Customer Reviews

The Big Bang! - Sex, Life and The Cosmos: A Feast Of Mind & Matter [VHS]

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We have all seen "man in the street interviews," where a microphone is shoved in someone's face and a sound bite is gathered for the nightly news as the great issues of our time are considered by ordinary folk who offer baleful opinions or heated comments for mass consumption. James Toback's 1990 documentary "The Big Bang" shows what you can find when you take the time to get into the minds of the masses. The premise is rather simple: Toback heads off with his camera and ask people how they think the world began. He interviews 18 people from the proverbial all walks of life, from nuns to gangsters, from astronomers to violinists. There is even Daryl Dawkins the NBA's infamous self-proclaimed Chocolate Thunder known for his shattering of backboards more than philosophical musings, but always a fun interview. Their initial answers are usually what we would expect, but what makes their responses interesting is that the topic quickly expands way beyond the Big Bang. We get what these people think about, well, the great issues of all time: God, sex, love, race, class, life, death and much, much more. It is not so much that there is great depth out there on the street, but rather than people put big things together in the most interesting combinations. More to the point, Toback manages to arrange these bits and pieces into a coherent argumentative structure of sorts. The end result is that you cannot help but think about your own thoughts on these issues and how they matter in your own life, even if no one with a camera is asking you. "The Big Bang" is not a great documentary, but it is certainly interesting.

Anyone out there who liked "My Dinner with Andre" will surely love this movie. It is an absorbing look into the variety of worldviews that exist among our fellow human beings. What makes this so fascinating is the choice of those that are interviewed for the movie -- from athletes to Auschwitz survivors (even the late movie producer, Don Simpson). If you have any interest in the BIG QUESTIONS about our existence, you must see this movie!