March 19, 2004
What the #$*! Do We Know?! (2004)
[1 - Pretty bad]
Dressed as a documentary the recent independent feature What the #$*! Do We Know?! (2004) invokes quantum mechanics and beautiful cinematography to provoke people into opening their minds and looking at the universe from a new perspective. Unfortunately most of the science in the movie is so faulty or misrepresented that the thesis of the authors seems deteriorates into a desperate attempt at rationalizing spiritual beliefs. What is worse a look behind the façade reveals the undisclosed impetus and funding for What the... comes from Ramtha's School of Enlightenment spreading a shroud of doubt over all the material included in the movie.
What the... takes a novel approach to exploring the nature of our universe by interweaving interviews with scientists, theologists and JZ Knight (a.k.a. Ramtha) with a special-effects rich story of Amanda (Marlee Matlin, known to most people as 'that actress they get when they need a deaf woman in a movie') a woman trying to come to terms with a life she dislikes and feels powerless to change. She is challenged by her roommate (Elaine Hendrix) who seems to have a natural knack for enjoying the life she is given, by a young kid (Robert Bailey Jr.) who's stage direction seemed to be 'Morpheus only younger and cuter' (he even kept asking 'the question is, do you want to know how deep the rabbit hole goes'), by a very brief but deep random stranger (Armin Shimerman, yes the same one who played Quark on Deep Space 9) who seemed to have been contracted for a single afternoon of acting which gave just enough footage to be used again and again and lastly by a geeky young man (John Ross Bowie) who's purpose seemed to be to prove to our protagonist that not all men are evil, some are just dorky. Depressed, angry and feeling powerless after a failed marriage (a flashback shows how she walked in on her husband having sex with a friend) Amanda is shown how powerful she actually is in affecting not only her own life but the environment around her and by the end of the movie has learned to love herself and affect her destiny. The explanation for how she manages this breakthrough is given through some demonstrations of alternate realities, exposition on the nature of matter and some somewhat crude but very amusing animation of gummy bear like peptides motivating characters to be abusive, gorge on food, have sex or in her case beat herself up The animated bits are odd enough by themselves but are made truly surreal by being embedded in what has to be the weirdest musical number of the year. In the musical a set of guests at a wedding reception execute a coordinated dance to polka with IV bags held on wheeled stands while Amanda lets her hair down with the geeky love interest.
One redeeming virtue of What the... is the enchanting cinematography. Shot mostly in and around my home town of Portland the movie is full of refreshing color and light, and as a friend of mine said (sarcastically) afterward 'Wow, that town is so beautiful, why can't we live there!'. Even better was the venue at which we say the movie, the McMenamins Bagdad Theater on Hawthorne which was used for both the opening and closing scenes. I must admit to feeling a bit of enjoyable and confusing involvement as I saw the characters enter the lobby I had just walked into and at the end walk out the same hallway I was about to take out. As beautiful as the photography (and the effects) were, they did not redeem the underlying problems with What the....
The last thing you see in the movie is a reveal of the identity and credentials (which had not been mentioned before) of the individuals interviewed. The intent is to wow the audience into realizing just how credulous the story is in light of the caliber of the interviewees. What the end credits do not reveal is that many of the people interviewed, as well as the individual who founded the movie, are members of the new age Ramtha cult. I lived the five years of my college life in Olympia Washington and ran into Ramthaites on the bus and at grocery stores and have more than one story to tell about the odd delusions shared by the group. More importantly during my second year in college I studied physics including quantum mechanics and can attest that while the principles presented in the movie have scientific basis they are presented in a misleading fashion and the conclusions are without merit. What is billed as an independently produced scientific documentary can probably be better compared to one of the many films produced each year by the Church of Latter-day Saints (the Mormon church): propaganda for a specific theology. I do not recommend this movie, but if you do see it remember that while the filmmakers urge you to keep an open mind you should not keep it so open as to let any crap being peddled in.
What is billed as an independently produced scientific documentary can probably be better compared to one of the many films produced each year by the Church of Ladder-day Saints (the Mormon church): propaganda for a specific theology.
This statement of yours approximates the vague, didactic vibe I felt from watching this movie. And from what little I know of quantum physics (a tip of the iceburg's deep, hidden heart) the material did come across as pablum.
Posted by: Lindsey on March 20, 2004 03:25 AMI wouldn't comment upon a misspelling, except that in this case it results in a different word entirely. You're looking for "impetus", not "impetuous".
Hugs & kisses.
Posted by: sven on March 20, 2004 02:44 PMThank you Sven, just fixed it.
Posted by: Leopoldo on March 20, 2004 05:34 PM"What is worse a look behind the façade reveals the undisclosed impetus and funding for What the... comes from Ramtha's School of Enlightenment"
Correction-Funding did NOT come from RSE. The
rest of your review has merit.
I agree almost entirely with your impressions - mostly new age twaddle attempting to legitimatize itself through misinterpretation of science. Assertions that are unsubstantiated (Emoto's influence of thought on water structure) or even false (The murder rate actually INCREASED during the 1993 washington "meditation" experiment) are presented as fact. Quantum Mechanics is blithely and incorrectly deemed to apply to macroscopic phenomena. And I find the constant description of QM as a science of "possibilities" rather than of "probabilities" annoying. For much of the public, "possible" means "likely". Hence the success of the lottery, although it is highly improbable that one will win it.
I suppose the good news is that power and success of science is so preeminent that even nonsense and superstition are eager to cloak themselves in it.
I was surprised at the reactions of some of my friends to my skepticism. One was "These are really smart, well-educated scientists, therefore this stuff must be true". However, in the course of a 30 year career in science (B.S. in Physics, Ph.D. in Chemistry) I can attest that there are quite a few smart, well-educated, complete wackos out there. Another reaction was "How do you know it isn't true?" Possibility/probability confusion again, perhaps with a bit of wishful thinking.
That having been said, I did enjoy the cinematography and some of the wackier scenes.
And one of the messages of the movie, that you can within your own mind change your reaction to circumstances and therefore their effects on you, is worth considering.
Posted by: Peter on May 27, 2004 10:19 PMI saw the movie yesterday and have read your review and several others. It was a smart movie, even if flawed and I agree with one of the above posted messages re: "... changing your own mind can change your reaction to circumstances and therefore their effect on you is worth considering." You, the reviewer, stated many of the people interviewd (scientists., etc in the film) are members of the new age Ramtha cult. And said, based on your Portland experiences, you have more than one story to tell about their odd delusions. I wish you would have shared a couple of these examples in your story. Can you elaborate a little more, please? Thank you.
Posted by: Gail Conti on June 6, 2004 10:39 AMJust saw it. Really didn't like it. The reviewer is too kind-- the film fails on every level for me. It urgently instructs the audience to value scientifically acquired knowledge but sidesteps nearly all opportunity to credential its speakers (until the end, where their names and accomplishments are very briefly flashed on the screen-- too little too late), qualify their research, or verify their statements. It punishes the audience with loud, jarring, often obnoxious animation that adds almost nothing to the content of the discussion. The "story" scenes were often silly, badly acted, very negative (until the end-- again, too little too late), and also failed to deliver the film's increasingly vague message of "it's all in your head." The film abuses the discriminating thinker with blanket statements on extremely complex and controversial issues, including the epistemological and ontological exploration of quantum mechanics, the nature of God, and the biochemistry of addictive emotions, all the while often leaning on the same supposed experts to address the specifics of all of these highly specialized fields. And it's a pity, because the ideas raised in the film are indeed very important and deserve our best effort and attention. All the more pity that the producers of this film would do them such disservice.
No point in your review disprove anything about the theories explored or the ideas presented. You are just attacking the cast of characters and their background. If you had any amount of intuitive intelligence, you could tell that what is being said in the movie makes sense. If you are just a moron relaying of the facts of science then you obviously can't figure it out.
Delight,
FGX
Posted by: Dorthy on June 22, 2004 12:37 PMI am really glad to see the diversity of responses on this site. I saw the film last week and have been thinking about it ever since. It made alot of the things that people around me, including myself, talk about seem really petty. I don't really care about the Ramtha influence (though her plastic surgery was distracting). What is the point in being negative about all of the scientific facts - those "facts" change every few years anyway! Most importantly, this film is a great reminder that WE ARE PURE POTENTIAL. I was glad that this message came to me as I am raising a child! Life is what you make it.
Posted by: malka on June 22, 2004 04:27 PMYour statements only make the movie more credible! they only show that we are all but jellyfish destined to never know where our destination is going to end up.
Posted by: Tora on June 22, 2004 07:44 PMThe statments and most of the review I have read shows that most people aren't ready for this stuff, maybe they will never be, there will be a fork along the way I sure hope.
Religion is too deeply routed in us, and the worse religion is science. The film was an attempt to shift a paradigm that has been on going for too long. I learnt nothing new but I agree with the general direction of their thought. I read Goswami's book "self aware univers" more than 10 years ago.
Who cares if it is Ramtha or Grandmother's old dog telling you something. the point is the earth is not flat, one they you will see. Test the validity of the information with your gut, and forget the name of the author. If it doesn't sound right to you, it is not for you.
You should merit a refund.
sorry, another typo: it's Latter day saints, not Ladder.
Couldn't let that one slide...
Posted by: mary on August 2, 2004 03:42 PMFixed, thank you Mary.
Posted by: leopoldo on August 2, 2004 05:45 PMI'm thrilled that the new movie WHAT THE $$$$ DO WE KNOW?! has gotten people interested in the power of the mind and its relationship to quantum physics. However, as has been widely reported, the film was funded or in some way sponsored by JZ Knight and the Ramtha group.
For the past five years, I've spent a tremendous amount of time studying the Ramtha work through books, audio cassettes and VHS tapes I've purchased from the school. I thought I would list some of the core beliefs taught in those books and recordings. As you'll see, Ramtha's teachings go far beyond the New Age/Science comparisons taught by self-help gurus and dynamic scientists.
In addition to the concepts presented in the film, the Ramtha group teaches that:
- Leprechauns and/or elves are real
- world banks, governments and money are controlled by the so-called "greymen," big-eyed aliens.
- the Earth is not round, but oval shaped and hollow. Apparently there is a second sun in the center of the Earth as well.
- the Bermuda Triangle is a water gate for spaceships that enter and exit the hollow earth
- the North Pole and the South Pole are not frozen, but tropical. We do not know this because aliens and other spiritual entities manipulate our compasses so that when we think we are at the North Pole, we're really not
- all of the pyramids in Egypt and Central and South America are linked by secret tunnels
- early humans were around during the time of dinosaurs. We do not know this because our carbon dating methods are all wrong
- dinosaurs were created by early gods who liked to play war games with them
- humans can re-grow limbs through thought
- humans are actually immortal gods
- blue light and blue water are healing
- all students should dig secret underground bunkers and stock them with provisions. These have been recommended for a series of Ramtha's predicted catastrophes that haven't ever happened (none of them.ever!)
- AIDS was developed in a Russian laboratory
- Red Wine re-maps the brain. Students should be careful not to drink red wine during a negative conversation or it might negatively re-wire the brain.
- A substance in pipe tobacco stimulates the brains receptors, opening it up for deeper conscious understanding
Anyway, this is just a sampling. I'll try to think of more. I hope that ex-students and others will list additional items in this post so that people will understand what else is taught at this school.
The RSE Ramtha school is starting to enjoy a new type of legitimacy due to this film. However, when I recall all that I've read, I see a group that incites paranoia, and encourages students to keep coming back to uncover the truth about each "conspiracy." Could it be that the real conspiracy is the school itself?
Also, let's not forget that Ramtha/JZ speaks with utter force and confidence on topics which no one living on this "plane" could refute. Your only choice is to devote yourself to her with complete faith and plenty of money.
The scientists who contributed to this film should have investigated the filmmakers further before agreeing to be interviewed. Their (in some cases) brilliant minds are being used to paint an innocent face on what appears to be a corrupt institution.
Best,
Practical1
