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Posts
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I go away for a weekend and this is what happens?
******* it. -
Quote:Since I've really only seen his work in X-Men 1 and 2, The Usual Suspects, and Superman Returns, and thought three of four were fairly decent, I'm don't have anything against him.I hate that man. I don't mind the homosexuality theme as you are pointing out...but that man is retarded.
Of course, I also haven't really read or seen him talk outside the commentary tracks, so.
Quote:Did I mention he has a reputation here in LaLa Land (and it's pretty much true as far as I know from reliable resources) as liking under age Thai boys? -
Not just racism, actually, just any kind of minority. That's one of the things I liked about Bryan Singer's treatment in the first movie, blatantly linking it to homosexuality in his interpretation of it.
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Quote:Well, not so much anti-Commie as anti-Fascist, fighting a philosophy based on might and power with characters that embodied... might and power. The anti-Japanese stuff had an anti-Yellow Peril tinge, though, but who can blame them, it's not like they considered Asians as people during that era, what with the immigration laws and the internment camps...But it was still anti-commie, that was the point. Have you guys ever seen those comics? Those things are HILARIOUSLY racist. I say that, because as an Asian, they really went mean on those Japanese. Cheggit:
Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips
Superman: Japoteurs
Popeye the Sailor vs. the Japanese
They were a product of their time, y'know. -
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Quote:I keep forgetting that there are graphic novels that deal with these superheroes...((I quit buying Marvel U. books when Civil War started. Why? I thought it was stoopid. I like my escapist fare to be escapist.))
I'd highly recommend the 만화 series that starts with The Color of Earth (You may find it translated as 황토빛이야기). You can tell that it's written by a guy, and the writing is a bit, well, let's just say he hammers you with the metaphors.
On the other hand, the story's cute, and the art is magnificent. -
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Quote:So the entire discipline of Theology is ridiculous?Not when the basis of your arguement centers on a materials contradictions.
Quote:You can not like a movie because it doesn't quite match up with your favored version of canon. However, when there are multiple versions of canon, being upset at an additional version of canon just because it's an additional version seems to be self defeating, IMO. If that were a legitimate arguement, then no fanboi alive should like XMen, Spiderman, Batman [or TMNT] in any of its incarnations [outside of the first].
Quote:When you think about it, the originals made little sense; criticisms could be made against both materials but again; criticizing a new recipe for fruit salad on the basis that it doesn't match the long list of different recipes for fruit salad that preceded it shows an extreme inflexibility to the idea of what the progression of fruit salad should look like... as opposed to not liking it because it tasted like a load of carp.
Part of the reason that the new Star Trek didn't raise as much ire is because they took all of the ingredients in the original recipe, stripped out ones they didn't like, and threw in new ones (like a plot that seems a bit taken from Star Wars), and then blended them together well.
That's not the sense I'm getting from the reviews of this movie; instead, it seems like they've taken some of the ingredients, decided to add in a bunch of new ones, and didn't care to see if they meshed well--which is why many people think it tasted like, in your words, a load of carp.
Quote:The points may be valid but the basis of the argument could still be flawed. And very 'American' things are made multi-national in real life while still clinging to an American moniker (as in both Gulf Wars, the 'War on Terror' and the 'War on Drugs')
The difference with those, however, and "G.I. Joe", is that the origins of the former were by their nature multi-national, while the latter is distinctly American. G.I., of course, being shorthand for US soldiers, not any soldiers; the series was billed as being a "real American hero"; and, I'm pretty sure, I remember them being called something else in foreign countries, without using the G.I. Joe name.
You could make the argument that it was because they didn't want to pay the licensing for that brand, but I'm willing to bet it's because the association of the name wouldn't have worked as well with the foreign kids. After all, they had other nicknames for their soldiers. -
Quote:I'd actually have to disagree with him on some aspects. I think he sells the film short; while he's correct that the film isn't that challenging or makes people think (something which I actually place on the latter half's action-oriented nature), I do think that some of the characters do have redeeming qualities. We do, after all, see a transformation from a muddling middle-manager to a person driven to the edge and given the means to enact his will--and instead of simply going nuts with it, as we see in, say, Thirst, we see him at least try to do some good, which is what he'd been wanting to do all along.Agahnim's posts in this thread do a good job of summing up my feelings on the movie.
A movie I didn't particularly care for, and I'm still posting about it in 3 separate threads. Somedays I hate the internet.
As far as social commentary, etc., it takes place in the background. There's not much there, and it's not particularly novel, but it's there, and it pretty much amounts to: "Forcing anybody into ghettos and creating an apartheid atmosphere is bad, mmkay?" -
Quote:I'm wary of a sequel. In some ways, given the tone of the film, which I felt was meant to be a bit bittersweet, having Chris return and save District 10 as well as Wikus would be too...Agreed, if you look at this from your typical Summer blockbuster hit, this'll exceed your expectations as it did for me. I wasn't expecting anything philosophical or mind blowing, therefore I was generally pleased with it. It's a good movie and clearly there'll be a sequel I think.
Chris made a promise, I'd hate to see him forget about it.
Well, it's like the story of FFX and FFX-2. The first one ended reasonably satisfyingly. Let's not talk about the second.
...and the other thing would be that if Christopher did come back, it almost automatically suggests an action-oriented confrontational story, which is a little too easy to do poorly. Particularly because then they'd have to explain the aliens and why they came here, rather than leaving it a mystery. -
Quote:Actually, I think expressing displeasure about an interpretation is perfectly valid, even if the source is littered with contradictions.I have to laugh at all of the seriousness at which people are taking this. This isn't saying that people shouldn't be a bit disappointed if something doesn't quite fall into a preconceived mold.
Black Kingpins; 2 different Sabertooths between the 4 X-Titles; the birth, life and death of every major comic book villain in the span of 90 minutes, etc... it happens.
It even happens within the original medium; not just in its translation to a different one.
There's really no justification for rallying against an interpretation that isn't 100% true to canon when the source material is littered with parallels, skews and outright changes.
And it really isn't logical to pay $20 to see something that is exactly like something you've already read... especially when it comes with accompanying pictures.
After all, you see it all the time between different religious denominations and sects.
The debate, I'd think, is actually more over whether said interpretations make sense; any adaptation or translation is necessarily going to change things, but that shouldn't mean that editorial changes should be immune to criticism.
Quote:The actuality of the problem is that some people are just too fanboish about fiction to be grounded in reality.
Quote:But point is; I tend to take the presentation for what it is and the stuff in the GI Joe movie isn't any more off-base or unrealistic than anything from the cartoons. -
Quote:Yes. That was actually my big problem with Sunshine--it was a fantastic movie until the switch to the slasher-thriller feel in the last 30 minutes. Don't get me wrong, I'll still recommend that one too, but it's markedly less satisfying because in that one, the shift in tone wasn't connected all that well, whereas in District 9, it is.Well, I've not seen District 9 yet, so this'll be a slight derailing of the thread, but...
I actually really liked Sunshine. I thought the acting, the lighting and the plot were really good. Admittedly, the ending was a bit crappy where they went from "introspective commentary of the hardships of human beings under stressful situations" to "RAR MONSTER PERSON!" But I was willing to overlook that for the rest of the story's sake. -
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Quote:So we should be expecting a glowing review from you on the upcoming Monopoly, Battleship, and maybe Candyland movies?Someone give Yogi a Picnic Basket & Cigar.
Common sense over-riding "OMG MY CHILDHOOD" dorks.
I for one, happy period to see anything I grew up on, in another fashion, be it Big Screen, New Games, etc...
JJ
Since you will, for one, be happy to see anything you grew up with in another fashion. -
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Also, with those three "forum games" below being "Questions Only", "Exclamations Only", and "Statements Only", why don't we start one that's "Interrobangs Only"?
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Most of you are Occidental births, nu?
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I'll just flat out admit there may be spoilers ahead.
I'll admit that I entered the movie knowing very little about it, other than the small factoid that Peter Jackson produced it, and let the erstwhile director of the stillborn Halo movie have free reign to tell a story.
Overall, I'd recommend this one. It's not quite an allegory about apartheid; nor is it quite a story about race relations. That commentary takes place almost entirely in the background: you do see scenes reminiscent of the outdoor ad campaign (signs proclaiming that certain buses are for humans only, among others), and in the simple inhuman behavior scattered throughout the film of both the humans and aliens. What the story is about, I'd think, is actually more of identity.
When we first meet the protagonist, the interviews with his friends and family give the impression of a simple, well-meaning but in-over-his-head middle manager tasked with a horrific duty: the relocation of a couple million alien refugees, with a facade of legality to allow the humans to at least try to sleep at night. Some things go wrong, mistakes are made, and then, at the end, we have a hero--at least, for the viewers and the faction in the story one is meant to side with.
The reason why it's about identity, though, is that every time our protagonist grows as a character, there's a very noticeable shift in the tone and type of movie: from a documentary-style film to the fugitive-style, ultimately culminating with the heroic and noble battle; not only that, but the viewer's outlook and sympathies towards the aliens shift very much in line with Wikus van de Merwe's--who, all along, retains his rather simple, well-meaning core in one form or another.
While it does shift a bit too much towards the standard action fare in its conclusion, the buildup is at least well-structured (unlike, say, Sunshine), so it's not as jarring; it does cause the film, however, to seemingly lose hold of a lot of other things it may have been meaning to say, and makes its previous, more subtle criticisms painfully, awkwardly blunt.
The visual effects are near-seamless; one thing that struck me, though, was how well this story would work as a graphic novel.
Anyway, it's worth seeing, if you've the time. -
Alas, I still am far away from the next k.
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Welcome back.
Quote:P.S. Silly info to laugh at: apparently, I am excessive in my usage of smiley faces in text messages to my friends IRL.
Not that it's ever been brought up to me about my communiques. >.> -
Quote:You say that like it's somehow not as bad. But in the end, you're just speaking with harried individuals who ought to know better, only they don't and they want to blame you for everything wrong they've done in their lives.Im going to work.
ITT, brave souls talk about what their jobs are.
Mine's not McDonald's, it's actually tech support for a major wireless provider.
...actually, that describes a lot of jobs. -
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