Saturday, August 03, 2002

Rollerball (2002)

About 35 minutes into this film, the Rob Zombie song "Feel So Numb" poured onto the soundtrack. And all I could think was: Yeah, I know how you feel. This is the event-movie as blunt instrument, with plenty of loud noises and flashing lights to fool the viewer into thinking something is happening in front of him -- indistinguishable from your average July 4th fireworks display, except that the fireworks make more sense and are over sooner. Oh yeah, sense... I know narrative coherency isn't exactly something you expect from a film centered around a game so complicated that the film doesn't know how it's actually played, but during the big climax, the film actually starts making negative sense. Seriously. It not only contradicted and doubled back on itself but actively made me question the logic behind movies I'd already watched, filed away and forgotten. Pretty jumbled shit, really. One amazing fact I learned: Nighttime in the Kahazazakistaniblaminastian desert makes everything glow green!

Grade: D