Official Off-Topic Thread

[monteboyd]

Hold the crap up a second... when did James Cameron's name go on the geek black-list?

Probably around about when that thing about that sinking ship came out. 

[Helm]

Aliens is a very mediocre film, not half the film Alien was... it arrived at a very unfortunate time even to be a solid 'space shooter' sort of thing because they didn't have the CGI strength to show the beasts run around and kill people. So it's a long, boring, blue and grey film based on the premise of seeing some space marines shoot at one direction and then cross-cutting to alien dummies exploding in green ooze... it's not very good.

I like the Terminator films by Cameron, some, but that's pretty much it. I am not aware of a geek black-list, I just said I'd rather not see him handle the GUNNM material because he has been known to say "comics are like little movies". And... they are not. Absolutely not. I do not trust a man that so greatly misinterprets a medium to convey a story from it on film.

[Opacus]

I really liked Aliens as much as I liked Alien. It's been a while since I saw either though. Anything that came after the first 2 I didn't like.
Not only because they were terrible films (Well, Alien3 was kinda doable but nowhere near the first 2) but also because alien kind of loses it's punch after the first 2.
In the first you barelly ever see him, and when you see him it's usually just parts of him. This is what makes that thing so scary.
In the second film it became more of an action movie, since they knew alien had already done it's part as a horror creature. They still had the queen in Aliens though, which was something different.
In the third they go back to the 'one alien you rarely see' idea. Which doesn't work. We all know what it looks like.
Not even talking about 4, and AvP 1 and 2. Which are all terrible.

[skw]

Yeah, I couldn't agree more!

ALIEN was a horror movie, ALIENS an action movie, ALIEN 3 something of a psychological thriller and ALIEN 4 -- an unsuccessful spin-off of all three (but it has Winona Ryder, oh, come on!? ).

The same thing with the TERMINATOR -- "THE" was more of a horror movie (I remember I was dying of fear when I first saw that scene he picks out his eye), the second one was a pure action flick.

Eventually, I came around to ALIEN 3 -- and it upped from an "average" to "not bad at all" in my books -- it's just a "bit" different.  It lacks that genuine horror veil of ALIEN and the fast-paced action footages and cliches of ALIENS, but it still works fine as a "psychological" kinda movie.  Or at least it worked a few years ago when I saw it the last time.

The bad thing is, it would retain its meaning with just whatever alien creature in it, not necessarily the Alien.

I place ALIENS in the same category as PREDATOR or RAMBO -- the movies of my childhood.  It's difficult to stay objective when you watch them.

[Shrike]

Just thought I'd announce this...
I'm currently getting an A+ in an almost A-P Spanish class!  My second trimester grades just got in so I'm all happy now.   
Don't know if you guys care, but this would be the only place I feel comfortable in my own skin.  So yeah.

Now time to cram before Monday when Spanish class starts again.   
Later
Shrike

[huZba]

Good going shrike. Keep studying and you'll thank yourself a million times later on. I still feel awful for totally ignoring swedish classes..... and now there's been a million chances to use swedish, but i can't.

But anyway. Just saw watchmen. Really enjoyed it. Probably the best superhero movie I've seen. Haven't read the comic yet even though i was supposed to. I found it too thick and heavy to go through in one night.
Action was great and bonus points for lots of balls, ass and breasts on screen.
But then i feel like it was a terrible shame that the movie was just like all the other recent new movies in how it steamrolled linearly through a single layered storyline, not calling for the viewer to participate or making them want to see the movie again to find new things. Similarly it was way too nice on the viewer. The scenes were never too light or too heavy. It didn't screw with the viewer in any way. There was no finesse in character heavy parts that would make you love or hate them. Some characters i would've loved to hate actually. Then some parts felt like they were remaking a scene but didn't emphasize things that needed it. Namely when nite owl was nude in the basement. It could've been a powerful scene but now it was just "ok". I'm no director but there has to be better ways to make impact and emphasis than slow-mo and blood splatter in your face.
Overall it did go way past your usual popcorn flick though.

[Emtch]

I'm currently getting an A+ in an almost A-P Spanish class!  My second trimester grades just got in so I'm all happy now.

How the fuck did you do that? I had spanish many years, in the beginning I had perfect grades, but after a while I didn't understand shit. Spanish is a damn tricky language, at least the grammar.

I still feel awful for totally ignoring swedish classes..... and now there's been a million chances to use swedish, but i can't.

Is Swedish that important in Finland? I thought it was only spoken in some parts of the west coast.

[Shrike]

Thanks, huZba and Emtch!   
And Emtch, It's easier to learn when you're younger supposedly.  I have an awesome textbook as well.  Vistas.  The class goes very fast tho..  I only have four classes to learn one chapter!  It's engaging though.

*does Spanish hw*

[huZba]

Is Swedish that important in Finland? I thought it was only spoken in some parts of the west coast.

Well not really, but it was obligatory in school, so learning would've had more benefits than idling. I have a swedish co-worker too.
Also 5 years of german classes, but i can barely put together a sentence. I understand it okay though thanks to 90% of free satellite tv channels being german 10 years ago
English, Swedish + one other language (you could pick from german, french or spanish i think) were obligatory then, don't know how it's now.

[skw]

If I recall correctly. . .

"Jag tyckar om ol og kvinnor."

This is pretty much the biggest part of what I still remember after a Swedish language course I took some long time ago.

You must have the *thing* for acquiring new language knowledge.  I'm getting through my 11th year of learning English and still have problems with it.

Not to mention German and Spanish, but these I know at a less-than-elementary level.