half baked theories

[TheImaginator16]

Here I am, making another thread. Sorry Pubrick ;) I genuinely didn't see where this would fit in among the other pre existing threads and I think it also warrants a new one in itself. I searched a little bit (tell me if I didn't search hard enough) hadn't seen you guys discuss this video.
It puts across a theory that PTA's last three films are actually a trilogy, in order of how I put them in the title. This video explains it.



I actually agree with it and I find that it puts the films into more context with each other, even if they each stand their own ground as stand alone films too. If you watch the films in the order of TWBB, TM, PDL, it's a wonderful narrative that chronicles lots of themes and gives them each an arc and conclusion. The video (no offence to it whatsover as I think the guy who made it seems very intelligent and in saying this I am no way insulting him) covers some of the more superficial details and doesn't go into much depth but I feel the trilogy theory can be analysed to the moon and back and you'd still be left with more stuff to find out and say. I understand that not all people would agree though, and if you don't please share opinions! What do you guys think about the video as a whole?

[03]

why you do this to urself

[Reel]

I'm interested in the theory, but I can't watch one more second of these beautiful films with this dolt's voiceover. I'll have to get back to you after seeing the movies in full. Pubrick?

[TheImaginator16]

I apologised to Pubrick because on my other thread he made a joke about me making too many threads, and here I am, making another. But yeah, it's a pretty interesting theory I think. And a good thing too is that, if you believe they are a trilogy, they aren't just a "thematic" trilogy. They genuinely have a continuous narrative with arcs and such. 

[Sleepless]

I'm pretty sure this was discussed previously in The Master thread?

[TheImaginator16]

Ah damn, I didn't see it, sorry. Hopefully people who didn't comment on that previous discussion can say new things here. But next time I start a new thread I will search more vigorously to see if what I'm posting about has already been talked about or if there is a better place to reignite discussion 

[Axolotl]

When you're on the reply page after clicking on the blue reply button, you can scroll down and see the previous posts on the thread. If you want to quote someone, click on the "Insert Quote" button on the  top right corner of the post. You can then delete everything but the pertinent part you want to quote.
This also allows you to keep your subject line the same as the thread subject, which is the common practice.


If you want to quote someone and also keep your subject the same as the post you're replying to, click on the "Quote" button at the top right corner of the post.

If you want to do a quick reply without going to another page, there's a no-frills text field at the bottom of the page which appears when you expand the "Quick Reply" bar. Just type there and click Post.

[Pubrick]

i think the problem is not that you're starting so many threads and sometimes reposting, it's that they're too specific.

see for example the entirely new thread you made for ranking PTA's films based on emotional connection, that really didn't need to be a whole new topic, it's clearly just a slight variation on the general one you created.

same thing here. while the vid has been posted before (i'm pretty sure), by itself it's not interesting enough to start a whole new topic around it. why not use it as a starting point to discuss "crazy ass theories" or more accurately "people who mistake thematic consistency as a secret trilogy."

my problem with this particular theory is that it's like this person just discovered that his films have things in common so therefore the ones that have the most in common MUST be a trilogy. what's Magnolia and Boogie Nights? a duology?? well yeah they are, you see, but it's nothing special to point it out.

this dude has presented an interesting way to view the films that may bring up more similarities. but it's in no way a very sophisticated reading on the material. there's a LOT of connections in his films, many more subtle ones have been covered in other analysis threads, see my own Primer For the Gradual Understanding of PTA for examples of ones i'm interested in.

the placing of PDL at the end is a nice trick, but the film makes just as much if not MORE sense in the order it's already in. i wouldn't begrduge the dude from making up his own interpretations, but i don't find his rabbit hole that interesting.

and you don't have to keep changing the subject line every time you reply. that's what axolotl was trying to say.

[TheImaginator16]

All right, thanks for clearing those things up for me, axolotl and Pubrick. Will do Just trying to learn how this forum works and hopefully one day I will use it properly!

For me there are for sure strong thematic consistencies throughout his whole body of work so far, but I personally find that they the themes in his last three films build into a perfect narrative arc and become the trilogy that the theory puts forward. I feel that thematic consistency is one thing, but a fully fledged thematic narrative interwoven into three films is another. When seen in that order in the title, a narrative is very clear and for me it becomes the optimum way of watching them. I definitely agree that the video only really covers basic connections and does not delve any deeper than that though. But I think that you could make more and more analysis on it to make it make more interesting sense as something proper rather than just a loose theory like it is in the video. Just because the guy in the video doesn't say much interesting or sophisticated, it does not mean the theory itself is not ripe for interesting and sophisticated analysis. The theory is for sure not definitive and is therefore only a theory, but personally I quite like the idea of it. I completely respect that you don't agree though, Pubrick, fair points.

As an admin, are you in the power to re name this thread "crazy ass theories"? Don't worry if not, just that now that you suggested it is what I should have done, it seems like a good idea and would provoke lots of interesting talk.

[Pubrick]

As an admin, are you in the power to re name this thread

done. it's the best i could do.

[TheImaginator16]

Haha, cheers ;)