SleepingSilence

What shows/movies are you watching?

@Fabricant451
Proves my point that I rarely watch movies. Since I've never even heard of half of these.

But I have watched Triple Frontier (or at least tried to) and uh...I had the same problem. Not that his acting is even in the top five problems of that one.

Though I've heard generally positive things about Ex-Machina. (As established, Sci-Fi has never really been my favorite genre.) And Annihilation didn't exactly strike me as a movie where male actors had much screen time. So, maybe I'll go watch that cat movie, because I'm obvious and was looking for something he'd play a major role in.

And despite my limited knowledge of both Twilight actors. I can easily see why people defended/sympathized with Robert Patterson so hard. And yes, I've seen him do better than the Twilight movies. (Much as that means.)

But in everything with Kristen Stewart that I've seen, or even seen by proxy through other people reviews; her acting was not one of the highlights. To put it mildly. Though who am I to write off the Oscars ability to pick nominees/winners?

The cat better not f*cking die.

What shows/movies are you watching?

Oscar Isaac is a great actor.

@Fabricant451

Please tell me what movie proves this. And don't say Dune. (And if its also a good movie on top of it, that be nice too.)

At this point, he reminds me of how many people claim Kristian Stewart is a good actor. Like, I know actors are only as good as their directors but...

I keep seeing him play himself. (I don't actually think he's paritcularly bad or anything. He's just the new Robert Patterson in pop culture. Where I always hear about his great acting in everything he's in, in comparison to where people originally saw them. And I (who admittedly watches few movies) hasn't seen it yet.

*But I'm just playing the rant up for kicks. I'm sure he's a nice guy.*

Plus, there's plenty more genuinely loathsome people in Marvel/Disney to pick from. And if anything, I'm only more sympathetic to actors nowadays. Because it seems Hollywood in general can't write a good script to save their soul.

What shows/movies are you watching?

Well, I was coaxed into watching two episodes of Moonknight. And holy shit.

Some of the effects reminded me of those awful skits you'd see on old youtube videos. (With awful shaky cam & terrible editing cuts.) Among everything else I could nitpick about the cheap-looking visuals aside. It was a mostly negative experience. With those "wow these marvel characters that you like, sure are stupid aren't they?" jokes being already used and worn thin. So uh...I really hope you like the new age marvel humor and mystery box writing? Or this show probably won't be for you either.

Though Oscar Issac *does* actually attempt to act as somebody other than himself. So points for trying, I guess? But it's not exactly a role to be remembered by...

And I also just read that his accent and performance was *purposefully awful* in an interview. And gosh golly gee that sure is convenient and identical sounding to someone who can't fucking act.

But I digress. Plan to watch more things and catch up on shows that I couldn't watch during my vacation. For example...

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Prey is a popcorn flick from no name actors and *obviously* first time writers, with some style and no substance. Ranging from a 4 to a 6 out of ten, depending on how little you give a single fuck how little the script cares about its plot/writing/characters. (Just don’t think about what you’re watching. You will not benefit from being analytical.) I will forget I ever watched this.

Pro’s
-The scenery / cinematography is competent.
-The MC is not really a Mary Sue. (But she happens to have a lot of plot armor on her, though.)
-Music was fine and occasionally used effectively. Even if it pulled the exact same trick multiple times.
-Key-jingling action in the 2nd half is probably flashy enough to entertain those not looking for anything more than that.

Con’s
-There is no plot. There is little character. There is a bad attempt at fan service. And it all only gets worse when you think critically about anything that happened in it.
-The ending fight is anticlimactic as all hell. And it gets a cliché sequel bait ending cutscene. Because of course it does.
-Worst part of it is probably how the first half is completely pointless fluff. And that the movie pretty much wasted the native setting/concept it had.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

I will never praise Google again. But Google Play's subscription is a pretty good deal with its free month trial, and its saved me from wasting money on a purchase. (And I've been able to get my money's worth with phone games during my vacation.)

I played a bit "Jedi Fallen Order", and it does not seem very intuitive in its controls. And some of the graphics and loading times on PS5 make me wonder where the next generation of consoles are...

I also played a bit of "Ghostrunner", and that one seems like it would be enjoyable and addictively frustering (with a skill set that goes beyond mine.) But it does have accessibility options too.

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"Framed" and "Monument Valley" were both short, but fine. The latter was almost a pretty walking simulator. (But I'm glad I didn't pay for them.) Nor their less good sequels.

But the one that saved me money is "Thimbleweed Park". Yes, its very nice pixel art. But the characters are obnoxious, the logic is threadbare, and sorting through multiple character inventories is a chore. (And I'm glad that I didn't spend 10-15 dollars on it.)

Have more to play in the future. (Basically everything and anything I can.) So if anyone has recommendations...

Edit: More apps games/reviews.

"Reigns" is pointless.

"Unmemory" is Memento the YA Novel.

"Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion" is a title too good for its game.

(Found the first app worth its purchase price.) "There Is No Game" is a pretty decent puzzle game. Might even be my new favorite (on Android).

What Are You Listening To?

Vocaloid music is a genre I barely touch. But I appreciate the artist's eclecticness.

What shows/movies are you watching?

In less good news, I got about 25 minutes into The Northman. Before the storm and my shit internet killed it. (But I can easily see why this tanked at the box office.)
My reaction goes as follows:
>This is prutty-looking and the music is fitting...
>Why am I watching this borderline fetishism scene, with a Green Goblin monologue?
>This fucking stilted dialogue
>It turns out Lord Blackthorne is EVIL! o:
>EEEEH EEHHH (that one stock scream on repeat for five more minutes.)
What am I even watching?

Edit: That EEEEH EEHHH vibe goes on much longer than that. (I gave this shit an hour of my time & I want it back.)

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Two episodes of Netflix's "The Sandman" was enough. The show is so proud of its mediocre/bad-looking CGI. But that's all it has to offer. Because there's not much else in term of writing, acting, or character to latch onto. (And the show, apparently, only gets worse as it goes on...) So fuck it.

Plus, much like the Wheel Of Time. Without ever having to see the original work. It was still so obvious what roles were changed arbitrarily. By its script and dialogue alone.

What shows/movies are you watching?

I saw nobody online talk about "Primal" when it came out. (Created/directed by the same bloke as Samurai Jack.) And it's basically Kratos from God Of War & dinosaurs fighting each other in the most anime way possible.

Went through a season and its 2nd is currently airing. Great stuff (in terms of action, animation and genuinely humorous moments.) Watch it for dumb fun.

Why I Roleplay Female Characters (As a Cisgender Man)

Only complete tools and moral busybodies care that an author writes or roleplays as a diverse roster of fictional characters. (It's called being a creative. That's sort of how it works.)

But to your point of preferring to play as female characters in RPGS/MMO's & the like, isn't all that unheard of either. My older brother is the same way. And sometimes, there's simply more aesthetic/customization choices for female characters. Or alternatively, the class you wanted to play is gender-locked. So you don't have much of a choice, especially if you tend to favor certain classes. And, for min-maxers out there, sometimes men and women have different buffs and stats too. So, if you needed any other reason than "do or write what's fun for you", you could probably find them...

But you shouldn't let someone else tell you there's anything unique about that. (Whether to shame you, or to make it out to be something more special than it really is.)

It's just a personal preference, and everyone has it to some degree or another.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

If you love mysteries and being constantly rewarded for paying attention, play Tunic.

Cuz Tunic continues to be a magical "god, this game is so good" experience. (Even on the occasion where a bug happens, like the time I fell through the world and died.)

There's nothing aside from Hollow Knight that I played, which continues to give me "holy shit" moments like this game has. (And the ones I've seen slagging off the difficult combat or "lack of direction" on Reddit or elsewhere. Likely weren't paying attention to their surroundings, or possess no critical thinking skills, and have never used the generous auto-refilling bombs. That last bit is a spoiler.)

More spoilers, but not really.

My only lasting gripe thus far, is that some of the optional "directional puzzles", let's call'em. Happen to be the type of puzzle where, even knowing what you're supposed to do, won't be enough to complete them. So, it can feel a bit trial and error, when you're repeating a combination of button presses over and over.

But I'm the type that enjoys taking notes/a screenshot of the game on my phone, so I can better solve the puzzle. So its only frustrating to know (through online spoilers) that the reward is mainly for completionism's sake.

Also, "Tiny Room Stories: Town Mystery" is probably the 2nd best puzzle game app that I've played on my phone. Because unlike most of the games of its ilk. The game is long/content-rich. (For better or worse.) And the majority of its content is not locked behind a paywall. Plus, the hint system actually functions. So when you do get stuck on its more convoluted puzzles/can't find a random item you were meant to pick up, you can bypass them. (At the cost of seeing a terrible mobile ad.)

You know, if you actually play games on your phone.

Video Games: The General Discussion & Community Thread Number Two

The fact that its on the Switch, is highly tempting. Because I don't trust my PS4 to run anything.

Cuz I enjoyed Cyber Sleuth, as a fan of Digimon. (Far as I got through it.) But the main "combat" gameplay loop was never the strong point of the game. So I ended up not playing Hacker's Memory, because most reviewers claimed it was a lesser Cyber Sleuth/more of the same. (And Next Order, which I did play, was beyond convoluted and not my thing.)

So, as far as I'm concerned, if the story comes together and ends satisfyingly. It'll be something I'll get/support. It might just be after my vacation...