926 Reply by Invid

(2,061 replies, posted in Episodes)

It has been said that even Matthew Broderick thought he was doing a remake of the Japanese cartoon The White Lion, but unless DIF has some behind the scenes info about that I don't know what they can add regarding The Lion King. Well, I'm sure they can go off on the politics of the Academy Awards (you do have to like it when rules are changed after the wrong thing gets nominated/wins)

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927 Reply by Invid

(216 replies, posted in Episodes)

redxavier wrote:

I believe an opening which established the threat of the alien army would have made for a stronger film (something like them wiping out another alien civilisation or an advance party coming through with Loki and trashing SHIELD forces). As it stands, they drop out of the sky in the third act and we don't know anything about them (and truthfully, don't really even get to see them very clearly either). Further, the ease at which they're removed by the Avengers reduces them to an army of cannon fodder (and thus they aren't very interesting, which is probably why they've got the slightly ridiculous giant flying armoured worms). So with that in mind, I would have had them introduced earlier in the movie and have them defeat some of the Avengers who act separately or without proper teamwork.

But it could be that Joss deliberately did not choose to go with the above as it would be the predictable route to go.

Actually, the movie follows the same pattern as the pilot of the Bruce Timm Justice League cartoon. The aliens ARE cannon fodder, and only there so there's something for the Avengers to do in the last half hour. The point was to get them together, so in the next movie they can do what you're asking. That's actually one of the problems of a series: if you come up with a big epic scene to end it, all the chapter endings leading up to it must be smaller.

Naturally, if you don't expect there to be more episodes you run into the Buffy problem, where the first season had the best bad guy smile

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928 Reply by Invid

(165 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Dorkman wrote:

As I pointed out half-joking and half-not in the AVATAR commentary, Cameron writes female characters who are strong... as long as there's a stronger man to motivate them.

I'm reminded of coming back to Anne McCaffrey's Pern books a few years ago. Written by a woman, lots of strong female characters... but, damn it, it's a running theme that as soon as one of them gets a man they defer to them in all things. Every. Single. Time. It made me want to tear my hair out in the later books when it became obvious it wasn't an isolated character trait. That, and certain things like having everyone from certain Holds being evil just put the books in a very different light.

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929 Reply by Invid

(22 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Doctor Submarine wrote:

Not to spoil anything (because there is a small element to be spoiled), but the way the film deals with his assassination is ham-fisted. I felt a little insulted, to be honest.

I am disappointed at the lack of "But apart from that, how was the play, Mrs. Lincoln?" jokes in this thread

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930 Reply by Invid

(216 replies, posted in Episodes)

switch wrote:

I haven't tried playing the avengers DVD on my comp yet.  I will say though that I'm getting pretty tired of itunes.  I can't buy anything on itunes without DRM being added to it.   mad

The only thing it's on is video and books. It's not on the music, as they got rid of that a long time ago once the music labels let them (they let other online stores have DRM-free songs first, in an attempt to force competition as the labels didn't like Apple dictating terms). Is there anyplace you can buy DRM-free downloaded movies that aren't public domain?

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931 Reply by Invid

(216 replies, posted in Episodes)

Doctor Submarine wrote:

Same here. I thought my Handbrake/VLC Player needed updating, but it turns out the Avengers DVD specifically cannot be played on computers. Because everyone who bought the Blu-Ray is a potential pirate. Fuck us, right?

Interestingly, Apple's Mac DVD player could play the DVD, even though VLC couldn't. I sense Apple/Disney conspiracy. I haven't tried Handbrake on it yet, but if that doesn't work it means there's little point in buying a Rifftrax of the film (as I won't be able to do a rip and mix the audio).

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932 Reply by Invid

(971 replies, posted in Movie Stuff)

Marty J wrote:
Invid wrote:

JMS of Babylon 5 fame worked on one of the new versions, although that might have been the syndicated episodes after the network canceled it.

I didn't see all of the 1980s episodes... Maybe I simply missed the ones he wrote. I'll have to check them out.

He was an executive producer, if memory serves, so I don't know how many original scripts he would have done as opposed to helping adapt stories and scripts. He had the same function on Murder She Wrote for a season or two.

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933 Reply by Invid

(971 replies, posted in Movie Stuff)

Marty J wrote:

A groundbreaking show that invented (or popularized) countless sci-fi/fantasy tropes. It's very uneven, but definitely worth watching. The 1980s revival isn't as good (for some reason it feels much cheesier than the original - maybe it's the bad visual effects).

Or you're more forgiving of the older shows. At the time, I thought the revival was fun and worth watching, the effects being on a par with what we were used to everywhere else. JMS of Babylon 5 fame worked on one of the new versions, although that might have been the syndicated episodes after the network canceled it.

There was a brief window where they tried to make anthology shows work on TV again. You had the new Twilight Zone, Amazing Stories, Tales from the Dark Side, Tales from the Crypt, Friday the 13th, Freddy's Nightmares, and a couple others most likely.

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934 Reply by Invid

(316 replies, posted in Episodes)

I agree. It's not a sequel to the movie, but it is a rather good adaptation of the book 2010 (which, I think, was the last "new" Clarke novel I read)

As for Woody Allen, those who dislike his movies should find the CD of some of his old standup comedy. Damned funny.

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935 Reply by Invid

(100 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I just took a look at what's up so far. Damn, from a request by me to a full wiki in just a couple days. Good work!

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936 Reply by Invid

(316 replies, posted in Episodes)

It's fine you disagree with it smile The showrunner for BSG also worked on Trek, and at least to me seemed to be reveling in the freedom more than in creating a good show. I have no examples, because I have no desire to go back and look for them smile

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937 Reply by Invid

(100 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Dorkman wrote:

I know the n-word shows up in PULP FICTION and DAWN OF THE DEAD 78. I support special edition bleeping.

Only if a word isn't used in the movie itself. That, I think, should be the general rule. So, keep it in Pulp Fiction, but remove it from The Incredibles if it's in there smile

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938 Reply by Invid

(58 replies, posted in Off Topic)

I have a number I regularly listen to:

This Week in Science
The Skeptics Guide to the Universe
Junk Food Dinner
Cinefantastique- the Bad Film episodes
Monster Talk
The Human Bible
The Skeptical Viewer - this one seems to have died, but check out old episodes which go over old Ghost Hunters episodes and conclude that one of the two guys is doing the faking.

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939 Reply by Invid

(216 replies, posted in Episodes)

TheDu wrote:

You don't think the Black Widow pose was chosen to be badass?

No, it was chosen to be a good ass.

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940 Reply by Invid

(316 replies, posted in Episodes)

After awhile I can to feel the new Battlestar Galactica was just trying to be the anti-Trek: If Star Trek would have done one thing, BG did the other just because they could regardless of if it was good or not. By the end of the second season I was just fast forwarding through the few episodes I bothered to look at.

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941 Reply by Invid

(216 replies, posted in Episodes)

About hamsters and such in pneumatic tubes, see if one of your comic reading friends has a copy of the Jeff Nicholson book "Through the Habitrails", a look at a work for hire graphic artist:

We were constantly reminded of our station in life by the gerbils, which existed throughout the building in a vast complex of clear tubes and grey, unkept tin gages. The gerbils were a living symbiosis between our employers and ourselves. While they reminded us of the futility of life outside the company, they were also released regularly for the benefit of the staff. After years of such specialized domestication they had become empaths of stress and sespair. The gerbils would attempt to flee, and display uncontrolled cringing and schizophrenia. The destruction of gerbils was not frowned upon, as their life span within the office would not exceed three weeks due to the bombardment of misery. The gerbil industry was massive, and the supply could always be increased.

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942 Reply by Invid

(2,061 replies, posted in Episodes)

Their first foreign film should be Planet of the Vampyres.

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943 Reply by Invid

(991 replies, posted in Off Topic)

Doctor Who has done abominable snowmen, two Yeti stories from the 2nd Doctor era.

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944 Reply by Invid

(51 replies, posted in Off Topic)

You know what I'd like to see? A DIF wiki. You have four years worth of episodes, with all this information, opinion, and stories, and you're only going to discover them randomly. Let listeners with no life (hi, Zarban!) compile and list those moments.

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945 Reply by Invid

(62 replies, posted in Episodes)

I would like to take a moment, before this thread fades away, to defend the spoiler filled DVD cover.

See, this film flopped. REALLY flopped. Keeping the secret didn't get anyone to go. So, in order to actually sell the thing it was decided to tell viewers there was actually good stuff in the film. Because, otherwise, the only people who'd bother buying it are those who already saw it and, thus, are already spoiled.

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946 Reply by Invid

(473 replies, posted in Episodes)

Unless they make up their mind to stay Catholic, then it's forced conversion time smile

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947 Reply by Invid

(316 replies, posted in Episodes)

avatar wrote:

6. Have you overdosed on the movie/song/album/band/TV show? After binging on Jim Beam or chocolate cake, it may turn you off them for life. Why wouldn't it be the same for a movie? You can have too much of a good thing.

I'm reminded of the stages of anime fandom our group came up with long ago.

1. It all looks the same, kids with big eyes.
2. Hey... you know, there's something to this.
3. Wow, if you actually look, every director and character designer has a different style!
4. Cool, I've seen so much anime I can tell which animator the new ones apprenticed under!
5. It all looks the same...

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948 Reply by Invid

(316 replies, posted in Episodes)

Spaceballs is hated by those who, in general, hate later Mel Brooks films. Unlike with Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, you can tell Mel really doesn't like the subject he's mocking.

Music is probably one of the most subjective arts, so the easiest to have "unpopular" opinions on. Often it's just a case of most people only hearing a few songs from a group and never bothering to dig deeper. I have a friend who loves TOTO, especially their new stuff. Yes, the fact they kept releasing albums was news to me. By the same token, the last two TESLA albums have been great.

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949 Reply by Invid

(473 replies, posted in Episodes)

Is Starlog still around in any form? I was shocked and happily surprised to see Cinefantastique was still around, even if only as a series of podcasts.

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950 Reply by Invid

(126 replies, posted in Off Topic)

drewjmore wrote:

I know many people who've said they will move from Illinois to Indiana, and several who actually have, to escape the blue-style politics, taxation, etc. If this becomes a generational trend the red states will get redder, further polarizing the regional issues.

To be fair, this is what you're supposed to do, and the reason we still have strong states as opposed to having national laws to cover everything. People have always moved around the US for economic or social reasons.

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