Films you've seen recently and would unreservedly recommend:

[muser]

Muser have you read the book? If not you then you really, really should, it's amazing.
Thought the film had some nice moments but was overall a bit of a let-down from the book for me (if I'd been coming to it without that context then obv I may have been able to see it in a different/better light).
Totally agree about the soundtrack though: if I were ever DJing a night and the lads in the place decided to do their thing of demanding 'one more choon' at the end, Dedicated To The One I Love would always be the tune I'd reach for in that situation.

ha, yes I can see that going down well. I haven't read the book, was suprised to find out it was based on a whole novel after I watched it tbh, which I guess is probably part of why its a disapointment?. I'll put it on my list of things to read soon for sure.

[IdleRich]

That's a cool diagram but I wouldn't totally agree with the bit about the original losing its existence when it re-enters the box. It will come out again and experience what the double just experienced, although presumably it could act differently and then you would have some kind of divergence.
I think that other people can lose their existence though (or part of it) - when Abe shows Aaron his double Aaron realises that the day has already happened once for Abe and whatever he (Aaron) did on the first time round is now lost because Abe has come to speak to Aaron and changed Aaron's experience of the day. That's why he says to himself "I wonder what I did today the first time?" even though he hasn't time-travelled yet himself.
Just read loads and loads of stuff about the film - it's so confusing working out at which point there are doubles and triples of people. When Aaron has the earpiece early on does that mean that he's already a time-traveller or is he just listening to sport? And what did happen at the party in the end? Why does he worry about whether it could have been fixed with just one more go? Which versions of the two guys are speaking at the end? Is there a way to go back to where the box is created?
Sorry if those are spoilers but I think that should be meaningless to anyone who hasn't seen the movie.

[4linehaiku]

Have you seen this Rich? SPOILERS SPOILERS -> http://www.freeweb.hu/neuwanstein/ <- SPOILERS SPOILERS
I haven't watched it for ages, but I think it does all work out when you take the timelines that aren't shown at all into account. Quite intense though.

I watched it with my mum actually, who is most certainly not into sci-fi or whatever. She really enjoyed it though, even the bits where they are just spouting (supposedly quite accurate / realistic, the guy is an engineer of some sort) techno babble. I'm not sure why, but it is much easier to watch than it sounds like it will be. Even when the plot collapses in on itself and you realise you have no idea what's going on it's still fun. Impressive really, especially for $7k or whatever it cost. Might watch it again this week actually, I've forgotten most of the details.

[IdleRich]

Thanks for the diagram - that is incredibly complicated though, I dunno if it's gonna help. I'll study it and see.
When I said that it might not stand up to analysis I guess I meant that there are probably ways that the film works but you need to apply a certain amount of guesswork to fill in a number of blanks. One person I read said that they may have been travelling back in time to before the creation of the first box by starting a box then taking it with them in another box and then taking it out. If you started the box you took with you six hours ago then you can presumably go back to six hours before the time you got out of the original box - or would you just go to six hours before it in the previous time line?

[IdleRich]

So according to that, in the first bench scene Aaron is recording the conversation. So he has already time-travelled by that point.

[IdleRich]

Not sure about this analysis -

After all Aaron1 must have known that if he uses the failsafe and drugs Aaron0 then he will become a permanent duplicate in his timeline thus he had no place in his previous life.

Isn't that back to front? The drugged Aaron was supposed to get back in the box and leave that timeline so it's he who has no place in the timeline. Of course they will both be there and be aware of each other's existence so it's debatable which one is extraneous.
In general though, I think the numbering system makes no sense, I think that whoever gets in the box gets out of the box and so is the original copy, the one he sees later getting back in the box (or not getting in if drugged) is him doing the same thing later. If that version is prevented from leaving then he is the copy isn't he - I'd call that one Aaron1.

[4linehaiku]

Haha, I've got no idea, like I said, I watched it quite a while ago. Will give it another watch shortly and see if it makes more sense this time.

While on the topic of time travel shenanigans, Time Crimes (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0480669/) is quite a good Spanish one. Not nearly as confusing as Primer, but some good going back and influencing / avoiding past self action nonetheless.
Back To The Future 2 of course is another classic in that particular subgenre.

[4linehaiku]

Idea for a novelty tumblr:
People Explaining Time Travel In Films Using Diagrams




errr, that's it so far

[bandshell]

I'm sure the science teacher in Donnie Darko uses a diagram at some point to explain time travel.

[IdleRich]

I've got a dvd of Time Crimes but the subs don't work...

[tox]

ha, yes I can see that going down well. I haven't read the book, was suprised to find out it was based on a whole novel after I watched it tbh, which I guess is probably part of why its a disapointment?. I'll put it on my list of things to read soon for sure.

Morven is one of my favourite movies even having read the book first.

Interesting that you pick out the club scene - I think its one of the better depictions of a club in a movie. I remember reading an interview with the director in Dazed and Confused back when the film came out when she was talking about the making of that scene. Tried to find it online but Dazed doesn`t seem to have an archive.

Didn]t Lynne Ramsay direct We Need to Talk About Kevin? Might be worth a trip to the cinema.

[Corpsey]

Saw ''Jules and Jim'' the other day and thought it was great. I wanted to murder the three lead protagonists for about half the film but it won me over in the end.

Oh and I saw ''Anvil'' last night and found it very funny/strangely moving. Not really sure how 'authentic' it is as a documentary, though. Seemed to be so Spinal Tap-pish at points that I could hardly believe it.

[gumdrops]

excuse the self promotion (hope its ok), just wanted to promote my film screening here - its on sunday nov 6th, at the shacklewell arms (in their lovely new gallery room) in dalston, and is a double bill of gummo and trash humpers, both being shown from vhs for extra analogue appeal. and all for only a fiver.

[Gregor XIII]

I saw Kiarostamis The Wind Will Carry Us a few days ago. Very beautiful, Iran looks incredibly beautiful. Don't think I really understand it, but I like it. It had elements which reminded me of Tarr's Turin Horse, though. Specifically the way it was structured around repeating everyday stuff like shaving, getting milk or driving to a hill. I think there is something important in that similarity, but I can't really figure out what it is.

[baboon2004]

Saw ''Jules and Jim'' the other day and thought it was great. I wanted to murder the three lead protagonists for about half the film but it won me over in the end.

Oh and I saw ''Anvil'' last night and found it very funny/strangely moving. Not really sure how 'authentic' it is as a documentary, though. Seemed to be so Spinal Tap-pish at points that I could hardly believe it.

I never stopped wanting to murder them. But Moreau is incredible - check out (for example) La Baie des Anges.

Anvil...I never finished it in the end. I liked it well enough, but it didn't leave much of an impression on me (either now, or obviously at the time)