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The_pantless_hero
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Postby The_pantless_hero » Mon Mar 08, 2010 9:58 am

Duckside wrote:I'm realllllllllyyyyyyyyyy happy Avatar did not win cause this means I'm going to get $50 from a bet with a friend :)

seriously though, the only nice thing about avatar was the visual effects, the rest was :palm:

Betting Avatar would win Best Picture was a sucker bet. The academy hates sci-fi.
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Andaluciae
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Postby Andaluciae » Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:02 am

The_pantless_hero wrote:
Duckside wrote:I'm realllllllllyyyyyyyyyy happy Avatar did not win cause this means I'm going to get $50 from a bet with a friend :)

seriously though, the only nice thing about avatar was the visual effects, the rest was :palm:

Betting Avatar would win Best Picture was a sucker bet. The academy hates sci-fi.


Although it will buy a crushingly epic fantasy magnum opus from a Kiwi if they really have to.
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Tahar Joblis
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Postby Tahar Joblis » Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:32 am

Dakini wrote:No, you really couldn't. Star Trek is sci-fi about exploring the galaxy, Star Wars is sci-fi/fantasy about defeating a galaxy wide, evil empire. The plots are nothing alike, the only thing they have in common is that they both take place in space.

Exactly. And yet if you google "Star Wars and Star Trek are the same" you get a summary of the 2009 and 1977 films that is about as detailed as the Pocahontas/Avatar comparison. Here's one for Batman Begins and Iron Man that's about as detailed.

The fact that you can condense Pocahontas and Avatar to a thirty second plot description and make them look the same means ... well, jack shit.
The_pantless_hero wrote:Betting Avatar would win Best Picture was a sucker bet. The academy hates sci-fi.

Right. Do you know what consistently makes "best film of all time" lists, cracking the top 10 on no small number of them? 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Do you know what was nominated for "best picture" in 1968?

"Funny Girl," "The Lion in Winter, "Rachel," "Romeo and Juliet," and "Oliver!" (which won). Retrospectively, people don't put those anywhere near 2001. And things haven't gotten any better since then. This was actually the first year since 1983 that a science fiction film was even nominated, and wiki sez that a science fiction film has never won Best Picture... I'm going to believe wiki on that.
Last edited by Tahar Joblis on Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Tahar Joblis
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Postby Tahar Joblis » Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:38 am

Flameswroth wrote:I'm surprised so many people are surprised D9 was snubbed. I mean, the visual effects were kind of cool I guess, but the writing was horribly, horribly lazy. When you have to use 'fuck' every other word for half the damn movie, you know somebody's just not up to snuff. I don't think it deserved any Oscars.

I've heard about Hurt Locker a lot on the public radio, particularly through interviews. It doesn't surprise me it won so much given how much it was talked about, although I've not seen it to confirm whether it deserved the awards in my own mind.

I did watch it. It was an interesting movie, but it's easy to miss the point while watching it.

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New Olwe
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Postby New Olwe » Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:54 am

Andaluciae wrote:Hurt Locker was definitely the superior film--especially when compared to Avatar (with the totally derivative plot and so many flat, uninteresting characters that I could choke).


Avatar's superior direction (OMFG! You can actually understand what's going on during the action sequences!) makes Avatar the superior film out of those two... however, Up was the best movie of the year.

I didn't get a chance to see Up in the Air, I've heard it was delightful, but y'know how that goes.


It was indeed quite a good film. A bit depressing for the word "delightful" to be accurate, but still really well-made with a bunch of good performances. Of the films I saw in 2009, I'd put it as third best behind Up and Drag Me To Hell (which I'm not surprised was completely snubbed, but was still way better than most of the films that won).

District 9, while enjoyable, didn't seem to strike me in quite the same fashion that the other films did. Yes, it was visually impressive, it had a pretty good overall message and all of that, but for whatever reason I found the main character utterly unlikable, and I was unable to connect with him. Spoiled the entire movie for me. Is it Best Picture material? Possibly, but not if I'm the one issuing the award.


The whole point of that movie, or at least how I interpreted it, is that Wikus is an asshat and you're not supposed to like him. However, that final sequence where he opens up this huge can of whoopass in hopes of saving the prawns is supposed to redeem him as well, and your mileage will vary as far as how redeemed you think he is.

That movie was spoiled for me, once again, by handheld cameras. D9 did seem less completely unintelligible than Hurt Locker, but it still had some serious director problems.
Last edited by New Olwe on Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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The chrisman union
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Postby The chrisman union » Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:58 am

Avatar didn't get best picture? :blink:
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Postby Farnhamia » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:08 am

The chrisman union wrote:Avatar didn't get best picture? :blink:

Nope, "The Hurt Locker" did. Got Best Director, too.
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North Suran
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Postby North Suran » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:10 am

SANDRA BULLOCK WON BEST ACTRESS FOR THE BLIND SIDE?!


Congratulations, Bullock. You just proved that crappy, Oscar-bait films work fantastically. I mean, what could possibly make this any wor-



CORALINE LOST TO UP FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE?!



Ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu-
Last edited by North Suran on Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Neu Mitanni wrote:As for NS, his latest statement is grounded in ignorance and contrary to fact, much to the surprise of all NSGers.


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Farnhamia
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Postby Farnhamia » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:12 am

North Suran wrote:SANDRA BULLOCK WON BEST ACTRESS FOR THE BLIND SIDE?!


Congratulations, Bullock. You just proved that crappy, Oscar-bait films work fantastically. I mean, what could possibly make this any wor-



CORALINE LOST TO UP FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE?!



Ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu-

Oh, stop.

Who did you think should have won?
Make Earth Great Again: Stop Continental Drift!
And Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water ...
"Make yourself at home, Frank. Hit somebody." RIP Don Rickles
My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right. ~ Carl Schurz
<Sigh> NSG...where even the atheists are Augustinians. ~ The Archregimancy
Now the foot is on the other hand ~ Kannap
RIP Dyakovo ... Ashmoria (Freedom ... or cake)
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North Suran
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Postby North Suran » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:14 am

Flameswroth wrote:I'm surprised so many people are surprised D9 was snubbed. I mean, the visual effects were kind of cool I guess, but the writing was horribly, horribly lazy. When you have to use 'fuck' every other word for half the damn movie, you know somebody's just not up to snuff.

SPOILER WARNING

The protagonist gets infected with alien blood, has his arm transformed into a tentacle, is detained by his own father-in-law before almost being dissected while still alive, must hide out in an alien slum while being chased by the military and eventually discovers that he has to wait three years to be made human again.


What, pray tell, would you be saying at this time - "Oh, golly gosh"?
Last edited by North Suran on Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Neu Mitanni wrote:As for NS, his latest statement is grounded in ignorance and contrary to fact, much to the surprise of all NSGers.


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North Suran
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Postby North Suran » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:17 am

Farnhamia wrote:
North Suran wrote:
SANDRA BULLOCK WON BEST ACTRESS FOR THE BLIND SIDE?!


Congratulations, Bullock. You just proved that crappy, Oscar-bait films work fantastically. I mean, what could possibly make this any wor-



CORALINE LOST TO UP FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE?!



Ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu-

Oh, stop.

Who did you think should have won?

I haven't seen any of the other films on the list, but considering the talent (Helen Mirren in The Last Station, Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia) and the subject matter (Gabourey Sibide in Precious), it is pretty clear that Bullock's hammy "He's teachin' me" performance was pretty undeserving.

As for Animated Feature, Coraline deserved to win by a long-shot. As great as Up is, it has nothing on Henry Sellick's magnum opus - and this coming from the guy who made The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Last edited by North Suran on Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:19 am, edited 2 times in total.
Neu Mitanni wrote:As for NS, his latest statement is grounded in ignorance and contrary to fact, much to the surprise of all NSGers.


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Ravea
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Postby Ravea » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:17 am

Takaram wrote:So, how many of you watched the Oscars? What did you think of the results?

http://oscar.go.com/oscar-night/winners ... ut_livenow

I think that District 9 was kind of gypped, personally.

PS: Normally, I really wouldn't care, but hey


I completely agree. District 9 was my absolute favorite movie of this year (actually, of the past five years) and didn't get much recognition. Coraline was great, and my personal favorite, though Up definitely deserved the top spot. I feel like Gabourey Sidibe deserved best actress much more than Sandra Bullock. Jeff Bridges totally deserved best actor, and Hurt Locker was definitely a better movie and better directed than Avatar. I feel like Sherlock Holmes should have gotten something as well.

Inglorious Basterds should have won best picture, just because it would have been hilarious.
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North Suran
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Postby North Suran » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:20 am

The_pantless_hero wrote:
Duckside wrote:I'm realllllllllyyyyyyyyyy happy Avatar did not win cause this means I'm going to get $50 from a bet with a friend :)

seriously though, the only nice thing about avatar was the visual effects, the rest was :palm:

Betting Avatar would win Best Picture was a sucker bet. The academy hates sci-fi.

Or indeed, anything but Oscar-bait for that matter.

District 9 didn't stand a chance.
Neu Mitanni wrote:As for NS, his latest statement is grounded in ignorance and contrary to fact, much to the surprise of all NSGers.


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Braaainsss
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Postby Braaainsss » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:21 am

North Suran wrote:
Farnhamia wrote:
North Suran wrote:
SANDRA BULLOCK WON BEST ACTRESS FOR THE BLIND SIDE?!


Congratulations, Bullock. You just proved that crappy, Oscar-bait films work fantastically. I mean, what could possibly make this any wor-



CORALINE LOST TO UP FOR BEST ANIMATED FEATURE?!



Ffffffffffffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuu-

Oh, stop.

Who did you think should have won?

I haven't seen any of the other films on the list, but considering the talent (Helen Mirren in The Last Station, Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia) and the subject matter (Gabourey Sibide in Precious), it is pretty clear that Bullock's hammy "He's teachin' me" performance was pretty undeserving.

As for Animated Feature, Coraline deserved to win by a long-shot. As great as Up is, it has nothing on Henry Sellick's magnum opus - and this coming from the guy who made The Nightmare Before Christmas.


I don't know, I thought Coraline was half an hour too long. I did see it on an airplane, though.

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Flameswroth
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Postby Flameswroth » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:22 am

North Suran wrote:
Flameswroth wrote:I'm surprised so many people are surprised D9 was snubbed. I mean, the visual effects were kind of cool I guess, but the writing was horribly, horribly lazy. When you have to use 'fuck' every other word for half the damn movie, you know somebody's just not up to snuff.

SPOILER WARNING

The protagonist gets infected with alien blood, has his arm transformed into a tentacle, is detained by his own father-in-law before almost being dissected while still alive, must hide out in an alien slum while being chased by the military and eventually discovers that he has to wait three years to be made human again.

What, pray tell, would you be saying at this time - "Oh, golly gosh"?

There are lots of places where not swearing at all would have sufficed. I am not sayin' "fuck" didn't have a reasonable place in the list of words he could have used but...c'mon. It was waaaay overused.

Being rolled down a hall on a gurney with his alien arm, for example, they'd have him say, "Fuckin' fuckers! Fuck off, get me the fuck out of here! Fuck you! Fuck!" etc etc, when they could have gone with, for example, "Let me go! This is ridiculous, where are you taking me? I'm Wikus Van Der Merwe, I'm an MNU field operative! Let me go, you can't keep me captive like this" etc etc.

Like I said, it's just lazy to resort to using 'fuck' so much.
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That is the gayest fucking shit I've ever heard, and I had Barry Manilow perform at the White House in '82.



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North Suran
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Postby North Suran » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:23 am

Braaainsss wrote:
North Suran wrote:I haven't seen any of the other films on the list, but considering the talent (Helen Mirren in The Last Station, Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia) and the subject matter (Gabourey Sibide in Precious), it is pretty clear that Bullock's hammy "He's teachin' me" performance was pretty undeserving.

As for Animated Feature, Coraline deserved to win by a long-shot. As great as Up is, it has nothing on Henry Sellick's magnum opus - and this coming from the guy who made The Nightmare Before Christmas.


I don't know, I thought Coraline was half an hour too long. I did see it on an airplane, though.

I do agree that the ending drags on a little too long. But it is still an absolute masterpiece, and most definitely the best stop-animated film ever made.
Neu Mitanni wrote:As for NS, his latest statement is grounded in ignorance and contrary to fact, much to the surprise of all NSGers.


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The_pantless_hero
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Postby The_pantless_hero » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:24 am

Ravea wrote:
Takaram wrote:So, how many of you watched the Oscars? What did you think of the results?

http://oscar.go.com/oscar-night/winners ... ut_livenow

I think that District 9 was kind of gypped, personally.

PS: Normally, I really wouldn't care, but hey


I completely agree. District 9 was my absolute favorite movie of this year (actually, of the past five years) and didn't get much recognition. Coraline was great, and my personal favorite, though Up definitely deserved the top spot. I feel like Gabourey Sidibe deserved best actress much more than Sandra Bullock. Jeff Bridges totally deserved best actor, and Hurt Locker was definitely a better movie and better directed than Avatar. I feel like Sherlock Holmes should have gotten something as well.

Inglorious Basterds should have won best picture, just because it would have been hilarious.

Sherlock Holmes should win something alright. Best Murdering of a Classic Character. Ritchie's Holmes was all camp. I don't know where exactly it would have gotten anything. Best Set Up for a Sequel?
Bottle wrote:Equality is a slippery slope, people, and if you give it to the gays you have to give it to the polygamists and if you give it to the polygamists you have to give it to the serial dog molesters and if you give it to the serial dog molesters you have to give it to the machine fetishists and the next thing you know you're being tied up by a trio of polygamist lesbian powerbooks and you can't get out because the safety word is case sensistive!

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Ravea
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Postby Ravea » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:25 am

The_pantless_hero wrote:
Ravea wrote:
Takaram wrote:So, how many of you watched the Oscars? What did you think of the results?

http://oscar.go.com/oscar-night/winners ... ut_livenow

I think that District 9 was kind of gypped, personally.

PS: Normally, I really wouldn't care, but hey


I completely agree. District 9 was my absolute favorite movie of this year (actually, of the past five years) and didn't get much recognition. Coraline was great, and my personal favorite, though Up definitely deserved the top spot. I feel like Gabourey Sidibe deserved best actress much more than Sandra Bullock. Jeff Bridges totally deserved best actor, and Hurt Locker was definitely a better movie and better directed than Avatar. I feel like Sherlock Holmes should have gotten something as well.

Inglorious Basterds should have won best picture, just because it would have been hilarious.

Sherlock Holmes should win something alright. Best Murdering of a Classic Character. Ritchie's Holmes was all camp. I don't know where exactly it would have gotten anything. Best Set Up for a Sequel?


The ending did suck, I'll give you that.
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The_pantless_hero
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Postby The_pantless_hero » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:26 am

Ravea wrote:
The_pantless_hero wrote:
Ravea wrote:
Takaram wrote:So, how many of you watched the Oscars? What did you think of the results?

http://oscar.go.com/oscar-night/winners ... ut_livenow

I think that District 9 was kind of gypped, personally.

PS: Normally, I really wouldn't care, but hey


I completely agree. District 9 was my absolute favorite movie of this year (actually, of the past five years) and didn't get much recognition. Coraline was great, and my personal favorite, though Up definitely deserved the top spot. I feel like Gabourey Sidibe deserved best actress much more than Sandra Bullock. Jeff Bridges totally deserved best actor, and Hurt Locker was definitely a better movie and better directed than Avatar. I feel like Sherlock Holmes should have gotten something as well.

Inglorious Basterds should have won best picture, just because it would have been hilarious.

Sherlock Holmes should win something alright. Best Murdering of a Classic Character. Ritchie's Holmes was all camp. I don't know where exactly it would have gotten anything. Best Set Up for a Sequel?


The ending did suck, I'll give you that.

The whole movie was tweaked for a sequel set up. The ending my ass. The ending was probably the truest to the source part of the whole sequel parade.

I wonder what the movie would have been like if Richie/Downey hadn't made Holmes an immature savant, Richie/Law hadn't made Watson a blustering, pompous gambling-addict, and hadn't made the entire movie with a sequel in mind. Not one minute of Sherlock Holmes was about Sherlock Holmes. It was about Sherlock Holmes 2: The Rise of Moriarty
Last edited by The_pantless_hero on Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:29 am, edited 2 times in total.
Bottle wrote:Equality is a slippery slope, people, and if you give it to the gays you have to give it to the polygamists and if you give it to the polygamists you have to give it to the serial dog molesters and if you give it to the serial dog molesters you have to give it to the machine fetishists and the next thing you know you're being tied up by a trio of polygamist lesbian powerbooks and you can't get out because the safety word is case sensistive!

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North Suran
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Postby North Suran » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:26 am

Flameswroth wrote:
North Suran wrote:
Flameswroth wrote:I'm surprised so many people are surprised D9 was snubbed. I mean, the visual effects were kind of cool I guess, but the writing was horribly, horribly lazy. When you have to use 'fuck' every other word for half the damn movie, you know somebody's just not up to snuff.

SPOILER WARNING

The protagonist gets infected with alien blood, has his arm transformed into a tentacle, is detained by his own father-in-law before almost being dissected while still alive, must hide out in an alien slum while being chased by the military and eventually discovers that he has to wait three years to be made human again.


What, pray tell, would you be saying at this time - "Oh, golly gosh"?

There are lots of places where not swearing at all would have sufficed. I am not sayin' "fuck" didn't have a reasonable place in the list of words he could have used but...c'mon. It was waaaay overused.

Being rolled down a hall on a gurney with his alien arm, for example, they'd have him say, "Fuckin' fuckers! Fuck off, get me the fuck out of here! Fuck you! Fuck!" etc etc, when they could have gone with, for example, "Let me go! This is ridiculous, where are you taking me? I'm Wikus Van Der Merwe, I'm an MNU field operative! Let me go, you can't keep me captive like this" etc etc.

I don't know about you, but if I'm being abducted, I'm not going to go "Pardon me, gentleman - I must protest at this treatment! You are clearly abroaching my rights as a human being! I dare say that this is rather caddish! Release me, you devilish fiends!"

Flameswroth wrote:Like I said, it's just lazy to resort to using 'fuck' so much.

I'd suggest reading this.
Neu Mitanni wrote:As for NS, his latest statement is grounded in ignorance and contrary to fact, much to the surprise of all NSGers.


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Flameswroth
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Postby Flameswroth » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:42 am

North Suran wrote:
Flameswroth wrote:
North Suran wrote:
Flameswroth wrote:I'm surprised so many people are surprised D9 was snubbed. I mean, the visual effects were kind of cool I guess, but the writing was horribly, horribly lazy. When you have to use 'fuck' every other word for half the damn movie, you know somebody's just not up to snuff.

SPOILER WARNING

The protagonist gets infected with alien blood, has his arm transformed into a tentacle, is detained by his own father-in-law before almost being dissected while still alive, must hide out in an alien slum while being chased by the military and eventually discovers that he has to wait three years to be made human again.


What, pray tell, would you be saying at this time - "Oh, golly gosh"?

There are lots of places where not swearing at all would have sufficed. I am not sayin' "fuck" didn't have a reasonable place in the list of words he could have used but...c'mon. It was waaaay overused.

Being rolled down a hall on a gurney with his alien arm, for example, they'd have him say, "Fuckin' fuckers! Fuck off, get me the fuck out of here! Fuck you! Fuck!" etc etc, when they could have gone with, for example, "Let me go! This is ridiculous, where are you taking me? I'm Wikus Van Der Merwe, I'm an MNU field operative! Let me go, you can't keep me captive like this" etc etc.

I don't know about you, but if I'm being abducted, I'm not going to go "Pardon me, gentleman - I must protest at this treatment! You are clearly abroaching my rights as a human being! I dare say that this is rather caddish! Release me, you devilish fiends!"

Of course not, by my example wasn't that crazy, and was just an illustration of how the same point could be made by writers who actually took the time to write something.

Flameswroth wrote:Like I said, it's just lazy to resort to using 'fuck' so much.

I'd suggest reading this.

My complaint isn't that the writing was somehow unrealistic, due to similar situations in other movies as that trope would suggest. My complaint is that it's lazy, and it is.

I mean, did anybody but teenagers still turned on by swear words sit through that dialogue and think, "Wow, this is so masterfully written. This should be best adapted screenplay at the Oscars?" I hope not.
Czardas wrote:Why should we bail out climate change with billions of dollars, when lesbians are starving in the streets because they can't afford an abortion?

Reagan Clone wrote:What you are proposing is glorifying God by loving, respecting, or at least tolerating, his other creations.

That is the gayest fucking shit I've ever heard, and I had Barry Manilow perform at the White House in '82.



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North Suran
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Postby North Suran » Mon Mar 08, 2010 11:53 am

Flameswroth wrote:
North Suran wrote:
Flameswroth wrote:
North Suran wrote:
Flameswroth wrote:I'm surprised so many people are surprised D9 was snubbed. I mean, the visual effects were kind of cool I guess, but the writing was horribly, horribly lazy. When you have to use 'fuck' every other word for half the damn movie, you know somebody's just not up to snuff.

SPOILER WARNING

The protagonist gets infected with alien blood, has his arm transformed into a tentacle, is detained by his own father-in-law before almost being dissected while still alive, must hide out in an alien slum while being chased by the military and eventually discovers that he has to wait three years to be made human again.


What, pray tell, would you be saying at this time - "Oh, golly gosh"?

There are lots of places where not swearing at all would have sufficed. I am not sayin' "fuck" didn't have a reasonable place in the list of words he could have used but...c'mon. It was waaaay overused.

Being rolled down a hall on a gurney with his alien arm, for example, they'd have him say, "Fuckin' fuckers! Fuck off, get me the fuck out of here! Fuck you! Fuck!" etc etc, when they could have gone with, for example, "Let me go! This is ridiculous, where are you taking me? I'm Wikus Van Der Merwe, I'm an MNU field operative! Let me go, you can't keep me captive like this" etc etc.

I don't know about you, but if I'm being abducted, I'm not going to go "Pardon me, gentleman - I must protest at this treatment! You are clearly abroaching my rights as a human being! I dare say that this is rather caddish! Release me, you devilish fiends!"

Of course not, by my example wasn't that crazy, and was just an illustration of how the same point could be made by writers who actually took the time to write something.

A lot of swearing is not 'bad' when it is being used in a context where it is a perfectly reasonable reaction.

Flameswroth wrote:
Flameswroth wrote:Like I said, it's just lazy to resort to using 'fuck' so much.

I'd suggest reading this.

My complaint isn't that the writing was somehow unrealistic, due to similar situations in other movies as that trope would suggest. My complaint is that it's lazy, and it is.

I mean, did anybody but teenagers still turned on by swear words sit through that dialogue and think, "Wow, this is so masterfully written. This should be best adapted screenplay at the Oscars?" I hope not.

It's an action/science-fiction film featuring giant mechas and prawn-like aliens. Just because something isn't written in Shakespeare prose or filled with faux-philosophical 'profound' speeches (I'm looking at you, The Dark Knight) doesn't mean it is badly written. Considering the events of the film and the personality of the protagonist, there was hardly going to be time for deep dialogue and discussion. Furthermore, writing isn't just in the dialogue - the character of the protagonist is far more realistic than in any of the ostensibly more sophisticated Hollywood dramas.
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Flameswroth
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Postby Flameswroth » Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:02 pm

North Suran wrote:
Flameswroth wrote:Of course not, by my example wasn't that crazy, and was just an illustration of how the same point could be made by writers who actually took the time to write something.

A lot of swearing is not 'bad' when it is being used in a context where it is a perfectly reasonable reaction.

Not sure why you put 'bad' in apostrophes like that. I don't think I've even said it was bad yet.

It's an action/science-fiction film featuring giant mechas and prawn-like aliens. Just because something isn't written in Shakespeare prose or filled with faux-philosophical 'profound' speeches (I'm looking at you, The Dark Knight) doesn't mean it is badly written. Considering the events of the film and the personality of the protagonist, there was hardly going to be time for deep dialogue and discussion. Furthermore, writing isn't just in the dialogue - the character of the protagonist is far more realistic than in any of the ostensibly more sophisticated Hollywood dramas.

I haven't commented on realism, save to mention that it was not my assertion that it was unrealistic. Nor have I said that it needed to be some deep dialogue in a situation which is very much based on fast-paced occurrences, especially near the end. The only thing I have said to this point is that it is lazy to use one, end-all be-all swear word in every single statement they're making when a competent dialogue writer could accomplish the same effect with a bit more skill. Whether or not that laziness is bad or realistic is up to the individual, but you cannot possibly say it wasn't lazy to chuck it in so often just because.
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That is the gayest fucking shit I've ever heard, and I had Barry Manilow perform at the White House in '82.



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Postby Aelosia » Mon Mar 08, 2010 12:35 pm

Risottia wrote:
Cannot think of a name wrote:Which makes tonight kind of a cool David vs. Goliath thing. Especially when you take into account Bigelow is Cameron's ex-wife.


Or, if we prefer, a Na'avi vs Earthlings sort of thing. :lol:


Btw, I'm surprised at the choice for the Foreign Language Film.


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Postby Cannot think of a name » Mon Mar 08, 2010 1:07 pm

Flameswroth wrote:I haven't commented on realism, save to mention that it was not my assertion that it was unrealistic. Nor have I said that it needed to be some deep dialogue in a situation which is very much based on fast-paced occurrences, especially near the end. The only thing I have said to this point is that it is lazy to use one, end-all be-all swear word in every single statement they're making when a competent dialogue writer could accomplish the same effect with a bit more skill. Whether or not that laziness is bad or realistic is up to the individual, but you cannot possibly say it wasn't lazy to chuck it in so often just because.

I have to step in here because what you're saying pretty much ignores a chief component of character development in writing for the sake of 'avoiding' a word. You put up two possibilities, one used in the actual movie and then another, while still panicky, more articulate response.

These are not the same characters. The person that spews 'fuck' is not the person that gives a panicky rationalization as to why he should be released. Nor is that the same circumstance. Those two sets of dialog do not in fact convey the same mental state. Your wordy alternative displays a man still in possession of at least part of faculties. The torrets driven one does not.

Good writing is not being driven by prudish reluctance to use or even over use a word when that word will convey the mental state of the character.
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