Larry Fox5 said:I honestly don't even know what to say to you... The first Matrix is a total Masterpiece—you can love or hate that kind of vibe, fine—but calling it a poorly made movie is just straight-up insanity...
The story behind The Matrix is just incredible, especially considering it was an entirely original script rather than some adaptation of a book, comic, or whatever else. I guess they unfortunately messed up the sequels by leaning too hard into endless action scenes and melodrama just to please the crowds. The original is definitely one of the most unique films of the modern era. I wouldn't say it's the greatest of all time, nor would I call someone silly for not liking it, but it has qualities I really value: originality, a compelling plot, and a believable world. You could argue Inception is an original film, but conceptually, it feels a bit like a second-rate version of The Matrix. They even seemed to borrow the whole "limbo" idea, which feels like a copy of that space between reality and a computer program. 🤦 for both concepts. I suppose the only thing the other film did better was casting, since Keanu Reeves has about as much acting range as a street lamp.
I guess the only space movies that actually have a real idea behind them are Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey and Carl Sagan's Contact. Both were based on high-quality books by pretty competent authors. Personally, I feel like the films weren't quite a powerful enough medium for those concepts since they had to squeeze everything into less than three hours. To me, both stories are just superior to various versions of Interstellar, much like how Lionel Messi is superior on the soccer field. You could say the movies ended up being either too vague or a bit too abstract, but the stories themselves are probably the best depiction of the mystery surrounding an intelligent alien species and their encounter with humanity.
ambertinker41 said:Studios don't bother pushing creativity in blockbusters because they assume 13-year-olds need these tired tropes to feel something new. On top of that, there's this mindset that if a movie was shot more than three years ago, it’s already ancient history, so it's no surprise they're already mapping out the next Batman and whatever else comes next.
It seems like it's all about the money rather than actual art. I suppose it used to be different when directors had the freedom to pitch original ideas—like how Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were given the green light for things like Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Nowadays, it feels like we won't see anything like that again. The risk just seems too high when they know another studio will drop Fast & Furious 10 at the exact same time and rake in cash from audiences worldwide who show up just because they saw the previous nine. It's almost like they write a script for a tenth installment in a single afternoon, rush the production, and then hire a hundred people to pump out 10/10 ratings on IMDb. I guess it might stay this way for years; I've maybe lost my optimism regarding this.
Patrick Martin said:take that part where they reach out toward the snake in Prometheus (even Tarantino ripped into it) which everyone absolutely trashed.
that’s such a textbook example of an over-the-top moment, it was edited that way on purpose, uh, to crank up the tension for the crowd (because we all know danger is lurking), uh, it's like, one of those epic beats in the whole story (on par with when Neil Armstrong stepped onto the moon) and if you don't see the magic there—if you don't feel that sense of "higher purpose"—then you just don't get it.
in that exact second, heaven and Earth collided within that entire Alien franchise world, that's it, that's the whole point.
that's where everything really kicked off.
Please, stop. I think those substances you're getting online are starting to cloud my mind too.
Patrick Martin said:Look, some scenes and certain setups just demand a certain amount of guesswork and patience. When you're dealing with this whole "exploratory adventure" vibe, that’s kind of part of the deal, right? It’s actually pretty desirable. Honestly, it’s totally possible that some parts feel a little clunky or awkward, especially when you consider all the footage that ended up on the cutting room floor compared to what the DC version looks like.
Not really, I don't think so. When I pay for a ticket, I just expect the filmmakers to actually do their jobs properly.
I honestly can't remember a single decent "virtual" movie from the last few years. By that, I mean sci-fi or those big blockbusters. I guess Edge of Tomorrow with Tom Cruise was somewhat coherent, even if the ending was a total mess. Everything else has been pretty terrible. Gravity felt like a complete letdown, I think I've complained about Prometheus more than any other movie on this forum, and Interstellar might actually be one of the most confusingly written films out there. And don't even get me started on all the sequels and prequels. What they did to Indiana Jones probably should have been illegal.
What kind of minor compromises? Half the scenes feel totally random. I guess the editing might have been outsourced to somewhere like Pakistan, where they probably just slapped the footage together without much thought. It doesn't feel like a series of compromises to me; it feels more like the movie was just thrown together carelessly.
ambertinker41 said:If the movie was actually garbage, I wouldn't still be thinking about it a week later; you only forget mediocrity—that everyday, nothing special stuff.
Honestly, this thread would have probably died out ages ago if it weren't for those few fanatics keeping it alive out of pure stubbornness and spite.
and stop sticking your noses into stuff you clearly don't get☕
No offense, but I'd say you're just a surface-level viewer making judgments based entirely on your own narrow perspective. That's why we keep running into these disconnects, which isn't surprising. It's all just subjective for real people.☕
Man, people are honestly just laughing at you over there. If that isn't a sign that your own perspective might be a little off, I'm not sure what is. I can respect having a passion for cinema and wanting to find the silver lining in everything, but that doesn't seem to be your style. You view something like "Prometheus Quote" as a masterpiece, even though if you check IMDb, over 50% of the audience reviews are basically just tearing it apart. It’s pretty harsh. To me, it feels like a total dud that was forgotten a week after it left theaters, yet here you are still fighting battles on the forum. I guess you're being a bit of an extremist about it.
I personally have no problem calling something trash, and honestly, it's getting harder to find a movie that isn't these days. I wouldn't say I'm superficial; I just try not to let myself be led astray.
It makes me a little sad whenever I see something like Jurassic World pulling in such massive amounts of money; it feels like all that cash is just fueling a broken system. I guess cinematic art and our modern access to high-quality theaters and TVs should really go hand in hand. I don't know, back in the early '90s, who could have imagined that in the late 21st century, this kind of product would outearn all the classics combined?
Matthew Anderson4 said:it's really just a string of mediocre movies.
I don't remember the old one all that well, but I guess this new one is pretty rough. It seems to try and establish its own world and style, but there's maybe not much of a plot, and it feels like just two hours of violence.
Patrick Martin said:you guys just stick to your little shows and whatever ☕
I'm honestly not sure what your issue is. I guess you've become something of a legend on this Reddit for someone who obsessively defends things that just can't be defended. It almost feels pathological at this point, like maybe you don't even believe what you're writing anymore. You seem to praise movies that aren't even relevant to film history—just some marginal stuff that makes money simply because people seem to favor mediocre films these days.
I honestly don't see where you're getting this optimism from, or why you'd have any hope that they'll actually get things done. Does Karamarko look like anyone qualified to lead this country to you? Based on these interviews and everything we've seen so far, do you really think he's the guy who can pull us out of this crisis?
It’s probably money, or maybe something else he got from the party. A friend of mine used to hand out flyers for Ivo Sanders, and yeah, it was for cash.
The US lived through two world wars where millions lost their lives under the most devastating circumstances imaginable. Those generations saw the absolute lowest point of civilization, yet the country pulled through and eventually, everything found its way back to normal. I guess we'll likely see the same thing happen this time around.
Michelle Palmer6 said:Honestly, that’s just another myth—the idea that the Republicans were so screwed they were destined to be destroyed. Not true! Even with their former Prime Minister behind bars and facing blatant theft, corruption, and endless scandals—not to mention having that same Prime Minister's deputy running the party—the Republicans still pulled off a massive win. That tells you everything you need to know: the Republicans are going to crush it regardless of what kind of insane laws they pass. They managed to flip the neutrals and a small chunk of the less hardcore voters over to their side, while the core base remains rock solid. As for that "neutral middle," they'll just bounce back and forth like a ping-pong ball between options. They’ll never truly be satisfied with either side because there’s nothing to be satisfied with—it’s just the same old crowd wearing a different colored hat.
I suppose they can't be totally failing since their voter base is so massive. They're the biggest party, so they aren't just going to vanish. Maybe they feel they can get away with more because of how they built their foundation through things like religious influence and historical ties. Honestly, they might not have won any elections if the economy had recovered a bit faster. Right now, people seem frustrated because they aren't seeing much progress. Plus, times have changed with open borders and a different lifestyle; maybe younger generations aren't as focused on building something long-term and just want everything handed to them. It isn't just an issue here in the States, either. You see similar patterns globally, like how millions leave their home countries despite economic stability. Whether it's low birth rates in parts of Europe or doctors leaving places like Canada, the brain drain is real. People move from Bulgaria or Romania to wherever there's opportunity, and you see the effects in cities like London or everywhere in Sweden. What we're seeing locally isn't really anything new; the leadership was just so focused on joining the global stage quickly that they didn't prepare for the fallout. They achieved the goal of integration, but maybe they weren't ready for what came next. I guess you can't force certain things to stop. If a billionaire from Qatar offers a pilot ten thousand dollars a month, there's probably not much anyone can do about it.
I guess the main issue with the current administration is that it doesn't really feel like the group that actually won the election. A governing body needs some level of authority, almost like a core circle of leaders. This setup originally started with figures like Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer—real heavy hitters where two of them handled the major cabinet roles. They had pretty clear strategies too, especially with the focus on fiscal discipline. But now, those two aren't in those specific spots anymore for various reasons. Their successors are running those departments, and I suppose that isn't an easy position to be in. It feels like there's a bit too much wandering around looking for solutions and way too much calculating, mostly because the leadership lacks a firm direction. Maybe it's because they just aren't the primary leaders anymore.
There have been some shifts lately, though, and maybe there's slightly less bad news surfacing in 2015. The big thing seems to be that companies are boosting exports, which might be creating a more positive atmosphere. Generally speaking, I think most industries should probably be privatized, and I suspect that’s eventually what will happen.
Keith Miller30 said:Well, look, Raspudić is an academic and an intellectual, not some economic specialist. But hey, he’s my number one choice, and if you aren't feeling him, that's perfectly fine by me.
Now, Aleksandra Kolaric is quite a handful—she’s exactly what you might call a "tough old bird." I find myself disagreeing with her more often than not, yet there's something about people like her that I truly admire. She tends to tear down everything I hold dear, but she does it with such style that it doesn't actually get under my skin; in fact, she's the kind of person you'd still want to grab a coffee with. Or perhaps even more than that, though I won't dwell on it. I simply don't take it personally. 🙂
So, I wouldn't necessarily label them as media fabrications; this one could have easily sold us a dream just to protect her seat, but she didn't. As for Bernardica, I think we can find some common ground there.
Raspudić isn't a dumb guy, but he is incredibly dull and, honestly, pretty uninspired. He writes pieces for equally uninspired people who need someone else to define their identity for them. That whole mantra about dividing Americans into three-dimensional subgroups is probably some of the most nonsensical stuff I've ever read in any language—and I've been on this forum since 2003, so I've seen just about everything there is to see. He just doesn't have that ability to embrace life's highs and lows the way Dežulović does. If Dežulović were here in our Football section, he would be the standout character, while they'd probably be making fun of Raspudić just like they do Nevenka and those other bores.
graniteheron132 said:Major props for having that kind of patience 🙏 my better half is a vegetarian and treats every living creature like royalty, except for mosquitoes. They can go straight to hell.
Mine is similar. Even though she doesn't eat meat herself, she still cooks and grills it for me.