Saddam Hussein

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #780 on: October 19, 2014, 05:46:23 PM »
I've finished True Detective.  Sorry to the fans of the show here, but I can't really say that I thought it was very good.  I was tentatively approving of it earlier, as you might remember, but I was honestly giving it the benefit of the doubt based on its impressive technical competence, intriguing style, and a decent first couple of episodes.  From there, it all went downhill.  For all its weight, all its gravitas, all its grim seriousness, this show doesn't amount to much more than a stock serial killer hunt, one that's stretched out over eight very long, dull, slow hours.  Along the way, it hits pretty much every predictable cliché there is.  All the cop clichés are here.  All the serial killer clichés are here.  It even strives to fall in line with the standard "Golden Age" tropes, like douchebag protagonists, painful-to-watch family melodrama, and women seldom being more than interfering family members or disposable sex objects. 

And all this stuff would be fine, if the show had any self-awareness and tried to have some fun along the way, but it doesn't.  It's consistently dark, depressing, humorless, and joyless, and yet doesn't have a decent story that might make it worth sitting through all the doom and gloom.  The combination of clichés and weight is truly strange.  It's like it tried to have it both ways - be fun, and at the same time be deep and emotionally compelling, but somehow they screwed it up and ended up with the worst of both worlds - it's hackneyed, and at the same time it's pretentious wangst.
« Last Edit: October 20, 2014, 04:57:02 AM by Saddam Hussein »

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #781 on: October 19, 2014, 06:54:21 PM »
I would like a detailed cliche list from tvtropes.

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Offline rooster

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #782 on: October 19, 2014, 07:47:39 PM »
I would like a detailed cliche list from tvtropes.
There's a lot of tropes, but none that I think are shallow enough to seem like lazy cliche writing. I love The black and gray morality theme myself. And the lack of strong female characters doesn't bother me since a) Hart is a man whore and b) Cohle is damaged beyond repair. Everyone sucks. And it's just about 2 guys, one being a good ole boy so is bound to be sexist anyway.

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Offline Snupes

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #783 on: October 19, 2014, 08:47:28 PM »
Just saw Fury. Fucking hate it
There are cigarettes in joints. You don't smoke it by itself.

Saddam Hussein

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #784 on: October 19, 2014, 09:20:31 PM »
Just saw Fury. Fucking hate it

Go on.

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Offline rooster

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #785 on: October 19, 2014, 09:52:07 PM »
Just saw Fury. Fucking hate it
boo

I'm curious why you hate it. It has solid good ratings.

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Offline Crudblud

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #786 on: October 20, 2014, 03:28:40 AM »
Okay, so this isn't just just watched, but I saw the first two seasons of Louis C.K.'s Louie fairly recently. Overall impression positive! When it's funny, it's very funny, though I found the second season to be a bit too heavy handed when it came to more serious topics, and the USO episode in particular had some cringe sentimental moments, almost to the point that I felt like I was watching Scrubs or something. However, the episode with Doug Stanhope proved that C.K. can write an affecting scene without going overboard, so I hope any revisits to Serious Land in future seasons follow that same approach.

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Offline Snupes

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #787 on: October 20, 2014, 04:08:16 AM »
Okay, so this isn't just just watched, but I saw the first two seasons of Louis C.K.'s Louie fairly recently. Overall impression positive! When it's funny, it's very funny, though I found the second season to be a bit too heavy handed when it came to more serious topics, and the USO episode in particular had some cringe sentimental moments, almost to the point that I felt like I was watching Scrubs or something. However, the episode with Doug Stanhope proved that C.K. can write an affecting scene without going overboard, so I hope any revisits to Serious Land in future seasons follow that same approach.

I'm glad you like it so far!! I think the "serious" bits get a lot better as it goes on—actually, I think everything basically gets better, especially in season 4. Seasons 1, 2 and 3, for me, feel like he's sort of going all over the place and trying everything out, seeing what sticks and what works, then season 4 (imo) feels like he's got a firm grasp of it and decides to make a cohesive season with what he's learned.


Just saw Fury. Fucking hate it
boo

I'm curious why you hate it. It has solid good ratings.

Alright, well, my initial post was kind of reactionary, purposely so, and in the moment. I genuinely felt hatred and wanted to post that to see for myself how it held up later. It's kind of interesting. I mean, I genuinely was very upset at the movie, but in a good way. It was an amazing movie. Semi-spoilers ahead, so don't read further if you want to see it (which I do recommend you do). I can't stand most war movies, it's all so overdone and everything is romanticized and it's damn near impossible to not be generic and clichéd, but Fury was a fucking impressive film. I loved it as a movie, but I hated it down to the marrow in my bones because it was a disgusting movie. And that's a good thing, it's supposed to be—that just means it served its purpose, in my eyes. War is hell, and that movie sold it for me more than any other film, story or writing ever has before it. I hated the people, I hated their reserved demeanors towards what they were doing, I hated the joy they found in it, I hated how they personified an entire country as "more pigs to kill", I hate how they took an innocent kid and rubbed his face right into the dirt, blood and tears until he was just as apathetic towards (and even pulled into) the indiscriminate slaughter of thousands of people, I hated seeing, more and more as the movie went on, that all the people I hated were just like him, went through the same process as him and were all really just as scared as him. I hated that movie. And because of that, I loved it.
There are cigarettes in joints. You don't smoke it by itself.

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Offline rooster

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #788 on: October 20, 2014, 04:33:27 PM »
Alright, well, my initial post was kind of reactionary, purposely so, and in the moment. I genuinely felt hatred and wanted to post that to see for myself how it held up later. It's kind of interesting. I mean, I genuinely was very upset at the movie, but in a good way. It was an amazing movie. Semi-spoilers ahead, so don't read further if you want to see it (which I do recommend you do). I can't stand most war movies, it's all so overdone and everything is romanticized and it's damn near impossible to not be generic and clichéd, but Fury was a fucking impressive film. I loved it as a movie, but I hated it down to the marrow in my bones because it was a disgusting movie. And that's a good thing, it's supposed to be—that just means it served its purpose, in my eyes. War is hell, and that movie sold it for me more than any other film, story or writing ever has before it. I hated the people, I hated their reserved demeanors towards what they were doing, I hated the joy they found in it, I hated how they personified an entire country as "more pigs to kill", I hate how they took an innocent kid and rubbed his face right into the dirt, blood and tears until he was just as apathetic towards (and even pulled into) the indiscriminate slaughter of thousands of people, I hated seeing, more and more as the movie went on, that all the people I hated were just like him, went through the same process as him and were all really just as scared as him. I hated that movie. And because of that, I loved it.
Gotcha, that makes more sense. It was a rough movie and I am really glad they didn't romanticize it all.

As someone who is fascinated with WWI and WWII front line stories, this movie did the experience a lot more justice.

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Offline Ghost Spaghetti

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #789 on: October 20, 2014, 09:03:41 PM »
I think Atlantis is worth watching though.

I disagree.

In addition, I really don't recommend Gotham. In a way, I feel sorry for the production team, they've clearly spent a lot of time and effort making Gotham look and feel right, somewhere between Burton and Nolan's Batman - art deco and modern, that they seem to have forgotten to get actors who can act or writers who can write dialogue.

A big disappointment.

Saddam Hussein

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #790 on: October 20, 2014, 09:08:29 PM »
I think Atlantis is worth watching though.

I disagree.

In addition, I really don't recommend Gotham. In a way, I feel sorry for the production team, they've clearly spent a lot of time and effort making Gotham look and feel right, somewhere between Burton and Nolan's Batman - art deco and modern, that they seem to have forgotten to get actors who can act or writers who can write dialogue.

A big disappointment.

Oh, go on.  Tell us more about this awful writing/acting.

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Offline beardo

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #791 on: October 20, 2014, 09:17:05 PM »
Atlantis may not be as interesting as SG-1 with it's lack of mythological references and interesting villains. But it does have some good characters (as well as bad ones, but SG-1 has its share of terrible character as well *chough*Suemantha Carter*chough*).McKay is heaps more fun to watch than Carter ever was, and the two final seasons were better than the two final SG-1 seasons.
The Mastery.

Saddam Hussein

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #792 on: October 21, 2014, 01:55:09 AM »
I've begun watching Gotham, and so far it is ridiculous, stupid, and quite entertaining.  The fake New York accents are truly awful, though.
« Last Edit: October 22, 2014, 12:26:43 AM by Saddam Hussein »

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Offline Snupes

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #793 on: October 21, 2014, 02:31:58 PM »
I've begun watching Gotham, and so far it is ridiculous, stupid, and quite entertaining.  The fake New York accents are truly awful, though.
They aren't supposed to be New York accents, they are Gotham accents. Get your facts straight.
There are cigarettes in joints. You don't smoke it by itself.

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #794 on: October 21, 2014, 04:38:58 PM »
Atlantis may not be as interesting as SG-1 with it's lack of mythological references and interesting villains. But it does have some good characters (as well as bad ones, but SG-1 has its share of terrible character as well *chough*Suemantha Carter*chough*).McKay is heaps more fun to watch than Carter ever was, and the two final seasons were better than the two final SG-1 seasons.

Are the main villains in Atlantis the Ori?

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #795 on: October 21, 2014, 07:31:23 PM »
Atlantis may not be as interesting as SG-1 with it's lack of mythological references and interesting villains. But it does have some good characters (as well as bad ones, but SG-1 has its share of terrible character as well *chough*Suemantha Carter*chough*).McKay is heaps more fun to watch than Carter ever was, and the two final seasons were better than the two final SG-1 seasons.

Are the main villains in Atlantis the Ori?
It starts off with the wraith ad then replicators.

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Offline beardo

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #796 on: October 21, 2014, 10:14:17 PM »
And then back to Wraith.
The Mastery.

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #797 on: October 23, 2014, 09:05:26 AM »
Next Avengers trailer just dropped, looks pretty good. Like Ultron's look and voice. Lots of typical trailer cool shots like Hulk vs Hulk armour. Pretty much zero plot spoilage but this is only a preliminary trailer.

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Offline spoon

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Re: Just Watched
« Reply #798 on: October 24, 2014, 03:45:42 PM »
Children of Men

Same director that did Gravity, Alfonso Cuarón. He really likes his long takes. This was my favorite scene from the movie:



inb4 Blanko spoons a literally pizza

Ghost of V

Re: Just Watched
« Reply #799 on: October 26, 2014, 10:27:22 PM »
Well, they fucked up Teal'c's character a good bit in season 8. Just finished the episode where he is living in his own apartment and gets arrested for homicide. O'neil is now the brigadier general of the SGC and Suemantha Carter is the commander of Sg-1. When does the new commander show up?