Product ReviewsWaking Life (DVD, 2002)

"Mindwalk" for Generation Y by Jim Rue

In "Mindwalk" Liv Ullman and Sam Watterson explored the tiny French island of St. Michel while they pondered God, the meaning of life and all the rest.

Similarly, in a series of animated vignettes "Waking Life" hashes over mans' connection to reality and the dream state, and by extension his connection to time and immortality. The 97-minute long film starts with a nonchalant young man, Wiley Wiggins, arriving in a new town and being met at the station by a man driving a boat/car. The driver delivers the first of a series of personal philosophies, this particular one a philosophy typical of a cab driver. The driver also delivers the protagonist to what is seemingly a random street corner where Wiley is apparently then hit by a car. The remainder of the film follows him through a sequence of discussions that eventually lead him back to the same street corner.
While 'story' is subsidiary to the sense of this modern tale, very realistic conversations between the players develop questions about the natures of dreaming and wakefulness, only to be subsequently exposed as dreams themselves. The Gordian knot cinches down tightly for the most part, as the protagonist becomes increasingly aware that he is dreaming and that 'waking up' only embarks him on yet another dream.
An old technique of animation called rotoscoping is used throughout, optimized and assisted by Apple Macintosh software. In rotoscoping, live action is replaced, frame by frame, with hand-traced images. 'Waking Life' uses the technique well. Several dozen animators each leave an individual stamp on the film, and so when the dialogue between chaacters begins to flag, the visual variety of the film maintains interest and pushes the story forward.
The movie covers a lot of ground, from absurdism and existentialism through Darwin, Giacometti and the book of Acts, but all of this serves to reinforce a flawed but positive design for living that fits Gen Y like a glove.

"Waking Life" contains some of the same conversations to be found in "Mindwalk," "My Dinner with Andre" and "I (heart)Huccabees" but is enhanced by the continual morphing from acrylic to paint by numbers to watercolor to oil painting as 'rotoscoping' is interpreted by the thirty different animators who worked together on the film.Read full review...

Philisophical...brilliant, but not for everyone.

I am a lover and collector of movies. In addition, I read/discuss/study a lot of philosophy. I felt that this movie was brlliant. Not only was the content mentally appealing, but the way the movie was filmed to coincide with the premises touched upon in the film.

I said this movie was not for everyone because this was a dialogue-heavy movie and dispite the nuances that make it a great movie to watch, I don't think many people will be able to (or want to) see past the dialogue.

This film is special in the respect that you can take a part of it, one dialogue, and examine it as a stand-alone concept, look at the movie as a whole, or look at the movie as the sun of it's parts and you still will come out with an exceptional work.

I feel that this movie is a must see.Read full review...

Waking Life

Highly Informational DVD. Thought provoking and inspiring. I had originally watched the DVD via a friend whom though I might enjoy it. I watched it over 10 times during the week I had borrowed it. By the time I returned it, I had already gotten on Ebay and found a copy of my own (and for WAY cheap!). The movie is split into many different sections focusing on a variety of subjects and perceptions, yet with a solid flowing thought. This makes it very easy re-watch individual sections without getting 'lost'. My DVD came in the mail rather quickly. It was a brand new copy still in the packaging (which was very important to me since my DVD player is so old and will not even concider playing anything with scratches). I highly recommend the purchase of this DVD. Also, if for some reason you don't absolutely LOVE it, please pass it on to someone whom can enjoy the pure creativity that went into this masterpiece.
~tippie-neo-pooRead full review...

Surreal exploration of real concepts.

Firstly and most obviously, the animation this feature employs, rotoscoping, is delightfully appropriate for the subject matter. It reinforces the dream-quality of each scene, adding a very mercurial aspect to the visual imagery. The bright colors, the contiuously moving backgrounds and details, these all perfectly imitate the unstable nature of subconscious experiences. Secondly, the musical scoring couldn't be more perfect. The moody and vibrant textures the Tosca Tango Orchestra so masterfully produce accentuate the film so flawlessly, you could almost guess that the movie was made to accompany the music. Including the Orchestra in a scene was a brilliant maneuver, as it reinforces the talent the musicians exhibit, and generating an unusual relationship with the viewer as well. Third, the actual concepts addressed, and the manner in which they are presented, are invigorating and thought provoking. Myriad theories regarding the nature of fundamental consensual and individual realites are explored by "real world" philosophers, scientists, and other theorists. Many of whom have achieved accolades within their respective fields. The human social condition, the individual's reaction to stress and overwhelming powerlessness, the potential future of mankind's existence, the nature of death, all of these are powerfully examined and expressed, often with lighthearted anecdotes. Truly a masterful confrontation with the world both inside and outside of the human soul.Read full review...

Waking Life --- woke me up

A wonderful, thought provoking, and inspiring film. The main character played by Willey Wiggins also stared in Linklaters 'Dazed and Confused'. Filmed live action first and then completely animated to create a visual trip of an experience. Lots of interesting characters along the way including Alex Jones, Timothy Speed Levitch, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (reprising their roles from 'Before Sunrise' and before their sequel) and dozens more. I will be buying a copy to watch over and over. Too much to digest in one viewing.Read full review...

Waking Life- can wake up your life

Waking Life is a very intellectually stimulating movie created in 2002 using computer graphics. It looks similar to those commercials on tv that use real people, but then make them animated. It's what alot of people would call trippy. I personally really liked it, but its not for everyone. The digital animation has its positive and negative sides because it looks cool, but can get old after a while. Overall, I highly recommend it to those who are looking to ponder life.Read full review...

Waking Life

I love the movie Waking Life, it took many intelligent minds to put that movie together, the content, as well as the animation. I viewed it on the Independent Film Channel months ago and wanted to be able to watch it over and over again. It is fascinating and holds many truths about life. I highly recommend this movie, especially in times like these.Read full review...

Waking Life

One of my favorite movies. Every time I watch it I find something new, something I didn't notice before. It makes my brain work and want to read more books about evolution, history and philosophy.>The movie contains a lot of dialogues and each one is unique. They clearify some interesting ideas and bring new ones, making people think about sense of life, mechanisms of communication and possibilities of wandering in dreams.
Warning: not for IQ below 115.Read full review...

A journey of self-discovery, and different personal philosophies via the dream world.

The film itself is quite unconventional - the plot is ultimately a dream journal of sorts. It stars a young man, going through a dream like state, meeting different people, with their own personal philosophies on how to live life - ultimately, trying to figure out who he is, what paths he can follow, and who he will be in the future. Artstyle is also pretty unique and shifts consistently as the film progresses. The type of film that simply gets a little more understandable, and more importantly, more enjoyable, through re-watching. Gets the gears inside the brain rolling. Check it out. Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: choicetunes

Amazing and thought provoking.

One of my favorite movies.
Be warned though that it is not a movie in the traditional sense and the plot is sluggish and even non-existent at times.
However, it is thought provoking and very existential via exploration of amazing ideas about life including consciousness, scientific progression, evolution, artificial intelligence, etc.

Highly recommend to those interested in science especially the existential.Read full review...