251

(133 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I saw it and the overall feeling was "meh". I felt almost exactly like I felt leaving Oblivion. Not a waste of 2 hours, but I've already forgotten it and I don't really think I'll ever watch it again. Maybe it's just the fact that I am not a comic book reader, and after 3 movies of Iron Man destroying things the novelty has worn off.

But also I hate it when consistency is disregarded just to serve the plot. In the first movie the Iron Man suit is almost indestructible. And in this one the suits are made of cardboard. It takes the movie from "Oh yeah, Stark is in the suit, now to wreck some shit" to "Being in a suit means he can fly, no other advantages".

The main villains are, atleast in my mind, the biggest "oh really?"-moment I've had in a while. Maybe I cannot completely disconnect reality when watching live-action movies, even if they are based on comic books where science and logic sometimes go out the window, but Guy Pearce repeatedly heats himself up to 3000 degrees, enough to melt steel, and yet his pants stay on. And his tattoo on his chest somehow stays intact aswell? Also the justification for being able to heat himself up to 3000 degrees is "something-something-DNA-upgrade". F--- you.

And yeah, the end is rushed, and the "my girlfriend was a firebreathing DNA-enhanced mega-demon for a while, but I fixed her, it's what I do" moment was also incomprehensibly lazy.

Also Tony's anxiety attacks have no bearing on anything. 2-3 times he freaks out a little but it seems to be there literally just to give him some kind of dimension. In the 1st film he became Iron Man, big arc. 2nd one he and his relationship with his father was the focus. Here his girlfriend gets kidnapped and he has anxiety attacks that are used for comedic effect.


I don't know, I think I'm more or less done with these types of movies overall. It seems you need to read the comics or additional material to get a deeper connection with the characters. Watching the movies, after the origins story and the occasional gem of character study and plot structure (Dark Knight, Avengers), there isn't much more to gather from them. Things blow up in slow motion. Seen it.

252

(18 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I saw it a few days ago here in Sweden, 2.35-presentation digitally.

The end feling was a lukewarm 5/10. Unfortunately it is awfully derivative, and there isn't enough substance in other areas to compensate for this. Basically, you've seen this movie before if you've seen Independence day, Moon, The Matrix. Most likely you will be able to guess the plot way before any twists occur.
The score is also your standard Zimmer clonejob. Certain 30-second passages you literally could not tell which was which, even if you had the two side by side. Labelled. No nuance, just string ostinato lines and brass blaring sections from Inception at you.

Visually great, but that also becomes a bit "meh" after a while, after the first 10 minutes you've seen most design elements already.
For me the rotten tomatoes score of 56% seems accurate. I suppose your milage will vary depending on how fresh the story elements feel to you.

253

(469 replies, posted in Episodes)

So far I really like "Friends in your head", because it focuses on the people involved with making the show, which I think is why alot of us tune in regularly. The phrase is also already a part of every show so far, pretty much.

"Creative hindsight" is another favourite. It so aptly describes the point of the show, and it works for just about any discussion about things that exist, since you can then talk about why the thing exists, why it exists in the form it does, etc. "Welcome to this weeks dose of Creative Hindsight" also flows quite well.

"Magic Beans talk" is also great, the concept is often talked about so it is an established part of the show. MBT is a good 3 letter acronym. And the slight intricacy of the name not being immediately obvious is a bonus.

254

(49 replies, posted in Episodes)

Great episode.

As for anamorphic bokeh, They can depending on the lens used be flat on one side, no flaps or other things needed. Lenses can have quite different properties and looks, some will be quite neutral, some will distort bokeh balls in various ways depending on where in the frame you put them, and depending on fstop and focal lenght of the lens behind the anamorphic attachment.

Also, the Monty Hall problem has a pretty simple explanation which better highlights the mechanics of it if you just exaggerate it for clarity.

The solution is that if you get a choice of 1 of 3 doors, and after selecting one, another is shown to be empty, you should change your selection to the remaining one.

Instead imagine there being 100 doors. You select one as containing the prize/whatever. 98 of the others are then opened and shown to be empty. One door remains. In this case it is more obvious that the chances of your first choice being correct is not as good as the possibility of the last remaining door being the winner.
The same principle applies to the 3-door scenario, although less obvious.

As for the movie, I don't like it. It feels dumbed down and so simplistic in some aspects. When they are training in the beginning, anyone throwing a knife will always bulls-eye it even when throwing behind their own back. When Katniss shoots the guy in the hand at the end, it gets stuck in the hand, but doesn't penetrate the hand completely and continuing into Peeta. Convenient. These are just petty examples, but they show the type of things I dislike with it.

255

(3 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Went to watch trailer for "The Purge" on youtube. The pre-video ad was "The Purge"...

Also the premise seems to be that crime is almost only recreational, not out of necessity. Unless the criminals manage in 12 hours to amass enough stolen goods and money to last them for a whole year?

256

(211 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I'll bite, go ahead, unless Teague wants to go again since he first fielded the mission patch answer.

257

(211 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Is it stamps?

258

(211 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Is it ever bigger than a normal-sized car?

259

(211 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Is it a glass? (I imagine those haven't been to space since stuff would get everywhere, and you could suck on it to make it work, but normally you just pour out of it).

Yeah, I believe Adolf Hitler was acknowledged as one of the pioneers or choral singing. He was extraordinary in the same way that Kim Jong Il scored 11 hole in ones the first time he golfed. Very talented people...

262

(13 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Not sure I would ever be that dedicated to anything. Motorbikes generally unnerve me, not sure I would side-straddle one whilst holding a camera. Without a helmet...

263

(13 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Don't let the union see that. smile

What movie is that from btw, my first thought was Mad Max, not sure why.

266

(5 replies, posted in Episodes)

267

(13 replies, posted in Off Topic)

268

(13 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Currently we have a godawful european music song contest going, and the Swedish contribution is being selected in a series of extremely longdrawn smaller national contests.

Basically, the only thing I enjoy is the camerawork, which is really top-notch, well-choreographed and the steadicam work is almost undestinguishable from a motion-controlled crane. Incredibly smooth, and whip-pans are insanely accurate.

271

(70 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I remember it, but not when he says it.

I saw it, it was a very nice insight into details of film that I did not know of.

274

(13 replies, posted in Off Topic)

275

(32 replies, posted in Episodes)