(Transformin"?) eXistenZ

Rating: Null/10 (1 February 2015)

Full disclosure - I missed the first 40 minutes going in, and this is one of those works that merits a second viewing anyway, just on general principles.
I did not expect to have a good viewing experience on this one, especially due to the scissor- happy nature of the moral police out here. In spite of that, I was surprised that this did not get much of that kind of police-work, and I say that in a good way, since I was left marvelling at the inconsistency of it all.
The first thing I noticed, other than Zach Galifianakis and Michael Keaton bickering on- screen, of course, was the aspect ratio, which, though consistent for the helmer, is one of the most disappointing aspect ratios ever - 1.85:1. I thought I was gonna have my work cut out to sit through this one without continually dwelling on that disappointment.
Well, that was not to be, because this is one of the most exhilarating experiences one can have at the cinema. In hindsight though, I did feel that all of this was done for effect, and though the lead (Keaton) strives in giving this his all, it seemed to me, that he always knew that we were in there with him, and save for a few sequences (esp. one in which he speaks of theater criticism, as one who, albeit self-purportedly, some might feel, knows about the process and is disappointed in reading that it has come to naught - quite insightful actually, IMO), and his being safe in that knowledge was somehow off-putting to me. The whole flick being self-referential, kinda auto-biographically, was also something that put me off substantially.
Which is quite surprising, really, since I was able to look beyond that enjoy the flick anyway, since the quality of the writing and the setups in the well-structured screenplay, augmented by perhaps the greatest efforts ever put to screen by one of the best ensembles cast in their respective roles.
One sequence in which the actress playing the lead's child berates him for something clichéd, and yet makes the scene his/her own, with the tables turning over the defending character's head, was one of the best.
The scene where the lead lambasts a theater critic was interesting for multiple reasons, not just for his insights while doing so, but also if one juxtaposed that interaction against another interaction that the same critic has with another lead in the flick.
The ingenious use of the 'Batman Begins' voice in the lead's head, which, to me, also called out one of the most reviled (as well as revered, perhaps in larger circles) aspects of Bale's Batman. To me, it was his way of criticising the Nolan-Bale canon, and since I'm in the same corner, it appealed to me immensely.
Btw, some might feel that this one has an ingeniously ambiguous ending. I'm not of the same opinion. It's entirely obvious, and those who can't see that, well, I don't sympathize. Painfully (ouch) obvious.
The one take gimmick also did not work for me, especially since there were transitions that could have been worked with CGI, and it does not span one night, as I'd originally thought. I should not have read those pieces that dwelled on that aspect, since that led to different expectations in my head, and the end result was a downer, from that perspective.
Of all the cast, I thought Andrea Riseborough did not get much to do (except for, ahem, something I though the scissor-happy ones might excise but did not, surprisingly, though I say so myself), but I might be wrong since I did not watch the entire flick.
Keaton owns this, but IMO, does not deserve to win an Oscar, not just due to the points listed above, but also due to the fact that, to me, he seemed curiously disengaged from it all, while being aware of being watched (as indicated above). That, to me, is some pretentious stuff, and I don't feel it should be recognised at all. But there will be those who says that breaking the 4th wall by any actor is also a difficult task, and perhaps Keaton deserves to be recognised for that effort. Let the chips fall where they may.
All in all, worth multiple viewings at the cinema, and I'll be headed to one of those 'plexes with the once again this week, but in my case, just to catch those 40 minutes I missed.