nimblemarlin6 said:Things aren't always what they seem... Conan 82 is a radical departure from the core philosophy found in Howard’s work. Look, he nailed the aesthetic—the style, the visual vibe, even certain individual segments capture the spirit perfectly—but as a cohesive whole? He completely missed the philosophical mark. I really ought to sit down and write a proper long-form essay to break this all down properly... maybe when I actually find the time.
Even if we agree that the 2011 Conan flick was absolute bottom-of-the-barrel trash, Momoa actually delivered! Honestly, Momoa is a better Conan than Arnie ever was. Anyone who has actually sat down with Howard’s books or the classic comics knows exactly what I'm talking about.
I've read both the books and the comics. Anri's version of Conan feels a bit different, but Momoa is just a disaster on screen. It's either not Conan at all, or just some nonsense that has zero connection to the source material.
Give me one single memorable scene from that trash heap, especially anything involving Momoa. A musical number, the set design, anything?
Anyway, this pretty much defines me now; "Crom, i have never prayed to you before – i have no tongue for IT. Nobody, not even you, is going to care if we were saints or sinners. It doesn't matter why we picked up a blade or why we kicked the bucket. All that counts is that two of us stood our ground against the crowd. That's what's important "
So, there’s this theory floating around that since Conan trains with weapons that look a lot like katanas, it’s actually proof he’s living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland rather than some ancient past. Then you’ve got people claiming that because the text mentions things happening "before the sons of Arias," we're looking at some pre-Indo-European era where Conan is basically a Basque warrior. 🙂
Look, I get it, it’s definitely Fantasy. But the author was pretty adamant about the connection—if you’ve actually sat down with the books, there’s a map included that represents our own world, just slightly different. 🙂
It’s honestly a crime there isn't a dedicated thread for this on the forums, especially since PBS is actually starting to air some decent movies lately.
For anyone catching this later, here’s a total gem—a documentary about how they filmed the movie. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PRHbohN_yw
Jack Cook7 said:Asking this question is basically inviting the devil to dinner.
The laws from back in the day were actually set up so that even if you couldn't directly take on the federal government with a full military force, there was still a way for local folks to organize themselves.
It was through those same legal loopholes that the National Guard got their start—even if, let's be honest, the whole thing was still being pulled by the same old intelligence agencies behind the scenes.
Look, knowing our history—both the stuff we've lived through and what might be coming down the road—I am all for making it legal to form local, non-political groups that can step up and handle defense, whether things are peaceful or everything is going south.
Those local militias, or what they used to call the home guard here in America, were phased out back in 2003. But let's be real: nowadays, nobody has the interest or the budget for it anyway.
Seriously, what's the big deal? We already have an army, which is basically the successor to the National Guard, so I don't get why we're even talking about this.
And here we go again. The same crowd that was practically begging for the EU to take the wheel because they couldn't handle things themselves is suddenly acting all tough. Now they’re bragging about our "pristine rivers and clean oceans" like it’s some massive competitive edge. They’re suddenly offended by the idea of being treated like second-class citizens, they're trashing the EU, and they're singing praises to sovereignty... Honestly, I’m just confused. Where the hell have they been hiding all this time?
KAČAMAK said:So, some woman just gave birth at 61. That’s officially the oldest mom in the US now. She's originally from a small town outside of Chicago, and honestly? Major props to her. Respect.🙂 And my dad is only 74.😁 I can't believe I'm seeing this. Some guy is actually making headlines at 61. It’s wild how life works out sometimes. You think you've seen everything, then some news story pops up like this and hits you right in the feels. Honestly, it just goes to show that age is really just a number if you're doing things right. Just a thought. Anyway, what's everyone else up to?
Props to them, I guess. Honestly, though, it feels like way too much for me. My dad's gonna be 92 by the time the kid actually graduates high school, and my mom will be 79. Just seems wild. 🤷
goldengull3 said:I don’t have the luxury of sitting here and watching the whole thing right now, but if you ask me, the job market shift is actually quite straightforward. We are seeing the elimination of roles that are purely repetitive and offer zero incremental value, though, in their place, entirely different opportunities are emerging.
The jobs being phased out include things like: - Assembly line workers—a robot handles that far more efficiently. - Grocery clerks—they don't add unique value or meaningfully drive sales. - Truck drivers—automation is already proving superior (even as we speak).
But conversely, certain roles aren't disappearing; in fact, demand will only climb: - Designers—the advent of 3D modeling presents a massive new frontier. - Mechanical engineers—they can now develop technologies they previously could only dream of. - Chefs—they provide intrinsic value by refining and customizing a product (though I suspect high-volume cafeteria cooks will eventually be replaced by advanced printers). - Car salespeople or servers—human social interaction drives sales in a way a kiosk simply cannot replicate.
That said, this reality completely dismantles the outdated vision of "industry" that many Americans cling to. The kind of industrial landscape being built today doesn't require massive factories packed with thousands of low-skilled laborers.
This could spark some bloody revolutions.
Just like how white farmers in Kansas revolted against slavery—not because they were big fans of the system, but because they couldn't compete with the slave owners—people aren't going to sit idly by while robots take over the factory floor.
Ever since I heard you could actually make food out of algae, I’ve been sitting here wondering—why isn't this some massive industry bigger than the damn iPhone? It’s basically just high-tech snacks for adults, so why aren't all our government agencies stockpiling this stuff already?
Peter Thompson4 said:Is it worse when they just blatantly lie and stitch together scenes in a trailer that aren't even in the actual movie, or when they decide to cram "every single" scene into one trailer and ruin the whole surprise?🤷🤔
It’s hard to say if it's actually stupid when a trailer runs longer than three minutes, but honestly? When I'm told I'm getting a comedy and I get some barely-there little drama instead, or when they pitch an action flick and it turns out to be some kid stuff, it's enough to make you lose it. 😠
Look, let's not drag this out. You've got plenty to say about Mexico too. Honestly, I’m way more interested in what's happening in America than Canada right now.
Jeffrey Wood said:Big deal. What’s a seat at the UN actually worth if you don't have any real independence?
First off, all the member states will just end up voting exactly the same on every single international issue because they'll be ordered to do so by the big shots in Brussels.
Then, one day, they'll decide that maintaining all these seats and diplomatic offices is just too damn expensive. They'll start cutting costs, and suddenly everything involving foreign policy will officially be handed over to Brussels too.
When that happens, the only things left representing "national identity" will be sports teams and maybe some folk dance troupes—just scraps of what used to be actual sovereignty. Honestly, that's basically the situation in America already.
But hey, plenty of Americans care more about bragging that they belong to the West, even if they don't have an ounce of sovereignty left.
It's a centuries-old inferiority complex. You can't fix that kind of mindset.
Yebesh all of it. At the end of the day, we probably had more autonomy and self-governance back when we were part of the USA than we do now in the EU.
It sounds okay if you really, truly want to believe it, but even a tiny bit of common sense totally shuts down that "argument" immediately...
bluerider63 said:Basically, everything that actually makes a country powerful and independent is getting handed over to Washington, D.C. They'll still let us keep our anthem and our flag to make us feel better, and they'll leave the bank accounts wherever they need them to be.
Total nonsense. The European economy's been tied together for decades now, and honestly, the political side of the EU is more of a boogeyman than an actual threat.