tbh a lot of it comes down to how much you care about the setting, colors, and Natasha Lyonne. If you're ambivalent, then hey. It's just a well worn concept. However, if all those things are *very* you, this series is way elevated.
I fall into the latter group.
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 18:55 (five years ago) link
I like all those things and liked this fine ftr
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 18:57 (five years ago) link
what if i loved this just not as much as happy death day
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 19:14 (five years ago) link
The difference to me is that it’s not just a straight up repeating the same day for infinity, each loop is the same but slightly shifted in time & time is still ~passing~ (rotting fruit etc) plus the lynchpin to get out of the loop is much more psychological, ie first doing the emotional work of finding that thing inside themselves that led them to be in the frame of mind they were in when they died in the first placethey have to first go inwards before they can help themselves and the other person
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 19:16 (five years ago) link
I do feel like this got deeper into, like, the emotional work and psychological reckoning with one's past that it takes to become a better person than Groundhog Day does - part of that probably down to having a longer time-frame to explore the characters, as well not having to hew to a more conventional romcom structure the way GHD does. Lyonne also (maybe) more sympathetic and nuanced than Murray's performance.
― Οὖτις, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 19:33 (five years ago) link
groundhog day > los cronocrimenes > happy death day > live die repeat > russian doll > frequently asked questions about time travel > x-files episode "monday" > run lola run > source code
all of these are great
― The Very Fugly Caterpillar (sic), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 19:42 (five years ago) link
it's true!
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 19:43 (five years ago) link
see you in the thread i inevitably make for happy death day 2 u sic
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 19:44 (five years ago) link
that's an excellent list
― mh, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 20:56 (five years ago) link
now flashing back to spring of my freshman year of college when we rewatched run lola run all the time
― mh, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 20:59 (five years ago) link
los cronocrimenes
lol no. I mean this was okay but
Live Die Repeat (Edge of Tomorrow over here) is great, just cuz the concept is so well constructed and also it's great to watch Tom Cruise die repeatedly.
― legislative fanboy halfwit (Οὖτις), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 21:09 (five years ago) link
thx for the tip on Happy Death Day tho!
― legislative fanboy halfwit (Οὖτις), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 21:10 (five years ago) link
Cronocrimines is marvelous for the way it doesn't try to dazzle with the loops, taking its slow-ass time on each of them, and especially allowing the audience to get way ahead of the very dipshitted protagonist; all of these acting together to build a sense of dread and inevitability. especially refreshing given how often time-loop films go for lols or a rush during the loops instead.
I'd probably put the Dr Who episode "Heaven Sent" in the top few too, but not sure how well it plays as a standalone: there are two small elements of continuity, which are probably set up enough within the episode but idrce
― The Very Fugly Caterpillar (sic), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 21:21 (five years ago) link
kinda think you might be able to shoehorn loopers in there somewhere
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 21:22 (five years ago) link
Bezos Prime link for that one, xpost
Looper is doing something different, as is Back To The Future 2, but I considered them for this list of excellence
― The Very Fugly Caterpillar (sic), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 21:28 (five years ago) link
Rian Johnson is such an awful filmmaker ugh
― legislative fanboy halfwit (Οὖτις), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 21:29 (five years ago) link
remember Source Code?
me neither
― Number None, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 21:58 (five years ago) link
oh lol
I now see it was last on sic's list
― Number None, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 21:59 (five years ago) link
There was that movie with the Californian UFO death cult where everyone's in a loop except for the protagonists, and also Triangle. Apart from poliziotteschi, this is the best micro-genre imo.
― oder doch?, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 23:48 (five years ago) link
The Invitation?
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 23:51 (five years ago) link
The Endless!
― oder doch?, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 00:02 (five years ago) link
Russian Doll also shared a Schrodinger's Cat vibe with another California loop-film, Coherence.
Hell, maybe Oatmeal *was* Schrodinger's cat...
― henry s, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 00:22 (five years ago) link
Surprise! Lizzy Bougatsos as gutterpunk's accomplice!
― froggles! (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 03:12 (five years ago) link
Rian Johnson is not an awful filmmaker
― akm, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 04:49 (five years ago) link
forget it man, it’s Shakeytown
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 04:50 (five years ago) link
Timecrimes >>>>>
― bhad bundy (Simon H.), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 04:52 (five years ago) link
unfortunately all the other Vigalondo I've seen fucking sucks (especially Colossal, possibly the worst movie of that year)
― bhad bundy (Simon H.), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 04:56 (five years ago) link
Just finished it a little earlier. We were both very taken by it, and in slightly different ways as well, which is good for perspective. I especially enjoyed how episode 7 was horror, but in a way that some blood aside was mostly through tension and setting. (That makes two Netflix things this year that played up horror in different ways without being horror, Fyre being the other.) Kate was sharper on the uptake than I -- she clocked it was Alan in the deli from episode 1 after his character was more properly introduced later, and noticed people disappearing from the party earlier on. (She also immediately recognized JD Samson from Le Tigre as the delivery person!)
Good use of both music selections and cues (h/t to Jordan's friend). The reuse of Nilsson was smart; ending it with "Alone Again Or" a striking final touch.
Greta Lee underrated MVP for having to deliver the same opening line about twenty different ways.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 05:10 (five years ago) link
I got all the cameos immediately and thought, in an inside voice, "is Natasha Lyonne trying to middle-finger Blue States Lose and all the people who made fun of electroclash or something" but I missed that it was Alan was stubbing his toes on ramen in the first episode
― froggles! (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 05:22 (five years ago) link
Headland and Lyonne, meantime, agreed in comments after this thread that this interpretation of it all is kinda key.
Loved Russian Doll, superb story/style, funny performances, go watch it. Since it’s a puzzle piece drama with magical realistic touches, it invites crazy grand unified theories – and I have one! Spoilers and a loooooong thread ahead. Feel free to mute. 1/— Jason Zinoman (@zinoman) February 4, 2019
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 05:37 (five years ago) link
i love this theory
― Squeaky Fromage (VegemiteGrrl), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 05:42 (five years ago) link
that's good thinkin' there
― Fuck the NRA (ulysses), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 05:56 (five years ago) link
That theory reminds me of some of our discussion on this thread: Teju Cole: Open City (ILX Book Club #3, starts 27 June)
― Only a Factory URL (James Redd and the Blecchs), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 10:49 (five years ago) link
“Kate was sharper on the uptake than I -- she clocked it was Alan in the deli from episode 1 after his character was more properly introduced later, and noticed people disappearing from the party earlier on”
Yeah I knew it was him as soon as he met up with the deli owner buddy to talk about the breakup.
This is better than Groundhog Day because it explored past trauma and it was only after the two of them were able to confront and deal with their own traumas (NL and her realizing she blamed herself for her mom’s death and Alan realizing his part in his bad relationship and forgiving B) that they were truly about to save themselves and break the loop.
I definitely found A weird and a bit alienating.
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 15:59 (five years ago) link
Oooooh that theory!
― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 16:04 (five years ago) link
Absolutely agreed it's better than Groundhog Day.
Couple of new things here -- Headland called attention to this Twitter thread just now, observing that the same three actors who are the drunk bodega bros also play the EMT crew.
https://www.reddit.com/r/RussianDoll/comments/amq6ys/same_characters_in_different_rolls/?st=JRTINXV4&sh=71311e6f
General reflections piece at The Atlantic, some good points (and indirectly references Zinoman's theory).
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/02/many-layers-russian-doll-netflix/581971/
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 18:31 (five years ago) link
nothing is better than groundhog day
― ( ͡☉ ͜ʖ ͡☉) (jim in vancouver), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 18:32 (five years ago) link
Also: the final two episodes are called "The Way Out" and "Ariadne." The latter surely refers to the Greek mythological character of the same name, who assists Theseus in killing the Minotaur and quite literally finding 'the way out' of the labyrinth. So: selflessness, assistance, escape from a trap. One thing to note, though, especially if this is supposed to be a three season story (even though I think it could simply stand alone): there's no one story on what happens TO Ariadne after that moment. This link has more on those variants:
https://www.greekmythology.com/.../Ariadne/ariadne.html
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 18:38 (five years ago) link
yeah Ariadne uh does not get a happy ending
― legislative fanboy halfwit (Οὖτις), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 18:39 (five years ago) link
Anyway, until the hopefully inevitable screencap/subtitle Twitter fan account, this for now:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DyvmxbrUYAELgkz.jpg:large
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 18:54 (five years ago) link
Ned, I can't remember, was it Alan that misstated her thesis?
That reads kind of differently after all of his issues with control and intimacy are kind of laid bare. He's not really a dude who could pull off joking about not remembering his girlfriend's work
― mh, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 19:02 (five years ago) link
yes he thought it was about philip roth
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 19:05 (five years ago) link
dude's so busy trying to keep the appearance of a healthy relationship and tidy home he forgot to do the actual relationship
― mh, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 19:10 (five years ago) link
can i just say that maxine is an incredible character
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 22:09 (five years ago) link
just a very accurately and entertainingly-drawn new york archetype
― jolene club remix (BradNelson), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 22:11 (five years ago) link
i feel like i know five people who would become her if you combined them
Very good read on the fashion choices.
https://fashionista.com/2019/02/netflix-russian-doll-costumes-outfits
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 6 February 2019 23:29 (five years ago) link
Reading that Twitter theory re: gentrification, it made Lizzy's appearance at the end as Horse's friend somewhat more meaningful-- a LES fixture for years displaced to upstate several years back by rising cost of living
A friend of me thinks that both Nadia (and possibly also Alan) are dead throughout the entire series. I disagree, but I'm trying to understand the smoking (beyond being another signifier for a previous time, I've never seen people smoke in a contemporary environment the way they did in this series. At first I thought it might be another signifier for "the Bohemian 80s" but idk
― froggles! (flamboyant goon tie included), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 23:51 (five years ago) link
I assumed that Lyonne just smokes so much still that it had to be included in the show
― The Very Fugly Caterpillar (sic), Thursday, 7 February 2019 00:01 (five years ago) link
― Johnny Fever, Tuesday, 5 February 2019 18:55 (two days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
ambivalent vote here but herself loved it. i had ironing to do anyways.
rhian johnson movies are good
nothing better than groundhog day
manaic was good
thats my catchup with thread carry on
― ɪmˈpəʊzɪŋ (darraghmac), Thursday, 7 February 2019 00:22 (five years ago) link