The Archive: The Matrix (1999)

I can't name a movie more 'nineteen-nineties' than The Matrix, so quintessentially ingrained in the culture, both the inspiration and the malaise, of the last years of that millennium. Few movies have been so inspirational to the action movie genre, with camera techniques, special effects, and aesthetics to push the boundaries of what the movie-consuming public expects of its Big Summer Blockbusters. Few movies have had as many philosophy majors writing books upon essays upon dissertations on the philosophical constructs within a movie about people with leather, vinyl, explosion and gun fetishes. Few movies can be summed up by the single word, "Whoa."

Though I doubt very highly by now that anyone's missed out on The Matrix, it's still a part of my Archive, and deserves every square millimeter of space on my shelf. If you didn't see it when it was new, or in the decade-plus since its release, you may either have been too young to remember its release, or you simply do not watch sci-fi action movies. This post will not be a review beyond a brief plot summary, since it is such an old and widely loved movie. This post will instead be about how well The Matrix stands up after more than a decade of over-analysis, of reference, of parody, and of inspiring newer movies to do better.

The Archive: Salt (2010)

Normally I don't buy movies before I've seen them, but on the strength of numerous recommendations, I picked up Salt some time ago on sale. I finally got around to seeing it for the first time, and felt it held up to my expectations enough to earn a spot in The Archive.

For those who have not seen this movie yet, I will not be spoiling anything not given away on the box. Though I normally have no problem giving away plot details, I do think Salt is worth seeing, and half of the impact of the movie is the double twist (not a tweest, since M. Night Shyamalan is not involved here) at the end. There's plenty to talk about without revealing the ending, and plenty to recommend this movie. For one, it's a rare example of Angelina Jolie being picked for her acting and not (purely) her looks - in fact, I daresay this is one of the few Angie Jolie movies where seeing her mostly naked will turn you off.