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Arts & Entertainment / Re: Superhero Movies & Comics General

« Last post by Roundy on Today at 03:49:38 AM »

Rama Set's account suicide has led to this thread growing drastically lonelier. But I'll still post here from time to time, even if I'm just talking to myself. Zack Snyder has once more popped up in capeshit news by talking about his vision of the DCEU, and he's as dumb and pretentious as ever:

https://thedirect.com/article/zack-snyder-batman-v-superman-negative-reception

I think, and maybe I’m wrong. but I feel like a lot of people went into the movies for going like, ‘Oh, it’s the superhero romp, right? Let’s have fun with it.’ And we gave them this sort of hardcore deconstructivist, heavily layered, experiential modern mythological superhero movie that needs…that you really need to pay attention to. That was not cool [for them]. That’s not something anyone wanted to do. They were like, ‘What? No! That’s exhausting. How about, why do they fight at night?’ I hate that.

To hear Snyder and his fans talk, you would think that nobody other than him has ever tried to make a capeshit movie that had some ambition behind it and wasn't pure escapism. The Dark Knight did pretty well at that, didn't it? So did Logan, released just a year after BvS, and most recently, we've had The Batman. It's almost as if audiences aren't automatically hostile towards ambitious and thoughtful capeshit, but simply dislike movies that are poorly written and directed.

"The world just wasn't ready for my genius!" Lol, what a douchebag.

Did he forget that he had already made a cerebral deconstruction of superhero stories that was at least moderately successful (hello, Watchmen anybody)? And even that paled in comparison with the source material. The guy's not good with the self-reflection, is he?

His problem wasn't that the movies were too smart (Martha, lol, how cerebral), it was that he had the tone all wrong. Batman does not wantonly murder people. Superman does not have a permanent scowl on his face. He had no respect for the characters as they have been established. That's why his movies sucked. I mean, that and the fact that they were boring and poorly written. Does he really think that including an extended commercial for Justice League in the middle of BvS was cerebral? Or in any way compelling?

When his big inspiration The Dark Knight Returns came out it was breaking down decades of tropes. It was legitimately shocking, and that's why it worked. Maybe, like, build up a universe before trying to deconstruct it?

Seriously, fuck Zack Snyder.

P.S. By the way, a "fun superhero romp" should have been exactly what DC wanted and expected. They were trying to compete with the MCU. I'm not saying it had to be a carbon copy but they should have at least been striving to make fun popcorn flicks. The few DC projects that have worked so far worked because they weren't all dour and brooding. I sincerely hope James Gunn and Peter Safran can right the ship.

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Arts & Entertainment / Re: Superhero Movies & Comics General

« Last post by honk on Today at 02:54:52 AM »

Rama Set's account suicide has led to this thread growing drastically lonelier. But I'll still post here from time to time, even if I'm just talking to myself. Zack Snyder has once more popped up in capeshit news by talking about his vision of the DCEU, and he's as dumb and pretentious as ever:

https://thedirect.com/article/zack-snyder-batman-v-superman-negative-reception

I think, and maybe I’m wrong. but I feel like a lot of people went into the movies for going like, ‘Oh, it’s the superhero romp, right? Let’s have fun with it.’ And we gave them this sort of hardcore deconstructivist, heavily layered, experiential modern mythological superhero movie that needs…that you really need to pay attention to. That was not cool [for them]. That’s not something anyone wanted to do. They were like, ‘What? No! That’s exhausting. How about, why do they fight at night?’ I hate that.

To hear Snyder and his fans talk, you would think that nobody other than him has ever tried to make a capeshit movie that had some ambition behind it and wasn't pure escapism. The Dark Knight did pretty well at that, didn't it? So did Logan, released just a year after BvS, and most recently, we've had The Batman. It's almost as if audiences aren't automatically hostile towards ambitious and thoughtful capeshit, but simply dislike movies that are poorly written and directed.

Also, I watched Shazam! Fury of the Gods. It's not great. It's hard to put my finger on what it is exactly about it that falls short of the first one, but it feels kind of generic in comparison. One of the biggest strengths of the first movie was that the emphasis was on the characters and the personal stakes of how a teenager who's had a rough life finally finds a home and a family where he belongs. That's a hard act to follow, and the movie does at least try to keep us invested in this family and their bond, but this is fatally undermined by the fact that in stark contrast to the first one, this movie is very heavily plot-driven. We're very quickly introduced to our antagonists, and they very quickly plunge the world into great danger. There are not one, but two MacGuffins the antagonists are after, and they largely drive the plot. The movie even indulges in the cliché of capeshit/genre movies that I hate the most - the villain who gets captured and then reveals that it was part of their plan all along. I couldn't believe it when I saw that they were dusting that old trick off yet again.

Another issue with the movie is the clash between Zachary Levi as Shazam and Asher Angel as Billy. This was already kind of an issue with the first movie, but in this one, with Asher so much visibly older, it's far worse. Levi plays the character as if he's a twelve year-old kid in the body of an adult, but Billy is supposed to be turning eighteen, and Asher (in his limited screen time) both looks and acts like he's eighteen. It's not a good look for the character. A child behaving in a childish way can be charming, but an adult behaving in a childish way is just obnoxious. Also, I don't think it's spoiling anything to say that Gal Gadot cameos in this movie, and her role is to be nothing less than a figurative and literal deus ex machina. It's surreal, like a How It Should Have Ended video playing out at the end of an actual movie. It's not helped by the fact that Gadot sounds like she's bored out of her mind.

Finally, while The Flash has yet to come out, the review embargo has ended, and here it is on RT. Astonishingly, this movie appears to not have been rapturously acclaimed as one of the greatest capeshit films of all time. Go figure.

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Flat Earth Media / Re: New Photos of Moon suggest Flat Earth?

« Last post by Pete Svarrior on June 07, 2023, 07:27:19 PM »

I would note that it would only be a wild goose hunt if those posts don't actually exist...

A wild goose chase is the hunt for something unattainable; in this case, the wild goose is your acceptance of the facts. I could spend hours carefully collating all of your posts into a neat archive, and you'd just ignore them and continue your disruptive behaviour. Even in this thread, you've reassured me that this is exactly what would happen. You do not adapt to new information, so any effort to present you with it would be misplaced.

I already know the posts exist. All things considered I have an all right memory, and when I'm in doubt, I check my facts. I did so (reluctantly; since it means allowing you to waste my time, and telling you this means you get to enjoy it) in this case, and I choose not to present any of it (because I have absolutely no faith that you'd accept it - that would be allowing you to waste more of my time). I've also checked your previous mysterious memory lapses as they occurred - again, you use this tactic a lot - and have never found myself to be completely off the mark. Small mistakes here and there, sure, sometimes I'll misremember the tone of a conversation, or a small detail will have slipped my attention, but nothing to the effect of "egads, AATW was right, I only thought about saying XYZ, but never actually said it!"

For example, I had a decent recollection of the conversation from 5 years ago - your claim that it's a reference to the song, it being largely disbelieved, and the fact that I suggested for you to fix it back then. I did get a small detail wrong, and you will have noticed that I edited my post to reflect that.

I generally hold myself to fairly high standards, and I wouldn't conclude that you're this untrustworthy without carefully examining the evidence.

Now, what remains is to get you to stop this nonsense. Before you go on a ramble about iNtEnTiOnS - from a utilitarian perspective I don't care if you're trolling or if you suffer from inexplicable memory lapses that just coincidentally happen to cause you to ignore rebuttals and repeat arguments, and to turn every thread into an endless debacle about nothing. It also doesn't really matter if there's a third, much better, explanation for your behaviour. I care about that behaviour ending, since it disrupts the forum, and ultimately it is my job to stop these sort of disruptions, not to psychoanalyse the person causing it.

when I ask you for an example you fail to provide one

As I have told you countless times before - I highlight examples as they occur. You concede that this happens a lot. I quote a post of yours, and I say "hey, look, here's pattern XYZ again". You then go "Pattern XYZ? Lil' ol' me? 🥺 But but but I've never seen an exaaaaaample of this!"

Since you already know this conversation happens "a lot", I suggest you have plenty of examples to work your way through. This is a logical consequence of things you've claimed yourself - I'm merely connecting the dots here. Your two postulates are in direct contradiction of each other. That suggests a lie, and an incompetent one at that.

Now, on this subject we have certainly had the conversation before.

See - it doesn't help that you first claim not to remember something, or to be unable to find it, only to then readily admit that you have knowledge of the subject. It's as if you were trying to explore just how much further you can damage your credibility.

as a gesture of good will I've changed it to the initials, which is what I've seen some people call me anyway and the original name will get lost in the mists of time anyway. How's that?

Fine, noted. I appreciate it.

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Flat Earth Media / Re: New Photos of Moon suggest Flat Earth?

« Last post by AATW on June 07, 2023, 04:48:53 PM »

In the hypothetical scenario where you're a troll trying to maximise nuisance and time wasted, you would request that I go on a wild goose chase hunting down old posts you "don't remember" for personal amusement.

I would note that it would only be a wild goose hunt if those posts don't actually exist...
And I have told you repeatedly that I am mostly here to waste time - but my own, not yours or anyone else's.
In this thread I'd suggest I've replied pretty patiently to Dual1ty. I've backed up my position with a reference and explanations. I'm not seeing the same from him.

And you make those requests, like, a lot.

I make these requests as often as you say things like this, which you do...a lot.
You often accuse me of a certain repeated behaviour or tell me we've had a conversation a load of times before and then when I ask you for an example you fail to provide one.
Now, on this subject we have certainly had the conversation before. But I dispute that I've been "curbstomped" in any way.
Yes, the word "proof" is misused like the word "literally" is. But I've been through that in some detail above and explained why I have.
Just saying I'm very wrong, declaring yourself right and saying you've already won this argument isn't really a response.

I believe that, at the time, my advice to you was to nuke this persona and start over, lest you'd find yourself thoroughly disliked.

Well, fine. And in the thread you've referenced I explained that my name wasn't based on some meme as you thought. It's an Oasis song.
And I could mutter about "snowflakes" and bemoan anyone being "triggered" by the name. But ok, as a gesture of good will I've changed it to the initials, which is what I've seen some people call me anyway and the original name will get lost in the mists of time anyway. How's that?

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Flat Earth Media / Re: New Photos of Moon suggest Flat Earth?

« Last post by Pete Svarrior on June 07, 2023, 04:18:11 PM »

Traditionally the way one helps someone who has forgotten something is to remind them.

See, there's a problem with that. In the hypothetical scenario where you're a troll trying to maximise nuisance and time wasted, you would request that I go on a wild goose chase hunting down old posts you "don't remember" for personal amusement. And you make those requests, like, a lot. I'm sure you won't be shocked to hear that I don't trust you as far as I could throw you, and I'm not capable of throwing you very far. I'm a skinny boy, no muscle at all.

(God-alone knows why he thinks I'm 20 by the way!)

It's a typical response to your choice of name and avatar combined with how you conduct yourself. When you first joined, my assumptions were similar (and invited immediate aggression). I believe that, at the time, my advice to you was to nuke this persona and start over, lest you'd find yourself thoroughly disliked. I was being earnest in those recommendations.

[EDIT: Turns out I wasn't specific in my recommendation, beyond pointing out that it was not yet too late to fix your username: https://forum.tfes.org/index.php?topic=8492.0. I stand by everything I said 5 years ago, and you're only reaping what you chose to sow.]

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Flat Earth Media / Re: New Photos of Moon suggest Flat Earth?

« Last post by AATW on June 07, 2023, 04:05:42 PM »

I completely believe that you do actually forget your posts and the replies to them. I'm not sure how I could help with that.

Traditionally the way one helps someone who has forgotten something is to remind them.
You could, for example, point me to the thread when you, or someone else, "curbstomped" me on this topic.
I'm not convinced that ever happened other than in your own mind. I've been pretty clear in this thread about the different levels of proof or caveats of it.
I've been clear about why I've been so precise in those definitions given the person I'm replying to* and his stance.
I've also provided a link which supports what I'm saying.
Your only response has been to say I'm wrong and have been previously shown wrong. I don't think that's happened.

(God-alone knows why he thinks I'm 20 by the way!)

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Philosophy, Religion & Society / Re: Aliens!

« Last post by Dual1ty on June 07, 2023, 02:33:08 PM »

People in the UFO circles have been yelling about this shit happening for the past few years now. And yeah, Bob Lazar is allegedly also a whistleblower but he sucks tbh and people in the UFO circles don't even care for him.

What? That's not true, I love Bob and so do many others. His story remains consistent even now after all the years.

General opinion is that he's a grifter who lies about everything and has done more harm than good. Some people do believe him but at the very least he is extremely divisive and I feel like you'd know that if you actually had an interest in this stuff.

https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/c4r0lw/whats_the_deal_with_bob_lazar/
https://www.reddit.com/r/mystery/comments/sqt2ai/is_bob_lazar_full_of_shit_his_interesting_stories/
https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/12vnead/what_do_people_here_think_of_bob_lazar/

Reddit is a UFO circle now?? You can't be serious.

Not to mention that pretty much any general opinions on Reddit are wrong.

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Philosophy, Religion & Society / Re: Aliens!

« Last post by Rushy on June 07, 2023, 02:32:31 PM »

This isn't related directly to the Grusch whistleblower case but the timing is funny. NASA Streamed AARO's public meeting on UAP (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena).


 

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Philosophy, Religion & Society / Re: Aliens!

« Last post by rooster on June 07, 2023, 02:29:59 PM »

People in the UFO circles have been yelling about this shit happening for the past few years now. And yeah, Bob Lazar is allegedly also a whistleblower but he sucks tbh and people in the UFO circles don't even care for him.

What? That's not true, I love Bob and so do many others. His story remains consistent even now after all the years.

General opinion is that he's a grifter who lies about everything and has done more harm than good. Some people do believe him but at the very least he is extremely divisive and I feel like you'd know that if you actually had an interest in this stuff.

https://www.reddit.com/r/television/comments/c4r0lw/whats_the_deal_with_bob_lazar/
https://www.reddit.com/r/mystery/comments/sqt2ai/is_bob_lazar_full_of_shit_his_interesting_stories/
https://www.reddit.com/r/aliens/comments/12vnead/what_do_people_here_think_of_bob_lazar/

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Philosophy, Religion & Society / Re: Aliens!

« Last post by Dual1ty on June 07, 2023, 02:22:30 PM »

People in the UFO circles have been yelling about this shit happening for the past few years now. And yeah, Bob Lazar is allegedly also a whistleblower but he sucks tbh and people in the UFO circles don't even care for him.

What? That's not true, I love Bob and so do many others. His story remains consistent even now after all the years.