Quantum Bleep
What the #$*! Do We Know?!
Review by Ross Anthony

Given the title and synopsis of his film, you may get the gist, but not the feel. As a reviewer I feel an obligation to attempt a synopsis that gives you the reader/viewer a tad better idea of this curious project.

This is a very interesting (and exciting actually) merge of drama and documentary. It is not a homogenous blend so the term "Docu-drama" doesn't really apply. Rather an inter-editing of five or six pundits (mostly intellectual Ph.D & MD types) delighting in verbalizing the theory of quantum mechanics and its implications in our daily lives and more specifically self-concepts. To bring the point home, the filmmakers have set these speeches spinning in and out of a seemingly real-time drama in which a distressed, frustrated woman begins to see other possibilities for her life. That sounds abstract, but the filmmakers do a great job of making concrete her emotions, chemistry accenting the drama and lecture with very good animated images that put into picture some pretty heady bio-mathematical talk.

What the #$*! Do We Know?! That's what you get. Is it good? Yes, interesting at every turn, you'll find yourself immersed in the picture, dare I say -- thinking. So if you like a picture that makes you think -- or -- you need a picture that makes you think -- or -- you are an easily irritated, unhappy person -- go see this film.

Since the film is funded rather exclusively by one of its creators, it doesn't feel a need to play any of the normal PC games. As a result, its directness may offend. That said, the physics turns philosophic, then spiritual, with some arguments against organized religion (and/or manmade definitions of God).

Whether or not you buy into the physical claims being made (I'm somewhat suspicious of those water photographs), the implications here are powerful and important.

Tight for the most part, although, I was a bit confused with the many directions spun by the polish wedding scene. Still, very interesting, compelling, engaging up to and including a good climax (not common in your average documentary). However, the picture spends a little too much time in resolution. In hammering home its point, the production waxes a tad redundant and actually endangers itself with becoming a new kind of religious dogma of its own.

Still, entertaining, thought provoking, potentially eye opening and powerful. The theme comes through strong "You are what you think."

I screened this film at "The Hollywood Spiritual Film Festival" (www.hsff.com) curiously enough in Hollywood. Director Mark Vincent had driven down from Washington to field some of our questions. He was easy-going, relaxed, and as likeable as his film. He addressed one of the prickly thorns, (I paraphrase) "People are starting study groups revolving around the film. I'm leery of this becoming a religion. This is not THE truth, this is just my truth."

He also talked about the evolution of the film (again, I paraphrase), "We read the books, we thought we knew this stuff, we thought we knew what these people were going to say, but when we started the interviews, what they actually said was extraordinarily different. And we realized how much we didn't know.... We cut the interviews down to six hours, then three, then an hour and a half. Then we wrote the story around that."

This is quite a unique cinema experience (and I've seen a lot of films). The nearest picture in content/feel would have to be "Waking Life." Of the two, I much prefer this one.



  • What the #$*! Do We Know?!. Copyright © 2004.
  • Starring Marlee Matlin, Barry Newman, Elaine Hendrix, Armin Shimerman, Robert Bailey, Jr., John Ross Bowie.
  • Interviews with William Tiller, Ph.D., Amit Goswami, John Hagelin, Ph.D., Fred Alan Wolf, Ph.D., Dr. David Albert, Dr. Masaru Emoto, Stuart Hameroff M.D., Dr. Jeffrey Satinover, Andrew B. Newberg, M.D., Dr. Daniel Monti, Dr. Joseph Dispenza, Dr. Candace Pert, Ramtha, Dr. Miceal Ledwith.
  • Screenplay by William Arntz, Betsy Chasse and Matthew Hoffman.
  • Directed by Mark Vicente, Betssy Chasse and William Arntz.
  • Produced by William Arntz and Betsy Chasse at Lord of the Wind. (c) 2004.



Grade..........................A- (3/4)



Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


chili4 special olympians
power5 ra hforh radiop


Last Modified: Saturday, 16-Sep-2006 07:49:53 PDT