ALMIGHTY

shorts |
I CAN INTRODUCE YOU TO GWYNETH PALTROW OFFICER…
Asincere-looking Ben Affleck and his sweet-smiling fiancée Jennifer Lopez manage to convince a cop not to give them a ticket after being
pulled over in L.A. (It seems driving daredevil Affleck failed to yield to oncoming traffic.) Look closely, because if the rumours are true and
the pair’s upcoming movie, Gigli, is as bad as reported, this may be the acting couple’s best performance of the year. —IR
SCIENCE, WHOA!
Before The Matrix arrived in theatres
back in 1999, Warner Bros. kicked off
their clever “What is The Matrix?” marketing
campaign. Talk about whetting appetites.
The movie became a box office and cultural
phenomenon, so much so that great
minds have spent a whole lot of brain
cells contemplating that question, and
the larger issue of what The Matrix means
to society.
In Taking the Red Pill: Science,
Philosophy and Religion in The Matrix
(rolls off the tongue don’t it, $27, BenBella
Books) editor Glenn Yeffeth compiles essays
from smarty-pants types such as artificial
intelligence pioneer Dr. Ray Kurzweil,
philosophy professor Dr. Nick Bostrom and
renowned Canadian sci-fi writer Robert J.
Sawyer, who bring fan-ish adoration to
their intricate analysis of what, to them, is
clearly a visionary work of art.
Don’t expect light reading, this is a
brainy book targeted at Matrix zealots
and grad school types. Some of the
topics covered: the parallels between
Mahayana Buddhism and The Matrix,
and the relevance of The Matrix to political
economy. The essays are demanding,
but compelling, so by the time you’ve
finished the book you’re convinced that
The Matrix is, without a doubt, the most
important film ever made. —IR
famous 14 | may 2003
PHOTO BY HARRIS BEBEY/KEYSTONE