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Date > 2024 > July
Activity > Movie Review

July 15, 2024

Movie Review: The Matrix (1999)

Location : Smartmod Balays, Tagbilaran, Bohol, Philippines

Rating: (5 stars out of 5)
Audience Rating: R
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
Director: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Writers: Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
Awards: 2000 Winner Oscar: Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects, Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing, Best Visual Effects
Genre: sci-fi, action, AI
Run Time: 2h 16m
Premiere Date: March 31, 1999
Country: USA

The Gen-Zs
The Matrix was released in 1999, 25 years ago. I saw it then and it blew my mind. However, young people attending my Yoga class in their early 20s (Gen-Zs) have heard but have never seen it. I told them it was a must-see. Kat was gracious enough to allow us to view it in her place. Verdict? Did they like it? Is it still relevant to young people? Or is it too dated and passe?

Gen-Z yogis and moviegoers: Daphne, Lyz, Hannah, Berlyn and Monica

Flat screen TV at Smartmod Balays

Awards
For a sci-fi movie, it won plenty of awards, albeit not the major awards. Still, "Best Film Editing, Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects" are bragging rights. I won't talk about it, the awards speak for the movie.

Neo and Trinity as they storm the citadel of the Agents

Ending Thoughts
25 years after it was released, memes and quotes are still being used (the raining green code characters amid the black background, blue pill or red pill?, glitch in the Matrix, etc.). It was transformational and even explosive when it came out. The whole town talked about it for years! It would be a shame if young people now fail to see this movie. I had to prod them, and shamelessly request Kat to have us see it at her place where she has the expanse, the HBO service, and the big flat screen.

So, what's my new take on The Matrix, 25 years after? Production did feel a bit dated, but not too much. But the theme? I think it's even more relevant and compelling now. In 1999, AI was just science fiction, and a malevolent AI was pure fantasy. Now, AI is mainstream and a malevolent AI is a real and existential threat to humanity. Elon Musk was so alarmed at this existential threat (especially after his heated discussion with Larry Page of Google and Deep Mind) that he formed 3 benevolent AI companies to protect mankind vs the malevolent ones - Optimus, Dojo and SFD Tesla.

The Simulation Theory then, was fringe. Now, it is mainstream discussion with leading physicists and philosophers claiming that the data/argument supporting the simulation is too strong and compelling for the theory to be dismissed - Leonard Susskind, Neal deGrasse Tyson, James Gates, Max Tegmark, etc. When Elon Musk was asked what he would ask an AGI, he said, "What lies beyond the simulation?"

I believe this movie will remain relevant until AGI is perfected.

--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit | Learn English | Travel like a Nomad | Donation Bank

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Bohol, Philippines

tourist attractions

Danao Adventure Park - zip lining, cable car ride, caving, river rides/trekking, off-road buggy ride, root climbing, rappelling and ultra-glide rides
Alona Beach - hub for tourists with hotels, resorts, restos, bars and dive shops
Chocolate Hills - hills side-by-side shaped like giant Kisses chocolate
Tarsier - pocket-sized marsupia looking like a monkey
Balicasag Island - one of the best dive spots in the Philippines
Loboc River - river cruise on a boat
Anda Beach - fine white sand beach with resorts, restos and cottages, 3 hours by bus from Tagbilaran
Cabagnow Cave Pool - brackish water pool about 5ft deep inside a limestone opening on the ground, 8 feet deep, P50
Lamanok Island - walk on a 100m bamboo bridge on stilts to a resto area to take a boat tour to caves and nearly attractions, P300
Combento Cave Pool - cave pool with underwater cave system, P20
Can-umantad Falls - long narrow drop until it hits a bulbous mound spreading it into a a curtain-like water canopy and down into a splash pool
Canawa Cold Spring - deep refreshing cold spring with developed pool area
Firefly Tour - evening boat ride into the river to watch fireflies

hotel

Fox & The Firefly Cottages - SUP paddle boarding, luxury riverside native cottages, mountain bike tours, SUP yoga
Baranggay Valladolid, Loboc, Bohol
Bohol Tropics Resort - seafront location, manicured surroundings, swimming pool, resto/bar
0133 Graham Avenue, Brgy. Cogon, Tagbilaran, Bohol 6300
Oasis Resort - Alona Beach location, dive center, resto / bar
Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

yoga

Jing Yoga - health & well being through yoga
The Courtyard - Airport Road fronting the church
Bohol Meditation and Yoga Center - 2nd Floor Lim Magtajas Bldg. CPG Avenue

Bohol Travel Info/Tips

Bohol FYI / Tips

the tourist area where most of the hotels, restaurants, ticket offices, tour operators are, is located within the Alona Beach area
the tourist attractions in Bohol are far apart and spread-out. It would be difficult to visit them all using public mass transit. Better hire a van (P3500/day) if in a big group, or rent a motorcycle (P400/day + gas)
Bohol relies on its tourism for revenue. As expected, everything they can capitalize on from tourism is extensively used and developed

Tagbilaran Port to Panglao

You can charter any tricycle from the port all the way to Panglao (~P300), but if you want to do it on the cheap,

don't take the tricycles lined-up inside the port. Walk past the port gate and immediately outside, you'll see many tricycles. Take one to the bus terminal in Dao (~P15)
in Dao, take the jeep that plies the Panglao route (~P20)

Tagbilaran (Bohol) to Cebu City by boat

** schedules and rates keep changing, call for latest schedule

Weesam Express - departs 6:15 AM, 11:30 AM, 4:00 PM
one way: Economy (aircon) P500.00, Economy (non-aircon) P400.00, First Class P600.00
round trip promo (at least 2 days advance booking): Economy (aircon) P600, Economy(non-aircon) P500, First Class P1200
round trip promo (1 day or on the day booking): Economy (aircon) P800, Economy (non-aircon) P700, First Class P1200
Ocean Jet - departs 6-7:05-8:20-9:20-10:40-11:40AM, 1-2-3:30-4:20-5:30-6:30PM, 2 hours, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
Open Air / Tourist Class P800, Business Class P1000
+63(32)255 7560 / +63 (32) 255 0115 / 0917 638 0000
SuperCat (2GO) - departs 5:50-11AM, 3:45-5:25-8:15PM, arrives Pier 1 in Cebu
P 500.00
+63 32 233 7000

Things to do, Places to go in Bohol

Chocolate Hills - this is a clustering of more than 1200 hills within a 50km² area. They range in height from 30-50 meters. What's unusual is their near-perfect conical shape resembling an individual chocolate chip. No one knows how they were formed. Entrance is P50/pax.
Tarsier Conservation Area - located Upper Bonbon, Loboc. The tarsiers are no longer being played at by tourists as circus props, but instead, visitors now view them in cordoned-off areas in their natural 6ha habitat. As they are territorial and nocturnal, they are predictable on where they can be viewed. P50/pax.
Alona Beach (Panglao) - Alona Beach is the tourist hub of Bohol. It has 1.5 kms of white sand beach lined-up by bars, hotels and restos. Alona is also the jump-off point for Balicasag Island, a world class dive destination.
Danao Adventure Park - located in Barangay Magtangtang, 72 kms (2 hours ride) from Tagbilaran. Adventure activities include river trekking, tyrolean traverse, rappelling, bouldering, rock climbing and ziplining.

Blogs

Bohol

Anda

ANDA

Exploring Combento Cave Pool Jun 29, 2017

Visiting Cabagnow Cave Pool Of Anda Jun 28, 2017

Exploring Anda, Bohol Jun 25-30, 2017

Candijay

CANDIJAY

Roadtrip from Candijay to Ubay Jul 1, 2017

Firefly Tour In Candijay, Bohol Jun 30, 2017

Freediving Canawa Cold Spring Of Candijay, Bohol Jun 30, 2017