Hacker Cinema
The Fountain
2006 · Film · 96 min
Directed by Darren Aronofsky
Spanning over one thousand years, and three parallel stories, The Fountain is a story of love, death, spirituality, and the fragility of our existence in this world.
23 positive3 negative4 neutralfrom 30 commenters
Where to watch
No streaming data for this title.
32 comments on Hacker News
It is impressive technically but I think the whole plot and story details are pretty bad.
The gum just doesn't work for me. A black and white mega popular white female jazz singer doesn't really make sense. Maybe a Judy Garland type singer would work but she is singing a style that I don't think makes sense. Like someone making what they think jazz vocals should sound like but they don't really listen to much jazz. Billie Holiday wasn't even that popular.
Just like the black and white part doesn't work for me because you can tell it is just the same color clips but desaturated. While real black and white would be on film and look shot on film.
I think the AI stuff is actually pretty good but the director/human creativity here is actually what is not that good. The sound design and music are pretty bad.
I am waiting to see what Aronofsky can do with these tools since the studios won't let him set 30 million dollars on fire again like with The Fountain.
"Good" is an overloaded word. We use it to mean both "enjoyable" and "well-made".
And we often confuse the two, thinking that if we enjoy something, that means it was well-made. And that if something is well-made, then we should enjoy it.
But it's not. For instance, I like the film, The Ice Pirates. It's stupid, it's cheap, and the plot doesn't quite make sense. But it's fun. I can't quite put my finger on it, but whatever is happening, it's the kind of stupid I apparently like. But I will never say it was a "good" film, in that it was well-made.
To contrast, The Fountain is a mostly well-made film. The acting, cinematography, score, visual effects, etc, are all well done. I cannot deny that. However, I loathe that movie. It is just incredibly mediocre at the end of the day. The story is just banal. It has one message, delivers it real early in the movie, and then just keeps beating that dead horse. And I can see how it's easy to get distracted by the pageantry of the film. But I cannot get over that one hump.
So, yes, Dan Brown may be a horrible writer. His books may have all the problems pointed out by the author of the article. Dan Brown may not write "good" books. That does not mean people don't like them. And it does not mean they are wrong when they do.
It goes on my list of 'dreamlike' movies, they don't always fully add up consciously but you can feel your unconscious going into overdrive while watching them (or maybe there is a surface plot that mostly adds up, like EWS, but there is clearly something going on at a least one other level). The viewing experience is often downright hypnotic for me.
A few off the top of my head, this is a very personal list and I can't even claim that all these movies are 'good' in any particular sense. Just that they put me into this state: * basically anything in lynch's cannon. I'm not always the biggest fan of his stuff, but sometimes they hit me hard. * Cronenberg's Videodrome and it's spiritual sequel Existenz * Donnie Darko & Southland Tales (objectively just an awful movie) * Prince of Darkness * Enter the Void (not for the faint of heart) * Paprika * Solaris (the original mostly, there are some qualities in the remake) * Stalker * Dark City * Sorry to Bother You * The Fountain * 8 1/2 * The Ninth Gate * and certainly Eyes Wide Shut
This is not correct.
The loss of DVD sales has changed the type of movies that are being created.
Matt Damon himself has explained how Good Will Hunting would not get made today because of this.
It is really simple too if you think of yourself as the investor in the film getting pitched. "Will Hunting, a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he solves a difficult graduate-level math problem, his talents are discovered by a professor"
Only an idiot would invest in that in 2024 but we are way past that. I imagine no one would even bother pitching that at all in 2024. Certainly wouldn't get a meeting with anyone.
There was a golden era of film not long ago and that era is gone forever. The Fountain might be the best example though. I love that movie but it lost millions of dollars even at the height of the golden era.
The future is going to be AI Batman vs Superman part 276.
See also: Yggdrasill the tree-ship from Hyperion, and a similar idea from the movie The Fountain.
Extending the tangent: The Fountain is a criminally underrated movie!
Yes! I love Aronofsky's work. The Fountain is a hauntingly beautiful film. The poster from this film hangs in my children's bedroom and I can't wait to watch it with them when they're ready for that type of story.
I watch a lot of films, mostly older ones these days, I don't want to estimate how many.
This film has haunted me with its beauty. Not as airy as Mallick's work, a little softer than Aronofsky (The fountain, black Swan are masterpieces).
I think Mr. Nobody attempts a weaker version of this film, cloud atlas also.
Gattaca, inception, 2001, kpax maybe.
Relatedly the movie "The Fountain" they combined chemicals and bacteria to create some of the visual effects instead of CG. The DVD has an extra of "Peter Parks Bonus - Macro Photography Loop".
> Unlike many others, I think the game they delivered matched very well to what they demoed.
That's not really enough. If you watch The Fountain, it's pretty much the same as the trailer. But while it's a great trailer, it's a terrible movie. There's an expectation that a demo shows parts of a game, and the finished product will be more and cohesive. Spore really wasn't cohesive, but imagining the parts demoed as a cohesive game was super compelling.
One of a couple lessons from that time that have me pretty much sworn off pre-ordering things. Or at least pre-ordering things without predicting my feelings if the product isn't great and being ok with that (hello Looking Glass Portrait)
I think it helps if you just talk about a more brainy movie with others - online or in real life. For a lot of people nowadays, films like Fight Club or (more superficially) The Matrix were films that made them go "whoa" and question their own existence for a bit, to the point where some based their whole personality off of films like that for a while.
Other things you could try (and I'm no expert, just armchair etc) is to watch multiple films from the same director in a row, try to see patterns and commonalities. Might be better to avoid the more prolific ones, since their repertoire will be very large. But e.g. Darren Arnokofsky's films would be good for that, there's... less than ten, lol. But the films are more low-key than e.g. Spielberg or Nolan, more about people and filmmaking and the like than big action shots or whatnot.
For example, I really liked The Fountain, but that's a controversial film because there's a nearly 50/50 split between people who love it vs those who hate it.
Yeah, the Genisys trailer was pretty bad. The twist was pretty predictable, but I rember watching the trailer and thinking oh, [the reveal], and then they showed the reveal and I was like ... well, I guess I don't need to watch that. Although, I didn't remember that that was inline with the franchise trailer history.
I think the most deceptive trailer ever was for The Fountain. You see the trailer and think oh, here's some cool stuff, but it's kind of disjointed, but it's a trailer; but then you watch the movie and it's just as disjointed.
Brazil, The man from Earth, Moon, The fountain, Ad Astra, Donnie Darko, Ender's Game, Edge of tomorrow, Solaris (the old one), Westworld (70s), Metropolis (the japanese anime), Dark Star (trippy, 70s, great end), Firefly series and Serenity movie, Attack the block, Fifth Element, planet of the apes (the old one), ex machina, children of men
I recommend you go through an exercise I learned a few years back in college[3]. Get into a quiet, comfortable, but alert state (meditation or a cup of coffee often works) . Somewhere you can be undisturbed for 30-60 minutes. Get yourself a few sheets of paper and a pen you like. It's advised you actually hand write this. Maybe turn on some quiet contemplative music -- movie scores often work[1].
Set a timer for 30-60 minutes and begin to write down every conceivable thing you might want to do, anything that seems cool, honorable, worthwhile, interesting, amazing, serene, invigorating, beautiful, or otherwise just iconic/archetypal of your interpretation of what a great life might include/entail. The only rules are you must not limit yourself by thinking it cannot be accomplished, is out of reach, or other "pragmatic" style self limitations, and you must not list things you think you ought/should do where those things are coming from a place that doesn't seem truly genuine to who you are -- they are externally informed. Try to shoot for 100 things.
Ok, got your list?
Now you're going to refactor it into categories. Categorize it into any pattern set you observe. I wont mention any here as it will bias your own groupings. But I really do believe patterns _will_ emerge if you look at it long enough. Try to distill themes of values and what is important to you, excites you, has meaning/purpose to you.
After many days you may want to start to think and begin to pursue these things either concretely (a specific item on your list) or thematically (find ways to incorporate meaning to what you're already doing). Books about habits[2], goals can help with bringing them into fruition. This exercise can be used to help you map out things that matter, reflect on things you have done that you previously said would matter (gratitude), and later on redone to help evolve as you grow.
If I find that you're stalling/procrastinating in overwhelm or negativity I often apply my "Next pizza" rule (I love pizza). I think about what might represent the next pizza in my life (sometimes literally, usually figuratively) and focus on getting there. Focus on doing the best monday through friday on the things that matter I can so I can get to that next pizza (reward).
[1]: Perhaps the fountain, interstellar, or pan's labyrinth.
[2]: such as atomic habits or tiny habits
[3]: this exercise is similar to, but smaller than, the future authoring program https://www.selfauthoring.com/future-authoring
Might want to give The Fountain a go then, sounds interesting.
To me the movie Memento is special, both the plot itself but also the question, what if it happened to me.
Funny. I've watched quite a few movies, indy and studio, foreign and domestic, and The Fountain is the only movie I ever immediately re-watched the second it ended. I thought it was absolutely a masterpiece.
But that's art for you; affects people differently.
If you think Godzilla vs Kong was one of the worst movies ever, I don't think you've watched very many movies.
I'd put The Wickerman (either version), The Fountain, and The Final Countdown (1980, nothing to do with the song, sadly) as easily worse than Godzilla vs Kong, and that's just off the top of my head.
It's certainly not a great movie, but it's well in-line with what you would expect from the title; slightly plausible plot, big monsters fighting in cities, trademark roar. Nowhere near the best movies, but strongly in the middle.
The Fountain was really interesting in this regard, as it had the main character floating in a giant orb surrounding the Tree of Life. Completely different from the typical spaceship aesthetic. IIRC the space background was all microphotography, not CGI.
https://duckduckgo.com/?q=the+fountain+movie+space+ship&t=osx&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdmPrsKV0Kg
Having watched some/plenty of Netflix movies (imho) they are flat, lack substance. Just as a point of reference/to make a comparison, one of my favourite movies is The Fountain (Darren Aronofsky). Maybe some of the Netflix movies got the big names (e.g. Ed Harris - Kodachrome), but they feel like one-dimensional.
Cinematography and cinemas keep people give people jobs, not only while MAKING the movie (cast and crews), but for people to watch it as well. Cinemas (the actual venues) give people jobs, the crews that work there, make pop-corn, sell tickets, cleaning crews, etc.
Netflix wants us to sit on our couches and binge/rot-away [1]. The two experiences (cinema vs netflix) are not even close.
[1]: https://twitter.com/netflix/status/854100194098520064
Edit: I am not negating the usefulness of Netflix, HBO, and other online/serving platforms. But if you want to play the movies-game, you have to win it on THEIR rules. Otherwise make your own 'oscarZ' and go wild :)
Well I guess there are different kinds of science fiction - sci-fi that's obviously fiction and doesn't try to pretend to be realistic - Alien, Star Wars, etc. - I'm fine with this - it's just the author taking you in to his own fantasy world - just like Game of Thrones doesn't try to describe how dragons get to be aerodynamic or explain the white walkers superior strength by using dumbed down science.
Then there's Sci-Fi that's actually beleivable - like The Martian - I'm OK with this as well.
But then there's this pseudo-sciency trying to look serious while actually being BS part like Interstellar, The Arrival, etc. The main point of science there is not to be a fictional setting but trying to give a feeling of realism trough sci/techbabble. I don't even mind cheap sci-fi drama movies, for example I liked The Fountain, but when they try to pretend they are realistic that's what breaks the immersion for me completely because I start to critically evaluate the plot and it just falls apart.
> it reminds me of the bacterial imagery used in the movie The Fountain
That's amazing! I adore The Fountain, but I had no idea that's how they did the special effects. I did notice they were 'otherworldly' and quite unlike anything I'd seen before.
I misread this as "the best microcopy" and thought it'd be a potentially-interesting UX piece.
Still, some amazing images here. Conceptually, it reminds me of the bacterial imagery used in the movie The Fountain for many of its deep space visual effects (to avoid the cost of CGI): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountain#Visual_effects
I saw The Fountain in theaters with a younger friend, and while I was moved, he "didn't really get it". Not that he didn't understand the events of the movie, but he'd never experienced the frailty and desperation the kind of personal, intense bond with another that the film evoked. He'd never loved and lost.
I'm also moved by wonderment and perspectives of scope and scale, which is probably why I reread the same handful of novels every few years, including Larry Niven's Known Space series. If anyone has other suggestions producing a similar effect, I'd be interested.
By reflex of my upbringing, I choke down any strong feelings by default and chalk it up to self-control. It doesn't make me hurt or feel any less, but some people recoil from emotional expression in men or can't help themselves when they sense vulnerability, and you don't find out which it is until the dam breaks. It's made me weaker as a person, a worse partner, and not as good of a friend as I'd like to be, but it's what everyone is used to. I'm expected to keep it together when others are angry, panic, or get flustered so I can guide everyone back on track. It's a big source of stress for me, but I have to find other outlets than letting flow my tears.
Thank you for The Fountain recommendation. It got me too, and it's one of the few Aronofsky films I hadn't yet seen. It was due to expire on Netflix in just a couple of hours & racing to finish it before it timed out added to the experience.
Dude +1 for The Fountain. Cried through that entire movie and probably for 10 minutes straight when Izzy talks to Tommy after she collapses in the museum.
Since we all seem to be in a sharing mood...
Also a guy -- no beard -- but (and I'm not joking here)... I watched that exact trailer just now and teared up a little.
As for movies, I have two examples: Up (pure emotion) and The Fountain -- the scene towards the end where he talks to the high priest and Clint Mansell's music takes over.
For me, I think it's generally sort of really EPIC things that do it. Really huge scales also tend to do it, for example some of the star size comparisons, or David Deutsch's talk about relativistic jets[1], or just contemplating the fact that some black holes swallow a solar mass per day.
Sometimes it's just "beauty", e.g. I couldn't help tearing up when Carolyn Porco showed the "Saturn Eclipse"[2] picture in her Ted Talk[3]. Some of that, I think, was because of the realization that we humans had actually sent a thing out there to take that picture.
(Btw, I think I'm generally considered a bit of a cold fish among my friends/acquaintances, FWIW. Humans are weird.)
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQliI_WGaGk
[2] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Saturn_eclipse.jpg (WARNING: Image is HUGE!)
[3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5usqdjsr6Vw (I won't link you to the exact time because the video deserves to be seen its entirety. If you really want to skip, skip to 15m15s.)
I feel like "The Fountain" left an imprint on my soul. It's weird, but probably the most beautiful movie I've ever seen (especially its music and filmography).
> It's been more than a decade since > Hollywood released a movie with a > realistic patina.
Aronofsky's The Fountain was made with only practical effects. It's beautiful.
- I Heart Huckabees - You, Me And Everyone We Know - Juno - The Straight Story - My Neighbour Totoro
Are all straight forward feel good movies.
- Caché - The Lives Of Others - The White Ribbon - The Fountain - Amores Perros - City Of God - Fargo - Dune - Castle In The Sky - Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind - Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Festen
Make you feel good simply by the presence of their across the board brilliance.
The Fountain is a great film. Clint Mansell's score is even better.
Great movie! I'm a big fan of the director Darren Aronofsky, I would recommend his other works Requiem for a Dream and The Fountain if you haven't seen them.
I've scientifically confirmed that The Talking Heads made the best hacking music known to man.
Aside from that, I listen to a lot of Of Montreal, other indie pop, some electronic and movie soundtracks (There Will Be Blood and The Fountain OSTs are both great).