So what are you watching?

[bintananth]

Highlights of the '98 Eastern Conference Finals:



I forgot that Reggie Miller played part of the third game and games four through seven with a sprained ankle.

Scotty Pippen was right when he basically said that the Pacers were the better team because the Pacers were up by three with 9 minutes to go in Chicago despite their best player basically limping for four games straight.

The refs basically handed that one to the Bulls.

(I'll copy this to the NBA thread so a mod doesn't move it.)

 

[Nemesis]

Breaking Bad for the third time before jumping into Better Call Saul for the first.

 

[Argent]

Breaking Bad for the third time before jumping into Better Call Saul for the first.

I just watched Breaking Bad and it was one of the few shows that lived up to the hype around it.

 

[Nemesis]

I just watched Breaking Bad and it was one of the few shows that lived up to the hype around it.

Indeed. The fifth season is pinnacle TV. Every episode is a banger. It's worth slogging through the on-again/off-again bromance between Jesse and Walt in seasons 2-4 for the blow up in 5.

 

[Terthna]

I just watched Breaking Bad and it was one of the few shows that lived up to the hype around it.

I never got the appeal of stories that follow villain protagonists; what little I've seen of Breaking Bad kinda makes me sick to my stomach.

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

I never got the appeal of stories that follow villain protagonists; what little I've seen of Breaking Bad kinda makes me sick to my stomach.

What about shows that explicitly frame the villain protagonist as evil and you're hoping he eventually faces his comeuppance, such as Death Note?

 

[Terthna]

What about shows that explicitly frame the villain protagonist as evil and you're hoping he eventually faces his comeuppance, such as Death Note?

The only time that worked for me was in the Japanese live-action adaptation films of Death Note made in the mid 2000s; I couldn't stand the original manga or the anime. I think it's the fact that L wins in the end in the movies, while in the manga and anime Light just kind of backs himself into a corner after the narrative had long since run out of steam. The good guys don't win; the author just finally let the bad guy lose.

 

[Agent23]

I never got the appeal of stories that follow villain protagonists; what little I've seen of Breaking Bad kinda makes me sick to my stomach.

To me BB was basically an attempt to do a Darker and Edgier version of Weeds, minus the hot MILF protagonist.

 

[The Whispering Monk]

My wife and I tried Breaking Bad on. We made it through the 1st episode or two. Then we turned to each other and realized none of the characters we were watching were entertaining to us. It was all just bad decisions leading to more evil decisions. We turned it off and never looked back.

 

[Nemesis]

I never got the appeal of stories that follow villain protagonists

Walter White's transformation from a weak, doomed chemistry teacher to a ruthless drug lord and all the consequences that follow is the main entertainment appeal. The show really stands out with its excellent acting, direction, cinematography, and writing. It's not for everyone, of course, but with its wide acceptance as one of the best shows ever made, it's worth it for those who have never experienced it to give it a shot.

 

[Aldarion]

My Hero Academia... kinda? I'm rewatching the movies again, but gave up on watching anime in favor of reading the manga.

 

[Agent23]

The Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunners anime.

Starts off pretty good, then kinda slows and becomes less interesting.
Also, the main protagonist is a fucking retard.
Nice visuals and a bunch homages for classic stuff like Bubblegum crisis, though.

 

[Argent]

The Cyberpunk 2077 Edgerunners anime.

Starts off pretty good, then kinda slows and becomes less interesting.
Also, the main protagonist is a fucking retard.
Nice visuals and a bunch homages for classic stuff like Bubblegum crisis, though.

I have heard good things but do I have to have played the game to like it?


As for what I am watching, Cobra Kai season five. It picks up with a Terry Sliver stepping up as the main villain. I do like how he is a different type of villain from Kreese. Kreese was mainly straight forward and a code he followed. Terry Sliver is much more into under handed ploys and mind games. It allows a much different plotline then the frist seasons. Also we see the situations between the kids and Danny's family start to come to a head. Danny's wife has always provided the normal person veiw to the crazy karate duels to the death. But this season it seems like she finally had enough.

I also saw this dropped



So I am excited to see coming back in November.

Also the new Gundam series dropped on Crunchyroll and I have plans to watch that. I did like the last one and the previews do give me hope.

 

[bintananth]

The Last Samurai

The battle scenes would make any reenactor of a late Civil War battle ask WTF? because late Civil War armies were digging trenches whenever possible and didn't fight in out the open unless they had to.

Hollywood tactics suck.

 

[Val the Moofia Boss]

The Last Samurai

The battle scenes would make any reenactor of a late Civil War battle ask WTF? because late Civil War armies were digging trenches whenever possible and didn't fight in out the open unless they had to.

Hollywood tactics suck.

To be fair (don't know about the tactics used in the actual battles the movie is based on), just because one army learned that lesson doesn't means other would have learned it at the same time. The US learned how bad warfare out in the open with modern rifle capabilities was, but it Britain didn't learn that until WW1. Also, the movie depicts the holdouts as fighting only with swords (IRL the samurai actually did use guns for that battle) so there was no need to dig trenches to cover against nonexistent gunfire.

 

[Agent23]

To be fair (don't know about the tactics used in the actual battles the movie is based on), just because one army learned that lesson doesn't means other would have learned it at the same time. The US learned how bad warfare out in the open with modern rifle capabilities was, but it Britain didn't learn that until WW1. Also, the movie depicts the holdouts as fighting only with swords (IRL the samurai actually did use guns for that battle) so there was no need to dig trenches to cover against nonexistent gunfire.

I don't remember the movie exactly, I think it was basically a generic Tom Cruise vehicle, but IIRC there were flashbacks to the US civil war, and there was as a sizable contingent of US and other western advisors.

In any case, the whole sword against rifle nonsense is patently false, since the rebellious faction in the historic event in question was more than willing to use western weapons and tactics.

 

[bintananth]

I don't remember the movie exactly, I think it was basically a generic Tom Cruise vehicle, but IIRC there were flashbacks to the US civil war, and there was as a sizable contingent of US and other western advisors.

In any case, the whole sword against rifle nonsense is patently false, since the rebellious faction in the historic event in question was more than willing to use western weapons and tactics.

By about 1600 (i.e.: 275ish years before when the film is set) the Japanese had more matchlock firearms than the English did and were writing illustrated drill manuals telling you how to effectively use one in the middle of the night during a windy thunderstorm ... which is exactly when a matchlock musket - in European hands - is little more than a wet club until it, the rope matches, and the gunpowder all dry out.

They loved western-style firearms would have had the some of best ones c1875 if Tokugawa Ieyasu wasn't the winner.

 

[bintananth]

Princess and I watched Wargames (1983) last night.

Princess thinks it's a comedic farce because computers and networks back then weren't capable of pretty much everything the film has one do. She was laughing the entire time.

The best computer you could buy back then was a Cray-1 and we've got the hardware manual for one of those 5.5ton 115kW liquid cooled monsters sitting on a bookshelf.

You'd have also blown practically the entire film's budget just to get one and turn it on. A Cray-1 also needs about 60 miles of precisely measured and cut coaxial cable (i.e.: what cable TV uses) wiring just to work. Mess up just one cable and a Cray-1 won't work.

 

[Husky_Khan]

The Last Samurai was great entertainment and if what people get out of it is "Muh Civil War Tactics" then I feel extremely sorry for said decidedly unfun people.

IIRC the only flashbacks in the film were to the Indian Wars, which actually doesn't negate the idea of digging in since that's what the American forces did in the West if given the chance as well but being critical of the film because Captain Algren didn't extoll his very green army into digging entrenchments in the opening battle just seems aberrant. It was a very green army that was rushed into battle. I'm sure s lot of things were left by the wayside.

If we're talking about the Army in the final Battle Ohmura was clearly advancing on the Japanese and so confident of victory he ignored the advice of his Western advisor and Thank the Emperor he did. The final Battle was fucking awesome.

Make more movies like this.

I want more films like The Last Samurai and The Last Duel. What was annoying about the latter film was all of the HEMAboos on YouTube shitting on The Last Duel for having ahistorical half face helmets and crap. They released numerous videos on this and kept shitting on Ridley Scott for not respecting the history or some shit. Well I hope they're happy the most interesting and yes... Historically authentic movie about the Middle Ages bombed. I doubt Hollywood will spend loads of money on another one.

Enjoy your BBC productions with African Anne Boleyn and Viking: Valhalla shit.

And I know there's irony in that Tom Cruise is portraying a White dude gone native. But it went the Dances With Wolves route of actually showing it... Not Black facing in characters.

/Rant Over

 

[bintananth]

The Last Samurai was great entertainment and if what people get out of it is "Muh Civil War Tactics" then I feel extremely sorry for said decidedly unfun people.

IIRC the only flashbacks in the film were to the Indian Wars, which actually doesn't negate the idea of digging in since that's what the American forces did in the West if given the chance as well but being critical of the film because Captain Algren didn't extoll his very green army into digging entrenchments in the opening battle just seems aberrant. It was a very green army that was rushed into battle. I'm sure s lot of things were left by the wayside.

If we're talking about the Army in the final Battle Ohmura was clearly advancing on the Japanese and so confident of victory he ignored the advice of his Western advisor and Thank the Emperor he did. The final Battle was fucking awesome.

Make more movies like this.

The final battle was the entire point of the movie. In order to get to the final scene Captain Algren had to be surrounded by stupid ... and he's not too bright either.