The Pervert's Guide To Ideology

In the previous film, the examples Zizek analysed seemed to be favourites: here, it is the structure of the argument that dominates over the selection of movies, and so the interpretations don't seem to be quite so rich. Nevertheless, the Slovenian has many things to say worth hearing, though his concluding attempt at revolutionary politics consists of a quite perfunctory invocation of will and redemption: if Occupy Wall Street is the illustration showing that the future's up to us, well...

Has totally revived my appetite for films. Other than that, I love the bullshitfree approach, the "pretentiouslessness" that Zizek applies in his dynamic analysis and assertion. It's for dummies and super digestible, it truly is. Watch it! (especially if you don't go all crazy when a tiny spoiler comes alog - if you do, who cares, you should have seen all those films by now if you are so devoted to cinema).

The Pervert's Guide to Cinema was interesting in its discussion of psychoanalysis and subtext in film but this was much more focused and managed to use the same tools to reach a more coherent overall purpose. You come away with it with a desire to be pummeled by Rowdy Roddy Piper.

Zizek delivers his philosophy in an easily digestible form. Some things are discussed a bit too briefly and some explained with maybe even too much detail. Despite the problems with the pacing, it's still an entertaining documentary.

What Žižek does here is to make clear the potential for film to do philosophical work. More specifically, for film to consist of a Lacanian critique of ideology. As Žižek repeatedly demonstrates, including through his insertion in recreated film sets, this philosophical potential of film is possible because every time we watch a film we 're-make' the film. As the film unfolded, I did feel, somewhat ironically, that Žižek was ‘selling’ me Lacanianism as the path to authentic being.

score isn't really a reflection of how much I agree with Zizek, but from just how enjoyable this was for a former philosophy student (dropout) and film fan. I wish some of my favourites had the charisma and film knowledge to do some of these, but they're mostly dead anyway. Can't wait to watch the first one. "The Elvis Presley of cultural theory" indeed.

Zizek wants to show how "ideologies" manipulate our psychologies, basically by using examples from Hollywood films. The psychological jargon is as impressive, but the messages are shallow. He concludes by lamenting the failures of the Russian, Cuban and Chinese revolutions and by advocating further radical action, which will "redeem also the past failed revolutions". In the after credits scene, he shows again his prophetic moral superiority. Now who is blinded by semi-religious ideology here?

Fascinating and compelling, Zizek's psychoanalytical study is at times challenging and insightful as much as it is obvious and occasionally wofty. Zizek's analysis suffers from the obvious increased inscrutability that arises when the micro is used to try an explain the macro, but on a basic level I found it agreeable, if not as revolutionary as much of its subject matter.

I much preferred this to the first film - it's a lot more focused, he spends more time with his examples, and its shorter and more digestible. I'd recommend watching this first if you're interested in an introduction to Zizek.

Not much of a movie, per se. Just an affable, opinionated dude talking about philosophy and film, making some interesting points, while appearing to insert himself into the film's he's talking about. And, that's pretty great.

Quite long for a presentation documentary, but never gets tiring -- I think it's because Zizek is not only interesting and thought-provoking to listen to, but he also has an appealing accent. A very good and detailed (if a bit reiterative) examination of a range of films and how they reflect the ideologies of modern Western culture. I was actually so amazed by the cinematic recreations with Zizek standing in, it took me away from what he saying sometimes.

I could listen to Zizek dissect movies for hours. Some of his interpretations seem a little out there, but that's Slavoj for ya.

More of a coherent video essay than The Pervert's Guide to Cinema, which was basically a series of amusing vignettes, this film finds Zizek at his best, lucid, incisive and witty.

Cerebral, wacky fun for nerds like myself.

Zizek is the man

I have always found what Zizek says more intellectual pretension than intellectual substance. Some gripping insights in a framework that turns to dust when analysed. As such this format is probably more appropriate than his appearances on Newsnight or the lecture circuit. And yes it is fun to see the (forced) metaphors on a collection of best clips from 20th century cinema - just do not think you will be more knowledgeable about ideology afterwards.

...to destroy Nazi-Symbols from within.

Kind of ironic that he rambles for over two hours without really clarifying his own ideology and how he uses jargon to subvert the meaning of the images he shows. He'll never get to his revolutionary promised land because it must, by default, reject the dreams it was built upon - of which there aren't any anyways, so the prophetic potential of the film is nil. But as far as its deconstruction of power goes, it's consistently engaging.

I would probably watch at least five more of these. Zizek, my good friend and ideological enemy, is more entertaining than frustrating here, which is usually the reverse in his text. His charisma is unmatched in social theory, which doesn't make him the most notable figure, but he's certainly one of the easiest to listen to talk for two hours. It's fun. *shrugs*

zizek teaches you about movies and ideology

Feels like a visual equivalent to a Malcolm Gladwell book: Deeper and clever analyses of pop culture touchstones with a tenuous unifying theme.

A fun watch, though it might be worth taking a break at the halfway point. I'm not entirely sure if Zizek repeated himself a lot or the constant use of his neologisms made it feel that way. Also, in a surprise twist ending, capitalism was the bad guy all along.

Ideology via (amongst others); psychoanalysis of commodity fetishism, scatological bonding, jaws as a communist, the wrongness of true believers, ode to ...whatever, james cameron's fake marxism, ain't no atheist like a christian atheist, have better dreams. Allot was recycled and the last two seemed 'tacked-on', if intended as conclusions they didn't fit or follow well from the rest. I'd hoped for more depth than the YT clips. Fun-ish, unsatisfying.

Zizek postulates on various political structures, starbucks coffee as the ultimate consumerist commodity & falls back on analysing a few more films for good measure. Again he ends his essay with a radical call to action, to build on the current social upheaval and turn it to revolution, which at the time was the occupy movement..so, hmm.

a step forward from the excellent ..to Cinema. this one has both a tighter and more imaginative construction, building on the aesthetic of the previous film. looking forward to rewatching it in a few years - i think it will benefit from a different perspective

Fascinating!

Zizek would be a lot easier to take seriously if his theories added up to something, but such is the nature of critical theory. His commentary here strikes me as the internal monologue of a very educated person, and while his thoughts are probably more interesting than mine, what is he really saying?

It's just Slavoj Zizek spoon-feeding you his ideas on how movies betray the ideologies of their creators, and that's in no way a bad thing. Zizek expresses his ideas eloquently but does have the (I want to say Hegelian) tendency of trying to get something said so unambiguously that the original meaning sometimes gets bogged down.

All the ice in the world cannot kill a true idea.

christian atheism is the truer atheism. not that richard dawkins religiosity, a cult worshipping him and science as a deities.

Zizek is my introduction to philosophy and if you're a film-lover, this should be your introduction to Zizek.

Much tighter than the previous entry

I enjoy the form of this, using the films to unfold Zizek's understanding of ideology, and dressing up in the garb of the film's to ostensibly get inside them. I felt the film's length, as the deconstructions pile one on top of the other.

Both entertaining and insightful, and the fact that Zizek obviously has good taste in movies doesn't hurt. It does have one obvious drawback, though: After he spends 2 hours deconstructing everything, it becomes a bit hard to take him seriously when he presents his own spin on it.