Subj : Re: Movie: Primer
To   : Ogg
From : jimmylogan
Date : Sun May 11 2025 18:09:44

-=> Ogg wrote to Arelor <=-

 Og> to rewatch it to see if it clicks better after knowing what to
 Og> expect. The "A<->B" (and the wikipedia shows an illustration of
 Og> it) still makes little sense to me. Originally it's some
 Og> weight-reduction experiment, but then it turns out to be a
 Og> time-machine?

I thought the explanation of the "back and forth until interrupted"
made perfect sense. Getting in and having a timer meant you didn't 
SKIP any time. If you went 'back' eight hours, you still AGED those
eight hours.

And Abe's plan to not do anything to alter the day made perfect
sense. 

 Og> I generally have trouble embrasing the idea that "one" machine
 Og> and the actions of one person can alter a whole timeline of
 Og> future history affecting millions of people.

In the way the movie is framed, they aren't actually altering a
timeline, though, are they? Are they CHANGING things? Or at the
end of the day did things play out a certain way?

Looking at it as the viewer with the full story in front of us,
it APPEARS they 'changed' things, but did they? Or did they just
live out the time back and forth?

 Og> Time travel is a fun idea, but trying to present it in film or
 Og> story form simply breaks down at some point.

Oh I agree completely! Even if you look at Back to the Future in
a scientific way, it breaks down. But keeping it on the level
of 'fun' works. :-) 

Somewhere in Time is another one... How old is that watch REALLY?
LOL

 Og> I think there are other "time machine" films that are much more
 Og> entertaining.

To each his own. Time Bandits is a favorite of MANY many people,
but I coudln't get into it at all. Time Rider was a fun one,
back in the day. :-) Even Time After Time - HG Wells and Jack
the Ripper - was fun, IMO, but others didn't like them. :-)

 A> They nailed the part were they discovered time travel,
 A> because I think they reproduced quite well how scientific
 A> advances are done. People does janky stuff and notices
 A> something weird, then say "look, this is interesting, why
 A> do you think it is happening?"

 Og> Ok..  but that's just a brief scene.  The rest of the film
 Og> seemed like a series of disjointed scenes.

I think Arelor's point is valid. There are discoveries made where
you are looking for a way to do A and accidently stumble on B. :-)

And I think the rest of the film is not told in a linear fashion.
If someone were to make a cut showing (can't remember his name)'s
trips and his entire point of view, it would be interesting! But
that's not how the story is meant to unfold for the viewer.

 Og> I really liked the way the filmaker/director/writers of Mememto
 Og> stitched the story together for a powerful conclusion.

Yeah that was interesting - the whole 'point of view' changes at
the end and the back and forth.


.... Does the National Ballet travel by Tu Tu Train?
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