Nerdgasm: Movies and Shows for Geeks and Nerds

[Pidesco]

Nice, but why would you put on promotional material that the director was responsible for Warcraft?

[Blarghagh]

Well, WarCraft did shatter all records.

 

 

 

 

 

...in China.

[SonicMage117]

I finally watched The Last Jedi. Thankful to Disney that the new Star Wars films are better than the classic ones. When comparing the new to the old, we can finally see just how overrated the old ones are.

[Blarghagh]

lolwut?

[Bartimaeus]

Ignoring Sonic06's perpetual state of contrarianism, the classics are definitely overrated, but in the sense that they're not really amazing masterpiece films like a lot of Star Wars fans seem to make them to be. They're solid and fairly simple action space operas that have a lot of heart with some meanderings into philosophy and morality. They also have pretty good (and natural) chemistry between the cast, and there's a lot of cool and cleverly used film techniques for the time (a lot of which still stands up today). Funnily enough, the things that make the original series good (good cast, sweet and simple plot that gives way to the cast doing their thing, cool sets and locations and film techniques, etc.), are pretty much all the things that the prequels utterly lacked in every way imaginable, which is why the prequels are braindead CGI and/or laughably choreographed* action snoozefests. For these new sequels...I think they're much more of a mixed bag, which is a massive improvement over the prequels, which is really all it had to be to be "great" by Star Wars standards, I suppose. The 'bar' they had to reach had fallen into the core of the Earth, after all. The first movie was a repeat of a New Hope almost beat for beat (even down to the locations), which was...okay, for a new trilogy that was trying to divorce itself from the prequels, but the second movie was where things were supposed to really take off. They did...sort of. I no longer really care about the characters or where they're going or what will happen with the plot from here on out, which I guess means it wasn't very good in that regard...but at least the action, writing, and locations are still better than the sterile, repetitive nonsense that was the prequels.

 

*The amount of technical skill that went into the choreography in the prequels is no doubt impressive, but the result on screen is...unnatural, silly-looking, and very obviously choreographed to the point of absurdity. If you think Palpatine and Yoda in Episode 3 is a better battle than Vader and Obi-Wan in Episode 4, then we'll almost certainly never see eye-to-eye on what makes a good movie, because for me, it ain't about endless and pointless action sequences with characters you don't give the least amount of crap about. Action sequences, especially what're supposed to feel like important and/or dangerous action sequences, are given importance and meaning when you actually care about the characters involved - at least one of them! - and you're worried about what the outcome will be and what the consequences from that outcome will be. How many of the same crappy action sequences had we seen by the end of Episode 3 in the prequels? I'm not supposed to be watching some mindless action movie with characters who could live or die without me batting an eye - I'm supposed to be watching Star Wars.

Edited February 1, 2018 by Bartimaeus

[Wormerine]

So far each of the new SW films gave me exatly what I was looking for, that said they have some big flaws, which worry me in a long run. I feel like J. J. doomed the trilogy in Force Awakens - he set up a lot of things and delivered on nothing. It could be an alright thing to do - we all know it’s a trilogy, we all know there will be developments, connections, twists, so better get to building those up immediately. But it doesn’t seem he thought of trilogy as a whole, but rather set stuff up with no idea how to end them - which is stupid, like really really stupid.

 

Now we had Rian Johnson come into the trilogy with task of continuing threads left dangling by J. J. He liked some of them and did a great job developing those. He seemed to continue some with little conviction or enthusiasm. And he through out some (or cut some in half hehehe) out of a window. We have a 2nd movie in trilogy, which is probably 1/3 longer than it needed to be, due to overload of characters and story arch, which doesn’t as much as subvert expectation, as said “**** you” to some of the previously set up reveals. And it’s coming from a guy who sees Last Jedi as 3rd best SW movie. Whatever merits/faults of the latest SW creation, as a trilogy it just doesn’t mesh. At least LJ neatly closed its arc’s giving J. J. a clean slate for the ep. 9. I am a bit worried, that if JJ won’t mess this up, he will be seen as the good guy in Disney trilogy, while in reality it is Johnson who tackled and solved many issues Force Awakens introduces (though sometimes with finesse of a bulldozer.)

 

Looking forward to new Ant Man movie. The first one was the only Marvel flick I have enjoyed 100% way through. Might be some DNA left over by Edgar Wright though. There were some montages clearly in his style, whenever left over or emulating him, though not nearly as well done. Still, concept of Ant man seems more playful and interesting than the other dull superboyz. Trailer looks great.

[Gfted1]

Tremors 6 First Look Photos.

[algroth]

Ignoring Sonic06's perpetual state of contrarianism, the classics are definitely overrated, but in the sense that they're not really amazing masterpiece films like a lot of Star Wars fans seem to make them to be. They're solid and fairly simple action space operas that have a lot of heart with some meanderings into philosophy and morality. They also have pretty good (and natural) chemistry between the cast, and there's a lot of cool and cleverly used film techniques for the time (a lot of which still stands up today). Funnily enough, the things that make the original series good (good cast, sweet and simple plot that gives way to the cast doing their thing, cool sets and locations and film techniques, etc.), are pretty much all the things that the prequels utterly lacked in every way imaginable, which is why the prequels are braindead CGI and/or laughably choreographed* action snoozefests. For these new sequels...I think they're much more of a mixed bag, which is a massive improvement over the prequels, which is really all it had to be to be "great" by Star Wars standards, I suppose. The 'bar' they had to reach had fallen into the core of the Earth, after all. The first movie was a repeat of a New Hope almost beat for beat (even down to the locations), which was...okay, for a new trilogy that was trying to divorce itself from the prequels, but the second movie was where things were supposed to really take off. They did...sort of. I no longer really care about the characters or where they're going or what will happen with the plot from here on out, which I guess means it wasn't very good in that regard...but at least the action, writing, and locations are still better than the sterile, repetitive nonsense that was the prequels.

 

*The amount of technical skill that went into the choreography in the prequels is no doubt impressive, but the result on screen is...unnatural, silly-looking, and very obviously choreographed to the point of absurdity. If you think Palpatine and Yoda in Episode 3 is a better battle than Vader and Obi-Wan in Episode 4, then we'll almost certainly never see eye-to-eye on what makes a good movie, because for me, it ain't about endless and pointless action sequences with characters you don't give the least amount of crap about. Action sequences, especially what're supposed to feel like important and/or dangerous action sequences, are given importance and meaning when you actually care about the characters involved - at least one of them! - and you're worried about what the outcome will be and what the consequences from that outcome will be. How many of the same crappy action sequences had we seen by the end of Episode 3 in the prequels? I'm not supposed to be watching some mindless action movie with characters who could live or die without me batting an eye - I'm supposed to be watching Star Wars.

 

Yeah, I agree with this even though I'll also add that I feel more positively overall about the recent films too, so much so that I'd rank both Rogue One and The Force Awakens alongside Star Wars, and see all three as good entertainment but not really more than that. Maybe that's why I don't have such a problem with Sonic saying he prefers these newest films but clearly the way he's phrasing it is, as usual, trollish.

Edited February 1, 2018 by algroth

[SonicMage117]

I'm not sure how I phrased it was being trollish (or how my comments are trollish in general), I said I thought the newer Disney Star Wars films were better than the old OLD ones and that they're overrated. This is not saying that the old ones are bad as I do enjoy them, just don't think they are nearly as good as some people make them out to be.

 

Aside from that, the character development in the newest movies are far better and risk-allowing than the older ones. I'm not really talking about the inclusion of female characters either, just the script dynamics and heavy flowout of thereof throughout. Al that said, the new Star Wars movies are fresher than the originals and as a Star Wars fan I appreciate them refreshing it for all audiences equally.

 

My comment was not meant to get a reaction out of you guys, it was just to state my experience and feelings of the new movie and how it comtributed to the Star Wars films in general.

Edited February 1, 2018 by SonicMage117

[Sarex]

Even the prequels are better than the new star wars films. Disney has taken absolutely no risks for the new Star Wars films and made them as generic as they could.

[SonicMage117]

Nah, having a female as a lead, everyone died in Rogue One, the list goes on of things that they took risks of. Of course the SJW scapegoat will be used but that's just because this would have never done had Disney ever taken over but all these things just make the Star Wars universe more fuller and believable/realatable. If these we rented risks then everyone would be happy with how the Star Wars films are being produced, not everyone is so but most are. Realistically, it doesn't matter if everyone is happy because everyone will see it anyway but me, personally, I'm happy with the changes. I'm over here like Thank God lol

[injurai]

Rogue One is truly a very good movie.

 

I think as far as the classics go. ANH (VHS-cut) is probably the best film and probably can stand as a film masterpiece. ESB while great is a bit derivative, and doesn't quite have the same grand arc as the first. The opening of TFA (Before we meet HAN), is some of the best of all of Star Wars. Then it kind of misses the mark here and there for the rest of the film.

[Blarghagh]

My mind still boggles at the love for Rogue One. That was two hours of borefest with 10 minutes of good action at the end. I cannot for the life of me remember any character's name of personality other than Alan Tudyk bot. I even watched it a second time hoping it just didn't click with me, but I hated it MORE. I didn't care about anyone or anything in that film.

Edited February 2, 2018 by TrueNeutral

[Bartimaeus]

​I haven't seen it, but I think the Red Lettter Media guys described it as Saving Private Ryan in Star Wars, but with a plot you already know the ending to and zero likeable or memorable characters, which, again, totally turned me off from watching it, because I quite frankly don't give a crap about endless boring action sequences, especially not in Star Wars, where they've never been the point or one of its strengths anyhow. If that's what you want to see, though, great - at least it's supposed to be competently directed, unlike a certain set of prequels.

Edited February 2, 2018 by Bartimaeus

[ShadySands]

I remember the whole crew

 

Tudyktron 3000

Chinese box office bait

Not Kyle Katarn

Chinese box office bait 2

-missing string-

Swizz Beatz

[Bartimaeus]

​"-missing string-" especially made me laugh.

[Amentep]

Dirty Dozen is a good parallel (IMO) with Rogue One.  A bunch of prisoners who aren't very likeable for the most part are sent on a suicide mission.

[Blarghagh]

Eh, I'd say that not likeable isn't the same as not memorable or interesting.

[Amentep]

Wasn't saying it was.

[Blarghagh]

Not much of a parallel then?

[Bartimaeus]

​I mean, they aren't exactly the same, but they're pretty similar. "Not likeable" in the context of film, especially when referring to what're supposed to be the heroes, is pretty similar (and almost always negative) criticism.

[Amentep]

Not much of a parallel then?

 

Saving Private Ryan was mentioned earlier. I offered an earlier parallel film.

 

Arguably much of The Dirty Dozen's characters are stock.  Right now I couldn't really tell them apart except three.  But that's my position; others may remember them vividly.

[Malcador]

Or Guns of Navarone.  Though it's missing a pompous ass like Peck.

[Amentep]

Guns of Navarone is another good one - right now other than Peck and David Niven, I can't remember any of that team.

[Hurlshort]

I love Guns of Navarrone. I also found Rogue One's character to be very memorable and interesting, so I like the parallel.