Random movie talky stuff.

[Crawdaddy]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Hey, we all have limits to our ability to believe what a fiction is trying to sell us. And I can stomach a protagonist or even an antagonist having access to advanced technology, hand-waving it by saying 'they're a special exception', but when it's a number of random nameless villagers I just can't hand-wave it anymore.

I think that's a reasonable point. Realism is often not what viewers need, but "believability" is, usually. Make of that what one will.

 

[chrisroxxx]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Consodering H&G, I kinda enjoyed that movie despite the irregularities, I mean they have trolls wands and witches in it, it's a fantasy movie...wouldn't have surprised me if they would have shot laser guns.
What kinda sticked out for me in this movie, they did put actual dirt on the actors faces in a couple scenes, you don't see that everyday...

Recently I have been watching 'Neon-Joe Werewolf-Hunter', despite all the flak it got, I really enjoyed that healthy portion of stupid.

 

[Crawdaddy]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

I mean they have trolls wands and witches in it, it's a fantasy movie...wouldn't have surprised me if they would have shot laser guns.

That's the thing though - just because a movie is about the fantastical, doesn't mean it shouldn't have internal consistency.

In that case, magic and stuff is fine, because it's something we already associate with historical periods (not because it existed, but because it fits, thematically), and furthermore, we don't really know what kind of infrastructure or tools you need to have to create spells or summon magical creatures. Guns, on the other hand, we do somewhat know what is required for, and so the believability is messed up there.

Now, granted, if they were to, say, introduce some kind before-hit-time, steampunky professor that made special guns for H&G, or whatever, then that would be somewhat more believable, if only for the reason that they actually bothered trying to joint guns together with a magical wold set in the early modern era.

 

[Copper]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Well, clearly it's set in the same time period as VanHelsing and they get their stuff from the monks. Or, who knows, maybe they made the stuff themselves. Or altered it. You start fighting stuff, you find what works and if you don't find it, you take what you got and start tinkering with it. Considering they'd managed to make a taser and had access to a record player, too, I'm willing to be they picked them up somewhere in their travels and, given the way they operate, I find them slightly eyebrow raising but not entirely out of the realm of possibility.

I mean, I have a laundry list of things that I find wrong with the movie, but that still doesn't stop me from plunking it into the player and watching it whenever the mood strikes.

 

[super_slicer]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Oh, no. I like the movie ENOUGH to bitch about inconsistencies. But like I said, I can believe that the protags have access to advanced tech, just not the random villagers.

Side note on Van-helsing: The full-auto crossbow actually requires a higher level of technology to create than fire-arms. Even if it's powered by compressed gas inside the ammunition canister I believe.

 

[freeko]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

I just got out of the movie theatre from watching IT.

Wow.

That is all. More to come in a week or so when it all might have sunk in and others have had a chance to see it over the weekend.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

I watched the new Star Wars movie tonight. My initial impression (and it kept recurring to me throughout the experience) was that this is the first Star Wars movie they've made since 1983.

I'm not saying this to outright bash the prequels. They were passable, IMO. Nevertheless, I maintain that this movie is the first legitimate heir to the brand.

I don't want to spoil anything, so I'm gonna shut up now. Go watch it.

 

[Copper]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

I did. Saw it today. I rather enjoyed it. Never been huge into the Star Wars universe but I actually think I like this one better than the original (and yes, I have seen the original Han Shot First, dammit version.)

I genuinely like the characters and can get behind the whole rage at no Rey in the action pack thing because she is badass. Look forward to seeing more of all of them in the sequels. I have my theories and I'm still on the fence a bit about the villain. Not quite as monolithic as Vader, not as petulant as Anakin. Still growing into his own. And I like how they made the stormtroopers a little more real in this one.

 

[freeko]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

They certainly did a better job explaining things in this movie compared to the prequels. Like the mention of the stormtroopers and a few other things. It allowed for the watcher to interpret things in their own way instead of trying to bullshit things like the force with the whatever the fuck they called it in the prequels.

 

[super_slicer]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

My thoughts on the movie, very little spoiled if anything:

Spoiler

Well, it is a pretty great film, mirroring and living up to the movies that started the series. Though I'm not happy to find out that now they are erasing the entirety of the EU, only things in are the movies and the clone wars show (god I hate hate HATE the art style).

And the criticisms that I have, feel I'm being pretty fair, just if you're currently in love with it you might want to take some time before reading and don't read at all if you haven't seen the movie yet:

Spoiler

TBH I felt pretty butthurt that I fell for the switcheroo they pulled, as I went to see a movie about a stormtrooper becoming a jedi, and it seems that won't be the focus of this arc in the saga.

As far as the actual protagonist... she's Mary Sue as all hell. Now before you froth up and press that neg-rep button ranting about sexism, hear me out. Each singular act was believable in the moment, and I can easily handwave/explain most of them, it's only looking back at the totality of them that it felt like the DM designed a campaign for heavy RP players new to a system and somebody showed up with a min/maxed toon. But hey that's Star Wars for you, pretty much every character in the EU was Mary Sue, hell Han Solo is practically the patron saint of Mary Suedom.

But god how much fem-nazi squirt must've soaked the floors of theaters around the world when Ray told Fin not to hold her hand that she knew how to run just fine? Granted, some strange guy tries to hold my hand I'm going to respond similarly, but damn we really don't need to give misandrists any more vindication, lord they're already crying out that Star Wars has been saved from chauvinism. Chauvinism which, untill the EU's recent white-wash removing all the female heroines and villains, hasn't existed.

Kind of felt like they went to more effort to show us that they included asians than was necessary, just made it seem... out of place. The effort, not asians, of course there are space asians.

They did a pretty good job making Carrie Fischer not look like death-warmed-over, she seemed a little stiff though. But I guess she's doing pretty good for someone who's been through what she has.

 

[noman]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

My thoughts on the movie, very little spoiled if anything:

Spoiler

Well, it is a pretty great film, mirroring and living up to the movies that started the series. Though I'm not happy to find out that now they are erasing the entirety of the EU, only things in are the movies and the clone wars show (god I hate hate HATE the art style).

And the criticisms that I have, feel I'm being pretty fair, just if you're currently in love with it you might want to take some time before reading and don't read at all if you haven't seen the movie yet:

Spoiler

TBH I felt pretty butthurt that I fell for the switcheroo they pulled, as I went to see a movie about a stormtrooper becoming a jedi, and it seems that won't be the focus of this arc in the saga.

As far as the actual protagonist... she's Mary Sue as all hell. Now before you froth up and press that neg-rep button ranting about sexism, hear me out. Each singular act was believable in the moment, and I can easily handwave/explain most of them, it's only looking back at the totality of them that it felt like the DM designed a campaign for heavy RP players new to a system and somebody showed up with a min/maxed toon. But hey that's Star Wars for you, pretty much every character in the EU was Mary Sue, hell Han Solo is practically the patron saint of Mary Suedom.

But god how much fem-nazi squirt must've soaked the floors of theaters around the world when Ray told Fin not to hold her hand that she knew how to run just fine? Granted, some strange guy tries to hold my hand I'm going to respond similarly, but damn we really don't need to give misandrists any more vindication, lord they're already crying out that Star Wars has been saved from chauvinism. Chauvinism which, untill the EU's recent white-wash removing all the female heroines and villains, hasn't existed.

Kind of felt like they went to more effort to show us that they included asians than was necessary, just made it seem... out of place. The effort, not asians, of course there are space asians.

They did a pretty good job making Carrie Fischer not look like death-warmed-over, she seemed a little stiff though. But I guess she's doing pretty good for someone who's been through what she has.

I am not sure if the entire EU is being erased. My understanding is that everything in the EU that took place after TJR is now non-canon, but everything else remains canon until stated otherwise.

Spoiler

Regarding Rey being OP, I feel like pointing out that Anakin was able to use the force without training during the pod race, but then apparently a lot of fans were unhappy about that as well.

I thought the part about Rey telling Finn not to hold her hands was pretty funny. Like you said, they have just met and there really isn't a need to hold her hands, may be except when Finn pulled her out of the tent just before it was strafed by a TIE figher.

I wouldn't worry too much about femnazis if I am you. The best thing about femnazis is that they are always angry, and I have no doubt that they will sooner or later find something to hate about Rey.

 

[super_slicer]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Spoiler

I did get a chuckle out of it, but I saw it more as Finn having just lost Poe and not wanting to get separated from the first moderately friendly face he's seen since. I'd imagine he's much like a child mentally, having just shook off the stormtrooper brainwashing, and what do children do when they don't want to lose someone? They hold onto them.

As far as the EU:

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Pretty much everything that actually drew me in and made me love the Star Wars universe is gone now. I was never really captured by the movies the way other people were and I could deal with losing the stuff after EP VI but everything before EP 1 and in-between (Fett's still in the stomach of the saarlac now) as well? This... well I think I'm done with Star Wars for the foreseeable future.

 

[chrisroxxx]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Nice movie, I did just burst out laughing at the few shots of luke's face when you see him for the first time, last couple minutes of the movie.

I mean it literally is just a face!

Did they really have to wrap him in a 'big-black-cloak' to cover up that he is somewhat obese, I actually like that he is a bit out of shape, why not show it?

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Did they really have to wrap him in a 'big-black-cloak' to cover up that he is somewhat obese, I actually like that he is a bit out of shape, why not show it?

Spoiler

Well, to be fair, it's hard to sell the idea that he's gotten obese while living as a hermit on this tiny little island. Maybe the only food supply is a sizable cache of junk-food left behind by some traders? Even a Jedi Master would get rotund living off of Twinkies and Cheetos.

In other movie stuff, I just watched the 1958 movie Vertigo, by Alfred Hitchcock. As always, Hitchcock is the Master of Suspense. The movie starts slow, then it starts to reel you in. Then the punches start coming a little over halfway in, and there's a major plot twist in the last act of the film. Still, Hitchcock was not known for pleasing denouements--the last ten seconds of the film will leave one cursing at the screen.

 

[lurker]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Credit where it's due, Episode 7 kept the same scope of focus as the original trilogy, so it didn't have to fight with too many ideas like the prequels did. Also, admittedly, the New Order isn't TOO bad... though the Supreme Leader I hope isn't actually two stories and has a face made of Play-Doh, I'm guessing that was extra-intimidation hologram shenanigans. A bit towards the cartoonishly evil with how trigger-happy they can be but hey, the Empire and Old-Era Sith wasn't much better at that.

 

[Crawdaddy]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

A bit towards the cartoonishly evil with how trigger-happy they can be but hey, the Empire and Old-Era Sith wasn't much better at that.

Neither were the Nazis, on which the Galactic Empire and New Order are obviously heavily based.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Neither were the Nazis, on which the Galactic Empire and New Order are obviously heavily based.

Bah. The Nazis weren't regarded as truly evil until AFTER we found some of the concentration camps. Before that, they were just upstanding citizens who wanted to make A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶ Germany great again.

 

[handofdoz]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Bah. The Nazis weren't regarded as truly evil until AFTER we found some of the concentration camps. Before that, they were just upstanding citizens who wanted to make A̶m̶e̶r̶i̶c̶a̶ Germany great again.

and Japan too, can't forget that.

 

[chrisroxxx]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Hey, I totally ran out of movies to watch, any suggestions for a fun movie, can be any genre.

 

[Hopeyouguess62]

Re: Random movie talky stuff.

Hey, I totally ran out of movies to watch, any suggestions for a fun movie, can be any genre.

Depends on what you're looking for, really, but here's some random suggestions:

Classic: On the Waterfront, dir. Elia Kazan
Toilet Humor and Bad Puns: Orgazmo, dir. Trey Parker and Matt Stone
Suspense: Rear Window, dir. Alfred Hitchcock
Drama: No Country for Old Men, dir. Coen Brothers
Edgy Humor/Social Commentary: Wolf of Wall Street, dir. Martin Scorsese