[rant] Entertainment Rants

[kath]

So this is like the rants thread, but ... for entertainment. The same key rules would apply about venting within the guidelines, with discussion not provided unless requested.

There are always those  media items that you see them and you're just like "....". Maybe you thought they were going to blow your mind and instead they ended up being more like farting noises coming out of a balloon. And sometimes people mention them and you want to be like "ARGH THAT WAS AWFUL" but it would be a huge derail / taking a shot at something someone else brought up because they like it.

This is not a place to convince people to like the piece of media they are ranting about.

One of the pieces of media I seem to have seriously missed the boat on is Inception. I have done this rant before, but it just ... I think the basic premise makes the opposite of sense (and not in a good way, in a "why would you even do that?" way), and then it's all "I'm so deep!" and you're like "in fact, no." Also someone told me it was like Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, so I was expecting something very much else when I saw it.

[reboot]

The Matrix trilogy has always been "..." for me. Super pretentious "I am so deep" philosophizing that only seems deep if you are a) 12 or b) high as a kite. The Zion decision makers reminded me of really ineffectual Berkeley City Council meetings. Keanu Reeves, period.

Just never got the appeal. They are, on paper, the exact type of movies I usually like.

[Wondering]

I do not like Peter Jackson's adaptations of Tolkien. I. do. not.

And The Hobbit just gets worse and worse.

[Guest]

The Matrix trilogy has always been "..." for me. Super pretentious "I am so deep" philosophizing that only seems deep if you are a) 12 or b) high as a kite.

Hey now, we're not all high tier intellectuals. What's wrong with enjoying the fact that the first movie at least made an attempt at exploring existential themes that aren't really considered by your average grunt?

Did the first movie not pique your interest at all, considering how it's regarded as the best movie in the triolgy to the point where the sequels could be dismissed by hardcore fans?

@Wondering: Care to explain why?

[eselle28]

I do not like Peter Jackson's adaptations of Tolkien. I. do. not.

And The Hobbit just gets worse and worse.

It gives me a sad. I defended the first one as being reasonably entertaining, in its way, if a bit too long. I didn't manage to finish the second one. So much dragging. So much extraneous plot. So badly paced.

I am also cranky about Doctor Who, but haven't seen the most recent episode and am waiting to do so to post on its proper thread.

[Wondering]

@Wondering: Care to explain why?

Haha. I could write a book on why I don't like Peter Jackson's Tolkien movies. First problem: Jackson seems to think fighty fight mcfighterson makes all movies better.

I am a Tolkien fan. The books. Helm's Deep is one chapter of the book. It is not half of the Two Towers.

The Hobbit movies have gotten ridiculous. And there was serious mythology-breaking stuff in the second movie.

I had predicted when they said it would be three movies instead of just two that the last one would be all Battle of Five Armies because Jackson thinks the more fighting the better. A-yup. That's what's happened.

[Lemminkainen]

For some reason, I feel reflexive hatred for Dr. Who, even though it seems like most people like me love it, and despite the fact that I look sort of like David Tennant and have mannerisms similar to the 10th Doctor, making that like, the easiest Halloween costume ever.

I also hate The Big Bang Theory. Hate it, hate it, hate it. I hate its misogyny, I hate its treatment of autistic people, I hate the fact that the writers have obviously never spent any time hanging around actual smart people, I hate its nerdy characters' self-hatred, and I hate the show's general lack of jokes that are actually funny. So, unlike the Dr. Who case, I think it's wholly justified.

[Guest]

Wondering, YES. I feel you. The first part of The Hobbit was so, so bad. Which is a massive shame, because I liked the casting, I liked the dwarf plate-breaking scene which I felt was very true to the spirit of the book, and lots of other bits. Riddles in the Dark was EXCELLENT.

And then the forty minute long scene of escaping from goblin mountain, that could never have been in the book because Bilbo wasn't even THERE. I swear I saw the same bit of cliff break the same bit of scaffolding three times in that interminable sequence. Absolutely dreadful. Have not seen the second one, apparently it's even worse.

NEEDZ MOAR SAURON

[reboot]

I do not like Peter Jackson's adaptations of Tolkien. I. do. not.

And The Hobbit just gets worse and worse.

A fellow traveler!!!!

The Matrix trilogy has always been "..." for me. Super pretentious "I am so deep" philosophizing that only seems deep if you are a) 12 or b) high as a kite.

Hey now, we're not all high tier intellectuals. What's wrong with enjoying the fact that the first movie at least made an attempt at exploring existential themes that aren't really considered by your average grunt?

Did the first movie not pique your interest at all, considering how it's regarded as the best movie in the triolgy to the point where the sequels could be dismissed by hardcore fans?

The first movie was the best but I still did not much care for it. I only saw Reloaded and Revolution because someone did them as movie night when I was in Goma and Peshawar where social and entertainment options were thin on the ground.

It was just that it was done so heavy handedly, like "Let me tell you everything because you are too damned stupid to figure anything out if we do not have Morpheus tell you." I found it facile. Also, I was in grad school when the first movie was released, so might have just been too old or too experienced to catch the magic.

And Keanu bugs me on a visceral level.

[Enail]

<mod> Folks, just a reminder, because some comments have been edging towards these: In your rants, please avoid insulting people who do like those works. And please avoid asking others to justify their ranty feelings or trying to argue them out of them. This is a rants thread. </mod>

Lemminkainen, me too on both of those! I loved old Dr. Who, but I've developed a totally unjustified resentment against the new one. And Big Bang Theory, as far as I'm concerned, it's just not a good show! Not good!

[reboot]

Oops! On a reread I can see where my comment stepped over the line. Let me clarify:

In the Matrix I felt that the screenwriters treated the audience like they were not smart enough to "get it" without a whole lot of exposition. I disagree. I think the audience could handle more "show not tell" on the underlying philosophy because people are smarter than Hollywood thinks.

My apologies if it came off as anything dismissive of Matrix fans.

[The Wisp]

I have to say, I have an inexplicable affection for the earlier seasons of The Big Bang Theory, even though I agree with all the critiques of it. Earlier on it felt to me much more like affectionate playing with nerd stereotypes by people who, if not nerds themselves, at least had an affection for nerd culture. However, it has become much more a lowbrow, misogynistic, "black face for nerds" (EDIT: sorry for the loaded phrasing) mean-spirited nerd stereotyping show over time, and I really didn't like the last few seasons.


I hate stand-up and late night comedy. I feel like there is an underlying negativity to almost all of it -- often accompanied by smugness -- that really rubs me the wrong way. When they're not trying to be "satirical" and "edgy", it often falls flat.

[kleenestar]

Sign me up for the Who-hatred train! Or more accurately, I hate Steven Moffat with the burning force of a thousand suns. Enough with the stupid plots, the misogyny, the quippy bits, and the smug self-satisfaction.

Don't even get me started on Sherlock. I am a huge Sherlock Holmes fangirl and what Moffat has done with the show is an abomination.

The Hobbit movies made me cry, and not in a good way. (Though I did like the LotR movies; there were bits that gave me hives, but unlike the Hobbit, it wasn't the whole freaking thing.)

I hate Star Trek. Or more accurately, I've been around so many conversations in which people were geeking out about Star Trek in deeply boring ways that I immediately associate it with people being boring and pedantic. I've been told that if I can get over this, I would actually really like some of the various series, and at some point I'll probably try.

[nearly_takuan]

While I get what you mean about BBT, Wisp, it'd be best if you don't use the same metaphor in the future since it invites comparison with an oppressed minority. Starting pistol for the Oppression Marathon, y'know?

I enjoy political satire when it's making fun of insipid policies and not making it all about how terrible this or that person is. The Daily Show usually hits the right balance for me of presenting it as "this person did these things, look at what a stupid/hypocritical/wrong decision that was" instead of "this person is a hypocrite" (not that there aren't people whom the label does constantly apply to and who definitely deserve that kind of treatment, but I still don't like it as a pattern).

But I do agree, most stand-up and late-night comedy I've seen has just been a "how much racism/sexism/public bullying can we get away with while calling it satire" arms race.

[The Wisp]

You're right, nearly, that was a loaded phrase. I've heard others use it before so I guess I didn't think about it.

[caliseivy]

I also hate The Big Bang Theory.  Hate it, hate it, hate it.  I hate its misogyny, I hate its treatment of autistic people, I hate the fact that the writers have obviously never spent any time hanging around actual smart people, I hate its nerdy characters' self-hatred, and I hate the show's general lack of jokes that are actually funny.

So glad it's not just me. My mother and grandfather really enjoy the show and are always laughing at it and I can't sit downstairs while it's on without going "ugh." The Nice Guy relationship between the two main characters and their representation of the female (Penny?) is just irritating for me.
I feel the same way about Modern Family, though my mother, grandfather and brother really like that show. The stereotypes are overplayed to get laughs and I guess the unconventional family is supposed to make up for the stereotyping but it just makes for a bad excuse. I also avidly hate the daughters and I know I shouldn't, but those two of all the characters bug the everything out of me.

[nearly_takuan]

There is so much to hate about the Flash pilot.

Bad Science:

The 'Ship:

Dialogue:

[Conreezy]

Everything on the FM radio fucking sucks.

[Guest]

The Matrix trilogy has always been "..." for me. Super pretentious "I am so deep" philosophizing that only seems deep if you are a) 12 or b) high as a kite. The Zion decision makers reminded me of  really ineffectual Berkeley City Council meetings. Keanu Reeves, period.

Just never got the appeal. They are, on paper, the exact type of movies I usually like.

You just watched the latter two movies, didn't you? Those are complete crap. Mildly entertaining crap, but still crap. But that first movie will always have a special place in my heart, despite how hilariously outdated and cheesy it is now. It serves as a relic of sci fi in the 1990s, back when fetish gear and kung fu were cool at the same time.

Actually, that's always why Tomb Raider is so accidentally funny, they basically tried copying the Matrix movies instead of Indiana Jones.

I do not like Peter Jackson's adaptations of Tolkien. I. do. not.

And The Hobbit just gets worse and worse.

That second Hobbit movie literally had me and my friend crying on the floor of the movie theater with laughter.



That particular moment especially. Holy fucking shit. Whoever thought that would be remotely "badass" needs to be fired. It's literally Transformers mixed with Dungeons and Dragons at this point.

I have to say, I have an inexplicable affection for the earlier seasons of The Big Bang Theory, even though I agree with all the critiques of it. Earlier on it felt to me much more like affectionate playing with nerd stereotypes by people who, if not nerds themselves, at least had an affection for nerd culture. However, it has become much more a lowbrow, misogynistic, "black face for nerds" (EDIT: sorry for the loaded phrasing) mean-spirited nerd stereotyping show over time, and I really didn't like the last few seasons.

I hate stand-up and late night comedy. I feel like there is an underlying negativity to almost all of it -- often accompanied by smugness -- that really rubs me the wrong way. When they're not trying to be "satirical" and "edgy", it often falls flat.

Without the laugh track, it gets really freaking weird. That and Two and a Half Men need to go, Chuck Lorre specializes in the most misogynistic crap possible. You can't have asshole protagonists who occasionally are good people too, that's just not how storytelling works. But still, I'm glad to see the death of the sitcom, even though now most of them are on *shudder* Disney Channel.

My favorite comedian right now is a dude called Reggie K. Williams, who is the complete opposite of what you just described. Very biting racial humor, sure, but not bitter.

Come to think of it, only Louis C.K. has ever been able to nail that kind of humor. Him and George Carlin. But my main favorite will always be Dave Chapelle for obvious reasons.

There is so much to hate about the Flash pilot.

Count me unsurprised. The channel wouldn't be the CW if they weren't pistol-whipping the reputations of some of my favorite superheroes (I will NEVER forgive them for Smallville.)

Apart from Supernatural, is there a SINGLE good show on that channel?

[nearly_takuan]

Eh, I ended up liking Arrow after enough friends talked me into watching past the first several episodes. But the screenwriters on the Flash will have to have something incredible to pull out of their asses (maybe their heads?) for me to give it a second chance after that train wreck of a pilot.

[reboot]

No Glides, I saw all three. I even saw the first one in the theater because yes I am that old

[Aggrax]

There is so much to hate about the Flash pilot.

Bad Science:

The 'Ship:

Dialogue:

I sort-of watched* the first episode with friends while waiting for our weekly Pathfinder game to start. Kinda glad I didn't really pay any attention, instead spending the entire time shipping Barry and Scientist Dude together and coming up with weird ways to use a Flashpoint style event to weld in Smallville cameos for no reason other than because it could happen. Also explaining to people that don't know better why the Flash Rogues are way better than Batman's villains. Probably gonna end up watching more, mostly because the guy whose house we play at basically defines the term "hate-watching."

*I had Pokemon to train, this obviously was priority 1.

[Guest]

What's the collective opinion about movies that have white actors in place of characters that are traditionally ethnic? I'm thinking of movies like Noah and the unreleased Exodus: Gods and Kings.

[Guest]

Hermit, I cannot speak for The Collective™, but my personal opinion as a white British feeeeemale is:

"Holy Shit No, This Is 2014, Are We Still Doing This, Cut that Shit Out, Go Home Hollywood You Are Drunk"

[Guest]

Hm, what about The Passion of the Christ?

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