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Apr 23, 2023·edited Apr 23, 2023

12 Monkeys is very good, but you should see the original before watching the remake: "La Jetée" (dir. Chris Marker). It is a 28 minute short, made in 1962, available on the Criterion Channel.

https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/la-jetee

"Chris Marker, filmmaker, poet, novelist, photographer, editor, and now videographer and digital multimedia artist, has been challenging moviegoers, philosophers, and himself for years with his complex queries about time, memory, and the rapid advancement of life on this planet. Marker’s LA JETÉE is one of the most influential, radical science-fiction films ever made, a tale of time travel told in still images."

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Regarding Matt Lewis and the gun issue, we need to be paying way, way more attention to how the insane proliferation of guns is intersecting with the aging of the population. Andrew Lester, who shot the innocent teenager Ralph Yari, is 84 years old. The firearm + disintegrated forebrain combo is not great. There's almost zero discussion of this, near as I can tell.

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Yes, 12 Monkey is a Terry Gilliam movie. He's the less recognizable Monty Python member, responsible for some things like the animated sequences (and the naked apocalypse prophet in Life of Brian). Since MP he's made a bunch of really excellent, sometimes nutty movies, like the Fisher King, Time Bandits, and Brazil, as well as the Johnny Depp version of Fear and Loathing. A couple meh films, but several very, very good ones.

12M is a really good movie, IMO, although I've only seen it about twice.

There's a lot more going on that just bio weapon scares, and Brad Pitt really gives one of his best performances.

Watch it.

They made a series of it a few years ago that I need to see, sometime.

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