Posts by Melissa Moore32

GNN> 1) It's based on a video game. And we all know what that usually implies. Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat … there's a rare exception to that rule—and even then, only somewhat!—which is Final Fantasy.

I have to disagree with this.

First off, MK1 actually turned out great—honestly, better than expected considering it was based on a game that: 1) Has no plot 2) Has no story 3) Only gives you about ten sentences of actual character backstory.

In my opinion, MK1 didn't disappoint at all because it had: 1) Soros 2) A killer soundtrack 3) And more Soros. For any kid playing Mortal Kombat games back in '97 or '98, that movie was basically a dream come true.

As for FF:TSW, that one was a letdown. I mean, how can you make an eighty-minute movie and call it Final Fantasy when a single FF game offers like 50 to 70 hours of story? Like, if they had made a movie based on FF VI, they could have easily put together a nine-hour trilogy that would have totally overshadowed LotR, leaving Jackson free to go back to his trash horror flicks.

But hey, I guess the whole point of TSW was just for Square to show off how far they'd come with photorealistic animation, which they eventually perfected in AniMatrix with “Osiris”.

GNN> So, which screening did you catch? If you walked into our showing, you probably heard someone lose it laughing when Ban Bonk! slammed Trinity face-first into that cell wall. One of the guys in my group couldn't stop cracking up right at that moment.

Damn… you guys must have been at the 6:00 PM showing, because I went to the one at 5:30. I was in Theater 1.

Hmh… that explains why it felt so weirdly quiet during the movie for me. I just assumed you guys had seats ahead of me (I was in row 10).

GNN> Jimmy has some specific orders coming in.

Hmh... I'll try to email you the updated list then... assuming I actually have it.

If not, I'll just toss it onto my quasi-site so you can grab it from there.

I guess when you look at these movies, it really just boils down to the constant tug-of-war between war and peace.

I guess that’s one way of looking at it, but if that's the case, then what was the point of all that "evangelization" people kept talking about? And honestly, why even bother with that whole cyberpunk setting? There were so many better ways to depict the struggle between war and peace than how they went about it here.

Well, maybe the Wachowskis decided to throw that in there too.

I guess you could look at it this way: in the U.S. version of this story, Neo represents Jesus, the Architect is basically God, and the Oracle acts as the Holy Spirit—the guide. If I keep going, I’ll be here all day, but the whole movie is really just a parallel to the Bible.

Alright, we can agree on the symbolism part, I guess, but now I have to ask: what was even the point? Looking at it from the perspective of the first movie, there wasn't any real need for the Architect. And if Neo really is Jesus, and the Architect is God, then logically Neo is the Architect—because as far as I know, Jesus Christ is God.

Look, don't go hunting for logical inconsistencies in movies like, "Why didn't the Machines just build a massive tower and run it on solar power?" Seriously? It’s Sci-Fi. You can't scrutinize every single tiny detail in every movie, even if you're watching a grounded drama in a completely different genre.

This is such absolute nonsense that I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry. If we're watching a Sci-Fi movie, that means there are certain things we just can't explain that we have to take on faith—assuming we aren't total idiots. You shouldn't just gloss over stuff that makes zero sense and leaves you feeling like you wasted three years of your life.

Example:

"Machines use humans as a power source."

I guess you could call that a Sci-Fi element, mostly because I have no clue how anyone could extract enough energy from the human body to power an entire race of Machines. But since this is presented as part of The Matrix universe, I’m just going to roll with it and move on rather than getting boggeded down in the logic of it all. For all I know, maybe it's actually possible.

On the other hand, I haven't seen—nor has anyone actually laid out a decent argument for—why the Machines didn't just go ahead and manufacture some solar panels. It’s a massive oversight that, unfortunately, modern Sci-Fi literature doesn't really bother to address anymore.

I guess I can throw a question out there too: how do these people actually function with such a massive hole in their heads? How does it not mess with their balance when they walk, and more importantly, how do they manage not to injure their brains? We all know the brain is basically just this highly flexible mass, which makes it incredibly sensitive to any kind of impact or pressure.

Where on earth did this hole in the head come from all of a sudden??? 😕 I guess you could call that a Sci-Fi element too, since there's a decent chance they have something other than BRAINS rattling around in their heads. (TM by GNN)Maybe just give the *Battle Angel Alita* manga a read, and you might actually get what I’m talking about. (I know, I know, I'm probably making a bunch of people associate this with manga right now, but...) 🙂 😉...I mean, I really hope I'm not. 🙂 )

The only real hole in this whole thing is the one between the ears of the Wachowskis—and honestly, probably in their bank accounts too, since they likely blew all the profits from the first movie on IVF treatments.(TM by Nef)

At the end of the movie, the whole focus really shifts toward that idea of an alliance—basically a truce between humanity and the Machines. Honestly, I don't think I could survive on my own in a world like that; neither the people nor the Machines could actually make it without one another. It reminds me of how Jesus emphasized the necessity of peace among people in the Bible, because without that stability, we’d all have a hell of a time just trying to exist.

I agree with you on that, but the real problem is that back in The Matrix, there was never any talk about peace, truces, or coexistence. It was pretty clear who the good guys were and who the bad guys were. I guess maybe Nef could throw in some kind of Charlton Heston quote regarding all of this. 😁

I guess the Brothers were just trying to paint a picture of some future we should all be following if we actually want humanity to thrive.

I don't know, I just can't shake this nagging feeling that eventually, I—or maybe even my kids—are going to end up being nothing more than batteries for some version of R2-D2.

If that’s the kind of future the Wachowskis have envisioned for us, then we’re really in trouble... 👎

Thanks, W. I really appreciate it. 🙄

I guess a lot of the dialogue between these characters just won't make sense logically. Honestly, I think only the Brothers could actually explain or define their relationships and the message behind them.
Maybe we should just wait until they actually come clean or finally sit down to write some kind of official guide through the trilogy. That might be the only way to put an end to all these endless arguments that have been dragging on across the internet forever.

I mean, come on... let's be real here. So far, we've basically established that if you actually want to wrap your head around the Matrix universe, you have to watch all three movies, check out Animatrix, play the video games, and buy every last bit of merchandise immediately. (TM by GNN) And then there's the books. I mean, if it still hasn't clicked for you after everything I've just said—that this is strictly about the money—then... honestly, no comment.

I guess an ending like this is actually sweeter, even if it’s frustrating. It doesn't just hand you all the answers on a silver platter; instead, it leaves you with more questions than you started with. To me, that's what makes a movie genuinely interesting—it keeps you thinking long after the credits roll. Plus, it definitely leaves plenty of room for future sequels, which I suppose is a win in its own way.

Let me guess—you’re working for The Wachowskis, aren't you? Your whole goal here is just to push their movies and merch so people actually show up at the theater, line their pockets, and then try to brainwash us into believing this stuff is some kind of masterpiece.

Oh, come on, you've got to be kidding me! You might have taken my money, but you've officially stripped me of my last remaining brain cell. (TM by GNN) Not happening. 🙂

Tiamat> Look, she’s just a devout Christian who has the Bible memorized word for word.

If that’s actually the case, wouldn't they be against the movie then? 😕

I still think Christian symbolism is the dominant force here, which goes against what Richard Hernandez13 was saying about it all being about Gnosticism. Now, I’m not claiming this just because I’m Catholic or anything—honestly, I'm more of a semi-atheist—but it just seems to be the case.

I mean, look at what we're dealing with here. You’ve got lines like, “Neo has to return to the source within the Logos ship,” or “The One returns to the beginning, back into the Logos...” It’s all very much like, "In the beginning..." I guess you could say the whole thing circles right back to where it started. LogosAnd then there’s that one scene—which, if I’m being honest, was easily the most revolting part for me—where Neo and Trinity head toward "Zion," along with a whole bunch of other stuff like that. These are just some random thoughts that popped into my head while I was watching those scenes.

I mean, there’s definitely some truth to what Richard Hernandez13 was saying regarding the whole Neo and Agent Smith dynamic, especially how it leans into Eastern religious themes. It’s a solid point, for sure. But personally? I feel like the Christian influences were much more dominant in the storytelling.

I’ve always been a fan of seeing religious symbolism woven into movies, even when it’s pretty blatant. I think it adds a certain layer of depth if done right. However, what really bugs me about The Matrix Reloaded, and especially The Matrix Revolutions, is just how poorly they handled it. Honestly, The Matrix didn't have that issue at all.

RzBrzotrz > By the way, Melissa Moore32, seriously, great job!!! Props to you for finally coming back down to earth.

Whatever... it’s nothing. Just wait and see if GNN actually decides to write something. 😉

Seriously though... honestly, The Matrix Reloaded wasn't actually *that* bad as a whole movie. It’s just that some specific scenes looked absolutely terrible to me, which is why I ended up having such a negative take on it.

What I actually liked about The Matrix Reloaded was that they finally ditched most of that pseudo-intellectual, nonsensical philosophy that didn't make any sense and just ended up cluttering the movie. Instead, they decided to just lean into making a big-budget, high-tech action flick, and honestly, I can respect that.

Honestly, acting and directing are still stuck at a pretty low level, just like they are in RL. But unlike what I deal with out there, at least here they aren't constantly trying to gaslight me into believing in something they can't even prove themselves.

Honestly, RL kind of reminds me of those TV commercials where they show off some high-end juicer or a fancy blender. You know the ones—they claim, "With this tool, you can whip up all these stunning, gourmet pastries and sauces!" Then they flash a montage of professionally crafted desserts on the screen, but you just don't buy it. You know deep down it’s impossible, yet their presentation is so polished and perfect that it almost makes you doubt your own common sense.

In the RW, they’re pushing that same old mixer/juicer combo on us again, but this time they’ve added a little spin. Now they're claiming, “It chops and blends beautifully, making it way easier to whip up your favorite desserts.” I guess they think we haven't heard that one before.

When it comes to the action sequences, I have to admit—once again—that I’m pretty happy with almost all of them. There are just two exceptions: that first scene where they're walking on the ceiling, and that final Dragon Ball Z-style fight at the end. Those were the only ones that didn't quite land for me.

I honestly think you’d get way more out of the movies if the plot of The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions actually centered on the direct conflict between the Zionists and the Machines, rather than just focusing on Neo and Morpheus stopping for a hot dog. 😁

By the way, I don't know about you guys, but that whole battle for Zion and the ship chase felt pretty recycled to me. I guess it’s just my take, but it all felt like something I'd seen before. I'm not sure how many of you have actually sat through Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, but those scenes felt incredibly similar to me. The only real difference is that in TSW, you deal with those "spirits" and there aren't nearly as many people shooting at things, but the whole setup follows the exact same blueprint.

On the other hand, maybe I just had that first episode of Cowboy Bebop, "The Real Folk Blues," looping endlessly in my head—which, by the way, was produced by Square, so I guess that's why I made the connection to TSW.

To be honest, up until this point, I found the movie incredibly dull and slow. But then came the segment that actually drew me in to watch this third installment of The Matrix: the defense of Zion.

I don't want to bore anyone with trivialities regarding the scenes leading up to the battle, so I'll just ask this quickly: Is it just me, or does one of the women on the Zion Council look exactly like the actress who played Datini's mother in that one episode of TNG—you know, the one where it turns out she was an android? The lady with the gray hair.

Anyway, the Machines have almost broken through to Zion, and that's when our Captain Mifune and his crew step up to defend it.

First off, I have to say I am absolutely disappointed in the APUima (hey, there's another Apu 😁). What kind of mechs are these used to save Zion? It's just nonsense. The pilot is totally exposed, and don't even get me started on the maneuverability, which is basically zero.

But fine, I guess the basic function of these mechs is clearly to spit out 10,000 bullets per second, so maybe it doesn't matter how slow they are.

Otherwise, the actual battle for Zion is well-made. Even though there are a few unrealistic and pathetic moments, I honestly can't find a single complaint. There's plenty of action, plenty of squids getting blasted, and we get to follow a badass Niobe as she chases Hammer through some sort of "mechanical tube" (whatever that was). It was really good and intense.

It's not that I think these scenes are masterpieces—they didn't exactly blow me away—but they were entertaining enough to wake me up.

And as usual, our heroes repel the first wave of the attack, but unfortunately, our great hero Captain Mifune gives his life for Zion. That might actually be the only touching scene in the whole movie. (Anyone who's seen it knows how bad the scene actually is, but compared to the rest, it's Oscar-worthy.)

Meanwhile...

Neo and Trinka arrive at Machine City, where Neo has to find some authority figure and negotiate a truce. This is followed by a series of religious, overly dramatic scenes that made my stomach turn, all leading up to the best part: TRINKA DIES... yay. 🙂

Oh God, what a terrible scene. I think I repeated "Just die already, man, JUST DIE" to myself at least N times. Maybe I even said it out loud a few times because people kept turning to look at me.

The funniest part was when Neo says, "We're here," and she replies, "I'm not going anywhere," followed by that subtle transition to the shot of Trinka's frigid body pierced by several of those... hm... what should we call them... tentacles? 🤔 Anyways, the girl delivers one long monologue that would make even King Lear ashamed of its length, and finally, she stretches her legs, while I'm sitting there thinking, "Is it polite to clap in the middle of a movie theater?"

Meanwhile...

Back in Zion, they are preparing for the second wave of attacks, and all hopes are pinned on Neo...

Meanwhile...

Neo stumbles out of that ship like a blind bat.

Now, this reminded me of a great gag from Mel Brooks. It would have been a killer joke if Neo was just stumbling around the ship blindly looking for the exit... you know, by cutting back and forth between the scenes of Zion and Neo.

In Zion, Zion Morpheus says, "I believe in Neo; he will save us all," followed by a quick cut to Neo slamming his head against the ceiling and pipes of the ship because he can't see where he's going, all while muttering curses under his breath like, "Damn that Trinka. She could have told me which way to exit this damn ship instead of giving that Halmet monologue."

But hey, since the W. brothers aren't exactly known for their sense of humor (at least not intentionally), Neo quickly makes his way out of the ship and goes to find the authorities in Machine City.

Once again, we get anthology-style scenes, this time reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. I mean, come on, didn't that Machine that appears before Neo and forms a face using the squids remind anyone else? It asks Neo in that deep voice, "What is it you want?" I half expected Neo to say "Eyes" and start singing one of those songs the Scarecrow, Tin Man, or Lion used to sing.

So, because of some absolute miracle, Neo asks for "peace," and the Oracle basically says, "You're a good kid, so I'll give you a shot." And just like that, the central conflict of the whole movie kicks off: Neo vs. Smith.

DORAGONBOL ZEDU DESU

Seriously, that fight between Neo and Smith looked exactly like that. The only thing missing was them firing off Kamehamehas or Dragon Blasts from their hands, and then we would’ve had straight-up DBZ.

But not quite. We all know how it goes in DBZ—Goku takes a beating first, then stands up and goes, "Is that all you got? My turn," but here, our Neo (Neo = Goku) just keeps getting his ass kicked. I mean, it wasn't even cool.

Anyway, I really hope Akira Toriyama sues them for copyright infringement and forces them to hand over all the movie profits to the Japanese creators. They could probably use that cash to make their own massive screw-ups, like Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions, or some Evangelion live-action movie...

...but I digress.

Whatever, there are still a few decent scenes coming up where Smith actually looks awesome, to the point where I start rooting for him, but then unfortunately he just splatters everywhere along with Neo, and that’s the end of the movie.

Oh, I forgot, that's not quite the end... we still have the W brothers trying to convince us that the crap we watched in Reloaded and Revolutions is actually a masterpiece if we just believe hard enough... FAT CHANCE. I honestly hope they never film another movie again.

Now I'm going to go watch AniMatrix and The Matrix film and try to erase every memory of those last two movies from my brain.

Captain Mifune is out there chasing down the Zion cavalry.

I have to say, I actually liked the beginning of the movie. It was surprisingly good. It picks up right where that pile of trash that was Reloaded left off, and everyone seems totally wired, yet they still maintain that cold, Matrix-like vibe. While everyone else is out there frantically searching for Neo within the Matrix, it turns out he’s just lying there on an operating table. 🙄.

Even in those opening scenes, Captain Hammer really stood out to me as the best character in the entire movie. I can't quite remember his name, unfortunately, but in my humble opinion, he was definitely the most believable person on screen.

No, everything good is short-lived because you know exactly what comes next: that scene where Neo is just sprawled out on the floor of some subway station while this girl stands over him. I remember thinking, "Bad move." Seriously, what was the director thinking, pairing Keanu Reeves with some inexperienced kid? As if it wasn't enough that Keanu can't act—at least in my opinion regarding these two Matrix films—but now they have to highlight it by having some random girl totally outshine him in the acting department... geez.

And then, almost out of nowhere, we get this father figure for that little Indian girl—let's just call him Apu, after that guy from the Simpsons who runs the Quickmart.

So, APA starts trying to explain things to Neo—you know, why he's even there and all that deep philosophical stuff—while Neo just sits there giving him this totally Homer-like look, clearly having no clue what's going on. And while those two are busy overanalyzing things that are completely irrelevant to the entire fucking Matrix, I can't help but notice this little girl of Indian descent. I have to say, she's easily the best part of the whole damn movie. 👍 (Yeah, yeah, I actually like her better than Monica.)

Meanwhile….

Morpheus and Trinka head off to see the Oracle just so the audience can sit there and think, “This has to be the most boring, poorly executed dialogue in cinematic history... PERIOD.” It’s the same old story, really—they try so hard to act all cool and mysterious, but in the end, it just feels incredibly lame. 🙂

So, I guess Morpheus and Trinka eventually realize they need to find some bum to bring Neo back, BUT NOOOOOOOO… even that bum isn't exactly a heavy hitter. He’s just some guy who only listens to his boss—that charming French guy from Reloaded (let's call him Pierre from now on). So, Morpheus, Trinka, and that would-be Jet Li head over to Pierre to figure out what they actually have to do to get Neo back.

Personally, I was pretty stoked about Pierre, mostly because wherever he shows up, Monica follows. Unfortunately, aside from her great figure, we didn't actually get to see much of Monica at all.

Meanwhile…

It’s like Neo is just some rat running around in a cage at Grand Central Station.

Meanwhile...

Morpheus, Trinka, and some guy who thinks he’s the next Jet Li are all leaning on Pierre to let Neo go. And then, wouldn't you know it, he actually does it.

Now, any sane viewer would probably assume everything up to this point was just setting the stage for the actual movie, but NOOOOOOOO... this is where we hit the boring, pathetic part. This is when Neo heads off to see the Oracle—who, by the way, looks like she went under the knife for a facelift and aged about ten years since The Matrix Reloaded, plus she's looking a bit lighter in complexion (not that I'm being racist here or anything)—just so she can drone on and on about choice and all that same old stuff again.

This might actually be my biggest gripe with The Matrix Reloaded and Revolutions. There is just way, way too much unnecessary dialogue. I mean, we all know exactly what the Oracle is going to tell Neo before she even opens her mouth, but for some reason, they feel the need to drag it out through ten different pointless sentences between the two of them.

Around that time, I started wondering if it’s actually nice up there hanging out with the crew at GNN. They’re probably just making fun of the movie and having a blast, while I’m stuck here between two shifts. It feels pretty crappy to be bursting out laughing at the nonsense on screen when I know I shouldn't—I don't want to break their intense concentration.

Anyway, from those last few scenes I was describing until that part where Smith, using that Zion guy's body, tries to kill Trinka and Neo, my memory just goes totally blank. I might have actually passed out or something. I think I only woke up when that one woman suddenly jerked, and then she kind of hit her hand a bit. Honestly, her tongue would’ve probably fallen right out of her mouth if she’d tried to say, “Sorry for waking you guys up.” 🙄 ).

Basically, Smith is holding Trinka hostage while Neo is standing there with a plasma rifle, totally capable of just blasting them both and ending the whole mess... BUT NOOOOOOOO. That would be way too lame and completely out of character for them. Instead, our guy Neo and Agent Smith decide to settle things with a classic showdown, kind of like an old-school Western duel, which ends with Neo getting blinded because Smith hits him right in the face with some electrical blast.

At that exact moment, I couldn't help but crack a smile, mostly because it reminded me of that scene in Bloodsport where they throw a coin in Van Damme's eye, except this guy can still perceive everything around him. Meanwhile, Neo actually starts seeing—not with actual eyes, but more like these specters of light... I mean, WTF was that? So now he's seeing without eyes? Just wonderful. It honestly reminded me of that line from the Superbike theme song, you know, "is there nothing that she cannot do."

Look, if you're just sitting around on a lazy Sunday afternoon and suddenly around 3:00 PM an idea hits you like, “Hey, since I'm already running errands around Los Angeles, I might as well catch Captain Mifune and the charge of the Zion cavalry,” just STOP. Seriously. Make yourself some coffee, turn on the TV, and actually think about whether sprinting across town for a movie is even worth the hassle. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Since I tend to make impulsive decisions sometimes, I grabbed my phone immediately and booked a ticket for 5:30 PM.

I rolled into Grand Central Station at 4:20 PM, which meant I had forty minutes to get over to Broadway, pick up my ticket, sprint back to Grand Central where I had to deal with some guy acting like he was a total anime fanatic, and then power-walk back toward Broadway so I wouldn't miss the opening credits.

Needless to say, this whole run was done entirely on foot because, as always happens when I'm in a rush, there wasn't a single streetcar running between Grand Central and Ban Square.

To cut a long story short, I managed to make it to Broadway with about ten minutes to spare, though I spent most of that time on the second-floor stairs gasping for air and sweating buckets from the frantic pace.

A pleasant surprise popped up when I spotted our esteemed forum regular casualot21 🙂 buying tickets for his friends, also for “Captain Mifune and the charge of the Zion cavalry.” After a quick hello and some extra hype about how we'd be tearing this movie apart on the forum later, I headed into the theater and waited for the show to start.

Of course, nothing went smoothly, not even inside the theater. Some jerk sat in my seat and stubbornly insisted that HE was in the right spot, even though it was blatantly obvious he was wrong. Whatever, though—since I'm not the type to argue with people in a half-empty cinema, I just sat in the seat that actually belonged to his girlfriend, and problem solved. Naturally, it felt like bad luck wanted me sandwiched between two couples. Luckily, one of them moved quickly (probably a sign that my sweat had done its 😁 work).

After a few trailers for some terrible movies (except for that one about Troy), the volume kicked up, and the movie I thank God I only paid $6.75 for finally began.

In my next post, I'll give my full review of the movie. It will contain SPOILERS, obviously, so don't come crying to me saying I didn't warn you.

My take on the film will be a bit of a play-by-play, peppered with my own random thoughts along the way.

fadedsailor932 said:...both tapes and DVDs...

Exactly...

rapidstag74> So, in your opinion, could Captain Kirk in his shirtless mode take on Neo and Smith at the same time, while still delivering a speech about truth, justice, and the American Way?

You forgot one thing: "...and he’d probably throw in a few racist remarks toward Spock."

Anyway, I won't drag this out forever because the second half of my previous thought was pretty much garbage, but I've decided I'm still going to check out the third installment when it hits theaters. I guess I owe it that much, regardless of whether the movie actually sucks or not.

I've been watching some trailers on my phone lately, and after reading urbannomad30's post, I can already say it feels like the third part might be way better than the second. From what I've seen so far, they seem to be making a gritty action flick loaded with CGI and special effects—but unlike the second one, it looks like they're actually doing it right this time 😁.

So, I'll probably just head to the theater, turn my brain off, and hope for the best. My main hope is that it doesn't bore me to death like *Reloaded* did, and that I finally get to see that one scene everyone on GNN keeps buzzing about. (Though, personally, I find C.A. Moss about as trustworthy as a common thief 😁).

urbannomad30> But the bad news is that this looks way too much like Star Wars.

I don't really get why that's bad news??? If they're putting together a solid action movie, why shouldn't it be on the level of Star Wars? (We're talking about *Episode II*, right?).

Sure, Lucas surpassed them a long time ago and there won't be anything revolutionary about any of this, but it'll look incredibly cool, and honestly, that's what matters.

Since I've already made peace with the fact that I won't find much philosophical depth in the Matrix sequels, I'm just going in expecting good action. It doesn't bother me much if the film lacks substance. And hey, if it actually has some, even better. *shrugs*

Betty Gonzalez30 said:That’s exactly what I’m looking for!!! Now I just have to track down the Japanese version...
John Doe🙏

I might be able to find it on VCD. The quality is actually decent enough.

But if they say it’s already out in video rental stores, maybe it’s even on DVD by now....*shrugs*

northernseal6 said:Honestly, I think Melissa Moore32 is basically on the same level as Ali G or Lost in translation... which, if you read my posts, is pretty damn obvious.🙄

Did I actually say they were in the same league? Seriously, take a closer look at what I wrote.

northernseal6 said:Look, that whole bit about the Canadian girl was just meant as a comparison. I guess the real issue here is that you probably find it hilarious when people make fun of Chinese, Turkish, Swedish, or Arab people, but the second someone mocks us, suddenly it’s a problem. Why is that so hard to wrap your head around?

Personally, I don't find it funny when people make fun of Chinese people, Turkish people, or whoever else... more specifically, I just don't get the way Ali G goes about it (since you brought him up, Scarlett).

There’s a massive difference between actual mockery and what people call "mockery." One is just being a jerk, and the other is something else entirely. I guess it's hard for some people to tell the difference.

I don't know if it's just me, but I find it pretty hard to laugh off when people start making fun of us. It’s one thing to crack a joke, but there’s a massive difference between actual humor and just being straight-up disrespectful. I guess I'm just saying that there is a line between lighthearted teasing and blatant mockery, and some people are clearly crossing it.

northernseal6> I thought that part was pretty funny too, when Ali G makes fun of that Canadian girl by calling her ugly. It probably wouldn't have been nearly as funny if she had been American.

😕

I honestly find Ali Hadžijev's sense of humor totally lame, and it’s definitely not hitting the mark for me. That whole bit about the girl from Canada is just another example 👎

I don't think that's really a great analogy for the movie we're actually talking about. And if it actually is a fair comparison, then it just means the movie is genuinely terrible. 🤔

The Hobbit beats out that guy from Hong Kong who thinks he knows everything about Kung Fu, Japan, Kenda, or being a Samurai.

Don't you dare forget about the ninjas!!!!! 😁

I mean, yeah. There’s definitely something to that. Americans are slowly starting to shift their focus. We might end up watching more and more Hollywood movies centered around Japanese themes over the next decade. But once they’ve completely exhausted that well, I guess the US will just pivot again and move onto... well, you know.🤔I mean, it goes without saying. 😁

Maybe in thirty years or so, we’ll finally get to see a movie about settling the Wild West, or a film about the Battle of Little Bighorn, or even a remake of High Noon. But honestly, I guess it won't happen anytime soon because everyone is too obsessed with being "politically correct." 🙄 I guess if you look at it from the perspective of Native Americans... it still probably won't stop them from casting Leonardo DiCaprio as some kind of tribal chief.

Anyway, getting back to the main topic... what's the deal with that movie? Has it even hit theaters yet, or what? I guess I haven't really been keeping up with what's playing in theaters lately. 😕

northernseal6> It’s basically just Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson playing two Americans stuck in Tokyo.
.
.
.
The only thing that really gets under my skin is how the movie mocks Japanese culture. It feels like they’re intentionally making fun of traditions that are completely at odds with Western values. I guess it just feels forced.
Has anyone actually seen this yet?

I haven't actually sat down to watch it, but I honestly find it hard to take any movie seriously when Murray is the lead... especially regarding what northernseal6 wrote about the mockery of Japanese culture. I guess it's more like they were just messing around to keep the film from being a total snooze fest. I mean, who is actually going to take his mistake that seriously? 😛

It’ll probably end up being exactly what redgull44 said, so I might as well just quote them here:

I don't really buy the idea that the movie is mocking the Japanese way of life. If anything, I’d say it’s just presenting things from our own perspective. Honestly, the fact that you found it funny—and I did too, I'll admit it—suggests the issue might actually be with us. Maybe there isn't even a real "problem" here; it might just be such a massive cultural gap that our gut reaction is just to laugh because we don't quite get it.

So, I don't know... there's probably a slim chance we'll find this on Divx somewhere, or maybe it'll actually show up in the local video rental stores? I guess we can hope, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

!!! said:Maybe check out the anime subreddits instead. I mean, Adam Wright56 will probably jump in soon anyway and explain everything to you.

Is there some kind of rumor going around that I'm some kind of otaku? 😁

@Tiamat>

Anyway, !!! makes a good point. If you want actual answers, head over to those specific subreddits. You'll find plenty of people talking there.

As far as anime discussions go on this site, we have the thread for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind over in the Movies section. It actually started as a comment by Duderinov about that specific movie, but it sort of spiraled into a general discussion about anime. It's mostly just me and Dude hanging out there, though a few other randoms wander in occasionally.

And obviously, if you look under Television, there's the Dragon Ball/Z/GT thread. That one's a bit more laid back, mostly just people posting comments and episode summaries. 😁

I sent you a DM with all the rest of the info, so let me know when you see it.

frozenrider112 said:Look, back home in Canada (and probably in the US too), they don't really use seat numbers or row numbers in theaters. It’s more like a free-for-all where you just grab whatever spot you want. If you're trying to impress someone, or if there's a couple involved... it's just chaos.
Do you guys think we should start implementing a system like that here??

Well, I was at an AMC Theatres in the States recently, and they actually did have rows and seat numbers assigned. But honestly, that might be a different story because the theater was pretty much empty, so you could basically sit wherever you felt like it.

I wouldn't want them to bring that kind of chaos here... at least this way, there's some level of order. Plus, I actually kind of enjoy walking up to the counter and saying, "Row 10, middle seat, please."😁

This isn't exactly the right subforum for this, but whatever, I'll bite.

Just grab Subtitle Edit... you can use it to tweak your subtitles however you want. Personally, I usually switch the font to Helvetica and bump the size up to 18, making the text yellow 😁.

And I guess what Raymond Palmer8 was getting at is that newer files rely on the K-Lite Codec Pack, so you might as well just install that too.

rapidstag74 said:...<that techno soundtrack kicks in>

LMAO, I am actually dying here!!! 🤣

feralgardener502 said:Hmm.
I’m pretty convinced that’s exactly how dialogue was recorded in older American films. The voices coming out of the actors just lack that sense of "space." You can actually HEAR the sound bouncing off the wooden walls of the studio where they're dubbing the dialogue over the footage.
Basically, if a scene is supposed to be happening outdoors, it just doesn't sound like it's actually taking place there.

On the flip side, I don't think that's how things are done anymore. Technology has come such a long way that there's really no point in doing all that extra work in a studio when those high-end microphones on set can capture and transmit perfectly authentic sound right from the location.

The outdated recording tech from maybe 20 or 30 years ago might have made it necessary back then.

I'd definitely sign off on this post. 👍

So, wukče, you didn't win the bet, but neither did your buddy, because there are some movies where the sound is recorded live and others where it's dubbed in a studio later. (And by that, I mean the voices, obviously).

Sure, recording voices in a studio is almost a thing of the past thanks to advanced technology—to use the same phrase as feralgardener502—but it still happens here and there.

They were showing that movie "Woman Falcon" on the local network yesterday... and I mean, it was so painfully obvious that the voices were recorded afterward that it actually hurt to watch. 😁 But hey, it's an old movie.

casualotter21 said:YOK. The movie is (somewhat, unfortunately) an adaptation of an Alan Moore comic strip. Conceptually, the strip is similar to X-Menu but with a delightfully Victorian steampunk twist: the story takes place in an alternate 19th century where a massive steel bridge connects the United States and France over the English Channel, zeppelins are as common as cars are to us, Martians from H. G. Wells' war planet are planning an invasion of Earth, while Cavor is busy whipping up Cavorite in his lab, and characters like Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Fu Manchu, Dracula, and a whole host of other figures from Victorian literature actually exist...

Alan Quartermain—the hero from Haggard's "King Solomon's Mine"; kind of like an American Indiana Jones from back when Harrison Ford's grandfather was still just a twinkle in a milkman's eye.

I mean, I think the idea is great, even if I admittedly never managed to track down and read the actual comic strips. I love steampunk; I practically inhaled Wells, Doyle, and Vernea when I was a kid, and neither Haggard nor Stoker are strangers to me. I’ll probably go see the film, if nothing else just because I love steampunk and alternative history. I’m pretty tolerant of trash as long as it’s fun and has some style. Still, I really should try to get my hands on the comics.

http://members.tripod.com/~sonofthelizardking/cheat.jpg

Now that you've laid all that out, I feel like maybe I've heard something similar or perhaps even seen a trailer... who knows. 😕

It doesn't sound too bad, though... I guess, like you said, "if the trash has style and is fun."

But seriously, where on Earth did they dig up Quatermain...😁 😁 😁....LOL.
Is Sharon Stone in this somewhere too? 🙂

Oh yeah, that link isn't working. It just dumps me onto some empty Tripod page.