I’d probably throw a few more tropes into the mix...
-every single performance or concert lasts like 2 minutes—just enough time to gossip with your date in the background... -animals are always there at the exact right moment to save the day, even if they spent the whole movie hiding under the couch -all the teenagers are somehow gorgeous and look like they're 25?!?! -kids always look way older than they are (like, a 3-year-old playing a 7-year-old) -the best strategy during a total crisis is just to scream and stay perfectly still -during a chase, you always run UP the stairs!!!! 😲 or into dead ends where you eventually just stop and wait for the killer to find you -parents never have time for their kids until the very end of the movie, when suddenly all their life obligations just magically align... out of nowhere! -that weirdly bright lighting in rooms that clearly have zero light sources... -how in horror movies everyone hears a tiny rustle and immediately grabs a knife, even if they were living totally normal lives five seconds ago... -you always try the wrong keys first, and right as the thing chasing you manages to jam a limb through the door, you finally get it open just enough to shove them back out and slam it shut -breakfast usually takes about one minute, or however long the dialogue lasts -English is basically the universal language—doesn't matter where you're from, everyone speaks it like it's their native tongue and there's never any communication issues! -it's totally normal to dance in the middle of the street or scream your head off and nobody even blinks...
If I think of anything else.... Anyway, I was using a little help from Cheerleader to jog my memory, so if you notice any similarities... tell her I'm still bitter about our rights... 😢
Gregory Grant said:Personally, I’ve always found those American "Presidents" and cabinet members incredibly grating—the ones who obsess over following the "law" and end up standing in the way of the hero just when they're trying to actually get things done, you know, like in those disaster movies where everything is falling apart...
so true!!! it seriously drives me insane!!! and that guy Hoyt was just a complete idiot among idiots!!!! 😠 😳 man, there was this one guy on the tip of my tongue, but I totally blanked!!! he was so juicy! once I remember, I'll let you know...😉
anyone got the original??? been trying to track this down forever and nothing's working—offers are all dead ends... i've got some stuff to trade too!!! 😍 Nude Lindsay Lohan saver
Richard Howard2 said:Fair point—my bad, feralorca82—but I can't shake the feeling he was just using that question rhetorically to be contrarian, rather than actually asking anything?
So we're basically talking about this weird phenomenon—there are separate threads for specific movies, obviously—that really kicked off after the year 2000. It's this hyper-speed production of massive hits that weren't even planned to be trilogies from the jump (unlike *Star Wars* or *Lord of the Rings*). Once the first one hits big, everyone just rushes to make sequels every couple of years, right? But here's the kicker: every single one has to outdo the last one in every possible way. They aren't even standalone films anymore—they’re more like technical upgrades, kind of like an "MKII" or "MKIII" version where the core stays the same but they just polish, sharpen, and try to top the previous one. It's basically just a race against themselves—just the same model over and over again.
So everything’s just moving in a straight line—like some kind of exponential curve? Right.
The first one: The characters— The plot? Honestly, who cares? The set design—honestly? Not great.
The second film - character ^ 2... really? the second film - character ^ 2 The plot? Please. Who actually cares about that? The set design—honestly? Not even worth mentioning.
The third one? the second film - character ^ 2 The plot—if you can even call it that? —is basically non-existent. The set design—honestly? Just... wow.
It’s the same old story—nothing really changes, does it?
So basically there’s nothing new here—just the same old stuff doubled up in every single way compared to the last one. Is anyone actually surprised?
I’d probably throw in the sequels to The Matrix, the X-Men movies, and the Mission: Impossible series too—just to round things out, right?
Just finished watching Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, and honestly—how the hell are they supposed to top this in the third one? Like, isn't this basically the ceiling for how much audiovisual chaos a human brain can actually process at once? It’s basically what happens in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End—they try so hard to outdo themselves that they end up outdoing stuff that was already overdone... which just leaves you with this massive wave of nihilism regarding whatever the movie was even trying to say in the first place. A movie just turns into this massive void—like, all form and zero substance—expanding until it’s basically just inflating itself with nothingness. Makes you wonder, right? The cash registers are filling up, but the movie theater's looking pretty empty. What gives?
Why does this actually matter? Let’s not fall for that tired excuse that it’s all just "entertainment"—if anything reflects our society, it’s the trends in mass-marketed junk, not those niche, specialized pockets of art meant for marginalized groups.
Mass production reflects mass consumption, and mass consumption reflects mass production—it’s just a constant loop, like alternating current. Makes sense, right?
Look, the thing is—we can't even blame the directors anymore. It’s exactly what we’re asking for, isn't it? We just can't wrap our heads around a movie that stands on its own—it’s always just some technical upgrade from whatever came before.
That’s exactly why they start branching out beyond the trilogies—it's all about that scale. Like, the upcoming Transformers needs to be technically insane compared to something like World War or anything else in that orbit, right?
We’re looking at this weird phenomenon where everything just follows a linear technical upgrade—basically just swapping out models and templates. It's not even an isolated thing, either; it's more like a global pattern. In music, a new track by Rihanna has to be some technical remix of what Nelly Furtado did before; in tech, a Creative Zen is just a tweak of an iPod (and let's be real, every new iPod is just a minor patch of the last one). Even in art, you're expected to top whatever provocation came before. Makes sense, right?
Everything needs to move faster—higher volumes, brighter lights, records getting shattered, and more weirdly specific clips popping up on YouTube constantly. Why? Because the money has to keep piling up. It’s not the direct goal, just the byproduct. Once we broke through every technical barrier of "how to make it happen" and realized there are no limits left to hit, we just landed in this meaningless void. So now, we just keep revving the engine to stay ahead of the curve—anything to avoid accidentally running into the "Reason."
blablabla.... 😲
chill out, man! seriously, nobody's forcing you to watch this stuff—if someone else digs them, what's the deal? we gonna try to talk them out of it??? 🙄 I mean, look, I love Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and Shrek too, but like someone else said, it’s just because they're insanely fun! and hey, sometimes you just need that. what, should we only feed our brains "useful" info and toss everything fun or "low quality" in the trash??? heh... don't get me wrong, I think Almodóvar and Von Trier are legends, and I've seen pretty much all their work, but even I need a mindless flick once in a while! you got a problem with that?? am I suddenly a threat to society or something?? oh, come on, man!
btw, I'm dying to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End!!! and Shrek!!! 😛
edit: and yeah, just to be fair, some of your points actually land—those movies might just be cash grabs, but whatever, I LIKE it, and I'll definitely be watching them if I've got the cash—probably at the theater, too! peace!
Man, honestly? Just another one of those movies that tries way too hard to tug at your heartstrings by throwing wars and kids at you... I get it, we need films like this to remind us what actually matters, but I’m just totally over them unless they’re actually masterpieces—like, think *Schindler's List* levels of good. This one was just... boring. Honestly haven't sat through something this mediocre in a long time. And I don't mean the movie is "bad" per se, it's just that I don't have the emotional bandwidth left for this stuff anymore. Everything feels so cliché lately—the characters, the plot, whatever... By the end, I was almost rooting for everything to just fall apart just so there could be one single innovative moment. 😈Basically, a total letdown. 4.5/10. As for DiCaprio, he's a solid actor, period. And I don't get why people trash *Titanic* so much—it wasn't some groundbreaking cinematic revolution, it was just a really successful movie for its genre. People watched it because it was huge, and then they complain about it just because they didn't like the vibe. Whatever. I think that role was his most important one, though—without it, he'd probably just be some random teen idol from a CW show or something. 🙄Later!
hmm... honestly? I was left totally stunned by the end... idk, I still don't even know if I actually liked it or not... just have this weird feeling about it. Like, there's way too much filler—scenes that don't need to be there, stuff that just drags—and I'm just stuck. But then again, it feels like a precursor to something bigger... it's got that vibe. It’s this wild mix of genres. In a way, it's almost an art film, I guess? It hooks you without being some cheap, forced rip-off—not like Shadow Boxer (👎 which is honestly disgusting, don't watch it, seriously!!!😵 🙂 😵)—it has its own unique rhythm that keeps you interested. Plus, it's sci-fi, and like, REALLY good sci-fi, mixed with a thriller. The only part where it misses is the horror element... I don't know, that captain guy just felt... off? I couldn't get past him. And that scene where the woman finds that little "child" flower? Totally unnecessary. That was the only part that felt super fake to me, and I mean *super* fake!!! So yeah, whatever... I'm just confused... damn...
anyway, I'd recommend the Film to everyone regardless of what they usually watch. It's one of those movies where you really have to judge for yourself instead of relying on what others say... for example, I can usually tell if a few people will like a movie or not without even trying, but this one? No clue!!! Super weird. 😕
nimblemarlin80 said:I started smoking back in 8th grade. My mother was absolutely livid... but obviously, nobody could stop it. I’d walk through the door smelling like an ash tray, get a beating, and then run to the bathroom to light up. Twenty years later, when I was finally quitting, I was actually cursing my mother for not killing the urge in me when I first started. It would have saved me from this whole withdrawal nightmare. I had a friend who had about 90% more freedom than I did—socially, everything. Her parents didn't even fight her on smoking during high school (which was our number one vice back then). She just quit recently, and she used all that freedom wisely. She actually enjoyed her childhood and her youth. Me? All I had were restrictions. So, at 18, I moved out and started living on my own, much to my parents' horror, and we've been at odds ever since. Then there's the son of a woman who worked with my mom. He was raised strictly "by the book"—lots of talking, understanding, giving him freedom and respecting his choices. I spent my entire childhood envying him. Fast forward to now: the guy has tried every known drug rehab method under the sun, bounced through every prison in the US... honestly, I don't even know if he's still alive. He robbed his own parents four times. A total inventory—he took everything in that house that wasn't bolted down.
Nobody actually knows how to raise kids. It's a lottery. 🙄
That's why debating "freedom" versus "restrictions" is idiotic. If you're advocating for absolute freedom, then fine—let a 16-year-old get blackout drunk. He wants to, right? If we're talking about freedom, let him destroy his liver or his brain with drugs before he turns 18. You need to put yourself in the shoes of a parent watching their kid spiral. Then you'll understand the doubt, the fear, and the pure panic... if you actually give a damn about your child.
Honestly, smartest thing said in this thread so far!!! 🙏 And look—you used to sneak off to smoke even when you weren't supposed to, right? So what makes you think things will be any different with drugs... and then what...?!?! My take? Let them live, but GENTLY explain that stuff like drugs will absolutely wreck their lives, and they'll just be hurting themselves. I feel like, as a (not yet) parent, it’s fine if they want to smoke or do whatever, as long as they know I'm in their corner no matter what they decide!!! And that I'll try to help if I can!!! A parent is pretty much powerless anyway, isn't that right? Like, we all tried to outsmart our old man back in the day, so I'm sure our kids will do the same to us... and yeah, what do I know... 🙄
amberorca192 said:Look, I don't regret a single moment I spent getting high. But man, do I regret every single time I stepped foot into a casino. I started playing poker back in sixth grade, and because of that habit, I ended up racking up about 300 unexcused absences before I even hit middle school.
So now when someone who’s never even touched a substance tries to pass judgment, I have to wonder: what exactly are they qualified to judge? I spent 15 years deep in it. I’ve tried every possible drug in every way imaginable. I’ve hit states of consciousness that most of these idiots talking trash don't even know exist. I’ve lived through things that only happen in that world, coming out the other side with enough life experience to offer a perspective—if only I were talking to someone who actually knew what they were talking about.
I'm curious, though. What’s this supposed "negative side"? What’s this whole stigma against addicts and narcophiles all about? I’d love for one of these keyboard warriors to explain why we're such easy targets for contempt. 🙂 And where does all this hatred come from? We aren't even throwing it at anyone else.
It’s even more fascinating watching people who have absolutely zero connection to drugs try to weigh in, basing their entire argument on nothing but assumptions.
Dropping a line like "the wise learn from others' mistakes, while fools learn from their own" is honestly one of the dumbest things I've ever read on this forum, and I've read over half the posts here. If I were being generous, I'd call that the quintessential "small-town guy in a trucker hat eating BBQ just because he thinks it's his birthright" kind of statement. 🙏 🙏 🙏
I’d love to sit someone down with 3x 120 microgram LSD and see where all that supposed wisdom, self-control, and those weekly trips to Mass come in handy for their psychological development as a devout Catholic.
You're introduced to LSD, and it's not like taking some other drug for instance like marijuana or something, hm, well, you know, it's altogether a new thing, and you actually can have a religious experience, and, hm, and it can be even more important than reading the Bible six times or becoming a Pope or something like that, you know...
Also, I can't let this pass without a massive; SIGNING OFF ON THIS!!!!
amberorca192 said:If you people who don't touch anything even came close to realizing how many people are actually using—whether it’s legal stuff, illegal stuff, or just people messing around with certain substances—your little bubble of perceived safety would pop so fast it’d be a beautiful sight to behold. Trust me, until you're actually in this world, you'll NEVER believe someone is high until you see them standing right next to you at the local corner store where you buy your gear. And that's not even mentioning the other stuff out there.
Facts... I’m not exactly a narcissist, but I've seen it with my own eyes!!! Back in freshman year of high school, it was a total shock when someone would get wasted—and imagine when I first heard about weed... back in sophomore year I honestly thought you had to report all that to the cops, I don't know, I figured it barely existed... (since I was so sheltered... my parents didn't even let me out much until the end of freshman year... so yeah... I was a little, as they say, clueless, hehe 🙄) but now that I've hung out in those circles, I know enough to know that my whole view of the world—including drugs—has TOTALLY changed!!! Because I realized, like people say, that most people have NO CLUE how many people are just constantly on something... I mean, if you go out on a Saturday night, it feels like like 60% of the people are on something... (at least in my small town, hehe) and yeah... sooo, I am signing off on that statement big time!!!
restlessmarlin6 said:So why on earth do you think you'd get addicted? Do you really think there isn't anything better in your life than those drugs? 😉
Personally, I've never messed with heroin, but I've been around most drugs. Fine. But definitely not enough to get a real rush. 👍
err, nah, I just know I'd probably dig it—you know, just a little... maybe seeing myself in that crowd of people who'd get addicted fast, I don't know... I mean, obviously there are better things in life (😉), but, idk... I'm kind of scared of it... like what this text from that Mr. Willard guy above me says... hmmm...🙄 I think I'm kinda in that group... damn!
as for LSD, I'm totally out of the loop—have no clue which drugs are stronger, weaker, or whatever—so I just randomly mentioned the first one that popped into my head... sorry for being clueless!!! 😢 peace!
Angela Wright said:😕 Is it really just "here and there" once or...? You're basically shoving it down your own throat👍
So what exactly is addiction to you? Is it needing something constantly just to function? How much "here and there" does it take before you're hooked? No, seriously, explain it to me, I'm clearly not an expert on this stuff...😕
Saying 'I tried it once' is basically saying 'it's not for me'... edit: if someone tries it once, they're immediately labeled a junkie... bad wording, my bad... but my 'occasional' might be 2 or 3 days in a row (rarely), and other times it's nothing for months... whenever the mood strikes. Just saying it doesn't hit you with addiction instantly... to me, addiction is when someone takes something constantly, even if there are breaks, right?? Like, if someone gets trashed every year for, I don't know, Thanksgiving and Christmas, they aren't an alcoholic—I feel the same way about drugs (no matter how nasty they are). If nobody's looking for you for months at a time, then maybe you don't need to be looked for for the rest of your life... works for booze, cigarettes, and drugs... though I wouldn't know about gambling, since I don't actually know any gamblers... but hey, who knows... (just my thoughts, not facts)
And how much 'occasional' does it take to get hooked? Honestly, I have no clue, because everyone's different—body chemistry, mindset, whatever... some people get hooked after one go, while others can quit cold turkey even if they were using daily, or whateva... look at my old man, he smoked a pack or two a day, then just decided one day he was done, and he was done... didn't make him an addict. I think the most important thing before you mess with this stuff is knowing yourself—and I mean really knowing yourself... for example, I know I don't need to smoke weed all the time, which keeps me from being a 'junkie,' but I know myself well enough to know that if I tried something harder, like LSD or heroin, I'd probably get hooked... so it doesn't appeal to me at all. Which just goes to show I know myself (mostly) well enough...
Melissa Perez10 said:Oh, please. Anyone who actually manages to pull something off isn't out here bragging about it. The only people making a big deal out of their intentions are the ones subconsciously begging you not to stop them, essentially praying for someone to intervene. It’s just like when someone says, "I'm going to end it all tomorrow." Give me a break! People who actually have the drive to do something just stay quiet and get it done. So, seriously—let's move on to something more intelligent and stop wasting time with this nonsense!
Gary Hernandez6 said:I suppose the most critical thing is ensuring the kid doesn't fall behind in school. 🙏
Man, you absolutely crushed this—total legend status. 🙂 lol... absolute gold. 😂 What a joke—half a comment and a laugh. Honestly, I can't even be surprised anymore... hehe! 😛
I mean, honestly, it’s all just whatever—whatever, man, if someone wants to go there, that's their business. I think anyone who's ever messed around with drugs knows they can absolutely wreck your life, and if you're the type prone to that kind of stuff... well, what do I care? Should I really lose sleep over whether some random stranger ends up killing themselves—be it through drugs or a gun? Not my problem.
So, what that lady was saying—about how if you try it on a Saturday, you'll be doing it every Sunday, then back to Saturday, until you're basically an addict? Yeah, that’s total nonsense. It’s pretty obvious she’s just some older woman with a massive bias against drugs (or maybe she's younger, honestly who cares, she's biased regardless)—lol. But look, I know myself—and I know plenty of others—I'll light up a joint here and there, but nothing about it forces me into a lifelong addiction where I couldn't quit if I wanted to. I wouldn't even miss it—not like I haven't been clean for a few months anyway—but if the opportunity comes up, why not? And honestly, drugs don't really pull me in like that, except for the one mentioned... so now someone's gonna call me a junkie because of that? Just because I tried it once, I'm a lost cause? Like that politician once claimed—that if you light up just ONE joint, you'll never be able to quit! Heh, talk about being clueless... (just like that lady, lol). Peace to you, lady—I'm not trying to be mean, just calling it like I see it. 😘
thanks for the links, but I feel like there's a missing piece here—like, where’s the contact info? Or the price? And yeah, I know about those lounge chairs, but they aren't really my thing... honestly, she just blames her back for everything... I don't even know. My aunt was actually asking around over in Germany (my uncle lives out there now), and he was saying it's pretty hard to find this kind of stuff in America, so I figured I'd come check things out myself... anyway, thanks again! 😉 bum, gonna try to dig up something else for a bit... lol!
Man, I feel like people are taking this way too far... like, some kid just wants to ask a question, he’s just drawing heat here, and now everyone’s at each other's throats... btw, did you guys know I heard somewhere that only about 10% of people who try anything actually become addicts? Most are just seasonal users... saw it in some article or newspaper once... and the main thing is, it hits everyone differently! So, this kid comes in asking stuff—whatever, who cares?—but isn't this basically a place where people talk about their experiences?!?! I’m no expert myself (just a little weed here and there, that's it), but damn, there are way worse things out there than trying drugs... yeah, getting hooked is a real issue, true, but... and today EVERYTHING IS EVERYWHERE!so think about it... when I see my parents convinced that this stuff isn't even happening around here, acting like drugs are practically non-existent in the city, yet I can't even step outside without seeing someone totally wasted... honestly, society is just going downhill fast! In a few years, we'll probably look back and think our kids were "just doing drugs," but I bet they'll find something even more messed up that we won't even recognize... hmmm... anyway, I'm rambling... let me send this over, don't feel like picking and choosing what to post right now... peace, later!
So look... my niece has cerebral palsy, and she really needs one of those adaptive tricycles—you know, so she can actually get around town since her old one finally kicked the bucket... We're trying to figure out where to even find one. We're open to anything coming from Germany or around the US—new, used, whatever—as long as there's a price, some photos, and a way to actually contact someone... I tried digging through some German sites (my aunt's got the language skills and I've got the tech skills, but honestly, it was a total dead end), so... if anyone knows a specific site, a phone number, or anything at all, I'd seriously appreciate the help... Here’s a link to the type of bike we're looking for: http://www.haverich-reha.de/pages/pr...3?nav=2&lng=de ... It’s pretty important that it has those leg supports and, ideally, a backrest... The handlebar style on this prototype isn't a dealbreaker, though it would be nice—but yeah, we'll take any leads or ads you find... Hit me up via PM or just reply here... Thanks a ton, catch ya later! 😁
The third one is a total disaster!!! I'll give 1 and 2 a pass—they were actually decent, maybe even some of the better entries—but 3??? It’s just mindless junk, completely unnecessary! =(( Honestly, they totally killed any hope I had for this being a good franchise...