33 votes

Unauthorized BART film sells out San Francisco theater

14 comments

  1. [5]
    GMerg
    Link
    Just learned BART stands for "Bay Area Rapid Transit" aka a Subway (Im not from the US and don't speak English as 1st language).

    Just learned BART stands for "Bay Area Rapid Transit" aka a Subway (Im not from the US and don't speak English as 1st language).

    9 votes
    1. [2]
      artvandelay
      Link Parent
      BART is a weird transit system. It's not a full on subway system like NYC nor is it a commuter rail system. It's sort of a bit of everything really. Under San Francisco, its a rapid transit system...

      BART is a weird transit system. It's not a full on subway system like NYC nor is it a commuter rail system. It's sort of a bit of everything really. Under San Francisco, its a rapid transit system with trains coming every 5ish minutes. Just outside San Francisco, its more like rapid intercity trains with trains every 10-15 minutes. Farther outside, its a commuter rail system with trains coming as much as every 30 minutes.

      11 votes
      1. Subvocal
        Link Parent
        Surprise. NYC’s metro is like that, too.

        Surprise. NYC’s metro is like that, too.

        6 votes
    2. [2]
      boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      Sorry about that.

      Sorry about that.

      1. GMerg
        Link Parent
        No need to be sorry, I learned something and thats always fine!

        No need to be sorry, I learned something and thats always fine!

  2. [2]
    pedantzilla
    Link
    This reminds me of the Slow TV movement that came out of Norway in the late-Aughts, featuring long (often hours long) videos from the perspective of trains, ferrys, canal barges and the like....

    This reminds me of the Slow TV movement that came out of Norway in the late-Aughts, featuring long (often hours long) videos from the perspective of trains, ferrys, canal barges and the like. Mesmerizing and often quite peaceful and relaxing.

    6 votes
    1. boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      I love train rides when I have time to enjoy the view. Those videos sound like they would be worth checking out.

      I love train rides when I have time to enjoy the view. Those videos sound like they would be worth checking out.

      4 votes
  3. scroll_lock
    Link
    Nice colors. I'm reminded of Philly's high-speed line, a strange piece of infrastructure incompatible with the rest of the metro, but with the biggest windows I've ever seen on a train... and...

    Nice colors. I'm reminded of Philly's high-speed line, a strange piece of infrastructure incompatible with the rest of the metro, but with the biggest windows I've ever seen on a train... and letting you see straight out the front if you're close to the operator. Friends of mine would call it the "Studio Ghibli train," maybe because its windows reminded them of the Catbus from My Neighbor Totoro, and because its route is pretty green.

    I loved watching this documentary. Thanks for sharing.

    3 votes
  4. gowestyoungman
    Link
    My wife thinks Im nuts for watching that. But it was ridiculously enjoyable and very well done. Great job Vincent Woo.

    My wife thinks Im nuts for watching that. But it was ridiculously enjoyable and very well done. Great job Vincent Woo.

    2 votes
  5. Bonooru
    Link
    Super cool video. The anecdotes in the voice over were interesting and the music coming out of the tube was very well timed.

    Super cool video. The anecdotes in the voice over were interesting and the music coming out of the tube was very well timed.

    1 vote
  6. [3]
    tristar
    Link
    Either BART is really something so great it's beyond my comprehension or this article is a bit dramatic. Can't help but smile a little when I see the author fanboying over it: Or the interviewee...

    Either BART is really something so great it's beyond my comprehension or this article is a bit dramatic. Can't help but smile a little when I see the author fanboying over it:

    “Otherworldly” is the right word. With their metal pipes and stained concrete walls, BART tunnels look like something out of a steampunk lair. As the train screams past regularly spaced fluorescent lights, the tunnel pulses with an orange glow; in the distance, light from the tunnel's mouth flares in the shape of a star. And finally, there’s the sound: a dull, grinding hum, constant but endlessly modulating.

    Or the interviewee describing it as something that could only have been built a long time ago

    Who could imagine a construction project as costly, complex and ambitious being approved today?

    It's a metro system, not a spaceship. Every city in the world that matters at least a bit has something like it. Many of them are constantly being upgraded as lines are created or appended. It's not like it's been constructed using means not available today.

    I know public transit in America is a cruel joke in most places but Californians losing their minds over trains is still a little funny.

    1 vote
    1. [2]
      boxer_dogs_dance
      Link Parent
      As a frequent user of BART, it is far from perfect. I do think the footage of the tunnels is aesthetically interesting and outside of most Americans experience. But yeah. Subway systems/regional...

      As a frequent user of BART, it is far from perfect. I do think the footage of the tunnels is aesthetically interesting and outside of most Americans experience.

      But yeah. Subway systems/regional trains are not new.

      1 vote
      1. tristar
        Link Parent
        Oh yeah, no criticism on the movie itself. I for one love hanging out at the back of the train, watching the world zoom by at 160 km/h. Just thought the article was a bit funny.

        Oh yeah, no criticism on the movie itself. I for one love hanging out at the back of the train, watching the world zoom by at 160 km/h. Just thought the article was a bit funny.

        1 vote