Thursday American Cinema Classic

Welcome to a new weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Thursday American Cinema Classic. I’m taking a course called American Cinema Since 1960 where we’re charting the history and development of American Cinema from the 1960s to the present. We’ll be watching some pretty iconic films, some of which I haven’t seen before. Each week, I’ll be providing a short review of one contemporary classic from the annals of recent history.

The Matrix
Directed by Andy & Lana Wachowski
Released March 31, 1999



This universally-known film has been quite a cult phenomenon in the decade since it was released. The trailer provides a nice, dated look at what it was first like when this movie first came out and no one really knew exactly what the Matrix was. Now it’s a constantly-referenced and oft-parodied concept, with its slow-motion dodging bullets and leaping over buildings. This was the one that got it started though, and while the two sequels, released in 2003, weren’t received so favorably, this one was. It won all four of its Oscar nominations, taking home trophies for Best Film Editing, Sound, Sound Editing, and most importantly, Best Visual Effects. It’s tough to decide who has a cooler voice – Laurence Fishburne or Hugo Weaving – but they are both definitely awesome and this is the height of that. Even Keanu Reeves isn’t so bad, and this movie is definitely one fantastically awesome ride. The blue pill or the red pill? Take both and watch this movie, or at least watch the trailer to relive the excitement.

Come back next week for the final installment of Thursday American Cinema Classic!