Film Trainspotting

[dunwich]

^haha took seeing it more than a few times for me to catch all the lines! Especially Begbie (the crazy mofo with the mustache).

 

[felix]

Irvine Welsh Translation Service %)


edit: haha, i see i already spammed that link :D

 

[Pillthrill]

hmm edited. Hey, I at least posted a warning... *shrug*

 

[shith3ad]

baby crawling the ceiling takes the cake....

 

[qwe]

I found it very funny, but I haven't seen a movie where the goal was to portray heroin users (and their attempt to kick the habit) as accurately as possible. Usually movies are more for entertainment and to make money.
And I found Trainspotting very entertaining. I still haven't read the book, but I've been telling myself for almost a year now that I'm going to get it. One of these days...

there were two HBO specials, they are avail on bit torrents, where reporters folloed around poor heroin using couples (in the first documentary) and crack using couples in the second. filming even sucking dick for dope, they tried to get everything as accurate as possible, and had the addicts do a lot of the talking to the viewer (while they were preparing their syringe )

 

[KillerAtLarge]

My favorite character has always been Begbie.

"why didnt you bring the cards?"

BECAUSE I FUCKING TOLD YOU TO BRING THEM YOU DOSS CUNT!!

 

[archduke]

I don't even know why I like this movie so much--it's just SO GOOD. The dialogue, the plotline, the characters' Scottish accents...and especially the soundtrack, of course.

I have almost no experience with opiates, so I can't speak to how accurate it is in that regard...but I just find myself watching this movie from time to time. Like today, for instance!

It's also kind of cool how you notice something new every time you see it. I've seen the movie at least six times, I'd say, and just today I noticed that they kind of show Renton switch the tapes out while Tommy is talking.

Incidentally, this weekend when I first really realized I was really rolling for the first time...they were playing "Born Slippy (Nuxx)". Having first heard that song in the movie, it symbolizes such optimism to me...what a mindblowing experience.

 

[FDRinTRINIDAD]

I love Trainspotting one of my favorite films. Unfortunately though Ewan McGregor has stated repeatedly he would not do the sequel Porno. He is still bitter at Boyle for promising the lead role in the Beach but the studio put Dicaprio in instead because he was hot off the success of Titanic. If you do a Google search you can find all this info I am way to lazy to find a link at the moment.

 

[MynameisnotDeja]

Incidentally, this weekend when I first really realized I was really rolling for the first time...they were playing "Born Slippy (Nuxx)". Having first heard that song in the movie, it symbolizes such optimism to me...what a mindblowing experience.

I so know what you mean. Born slippy is one of the most visual songs for me, it just fills me with that feeling you feel as he's walking off at the end of the movie. It's so powerful to me while sober, I think if I ever heard it while rolling it might kill me! lol

 

[PillsburyDoughBoy]

The first time i saw this film i thought that it was utter trash. But then again I was young, high as shit after just smoking a blunt (back in the day when an L to the face had me trashed), and to boot i couldnt understand a single word for the first half an hour.

But recently I watched it this summer during a sobering period and found it to be a very good film. Excellent acting and something that I just can't put my finger on that made it great, though I think it was just that some of my friends personalities are closely comparable to several of the characters in the movie. Either way I do agree that it was overly exagerrated during some scenes, but then again theres really no other way to depict WD in a movie than to cause utter discomfort for those watching.

Oh and the baby scene is fucking great (though way too long), and ive definately had nightmares with that baby in it.

 

[S.M.F.G]

loved it
making a movie funny about a not so funny issue was a teriffic effort

 

[the_ketaman]

Its is an awesome movie for me as a recent IV user(dont know if I will use again) it gets old when youve watched it as many times as I, but it will always hold a special part in my heart, just like Pulp Fiction.

 

[silentangst]

Bumping this thread. I just watched this (yes, I know, I'm a bit late) and I loved it. Good movie, good movie.

 

[Minxy]

I didnt care for it too much, the first time I watched it I was only young and had to witness my dad going through the same sort of shit and taking us (his family) with him so the fact that it was even there on the screen seemed like a massive piss take.

That said, I have a lot of respect for Irvine Welsh and his other works.

 

[Bardeaux]

I've always loved Trainspotting. Its surreal, its funny, and its just a great story. I dont normally give films 5 stars but this is a rare exception.

 

[AxnJxn]

I should preface this briefly by saying I've never gone through heroin withdrawal or read the novel.

I really liked the movie. The acting was all-around good, the dialogue (when I could understand what they were saying) was excellent, the narrative unfolded well and the direction/scene composition/location shots were superb. I don't think it matters if it is a realistic depiction of withdrawal, it is certainly an accurate portrayal of depravity. The graphic emphasis on bodily fluids (shit, piss, blood) was very effective in establishing the kind of primitive sort of subsistence lifestyle yielded by addiction.

The direction was outstanding, employing a variety of different styles and techniques. I can't think of a single scene where light, camera placement, location, etc were not done well. The filmmakers used the architecture around Edinburgh and Glasgow expertly for the exterior shots. I particularly liked the way the train wallpaper in Renton's room was designed to look like bricks, giving the impression that he was confined in a cell.

The tone of the film struck an excellent balance between being a humorously sardonic, tongue in cheek appraisal of a bunch of deadbeats while still conveying the essential emptiness of their lives. Consider for instance the way Renton is dragged all the way to the hospital like a sack of beans; he is essentially divorced from his humanity and becomes a vessel from which money is extracted first by the dope dealer and then by the cab driver. There are numerous similar examples.

It has a great soundtrack.

Excellent film.

I started reading this thread and composing my response in my head, but this post pretty much nails it. I think it's just a brilliant movie in all the aspects that make a great movie for me - casting/acting, camera shots/movement, lighting, music, script, and capturing the right "feel" for a movie (a great example of this is what David Fincher does in Se7en with the constant rain and gritty sets).

There's also a neat little homage to The Beatles Abbey Road album cover - it's in the scene when they are walking to the hotel with the bag. I love minor things like that in movies.

I've literally watched the movie over a hundred times, and I've yet to find a single thing wrong with it. Ok, I guess the accents can be tough to understand at first.

I'm also a big fan of Irvine Welsh's writing in general. There's a dark quality about his work that is just easy for me to embrace. For those who don't know, Welsh play Mikey Forrester in the movie. "Mikey Forrester, Russian sailors, what the f*** are you boys on, eh?"

As for making Porno come to the big screen, I've also heard there is some friction between Boyle and Ewan. I'm hoping it's not true, because they've all stated how much they enjoyed doing the original, and it would be fascinating to see if they can pull off the sequel. Fingers crossed.

 

[silentangst]

As for making Porno come to the big screen, I've also heard there is some friction between Boyle and Ewan. I'm hoping it's not true, because they've all stated how much they enjoyed doing the original, and it would be fascinating to see if they can pull off the sequel. Fingers crossed.

It doesn't seem too likely with Ewan,

Ewan McGregor has stated in interviews that he would not like to make a sequel, due to his preference for being remembered for the critically acclaimed first film, and not an inferior sequel.

 

[10amautomatic]

I saw the movie first, thought it was great. Finished the novel about an hour ago. Adapting to the dialect was one of the hardest things Ive ever had to do to finish a book (well, a book not school related) ...about halfway through my internal monologue switched from american english to Scottish.

the novel was sometimes incoherent, particularly the chapters where Spud was the narrator--i just skipped some of them. it was 100 times as depressing, graphic, deranged, and depraved as the movie.

Reading the book made me appreciate the movie even more because I cannot comprehend how you turn that book into a screenplay with a beginning, middle and end.

 

[treezy z]

this movies great, i give it 8/10.
the last scene was fantastic, i would love to score a wad of cash like that.

one thing that i though was strange was the cold-turkey scene where the dudes hallucinating. seems like they showed delerium tremens instead of heroin withdrawal.
obviously, the scene they showed with the crazy hallucinations has more more of an impact than just a dude sweating, puking, and shitting.

 

[DexterMeth]

I gave this an easy and quick gut vote of 5 stars. Hands down, no questions ask. I haven't read the book yet. Around the time when I first saw it and was thinking of reading it I got into Burroughs and read Naked Lunch instead. I really look forward to reading this after I finish "Infinite Jest".

edit - and yea I never thought it was supposed to portray the heroin lifestyle exactly acurrate. People don't hallucinate babies or swim through a toilet from heroin. Imo it's a great movie that anyone that enjoys great cinemotography must see. I honestly hestitate to simply call it a "drug movie". If anything the writer used heroin as part of the plot for dramatic effect. Whether you agree with opiate use or not (lol, ok) it sure makes for some great story telling.