Justin's Rating: Math geniuses always get the girl, grumble grumble...
Justin's Review: Confession time: I hated math in school. Now, I know that's not too shocking or even different than the non-robotic majority of you, but it remains a fact. Sure, it's nice solving an equation, but once we kids had it figured out, they introduced calculus. Which (for you high schoolers out there) you will NEVER HAVE TO USE IN YOUR LIFE, EVER. It's a conspiracy because math teachers like their jobs.

Pi is about math. Numbers. Equations. Ants. But I gave it a fair chance, and I'm pretty glad I did (especially since I rented it with John Carpenter's Vampires, which was an utter waste of money and fast-forwarding time). It's a black and white indie film about a brilliant mathematician. Unlike Matt Damon, our hero Max (Sean Gullette) is a recluse suffering from intense headaches that leave him incapacitated. In his techno-lair he has machines wired up for the sole purpose of number crunching.

Max's theory, which he states early in the film (Narration City), is that numbers are everywhere, and if you look hard enough, you can find a pattern to everything. For Max, this includes the stock market, ant spit, Go, and even God. At times, it plays like a fascinating if quirky Discovery channel documentary about math. But the images that flash in quick succession, the claustrophobia of Max's world, the strange characters that follow him around all point to something far more important and significant.

It's a very intense piece of work, but hard to classify. It hosts elements of sci-fi, government conspiracy, and even drama... yet it's none of these. Max's quest is about obsessions and numbers... and the one Big Number that puts everything in its place. You want to believe and trust the movie, since Max's voice croons to you stories and facts about math. But some of the plot twists are pretty hard to swallow; of course, that doesn't make them any less interesting.

Pi is well-crafted, and even appealing to people who don't give a rip about math. The soundtrack, a pulse-pounding assortment of techno, gives the film an undercurrent of life. Pi's greatest achievement is in bringing dull and relatively uninteresting topics back from the dead and daring us to look at the universe with a whole new set of shades.

Math Is Good:
Phillip C. writes in: "I also believed for a long time that I'd never again use calculus -- especially as a software developer, where discrete mathematics and some number theory is about as far as things usually go. Interestingly, though, I've found that calculus is quite invaluable in AI work. Whenever I'm doing work with neural networks, I usually need to whip out the old notes about differential equations. Weirdly, I feel very happy about this. Just wanted to share. Maybe you could let those disheartened high-schoolers know. That, and mastering calculus is a great way to prepare for just about any technical occupation."

The Movie Store!
Pi: Movie [VHS]
Pi: Movie [DVD]
Pi: Soundtrack [CD]

Intermission!
Pi cost only $60,000 to make, most of which was raised in the form of individual $100 contributions from the director's friends and family. When it was later bought by Artisan Entertainment, each contributor got back a $150 return on their investment.

Pi won the 1998 Director's Award at the Sundance Festival.

Groovy Quotes:

Max: My new Hypothesis: If we're built from Spirals while living in a giant Spiral, then is it possible that everything we put our hands to is infused with the Spiral?

Sol: The Ancient Japanese considered the Go board to be a microcosm of the universe. Although when it is empty it appears to be simple and ordered, in fact, the possibilities of gameplay are endless. They say that no two Go games have ever been alike. Just like snowflakes. So, the Go board actually represents an extremely complex and chaotic universe.

Sol: This is insanity, Max!
Max: Or what if it's genius?

Lenny: The Torah is just a long string of numbers. Some say that it's a code sent to us from God.

If you liked this movie, try these:
Clerks
The Blair Witch Project

Soundtrack Review: This is a must-have soundtrack for techno freaks who need something to drive or solder by. The intro theme alone will grab your heart and start palpating it incredibly.