361–370 of 414 posts
As another post mentioned, this really only applies to big budget blockbusters. Just to summarize what I've observed: 1. Every movie is basically the "Mattel-Mars Bar quick energy chocobot hour" at this point, basically just an empty ad 2. Studios are currently falling all over themselves to show how ideologically correct they are
In general I’ll watch anything the Drinker recommends (I’ll never stop being grateful that’s he got to me to give the Expanse a second try for example). With that said, there are lot of fantastic movies getting made, they’re just not big budget. You could watch nothing but stuff Pattinson (to name a single example) has been in over the last 10 years and have a, uh, good time. I personally think that these days the mo…
So, I should give the Expanse a second try? .... My biggest issue these days is that there isn't actual development within the world created. Superman falls for Lois lane, not because of some sort of event or circumstance that we experience on screen, but because they're 'supposed to get together'. Or it's also bad when movies rely on a wider generalized context rather than actually developing something within the wo…
I liked this video. With the glaring exception of wandavision. Characters in that series are constantly telling her that what she is doing is wrong. There is no ambiguity that it's an evil selfish thing she is doing. It's also unintentional and subconscious because she can't control her powers and frankly she is weak. Her sacrifice is the loss of her children and husband because she recognizes she has to restore free…
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There are many examples of making a film on a budget of almost nothing. Clerks, Evil Dead, the Sweding movement, most all of Tik Tok… You can make a compelling story via flip book.
ahem PRIMER
A lack of moral subtlety is also hurting modern productions. I nearly cringed out of my skin when Peacemaker and Resident Alien managed to have blunt anti-anti-masker scenes in the same week. I really don't need to see my own opinions fed back to me out of a baby food jar.
Fun rant. IMO, much of what The Drinker describes is just plain old bad writing, but currently it's a lame writing in the style or George RR Martin or whatever is modern. It's not the style that sucks, it's the writing. GRRM makes for an easy example. He wrote the novels for GoT's wonderful early seasons. Other people wrote the later seasons. We can compare. Both told morally ambiguous stories that played with fantas…
A lack of moral subtlety is also hurting modern productions. I nearly cringed out of my skin when Peacemaker and Resident Alien managed to have blunt anti-anti-masker scenes in the same week. I really don't need to see my own opinions fed back to me out of a baby food jar.
How about the speech at the end of Falcon and Winter Soldier?
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showcasing female heroes as displaying exaggerated masculine abilities (in a sexualized female body) is belittling to actual feminine virtues
Who cares what you think - or what I think? Who are you or anyone to define what these women do or want - and then weakly try to appeal to authority by assigning your opinions the words "actual feminine virtues"? Many men used to define those 'virtues' as not working, voting, having an opinion, and as being obedient, sexy, and sexually available to them (but not to other men!) - how convenient! > sexualized female bo…
But art is not in the business of selling didactic moral lessons, enforcing Protestant work ethics or what else have you. Art should primarily stand on artistic merits. Most of the movies in the video fail on that front as well but not because they don't engage in teaching folk morality.
Paraphrasing the end of the video: "movies teach sketchy life lessons, like prioritizing one's own happiness over other people's freedom[...]"
From an artistic standpoint there is nothing at all wrong with this, in fact putting a character like this into a framing of a hero makes for a significantly more interesting premise than much else I've seen in the cinema.
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It may sound like nonsense, but in comparison to many other languages, English is super flexible with how vowels are pronounced and toned (entoned?). If you've ever tried to learn a tonal language, or one with more specific vowels like Khmer (which has 33 consonants and 22 vowels) you'd realize how relaxed English can be. Generally this is in English's favor, I pronounce button differently than my NZ friends, but the…
American English has something like 15 distinct vowels. That’s not that much less than your citation of Khmer, and way more than many languages. Any claim that American English has a uniquely poor vowel inventory is just wrong.
English has 5, and no real consensus on how they are used, let alone the tone of voice that you need to use to indicate a specific word.
In tonal languages a rising vowel note is different than a falling, rising and then falling, falling then rising, flat or tumbling tone. The closest English has is the rising tone one makes when asking a question, but that doesn't change the meaning of the words entirely, just the context.