Gareth

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  3. Every book you've read in 2014

    in Banter

    Posted

    Contact (1985) by Carl Sagan

    Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (1995) by Anne Lamott

    Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age (1999) ​by Michael Barrier

    Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Revised and Updated Edition (1987) by Leonard Maltin

    Novels: 4

    Non-Fiction: 3

  4. Gotham

    in Comic Book Adaptations

    Posted

    the GCPD stuff was far superior to the "Hey, this one's gonna be Poison Ivy someday" stuff.

    More like the "Hey this IS Poison Ivy RIGHT NOW" stuff. That's part of what I hated so much. They spelled everything out like I was a five year old. "Look here's a girl dressed in a tight black suit stealing things and feeding cats." You're telling me that she had been doing this exact stuff since she was ten and there was no specific event to lead her to this lifestyle? That is God stupid.

    Look here's a fast talking guy who's obsessed with riddles. Here's a weird aloof "plant freak" girl. Here's a short fat guy with an umbrella whose nickname is "the penguin"?! I-I don't think I quite get it yet, give me a few more hints.

    We're not learning about how they got to be this way, they're just already insane. That is so much less interesting. I wanted to see a pre-mental breakdown, Oswald Cobblepot, instead I just see a young version of The Penguin.

    They should have shown us people who we don't immediately recognize, facing severe emotional trauma or abuse compounded with living in a crime ridden city. Their mental state begins steadily deteriorating as they're comic-persona start to shine though and finally Batman's appearance is the last straw. That's one of the most interesting parts of the modern Batman mythos, that it wasn't until Batman's arrival that all these freaks started to come out of the woodwork. Remember in The Long Halloween when Gordon implies that Batman is the cause of all the madness in Gotham and Batman refuses to accept it. That's fascinating.

    Instead, the show gives us what is essentially a live action version of "Gotham High," you know, that terrible April Fools Day joke from a few years back. Where everyone has already settled into their over-the-top personas for no discernible reason except so dumb TV watchers can congratulate themselves for recognizing that "oh yeah, that's the penguin!"

    A hugely missed opportunity. That and the show is just fucking terrible in every other aspect as well.

  7. Indie Films

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    I thought it might be a good idea to dedicate a thread to the independent movies we watch. Just for recommendations and discussion. There are so many great films that I don't hear about until years down the road so what are some great films, new and old, that no one seems to know or talk about?

    I'll throw out two, Short Term 12 and Blue Ruin. Both great films that are currently on Netflix.