Wednesday, June 20, 2018

FTM 443 - GATTACA

Patrick and Heath Holland are genetic mistakes.



Download this episode here. (42.7 MB)

Listen to F This Movie! on Stitcher.

Also discussed this episode: The Million Eyes of Sumuru (1967), The Girl From Rio (1969), Stunt Rock (1980), The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989), Thank God It's Friday (1978), The Great Texas Dynamite Chase (1976), Perfect (1985)

11 comments:

  1. It's been years since i watched this. I might do it tonight

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  2. Also, Patrick, i'm sorry Anonymous got to you. I hope you know he's the only one here who think these things.

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  3. I Love this movie, it is still in my top 10. I saw it four times in the theater when it came out in the fall of 1997. It just spoke to me in ways other films don't.

    I wanted to touch on Dr. Lamar (Xander Berkeley's character). Maybe i missed it, but i didn't hear you guys discuss how important his character was to Vincent in deceiving the academy and the police, as it is revealed at the end when he says, "You're going to miss your flight, Vincent." Now, I don't think that Vincent using his left hand to hold his junk when urinating was the reason Lamar knew of Vincent's true identity. He definitely knew all along, but i'm not entirely sure why or how he knew. Perhaps this was set up from the beginning and the audience just never knew about it?

    What i do know is Lamar aided Vincent on purpose and this isn't overtly conveyed in the film which is why it's such a nice surprise when revealed at the end. There are only small tid bits Lamar says that in retrospect give the impression that he always knew "Jerome" was a fraud. Like when he mentions his son early on in the film...then again at the end when he says, "Unfortunately my son is not all that they promised. But then who knows what he can do" just as he allows Vincent passage. Also, when the police were testing from the vein and Vincent rips the syringe from his arm in pain, Lamar claims they got enough blood even though there is no way a Dr. could be fooled by how little blood was actually taken from his arm. He could have ended Vincent early on, but didn't due to his envy of how Vincent could succeed against such great odds, and hopes the same for his own son.

    I love how this unfolded in the movie and i don't think it diminishes anything Vincent went through. Vincent could not have succeeded without the help of other people, yet at the same time if society allowed all Invalids to compete then he wouldn't have needed anyone's help to begin with. An obvious message the film conveys clearly. Thanks for discussing this one it was a great choice!

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    1. I remember talking about Xander Berkeley's character, but definitely not in the depth of what you laid out above. That's a great point, and I appreciate you pointing it out!

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  4. Hey, I saw Thank God It's Friday a couple of months ago! It's some goofy charming fun.

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    1. Yeah! I watched it on a Friday, too, late at night. Nothing has ever felt more right.

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  5. Great podcast! I've been hoping you'd cover Gattaca at some point. Always nice to get an episode with Heath, too!

    My feelings towards Gattaca are very similar to Heath’s but I found Patrick’s observations very interesting. I’m embarrassed to admit that the first half dozen times I watched Gattaca, I actually failed to recognize that Eugene was incinerating himself in the film’s ending. I’m not sure that I’d say the film doesn’t earn that ending though. I think it’s entirely plausible that Vincent could serve as an inspiration to Eugene for a spell but that Eugene could still lapse back into depression. It doesn’t necessarily ring true that he would commit suicide immediately on the eve of Vincent’s triumph but it’s more poetic to juxtapose these than showing Eugene watch the launch, go home and have a coda that says he fell back into a funk 6 months later and took his life. So I give it a pass. The film’s tagline “There is no gene for the human spirit” seems to conflict with what the film depicts as Eugene can’t escape his nature. Incidentally since the film was made they have mapped a gene linked to depression that would probably preclude Eugene from ever having been selected for birth.

    With respect to the noir aspects, I think it’s a little too stylized at points… particularly any dialogue referring to the detectives as “Hoovers” or “J. Edgar”s. Plus the aesthetic doesn’t work very well for the Gattaca company. Hard to believe Astronauts are spending all their time working in suits especially during their actual missions.

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  6. Great show! A thoughtful discussion of the film, and the world at large. Patrick, I really appreciate your openness in discussing your personal challenges. I think it's refreshing and valuable, and I think that the world is a better place when that type of discourse takes place. It was disappointing to hear that you had received negative comments, please rest assured that your openness is hugely appreciated. Love the show - listen every week!

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    1. Couldn't agree more. Oddly enough I guess, that segment was the highlight of this episode for me.

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  7. Although I grew up in Australia and was 16 when it was released I'd never heard of Stunt Rock until I scored a copy of the 2-Disc edition at a nearby pawn shop for a dollar almost a year ago. One of my better bargain finds.

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  8. Vincent's line in the final swimming scene is also my favourite line in the movie but I interpreted it differently, or at least took the interpretation further. To me it means he's willing to die to prove he's just as good.

    As for the swim itself, it never came across as unearned to me. I feel like the brother's loss when they were teens has haunted him his entire life and challenged his understanding of his place in the world. The thing he wants to do more than anything after discovering his brother is still alive is relive that moment and correct it so that his ego can be repaired and his world set right. Ethan Hawke HAS to comply, because if he doesn't, his brother will just expose him and crush his dream. And of course, he's still willing to die on the way to achieve that dream. Hence they swim.

    As for why the brother leaves the story after that point, well, we're right at the end of the movie at this point aren't we? What extra function does his character need to perform? The second defeat would have convinced him of his prejudice because he makes no attempt to prevent Vincent's launch. I feel a scene of him spelling that out - "I was wrong... etc." would have been unnecessary. I just assume he went away to reassess his beliefs - Vincent's actions having a positive effect on another character.

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