Posts by cosmicgull52

Brenda Taylor13 said:Look, the top brass—both political and military—is what represents a country. They *are* the country's policy. I mean, that should be pretty obvious, right? So, if we're talking about the highest institutions of the state, then it's clear that the judgment falls on the state itself—or specifically, its leadership at the time. We aren't talking about sentencing America as it exists in 2018, but rather the version of America from back in '91-'95.

The issue isn't just about some random individuals committing crimes; it's about whether those actions were actually planned by the government and military high command—whether they were part of official state policy. If you honestly believe those crimes were baked into the state's agenda, hey, that's your call, but personally? I just don't see it that way.

Exactly. That logic only applies if an official body of America had actually authorized that criminal conspiracy against Canada between late '92 and early '94. Since those operations were run through a shadowy criminal network led by Franjo Harmon, Goiko Šušak, and their associates, America isn't just innocent—it should have prosecuted those survivors for high treason.

What on earth did that bunny do? 😢

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...nimal-costumes

cosmicgull52 said:Since we're playing games...

There Will Be Blood
Phantom Thread (damn, the maturity here)
Magnolia
Boogie Nights
(Everything above this line is a perfect 10/10; it's all down to nuance)
---------------------------------
Punch-Drunk Love
The Master
Inherent Vice
Hard Eight

Man, I finally sat down with The Master, and it was only my second time seeing it. I have no idea what I was thinking before, but now I can confidently say it’s also a 10/10. It sits somewhere between Magnolia and Boogie Nights. 🙏

Since we're playing games...

There Will Be Blood
Phantom Thread (damn, the maturity here)
Magnolia
Boogie Nights
(Everything above this line is a perfect 10/10; it's all down to nuance)
---------------------------------
Punch-Drunk Love
The Master
Inherent Vice
Hard Eight

It is truly unbelievable to me that someone would commit to writing such an incredibly detailed article, only to misspell perhaps the most iconic chorus in the entire Bauhaus discography. 🤔

(Passion of lovers is for death)

About five or six years ago, I was traveling by bus somewhere and watched a movie based on this event. It was quite good. Are there others? Or have there been more tragedies like this? 🤔

Exactly. Like someone already pointed out, you sit down expecting a Daniel Day-Lewis film, but what you actually get is a Vicky Krieps film. 😍

I would rather sever my own arm than hit fast forward during this movie.

Not to repeat myself from the other thread, but this is a 10/10 for me. I cannot wait for its release in AMC Theatres.

Bryan Taylor9 said:It says the movie runs 1:46 on IMDb

To those of you claiming the film is way too short—maybe this happened to you: The version I watched at home felt totally sped up (like some Benny Hill sketch), and I didn't even realize how fast it was going until it ended, and it had only been about an hour.

Or am I just losing my mind here? 😵🤦

Haha, that's just you. You likely hit the wrong button on your player. It must have been entertaining to watch it that way. 😁

Richard Wilson4 said:That bit about Molotov is pretty wild.

No matter how crazy his behavior seemed, reality was actually way worse. As soon as his wife got back from the labor camp, she immediately asked, "How is Stalin?" and honestly broke down crying when she heard he passed. In the movie, they don't even show them touching, just him. Both of them stayed hardcore Stalinists even after the USA officially kicked off de-Stalinization. Another intense detail is that people were literally shouting "Long live Stalin!" during the executions.

It’s no surprise. People were kept going by the hope that everything bad happening to them was just a mistake, or that Stalin didn't know about it or was being misled by enemies. Molotov and his wife were old-school revolutionaries; what purpose would their lives serve if they admitted everything they stood for was wrong?

So, the arrest went down almost exactly like the movie, just without the comedy bits.

Regarding the trial and execution, this is the official story. I've read multiple times that he, Kobulov, and a few of his closest associates were simply taken away and killed at some undisclosed location the very same day they were arrested, with the later trial documents being complete fabrications. It actually makes perfect sense; there's no reason to risk a counter-coup by dragging things out for five months.

MC is correct. The movie is far too short. It should have been twice as long to give the characters breathing room, especially since there are at least six or seven excellent ones.

I know that era very well, and I must praise how thoroughly researched the film is. The only thing is that in 1953, there wasn't quite that level of mass door-to-door arrests leading straight to executions—not even back in 1937. But almost everything else, down to the smallest detail, is superb.

Alright, Jason Isaacs is way too handsome for Zhukov, but he played him so convincingly that we can let it slide. 😁 I am not saying the real Zhukov was a peasant; I mean you forget how hot Isaacs is because the character is such a brute. 🙏

@Emily Morris77

Regarding Beria's arrest: the only real difference is that it didn't happen literally the day after the funeral, but rather a few months later. The version shown in the film is pretty much the mainstream account of when he was taken. As for whether there was a formal trial or exactly when he was liquidated, there is no consensus. It is artistic license...

I don't follow the Libertarian Party thread, but I feel compelled to say that based on what has been written here and in the private appeals, both Forum Members deserve a lifetime ban from the internet. Why aren't there life moderators? 😁

Joseph Stewart38 said:Why would an organization that held absolute power—an organization that struck terror into anyone daring to oppose the regime—ever hesitate or fear to reveal such data? In fact, it would be strategic. They could use it to instill pure dread in anyone thinking of speaking up or acting against the establishment. It’s not just possible; if I were in Rankovic's position, I would make sure that information was blasted everywhere for everyone to hear.

Fine, you no longer have the benefit of the doubt. 😁

The way you describe this sounds like villains out of Batman or some cartoon. The last time we saw behavior like that, it was under Nazi-aligned regimes. Think about what it would do to a nation's legitimacy and its people's morale if they admitted half a million people were killed when there were only, say, 50,000 death sentences issued. 😵

Wait, is anyone here actually naive enough to believe Ranković would just go on record and tell the press, "Hey everyone, we killed half a million people and only locked up three"? 😁

I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are all just playing dumb to troll me. I would feel like I was insulting you if I suggested you actually believed that.

Dammit, one of my family members returned from Bleiburg and another from Gol Otok, yet I didn't even hear about those places until around '88. People say that by the late 90s, most of those who were at Gol Otok still refused to speak about it because the fear of talking was so deeply ingrained in them.

Susan Davis7 said:You totally dodged my question

Every single post you make in this thread answers him. 🙂

Susan Davis7 said:I don't get why the volume of the chat is an issue... maybe we should just cap everyone's posts—but quality? Hmm, what even counts as "quality" conversation to you?

Shouldn't the chat be more for blowing off steam, especially since we've got plenty of other threads here for those deep, serious discussions...

I honestly don't follow your logic at all!

Quality is everything. When you have quality, quantity isn't even an issue. If there is no quality and no quantity, you can at least tolerate that. But low-quality quantity? That is nothing but a headache.

Susan Davis7 said:So, what exactly was giving you that headache?

The quantity and quality of the discourse.

To summarize, you had one WhatsApp group that was essentially pure chaos and anarchy—if I understood correctly, though I haven't actually joined it because just looking at it gives me a headache—and a second WhatsApp group where there's some occasional friction, but people generally stay polite and reasonable.

And someone decided the only logical move is to merge them, which in reality just means killing off the second group? I am trying to wrap my head around this, but it simply doesn't make sense.