MovieChat Forums > Pi (1998) Discussion > What a Waste of Time!

What a Waste of Time!

posted 11 years ago by always_keep_fighting
8 replies | jump to latest

I don't normally just come on a board to hate on a movie, but after wasting 35 minutes trying to watch this garbage, I figure if I can save one person's afternoon, it's ok to troll a bit.
Black and white...grainy...horrible camera work...no story line...I felt fine when I started watching it, but by the time I turned it off in disgust, I had as bad a migraine as Max did. Thank God for Vicoden. I just wish I'd taken one BEFORE I started watching this mess.
Maybe this movie is interesting to numerologists, or to geniuses, or...dogs?? I don't know. My dog fell asleep while we were watching it, so maybe she's not smart enough to understand it either.
If you want to watch someone struggle through a math obsession, watch "A Beautiful Mind." Russell Crowe is a whole lot prettier than this guy, and there's actually a story involved.
I gave it a solid 2. Just a scootch better than "Swamp People."

"What's that? Bag o' tricks?" Glory
"No. Bag o' knives." Willow

[–] JohnL11 11 years ago

I recently saw Pi and enjoyed it, especially for being made on such a low budget. If you go in thinking it's about math, or even numerology, you're liable to be disappointed. It's about understanding how/why the world works, contrasting religion with science. Of course I could be wrong, I've only seen it once.

Perhaps if you'd finished the film you'd have understood it better.

The camerawork and tone are definitely not the pleasant, uplifting stuff you get from A Beautiful Mind, but that's because Pi isn't "Oscar bait." Pi is upsetting and nihilistic; A Beautiful Mind is a feel good story. (I'm not saying one is better, but they are different.)

--
My films: https://sites.google.com/site/westernroadmovies/

[–] always_keep_fighting 11 years ago

Thank you for disagreeing with me without being unpleasant about it; that's rare on IMDb!
It's possible that I'd have understood the film better if I'd sat through it. But that logic kind of reminds me of a ski vacation we took once. I found out that I cannot ski. I hit trees, fence posts, other people, and a dog. Small children would fly past me and laugh at me. My husband said it would be better the next day. It was. I stayed in the lodge and drank Coke and rum and watched the real skiers go up and down the mountain. But I'd learned on that first day that skiing just isn't for me. Just like I learned after about 35 minutes that this movie isn't for me. LOL I've also learned that if I hate the first half of a movie, I'm probably going to hate the rest of it. Life's too short to lose time watching (what I think is) crap.
Did you watch the same "A Beautiful Mind" that I did? It wasn't a feel-good story; it was soooooo sad. Schizophrenia is tragic. I only compared the two because it was obvious that this guy suffered from mental illness as well, but RC looks better doing it. *G* I'm agoraphobic, so I'm no stranger to mental illness. This guy just looked like he was having one life-long panic attack. Maybe that is why I didn't like the movie.
Different strokes, I guess. But thank you for not blasting me about not liking it, and making intelligent, well-thought-out points in your post. Kudos!

"What's that? Bag o' tricks?" Glory
"No. Bag o' knives." Willow

[–] JohnL11 11 years ago

You're welcome, I try not to be unpleasant.

Obviously, if you aren't enjoying a movie there's no reason to sit through it and I'm not going to tell you that you should. But in the case of Pi, the point of the movie only becomes apparent towards the end--it's not a traditionally paced story. So when you say you don't know who this would appeal to, well, I'm just saying you didn't stay long enough to find out.

A Beautiful Mind is a feel-good story. One, the cinematography has that warm Hollywood glow of romanticism. Kind of like how RC looks better. Two, it ends happily with Nash getting the prize he deserves. The movie beats up Nash, but he gets reward and recognition in the end. It is tragic, but it leaves you with hope.

Pi, on the other hand, leaves you with nothing. The cinematography--like you said--it painful to watch. Not painfully bad, but intentionally jarring. The movie beats up Max, and then kind of spits in his face in the end (people will disagree with me on that, I am sure).

So yes, like you said, Pi is like a guy having a life long panic attack, so stay away if you don't like that. I enjoyed the film because it was different, and ambiguous enough to spark discussion. (For the record, I also enjoyed A Beautiful Mind).

--
My films: https://sites.google.com/site/westernroadmovies/

[–] 11 years ago

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[–] 11 years ago

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[–] C_Dubya 11 years ago

I completely agree. Only, unfortunately for me, I stuck it out til the end.

[–] always_keep_fighting 11 years ago

Oh no! You have my sympathies; I just couldn't take it for that long.
Actually, JohnL's very reasonable (and non-insulting or condescending) comments have made me consider watching it again with a more open mind. Sometimes movies about people who are mentally ill are difficult for me to watch, and this one just had the feeling of a particularly bad nightmare that the guy was trapped in, and that's hard for me.
My husband...not a girl, and an engineer, so, good at math...gave it a shot a few nights ago, and didn't last as long as I did. So I know it's not just me.
Maybe one day when I'm couched with a migraine, and dosed with Demerol and Phenergan, I'll try it again; my tolerance level is a lot higher then. LOL

I will not be beaten; you have yet to see me shining!

[–] oobie-1 10 years ago

It's just hyped crap and if you like it you either like paranoia or OCD.