking about knowledge in general. And this movie is one that poses a very deep question: What is real? All philosophical shenaningans aside this question makes a lot of sense. In the point of view of knowledge, knowledge is pretty much agreement. Think about this: there was a time (2000) when aristotlian views ruled the world. Almost all of his views were wrong but a lot of people agreed on their validity. Nowadays it's the same thing. We might be a little bit more right, a litle bit more pompous, a little bit more cynical, but ultimately a good part of knowledge is agreement. We have to face facts and then agree on an decodification of the facts for something to be known.

Enough with the digression already! This was just to say that I really like when an author touches upon the issue of multiple realities, simulated realities and other similar themes. And here Cronenberg really did a good job! First of Jennifer Jason Leigh. I mean you can't go wrong in a movie that has her. You simply can't! She's just too damn good! Then the way he incorporates videogaming aspects in the movie makes you wonder even harder about what's real in everything that's going on. At the end you just don't know what really to think. At least I didn't. 😕

But my goal in doing this thread is getting some reccomendations on more stories that touch this thematics from you guys. Either text or movies. I already know Philip K. Dick is the guru on this, but I haven't read anything from him yet,but if you know any other author that is good too just mention him and why you think he can be worth while reading.

Thanks in advance!

DR

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07 Mar 08
3 edits

Originally posted by adam warlock
I can only tell that this movie made me think a lot. When I finished viewing for the first time I just had to see it again. Then I saw it yet another time with my girl and then yet another time alone.

This type of story telling strucks a chrod with me. I love thinking about knowledge in general. And this movie is one that poses a very deep question: just mention him and why you think he can be worth while reading.

Thanks in advance!
Jorge Luis Borges writes about existential questions in many of his stories, and wiki mentions that Ana María Barrenechea has called his writing "irreality."

Many of his most popular stories concern the nature of time, infinity, mirrors, labyrinths, reality, philosophy, and identity. A number of stories focus on fantastic themes, such as a library containing every possible 410-page text ("The Library of Babel" ,) a man who forgets nothing he experiences ("Funes, the Memorious" ,) an artifact through which the user can see everything in the universe ("The Aleph" ,) and a year of time standing still, given to a man standing before a firing squad ("The Secret Miracle" ,). The same Borges told more and less realistic stories of South American life, stories of folk heroes, streetfighters, soldiers, gauchos, detectives, historical figures. He mixed the real and the fantastic: fact with fiction. On several occasions, especially early in his career, these mixtures sometimes crossed the line into the realm of hoax or literary forgery. -- from Wikipedia

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Upward Spiral

Halfway

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08 Mar 08

Originally posted by adam warlock
But my goal in doing this thread is getting some reccomendations on more stories that touch this thematics from you guys. Either text or movies. I already know Philip K. Dick is the guru on this, but I haven't read anything from him yet,but if you know any other author that is good too just mention him and why you think he can be worth while reading.

Thanks in advance!
One of Cronenberg's previous works "Videodrome" (perhaps my favourite from him) is not exactly about what you're describing but is very related to the difficulty of distinguishing what is real and what is hallucination.

In that sense, it is related to this thread, as it is hard to know if your perceptions are, in fact, describing reality or not (hence pure hallucinations).

Doug Stanhope

That's Why I Drink

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08 Mar 08

Originally posted by Doctor Rat
Jorge Luis Borges writes about existential questions in many of his stories, and wiki mentions that Ana María Barrenechea has called his writing "irreality."

Many of his most popular stories concern the nature of time, infinity, mirrors, labyrinths, reality, philosophy, and identity. A number of stories focus on fantastic themes, such as a library ...[text shortened]... mes crossed the line into the realm of hoax or literary forgery. -- from Wikipedia
Borges is, together with Julio Cortázar, the most amazing Latin American writer of the past century.

Try to get in English, should you not speak Spanish, the short story 'Funes el memorioso' (trans. Funes the memory prodigy).

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Originally posted by Seitse
Borges is, together with Julio Cortázar, the most amazing Latin American writer of the past century.

Try to get in English, should you not speak Spanish, the short story 'Funes el memorioso' (trans. Funes the memory prodigy).
Borges is amazing, but he's exactly the opposite of the type of art that you've been defending. His more mature works are hyper-refined and full of literary references, quite the opposite of the popular culture you defend here.

Doug Stanhope

That's Why I Drink

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1 edit

Originally posted by Palynka
Borges is amazing, but he's exactly the opposite of the type of art that you've been defending. His more mature works are hyper-refined and full of literary references, quite the opposite of the popular culture you defend here.
That doesn't mean he's not a genius 🙂

Indeed, he is far too "intellectual" and "elaborated" for my taste. I would stick 100 times with Cortázar, more indigenous (if I am allowed the expression), colloquial and playful. "Rayuela" (Hopscotch) is a true masterpiece and it stands as the inspirational guiding light of the Latin American literary boom, next to Juan Rulfo's "Pedro Páramo".

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08 Mar 08

Originally posted by Seitse
That doesn't mean he's not a genius 🙂

Indeed, he is far too "intellectual" and "elaborated" for my taste. I would stick 100 times with Cortázar, more indigenous (if I am allowed the expression), colloquial and playful. "Rayuela" (Hopscotch) is a true masterpiece and it stands as the inspirational guiding light of the Latin American literary boom, next to Juan Rulfo's "Pedro Páramo".
I never read Cortazar. Borges is currently my favourite Latin American writer by a mile, though. If I see Cortazar in a bookshop I'll give it a try...

Doug Stanhope

That's Why I Drink

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08 Mar 08

Originally posted by Palynka
I never read Cortazar. Borges is currently my favourite Latin American writer by a mile, though. If I see Cortazar in a bookshop I'll give it a try...
In what language will you read it?

If you read "Rayuela" and feel disappointed, I'll reimburse you the cash (postage inclusive)

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Originally posted by Seitse
In what language will you read it?

If you read "Rayuela" and feel disappointed, I'll reimburse you the cash (postage inclusive)
Probably not Spanish, as my bookshops don't usually have Spanish versions.

I never order books, I just love browsing bookshops and finding things I wanted to read in a seemingly more accidental way. To each his mania, I guess.

Doug Stanhope

That's Why I Drink

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Best luck

O Jôgo da Amarelinha. Traducción de Fernando de Castro Ferro, 1970. Rio de Janeiro, Civilizaçao Brasileira.

aw
Baby Gauss

Ceres

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08 Mar 08

Originally posted by Palynka
One of Cronenberg's previous works "Videodrome" (perhaps my favourite from him) is not exactly about what you're describing but is very related to the difficulty of distinguishing what is real and what is hallucination.

In that sense, it is related to this thread, as it is hard to know if your perceptions are, in fact, describing reality or not (hence pure hallucinations).
Videodrome is one of all time favourite movies. 😀

aw
Baby Gauss

Ceres

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08 Mar 08

Originally posted by Doctor Rat
Jorge Luis Borges writes about existential questions in many of his stories, and wiki mentions that Ana María Barrenechea has called his writing "irreality."

Many of his most popular stories concern the nature of time, infinity, mirrors, labyrinths, reality, philosophy, and identity. A number of stories focus on fantastic themes, such as a library ...[text shortened]... mes crossed the line into the realm of hoax or literary forgery. -- from Wikipedia
I'll try to get some of his bookes then. Read a few reviews and then try to decide on waht to read first.

b

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08 Mar 08

Videodrome is truly entertaining...thank you Debby Harry.

Didn't Cronenberg make the movie Spider? Another what is real/what is reality movie.

Pale Blue Dot

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08 Mar 08

Originally posted by adam warlock
I can only tell that this movie made me think a lot. When I finished viewing for the first time I just had to see it again. Then I saw it yet another time with my girl and then yet another time alone.

This type of story telling strucks a chrod with me. I love thinking about knowledge in general. And this movie is one that poses a very deep question: ...[text shortened]... just mention him and why you think he can be worth while reading.

Thanks in advance!
Great film. I'm constantly reminded of the 'Ralph Nader' character in my day-to-day interactions with people.

Vampyroteuthis

Infernalis

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08 Mar 08

Originally posted by Palynka
Videodrome
Nice.