Posts by Paul Thomas46

mellownomad7 said:Is anything actually going to happen in Canada?
How's Orbán's popularity looking with the average person?

I haven't been following this closely; I just stumbled on the article. It might make more sense if we actually had the original news report to look at.

Cheers

No.

That's just how things are—it is what it is...

Christian Torres3 said:Canada is calling for emergency peace talks to end the war between Ukraine and Russia...

Whenever someone brings up "peace negotiations" that are basically just surrendering to Russian terms, I know I'm dealing with some Putin-esque piece of trash.

They’ve actually gone and blamed the European Union for sending weapons—claiming it just drags the war out longer, right?

I'm sorry, but that isn't just "pro-Putin talk"—it is quite clearly siding with the aggressor.

I don't expect anything dramatic to happen in Canada right now—we really can't handle any more chaos...
But the situation is clear. Crystal clear.

analogbear5 said:Nobody’s really talking about his recent speech in St. Petersburg. It didn't exactly set the world on fire.

Well, why would it make waves when everyone knows he lies as easily as he breathes...

Nancy Gomez26 said:The real question is how many Chinese people actually make up that 1.16 per km². The only truly problematic variable in this scenario is that birth rates in China are also plummeting, and they are aging at an alarming rate. Decades of the one-child policy, followed by the preference for a specific gender, have exacted a heavy toll. The European Union and the USA address these demographic gaps through immigration, but very few people are looking to move to China.

You're talking as if China is facing a population shortage.

Even if they were cut in half, there still wouldn't be an issue—aside from the overcrowding, of course.

Everything would be different if we didn't have to face the fact that China is constantly encroaching on the West—just like Russia does...
They share a similar systemic structure with Russia, even down to certain key traits and their general mindset.

The real issue lies with all these failing autocratic nations—the ones that immediately pivot toward imperialism the moment they see an opening. And China caught that opening because they lured everyone in with the promise of moving manufacturing over there. It’s turning out to be a massive mistake...

It’s entirely possible—as usual—that the news outlets are "misinterpreting" things, and we aren't actually looking at 800,000 citizens, but rather 800,000 individual accounts.
One account doesn't necessarily equal one person...
And that goes for both private individuals and business entities alike.

gentlehawk95 said:Whatever. Since when does the runtime of a project have anything to do with how good it actually is? That's just nonsense. If you think that way, you clearly haven't sat through enough truly great epic films or top-tier prestige TV series to realize how wrong you are.

But wait—whoever said length was a metric for quality in the first place? 😕

If I were going to watch this, it would need to move along at a much faster pace—like a campy B-movie...
Honestly, even standard feature films feel too long sometimes, let alone something dragged out through endless episodes.

By the way—if we decide to bring Star Wars and Lord of the Rings into the mix—I’m going to need a much longer list. Actually, probably even more entries than that, since I could make separate ones for each...

Honestly, I still think the original Alien introduction hits harder. It’s such an iconic cinematic moment—not even just for sci-fi...
That specific beat where initial relief—thinking the facehugger just fell off and died—suddenly shifts into pure, unadulterated dread. That feeling of losing all control over the situation...

Everything else feels like a mere upgrade 🙂

1. That moment when the Alien bursts right out of Kane's chest

2. Watching the T-1000 reform itself from those puddles in Terminator 2

3. Charlton Heston discovering the Statue of Liberty in Planet of the Apes

*I've left things like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings out of this list—for obvious reasons...

Patrick Martin said:His biggest issue is that irritatingly over-the-top acting—he just seems to misinterpret his own roles...

Not to mention the directors who let him get away with it.

+1

Honestly, I can't even watch him. I haven't sat through one of his movies in years...

goldenhound32 said:haha, they were making tons of movies back then too—it’s just that we don't remember a hundred different titles from, say, 1957, rather than just the ones that actually stood the test of time and stayed great.

It seems like there’s no consensus here at all... most people I know only watch a handful of films, maybe fifty a year or so. So, someone in their 30s really can't compare themselves to how I was when I was 23, for instance...

And daily life varies so much... for someone who is 30 without a family, just focused on work, life feels far less exciting than it did at 20 during those college years...

Look, that’s all very general speaking—there are always exceptions to every rule.
But it really comes down to a combination of factors. Biology plays a part, too. For someone in their early 20s who is still in college, the brain is naturally wired for focus and concentration—it’s just easier to process new information and challenges. By the late 20s, for many, that starts to taper off under typical life circumstances...
Then there's the matter of willpower and a genuine passion for cinema. Someone who truly loves film will maintain their focus because they have a real interest, unlike the more common scenario of "maybe I could watch a movie, I guess, whatever"...

Or perhaps some people just haven't realized yet that their interests have shifted over time, so they end up wondering why they aren't enjoying things like they used to... 😁

The only thing I'm not entirely sure about is whether they were filming as many movies seventy years ago as they are today. And even if they were, they certainly weren't this accessible. Even thirty or forty years ago, nothing was nearly as easy to find; everything you watched felt like a massive event—the best movie ever, combined with the perspective of your own age...

Even before the era of hyper-connectivity, I used to struggle with staying focused—usually, I’d find myself fidgeting with my nails instead... which is still a habit of mine today.
To me, it’s a dead giveaway that a movie isn't quite hitting the mark—at least, not enough to keep me glued to the screen.

I also wonder why there isn't more conversation about how studios are just churning out way too many films lately—honestly, they can't all be high quality, regardless of whether you love the director or the cast.

Plus, time really does take its toll. Let’s be real—once you're over 30, you've already seen countless movies, so interest naturally wanes... and life just isn't the same as it was when you were 21. It's not just physical aging, either—your brain changes too.😁

As for watching movies on a phone? I've never actually done it. I’ll happily scroll through nonsense on YouTube on my tablet, sure—but even then, I can't bring myself to sit through a full movie on a tablet.

rustywalker1 said:Some people overanalyze the depth of Star Wars—even though George Lucas himself said it was basically just a family drama, almost a soap opera...

Aaron Walker25 said:I kept thinking about it and eventually had to pick an option, I don't know...
I really feel like the Hobbits should have been included in this poll.😁

The thing is, Star Wars fans are actually the biggest enemies of the franchise itself.
A certain segment of the fanbase reminds me of followers of Abrahamic religions—Orthodox Jews, Christians, Muslims—where any interpretation other than their own is considered sacrilege...
Even if God Himself tried to film a Star Wars sequel trilogy, He wouldn't be able to please them all—it would be like trying to satisfy Orthodox Jews, Catholics, Orthodox Christians, Shiites, Sunnis, and so on...
With Marvel fans, there isn't this level of philosophical debate or disagreement, nor has a whole theology developed; these are movies meant for relaxing and enjoying, which is how they were from the start, and nothing more is expected.

On the other hand, a lot was expected from the Star Wars franchise, and the biggest issue is those expectations—both from the fanbase and from those who tried to push their own agendas.

But despite all the creative shortcomings, I still think Star Wars will survive, and ten years from now people will still be arguing about what's wrong with them, why things are this way, or why it wasn't done differently... whereas Marvel movies might eventually meet the fate of Avatar.

Star Wars exceeded absolutely every expectation. Even Lucas couldn't have anticipated or hoped for such a result. I mean, nobody wakes up thinking, "Okay, now I'm going to create a cultural phenomenon of a new era"—that's just not how it works, right?

It’s honestly reached a point where some people feel even the creator of that world wasn't good enough, or that what he came up with wasn't sufficient. It's a mass psychosis of a strange kind. Clearly, the saga struck a chord with a huge group of people—enough to make them react to the film and story in this way, where the masses are capable of doing all sorts of nonsense because of it. For some reason, the crowd takes the whole Star Wars thing very personally and emotionally. I even have a theory about it, but I'll save that for another post so I don't ramble here...

Marvel movies are, I must say, very beautiful—the heroes are cool, everything is fun, etc.—but they haven't managed to strike that specific chord. No one has.

I wouldn't compare Marvel movies to Avatar. Avatar is actually a silly movie with cool effects. I'll stick to comparing it to Jurassic Park. Still a great film, with a solid idea and excellent execution...

Ethan Martin said:Lord of the Rings is just in a league of its own—I’m honestly a total fanatic when it comes to it, haha. I can't even tell you how many times I've binged all three films... I've lost count...

I remember being younger, having zero responsibilities, and just going completely wild by marathon-watching all three back-to-back from evening until sunrise XD.

Let me put it this way—and maybe it's just me—but the only times I've felt like I was actually going to explode from pure emotion in a theater (you know, that feeling where you're just overwhelmed 🤣) were during certain scenes in Lord of the Rings, then some moments from the Dark Knight trilogy, and finally—Sugar at the end (and there will surely be more moments like that)—the Avengers, specifically that "Avengers Assemble" scene.

P.S. Oh, and do you know where else I might experience that kind of emotional explosion in a theater? (If you judge me based on how much I nearly lost it watching the trailer—excuse my language, haha)—that could be Top Gun: Maverick next summer.

Top Gun is such a huge part of my life and my childhood, so that's really my personal motivation... I'll be the first one standing in line at AMC, I swear...

🍿

Lord of the Rings will be on USA Network and Home TV for the Old and New Year's, all three movies in a row. 😁

But yeah, regarding those epic scenes, it's going to be hard to beat them. Man, that moment when they descend from the hill under Helms' direction and Gandalf releases the light... 😍
It's not that Avengers Assemble is better than that—it's just not. Honestly, for me, nobody can quite match those scenes.

Well, when it comes to those epic battle scenes—LOTR is truly king...

Yeah, those Star Wars sequels just aren't quite hitting the mark—especially The Last Jedi...

Some of The Avengers are better, and honestly, even Pirates of the Caribbean was more solid.

But that doesn't mean Marvel Entertainment has reached the pinnacle of cinema... not by a long shot.
In twenty years, these Marvel-like movies will—once again, some of them—reach the status of Jurassic Park. Fun entertainment, great technical execution, and all that...

Besides, we've had superhero movies before. The only reason they're working now is because they finally have the massive budgets to make them look polished—technology has simply caught up to the vision.
But the stories are pretty shallow, let's be real. And that’s why they’ll end up being like Jurassic Park in the long run.

Nobody is claiming what they did with Star Wars is good, because it really isn't. And I don't get why anyone thought things would improve once George Lucas left—that just doesn't follow any logic...

Ethan Martin said:Exactly—that's what the poll shows, and honestly, it’s just the reality of the film industry right now. Please, just take a step back and look at how things actually stand today—the Avengers are basically the cinematic Godfather for all this modern Star Wars nonsense (with the exception of Revenge of the Sith), no offense intended...

Star Wars will always stand as one of the greatest phenomena ever—but that’s really only thanks to George Lucas and the original trilogy... honestly, looking at where things stand today, Marvel—especially the Avengers—completely outclasses the new Star Wars trilogy in every single cinematic metric... literally every one.

Cheers to that...

P. S. Honestly—both Guardians of the Galaxy films are leagues above any Star Wars sequel, let alone the Avengers... man, come back to reality for a second...

As for the Avengers—those Star Wars sequels were just mediocre movies... and if that bothers you because you’re still living in George Lucas's glory days, well, that's not my problem—nor is it his...

Oh, come on... seriously?

The real difference is that Revenge of the Sith and the first two Star Wars films are just stronger than all of Marvel—regardless of how the rest of the series turned out...

Look, Marvel has definitely delivered some incredibly attractive films—but let's be honest, they weren't all hits... I actually found Black Panther to be even sillier than The Last Jedi, if we're being real, and I haven't even sat through Captain Marvel yet—though both seem to suffer from the same issues as the new Star Wars...
It’s a fun little distraction—well-made and all—but for me personally, they feel a bit too... simple...
Honestly, you could spend an eternity debating Star Wars—it’s just got so much depth and soul to it...

But getting back to the main point—yes, Avengers 1 and 3 were fantastic, no doubt about it... though 2 and 4 were just okay—especially that Endgame installment...
The Star Wars sequels really struggled with the pressure of following up an existing saga—which is a cinematic masterpiece, but more importantly, a massive cultural phenomenon... and they just ended up blowing the whole thing...

The Avengers movies are generally better than the Star Wars sequels—though I do have some issues with that lackluster Endgame—okay...

But.

At any given moment, and in any universe, Star Wars (as a whole) remains untouchable.
Sure, these Marvel movies are flashy and all, which is great, but overall, Star Wars holds more weight than Marvel. Honestly, Star Wars stands above everything else...