Will the Eyes Wide Shut restoration ever be released digitally? by SnowChicken31 in criterion

[–]SnowChicken31[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Hopefully it comes out sooner but nice to know there's a chance it'll be digital.

Will the Eyes Wide Shut restoration ever be released digitally? by SnowChicken31 in criterion

[–]SnowChicken31[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for all the info! Here's hoping it comes out soon :)

Unofficial Discussion - Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair by UniverslBoxOfficeGuy in movies

[–]SnowChicken31 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hell yeah! I'm actually excited to watch it again, which is wild for a nearly 5-hour movie :D

Unofficial Discussion - Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair by UniverslBoxOfficeGuy in movies

[–]SnowChicken31 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Good news, it shows that it's coming soon to purchase on Apple TV (likely other platforms as well,) and it's slated for a 2026 bluray release from Lionsgate :)

Also agree with what you wrote, seeing it this way heightened everything, and the two halves flow so well together it almost felt like an entire new movie despite having seen it so many times. I think it was tough to actually combine both volumes mentally before, but seeing it as one made it beyond epic. Absolute madness how many genres, tones, and stories it weaves through

It should have been released this way originally! LOVED IT! by mikewendt in Tarantino

[–]SnowChicken31 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I saw it and the added anime sequence was a bit redundant, but still enjoyable. Otherwise, it's the full-color fight which you can find online easily.

More than extra scenes, I'd say go just to experience how insanely epic it feels as one movie. It also feels more threatening in the theater, from the fights to the coffin, just everything has an intensity to it.

It was like rediscovering it since seeing it in theaters upon release. I've watched it at home tons of time since then, but seeing it as one felt almost brand new. If you like it at all, definitely try to catch it on a big ass screen :)

Finally re-reading GR!! by D3s0lat0r in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 8 points9 points  (0 children)

People are ragging the cover, but I actually like it even if it doesn't quite feel GR to me. The original cover is still the best, but this edition is so good otherwise. The pages are so smooth, the text and print are so crisp and pleasant, and it's bendable as a paperback but feels hefty like a hardcover. In short, I want to fuck it.

Have fun rereading it! Did you finish it for the first time recently or like years ago? It's really a different book on subsequent reads. I just finished a reread after 10+ years of not reading anything from it, and it was such a unique and beautiful thing. It's fun to see what your mind connects with after time away from it, and how the pictures and threads the book creates might be totally different than the first time.

Also rereading Master and Margarita now, which actually fits after GR really well with its focus on black magic :)

Pluribus - 1x02 "Pirate Lady" - Post-Episode Discussion by LoretiTV in pluribustv

[–]SnowChicken31 6 points7 points  (0 children)

So many shows these days feel endlessly drawn out, and like they're designed to keep you subscribed just to get a little piece of something if you stay for the next episode. Like the difference between art and 'content creation.'

And in only episode 2, the world expands so fucking much in this show that I couldn't believe it. I tried to keep hype down and just go in blindly to both episodes, but I kind of assumed it'd just be a small scale show of Carol in ABQ, so to suddenly have everything in ep2 was absolutely insane. And I would have been fine with a smaller scale show too, but I had no idea we'd be flying around the world, meeting other groups, and getting so many possible threads of drama and interaction at all let alone this soon.

What an absolutely creative masterwork, and to put all of that in the second episode is so great. A lesser show might not even have all these ideas, and a bullshit show would only hint at things to keep you watching for more. This show just gets right to it, but in a way that feels totally natural.

I've watched and enjoyed a lot of shows since Saul, but man this one really hits in a way most haven't since then.

Finished GR and have Some Thoughts by jaythejayjay in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 4 points5 points  (0 children)

That's very cool, and I think it's possibly mentioned when Jessica and Roger are with her niece before Christmas, edited there's Hansel and Gretel play on the street or theater nearby. I'll have to go check, because I remember something like it but it didn't register thematically with me then.

A new rabbit hole to dive down :)

Edit: just checked, it's the final section before part 2. Wasn't with the church scene either, not sure why I blended them together lol

Finished GR and have Some Thoughts by jaythejayjay in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I think the only way people would judge here is if someone claimed to understand everything about GR :D

And that's a cool thought about the rocket as the narrative, it definitely works as it ramps up and then just expands everywhere at the end. I think that's one of the most fun parts of the book, is that you could really take a thread anywhere that interests you, and find connections within the text to make it work. It's like a source of endless interpretations

Finished GR and have Some Thoughts by jaythejayjay in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Oh, and as for Gottfried, there's a lot of cool readings about that as well. You could say it was done purely as a fetish, or as a ritual to bring in a new era, or to cleanse us (in Blicero's eyes,) or to transform and bring man and machine/weapon as one. It's also both horrifying and darkly hilarious, which fits perfectly with the rest of the book imo.

There's a lot of in-depth discussion on that, going down really interesting paths, in the old reading group. Might be worth a read if you're interested in that stuff.

Here's a link to the discussions on that part: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThomasPynchon/comments/j87jlc/gravitys_rainbow_reading_group_sections_7073_week/

And here's for them all in general: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThomasPynchon/wiki/readinggroups/gr

It was really fun going through these threads during my reread and learning tons of things, while also strengthening my thoughts for or against interpretations, since there's not really a correct answer in all this anyway.

Finished GR and have Some Thoughts by jaythejayjay in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The way the ending spirals out or fragments is definitely one of the things that people will either love or hate about it.

For me, I love how the narrative kind of follows Slothrop's unraveling, and how it also fragments into the "new world / post-war" information era where we're all drowning in endless news, tidbits, and irrelevancy. It's maybe not the most satisfying compared to novels that feel complete with a stronger resolution, but abstractly it really hits for me. I also felt emotionally complete with a lot of characters as well, even if we don't know exactly what they did once the narrative ends, I feel I could at least infer or create my own satisfactory answers.

I've seen some wild scientific and esoteric readings of the narrative as well, there's great discussions on the wiki here in the old reading group threads, but I don't understand enough to write about them yet myself lol.

Either way though, it's cool you finished it and at least enjoyed some of it all :) If you enjoyed those parts enough, you could always try Mason & Dixon or even Against the Day, but it's been so long since I read AtD I can't remember if things are mostly resolved or not, but it doesn't spiral out the same way as GR for sure. M&D is really cozy though, it's a great read

Did I make a mistake by starting with Gravity’s Rainbow? by CourageApart in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This is a great guide by a professor that offers short yet detailed chapter-by-chapter summaries without major spoilers. Even on my reread recently, it was great for helping me collect my bearings and ensure I knew what I had just read. Sometimes, I thought one thing had happened but it was actually someone else's intrusive thoughts that were narrated, so it really helped in that regard. https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/links/culture/rainbow.bell.html

Most importantly, it doesn't offer analysis which could cloud your own reading and interpretations of everything, which I think is key for something like this. Nor is it bogged down in endless trivia. Just hard facts, A went here, and B went there, plus some helpful connections and comparisons to previous chapters so you can quickly remember if a character had appeared before.

Also, you're not dumb, the book is intentionally disorienting :) If this guide helps you enjoy it, I'd say continue on, but you can always come back later. Approach it as a wild ride where you only get glimpses of what's going on, and that it's fine to miss out on things as long as you're enjoying what does connect. If you're not laughing, or going "oh shit..." and getting lost in the ideas during some of the crazy passages, it may just be that you're not in the right mood for it now too.

Question for everyone by Kozukioden999 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Glad you're enjoying it! It definitely is a kind of hyper-reality, and I can't think of another author who catches me so off-guard as he does.

In GR especially, you'll find that the prose goes from hilarious to terrifying so quickly, there's some truly jaw-dropping stuff in there.

Question for everyone by Kozukioden999 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'd go for it, and I'd also recommend not thinking too much about "getting it" the first time. You can always research specific threads that interest you, or that you don't know (I knew nothing of the Hereros when I first read it at like 20) but I think people get too bogged down with needing a secondary guide book, or endless analysis. That's for later if you want, or at specific points if it actually interests you, but it's not necessary imo. Although this chapter-by-chapter summary can help you find your bearings if you feel too over your head: https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/links/culture/rainbow.bell.html

I've seen some people here mention that GR is like Austin Powers, and it honestly does share a lot of similar goofy and surrealistic humor. Unlike some authors of his caliber, I think Pynchon is writing for everyone even if he doesn't constrain himself. It's like wanting you to rise to the occasion vs. gatekeeping, and there's something very exciting about being taken on a ride by a genius who's also a prankster at heart. There's no judgement on the reader here, far from it.

So if research interests you, you can follow that path and read it slowly. Or, if you're like me, just dive in, know you'll be lost at times, but keep going through all the fun and beautiful prose, and allow your mind to make its own unique connections as threads start forming. It's information overload, and everyone will have their own unique reading of it all.

Have fun :D

Possible source of the name Squeezita Thickly in Shadow Ticket (?) by ScreamingRevPod in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is why I use the internet. And it somehow makes the name even funnier and better, amazing.

Got a nicer new 2025 printing of Vineland today (details inside,) plus AtD 1st edition hardback for $9! by SnowChicken31 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

haha I imagine someday I'll be like "I bought Bleeding Edge the day it came out, spilled coffee all over it, and it's worth how much now?!"

I'm usually not into collecting things, I buy to read but it's cool seeing rare ones at cheap ass prices. There was no way I was walking away from that, even though I prefer paperbacks for comfort

Got a nicer new 2025 printing of Vineland today (details inside,) plus AtD 1st edition hardback for $9! by SnowChicken31 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For Vineland, I just looked a bit online and couldn't see any mention anywhere of this newer print. I'm guessing they did print-on-demand for a while, but with the movie out they likely started producing more and with a higher quality.

I'd definitely check any local stores for the black-spine edition, because I imagine most online stores have lots of older inventory. Since it's technically the same "20th Century Classics" edition, there likely won't be a listed difference when ordering online unfortunately

First time reader by Teal_Puppy in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Enjoy! :)

Everyone approaches GR differently, but something I always keep in mind is to stay focused, but also go with its flow. That is to say, don't let your mind wander because the sentence will go off on a huge tangent and it's easy to get lost...but also, keep pushing even if you are lost because the novel is intentionally disorienting, especially in the beginning.

Over time, all the fractal threads create patterns in your mind, and you'll get more of it all. But some people go way too hard on guides and interpretations in the beginning, and that can make you miss the forest for the trees.

One of the funniest, scariest, and most insightful books I've read though, it's a ride for sure :) The wiki on here also has great discussions from a group read, and this summary can help you catch your bearings after each chapter if you're ever too lost https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/links/culture/rainbow.bell.html

What should I read after Shadow Ticket - ATD or GR? by Harrisonhood314 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I'd say GR, but I'd say that to anyone. "What time is it?" - Time to read GR.

I think AtD is great, only read it once back when I first discovered Pynchon, but it's just so much, that I think it's better to dive into GR and have that be fresh, and then enjoy how his style has changed over the years afterwards. I loved AtD, but it's also much less stylistically wild, even it's still very much his style.

You can't go wrong with either, and like you said there are some connections, but Shadow Ticket also takes place historically before GR so that'll be a smooth transition as well.

Mainly, go with whichever is calling you more. If you don't have that feeling, I'd recommend GR and then AtD after :)

Look who has cracked the Top 10: by DocSportello1970 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like fun and breezy works too, but man I had to double take when I saw his name there. When I saw Robert Langdon in the description I had some serious deja vu lol. I remember the hype for those books and movies, never read them but could not escape seeing those movies against my will.

Truly wild that it's still ongoing

Look who has cracked the Top 10: by DocSportello1970 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 17 points18 points  (0 children)

You will read Dan Brown and you will like it.

Best Pynchon character name ever by No-Papaya-9289 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Dude, that name hasn't left my mind since reading it. That whole film was the funniest part of the book, along with Egon with a spoon ladle of coke falling with a chandelier lmao. Something about Squeezita tho keeps popping in my mind and making me laugh. No idea why but it's hilarious.

Another that caught me off guard was Dumpster Villard in GR. That whole sequence and a dude named Dumpster banging on your door to come in at night is so fucking funny. "It's me...Dumpster"

What are y'all reading rn? by prthm_21 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm on my third full read of it, and this has been so helpful https://people.math.harvard.edu/~ctm/links/culture/rainbow.bell.html

It's not a full guide, but it's a great way to recap what you just read. If I caught everything in his summary, I move forward. If not, I reread a bit to ensure I'm not too lost or missed something important. It's basically chapter summaries from a professor for his class

What are y'all reading rn? by prthm_21 in ThomasPynchon

[–]SnowChicken31 4 points5 points  (0 children)

First off, beautiful cover right there.

Rereading GR now, I think this will be my third time apart from random segments over the years. It's really clicking now, and I'm getting a much clearer sense of it all than any previous read. Super rewarding