Predestination

[zomgmouse]

Adapted from Heinlein's "-All You Zombies-" and starring Ethan Hawke.

Surprisingly works very well. I went in thinking they'd actionified it but it turned out to be a great little quiet film. I liked it a lot, and the use of the Heinlein dialogue interspersed with its own was definitely a good fit. Shot quite nicely, too (in Melbourne! Yay! There's a shot of the university I went to as well as a quite distinctive new building I used to pass every day on my way to uni). Go check it out, especially as it doesn't seem to be getting much of a release.

[Mister Six]

Have you read the original story? I'll be bloody impressed if they kept it close to the original.

I don't know anything about the film but I'll guess that POSSIBLE SPOILER EXCEPT IT'S JUST SPECULATION

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it's been rewritten as a murder mystery and the cop investigating the murder is both the killer and the victim.

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[zomgmouse]

Yes I have, and I was as surprised as you would be that they managed to stick very closely to it. Your murder speculation is incorrect, though also kind of correct but also not? I can't say much without giving it away. But definitely go see it.

[olliebean]

I can't see a UK release date. Any chance we'll get to see it over here?

[El Unicornio, mang]

Just watched this. Good indie time travel sci-fi which would probably unravel quite a lot if I think about it too much but as it stands worked well, and good performances (Sally Snook in particular). One review said it was "Looper meets Cloud Atlas", which isn't far off.

[zomgmouse]

I can't see a UK release date. Any chance we'll get to see it over here?

IMDb says 5 December.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Has been leaked online now, though I've not seen it yet.

[El Unicornio, mang]

There are nice 10GB copies too as the Australian bluray is out on Dec 24th so there's rips of that, 4-5 weeks early as per usual. I do like to pay money for smaller indie films like this but I'm using the excuse of being very poor. I think it might do quite well with word of mouth though and hopefully at least recoup the modest budget.

[Small Man Big Horse]

Just watched it now and thought it was pretty bad, sadly. The moment Hawke

Spoiler alert

had his face burnt off at the beginning I guessed he'd turn out to be the villain of the piece, and when it was revealed that Jane/John could get all spunky I presumed it'd turn out she'd be her own Mother / Father, especially as they'd not revealed the father's face earlier on. The rest of it didn't come as a great surprise either, and I felt it dragged on for way too long - there might be a good short / hour long film here based on the source material, but all the stuff with Jane growing up was painfully drawn out.

[close]

Perhaps I expected too much from it, but I really didn't think it worked as either a character study / exploration of the predestination theme, and was really really disappointed.

[Bad Ambassador]

IMDb says 5 December.

Distributor's website says early next year, but it's apparently getting a cinema release.

[zomgmouse]

Just watched it now and thought it was pretty bad, sadly. The moment Hawke

Spoiler alert

had his face burnt off at the beginning I guessed he'd turn out to be the villain of the piece, and when it was revealed that Jane/John could get all spunky I presumed it'd turn out she'd be her own Mother / Father, especially as they'd not revealed the father's face earlier on. The rest of it didn't come as a great surprise either, and I felt it dragged on for way too long - there might be a good short / hour long film here based on the source material, but all the stuff with Jane growing up was painfully drawn out.

[close]

Perhaps I expected too much from it, but I really didn't think it worked as either a character study / exploration of the predestination theme, and was really really disappointed.

Have you read the original short story, SMBH? Pretty much all of the plot points you were disappointed with are from it.

[Noodle Lizard]

Is this the one where Ethan Hawke

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fucks himself

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?

[olliebean]

Is this the one where Ethan Hawke

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fucks himself

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?

Not quite; it's the one where Sarah Snook

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fucks herself and then turns into

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Ethan Hawke.

[Noodle Lizard]

Not quite; it's the one where Sarah Snook

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fucks herself and then turns into

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Ethan Hawke.

Wait, does Sarah Snook

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fuck

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Ethan Hawke and then become

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Ethan Hawke

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?  Which would essentially mean

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Ethan Hawke

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went

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back in time

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and

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fucked

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someone who would

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later become

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him.  Thus Ethan Hawke, essentially,

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fucks

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himsel

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f.

Either way, I'm involved. 

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Now allow me to really confuse everyone

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because six jizz-filled cabbages are better than four.

[olliebean]

No. Sarah Snook never

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fucks

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Ethan Hawke. She just

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becomes

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him, some time after she

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fucks herself

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.

[zomgmouse]

It's basically

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one long, convoluted wank.

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[Noodle Lizard]

No. Sarah Snook never

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fucks

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Ethan Hawke. She just

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becomes

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him, some time after she

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fucks herself

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.

So you have

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Sarah Snook played by

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Sarah Snook fuck

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ing herself

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also

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played by Sarah

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Snook?  Well, that sounds like a bunch of arse.

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Here's the bit where I mention the

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satsumas

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if you don't mind

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?

[Puce Moment]

I thought this passed the time well, but ultimately fails to satisfy. The beginning was confusing for me because I absolutely got it in my head that yer fella was played by Dane DeHaan (from Chronicle):



Therefore, I didn't spot that it was a bird or work out what was going on for ages, even though it is completely obvious.

I think the revelations towards the end are too third-acty and it all goes a bit twisty in an unsatisfying way. Visually I liked it a lot, and I especially enjoyed the lack of effects when they time-jump, opting instead for judicious use of wind. But it fails to satisfy - at least for me.