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This was cute: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGH_KIK2f8E
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Mar 29, 2018 14:48
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Proteus Jones posted:Ars Technica not a fan of the movie. quote:Unlike in the book, Wade doesn't interact with real-life friends, have lengthy conversations with his VR pals, bumble disinterestedly through school, have significant family interactions, or show us anything in the way of interests or personality. I think you may be remembering a different book, pal.
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Mar 29, 2018 15:19
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Ready Player None prolly isn't the masterful iceburn he thinks it is.
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Mar 29, 2018 15:25
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I have a friend who is reporting she liked it, but it was also very different from the book in a lot of ways (apparently she never read the book, only listened to the Wil Wheaton audiobook, which sounds at least marginally more investmentable). So at least there's that. Apparently also now Cline has said he's going to write a novelization of the film, to reflect the differences from his original book. Because his one cash cow is something he refuses to let go of.
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Mar 29, 2018 16:44
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Surprised he is going back to novel writing since he has clearly only ever wanted to make movies
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Mar 29, 2018 16:56
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Ixjuvin posted:I think you may be remembering a different book, pal. Yeah, his biggest overall complaint is that the movie doesn’t follow the book exactly and takes too many liberties with the source material. Which I view as a good thing.
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Mar 29, 2018 17:34
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Ixjuvin posted:I think you may be remembering a different book, pal. The lengthy VR conversations at least were in the book. They’re also terrible.
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Mar 29, 2018 17:35
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You know its kind of interesting that, as a writer, the dude seems to have very little knowledge of books. Like, he has a half-hearted reference to Vonnegut but that's like babby's first nerd book poo poo. He reeks of being one of those authors who cares nothing for the craft and just wants a backdoor for his screenplay.
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Mar 29, 2018 17:48
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https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/excerpts-from-my-upcoming-novel-ready-player-two-girl-stuff McSweeney's doing what McSweeney do. EXCERPTS FROM MY UPCOMING NOVEL, READY PLAYER TWO: GIRL STUFF Nat Silverman posted:“Wow, Felicity,” he said. My Internet name was Felicity, after the coolest American girl doll. “I never met someone who knew so much about Harry/Draco before.” The Aphasian fucked around with this message at 18:56 on Mar 29, 2018 |
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Mar 29, 2018 18:52
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Mel Mudkiper posted:You know its kind of interesting that, as a writer, the dude seems to have very little knowledge of books. Oh definitely. Even if he just read trashy genre fiction his prose would be 100% better by virtue of just reading. How much you want to bet his only exposure to Vonnegut was reading Slaughterhouse-Five in high school?
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Mar 29, 2018 18:53
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Ixjuvin posted:I think you may be remembering a different book, pal. So basically they removed all the boring stuff?
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Mar 29, 2018 19:17
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Olivia Cooke was great in Bates Motel so it makes me cringe she’s the MPDG in this flick
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Mar 29, 2018 19:20
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Ixjuvin posted:I think you may be remembering a different book, pal. That review also rips on the movie for having Wade heroically overlook that Art3mis has a blemish in her face and including references to things that existed outside of the 1980's, so I think he actually is. Also: Ars Technica review posted:even though I was never a huge fan of the book, I've always believed it's both a fine read for kids and a morally sound template for a geek-family film. He must not have read the part about jacking off.
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Mar 29, 2018 19:33
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Choco1980 posted:I have a friend who is reporting she liked it, but it was also very different from the book in a lot of ways (apparently she never read the book, only listened to the Wil Wheaton audiobook, which sounds at least marginally more investmentable). So at least there's that. Apparently also now Cline has said he's going to write a novelization of the film, to reflect the differences from his original book. Because his one cash cow is something he refuses to let go of. I listened to the audiobook and I’d disagree that Wheaton adds anything. He’s passable as a narrator, but is incapable of doing character voices so just reads their dialogue with the disclaimer “I said” or “Max said.”
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Mar 29, 2018 19:34
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I actually want to read RP2: Girl Stuff now, the bit about the Legolas mod is genius.
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Mar 29, 2018 19:47
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Shark Sandwich posted:Oh definitely. Even if he just read trashy genre fiction his prose would be 100% better by virtue of just reading. I am willing to bet he has read Vonnegut because like all genre geeks without any taste, they read Vonnegut because he is the only writer of prestige they know of who has a tangible connection to genre fiction. Vonnegut is the lifeline of the uncritical to the idea that their spaceship books aren't just throwaway entertainment. I am curious what everyone thinks of the argument in this article https://www.vox.com/culture/2018/3/26/17148350/ready-player-one-book-backlash-controversy-gamergate-explained Namely, that part of the reason RPO is getting so much backlash now as opposed to seven years ago is because we are in a post-gamergame world in which the idea of "gamer escapism" is far more toxic and dangerous than it was in 2011
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Mar 29, 2018 19:48
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Mel Mudkiper posted:I am willing to bet he has read Vonnegut because like all genre geeks without any taste, they read Vonnegut because he is the only writer of prestige they know of who has a tangible connection to genre fiction. The thing is that he seems unacquainted with genre fiction too
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Mar 29, 2018 19:52
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Shark Sandwich posted:The thing is that he seems unacquainted with genre fiction too Well yeah, I am just saying he swallowing the pre-chewed mush of fantasy and sci-fi nerds opinions on books because he has neither the energy nor will to formulate his own
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Mar 29, 2018 19:54
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The more I read this argument by vox the more I am fascinated by the fact that Cline accidentally satirized the geek culture habit of gatekeeping by having literal gatekeeping in his world Like for all the jokes earlier about rewriting the book to be better, I think the biggest thing to satirize in a rewrite is that Cline is taking the toxic idea of excluding people for failing to be a "real geek" to the extreme of creating an actual series of challenges meant to drive away all those who fail to be "true" in their love of stupid pop culture
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Mar 29, 2018 19:58
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Well yeah, I am just saying he swallowing the pre-chewed mush of fantasy and sci-fi nerds opinions on books because he has neither the energy nor will to formulate his own Ah that’s fair. The upshot of the 372 podcast and this thread is that I’m writing again because I’m not a good writer but jfc I can do better than Cline
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Mar 29, 2018 20:00
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quote:"Many people find its take on games and so-called genre art to be a dull, pandering tableau of reference points as an end unto themselves,” the A.V. Club informed. As the 372 Pages guys point out the same AV Club put it on its list of best books of the year though. They gave it an A rating. I don't get it. The writing didn't get any worse because gamer gate exists. I'm a "gamer" who would eat up a well written version of this. In fact does anyone have any suggestions for ones close that are actually written well? Already read Snow Crash.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:06
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Chin Strap posted:As the 372 Pages guys point out the same AV Club put it on its list of best books of the year though. They gave it an A rating. I don't get it. The writing didn't get any worse because gamer gate exists. I'm a "gamer" who would eat up a well written version of this. Otherworld
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Mar 29, 2018 20:11
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Shark Sandwich posted:Otherworld gently caress yes. It’s really good. Be prepared, it’s four volumes and clocks in at around 4000(ish) pages overall. It’s been a while since I read them (I have the hardcovers squirreled away somewhere), but I think the shortest one was just shy of 900 pages. It’s a dense read, with a lot of different PoV characters and intertwining plots.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:18
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Chin Strap posted:As the 372 Pages guys point out the same AV Club put it on its list of best books of the year though. They gave it an A rating. I don't get it. The writing didn't get any worse because gamer gate exists. I'm a "gamer" who would eat up a well written version of this. I think the argument is less that the writing became worse because of gg and more that the writing was always bad but the themes were fun and harmless in 2011 and now they aren't
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Mar 29, 2018 20:21
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Shark Sandwich posted:Otherworld I got copies, so y'all better not disappoint me here. (Currently rereading Effinger's Marid Audran/Budayeen books.)
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Mar 29, 2018 20:23
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Mel Mudkiper posted:I think the argument is less that the writing became worse because of gg and more that the writing was always bad but the themes were fun and harmless in 2011 and now they aren't Yeah. Though I think GamerGate is narrowing the scope too much. 2011 was early enough in the Obama era that escapism in general was considered less frivolous. Between Trump, #MeToo, and GamerGate Cline’s nerd gatekeeping and objectification of women is just gross and the prose and plot are too mediocre to support the new scrutiny
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Mar 29, 2018 20:25
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Hyrax Attack! posted:I listened to the audiobook and I’d disagree that Wheaton adds anything. He’s passable as a narrator, but is incapable of doing character voices so just reads their dialogue with the disclaimer “I said” or “Max said.” Audiobooks can make a pass of a lot of bad fiction because it is hard to listen critically to an Audiobook. You are unlikely to be giving it full attention, so it becomes a river. No matter how rough a sentence is it passes by quickly. You don't get to go "what the Christ" and stop reading to stare off into space while reevaluating your decision. Similarly you can't pause to really appreciate a truly beautiful passage. I cannot, for the life of me, read the Dresden Files books. No matter how much my ex tried to convince me I simply couldn't. The audiobooks were pleasantly enjoyable as a thing to listen to while driving up and down California.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:26
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Shark Sandwich posted:Yeah. Though I think GamerGate is narrowing the scope too much. 2011 was early enough in the Obama era that escapism in general was considered less frivolous. Between Trump, #MeToo, and GamerGate Cline’s nerd gatekeeping and objectification of women is just gross and the prose and plot are too mediocre to support the new scrutiny I get that. I think the author specifically singles out gg because it was the one that most clearly was obsessed with this idea of "proving" if you were a "real" gamer/geek/etc. Of course, it goes back even further to the whole "fake geek girl" meme before that and so on and so on.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:29
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The Aphasian posted:https://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/excerpts-from-my-upcoming-novel-ready-player-two-girl-stuff Holy crap this is amazing. And absolutely spot on.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:29
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Mel Mudkiper posted:I get that. I think the author specifically singles out gg because it was the one that most clearly was obsessed with this idea of "proving" if you were a "real" gamer/geek/etc. Of course, it goes back even further to the whole "fake geek girl" meme before that and so on and so on. Oh definitely. I read that article last night and I agreed with it. I don’t think Cline intentionally was trying to gatekeep or be a sexist weirdo. I do think he’s a product of that exclusionary culture and lacks the self-awareness to understand why that’s real bad in this day and age though.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:32
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Mel Mudkiper posted:I am curious what everyone thinks of the argument in this article I think it's honestly an interesting argument on why it's getting so much backlash now and one that I think has a lot of merit. But I also find it somewhat humorous as Cline has obviously not touched a video game or been part of "gaming culture" in the last 30 years of his life. I also find that argument while probably true on many levels a bit of an excuse. The problems in this book that a post-gamergate world would highlight were present before and well known general problems in society in before as well. There is a fair comment to make about gatekeeping by making the whole story about are you A TRUE GEEK??? If so you get literally billions and are also super cool. Other problems such as the awful racial stereotyping, or the awful romance scenes being problems have been problems in other media already and can't be excused. But even then the problems in this book go beyond any toxic culture issues, the lame action scenes, the emotionless responses to death, the rote recitation of things from your childhood. You can't just say ohh it's harmless fun...because trust me I read ALOT of trashy fun, but what was actually fun? Did you enjoy a checklist of things they remembered? What was the scene where you fist pumped as the protagonist was doing something super cool? I got a bunch of friends reading the book in prep for the movie, one of the better comments was that it's literally a trashy YA book targeted at 40-50 year olds. ShinsoBEAM! fucked around with this message at 20:41 on Mar 29, 2018 |
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Mar 29, 2018 20:38
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Shark Sandwich posted:Ah that’s fair.  That thing I submitted to 372 Pages I actually spent about 2 hours workshopping to tighten up and make as intentionally tone deaf and unlike my normal writing style as I could, and goddamn it paid off. In a minor way that only a few people would ever appreciate, but still.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:38
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Shark Sandwich posted:Oh definitely. I read that article last night and I agreed with it. Well yeah, but that's the problem. The vast majority of toxic, exclusionary "geeks" are not being intentionally toxic. The whole thing is that he evokes the spectres of the worst of "geekdom" because people like him are where those problems take hold.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:39
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Mel Mudkiper posted:Well yeah, but that's the problem. The vast majority of toxic, exclusionary "geeks" are not being intentionally toxic. The whole thing is that he evokes the spectres of the worst of "geekdom" because people like him are where those problems take hold. Bingo. Most people aren't intentionally bad. They base themselves on their community. It's unfortunate that the gamer/nerd community is so exclusionary. Especially to women.
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Mar 29, 2018 20:42
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Mel Mudkiper posted:I think the argument is less that the writing became worse because of gg and more that the writing was always bad but the themes were fun and harmless in 2011 and now they aren't Yeah, pulling from the actual AV Club review, quote:Ready Player One borrows liberally from the same Joseph Campbell plot requirements as all the beloved franchises it references, but in such a loving, deferential way that it becomes endearing. There’s a high learning curve to all of the little details Wade throws out about the world, and for anyone who doesn’t understand or love the same sect of pop culture Halliday enjoyed, Ready Player One is a tough read. But for readers in line with Cline’s obsessions, this is a guaranteed pleasure.
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Mar 29, 2018 21:06
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And that’s funny because Cline’s treatment and interpretation of women in RP1 is pretty bad, but the actual worst instances casual misogyny are in Armada. There are (to my memory) four women in Armada. All of them but one are objects of lust for the main character (one of them being his own mother  ). And the first female character that’s introduced has no spoken lines of dialog, or at least meaningfully spoke lines, disappears after the first ten pages, and exists for the sole reason of informing the audience that the protagonist and narrator is in fact not a virgin because he had sex with her at one point before he dumped her.So yes, Ernest Cline has some very toxic views about women.
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Mar 29, 2018 21:17
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There is something I have noticed in Clines works where the highest compliment he seems to think he can give a woman is to say he finds them attractive. Not even to say they are attractive, no, he compliments them by saying they are someone HE finds attractive no matter what society says
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Mar 29, 2018 21:50
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I'm honestly amazed Cline has a wife and kid
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Mar 29, 2018 23:30
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I'm genuinely curious how many people who aren't weird internet nerds like us know what Gamergate is. This book sold very well and presumably a lot of people who are only on the periphery of the geek world Cline idolizes read it and maybe even enjoyed it, but did Gamergate really resonate that much outside of the online gamer bubbles? I wonder what people who read it in 2011 who never paid any attention to gg would think about RPO today. I'll agree that the world is a much different place now than it was when RPO was released and seeing the book through this new lens can't be helped. In a similar vein, one of the pop culture podcasts I listen to recently did an episode on Fight Club and about how the movie is terrifying and horrible when you view it through the lens of recent history. I can see how gg can have that effect on this book for the people in those overlapping Venn circles.
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Mar 30, 2018 00:55
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Robot Style posted:That review also rips on the movie for having Wade heroically overlook that Art3mis has a blemish in her face and including references to things that existed outside of the 1980's, so I think he actually is. Looking at pics from the film, Samantha’s port wine stain is virtually invisible. If they stick with the “I’m horribly ugly!” thing about her, it’s going to look extra silly.
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Mar 30, 2018 01:03
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