brkl

Phaedrus' Street Crew
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Everything posted by brkl

  1. Didactic Thumbs (Pedantry Corner)

    This is a vocabulary discussion, not grammar.
  2. Blade Runner 2049

    I need a new prescription for my glasses.
  3. Didactic Thumbs (Pedantry Corner)

    I'll say you're technically right as I used the term as a slight bit of hyperbole to make a point. However, I don't completely agree as that leaves a loophole for aspiring retconners: new meaning can be inserted into a work about anything that hasn't been said outright or shown, which muddles the original meaning of the work. Compare the The Hobbit in its original form to Jackson's films, which take great pains to connect events from Lord of the Rings to Hobbit, while the scale and tone of the original book are discarded. I think the Blade Runner sequel treats the original in a similar way, except to a lesser and more subtle extent. I'll post a defense of my use of the word in the movie's thread.
  4. Blade Runner 2049

    Oh, I meant myself I am. Dan didn't approve of my use of the word 'retcon', but here's why I think it applies:
  5. Blade Runner 2049

    Agreed on K. The film doesn't tell us.
  6. Blade Runner 2049

    Ok, I'll put up my thoughts before catching up on the thread. I was disappointed by the movie, although it offers really lovely visuals and soundscapes and a bunch of scenes that are very good. The film doesn't earn it very long running time; it's slack and has a ton of expository dialogue. Ideas that would have been conveyed through a couple of visual scenes seconds in length in Blade Runner are pre-chewed with five minutes of dialogue. Several of the principal characters are wafer-thin and spend their scenes posturing to the camera. The plot is on one hand a very sappy continuation of Blade Runner and on the other hand deals with power struggle on a scale which IMO just doesn't belong in Blade Runner.
  7. Mouse Wrist Pain

    Yeah, I never actually played games with the trackball, except maybe Portal.
  8. Star Wars Episode 8

    Hah, oh yeah. Leia was only on screen for a split second and still managed to look off. IMO it's pretty crass to replace dead actors who were excellent in their parts with Madame Tussaud's replicants who are a distraction for their entire screen time. So, I went ahead and actually watched the trailer we are supposed to be talking about. *cough* I'm not feeling it. I think I've seen all these scenes before.
  9. Star Wars Episode 8

    Yes, I did, but First Class just felt like same old stuff to me. Haven't seen the other too. That said, I'd like to see some directorial vision in superhero movies. They all feel the same right now. We haven't seen anything like Ang Lee's Hulk, for example, which of course is deeply flawed and an hour too long, but has personality. I agree this discussion should be split to another thread, although I don't have much more to say about superhero movies. They are the strongest vein in the mine of barely passable blockbuster movies that is being mined right now. You can't even try to have a new idea and risk losing continuity in the franchise. Everyone is following Peter Jackson's footprints. About five years ago, a Finnish film production company took a detective franchise with two quite liked films and decided to churn out six more movies in one eight month shoot. Those were some forward-thinking people. Of course they are unwatchable, but I'm sure they made money.
  10. Star Wars Episode 8

    I think it's important to make things that are not only polished but also feel fresh. I watched Deadpool, but it's pretty impossible to get interested in a marvel movie. I liked episode 7,although I admit the plot is a rehash. Rogue One came too soon afterwards, so I felt suspicious and just didn't go see it. Then I was surprised by how much I liked it when I saw it a couple of days ago. But there's this nagging sense of emptiness.
  11. Blade Runner 2049

    That's amazing. Probably my brain will latch on to that every time from now on. Oh, well. Yeah, the saxophone doesn't help the romance scene. Without it, you could accept is as pretty dark. Deckard isn't really portrayed as a wonderful guy anyway. But having the saxophone blaring really undermines any interpretation you might want to make. It's supposed to be sexy, I guess. Ugh.
  12. Stranger Things

    I've watched a bunch of 80s horror (I'm too scared to watch newer horror films) and that shadow world business felt new to me. I agree the plot won't surprise anyone.
  13. Blade Runner 2049

    Hah, I had a weird experience on watching the original for the tenth time and suddenly being surprised by all the replicant exposition Deckard the expert gets explained to him. Then there's the, uh, romance scene which was always really uncomfortable. I have to keep in mind the original always had rough corners when I see the new one on Sunday.
  14. I'm done with the show. It's dull and it's not Trek.
  15. Fortnite

    Nah, it's totally different, but not better.
  16. Fortnite

    I had some good times yesterday playing this with my brother. Apart from how fiddly picking up stuff can be, it's good fun and the price is right.
  17. Stargate

    All series and movies of course. How many minutes is that?
  18. Blade Runner 2049

    That's great. I've seen Ford be a sourpuss in many interviews. Nice to see him having fun. Huh, I guess I have to trust the hordes of critics praising the film and actually see it.
  19. I saw the third Discovery episode. Michael Burnham staring blankly at everyone and a ton of monologues at the camera. I'm one or two episodes short of quitting if the show doesn't improve.
  20. Blade Runner 2049

    Hah, I really want to believe you guys, and there was an interview in my morning paper where Villeneuve said all the right things. But the bits I've seen of the thing really turn me off.
  21. Stargate

    I liked Stargate Universe. I wonder if I would still like it. I watched some of the original run, but in my mind it didn't compare to Babylon 5.
  22. Black Mirror

    I won't because the illusion was broken so early on. I'm not in the mood for Black Mirror's cynicism very often, but I enjoyed a few episodes a lot, such as the one with Jon Hamm. It helps to look at episode ratings to find the good ones.
  23. Mouse Wrist Pain

    Yeah, you use that with your thumb. Seems like asking for trouble to me, but I've never actually used one like that.