One Battle After Another (Paul Thomas Anderson, September 26, 2025) Movie • Page 12

love crying of lot 49

 

I tried reading V and was enjoying it until suddenly I picked it up after a week of not reading and had no idea what was going on, haha. This was years ago and I still think about parts of it and I’d love to give it another try.

 

I tried reading V years ago and realized I was not in the mood. Need to try again soon.

 

what book and is it Programmed to Kill

 

I finished Programmed to Kill earlier this year. The author, David McGowan, died; however, people say that this book Eye of the Chickenhawk is a spiritual sequel. I'm not far into it and there are some spelling/grammar things, but is just as horrifying as P2K was.

 

How would one of you describe Pynchon’s writing style? Interested to read one of their novels soon

 

Oh yeah, I have a copy of that at home but have not dug in. I definitely will now. What was your read on P2K?

 

I think the first quarter or so of it (talking about real coverups that I could actually look into on my own) was incredibly informative and shocking. It began to get a bit too schizo and muddled as it went on, though. Still an interesting theory and there are definitely way too many links between famous serial killers and the government, but I don't know if I fully buy it. I'm too early into Chickenhawk to get a read yet.

 

I'm in agreement. This channel will likely be of interest to you:

 

he's one of the big figures in american postmodernism — he takes a lot of influence from hard boiled detective tradition and conspiracy narratives. I'd describe his writing as kind of like a matryoshka doll on a sentence by sentence basis, flashback within flashback within flashback. it can get a little tricky; it's a bit like a puzzle that never quite fits together. but he's also often really funny (his character names especially can get really out there). Vineland is about the post-hippie generation living in Reagan's america

 

currently have a seat reserved for this opening night in Dolby, hoping an imax showing opens up soon as well.

 

jordalsh nailed it i think, but i would add that pynchon's charm for me is his thematic duality: on the one hand he is very in the dirt with us, interested in backrooms, sleaze, pulp, and weed-stained protagonists on seemingly holistic or unrelated quests that end up coalescing in a borderline deus ex machina-kinda way (this is the mentality we see explored in vineland, V., inherent vice, somewhat bleeding edge, and a tinnnnnyyyy bit in gravity's rainbow). but there's also head-in-the-skies, hyper-conceptual, grandiosely speculative Pynchon, the version with gargantuan claims of humanity (gravity's rainbow / mason and dixon / against the day) where you almost have to wonder how one person could do the research to cover the amount of esoteric fields they're covering (hence the mostly-fake theory that he's actually a composite of multiple authors).

His charm has slightly faded for me in his last work, but Im still quite excited for his presumably final book next month. Either way you're being passed around a phone book's worth of ridiculously-named characters, not being given any hints about where the story is going, and thankfully you're dazzled into confusion and incredulity the whole time. idk i think he fucking rules

 

Tickets secured for Thursday night imax

 

Safe to say this person is actually psychotic, right?

 

Look at other times, maybe its an out of service chair?

 

Ah, you’re right, haha. I’m still just going to imagine somebody actually chose that seat for all the otherwise empty showings.

Seeing this on the 26th at 6. Can’t wait.

 

I always just pick a random seat but that is when I show up. I haven't ever bought tickets in advance.

 

Have tickets for multiple showings opening week

 

I love choosing in advance because I want to ensure the best I can that I’m on the end and as far away from others as possible. Come to think of it, that seat would be perfect for me!

 

he doesn’t sit in his assigned seat he sits wherever he wants it’s very rude

 

The last two times I have gone to the movies a couple has sat directly behind me even though we are in maybe quarter capacity. That needs to be stopped.

 

FYI my Thursday night screening (imax laser) was already like 50% filled

 

Recently, I was in a mostly empty theater and someone came and sat in my row (making us the only two) with a single empty seat between us. It annoyed me, probably more than it should have.

 

have officially switched to Imax Laser for those interested

 

This happened to me when I saw Nobody 2, except they sat right next to me!