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(114 replies, posted in Creations)

BigDamnArtist wrote:

We just released the trailer for our latest short film Skinner. (Featuring music by FIYH's own Kyle Monroe).

That looks badass man.

I wanted to high-five the ending of this film. The ecstasy of evil.

fireproof78 wrote:

Also, with Kylo, he feels so unrefined in his power (I pity the repair crews in the First Order something awful) that is really a different take on a Force user. Again, like Rey, there is a raw sense to it that really intrigues me on a character level.

Kylo is so adept at using the force -- except when he flies into a rage, at which point he goes completely analog. It nicely differentiates him from Anakin, who used the force to mind-crush shit when he lost it about Padme's death.

The idea of the repair crew guy would make a funny fan film. It's just one guy named Roy who has to go around fixing all the Keurig machines and paper-jammed copiers Kylo has trashed.

Herc wrote:

A plot hole to me is something inconsistent, not necessarily missing information. Simpler example: the whole "how did Poe get off Jakku?" thing. We can assume he found a way, that's fine. There's certainly nothing in the movie that contradicts that, or gives us a reason to think it would be impossible.


I think that's correct. IIRC the Wikipedia page for "Plot Hole" observes that a true plot hole is something that is essential to a story's outcome. The way I tend to say it is that it's not merely some little detail that is kind of wonky but rather something that should make sense/have been explained in order for the story as a whole to be coherent. But there is some subjectivity in these determinations. So if someone feels Rey's being too Force-y too fast is a plot hole, I understand. I didn't regard it as problematic myself, but it's a reasonable point to raise. Her facility with the force is a key story point.

Indeed a pilot surviving a crash doesn't require any explanation whatsoever. People survive crashes. Not a plot hole because it's obvious what happened (he survived, just as Finn did), and what happened isn't extraordinary or illogical. Now if we'd seen Poe's limp body engulfed in flames only for him to pop up later in the movie fit as a fiddle, then that would probably require an explanation.

BigDamnArtist wrote:

D) Finn. God bless him man, but damn. His characterization just doesn't work. He's supposed to be a guy who was raised from childhood to be a soldier. That's LITERALLY the only thing he's known his entire life

My mom, of all people, made similar comments about Finn. She said we never really see Finn adjusting to life outside the Storm Trooper outfit. Not only does that make more sense, but had they mined that territory, it seems like there's ample opportunities for little jokes there.

My caption would be "They maybe should've ended the film on THIS shot."

I mean, I guess?

This is true. But Campbell's probably still making like a rotisserie about the prequels.

I suppose at some point there had to be that first guy who discovered the Jedi mind trick, Jedi patient zero. He felt the Force flow through him and intuited that "Oh hey, I think I might be able to mind-fuck this dude into doing what I want" as opposed to being taught how to do that.  I would think then that it's possible to discover a power on your own if you've got high midichlorian--I mean, if the Force is strong enough in you. My personal interpretation was that we have a prima facie case of that with Rey.

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(16 replies, posted in Off Topic)

TFA is my film of the year for... too many reasons to list. I think it's a truly great movie.

PHOENIX and CREED were also unforgettable theater-going experiences I had this year.

FURY ROAD and TFA were the two 2015 films that were the best at putting images in my mind and having them stick there.

I wouldn't be surprised if they give homeboy his third cinematography Oscar in a row. Deakins did SICARIO this year, and his work in it is absolutely amazing, so I'm really looking forward to seeing him lose for the umpteenth time to someone who couldn't carry his jock.

The Falcon IS a piece of shit, and that's part of why we have such affection for it. It's a smuggler's ship. Han was a blue collar type, and the Falcon was his work vehicle for hauling loads, almost like an space UPS truck or an 18-wheeler. Is a Mack truck that's been in service for many years a piece of shit? It may well be--in the sense that it's not a luxury vehicle with leather seats, not a hot rod, not a limo. But the trucker who's driven it all those years might think it's the best vehicle ever, might have given it a name. Are there "better" vehicles? Hell yes. But old Susie gets the job done, even if she doesn't always work perfectly. That's the Falcon. (I like to imagine that Han's Kessel Run record had more to do with savvy smuggler piloting skills than having a fast ship, even if Han likes to brag about the Falcon.)

Saw it yet again. Williams' score does seem better on repeat viewings, but it is more subtle than I expected.

My sister said, so long as they're aping the original films, that when KR kills Han, Han should've said "I love you" and KR should've said "I know." That's a bit too cute, even for me.

Snoke really is an odd name choice, but I can live with that. For me it was the character design that seemed kind of... unremarkable--an almost-Yoda without the charms or distinctive features. You've got Serkis. Go nuts.

The fact that his projection was so big was odd too (they just use that huge room for teleconferencing with the Snokester, I guess?).

There you go. I stand corrected. Thank you.

I forgot the biggest WTF moment for me: it was Chewie not getting the captain's chair of the Falcon after Han is gone. I get it -- people still want to get some mileage out of their Chewie is My Co-pilot t-shirts and bumper stickers. But that just seemed wrong. He should have inherited that captain's seat. It could have been a moment.

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts there's a deleted scene showing Poe's escape from the wreckage and getting off of the planet.

I think the idea might be that there's something inside Finn that makes him recoil from slaughtering villagers (as opposed to harming someone who's trying to do you harm in a battle), something that the "programming" storm troopers get couldn't stamp out. We may well learn about his past and learn where that thing in him comes from, who put it there. It's when the order to kill the non-resisting villagers gets handed down--that moment--that you see him realize not that he doesn't want to do it, but that he can't do it. There's a difference between being a soldier and being a murderer.

avatar wrote:

Loved the crashed destroyer shots.

Hell yes. Just a gorgeous way of evoking the old imagery while emphasizing the time that's elapsed. The Empire is a literal corpse being picked apart for scrap.

I kind of hated the Nazi salute thing. Overkill. We get it. Storm troopers, Third Reich::First Order, it looks like a Nuremberg rally. We get it.

Also I thought we'd get a scene in which Leia and Chewie console each other about Han (did we?). Was disappointed when I didn't see it.

I loved the ending pretty hard. I was hoping for a post-credits scene in which Luke messes with Rey, maybe speaks in Yoda syntax, eats her granola. Chewie's inconsiderate for not dropping her off on top of the damn mountain.

Yeah the confrontation between Han and his boy was well written in spots, but overall there were some missed opportunities there, dialog-wise. Wouldn't be surprised if earlier versions of the script had way more of that relationship.

I adored it. My chief gripe was the casting choice they made with respect to the big bad -- Driver's not the face that comes to mind when I think of who that character's supposed to be -- but other than that, I loved it up down and sideways.

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(2,068 replies, posted in Off Topic)

http://cdn.macrumors.com/article-new/2015/03/michaelfassbenderjobs1.jpg
STEVE JOBS - Danny Boyle, Sorkin, Fassbender, Winslet, Jeff Daniels, Seth Rogen

Thumbs up. The choice to forego the cradle-to-grave biopic for a more episodic approach plays to Sorkin's strengths. For the first third or so I was alarmed at just how negatively they portrayed Jobs, but Fassbender always gives you a little crumb of humanity to seize upon. There's a few moments where directorial flourishes are unnecessary and where characters needlessly state the film's theme, but as a whole it is the best Steve Jobs film in the Steve Jobs genre of films.

Sorkin is a better writer than most of the people who make fun of his writing ticks (the endless walk & talks, the rapid-fire speeches, 19 year-old girls using phrases like "not for nothing..."). I was impressed with how many times in SJ he allows for silence, letting the scene breathe, trusting that we did, in fact, get the point. He writes a couple of truly great scenes here, including the first 15 minutes of the film, which is a tornado of exposition, jokes, and call-backs to jokes that happened 30 seconds earlier.

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(21 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I've found so much entertainment from the Zarban site it's actually kind of unbelievable. One time I wondered, "Is there anyone who has done a fan commentary on a Blackadder episode so's I can listen to it as I clean out the storm gutters on my house?" Yes, yes there is. There is one. And so I did. Zarban.com is an awesome thing.

Also he's a cool guy.

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(2,068 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Yeah I'd skip the 3D on THE MARTIAN. Not necessary.

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(65 replies, posted in Off Topic)

At this point  the size & zeal of the fan base probably occupies that (Arrested Development) sweet spot that will coax another channel/platform into picking up the series.  I hope.

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(36 replies, posted in Off Topic)

They still find clever ways to scratch what they shouldn't. I'll leave it at that.