Offside (General Discussion)

The year 2020? Honestly, the only ones worth mentioning from that list are *Parasite*, maybe *Knives Out*—though it felt about 20 minutes too long—and *Marriage Story*. The rest aren't even worth bringing up, not because they’re bad movies, but simply because they don't define a "year" for me. In other words, a year defined by those films just doesn't hold much weight in my book.

For me, the true highlights of 2020 were: *Parasite*, *Never Rarely Sometimes Always*, *The Father*, *Minari*, *Persian Lessons*, *Mila* (easily one of the best debuts in recent memory), and *The Hater* (my favorite film from overseas that year—highly recommended).

In this century, now that the Oscars have become somewhat irrelevant, I rarely find myself including typical Oscar bait on my annual lists. Looking back, I think only *Parasite* and *The Father* made the cut. It’s usually a mix of European or Asian cinema alongside the occasional American standout, since we still manage to produce something great every once in a while, even if it's becoming less frequent.

Nathan Murphy said:The year 2020? Honestly, the only ones worth mentioning from that list are *Parasite*, maybe *Knives Out*—though it felt about 20 minutes too long—and *Marriage Story*. The rest aren't even worth bringing up, not because they’re bad movies, but simply because they don't define a "year" for me. In other words, a year defined by those films just doesn't hold much weight in my book.

For me, the true highlights of 2020 were: *Parasite*, *Never Rarely Sometimes Always*, *The Father*, *Minari*, *Persian Lessons*, *Mila* (easily one of the best debuts in recent memory), and *The Hater* (my favorite film from overseas that year—highly recommended).

In this century, now that the Oscars have become somewhat irrelevant, I rarely find myself including typical Oscar bait on my annual lists. Looking back, I think only *Parasite* and *The Father* made the cut. It’s usually a mix of European or Asian cinema alongside the occasional American standout, since we still manage to produce something great every once in a while, even if it's becoming less frequent.

Man, I think you kind of mashed 2019 and 2020 together there (I mean, it depends if we're talking about awards or the actual release dates, but Parasite was definitely the year before) 😁

But just for the sake of comparing, 2019 was way stronger for me. Some others I didn't mention were Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Pain and Glory, Booksmart, The Farewell, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Sound of Metal, The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems... and I probably forgot a few. Oh, and Avengers: Endgame was huge for me, even if the film snobs love to hate on it by default. ☕

Given everything going on back then, 2020 actually turned out okay, I guess. But out of everything I watched, my top pick was Hamilton, which technically isn't even a movie. As for the rest, The Father was miles ahead of everything else (it was criminally overlooked by the Academy, especially when Nomadland took home the prizes 😂 ). Nothing else from 2020 really touches the greatness of my 2019 list. 😁

@bluebison47

Yeah, this forum is moving at a snail's pace. Even by my own standards, it's incredibly slow.🙏

The Oscars have always been a total joke—honestly, a bit of a rigged game. It’s just impossible that not a single Western has snagged Best Picture in sixty years straight. And besides, even if you look at something like Dances with Wolves (or maybe Unforgiven)—is that even a Western? Or just some other genre masquerading as one? Two guys in love definitely aren't

Oh, please. It’s obviously staged. They stepped onto that stage and used biting satire to deliver those insults; if they had just framed it as parody, there wouldn't be this massive outcry.
Finally, we have something actually worth discussing at the Oscars besides their usual, abysmal selection of films.

steelharbor9 said:Man, I think you kind of mashed 2019 and 2020 together there (I mean, it depends if we're talking about awards or the actual release dates, but Parasite was definitely the year before) 😁

But just for the sake of comparing, 2019 was way stronger for me. Some others I didn't mention were Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Pain and Glory, Booksmart, The Farewell, The Peanut Butter Falcon, Sound of Metal, The Lighthouse, Uncut Gems... and I probably forgot a few. Oh, and Avengers: Endgame was huge for me, even if the film snobs love to hate on it by default. ☕

Given everything going on back then, 2020 actually turned out okay, I guess. But out of everything I watched, my top pick was Hamilton, which technically isn't even a movie. As for the rest, The Father was miles ahead of everything else (it was criminally overlooked by the Academy, especially when Nomadland took home the prizes 😂 ). Nothing else from 2020 really touches the greatness of my 2019 list. 😁

My bad, you're right, Parasite belongs to 2019. In that case, it’s my second favorite film of that year. My number one is this It's weird as hell, but I love every single frame; honestly, it might be my favorite film of the last decade. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2762506/ It’s a shame so few people have seen it. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you get the chance, give it a shot.

coastalheron12 said:The Oscars have always been a total joke—honestly, a bit of a rigged game. It’s just impossible that not a single Western has snagged Best Picture in sixty years straight. And besides, even if you look at something like Dances with Wolves (or maybe Unforgiven)—is that even a Western? Or just some other genre masquerading as one? Two guys in love definitely aren't

The Western covers it all. We could even call No Country for Old Men a modern Western, though I see your point regarding the specific type of Western you mean. Generally, I agree—it's one of the best genres and truly the only quintessential American genre. That's it; they don't have many others that define them quite like that. When I watch , seeing that wide shot of Gregory Peck slowly descending the hill to face his adversary... it's just epic 🙏

I'm doubling down on this one. *Bacurau* is easily one of the best films of the 21st century. I’m actually planning to rewatch it in the next few days—what an absolute masterpiece. 🙏

Nathan Murphy said:My bad, you're right, Parasite belongs to 2019. In that case, it’s my second favorite film of that year. My number one is this

It's weird as hell, but I love every single frame; honestly, it might be my favorite film of the last decade. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2762506/ It’s a shame so few people have seen it. It’s certainly not for everyone, but if you get the chance, give it a shot.

The Western covers it all. We could even call No Country for Old Men a modern Western, though I see your point regarding the specific type of Western you mean. Generally, I agree—it's one of the best genres and truly the only quintessential American genre. That's it; they don't have many others that define them quite like that. When I watch

, seeing that wide shot of Gregory Peck slowly descending the hill to face his adversary... it's just epic 🙏

So, I guess Bacurau has been on my shortlist for two years now and I still haven't watched it. I didn't expect it to pop up as a recommendation on Netflix, too! I really need to 🤣

Is anyone else catching that Lakers docuseries over on HBO? What’s your take on it?

My mother just sent me a quick text about something that happened a few days ago. It was a day dedicated to breast cancer awareness and raising consciousness among women—though, unfortunately, we have to acknowledge that cases are rising among men as well.
But enough about the medical statistics; let me tell you the actual story. There was an awareness booth set up right in the middle of downtown Chicago, where a local non-profit organization—acting as the main organizers—was selling daffodils for small donations. These funds go directly toward supporting the association’s programs and, most crucially, purchasing essential medical equipment that our local hospitals are chronically short on. This all happened just a couple of days after some of the volunteers had been out picking these very flowers, which were generously donated by a local family with a massive daffodil field.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and the streets were teeming with people. At one point, a young man, probably in his late twenties or early thirties, approached the booth and handed over $6.75 for two daffodils. While the lady running the stall turned around to grab change, he quietly pulled an envelope from his pocket and slid it onto the corner of the counter. It was such a seamless motion that nobody even noticed that brief pause. Once he walked away and she looked back down, she spotted the envelope sitting there on the other side of the table. When she opened it, she found a truly staggering amount of money inside. They immediately started calling out for him, searching the crowd, looking at each other in disbelief, but the guy had already vanished into the sea of pedestrians. Once things settled down, they realized there was more than $150 in that envelope.

I felt it was worth sharing this moment with all of you. Even when we feel like everything is sliding downhill, or that the world is being overrun by the kind of lowlifes you read about in the news every single day, isn't it true that there are still incredible, selfless people walking among us? Doesn't this prove that this is still a beautiful place to be—a place worth fighting for, day after day, to make it even better?

bluebison47 said:By the way, is this forum running incredibly slow for everyone else lately, or is it just my connection acting up? I guess it feels like everything is crawling at a snail's pace these days... maybe it's just me.🙏

My apologies; I actually added Tanj@+nudes to the search query back on Friday, so perhaps the servers are still churning through those results... 😛

It’s just not right to act like a complete lunatic over some cheap joke and then go swinging at someone—it doesn't matter how much beef you have with them or what your history is
If this isn't staged, Will has officially lost his mind—he totally snapped

boldfox88 said:Is anyone else catching that Lakers docuseries over on HBO? What’s your take on it?

Yes

Here is what vivideagle7 has to say: 😁

I've had the Netgear router for a few days now and I’m still trying to figure out how I'm going to complain to Verizon about it, but honestly, it’s working pretty well...

On another note, I happened to catch a short clip of Anthony Hopkins dancing in front of the Academy Awards stage recently, which really made me want to revisit *The Father*. It’s easily one of my favorite films from the last few years—I might even go as far as saying it's one of the best ever made. I can't help but feel like it left a little bit of room for more, like there was still more to explore despite how much it already achieved, but man, Hopkins just stays in a league of his own... I mean, who else is even playing at that level lately? It’s a legendary performance. That constant, parallel struggle between losing oneself and clinging to dignity, showing both such profound weakness and incredible strength... it’s just an incredibly moving piece of cinema. It's such a shame it didn't take home the Oscar...

On one hand, if Will hadn't just slapped that annoying idiot right in the face, nobody would even be talking about the Oscars... But honestly, I don't buy the whole "rigged" theory either. Setting up a scene that perfectly, acting it out so convincingly, all while trying to hide the fact that you were just cracking up moments before? It seems pretty unlikely to me. If you ask me, it looks more like the mother is the one actually running the show at the Smiths' house; the son clearly isn't 🤣
...

After digging into some trivia about that Best Supporting Actress winner earlier today, I decided to check out what she had to say about her lead actress. She basically said:
"It’s totally fine if kids want to play superhero or Barbie—honestly, whatever works—but my three-year-old? She’s all about playing with action figures of actual powerhouses, like Vice President Kamala Harris, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, or Senator Elizabeth Warren."

And then people have the nerve to call Will Smith crazy🙂

The media outlets are reporting that Jade was involved in an affair with her own son's boyfriend, among other scandals.🙏 What an absolutely chaotic family dynamic.🙏🙏

p.s. Abramovich was poisoned.😲

Kyle Campbell4 said:The media outlets are reporting that Jade was involved in an affair with her own son's boyfriend, among other scandals.🙏 What an absolutely chaotic family dynamic.🙏🙏

p.s. Abramovich was poisoned.😲

Look, I'm just saying what everyone else is thinking but is too scared to type out. Putin's actually a decent guy. People love to act shocked, but if you look at the reality of things, he's doing what needs to be done. It’s all just noise anyway. ☕

So, I found out the other day that there’s this weird slang thing going on. You know how some people here call certain groups "watermelons"? Well, apparently, in the UK, some Asian communities use the term "chickens" to describe other Asians living there. It’s all about being brown on the outside but acting totally white on the inside—mostly targeting the ones who don't really grasp the local language or the culture of where their parents actually came from. Just another layer to the whole mess.

Steven Fox37 said:Exactly. This isn't the moment for endless debating or overthinking things; it's about taking action. We're talking about a move so unprecedented that no government in American history has ever pulled it off before. Honestly, we need to stop worrying about the "what ifs" and just go for it.
I've got a feeling that if you were running the show, we'd end up in such a mess that Joseph Clark37 would have to come back—but strictly on a business level.

🤣

I’ve been spending my last few days diving into a book about extinct animals. It’s a fascinating read, so I thought I’d share a few quick bullet points on what I learned regarding the Dodo bird.

The Dodo evolved on the incredibly isolated island of Mauritius. For its entire existence, it had zero natural predators. Nothing was hunting its eggs, and nothing was hunting them. There wasn't a single creature on that island that gave them a reason to feel fear. In fact, there was nothing in their environment that would ever trigger a flight response. As a result, the Dodo wandered everywhere without ever being in a hurry. I imagine if a tree were falling toward them or a hurricane was blowing through, they could find the burst of energy needed to move quickly, but otherwise, they lived an idyllic life completely free from enemies. There were other large animals on the island, like certain species of deer (which humans eventually wiped out by hunting them in massive numbers), but that coexistence lasted for ages. It wasn't until humans arrived on the shores that things changed. When people showed up, the Dodo didn't encounter anything trying to kill it—at least not at first. Their only natural reaction to these two-legged invaders was curiosity. They would wander right up to the newcomers, only to be met with a blow to the head or a blade to the throat.

The Dodo wasn't actually stupid. It wasn't any less intelligent than any other animal. It simply didn't possess the emotion of fear, nor did it recognize other living beings as threats. Because it couldn't comprehend danger, it had no way to react to protect itself from death. It did have a large, powerful beak, which it used against those bothering it... provided it actually had the chance.

The brief window of time where humans and Dodos shared the island wasn't long enough for the population as a whole to develop an instinct for fear. Perhaps a few individual birds—those that might have heard a distress call after being caught but somehow managed to escape—learned that humans were bad news. But as a species, after a million years of peace, 70 or 80 years isn't nearly enough time to evolve an instinctive sense of terror.

Because they were peaceful, gentle, and friendly, the Dodo earned a reputation for being "dumb." That wasn't true. They just lacked fear. And that lack of caution cost the entire species everything.

So, in honor of the Dodo, I want to award one final 🙏