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Post by Nalkarj on Aug 14, 2018 3:55:51 GMT
Gives us something else in common, Nalkarj welcome to the "I Have Received a Death Threat on the Internet" Club ! Meetings are the First Thursday of the Month at around 8 PM in the Old Schoolhouse by the Bridge. If it was a "joke", come anyway ! I actually got that the first time a political piece I wrote was posted online! Happy to join the club, though I’m disappointed about what I had to receive to be able to join (for the Freemasons and the Knights of Columbus, you just have to pay dues!)… The old schoolhouse, where Aunt Polly came by the other day to see if Tom was there? (Spoiler: he wasn’t.)
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 14, 2018 4:02:52 GMT
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Post by Lord Death Man on Aug 14, 2018 4:26:04 GMT
I can’t tell if this is an actual (if only-by-Internet) threat or a simplistic and rather tired gag. I'm afraid I don't know that one, perhaps if you hum a few bars... Hee hee hee...
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Post by Deleted on Aug 14, 2018 5:41:17 GMT
All in all, folks, after having some time to mull it over while doing lawn work, I feel that, while there’s a lot that I liked about Thor: Ragnarok (Hemsworth’s appealing goofiness, Mark Ruffalo’s Banner/Hulk, Jeff Goldblum, the humor), it just didn’t work for me. Many of the elements, even the ones I like, are just too disparate and even incomplete: as I wrote to No Morpho, Only Bánh mì , the Ragnarök scenes and the funny Goldblum scenes don’t fit, and I ended up wondering if I were supposed to be concerned or interested in the destruction of Asgard—because I wasn’t, to be frank. This is the first Marvel movie I’ve seen where I’ve understood the complaint (here and elsewhere) that Marvel’s movies don’t have “real stakes.” Now, I disagree with that assertion per se, still, as I felt like Iron Man, Captain America, and Winter Soldier (and even Spider-Man: Homecoming in its own modest, awkward way) had real stakes, and I found them really very good movies. But Thor: Ragnarok seemed to disarm our concern at every stage. Thor’s trapped in a cage by a fire-demon? He gets out offstage. Loki’s taken over Asgard? He just uses his newfound power to have everyone else flatter him. Asgard’s destroyed, all the gods die? Ehh, take whoever’s left and rebuild somewhere else. “It’s not a place, it’s a people,” after all. I have absolutely no problem with a goofy, irreverent sci-fi flick, but this is not the story to tell for it. And the Cate Blanchett character (Hela) quite literally comes out of nowhere, unless there’s some earlier flick where she’s mentioned that I’m not aware of. (In the mythology, Hel was one of Loki’s three children, along with the Fenris Wolf and the Midgard Serpent.) She just pops up and ruins the realm/planet/country/city—ehh, and why not, if all everyone needed to do from the beginning was get out of Asgard and rebuild it somewhere else? And I’m annoyed at myself for summing up against it, as I enjoyed Goldblum’s humor (though the Goldblum character is rather irrelevant to the proceedings) and several other parts as well. But the ground is undercut at every stage, the filmmakers are afraid of making a serious story too serious, and I felt that the movie came off as a missed opportunity more than anything. I know what you mean. I love it even though I feel like in principle I should hate it. You and Tristan make some solid points as to how it sh!ts on the mythology, let alone previous film canon. The thing is, at least for me, it fixed the problems with the previous two installments. It was actually fun to watch. I never cared for the Jane Foster stuff and the villain in Dark World was just plain terrible. They should've saved Ragnarok for the next film and called this one Battleworld or something. Cosmic weirdness, all the zany characters, it made for a lot of laughs. But you shouldn't turn an end of the world story into a gag. If I had a magic wand, I'd have them work the Ragnarok stuff into Infinty War instead of cramming it into this wacky space adventure. Like I said, I really enjoyed it from start to finish, but I completely understand where people who didn't like it are coming from. This is basically how I feel. I created a thread myself complaining about how much I dislike the cheapening of Asgard's destruction. And I often complain that the MCU is too afraid to let serious moments play without humor... So I should hate this one as you said. But I don't... I more or less love every second of it. The goofball humor just really works for me here, and I think the characters shine. The 80s sci fi weirdness is also a plus. But yeah, I can see why it isn't for everyone.
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Post by taylorfirst1 on Aug 14, 2018 15:21:29 GMT
I’m actually watching another superhero movie (belying my “exhaustion” comment, perhaps, though it’s a different animal altogether)— The Dark Knight, of all things! The movie everyone loves but me! Will probably only watch the first half or so. Anyway, serious question: where should I write down my thoughts on this one? The DCEU forum doesn’t exactly work, right (though I put Superman Returns there with no real problem)? Should I risk Lord Death Man ’s wrath and post off-topic? You are not the only one who doesn't love The Dark Knight. We are in agreement on that one. Also, you forgot a lot of the movie because it's forgettable. I don't hate it, but I think it is criminally overrated. Batman Begins is far better.
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Post by Nalkarj on Aug 16, 2018 2:24:43 GMT
I think I agree with everything you wrote, taylorfirst1, including the preference for Batman Begins, which I’ve always liked. This is the first time I’ve seen The Dark Knight since it came out, and—well. I still prefer Batman ’89 and Batman Returns, from which The Dark Knight is (unexpectedly, in retrospect) not all that dissimilar, but it’s also not as “overrated” (not a fan of the word, but it serves here) as I originally thought it. Perhaps my expectations were too high; even at the time, it was being celebrated as the masterpiece, the superhero movie above all others. It was, as I wrote about the Raimi Spider Man movies as well, an event, what with all the big-name actors in a major motion picture—the kind of event that will probably never be replicated, in point of fact. But I did like The Dark Knight more than when I saw it the first time, to be perfectly honest. I still think Nolan’s direction is clinical, I still think it feels way too long (though it really isn’t), I still think the ending is weak, I still think Two-Face is shoehorned in too quickly and disposed of equally quickly, I still think Batman Begins comes across a bigger epic…but I actually didn’t mind it as much this time. I even genuinely enjoyed it as a good superhero flick that takes itself seriously and offers some brilliant performances (Ledger, of course, is brilliant. But, despite my Two-Face qualms, Aaron Eckhart is excellent as well, admittedly more as the DA than as the villain). Technically, too, it’s a marvel. We probably won’t see its like again. I still don’t love it, but—coming to it with reduced expectations—I thought it was fine. I still don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all, though.
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Post by merh on Aug 16, 2018 7:07:32 GMT
All in all, folks, after having some time to mull it over while doing lawn work, I feel that, while there’s a lot that I liked about Thor: Ragnarok (Hemsworth’s appealing goofiness, Mark Ruffalo’s Banner/Hulk, Jeff Goldblum, the humor), it just didn’t work for me. Thor has always had humor. Pop tarts. Riding a parakeet Smashing that rock alien & asking "next"?" "I'm running out of things to say" . You inhabit a strange world. There can be humor in tragedy. I saw my husband lying back on the bed & told him to stop teasing & went about my business in the bathroom. I came back out, he was lying there still so I told him to stop it. He was actually dead. Fun morning. That was over 15 yrs ago. Asgard destroyed isn't real stakes? . He gets out of the chains on camera after Surtur tells him about Ragnarok. He knocks Surtur's head off & hauls it back to Asgard's weapons vault. If you read one Thor story, get Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers. It was apparently a heavily used source for the first movie & this is exactly what it is. The book opens with Loki on the throne of Asgard. He finally has what he has always wanted & finds it may not be what he always wanted. People want stuff. Allies that helped him want their due. Odin prisoner in his room. Thor prisoner in the dungeon. Loki explores his past & realizes the one person he was so very jealous of, who he thought he hated, was the one person who was always in his camp. Have you seen the other 2 Thor movies? Loki-"Satisfaction is not in my nature." Thor-"surrender is not in mine" "Always so perceptive of all but yourself." Loki watches everthing, plots, yet his downfall often involves his own actions. Obviously some get out on the ships. . This is the comics I stopped reading comics for the most part in the 80s, but I know ragnarok happened & the survivors ended up on earth. Oklahoma or Nebraska or some such. It is explained. Odin's life was the only thing keeping Hela bound. Frigga was killed in Dark World which hit Odin hard. Note he says she calls to him. Took him awhile to break Loki's spell. ? Sleipnir as well. Not in the MCU. Loki isn't Thor's brother in mythology Thor has red hair in mythology I use humor in real life.
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Post by merh on Aug 16, 2018 7:10:28 GMT
I think I agree with everything you wrote, taylorfirst1 , including the preference for Batman Begins, which I’ve always liked. This is the first time I’ve seen The Dark Knight since it came out, and—well. I still prefer Batman ’89 and Batman Returns, from which The Dark Knight is (unexpectedly, in retrospect) not all that dissimilar, but it’s also not as “overrated” (not a fan of the word, but it serves here) as I originally thought it. Perhaps my expectations were too high; even at the time, it was being celebrated as the masterpiece, the superhero movie above all others. It was, as I wrote about the Raimi Spider Man movies as well, an event, what with all the big-name actors in a major motion picture—the kind of event that will probably never be replicated, in point of fact. But I did like The Dark Knight more than when I saw it the first time, to be perfectly honest. I still think Nolan’s direction is clinical, I still think it feels way too long (though it really isn’t), I still think the ending is weak, I still think Two-Face is shoehorned in too quickly and disposed of equally quickly, I still think Batman Begins comes across a bigger epic…but I actually didn’t mind it as much this time. I even genuinely enjoyed it as a good superhero flick that takes itself seriously and offers some brilliant performances (Ledger, of course, is brilliant. But, despite my Two-Face qualms, Aaron Eckhart is excellent as well, admittedly more as the DA than as the villain). Technically, too, it’s a marvel. We probably won’t see its like again. I still don’t love it, but—coming to it with reduced expectations—I thought it was fine. I still don’t think it’s the be-all and end-all, though. Not a fan of Nolan. Dark knight tries to be realistic but it's a superhero show. Too many plot holes.
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Post by No Morpho, Only Bánh mì on Aug 18, 2018 3:46:23 GMT
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 18, 2018 12:46:23 GMT
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Post by No Morpho, Only Bánh mì on Aug 18, 2018 13:02:49 GMT
Thanks for cataloguing my history, Bat! You’re ever the Collector! Without you, I couldn’t post again. 😆
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Post by Hauntedknight87 on Aug 18, 2018 13:18:30 GMT
You should make this a weekly thing, sal!
Maybe we can all contribute to it as well!
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Post by Nalkarj on Aug 18, 2018 13:46:18 GMT
Sure, great idea, Hauntedknight87! I may not be able to watch and review a movie every week, but I’m more than happy to contribute a few live-logs of my own and read others’.
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Post by BATouttaheck on Aug 18, 2018 13:52:09 GMT
Hauntedknight87 , Nalkarj and company These live-logs are a great idea.... perhaps with individual OT headings so that no-one can "object" if they are not a perfect fit to the MCU board.... and yet they can easily be found by anyone who wants to contribute to the thread.
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Post by Hauntedknight87 on Aug 18, 2018 14:03:04 GMT
Hauntedknight87 , Nalkarj and company These live-logs are a great idea.... perhaps with individual OT headings so that no-one can "object" if they are not a perfect fit to the MCU board.... and yet they can easily be found by anyone who wants to contribute to the thread. I'm down with this. We can do this with any film as well. When Slender Man comes out on DVD I'll rent it and live blog my reaction to it.
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Post by Nalkarj on Sept 7, 2018 21:09:51 GMT
So I’m watching X2 right now. First X-Men film I’ve seen—only really seen clips before.
I originally liked this chase through the White House, but now it’s getting pretty darn stupid.
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Post by Nalkarj on Sept 7, 2018 21:10:34 GMT
Hugh Jackman looks like Robert Shaw in Jaws. Heh. But his hairdo’s silly.
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Post by No Morpho, Only Bánh mì on Sept 7, 2018 21:14:39 GMT
So I’m watching X2 right now. First X-Men film I’ve seen—only really seen clips before. I originally liked this chase through the White House, but now it’s getting pretty darn stupid. Fun fact: As a weird mind association I have, Any time I see Alan Cumming in something, I then picture Joel Gray in his place. Just because of Cabaret. Joel Gray as Nightcrawler? 🤦♂️
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Post by Nalkarj on Sept 7, 2018 21:22:51 GMT
So I’m watching X2 right now. First X-Men film I’ve seen—only really seen clips before. I originally liked this chase through the White House, but now it’s getting pretty darn stupid. Fun fact: As a weird mind association I have, Any time I see Alan Cumming in something, I then picture Joel Gray in his place. Just because of Cabaret. Joel Gray as Nightcrawler? 🤦♂️ I don’t hate Alan Cumming, but I like Joel Grey a lot more. There’s some great clip on YouTube where he sings a large part of the MC’s opening number from Cabaret, and then the interviewer asks, “So, do you remember anything from Cabaret?” Grey (rightfully, I thought) looks at him like he’s got three heads.
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Post by Nalkarj on Sept 7, 2018 21:24:52 GMT
Problem is (and I really don’t mean to sound snooty), but Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellan, and Brian Cox are so much better than everything and everyone else here.
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