The Fountain on blu: in retrospect

[Adam_ME]

I've been hesitant to replace the HD-DVD with the Blu-ray since HDDVD Digest said the former had a higher bitrate on the DD 5.1 track. Can anyone verify that this is true?

[Teabaggins]

I found it extremely romantic

[Wdm81]

Originally Posted by Teabaggins

because most people are simple minded idiots?

Of course they are…but not in this case

Film is entirely subjective and I’m aware of that. After all, one man's Godfather 2 is another man's Transformers 2. But in the Case of The Fountain the structure of the film itself was so entirely confusing that it took you out of the movie, the only thing it made you think was "what the hell is going on" and in my opinion that is just bad storytelling, To me (and several others) it just felt like it was trying to hard to be something different from the norm, and while sometimes that works, in this case it just didn't and it came off as some pretentious film that only seemed to want make you think you had seen something marvelous when you really hadn’t.

I haven't read that Roger Ebert write up, but I will later and maybe that will change my mind, but for now it's my impression that people claim to like this movie because they are afraid that admitting to not getting a "smart" movie makes them appear dumb.

But, like I said Film is highly subjective...the universe would collapse if everyone agreed, lol

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

Any way you slice it, it guts me and brings me joy, all at the same time. Walking to my car late at night, after seeing it at the theater, I completely fell apart. And I wasnt sure why at the moment. It took me a couple days to proccess it.

I know what you mean. I thought the best performance by Jackman so far - you felt his pain, his rage and his unconditional love for his wife. Did you check out in the special features the conversation between Jackman and Weisz. I thought the discussion on their take was interesting too.

[Mr.White]

I believe Darren A.wants Criterion to release this, I also have an old theatrical poster that has an "R" rating on it(the film was PG-13),from when I was supervisor at a movie theater, I wonder if it's collectable?

[Teabaggins]

Originally Posted by Wdm81

But in the Case of The Fountain the structure of the film itself was so entirely confusing that it took you out of the movie, the only thing it made you think was "what the hell is going on" and in my opinion that is just bad storytelling, To me (and several others) it just felt like it was trying to hard to be something different from the norm, and while sometimes that works, in this case it just didn't and it came off as some pretentious film that only seemed to want make you think you had seen something marvelous when you really hadn’t.

what was so confusing?

it was simple for me; the doc and his wife are real, in our time.

the conquistador is the character she was wriritng about, and the space traveler was most likely the end of the book that present day Tom finishes for his wife after her death.

easy enough?

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by vega2K

I know what you mean. I thought the best performance by Jackman so far - you felt his pain, his rage and his unconditional love for his wife. Did you check out in the special features the conversation between Jackman and Weisz. I thought the discussion on their take was interesting too.

I am going to have to watch the special features. I never have because after watching the film I am just spent and cant bare anymore (in a good way).

Jackmans #1 performance for sure. When he is on the bed, and starts to weep, and then comes unglued.... Where does an actor pull that kind of accuracy from? His body was wretching with actual physical signs of grief....amazing. The use of silence was also a genius move too. Just like in Up...the placement and timing of the HUGE and deafening silence just slams you in the head with emotion.

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Teabaggins

what was so confusing?

it was simple for me; the doc and his wife are real, in our time.

the conquistador is the character she was wriritng about, and the space traveler was most likely the end of the book that present day Tom finishes for his wife after her death.

easy enough?

Its all there for the taking...all you gotta do is grab it.

[vega2K]

Originally Posted by Wdm81

Of course they are…but not in this case

Film is entirely subjective and I’m aware of that. After all, one man's Godfather 2 is another man's Transformers 2. But in the Case of The Fountain the structure of the film itself was so entirely confusing that it took you out of the movie, the only thing it made you think was "what the hell is going on" and in my opinion that is just bad storytelling, To me (and several others) it just felt like it was trying to hard to be something different from the norm, and while sometimes that works, in this case it just didn't and it came off as some pretentious film that only seemed to want make you think you had seen something marvelous when you really hadn’t.

I haven't read that Roger Ebert write up, but I will later and maybe that will change my mind, but for now it's my impression that people claim to like this movie because they are afraid that admitting to not getting a "smart" movie makes them appear dumb.

But, like I said Film is highly subjective...the universe would collapse if everyone agreed, lol

I for one understand your point. I have seen movies that were so confusing/convoluted/unbelieveable I just gave-up, but in my case they were mostly Horror/Fantasy/Action in nature (and seemed to be more geared towards teens). Also, I hate movies that spoon feed you - I hate it when in the movie, the music or the camera gives you a queue for when you are supposed to be scared or you are supposed to remember something for later.

There is a different type of WTF movie though that I like, that doesn't require one to be smart but does require one to think more for one's self. Such as Memento, 12 Monkeys, Vanilla Sky, Prestige, Knowing, Dark City, etc. I categorize the Fountain into this type of movie.

Edit: Blindness and Children of Men also fall into this category IMO.

[SquidPuppet]

Another thing that Aronofsky did so well, was to repeat certain scenes over and over. Each time taking a new meaning from a different perspective and offreing a different effect on the viewer.

Its a masterpiece.

[Teabaggins]

now I feel like watching it again

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by Teabaggins

now I feel like watching it again

Odd, how something so futile and hopeless, is so beautifull and filled with hope.

[Lepidopterous]

Originally Posted by Beta Man

It got good reviews for its technical merits, and it's your favorite film...... and you don't know whether or not you should buy it?

In his defense, there's a sense of irony involved in the re-release of someone's favorite movie. At least for me, having viewed the movie so many times would discourage reason to pay full price for the quality upgrade. I haven't purchased The Fast and the Furious yet because I have gotten so close to my DVD copy over the years, but I know I will eventually (although the perfect Sin City release on blu was a different story).

Originally Posted by SquidPuppet

There were once rumors of a re release directors cut Blu. I believe they are dead now.

That sucks. But I think there is an online commentary Aronofsky recorded that you can play in sync with the movie.

[blu-bry]

I rented this a couple of months ago. I thought it was visually stunning, and great fodder for conversation. Some elements of it (to me) harken back to Kubrick's 2001.

[Rhoq]

Originally Posted by itsmejennings

Aronofsky's The Fountain is my favorite movie, but I havent upgraded to blu yet. It was one of the first titles on blu, so Im wondering for those who own it, does the PQ still hold up compared to newer releases? Would you say its worth the upgrade from SD?

I have it on HD DVD (and am considering going the Red2Blu route for $5). The PQ on the HD DVD was very good and I'm sure is just as stunning on Blu-ray. There is no reason not to upgrade to the Blu-ray.

[Adam_ME]

Originally Posted by Rhoq

I have it on HD DVD (and am considering going the Red2Blu route for $5). The PQ on the HD DVD was very good and I'm sure is just as stunning on Blu-ray. There is no reason not to upgrade to the Blu-ray.

The transfers are identical, I'm certain. What the review claimed was that the HD-DVD has a 1.5 Mbps bitrate while the Blu-ray is 640 kbps.

[Mr.White]

The Blu-ray is a definate step up from the DVD version, this is a good film but I did like Darren A's "The Wrestler" better.

[jhiggy23]

SquidPuppet;2155720 "Actually......it is a very simple story. Roger Ebert wrote a second review after a fan mailed him an explanation based on his interpretation. Ebert posted the fan letter because he liked what it offered so much. There are a few tiny, easy to miss, little things, that once tied together make the story 100% coherent...AND logical and more importantly, poignant. If one misses these obscure, seemingly vague points, it appears to be a nonlinear mess for sure.

For the record, it is far from a simplistic story and I have read Ebert's review based on the fan's explanation. Quite simply, the fan's explanation is incorrect. I, myself, have written a 20+ page explanation of the film and studied it in depth for several months, analyzing every scene and every line of dialogue. It is easy to see why the film comes across as pretentious and why people dislike it: the vast majority of people completely misunderstand the film and its message. I think that this is a film that is virtually impossible to like (technical merits aside) without understanding it. I know not everyone cares about truly understanding a film, and that others simply don't want to think that much when watching one, but it is irritating when people make judgments on film based upon erroneous information. This is in no way directed at you, however. I am speaking generally. And yes, I will admit that this is my favorite film (but only after truly understanding it). However, this thread is not about the meaning of the film, but about the blu-ray's merits.

I thank you for your post, highlighting that there are many small aspects which play a role in the overall interpretation and meaning of the film. And I completely agree with you that missing all these things make the film virtually incoherent.

[Teabaggins]

post a brief synopsis of your 20 pager

[SquidPuppet]

Originally Posted by jhiggy23

For the record, it is far from a simplistic story and I have read Ebert's review based on the fan's explanation. Quite simply, the fan's explanation is incorrect. I, myself, have written a 20+ page explanation of the film and studied it in depth for several months, analyzing every scene and every line of dialogue. It is easy to see why the film comes across as pretentious and why people dislike it: the vast majority of people completely misunderstand the film and its message. I think that this is a film that is virtually impossible to like (technical merits aside) without understanding it. I know not everyone cares about truly understanding a film, and that others simply don't want to think that much when watching one, but it is irritating when people make judgments on film based upon erroneous information. This is in no way directed at you, however. I am speaking generally. And yes, I will admit that this is my favorite film (but only after truly understanding it). However, this thread is not about the meaning of the film, but about the blu-ray's merits.

I thank you for your post, highlighting that there are many small aspects which play a role in the overall interpretation and meaning of the film. And I completely agree with you that missing all these things make the film virtually incoherent.

Please email your explanation to me. Thank you.