SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB: Week 48 Discussion - Sound of My Voice

[chickenluver]

I don't know, but I like her. I've been following her ever since I saw her in Another Earth in 2011. I've also seen her in The Keeping Room and The East, and am currently watching The OA. Those latter two are also Brit/Zal team-ups.

You probably noticed this already, but just in case you didn't. After Earth was directed by Mike Cahill who went to film school with Batman and Marling, and he co-directed the short film that brought them to the attention of Marling.

The Keeping Room looks good, did you like that one?

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

It sounds like you don't care for open-ended movies where it's left up to you to determine what the film means or what it's trying to say. That is, where it's a responsibility of the viewer to interpret the film and draw their own conclusions.

No, not at all...

If done right, I love movies like that...

Were you a fan of snowpiercer?

The thing?


I mean, I don't always need directors to spoon feed me everything...

The ending to the sound of my voice was a complete cop out...

It was the equivalent of, "oh, it was all a dream " type of ending...

The filmmakers painted themselves in a corner and decided to abruptly end the film because they had no idea where to take the film?

What was your interpretation?

 

[chickenluver]

It's also possible that she might not be the only one. Again, the Bearded Man--I really need to look up his character's name--went looking for her because, apparently, of something that he had heard. He seemed to know what she was, i.e. a time traveler. Is there a history of people with these anchor tattoos popping up from time to time? Was she just another in a line of travelers who had already come back?

And yes there were some oddities concerning her main cohort, the guy that discovered her in the streets. He was looking for her specifically. Went around asking people about her. Are we to assume he is actually the cult leader mastermind, and not Maggie? Was he also from another time?

Bearded Man was the one who told Maggie what her tattoos meant right? Or so she claimed? I wonder if she came to the conclusion that she was from the future on her own, or if possibly Bearded Man put the idea in her head and convinced her.

 

[Guestx]

Damnit. I'd be curious to see the sequels made, or at least hear about what they had in mind for the continuing narrative.

Yeah, I'd be curious about that as well because, even though on the surface it may seem like the continuing adventures of Maggie would make sense, I'm just not sure how a sequel would work.

This movie was a trip. When the little girl knew the handshake, that was a true wtf moment. The highlight of the film for me.

It really does take you off guard. I remember when I first watched this movie and that happened, it was one of those moments that just MADE the movie for me. I mean, I was enjoying it up to that part, but when that happened it was the moment where I said, definitively, "Okay, yeah, I'm down with this film."

Then as the movie went on I became positive she really was a con, especially after that scene of her singing the cranberries song claiming it was future music.

You see, that's just another moment that can be interpreted so many ways.

After all, that song was a big hit. If she really was NOT from the future, then wouldn't she know that she couldn't pass that song off as some future shit?

I haven't read the thread yet, I'm looking forward to reading everyone's thoughts, but as far as I'm concerned the little girl knowing the handshake confirms that she was truly from the future.

I lean the same direction you do. I don't consider it absolute proof, but it does tip me toward saying yes, she's a time traveler.

I guess I'm not really sure how I feel about the film or how to evaluate it.

How come?

Something that frustrates me is that if she was from the future, what exactly was she preparing her followers for? What was the point of everything she did?

I think that's something we only get glimpses of. But we know that Maggie had promised to take them to "a safe place" and that she was having them train with firearms. And, if I remember right, the grid is down or close to it.

So we can safely assume that, if she's legit, then the shit hits the fan sometime between 2012 and 2054.

Anyway, interesting movie that piqued my interest enough to check out the rest of Batman and Marling's collaborations.

I'm halfway through The OA right now. I'm enjoying it so far. I've heard the ending is not good, but after four of eight episodes I'm having fun.

The East is an interesting film, but I didn't love it. I think it's still worth a look, but SOMV > The East.

You probably noticed this already, but just in case you didn't. Another Earth was directed by Mike Cahill who went to film school with Batman and Marling, and he co-directed the short film that brought them to the attention of Marling.

I didn't realize they all knew each other until I watched the interview vid in the OP. But now I know.

The Keeping Room looks good, did you like that one?

I enjoyed it, but you have to go into it understanding that it's a slow, deliberately paced film.

I do recommend it, though.

 

[chickenluver]

She did act a bit like a time cop.

You know what they do to you in time prison? The same stuff they do to you in other prisons, but forever!

 

[Guestx]

As for what I meant about it being college level is that it's very point and shoot. There was never a time when a shot stood out to me.

It's shot simply, but then again so are Woody Allen's films. We can't call Woody Allen a college-level director.

Some directors believe the camera should be as unobtrusive as possible. Let the story stand on its own. Besides, there's more to directing than just camera work.

Scenes where a killer corners his victim, we're not shown the killer, we see a shadow draping over the victim as the killer approaches, but then there's a cut to outside with the victim heard screaming. Then it's left up to "my imagination". No. I want to see what happens. I want to see the filmmakers' imagination since I've decided to watch a work of their imagination. I know how my imagination works, but I've decided to commit time, money, or both to see somebody else's imagination for a little while. I want to see the special effects person's craft. The same goes for SoMV. It would have been nice to see more of the thought process behind why some scenes were the way they were, rather than leaving it so open ended in the manner that it is. I want more of their imagination inserted, and less of me having to sleuth and put the pieces together. I'm totally not against movies with open endings (The Wrestler, The Thing, Total Recall, The Grey, Blade Runner, just some that come to mind right now), but if I'm to be left with something to reflect upon, I prefer it being about why the protagonists made the choices they did based on circumstances provided. With SoMV, when those circumstances are comprised of scenes that are seeming to establish something, but never given any kind of resolution, then I'm not left with much context. Therefore, I'm not going to give it much thought.

Indeed. Well that's fair enough.

I suppose that just comes down to a personal preference thing. Personally, I think sometimes less is more.

I know I like movies that a lot of people turn their nose up to, such as Scorsese's Bringing Out the Dead, but it is what it is.

I saw Bringing Out the Dead one time, years ago. Remember thinking it was a good, if strange, film.

In that case, if you haven't seen it, may I suggest the movie Lo.

http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1047490/

It's also made on a very small budget that was still able to be captivating enough. I don't love the movie by any means, but I was happily surprised by it. You might like it.

Hmm, just watched the trailer. Doesn't really look like my mind of movie but perhaps I'll give it a look at some point.

Did you ever see Primer?

 

[Guestx]

No, not at all...

If done right, I love movies like that...

Were you a fan of snowpiercer?

The thing?

Snowpiercer was just okay, in my opinion. I thought it was a bit over-praised.

The Thing is good. I actually rewatched it about a week ago.

How about 2001? It is the ultimate in a director just throwing some shit up on the screen and saying, "Hey, here you go, figure it out." And I don't mean that disparagingly.

I mean, I don't always need directors to spoon feed me everything...

The ending to the sound of my voice was a complete cop out...

It was the equivalent of, "oh, it was all a dream " type of ending...

The filmmakers painted themselves in a corner and decided to abruptly end the film because they had no idea where to take the film?

What was your interpretation?

I really have to disagree with you here. I believe that this film was carefully constructed to be exactly what it is. I think that if they had wanted to give us a more obvious meaning or answer to the film then they would have.

My interpretation, personally, is that she probably really was from the future. I'm still trying to figure out some of the smaller details, like "terrorist" on the backpack, but I don't think those details are thrown in there haphazardly.

I asked muntjac earlier if he had seen Primer, so I guess I'll ask you the same. Have you?

 

[Social Distance Warrior]

Snowpiercer was just okay, in my opinion. I thought it was a bit over-praised.

The Thing is good. I actually just rewatched it about a week ago.

How about 2001? It is the ultimate in a director just throwing some shit up on the screen and saying, "Hey, here you go, figure it out." And I don't mean that disparagingly.



I really have to disagree with you here. I believe that this film was carefully constructed to be exactly what it is. I think that if they had wanted to give us a more obvious meaning or answer to the film then they would have.

My interpretation, personally, is that she probably really was from the future. I'm still trying to figure out some of the smaller details, like "terrorist" on the backpack, but I don't think those details are thrown in there haphazardly.

I asked muntjac earlier if he had seen Primer, so I guess I'll ask you the same. Have you?

Primer I have not...i started it but never finished it. I need to do that.

What about Looper? Did you enjoy that?

I recently saw a very good time travel/esque film...

I forget the title but this neighbor invents a camera that takes a picture exactly 24 hours into the future...

Some people discover this and of course start making sports bets...

Shit, what was it...

 

[chickenluver]

You see, that's just another moment that can be interpreted so many ways.

After all, that song was a big hit. If she really was NOT from the future, then wouldn't she know that she couldn't pass that song off as some future shit?

I'm seeing that now, but at the time I just thought she fucked up by assuming no one would recognize the song. I kind of thought she wasn't just a con, but was actually fucked up in the head, possibly believing she was from the future.

How come?

I'm very indecisive in general, which is part of the reason I don't give ratings to films. Often these days I'm finding I have very conflicting thoughts about movies, and I'm unsure of how exactly I feel about them. When it comes to so-called "twist" movies

Spoiler

I feel like I need to watch again with the ending in mind to properly judge. Many times with twist movies I feel like knowing the twist kills any possible replay value, but with this one I actually want to watch again with the idea of her being a time traveler in mind to see if I notice anything different.

I think that's something we only get glimpses of. But we know that Maggie had promised to take them to "a safe place" and that she was having them train with firearms. And, if I remember right, the grid is down or close to it.

Yeah europe1 pointed out that the cult life seemed a mix of actually survival training, learning to shoot and grow food, mixed with religious gobbledygook. I guess I wish she made some more concrete claims about the future, actual details. We hear about a civil war. How about some information on that? Sounds pretty important.

I enjoyed it, but you have to go into it understanding that it's a slow, deliberately paced film.

I'm all about the slow pace.

 

[Guestx]

Primer I have not...i started it but never finished it. I need to do that.

Primer was only made for $7,000. Did you know that? Crazy.

I have seen Primer probably six times at this point. I still don't fully understand it, but I keep going back over and over and over to try to put it together.

What about Looper? Did you enjoy that?

Looper was pretty good. Solid sci-fi film, but not quite one I felt like I needed to write home about.

You may be aware, but Looper was directed by Rian Johnson. Rian Johnson also made Brick, another low-budget success story. It was made for only $450,000 and, in my opinion, is still his best film.

I recently saw a very good time travel/esque film...

I forget the title but this neighbor invents a camera that takes a picture exactly 24 hours into the future...

Some people discover this and of course start making sports bets...

Shit, what was it...

Hmm, let me know if you come up with it. Sounds interesting.

I would recommend Predestination

 

[Guestx]

When it comes to so-called "twist" movies I feel like I need to watch again with the ending in mind to properly judge. Many times with twist movies I feel like knowing the twist kills any possible replay value, but with this one I actually want to watch again with the idea of her being a time traveler in mind to see if I notice anything different.

Indeed.

Sixth Sense comes to mind as a movie that, after watching, you immediately want to rewatch again with the knowledge that Bruce Willis is dead. It changes the whole movie.

I guess I wish she made some more concrete claims about the future, actual details. We hear about a civil war. How about some information on that? Sounds pretty important.

It would've been interesting to hear more about the future, but I also feel like none of those statements would've mattered much to THIS story because anything that she could tell us would be decades away. It would certainly not be verifiable any time soon, a point which I thought the film made very cleverly.

Don't get me wrong, I understand why you would want to know, but I feel like this movie is ALL about Maggie's identity. Is she who she says she is or is she not? Until that's been established, everything else is irrelevant.

I'm all about the slow pace.

In that case, you should love it.

 

[the muntjac]

You know what they do to you in time prison? The same stuff they do to you in other prisons, but forever!

Snuggle?

 

[the muntjac]

It's shot simply, but then again so are Woody Allen's films. We can't call Woody Allen a college-level director.

Some directors believe the camera should be as unobtrusive as possible. Let the story stand on its own. Besides, there's more to directing than just camera work.

I'm well aware of what directing is. If my semantics bothered you, then framing of shots were nothing to write home about.

I saw Bringing Out the Dead one time, years ago. Remember thinking it was a good, if strange, film.

Now that I think of it, this movie ends in a sort of open-ended way itself. It's not given the typical Hollywood reinforced happy ending ensuring us everything will be all right. Instead it ends right at the moment where he takes his first step towards recovery and rest from his inner demons. Maybe he continues down the path of getting to a better place, or maybe he stays in his internal Hell.

[qoute]Hmm, just watched the trailer. Doesn't really look like my mind of movie but perhaps I'll give it a look at some point.[/quote]

If you don't like it, you can tell me all the reasons why. Although, I watched this probably five years ago, so I have forgotten most of it. I remember the big points.

Did you ever see Primer?

I have not.

 

[Guestx]

I'm well aware of what directing is. If my semantics bothered you, then framing of shots were nothing to write home about.

Fair enough.

Now that I think of it, this movie ends in a sort of open-ended way itself. It's not given the typical Hollywood reinforced happy ending ensuring us everything will be all right. Instead it ends right at the moment where he takes his first step towards recovery and rest from his inner demons. Maybe he continues down the path of getting to a better place, or maybe he stays in his internal Hell.

I really need to watch it again, as I remember virtually nothing about it. I'm in the middle of a trying to go through all of Nic Cage's filmography so maybe I'll get to it soon.

I have not.

For me, it's the ultimate in making an interesting movie on a tiny budget. It was made for only $7,000 by a guy who had never made a movie before and had never been to film school.

But it's a hard movie to understand and by the end you know you'll have to watch it again to really figure it all out.

 

[chickenluver]

Snuggle?

Some call it that

 

[Guestx]

BTW @chickenluver, I have to say, I'm surprised by your prompt participation this week.

Your video store change up their rental policies or something?

 

[MusterX]

I think its time to bring in John Titor. Back in 2001 he claimed to be a soldier time traveler from the year 2036. His alias was TimeTravel_0 and this was his military insignia.

I find Titor interesting not so much because I think he is a time traveler, he 99.9% wasn't but its a real life instance of a person claiming to be from the future and although he didn't start a cult, he does have a cult following.

He described a drastically changed future in which the United States had broken up into five smaller regions, the environment and infrastructure had been devastated by a nuclear attack, and most other world powers had been destroyed. Before the timeframe of his predicted events came and went, Titor's story invoked curiosity and received attention around the world. In the decade following his appearances on the internet, fiction and music were written about him, and his origins were investigated by journalists and others.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Titor

Thing is, Titor was quite specific about any number of things and he later appeared on the Art Bell radio show.

The first posts using John Titor's military symbol appeared on the Time Travel Institute forums on November 2, 2000, under the name TimeTravel_0.[5] At that time the name "John Titor" was not being used. The posts discussed time travel in general, the first one being the "six parts" description of what a time machine would need to have to work (see below) and responses to questions about how such a machine would work. Early messages tended to be short.


The name "John Titor" was not introduced until January 2001, when TimeTravel_0 began posting at the Art Bell BBS Forums (which required a name or pseudonym for every account). The Titor posts ended in late March 2001.


Around 2003, various websites reproduced Titor's posts, re-arranging them into narratives. Not all refer to the original dates posted.[6]

In his online postings, Titor claimed to be an American soldier from 2036, based in Tampa, Florida. He was assigned to a governmental time-travel project, and sent back to 1975 to retrieve an IBM 5100 computer which he said was needed to debug various legacy computer programs in 2036; a possible reference to the UNIX year 2038 problem. The IBM 5100 runs the APL and BASIC programming languages.

Titor had been selected for this mission specifically, given that his paternal grandfather was directly involved with the assembly and programming of the 5100. Titor claimed to be on a stopover in the year 2000 for "personal reasons," to collect pictures lost in the (future) civil war and to visit his family, of whom he spoke often.

Titor also said he had been, for a few months, trying to alert anyone that would listen about the threat of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease spread through beef products and about the possibility of civil war within the United States. When questioned about them by an online subscriber, Titor also expressed an interest in mysteries such as UFOs, which remained unexplained in his time. Titor suggested that UFOs and extraterrestrials might be travelers from much further into the future than his own time, with superior time machines.

Titor claimed that the "Everett–Wheeler model of quantum physics," better known as the many-worlds interpretation, was correct. The model posits that every possible outcome of a quantum decision occurs in a separate "universe." Titor stated that this was the reason the grandfather paradox would not happen; following the logic of the argument, Titor would be killing a different John Titor's grandfather in a timeline other than his own.

...The grandfather paradox is impossible.

In fact, all paradox is impossible. The Everett–Wheeler–Graham or multiple world theory is correct.

All possible quantum states, events, possibilities, and outcomes are real, eventual, and occurring.

The chances of everything happening someplace at sometime in the superverse are 100%.[8]


So I guess what I'm saying here is that this sort of thing happens in real life and people eat it up. The character of John Titor was pure genius. He had an answer for everything, a master at deflection and bullshitting.

 

[MusterX]

Here is a video breaking down the Titor story some if anyone is interested.

 

[chickenluver]

BTW @chickenluver, I have to say, I'm surprised by your prompt participation this week.

Your video store change up their rental policies or something?

lmao. I'm afraid I have developed a well-deserved reputation for tardiness.

Since I have yet to post in the last 3 threads I wanted to make sure to get in on day one this week. I picked the movie up yesterday, watched it shortly after arriving home, and immediately posted once I had finished the film.

 

[chickenluver]

I think its time to bring in John Titor.

Interesting story.

So first he says he needs to retrieve a computer that his grandfather helped design, then later he says he needed to kill his grandfather? wtf

I like the idea that UFOs are really time traveling humans, although I don't think travel to the past is or will ever be possible unfortunately.