SleepingSilence

What shows/movies are you watching?

Bullet Train is 100% worth watching for a pure fun good time. Have no notable complaints that could be easily fixed, and its not giving everything away in its trailers.

Also the critics gave it a thrashing, so you know that its actually one of the better things that's come out this year.

What shows/movies are you watching?

I'll have to see Moon Knight instead. Looks slightly creepy and I haven't seen any Marvel shit for awhile.

@BangoSkank

The only thing terrifying about it is Disney's special effects, and the sheer amount of money they spend per episode.

If you can handle a well-directed character study with no plot. I'd take that, versus a poorly shot clusterfuck plot. Where the main draw of both is "this director made it/and these actors are in it". But, I suppose everyone has different tastes.

Because where I was starting to feel the artsy movie drag, after about 50 minutes. I knew from the very start of Moon Knight, that I was getting a mystery box bullshit show. That also has very little of consequence in it, and an ending that even the vast majority of its own fanbase doesn't seem to like...

Go watch Primal instead, it kicks ass.

Though for most new Marvel shows, regardless of the potential quality in each, I've seen a general consensus and pattern in nearly all of them thus far. Where the beginning is the best bit you're going to get...and it only goes downhill from there.

That, and the title & main character of the show, is rarely ever the focus of it. With Moon Knight being no exception.

What shows/movies are you watching?

Now I'm questioning Adam Driver's ability to act instead.

Inside Llewyn Davis was alright. (If you like hearing folk music like me, and can tolerate the typical western movie stereotype of everyone being an asshole. John Goodman's performance was obnoxious. (And if you don't mind the lack of a plot.)

But, I'll admit. Despite not being a very well-rounded character. He did play his role pretty well, and I didn't know he was a singer until now. So I won't deny that he has talent, at least.

And the Rotten Tomatoes high 90 from critics, and the more reasonable 'seven out of ten means I like it' 70 from its audience, doesn't surprise me either.

Here's something from Reddit /Truefilm, if this is the right kind of movie for you. And I quote.

"I don't know whether anyone can fully get Llewyn's character without understanding his grief firsthand. Not saying someone can't 'get' the movie or sympathize with him, but that grief is the window into him, and understanding it is less about intellect than about emotion."

In other news, my god Redditors are pretentious.

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.