Rate the latest movie you've seen.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

"Put ze stupid book back!"

[trdsf]

I went through an Ayn Rand period.  Loved Atlas Shrugged.  Fountainhead, not so much.  And really loved the tiny Anthem.  After college, I sort of forgot those three books.  Later I thought it would be a fun read to start on Atlas Shrugged and then the other two.  Not so much fun; wondered where my head was when I thought I loved any of that crap.

I never did a Rand period.  The first time I heard about the political philosophy of Libertarianism, my thought was (and remains to this day), "Well, that's interesting.  Too bad it's as deliberately ignorant of basic human nature as Marxism is."  Marxism mistakenly assumes society will act in the best interest of citizens.  Economic libertarians mistakenly assume that the market will; social libertarians make the same error as Marxists and mistakenly assume society will.

[drunkenshoe]

I have kind of watched/listened The Meg. It's a terrible movie and a bit of fun.

[spoiler]The usual deal. People are stupid and they're all in a lab on the middle of the ocean. A couple of them can't even swim. There is a megalodon in the water but then that's nothing because it seems they barely survive in the middle of the freaking ocean anyway. Also apparently dear ancient Meg(s) have long become senile because while there is bigger, better meat everywhere, it is hunting the salty, yikes human meat. ...blah blah Bad ending, it dies before eating enough people but it eats a few boats of shark poachers that part was a nice touch. [/spoiler]

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I have kind of watched/listened The Meg. It's a terrible movie and a bit of fun.

[spoiler]The usual deal. People are stupid and they're all in a lab on the middle of the ocean. A couple of them can't even swim. There is a megalodon in the water but then that's nothing because it seems they barely survive in the middle of the freaking ocean anyway. Also apparently dear ancient Meg(s) have long become senile because while there is bigger, better meat everywhere, it is hunting the salty, yikes human meat. ...blah blah Bad ending, it dies before eating enough people but it eats a few boats of shark poachers that part was a nice touch. [/spoiler]

[spoiler]First half was a little fresh, second half was Jaws XXXII. [/spoiler]

[drunkenshoe]

[spoiler]First half was a little fresh, second half was Jaws XXXII. [/spoiler]

Lol yeah. Jaws for the new generation.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Lol yeah. Jaws for the new generation.

With a lower case "j".

[Hydra009]

Watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I'm just in awe of how influential that series was, especially when it comes to fantasy gaming.

While afaik LotR didn't actually originate elves, dwarfs, orcs, goblins, dragons, wizards, magic items, etc it definitely cemented them in public consciousness and how they operate.  In just about any fiction, orcs are bestial and warlike.  Dwarves are hearty and cave-dwelling.  Elves are long-lived and adept at magic.

Huge chunks of D&D was directly inspired by LotR.  And just about everything else (MTG, Warcraft, to some degree TES) borrows heavily from D&D.

Modern fantasy wouldn't exist in its current state without LotR.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Ummmm...

[SGOS]

The Hunt 8/10

It's so bloody it's laughable, which is the intention.  Think Ready or Not; It's that kind of dark humor.  Mostly users at Redbox liked it.  But those who didn't said they hated it.  I'm more inclined to think it hit a nerve, because it's clearly political satire.  There were back handed references to the current administration, and neither liberals or conservatives were scripted to look like the good guys.

[Cassia]

Watching the Lord of the Rings trilogy and I'm just in awe of how influential that series was, especially when it comes to fantasy gaming.

While afaik LotR didn't actually originate elves, dwarfs, orcs, goblins, dragons, wizards, magic items, etc it definitely cemented them in public consciousness and how they operate.  In just about any fiction, orcs are bestial and warlike.  Dwarves are hearty and cave-dwelling.  Elves are long-lived and adept at magic.

Huge chunks of D&D was directly inspired by LotR.  And just about everything else (MTG, Warcraft, to some degree TES) borrows heavily from D&D.

Modern fantasy wouldn't exist in its current state without LotR.

Inspired me to practice speed-shooting my recurve bow...at the cost of bit of velocity and accuracy of course. A stationary orc at 20 or 30 yards can expect two solid hits in three seconds.

[SGOS]

my recurve bow...

You still have one of those?  I hunted with one of those for 25 years and never hit anything with it.  Compounds came out and I doggedly kept hunting with the recurve.  It was sad and depressing.  Finally, I broke down and bought a starter compound, and I killed a little buck. Things were looking up.  I entered a field shoot with it and got my ass handed to me.  Almost everyone at the shoot was using the same bow, a hybrid made by a crack archer in Kalispell, Montana that owned a shop.  I got one of those and  went to a lighter arrow, and later went to shorter arrows with an overdraw shelf, so I wouldn't have to compensate as much for distance. I practiced every day during the spring, summer, and fall.  I've never been a good shot with anything that required aiming, but I got to a point where I wouldn't embarrass myself.  Anything that would increase accuracy and compensate for my own deficiencies, I had on that bow.  That bow and my first set of arrows cost me more than my rifle and shotgun together.  I killed a 7 point whitetail western count that went into the Pope and Young record book for archers.  I suppose it's still in there.  I haven't looked to see in the last 25 years.  It just made it into the bottom tier, but I had the head mounted, and it still hangs on my wall here in Virginia.

My father was a purist and was disgusted with me selling out and going high tech.  When I shot that first little buck, he said, "Nice little buck.  Too bad you had to shoot it with a machine."  A hunter friend of mine who was a rifle hunter decided to get a bow.  His reason was that bow season coincided with the elk rut.  He said, it seemed like it would be an easy way to get a big bull.  I laughed at him like he was an idiot.  Opening day of that season, he shot a 6 point bull.  The next season we hunted together, and one evening we separated and went our own ways.  At dusk I heard him bugling over and over off in a different part of the forest.  When we got back to the truck he informed me that he and downed a 4 point bull.  We spent the next day hauling it out of the woods.

One year, I just got tired of killing things and sold all my stuff.  I never thought that would happen.  I don't have the desire to hunt anymore, but I remember spending many happy days out in the woods chasing game over the hills.

[aitm]

Watched “Jersey Boys” gotta admit I liked it. Give it a 7. I don’t know if they actually sang or dubbed or used early tapes so early Frankie not as clean as later Frankie, but a nice show. Interesting mob stuff, lucky the boy made it out. So if housebound give it a try.

[SGOS]

Watched “Jersey Boys” gotta admit I liked it. Give it a 7. I don’t know if they actually sang or dubbed or used early tapes so early Frankie not as clean as later Frankie, but a nice show. Interesting mob stuff, lucky the boy made it out. So if housebound give it a try.

I actually saw the play in Chicago.  I don't generally like plays, but I enjoyed that one, and I thought it was better than the movie, which I saw later.

[SGOS]

The Matrix Reloaded

I liked the first film a lot. Revolutions (the third movie?), not so much.  Somehow I had missed Reloaded, or if I saw it, I didn't remember a thing about it, possibly because it strikes me as forgettable.  The action was kind of fun in a ridiculous sort of way.  The original film kept my attentions all the way through because it was an original concept, but once the concept became clear, their wasn't much left over to work with.  I turned off Reloaded at one hour and 47 minutes.  I may finish it tomorrow, but I'm going to bed right now.

[Hydra009]

Revolutions is a continuation of Reloaded.  Those movies are a two-parter.  It's not recommended to watch one without the other.  Or either without some kind of drinking game!  (Take a shot whenever someone says something that doesn't make any sense, lol)

And while it tried to expand the setting and do some serious worldbuilding, the plot itself is rather dull - macGuffin central, monologues, and the world's simultaneously most boring and important-sounding speech in cinematic history.  Ergo.  Vis-a-vis.

Its most glaring flaw is that there's very little character agency (characters driving the plot) - instead it's the plot happening to the characters - things are happening to them and they're just reacting.  If that sounds familiar, that's how the Star Wars prequels operated and look how it worked out for them.  And while this lack of agency does tie into the central theme of Matrix Reloaded, it makes for a very, very dull audience experience.

Check this out after you finish it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TROA_0RxZmM