Fight Club

[treelizard]

I got to hear the screenwriter speak yesterday and they reshowed the movie on the big screen. It was pretty incredible.

I hadn't seen it for three years or longer, so watching it again was interesting. I still identified with the whole wanting to be more than consumers aspect of it, the lack of satisfaction in being owned by your stuff and your job that you hate to buy more stuff, the visceral reaction to actually fighting... but it seemed that the whole blowing up buildings part didn't really logically/naturally flow from these conclusions. I guess I was most impressed by the extremes: Tyler vs. the narrator, the narrator's office buddies vs. the guys living in the house, etc. and of course I thought it was funny how all Marla could say was "what's that smell?" as people were burning off their fingerprints during Project Mayhem. It was interesting to rewatch it.

I was just wondering for people who have seen it and it really resonated with or for people who have read the book, what were your thoughts? What did you really dig and what got under your skin?

[>:)]

I liked the idea of premature enlightenment from the fighting, and the scene where he's burning his hand. Just going with the pain and not being afraid of the pain, and just getting on with things. I try to reach that state when I train.

[DickHardman]

after watching that movie, i felt i was an even emptier shell of a man than before.

[Yu Law]

Great movie, this was one of the first movies that made me see how talented and versatile actors Ed Norton and Brad Pitt are. One of my favorites.

[treelizard]

Anybody read the book?

[7r14ngL3Ch0k3]

I saw the movie again on Sunday. I just watched to see the fight scenes which surprisingly had a lot of grappling in them. I hate though how they would force a crappy double leg or another kind of takedown and the guy who landed on top would immediately get reversed, i was like WTF!!!

[treelizard]

Yeah I didn't think the fight scenes were that good--nobody kept their arms up!

[Tom Yum]

I saw the movie and thought it was funny at times and interesting, but it didn't resonate with me. I've been training in MA since I was a teenager and had done a few full-contact open tourneys, so fighting was never an escape from the duldrums of desk life just something I did for fitness/sport.

How about Office Space?

[medic06]

How about Office Space?

One of the greatest movies ever made!!!!!

[Garland]

. but it seemed that the whole blowing up buildings part didn't really logically/naturally flow from these conclusions.

I was just wondering for people who have seen it and it really resonated with or for people who have read the book, what were your thoughts? What did you really dig and what got under your skin?

The blowing up buildings thing was about nihilism. Society is an abstraction of humanity's truer nature. Instead, we follow into the same pecuniary emulation and "slave morality" that cripple and emasculate us. By blowing up the buildings they chose, they would create chaos. They were intending to shatter the fiscal and financial foundation of our society as to create the type of pandamoneium and lawlessness that creates a cultural renaissance.

It's all about negation, that Sadean precept. It's that same thing that Hegel wrote about, and Nietzche adopted in his writings.


The movie was much different than the book...and in this rare instance, I actually liked the movie much better. The author has written much better material- "Haunted", "Survivor", etc. All good stuff.
Basically, the last scene with Helena Bonham Carter (foxy as hell) and the fall of civilization going on outside is enough to make me smile everytime I think about it.

[treelizard]

That's interesting that you mentioned Nietzsche, I actually brought him up, and Wittgenstein, to the screenwriter. In the book the buildings blown up had people in them iirc.

Pretty interesting to try to destroy civilization after telling some guy to go to vet school.

Basically, the last scene with Helena Bonham Carter (foxy as hell) and the fall of civilization going on outside is enough to make me smile everytime I think about it.

Yeah, we have different ideas of a good time.

[Garland]

Pretty interesting to try to destroy civilization after telling some guy to go to vet school.

Yeah. THAT didn't make much sense.

[Garland]

Yeah, we have different ideas of a good time.

Maybe it was also that kick ass Pixies song in the background...or that little hidden flash of something. Anyway I just thought the end was hilarious for some reason...I don't know why...