Episode #346 - ‘The Matrix Revolutions’ - Not The Machines You’re Looking For

12/11/21 • 139 min

The ReWatchable crew enters the Matrix one more time to finish out the original trilogy with a discussion covering whether or not this is a love story, determining who is entitled to eat the cookies, and consider where the next movie may take audiences. This Matrix Revolutions panel is a modge-podge one superfan and several sort of newbies who tackle the biggest questions the series has to offer humanity, including: is this movie the only time Keanu Reeves has made a joke? Join us as we navigate one last trip into the Matrix as we know it and prepare for what The Matrix: Resurrections has to offer!

Fun Facts

As a reminder: we are no longer found on Hypable – we are now on Subjectify Media! Read all about it in our relaunch article: Reintroducing ReWatchable: And our next round is… – Subjectify Media
Spotify Wrapped is here (much to Natalie’s dismay) and not everyone on the panel listened to Taylor Swift!

The Matrix Revolutions

The movie dives right into the thick of it but not action-wise, the characters take center stage
Volume was a major issue for home viewing, perhaps due to its IMAX release
With the balance of jumping between character moments, did we lose a lot of Neo in this film after sticking very close to him in the past 2 films?
Which direction is the train going? And are the passengers running toward reality or away from it?
The machines aren’t who we thought they were
A moment to acknowledge how great Keanu looks at this moment — and in the PRESENT
The Oracle is replaced due to a real life death, however the plot gives a lot to chew on with a vessel changing as a result of a choice made in the Matrix
Imagine being programmed to live with a guy who eats half an olive at a time?
Is there a lack of emotional investment (or none at all?) for Trinity? But was this intentional?
Smith, who are you? Why are you here? What is your purpose?!
The cookies are done, but who does the Oracle actually think that they are for?
Smith turns out to be quite the three-dimensional character despite Brittany’s best attempts to ignore his existence
We are in Zion/the real world for a majority of the movie with the crews of the ships and on the battlefield defending Zion
The side characters give us hope
The Kid is actually a bigger deal than just being the President of Neo’s fan club
Another battle/fight scene makes us care a bit more when it cuts between people rather than focusing on one character at a time
The casting of Bane was *chef’s kiss*
“Neo dust”
Neo is blinded-but he cannot escape Smith’s sunglasses-and he kills Bane
Does Keanu make his only joke… ever… in this movie?
Trinity and Neo’s deaths - what was the emotional and logical reactions to each of these?
Happily ever after, or not, there’s always the 4th movie
Neo master negotiator with the machines
Iconic RAIN BATTLE
Based on canon alone the machines taking Neo is a giant question mark (but there are possibly some answers in the video game)
Natalie adds some must-sees to her Sydney tour and it is an eel wall (no thank you)
What is the one thing that would keep you living in the Matrix? Or Zion?
There are some disturbing procreation discussion
What the hell is going to happen in The Matrix: Resurrections?
Favorite scenes
Favorite lines

This episode’s panel included superfan: Karen Rought, one panelist who has seen The Matrix Revolutions once: Kendra Cleary, one panelist who may have seen it: Natalie Fisher, and one panelist who has never seen it: Brittany Lovely.

ReWatchable: A TV Re-Watch Podcast is dedicated to rewatching completed cult classic or unjustly cancelled TV shows with a team of both superfans and newbies. Join us for analysis, commentaries, character discussions, and more for each show we choose to tackle.

During our rewatches, we stay spoiler-free for our discussions on an episode-to-episode base, to give our newbie hosts and listeners a chance to discover things fresh! We ask that listeners also don’t discuss any spoilers for the...

Fun Facts

As a reminder: we are no longer found on Hypable – we are now on Subjectify Media! Read all about it in our relaunch article: Reintroducing ReWatchable: And our next round is… – Subjectify Media
Spotify Wrapped is here (much to Natalie’s dismay) and not everyone on the panel listened to Taylor Swift!

The Matrix Revolutions

The movie dives right into the thick of it but not action-wise, the characters take center stage
Volume was a major issue for home viewing, perhaps due to its IMAX release
With the balance of jumping between character moments, did we lose a lot of Neo in this film after sticking very close to him in the past 2 films?
Which direction is the train going? And are the passengers running toward reality or away from it?
The machines aren’t who we thought they were
A moment to acknowledge how great Keanu looks at this moment — and in the PRESENT
The Oracle is replaced due to a real life death, however the plot gives a lot to chew on with a vessel changing as a result of a choice made in the Matrix
Imagine being programmed to live with a guy who eats half an olive at a time?
Is there a lack of emotional investment (or none at all?) for Trinity? But was this intentional?
Smith, who are you? Why are you here? What is your purpose?!
The cookies are done, but who does the Oracle actually think that they are for?
Smith turns out to be quite the three-dimensional character despite Brittany’s best attempts to ignore his existence
We are in Zion/the real world for a majority of the movie with the crews of the ships and on the battlefield defending Zion
The side characters give us hope
The Kid is actually a bigger deal than just being the President of Neo’s fan club
Another battle/fight scene makes us care a bit more when it cuts between people rather than focusing on one character at a time
The casting of Bane was *chef’s kiss*
“Neo dust”
Neo is blinded-but he cannot escape Smith’s sunglasses-and he kills Bane
Does Keanu make his only joke… ever… in this movie?
Trinity and Neo’s deaths - what was the emotional and logical reactions to each of these?
Happily ever after, or not, there’s always the 4th movie
Neo master negotiator with the machines
Iconic RAIN BATTLE
Based on canon alone the machines taking Neo is a giant question mark (but there are possibly some answers in the video game)
Natalie adds some must-sees to her Sydney tour and it is an eel wall (no thank you)
What is the one thing that would keep you living in the Matrix? Or Zion?
There are some disturbing procreation discussion
What the hell is going to happen in The Matrix: Resurrections?
Favorite scenes
Favorite lines

Previous Episode

Episode #345 - ‘You've Got Mail’ - Device Anxiety

Gather round the table, it’s a ReWatchable Thanksgiving Special! The next film on our 2021 movie slate loosely touches on Thanksgiving, but gives us the best Autumn in New York vibes. Join us as we talk though the cyber-union of of everyone’s favorite rom com leads Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in the Nora Ephron classic You’ve Got Mail. It’s impossible to find a newbie for this one, so our panel of five hosts talk about the power of online relationships, if this movie would work today (or with anyone other than Tom Hanks) and which locations look best on screen.
Fun Facts: Favorite Thanksgiving Episodes

Ariana: Smallville 10.07 “Ambush”
Brittany: Will & Grace 3.08/3.09 “Lows in the Mid-Eighties (Part I and II)"
Cass: Bob’s Burgers 4.05 “Turkey in a Can”
Danielle: Gossip Girl 1.09 “Blair Waldorf Must Pie”
Natalie: New Girl 1.06 “Thanksgiving” and Buffy 4.08 “Pangs”

We’ve got early 00s sitcoms, late series holiday reunions, a series that celebrates the holiday annually on air, some not so shiny interactions, and some friends rounding out the found family celebrations.

A long tangled adaptation tree stems from the 1937 Hungarian play Parfumerie
Nora Ephron the Queen of rom coms with hits such as When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle
What was going on with the ads in the 90s in Australia?
What sets a great rom com apart from other movies?
Humor is at the top but a close second is actually believing in the romance
We somehow got to the Eternals romance and anyway read Natalie’s review of the film here
Hallmark movies are not romcoms, but they do end in the way some stories should - they end
We navigate our way from the Regency era to the Internet era
Internet relationships have a very different starting point than in-person relationships and it’s...freeing
We trace the evolution of change in internet relationships from chat rooms, to anonymous relationships via email, to cell phones
You’ve Got Mail is the first (and maybe only) film to unpack these relationships well
Is there cheating in this movie?
We love a healthy breakup!
What would the tags for this be on AO3?
An enemy to lovers plot requires so much more than hate
The Miike Snow music video for Genghis Khan is relevant, trust Cass
What makes Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks so special and perfect for these roles?
We don’t think You’ve Got Mail would have worked with anyone else, especially given the fact that Joe was “in the know” for most of the movie
Who could be our leads today? (Besides Daniel Radcliffe who we talk about in depth in an episode of Not About the Weather)
There is also another running current in this movie about familial legacy
We could have used more depth with the depths of what Joe’s relationship with money
The shop fails and it’s another plot device that may help Kathleen if it was developed more
Further, insights to Kathleen’s thoughts on Joe would have been appreciated
The third major player in this film is New York City, what are some other films that nail the sense of place?
Favorite scenes
Favorite lines

This week’s panel of superfans are: Natalie Fisher, Danielle Zimmerman, Brittany Lovely, Cass Cooper, and Ariana Quiñónez.

ReWatchable: A TV Re-Watch Podcast is dedicated to rewatching completed cult classic or unjustly cancelled TV shows with a team of both superfans and newbies. Join us for analysis, commentaries, character discussions, and more for each show we choose to tackle.
During our rewatches, we stay spoiler-free for our discussions on an episode-to-episode base, to give our newbie hosts and listeners a chance to discover things fresh! We ask that listeners also don’t discuss any spoilers for the shows we’re watching ahead of that episode’s discussion in their feedback to us or on our social media.
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Next Episode

Episode #347 - 'While You Were Sleeping' - Little White Lies

Happy Holidays from ReWatchable! Our hosts have once again come together to celebrate with another holiday special. This time we watch the legendary Sandra Bullock try to untangle herself from the she-said, she-said lie of While You Were Sleeping. Despite the fact that the plot that could have easily been resolved very quickly with no fallout several times throughout this movie, we find ourselves tangled up in enough of the delightful antics to discuss whether Bill Pullman holds his own against Sandy, debate whose lie is worse (Lucy Moderatz or Joe Fox), and whether we appreciate public demonstrations of love or not.
Before we get into the episode notes, if you are a ReWatchable fan from way back, we have some exciting Subjectify content for you! Natalie Fisher spoke with our dear friend Giles, Anthony Head, about his new project The Canterville Ghost and more!
Read Part One and Part Two of our Anthony Head interview here!
Fun Facts: Favorite Christmas Episodes

Ariana: Downton Abbey season 2 Christmas Special, runner up The Mindy Project Christmas Party Sex Trap
Brittany: A Muppet Family Christmas (1987)
Cass: The X-Files “How the Ghosts Stole Christmas”
Natalie: Ted Lasso “Carol of the Bells”

While You Were Sleeping

It is frightening how easily this movie could be recast as a thriller
Lucy is all alone in this world, but does Sandra Bullock pull it off?
Is she giving off millennial vibes before they really existed?
What was the audience reception of this movie vs how we see it?
Let’s unpack the trope of perpetuating the lie by just not correcting the narrative to the truth
This could be easily resolved!
Thank goodness for Jack who is here to poke holes in her story. But why is he doing it?
It’s a family affair!
Godfather Saul, why are you encouraging this? If we were Saul what would we do?
Bill Pullman, our leading man, shows up a third of the way in the movie
What do we think of Pullman as a leading man? (Brittany vouches for the hot dad in Casper)
Let’s rank the best people to play opposite Sandra Bullock
Moving on from one brother, let’s talk about sleepy Peter
Conscious Peter is.... Well... awake
The wedding happens and she leaves, that’s it, that’s the scene
Actually, wait, this scene is actually ridiculous and we need to talk about it. HE HAS AN IV IN HIS ARM
Jack proposes because why not?
Were there any behind the scenes conversations about this between the family members? Probably not, Saul handled it.
Public proposals - huge no
Narration book ends this film - love it or hate it?
Side characters - Joe Jr, Jerry, and the orderly Rick Worthy
While You Were Sleeping vs Practical Magic - rate the Bullock performance!
In terms of cinematography, this is a very grey movie
While You Were Sleeping vs You've Got Mail - rate the lie!
The stakes of Lucy’s lie are so much larger, but easier to get out of it
Favorite scenes
Favorite lines

This week’s superfans are: Brittany Lovely, Cass Cooper, and Ariana Quiñónez.
This week's newbie is: Natalie Fisher.

ReWatchable: A TV Re-Watch Podcast is dedicated to rewatching completed cult classic or unjustly cancelled TV shows with a team of both superfans and newbies. Join us for analysis, commentaries, character discussions, and more for each show we choose to tackle.
During our rewatches, we stay spoiler-free for our discussions on an episode-to-episode base, to give our newbie hosts and listeners a chance to discover things fresh! We ask that listeners also don’t discuss any spoilers for the shows we’re watching ahead of that episode’s discussion in their feedback to us or on our social media.
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