I should be in a bigger hurry to see this, but on the last rewatch of Inherent Vice I was distracted by how beautiful everyone is. Face fascism is an inevitable conundrum of the form. Plus, Pynchon plots go a little heavy on Things Happening That You Don’t Get To See, which made that movie more useful as a companion of the book than anything - ‘show don’t tell’ and all, though I don’t remember that being the case with Vineland quite so much.

I know that PTA’s most recent film is a loose adaptation, but movies almost never get the edge over the books, right? (Unless you never bothered to read it.)

Anyways, my wife and I should arrange for a babysitter to catch this but life is so busy just the thought of it is stressing me out. A cozy analog film viewing would also be nice, but time AND geography is against me on that one.

Who has seen One Battle After Another? Should the PRF be kicking down doors to see this one in the theater?

Saw it last night - it’s dazzling throughout, one of the most visually stunning car pursuits I’ve seen, the first 90 minutes is unrelenting. Characters are more like ciphers so it’s hard to love, but it does a great job of highlighting the absurdity and sick comedy of our times. Looks very beautiful too. Pretty shaggy and Pynchonesque but I enjoyed it more than Inherent Vice.

llllllllllllllllllll wrote: Fri Sep 26, 2025 10:43 pm A cozy analog film viewing would also be nice, but time AND geography is against me on that one.

Who has seen One Battle After Another? Should the PRF be kicking down doors to see this one in the theater?

Though I guess the top preference would be the VistaVision print, I saw it in 70mm film presented in 1:85.1 in a 1000 person theater. It indeed looked lovely., and felt like I passed back in time to the era of Jurrasic Park or something. For those unaware PTA filmed, cut, and finished the movie on film end-to-end, so if you get a chance, and feel like you would appreciate it, it is a special experience, because this is otherwise very rare. Maybe I'm a cork sniffer, but I think the presentation was much more organic and pleasant on the the eyes than even the best digital IMAX show I've seen. So full marks for presentation.

The film I don't want to spoil, but I think it is a mixed bag, but overall left a positive impression, even if it didn't fully work. I don't think you would leave angry.

Saw it today and enjoyed it very much.

Bernardo wrote: Wed Oct 01, 2025 5:21 pm Saw it today and enjoyed it very much.

Yeah, loved it. Almost without reservation, to be honest. I'll be seeing it again soon, hopefully in Imax again.

matttkkkk wrote: Sat Sep 27, 2025 2:41 am [...] it’s dazzling throughout, one of the most visually stunning car pursuits I’ve seen, the first 90 minutes is unrelenting.

All of this. It does lose a lot momentum later, but then first half is phenomenal. Soundtrack is wonderful.

Characters are more like ciphers so it’s hard to love

Although it's not a book adaptation, it still retains the feel of being taken from a much larger work. In particular I felt like we were missing a lot of stories of the characters that Dickensian novel would have had space for, so they feel truncated. In the case of Regina Hall it's a shame because I just wanted to see more of her, but it's more serious for Teyana Taylor who ends up being defined by her sexuality and violence, and not much else.

But still, there is a lot to love in all the performances. Particularly enjoyed Benicio Del Toro. And I'm finally accepting Leonardo DiCarpio as a grown man, rather than a baby faced youth with wispy facial hair.

My favorite PTA since There Will be Blood. It kind of has everything and does all of it very well.

I liked it. However, it was at 10:50 AM in an empty theater and I was preoccupied with a work worry. I’m sure it would have been a lot more funny under different circumstances. I was put off by the immediate Sean Penn hard-on scene. Just fucking weird way to open a movie.

pldms wrote: Thu Oct 02, 2025 3:14 amAnd I'm finally accepting Leonardo DiCarpio as a grown man, rather than a baby faced youth with wispy facial hair.

hello revenant!?
he put his body through hell for that one. shivers

Among the things I did not imagine happening in 2025 is my seeing a loose adaptation of Vineland in a sold-out Norwegian theater. I wonder, would Philip Seymour Hoffman have played Pat had he lived?