ThunderPeel2001

So my existential angst came back last night, for the first time in a couple of weeks, and I ended up having a massive panic attack. Fucking, fucking, arse. Fuck Dawkins. Fuck Hitchens. Fuck anyone who thinks they have the right to destroy people's personal faith in an afterlife. Hopefully it'll completely pass soon. *sigh*

Hey, glad you liked my Uplink theme. When it's finished I'll upload it somewhere, for anyone who wants it. Unfortunately there hardly anything you can customize: The colour scheme and the icons, and that's about it. No wallpapers, I'm afraid.

What about a big ol' plate of assburgers?

Insert appropriate comment.

I've always wanted to play Uplink, but the game's visuals have always made my eyes bleed... So I've spent the past few days creating a theme for it that doesn't make me want to rake out my eyeballs with rusty coat-hangers (your mileage may vary). It's far from complete (still need to think of something for that bottom left-hand icon), and the colour scheme is very Steam-ish, but my eyes no longer want to run away to a different body (once again, your mileage may vary). Before and after...

I would say, "go for it!", but I don't want to be responsible in you embarking on a project that might be largely thankless... If you do it, I'd be interested to read what you think. Other stuff: I watched The Artist and thought it was a lovely film. It managed to enthral a room full of modern cinema-goers with nothing more than black and white visuals*, and some music. I guess that whole "good story" thing is pretty important, right, Mr Hollywood Exec? Right? Bottom line: * - No orange and teal!

Oh, what the heck. Gimme some libel.

Nice to know. I never got much further than The Hound of the Baskervilles, as I recall. Still, Wikipedia tells me that the brief descriptions of Moriarty in those three stories contradict each other (as is usual for Sherlock Holmes). I don't recall Mycroft being "well defined" more than him being a smarter, lazier, chubbier version of Sherlock, but as I say, I've not read all the stories. It'd be interesting if Thumbs who have never read the original stories posted their thoughts given this resurgence of interest in the character.

I would say to all of you to read the ASC article I linked to. The idea that they would rely on Macros for the look of a film, and a "quick fix", is blown out the water very, very quickly. Remember: Drive was a low budget film. Consider that when you read about the lengths they went to in the article. That said: S4x4rXsCQTU 95% of these I would agree ARE obviously digitally manipulated into looking very orange and teal... I still stand by my assertion that orange and teal doesn't automatically make an image beautiful, though. I personally find almost all of the images in that video beautiful, tricks or no tricks. You'll also note that digital colour grading is an additional step in the filmmaking process. Me too.

That's true... but is it really a cliché, yet? I don't think it is. A tiny number of the population are aware of it. I've never heard a film critic discuss it, or seen it mentioned in film reviews, or heard anyone talk about it in real life.

I don't believe there's anything that can be automated to the level you're talking about. I don't believe there's an "orange and teal" button -- but even if there was, cinematography is about a LOT more than a colour scheme. I just don't buy that it's a "piss take". I can't think of a single reason a cinematographer would do that to their own work, and I can't think of a reason a director would take the time to make a meta-joke that 0.0001% of the audience would get. Plus, it would take just as long to light and stage as a non-orange and teal film. As I said before, Drive was easily one of the most beautiful films of the year, and I'm willing to bet it wins some awards for its cinematography. Edit: Here's an American Society of Cinematographers article about Drive: http://www.ascmag.com/ac_magazine/October2011/Drive/page1.php

Stereotypes of the world... Who needs country names?

Yes, and no. He was more interesting when his flaws were on display than when he was being perfect, but that wasn't that often. He was a bit aloof, a bit cold, and a bit introverted. And when he had no cases, he'd stimulate his brain with cocaine (yes). He was definitely portrayed as eccentric. Modern adapters have run with that, just like they've run with everything else Conan Doyale gave them: Moriarty (mentioned once, if I'm not mistaken), Irene Adler (also mentioned once), Mycroft (barely mentioned), etc. I'd say Jeremy Brett's interpretation was closest to the book, while also being highly entertaining. Very recommended.

Some comics: BONE (Calvin and Hobbes/Pogo meets Lord of the Rings) Calvin and Hobbes -- A newspaper strip cartoon that's good for your soul And a book: Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams shamelessly tries to be PG Wodehouse in space... and succeeds ...leap to mind. Although, I'm sure you've read all of them.

LOVED Drive. Easily one of the best films of last year. LOVED the fact that it was slow, too. I found those moments absolutely engrossing, and they made the action, what little there was of it, even more gripping. I also thought it was easily one of the most beautiful films of the year. I found it to be stunning. Really. Far from "O&T OTT" -- there was plenty of pinks and purples and deep blues in that film. I wonder if your expectations were too high, though? I didn't know what to expect, and was floored by a totally off-key movie. Very different than typical popcorn faire. Also, a request (not just to you, Scrobbs): Can we just get over this "Orange and Teal" = BAD thing? Just because someone spotted a trend in cinematography doesn't automatically negate that cinematography. Well done for spotting it, but no that doesn't mean it's bad. It's just a style, like dark shadows and harsh lights in Film Noir. Or stunningly bright color in films like Wizard of Oz or Singing in the Rain. It requires just as much skill to make something look beautiful using Orange and Teal as it does anything else. It's not like it's a shortcut that poor cinematographers use, it's just a style that's popular at the moment. [/rant]

I believe Sherlock and Watson will eventually get their man.

Yay

That's a real shame to hear. I wonder if it's a LucasArts thing, as I'm pretty sure KOTOR had the same system. It's all a bit silly... One day someone, somewhere might do something interesting with a moral system. *sigh*

So is Buffy! Also, is this not the emotion you seek?

Srsly? Fr rls?

*Comes out from behind a curtain noticeably smarter than when we saw him last. He is in a suit, clean shaven, and with slicked back hair. He has a microphone on his lapel which amplifies his shaky voice around the room* To Ben, and my fellow thumbs, I wrote that post at 3.50am on my phone, on a sleepless night... but I fully understand that is no excuse for what I did, nor the harm it caused. I want to unreservedly apologise for any undue suffering or confusion that resulted from my actions. And I'd like to thank you, Ben, for being the one person who stood up and really made me look at what I'd done. The things I wrote were the ramblings of a man on his way down. A man in need of help. A man who had lost his way. And the reaction here has been a wake-up call. A long needed wake-up call. Finally seeing my actions for what they were has finally made me seek the help I... I... *begins to tear up* ...should have... *blubbers almost indecipherably* ...sawbt longbt abo. *awkwardly regains composure* Please understand that I know I have let myself down. I have let Wikipedia down. And I have let my fellow Thumbs down. I hope one day you'll see that my actions were not malicious, nor deliberate, but actually a cry for help. And, as thoughtless and irresponsible as my post was, that you'll eventually find it in your heart to forgive me. I look forward to being able to prove to you all that I have changed, and if I'm lucky, to eventually earn your trust again. Thank you. *Bows his head, and walks back behind the curtain. We watch the curtain for a while and then hear his disembodied voice as clearly as before.* Do you think they bought it? What do you mean it's still on?? Turn it off! TURN IT O-- *Feedback fills the room, and then silence.*

I don't get it, either. The original pilot was 60 mins, but the BBC rejected it and told them to re-film it, making it 90 mins. I'd love to know the logic behind it. The original 60 pilot is on the DVD.

Haha. That Coke commercial really sums up the vibe of the game. Damn. Well, as I say, I've not played IX to completion, so I didn't realise that it lost its footing halfway through. That's a shame I don't mind a bit of melodramatics in my JRPGs, so maybe it won't bother me that much. I think even with VIII (which I've also not played to completion) you'll always have the cool design, music, and world. I bet it's fairly decent, just unnecessarily "Westernized".

? It actually says: "Gatiss observes that Conan Doyle's tiredness of the character is demonstrated by Holmes' absence for half of The Hound of the Baskervilles, in which Doctor Watson's role is foregrounded. In contrast to the original, however, the producers decided to use the protagonist more in their adaptation, so Sherlock only threatens to stay behind in London." 1. The "threat" made no sense to anyone who hasn't read the book. 2. The common complaint from readers of The Hound of the Baskervilles was that Sherlock wasn't in it for most of the time. Ergo: Gatiss put the (otherwise nonsensical) "I'm not going, you can go alone Watson" type lines in as a jokey fake-out for the fans of the new series: "This episode isn't really going to feature Sherlock in it, just like the book" "Huh?" "Just kidding! Of course he's going!" The flipside is that I quite enjoy spending time in the company of Watson, so I was quite looking forward to seeing them do that.