Mordor She Wrote posted:

The real list is

1. Mike
2.Rich
3. Jay
4. The Canadians

a bone to pick posted:

I agree with their opinions on every video game, for instance Alien: Isolation was a boring slog to get through.

Pyroclastic posted:

It doesn't really get to Force Awakens until the last half-hour. There's really no major problems in TFA like there were in the prequels, so there's just not much there to dig in to. Most of the 'review' is about the resurgence of people defending the prequels.

Echo Chamber posted:

The Ring Theory and all the freshmen film school CD/YouTube revisionism of the prequels needed calling out. And a Star Wars review is a nice vehicle for that call out.

I was bit concerned when he into that tangent on "Diversity in the Star Wars Universe", but he ended up justifying it. They didn't take the extra "risk" to make its diversity bold.

I still think he showed too much sympathy for Lucas with his rant on how TFA played it safe. To me, it was just Lucas using hindsight to poorly rehabilitate his prequels. TFA was a adequately made product that's best consumed and forgotten about until the next installment.

Red Letter Media is still the only place that I could stand someone actually expressing their opinions on Star Wars. Good job, guys.

Randarkman posted:

I think it's great that little girls want to dress up as an officer in a genocidal fascist organization who has no character outside of her costume and dies by getting thrown in the garbage

Grondoth posted:

It worked for Boba Fett

8-Bit Scholar posted:

They just tied her up off screen IIRC, she's going to be a bigger deal in the sequel. I predict that they'll take advantage of the fact that we never saw her face to have her "surprise" audiences as a secret covert agent or something like that.

I think the review's main thesis is that now Star Wars has been handed over to a vastly worse entity than Lucas, which is weird in a way because Lucas whored out the franchise too. That said, it is a bit worrying to see Star Wars taking the Marvel movies treatment and I think the overall point that Disney being in charge leads to these "Design-by-committee" moments that are pretty blatant.

It IS fan service, because fan service sells, and that's all this now, it's something to sell. It's a mathematical formula meant to derive a larger set of numbers from a smaller set and creativity, artistry, storytelling and cinema are all effectively secondary to that. Plinkett is spot-on with his take that TFA is a more cynical movie than the stupid, goofy, kooky prequels. Not in the fact of its story or characters, but in the very design of it. Its manufacture.

That's what the review seeks to tackle and I think that's a much better and broader point than "TFA is kind of mediocre and teh villains make absolutely no sense."

Gargamel Gibson posted:

Christ, when does he start talking about The Force Awakens?

Stabbatical posted:

I forgot the 'Trash Compacter' line from the movie and seeing it again makes Han seem like a crazy-psycho old-man rather than an adventurous smuggler/rebel fighter who kills people as part of his job

also I'd forgotten how basically every scene has someone making light of their situation in the scene for no real reason

overall, good review that I somehow managed to not pause and do something productive instead of seeing but I'm not sure if I'd watch it again unlike all the other Plinkett reviews (but I'll probably do that at some point though)

Wicker Man posted:

Mike seemed really into the "This is the state of things," and he sort of already touched on them a little in the Titanic review. Both he and Jay seem like they are really counting down the years before the proverbial backlash against Hollywood gets loud enough to be serious.

counterfeitsaint posted:

Between Marvel and Star Wars, Disney is making a sizable amount of the money in the film industry right now. That poo poo ain't going anywhere.

Marvel movies may have their problems, but I do appreciate how that poo poo is actually planned out ahead of time instead of just retconning everything and making it up as they go. Like all things, cinematic universes are fine in moderation. I do take exception to trying to turn literally everything into another CU though.

Gammatron 64 posted:

Politics are dumb and make you dumb.

At least on the bright side, all the insane PC poo poo of the 90s blew over so maybe by 2020 people will be allowed to make jokes and have a sense of humor again. It seems like more and more people are getting tired of self-righteous indignation.

Guy Goodbody posted:

Because they humanized the Storm Troopers. One took his helmet off and became a character. One died smearing blood on his friend's face. Even the way that one Storm Trooper said "traitor" had more emotion than you saw from any Storm Trooper in the first trilogy.

Randarkman posted:

This is probably just me getting old but in particular I find that the bits with "funny" and/or "exciting" stormtrooper kills and such (Han using Chewie's crossbow, the traitor guy easily being killed by Han, phasma in the garbage and all that) to be kind of off-putting, especially in an adventure movie like this that isn't like gory or shockingly violent. I can't quite put my finger on why that bothers me as opposed to how over the top death and gore scenes can be funny in something like a lovely horror movie. In the original trilogy the stormtroopers were essentially henchmen to be killed, but the movies didn't treat them as essentially a joke (even though their marksmanship became one outside of the movies). Anyway I dunno really, but it feels really off to me, and I think the same thing kind of bothered me in the Hobbit movies as well.

counterfeitsaint posted:

Prequel apologists and Ring Theory proponents are such an alien concept to me that for awhile I was wondering if it was just a straw man Plinkett was using. So I looked in the CinD thread. Nope, it's all real. They were dismissing the idea of that the prequels might have problems like it was some absurd notion that had been so clearly decided long ago, what a silly thing to even bring up again.

temple posted:

Star Wars is cool universe and setting. I'd say its better fantasy than traditional fantasy because it doesn't rigidly define warriors and magic. The Sith are villains but introspective and represent a philosophical difference more than morally black. Heroes and rogues come in many variety. The Force is so vague that it is free from traditional religious baggage and paradoxes. The prequels are steeped in that universe. They are bad films but set in a mythology people enjoy.

get that OUT of my face posted:

tezzor is one of the worst posters on SA, but he's doing the lord's work by constantly telling them that the prequels are awful and getting banned for it

for a forum that leans so heavily on "death of the author" and interpreting things wildly, there sure is a lot of groupthink in cined

achillesforever6 posted:

People apparently want to watch a movie where Bruce Wayne decides being Batman is a dumb immature idea and instead dedicates his life helping the poor class and funding the inner city to end crime.

The same people also love to talk about how the entire MCU is fascistic and right wing propaganda instead of fun pulp movies where you don't look into deeper meaning or give a poo poo about how good it looks from a cinematographic level.

achillesforever6 posted:

I remember someone bashing Mad Max Fury Road because it was violent

It was that Macintosh guy who posted his opinion on the Feminist Frequency twitter like a coward to get the blame on his friend.

Sephiroth_IRA posted:

She dropped him like a bad habit and now he's trying to do his own thing I think.

Snowglobe of Doom posted:

Oh and there's an emoji movie coming out August 2017. And of course the poop emoji is going to feature.

Snowglobe of Doom posted:

If they are then the retardation must be contagious because they fought off Warner Bros and Paramount in the bidding war to buy the project.

http://deadline.com/2015/07/emoji-movie-sony-pictures-animation-anthony-leondis-kung-fu-panda-secrets-of-the-masters-1201482768/

Snowglobe of Doom posted:

Upcoming Sony films: live action Barbie movie, Jumanji remake, Bad Boys 3 and 4, Hotel Transylvania 3
Upcoming WB films: King Kong reboot, King Arthur reboot, CHiPs, Blade Runner 2049, Tomb Raider reboot, Ready Player One, Jungle Book: Origins, Minecraft
Upcoming Paramount films: Monster Trucks, Baywatch, Transformers 5, 6 & 7, Sherlock Gnomes

JB50 posted:

She says the words "mary sue" itself are sexist:

"The Mary Sue thing in itself is sexist because it's the name of a woman," she says. "Everyone was saying that Luke had the exact same [abilities]. I think Rey is incredibly vulnerable, and nothing she's doing is for the greater good. She's just doing what she thinks is the right thing. And she doesn't want to do some of it, but she feels compelled to do it. So for me, I was just confused."

Some of the dumbest poo poo Ive ever read.

Except my posts.

temple posted:

People didn't like Rey, doesn't matter what they call her. Mary sue is just a more specific way to say flawed character.

Weirdo posted:

WampaLord posted:

It is good and he's gooning out hard in that video, like speargin about really trivial details. As a writer, you'd think he notice more of the thematic significance of events.

Nutsngum posted:

Westworld is awesome but the finale was really not very good.

Zmej posted:

Maive sucks rear end. Too edgelord for me

Dmitri-9 posted:

Maeve was still in a loop, Bernard pretty much came out and said it before she shut him up. That's why she went back for her "daughter" instead of leaving the park.

Shinjobi posted:

Rogue One was 1/3 of an awesome movie. First 2/3s were okay stuff, but holy gently caress does it nail the third act.


As it is, I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of ten.

morboweirwood posted:

Does anyone watch the Cinema Snob here

Randarkman posted:

Well they were dead on with their description of alot of this movie as essentially Star Wars porn. Didn't hear alot of people when I saw it in the theater but yeah it totally makes sense. And just thinking it was cool to have an action sequence with a bunch of Star Wars stuff happening was kind of what won me over on it as well, makes me realize that I am somewhat guilty of it (though I more or less hated the fanservice stuff before and after this, especially the Leia reveal). I mean is anyone really going to be watching this movie again for anything other than the last 30 minutes or so? I remember watching it and being kind of torn between liking and hating it, then the last 30 minutes happen and I kind of forgot this.

turnways posted:

I agree with RLM on their take, though I was all for a gritty war movie about stars and wars and poo poo. I just thought the dark and gritty and war aspects were done way better in other movies, and if I just watched those and pretended they had lasers and AT-STs and poo poo I think I'd be OK as far as how necessary this movie is.

Like the opening scene vs the opening scene in Inglorious Basterds, similar premise, kinda similar outcome. Even removing the gory bloody parts from the latter, it far, far outshines the former. Way more tension, way more at stake, you immediately felt for the father, the family, and the main character girl, vs. the former where who loving cares.

I think their point is if you're going to play it safe at least make it fun, which I agree with. It doesn't do war-gritty all that well because it's Star Wars, so make it fun at least.

Paladinus posted:

I get that the theatre experience can skew your opinion on the movie. During my watch, no one applauded or cheered for AT-ST, so I didn't mind fan-service as much, while this was the main complaint by RLM.

Also, when they perfect CGI faces, they should make a special edition of R1 to update Tarkin. And also a very special edition of prequels where Christensen is replaced by a recreation of a young Sebastian Shaw. And a super special edition of the original trilogy that is the same as the first special edition, but it gets faster every time someone says 'Force'.

Blistex posted:

<remakes Battlefield: "Star Wars Edition" for the 50th time>

I would kill for a new Tie-Fighter game (not just a Multiplayer Twitch-Fest) or something like Empire at War that's a little less "kid friendly" and requires actual strategy.

sweetmercifulcrap posted:

Yeah, the same guys that consistently point out how one of the (many) reasons the prequels were bad was the pandering to children.


Same. Saw it in a completely full IMAX theater on opening day.

Even so, honestly, what's worse, the nerd who sees fanservice and indulges in it, fully aware of what it is? Or the nerd to has to be all contrary, "actually you can't enjoy this because its fanservice"

oohhboy posted:

What the poo poo RLM? You fan wank over TFA, but suddenly story critical characters and period accurate technology are verboten? You judged the movie based on the loving audience? You complained it wasn't a heist movie when it was clearly sold as a dirty dozen movie? How do you miss the awesome sight of the Death Star breaking the horizon? Heck even the space battle was period accurate in how they framed it, they even look like the toys they are made from. I could go on and on.

TFA is a poo poo movie. What a loving troll review.


They needed to connect the end of R1 to ANH. It filled in why Vadar knew who to chase, why he is so pissed off and how Leia got the plans. Showing the Tantive IV costed no more than 30 seconds in a plot critical moment. It showed how desperate the struggle was as the troopers pass the plans on. Vadar gets somewhat rehabilitated into a badass who is rightly feared.

What was a waste of time was when Kerrinc begged Vadar for an audience with the Emperor. That was truly fan wank and needed to be cut.

Quantum of Phallus posted:

I hope they review Assassin's Creed because holy gently caress it is a stinker.

dreezy posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i9-vP7kJheI
first video of the year and its more stupid rogue one bull

Quantum of Phallus posted:

It's definitely gonna be in my bottom list of the year. I've never wanted to walk out of a film as much as this one in a long long time. There is ZERO humour throughout and the best stuff, the historical scenes, are maybe 30% of the film? The last twenty minutes feels BUTCHERED in the edit and the film just ends randomly. It is AWFUL and I'd recommend not paying any money to see it.
A real 1 star stinker.

oohhboy posted:

They double downed a bit in that last video, they start off ok if still disagreeable but start going off the cliff a couple of minutes in when he plasters over the readily available character motivations and complains about how the movie felt compared to the OT when it succeeded in it's intended effect. He again dismisses the final battle out of hand because pew pew and doesn't look at the cinematography of it compared to TFA which was far more pew pew boom face blasting with shake cam while R1 was true to the look and feel of OT.

While the first Vadar scene was entirely pointless no doubt and questionable, he didn't understand why he had to be in R1 and complains about the lack of introduction when they introduce him.

He complains there is nothing to explain what happened previously when there isn't anything to tell from previously when in fact it was meant to do the opposite by sending the story forward. The bits that are "previously" are a little vague and not straight up told to you which are acted out like Kernnic's and Galan's relationship as old friends who break apart because of their differing morality and how this connects to Jyn. They didn't focus much on Galan as the movie was about getting the plans. It was pretty clear what Galan experienced for years under the abuse of Kernnic in the same scene as the attempted rescue allowing that time to do double duty. He constantly asking for tell no show instead of the other way around.

He compares the fight scene again without explaining himself again while wistfully longing for nostalgia over actually analysing the film giving his improvements. Blunt force going through armour hurting troopers isn't unprecedented, it comes from the RoTJ. A valid complain for that fight was that they were a little bit super powered breaking the "Normalness" the characters show throughout the rest of the film.

He blasts the ATAT running straight into "MILITARY TACTICS" complaining about blowing up their own base which is mostly idyllic beaches but somehow he misses the entire point of them which was to have that oh poo poo "Tiger" moment where the heroes that the time seem to be prevailing has the tide turn when an untouchable weapon or force arrives causing them to flee. This is then reversed again as with Saving Private Ryan when the reinforcement arrives blowing up the Tiger/ATAT.

After that he attacks poo poo that is straight up nonsense to pad the score. TFA and R1 did break Mike's mind, then there is the alcohol and the purple hands.

Ka0 posted:

I posit the alternative that disney wouldn't want to risk adding new hardware for the empire and just coast off tried and tested designs. On account on prequel trilogy debacle.

Shinjobi posted:

I think this thread is on the verge of winding up in CineD again.

vermin posted:

Mike's gonna die inside a little extra now that Rich landed a voice acting role. No Palpatine. No Disney cartoon voice. Only talking about movies he hates til the day death claims him.

a bone to pick posted:

lmao at an old geezer holding off 2 super-powered assassins

Captain Lavender posted:

I was worried I'd have to watch this whole movie again, but most of this commentary has nothing to do with what's happening in the movie, so you could listen to it like a podcast.

And lol at the Star Wars horror movied "VVampa"

oohhboy posted:

The commentary gets worse further in. Maybe they got drunk or it's deliberate but they get really obtuse. They really, really want that heist movie but being that knowledgeable about Star Wars you would think they would put two and two together to realise they will get that movie later at an undetermined date.

They bitch on about the team having no plan before wishing for Oceans Eleven for the nth time. Yeah no poo poo because they didn't know anything about the place and they didn't have time. They show you the team looking up the local directory, the commandos were plan 2/2.

The tension from the final battle doesn't come from a timer. The tension comes from the ebb and flow of the battle. Who is winning is constantly changing hands. The Death Troopers arrive for example is another reversal like the AT-AT and their subsequent destruction.

Had they not shown the Death Troopers disembarking you wouldn't know where they came from. Krennic did send them off but the movie always makes sure you know where things are moving.

They miss the reasons why the camera followed some of the action at such and such of an angle. They provided the motion to move into the next scene or frame so you know where and when something is happening.

It is something TFA is missing especially during the final battle as space and time goes out the window. TFA uses a timer but when that passes nothing happens. The same set of scenes in ANH has them show you the firing sequence from earlier just seconds after zero. If you use a timer, you have to show the countdown. Then you have people teleporting about the place leaving you asking where the gently caress everyone is and how did they get there.

Leia was being a badass by lying right into Vadar's face and had nothing to lose.

The character arcs were weak, but come the gently caress on.

It was a good start but they devolve and start missing the forest for the trees. It got to the point I wrote off their obtuseness as factitious.

oohhboy posted:

It's blow back from them unjustifiably gushing about TFA.


Yeah, the problems isn't a technical one. I would take it any day over anything JJ puts out.

Dmitri-9 posted:

Rogue One is the skeleton of a good movie.

Arcsquad12 posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtMulYBE-m0

Brian Blessed is also amazing in commentaries.