Primer

“The other day I saw a notice posted online that the last video store in town was closing. I felt sadness for the end of the era, especially since this was an independent and locally owned store. But at the same time, I was excited to go check out the inventory they were selling off. And oh my it was like Disneyland. I spent some time there walking thru their massive selection, cherry picking some stuff of my wishlist (because yes, I have a wishlist I can easily access for such emergencies). I’ll certainly be going back over the next few weeks as the assortment gets smaller (thus easier to pick thru) and cheaper (easier to go nuts buying), but I was really happy with my first set of purchases.

From their giant wall of independent movies, one of the discs that I picked out was Primer. I’d recently seen it featured on a list of the 25 Best Scifi’s of the century. I’d seen 19 of 25, and Primer was one of the ones I’d missed, coming in at number 7. Best Buy didn’t seem to carry it, so I snatched it up when I found it on the shelf at this video store. Later that afternoon, I was showing off my loot to a coworker, who got really excited about this film. He praised it up and down, particularly pointing out that it had a very low budget charm, in the way that makes you appreciate the efforts of the film. (I followed up with suggesting he watch El Mariachi if he wants a similar experience). I’d already picked out a stack of movies to blog for the weekend, but for the first night at least, those would be put aside. I had to watch this movie.

I gotta stop watching new movies on Fridays. The movie doesn’t even run an hour and a half, and I was fighting to stay awake thru the end. That could explain why I just didn’t get it. This low budget indie is about some guys who accidentally create a time travel device, and then proceed to use it for varying motives. The way they would go back and redo timelines and such was just confusing to me. I have a hard time getting my head around time travel as it is, but I couldn’t keep all the branches of their actions straight.

I did enjoy the small indie feel, as it made for a more intimate and realistic film experience. Well, as realistic as you can get for a scifi such as this. Exposition is minimal, which adds to the mystery as well as the confusion. I think I’ve just gotta watch this again sometime later when I’m more alert. I do see the potential in this humble little film, I just want to be able to appreciate it more.”

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