― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 24 October 2004 21:58 (nineteen years ago) link
― lemin (lemin), Monday, 25 October 2004 00:52 (nineteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Monday, 25 October 2004 00:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 21 November 2004 03:14 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 21 April 2005 04:30 (nineteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Thursday, 21 April 2005 05:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Thursday, 21 April 2005 05:30 (nineteen years ago) link
that said, most of it makes sense. and it's sure a lot of fun.
― lemin (lemin), Thursday, 21 April 2005 05:38 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 21 April 2005 14:15 (nineteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 21 April 2005 15:02 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 21 April 2005 15:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 21 April 2005 15:15 (nineteen years ago) link
Did I miss anything?
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 21 April 2005 15:28 (nineteen years ago) link
(xpost alex that hurt my head.)
― mark p (Mark P), Thursday, 21 April 2005 15:31 (nineteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 21 April 2005 15:32 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 21 April 2005 16:07 (nineteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 21 April 2005 16:10 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Thursday, 21 April 2005 16:13 (nineteen years ago) link
― LeCoq (LeCoq), Friday, 22 April 2005 08:26 (nineteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Friday, 22 April 2005 14:49 (nineteen years ago) link
I do need to see this again.
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Sunday, 24 April 2005 09:31 (nineteen years ago) link
Anyways, if you check this out on DVD, do yourself a favor and watch it with the Carruth commentary, it's really interesting. A lot of what he talks about is what they did to not spend any excess money, including:* Only shooting multiple takes of scenes if there was an actual mistake (flubbed line, etc.).* Only shooting the scenes in the movie. No extra footage. They shot 80 minutes worth of film for a 78-minute movie.* Not writing any scenes in the script until he had permission to film in the location for that scene.Obviously, this is all an indication of the huge amount of preplanning that went into the movie's production. But overall, it's just a great, entertaining movie.
Oh and to answer the stuff about Rachel's dad above - Carruth says in the commentary that he didn't want the audience to know how he found out about the machine, since the movie is from the perspectives of Aaron and Abe, and there's no way they could know how the dad found out about it. So there are no "clues" within the movie aboud how this happened. BUT BUT BUT he says what he imagines happened is that in one of the alternate paths of time, Rachel's exboyfriend ends up seriously hurting or killing Rachel, and Abe, plagued by the guilt of knowing that he could have done something about it, tells Rachel's dad about the machine.
What I couldn't figure out is what Aaron was doing with the French scientists at the end.
― n/a (Nick A.), Monday, 9 May 2005 20:14 (eighteen years ago) link
― n/a (Nick A.), Monday, 9 May 2005 20:18 (eighteen years ago) link
I just wrote out a huge schpiel and then saw you posted!
Anyway, you guys should go to www.primermovie.com which has a great messageboard with more explanations/theories.
― Sarah McLusky (coco), Monday, 9 May 2005 20:20 (eighteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Monday, 9 May 2005 21:53 (eighteen years ago) link
SO CONFUSINGLY AWESOME.
― ddb (ddb), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 03:24 (eighteen years ago) link
― gypsy mothra (gypsy mothra), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 03:52 (eighteen years ago) link
― Tape Store (Tape Store), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 04:00 (eighteen years ago) link
― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 9 August 2005 13:43 (eighteen years ago) link
i agree that aaron looks like lots of different celebs. add josh hamilton to the mix, please.
― colette (a2lette), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 08:50 (eighteen years ago) link
(Actually is fun to watch, and try and work out but I DON'T BELIEVE THERE IS A PROPER ANSWER).
― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:27 (eighteen years ago) link
Can't bring myself to watch it a second time, though.
― Roz (Roz), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 10:34 (eighteen years ago) link
― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:35 (eighteen years ago) link
Apart from Time Bandits. I assume this is nothing like Time Bandits.
― robster (robster), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 11:37 (eighteen years ago) link
Time bandits is k.ace mind.
― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 12:27 (eighteen years ago) link
Anyway, I can't wait to see this film. I suppose I need to get Netflix now.
― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 12:46 (eighteen years ago) link
― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 13:01 (eighteen years ago) link
― robster (robster), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 13:05 (eighteen years ago) link
― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 13:33 (eighteen years ago) link
Use Rot13 to translatehttp://www.rot13.com/
Vg'f orra n juvyr fvapr V'ir frra vg ohg nf sne nf V pna erzrzore V fhezvfrq ng gur gvzr gung gur guerr ovt hafcbxra/abg-znqr-pyrne riragf va gur svyz ner guhf.
Gur vapvqrag ng gur cnegl jurer Enpury jnf guerngrarq jvgu n fubgtha orpnzr na vapvqrag jurer Enpury jnf xvyyrq. Vg jnfa'g qhr gb nalguvat gurl qverpgyl qvq, vg whfg fgnegrq unccravat nsgre gurl fgnegrq zrffvat jvgu guvatf gbb zhpu. Sebz gung cbvag ba gurl unq gb xrrc eryvivat gung ovg naq fgbc ure trggvat fubg.
Vg gbbx zr gjb jngpurf gb ernyvfr gung Enpury'f qnq jnf n thl jub gurl unq gurve rlr ba gb shaq gurz. Fb bar bs gurz gbyq uvz nobhg vg naq fbzrubj ur geniryyrq onpx va n obk rvgure jvgubhg gurve xabjyrqtr be znantrq gb eha njnl nsgrejneqf. N zber rivy gurbel vf gung Nor naq Nneba yrg uvz abg er-ragre gur obk naq qhcyvpngr uvzfrys va ernyvgl va beqre gb frr jung vg qvq gb fbzrbar.
Gur xrl fprar vf gur ovg jvgu gur zbovyr cubar. Guvf vf gur svefg gvzr gung qbhoyrf / gjb qvssrerag ernyvgvrf ner perngrq.
There's a pretty good explanation/rumination here:-
http://primermovie.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=221
― On one hand I've got myself to blame (Lynskey), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 13:33 (eighteen years ago) link
What was the deal with the last scene and the French translator guy?
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:11 (eighteen years ago) link
― On one hand I've got myself to blame (Lynskey), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:15 (eighteen years ago) link
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 15:55 (eighteen years ago) link
― Alex in SF (Alex in SF), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:00 (eighteen years ago) link
At least Primer employed Weebles and March Madness.
― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 24 August 2005 16:11 (eighteen years ago) link
Best time travel movie ever = 'Time After Time', obv.
― Ally C (Ally C), Tuesday, 6 September 2005 21:22 (eighteen years ago) link
― Are You Nomar? (miloaukerman), Sunday, 16 October 2005 02:57 (eighteen years ago) link
― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 16 October 2005 06:04 (eighteen years ago) link
they showed this as a double bil with la jetee. wish i had left after that.
― ambrose (ambrose), Sunday, 16 October 2005 08:48 (eighteen years ago) link
There's a decent breakdown of timelines on Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primer_%28film%29 - I am gonna have to watch it again a couple of times to fully get it, I feel. I hope the ending is setting up a house-sized sequel.
― Sick Mouthy (Nick Southall), Sunday, 12 March 2006 10:30 (eighteen years ago) link
http://realdupont.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/470who-needs-training-wheels.jpg
― leave garbage snickers eat snickers leave garbage (jeff), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 08:43 (fourteen years ago) link
she loves timecrimes
primer is the autistic nerd version of timecrimes
― the finest of display name homies (s1ocki), Tuesday, 22 December 2009 14:53 (fourteen years ago) link
Ouch. My head hurts.
― krakow, Monday, November 23, 2009 1:05 AM (7 months ago) Bookmark
― rhythm fixated member (chap), Tuesday, 6 July 2010 23:23 (thirteen years ago) link
One reviewer said that "anybody who claims to fully understand what's going on in Primer after seeing it just once is either a savant or a liar."
Phew.
― rhythm fixated member (chap), Tuesday, 6 July 2010 23:27 (thirteen years ago) link
From Wiki.
A Topiary is the upcoming American science fiction drama film by Shane Carruth, a mathematician and a former engineer, known for his previous film Primer.
After Primer, Shane Carruth started working on his second film. In 2009, David Sullivan, one of the leads in Primer, claimed on his Twitter that "Shane Carruth's next project, A Topiary, is in the early stages of pre-production." He also stated he would have a part in this film, to what degree is unknown. Filmmaker Rian Johnson also posted: "Shane... has a mind-blowing sci-fi script. Let's all pray to the movie-gods that he gets it made soon."[1] In 2010, several news sources reported that A Topiary is in the works, and that the script is written. According to Carruth in an interview to io9, "The website for now is just a place mark as financing has yet to be completed. I'm cautiously optimistic that this can happen soon and couldn't be happier with the filmmakers that have committed to the project so far.
In the movie's prologue, it's the 1980's, and Department of Transportation worker Acre Stowe has been trying to find the perfect spot for a first response center which can quickly and easily get to the location which has the most accidents in the area. But while looking, he starts noticing a mysterious pattern repeatedly showing up all over, and even in the form of starbursts. Soon along with a friend, he gets involved with a group of scientists who investigate this phenomenon for several years until finally hitting a dead end.
After this apparent precursor, a new story starts about a group of boys aged 7-12 who somehow are in possession of a mysterious box they call the "Maker" which allows them to create strange disks and other devices which have various properties, until they discover a way to create sentient creatures with the Maker. They call these "Choruses" and use them for various friendly battles. However, soon after mysterious incidents involving the mechanical beings start to occur, the boys begin to realize that they may have seriously underestimated the powers of the Maker and the Choruses, and more importantly, the ever-growing splinter in their group.
Excited!
― bRon To Run (MaresNest), Saturday, 16 April 2011 21:14 (thirteen years ago) link
sounds v similar to primer tho, but will watch out for this alright
― the salmon of procrastination (darraghmac), Saturday, 16 April 2011 21:21 (thirteen years ago) link
Nice. Was there a Philip K. Dick short story that sounds a little like the 'Maker' thing?
― Not the real Village People, Saturday, 16 April 2011 23:03 (thirteen years ago) link
I have finally seen this film. I liked it. I am now working on ways of making an army of duplicates of myself using their machine.
― The New Dirty Vicar, Wednesday, 18 April 2012 19:00 (twelve years ago) link
but at what cost re: gentrification
― diafiyhm (darraghmac), Wednesday, 18 April 2012 22:35 (twelve years ago) link
http://www.firstshowing.net/2012/first-look-shane-carruths-new-sundance-2013-film-upstream-color/
First Look: Shane Carruth's New Film Upstream Color
"A man and woman are drawn together, entangled in the life cycle of an ageless organism. Identity becomes an illusion as they struggle to assemble the loose fragments of wrecked lives." ... the title "upstream color" might be referring to "an esoteric biopharmeceutical term that describes impurities present early in the processing/manufacture of a chemical."
EEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeee
― *rad hug eomticon* (Control Z), Sunday, 2 December 2012 00:54 (eleven years ago) link
Sad that he's dumbed down and sold out.
― comedy is unnatural and abhorrent (Scik Mouthy), Sunday, 2 December 2012 08:23 (eleven years ago) link
At first glance I like the premise of 'A Topiary' better, wonder why it was parked.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 2 December 2012 11:33 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdYO3KWmcv8
please don't suck please don't suck please don't suck
― *rad hug eomticon* (Control Z), Tuesday, 4 December 2012 20:17 (eleven years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5U9KmAlrEXU
― turds (Hungry4Ass), Wednesday, 16 January 2013 13:50 (eleven years ago) link
Just rewatched Primer for the first time since '04. I followed more of it this time, but I still lost it somewhere in the last 15 minutes. The trailer for the new one looks worryingly Malick-like, but I'm hoping it's not as po-faced as advertised.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 31 January 2013 04:13 (eleven years ago) link
a malick-like sci-fi thriller is sorta like my platonic ideal of a movie.
just saw primer a few days ago for first time. i was really impressed.
― ryan, Thursday, 31 January 2013 04:15 (eleven years ago) link
It's really pretty great. I was surprised how much I liked it on a revisit. And fwiw, Soderbergh likes the new one:
Are there young filmmakers you’re excited about?
Shane Carruth. He did the film Primer, and he’s got a terrific new movie at Sundance.
― something of an astrological coup (tipsy mothra), Thursday, 31 January 2013 04:29 (eleven years ago) link
― ryan, Thursday, January 31, 2013 4:15 AM (47 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
I'd love a Malick horror film.
― Matt Armstrong, Thursday, 31 January 2013 05:03 (eleven years ago) link
Interpretation options abound.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT3217z2mr2WH3bnlYpJxlGJO08wrUCvjjGb-f2j0tPKm5dkeA6 or http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/0/03/PrimerTimeline.gif or http://media.screened.com/uploads/0/1403/248887-primer_timeline.jpg or http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/5/169429/2304580/primer_o.jpg or http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z108/btbrian14/PrimerTimeline.jpg.
― with perhaps the exception of r-r-r-r-rhythm (Sanpaku), Thursday, 31 January 2013 05:15 (eleven years ago) link
last one approximates my experience but i rolled with it.
― ryan, Thursday, 31 January 2013 05:18 (eleven years ago) link
"Tree of DEATH""Days of HELL""Badlands"
― "Turkey In The Straw" coming from someplace in the clouds (Sparkle Motion), Thursday, 31 January 2013 07:01 (eleven years ago) link
just did a primer rewatch as well. it's really hard for me to deal w/primer objectively because i respect the filmmaking so much but carruth himself called it a tone poem and that's probably the right way to treat it.
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 11 April 2013 03:08 (eleven years ago) link
if you grew up in texas it is a great summer kind of movie
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 11 April 2013 03:33 (eleven years ago) link
among the million reasons i respect the filmmaking, an excellent sense of place is one of them
― call all destroyer, Thursday, 11 April 2013 03:34 (eleven years ago) link
oh, I've got time for this movie. it's got so much dallas/houston in it... bright, blown out, no shadows, empty hallways and office parks, grassy nowheres, roads always in the background, fever dreams of august or september. and the escalating hostility and paranoia that never comes to a head. oh yes.
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 11 April 2013 04:22 (eleven years ago) link
a labyrinth of open spaces
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Thursday, 11 April 2013 04:23 (eleven years ago) link
totally otm. i didnt know it was set in texas the first time i saw it but immediately was able to identify the setting.
― ryan, Thursday, 11 April 2013 14:47 (eleven years ago) link
I think "Primer" makes perfect sense, but only for a few minutes, until you forget why it made perfect sense. (See also: aforementioned elaborate flowchart)
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 11 April 2013 14:53 (eleven years ago) link
Anyone seen the new one yet? Upstream Colour? Sounds good. Carruth seems pretty damn serious about being an actual bona fide autuer in terms of doing EVERYTHING himself.
― they all are afflicted with a sickness of existence (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 11 April 2013 15:00 (eleven years ago) link
More than auteur - he's even distributing it himself!
― Josh in Chicago, Thursday, 11 April 2013 15:02 (eleven years ago) link
Bloody hell.
― they all are afflicted with a sickness of existence (Scik Mouthy), Thursday, 11 April 2013 15:05 (eleven years ago) link
we have a thread for the new one UPSTREAM COLOR, a new film from Shane Carruth (Primer)
― Chuck E was a hero to most (s.clover), Thursday, 11 April 2013 16:21 (eleven years ago) link
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, April 10, 2013 9:22 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Wednesday, April 10, 2013 9:23 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
nice! also the close-knit (so to speak) claustrophobia of them always being in work attire, buttoned up, with the ties still tied even in the garage after hours adds to the heat impression.
― discreet, Saturday, 20 April 2013 06:14 (eleven years ago) link
watching this movie now for the first time. i like the matter-of-fact way it deals with the subject of time travel, as the accidental discovery of two burnt out looking engineers. that said, the plot is really confusing... at least the first time around. it's paused now, with seven minutes to go, and i am not too proud to admit that i am LOST
― Michigan seems like a dream to me now (Treeship), Sunday, 19 May 2013 00:52 (ten years ago) link
Yeah, anyone who says they have all the threads of this sorted after one watch is full of it IMO. You're not alone.
― circa1916, Sunday, 19 May 2013 01:00 (ten years ago) link
This film should have hardcoded subtitles really.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 19 May 2013 01:19 (ten years ago) link
There are multiple plausible interpretations, and once you accept that the last 20 minutes were edited from inadequate footage to highlight the confusion, ala Aronofsky's Pi but on a still lower budget, you can just let it wash over you as a tale of some hectic lost souls who've lost their past and are piecing together a future from scratch.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z108/btbrian14/PrimerTimeline.jpg
― Me So Hormetic (Sanpaku), Sunday, 19 May 2013 01:19 (ten years ago) link
I remember some talk a way back from SC about Abe & Aaron's identities, personalty traits and eventually lives slowly swapping over being more important than untangling the who-the-what-now, but recent interviews seem to indicate the opposite.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 19 May 2013 01:22 (ten years ago) link
jesus christ those timelines. lol. i really liked this movie just on the level of the minimalism of the acting and cinematography. someone above talked about the texas location and "fever dreams of august" and i could feel that with this movie. on this netflix stream at least there seemed to be a lot of browns an yellows in the shots filmed during the daytime. i liked how the switch from the characters seeming in control of things to feeling totally out of control was so subtle that you, like the characters, cannot place precisely when it happened.
― Michigan seems like a dream to me now (Treeship), Sunday, 19 May 2013 01:37 (ten years ago) link
I just got the sense that a clearer explication was part of the script, and left on the editing floor when Carruth decided tighter pacing made up for the film's emotional voids.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/criterion-production/stills/132078/Film_199w_Schizopolis.jpeg
― Me So Hormetic (Sanpaku), Sunday, 19 May 2013 02:15 (ten years ago) link
I don't think he left anything out, I'm sure on the commentary track it's mentioned that because the stock budget was so tight they knew exactly what they were going to do with each scene, rehearsed it til it was tight and did only a couple of takes maximum, apart from a scene where Abe and Aaron are discussing something after locking up the Garage - SC kept fucking up a line. There were no scenes filmed that didn't make the cut, it was totally bespoke.
I love the movie, I don't really care for the timeline aspect. I guess because of the way he comes across in interviews you could assume that his obvious wherewithal demonstrates that he has the deal all sown up, Primer is flawed in a lot of technical ways and (imho) the idea of a knotted, opaque time travel film shot through with ellipsis is a bad one.
― MaresNest, Sunday, 19 May 2013 11:20 (ten years ago) link
do u guys call it pry-mer or primmer
― turds (Hungry4Ass), Sunday, 19 May 2013 12:33 (ten years ago) link
Pry-mer
― MaresNest, Sunday, 19 May 2013 13:25 (ten years ago) link
it's got so much dallas/houston in it
otm, watched last night with a friend, and after 5 mins I heard a "ya'll" and wondered if they might be in Texas, just going by the way their house looked and the lighting. When I saw a 972 area code in another scene, I practically squealed
― Dominique, Monday, 3 February 2014 21:35 (ten years ago) link
Upstream Color might have benefitted from a similarly strong sense of place to ground it. If it was shot in Texas it feels like he went to greater lengths to make it anonymous.
― ryan, Tuesday, 4 February 2014 00:34 (ten years ago) link