What have you been watching lately

Giz · Post by **Giz** » Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:33 pm

Interesting to see how this turns out:

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt8093700/?ref_=vp_close

“The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for.”

I’m wondering how this will be presented… given (to quote history):

The Kingdom of Dahomey was an important regional power that had an organized domestic economy built on conquest and slave labor ….

The growth of Dahomey coincided with the growth of the Atlantic slave trade, and it became known to Europeans as a major supplier of slaves. As a highly militaristic kingdom constantly organised for warfare, it captured children, women, and men during wars and raids against neighboring societies, and sold them into the Atlantic slave trade in exchange for European goods such as rifles, gunpowder, fabrics, cowrie shells, tobacco, pipes, and alcohol. Other remaining captives became slaves in Dahomey, where they worked on royal plantations and were routinely mass executed in large-scale human sacrifices “

Also, on the subject of battle effectiveness:

“During a battle with French soldiers at Adegon on 6 October during the second war decades later, the bulk of the Amazon corps were wiped out in a matter of hours in hand-to-hand combat after the French engaged them with a bayonet charge. The Dahomey lost 86 regulars and 417 Dahomey Amazons, with nearly all of those deaths being inflicted by bayonets; the French lost 6 soldiers.“

One wonders if in the movie the Brits will get credited with anti-slavery efforts and the French with badass in battle credit?

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:42 pm

According to this summary, the Atlantic slave trade falls largely on the shoulders of black women.

Wow. 😶

It's like.....a lifetime of white guilt, just melting away. :D

ed · Post by ed » Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:45 pm

Yellowstone.

Horses.

Injuns.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:52 pm

Giz wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:33 pm Interesting to see how this turns out:

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt8093700/?ref_=vp_close

"sold them into the Atlantic slave trade in exchange for European goods such as rifles, gunpowder, fabrics, cowrie shells, tobacco, pipes, and alcohol."

So the Europeans were trading these items to native Americans for land and to Africans for slaves.

Imagine trading your neighbors and your property for alcohol, tobacco, and firearms.

Giz · Post by **Giz** » Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:58 pm

Don’t give Ed ideas!

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Sun Aug 28, 2022 3:20 pm

Giz wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:58 pm Don’t give Ed ideas!

:twisted:

ed · Post by ed » Sun Aug 28, 2022 3:58 pm

Giz wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:58 pm Don’t give Ed ideas!

I have an empire built on precisely those things.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Sun Aug 28, 2022 4:28 pm

King Ed the First,
of the state formerly known as Florida,
announced cessation from the Union today, immediately spiking Google search trending for the words "cessation" and "union".

In the face of a line of restored cannons and muskets from the civil war, the state government of Florida immediately surrendered, uttering the now historic quote, "Fuck it, you can have it".

The average response on Twitter: "What do you expect? It's Florida...or was."

The White House responded with, "Ha! They can't even count votes. Why would we want to keep them? Ed did us a favor."

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Mon Aug 29, 2022 5:39 am

Giz wrote: ↑Sun Aug 28, 2022 2:33 pmAlso, on the subject of battle effectiveness:

“During a battle with French soldiers at Adegon on 6 October during the second war decades later, the bulk of the Amazon corps were wiped out in a matter of hours in hand-to-hand combat after the French engaged them with a bayonet charge. The Dahomey lost 86 regulars and 417 Dahomey Amazons, with nearly all of those deaths being inflicted by bayonets; the French lost 6 soldiers.“

https://i.imgur.com/Hrh5JKZ.jpg

– J.D.

Giz · Post by **Giz** » Wed Aug 31, 2022 11:49 pm

Will I watch, will I hate-watch?https://i.imgur.com/qaULipT.jpg

Anaxagoras · Post by **Anaxagoras** » Thu Sep 01, 2022 10:48 am

Watch this instead, you Uncle-Fuckers!

ed · Post by ed » Fri Sep 02, 2022 3:51 pm

Anyone watch the Amazon LOTR thing?

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Fri Sep 02, 2022 10:47 pm

ed wrote: ↑Fri Sep 02, 2022 3:51 pm Anyone watch the Amazon LOTR thing?

I watched the first episode and thought it was pretty good, but I never read the source material its allegedly based on, so I didn’t harbor any pre-hate.

Grammatron · Post by **Grammatron** » Thu Sep 08, 2022 6:19 pm

ed wrote: ↑Fri Sep 02, 2022 3:51 pm Anyone watch the Amazon LOTR thing?

It's beautifully done but seems empty; not soul nor heart in the story.

ed · Post by ed » Thu Sep 08, 2022 7:33 pm

I read amazon did not have rights to the silmaillom thing so they had to amplify on material in the Hobbits and LOTR. So thin.

Grammatron · Post by **Grammatron** » Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:02 pm

ed wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 7:33 pm I read amazon did not have rights to the silmaillom thing so they had to amplify on material in the Hobbits and LOTR. So thin.

Yes they are only using things they have rights to: The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings trilogy, and some appendix related to both. I don't get why that implies it has to be thin but it is, thin as can be.

ed · Post by ed » Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:34 pm

I guess because that isn't a story per se

Grammatron · Post by **Grammatron** » Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:36 pm

I just don't understand why the millions of dollars can't go to talented writers. Certainly no one else can be JRR Tolkien, but I don't think they are even trying for quality in writing.

Giz · Post by **Giz** » Thu Sep 08, 2022 8:48 pm

I think it’s ideological.

You can’t have blokes on an unambiguously heroic character arc.
You can’t have women showing fear/weakness/being overshadowed as they grow as heroes.

How can you make an epic heroic journey in the current climate?

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Thu Sep 08, 2022 9:35 pm

With a gender-fluid cripple differently-abled actrix.

Jason Mamoa available?

– J.D.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Thu Sep 08, 2022 11:10 pm

Seems I'm not the only one who thinks the actor playing young Elrond looks like a life sized Neil Patrick Harris action figure.

https://www.looper.com/img/gallery/robe ... 52.sm.webp

DJ · Post by DJ » Thu Sep 08, 2022 11:13 pm

Bruce wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 11:10 pm Seems I'm not the only one who thinks the actor playing young Elrond looks like a life sized Neil Patrick Harris action figure.

https://www.looper.com/img/gallery/robe ... 52.sm.webp

Oh my gosh, yes. Thank you. I couldn’t quite put my finger on who he looked like. Overall, very underwhelming cast.

Grammatron · Post by **Grammatron** » Fri Sep 09, 2022 1:38 am

Doctor X wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 9:35 pm With a gender-fluid cripple differently-abled actrix.

Jason Mamoa available?

– J.D.

I don't think it's "woke" content either. I enjoy Doom Patrol, and it has episodes that cover all kinds of "woke" topics: from a an alien living a body of a closeted gay test pilot from 1950's to a sentient genderqueer street. Typical stuff. It is all written well and I enjoy it and it doesn't make me roll my eyes.

It can be done.

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Fri Sep 09, 2022 2:10 am

Bet you're gay!

– J.D.

Grammatron · Post by **Grammatron** » Fri Sep 09, 2022 6:09 pm

https://i.redd.it/r7b330dg2tm91.jpg

Hotarubi · Post by **Hotarubi** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 2:37 am

Grammatron wrote: ↑Thu Sep 08, 2022 6:19 pm
ed wrote: ↑Fri Sep 02, 2022 3:51 pm Anyone watch the Amazon LOTR thing?
It's beautifully done but seems empty; not soul nor heart in the story.

Everyone wants an "opening shock." Apart from Galadriel's obsession its all arc development with the odd monster thrown in.

Ep3 was much better than the two openers.

Doctor X · Post by **Doctor X** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 5:43 am

https://imagesvc.meredithcorp.io/v3/mm/ ... brakai.gif

– J.D.

Ben Trovado · Post by **Ben Trovado** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 5:48 pm

Can we just pause and reflect on the fact that the new Hobbits are horrible, horrible people who leave their own friends and family behind when they decide to move to a new place rather than let them . . . I don't know . . .RIDE IN ONE OF THE MANY CARTS THEY HAVE?

I'm out. I tried to give it a watch, but it is boring, the characters don't make sense, the motivations make less sense, and the main character (whom we are supposed to unabashedly admire)'s big plan was to SWIM back to Middle Earth across half an ocean with no water, food, or method to navigate.

I'm out.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:32 pm

She's immortal, and she has blood vengeance to guide her way.

And they are nomadic ancestoral pre-hobbits. I suppose your ancestors were perfect?

Now that's settled, let's talk about how Sauron managed to serve the dark lord for 1000 years without anyone figuring it out.

Gandolf the space wizard regarded Sauron as the highest wizard of his order before Sauron uttered those now famous lines "you're skills with the Force are formidable, but now let's see how you fare with a light saber", then used his dark magic to rip all the adamantium from Gandalf's bones.

At least that's how I remember it.

Giz · Post by **Giz** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:41 pm

He’s using a fake ID, duh!

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:44 pm

Giz wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:41 pm He’s using a fake ID, duh!

If only he had installed McAfee into those inter-orbs.

Ben Trovado · Post by **Ben Trovado** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 11:39 pm

Bruce wrote: ↑Sun Sep 11, 2022 9:32 pm She's immortal, and she has blood vengeance to guide her way.

And they are nomadic ancestoral pre-hobbits. I suppose your ancestors were perfect?

They were Irish, so . . . yes.

Now that's settled, let's talk about how Sauron managed to serve the dark lord for 1000 years without anyone figuring it out.

Gandolf the space wizard regarded Sauron as the highest wizard of his order before Sauron uttered those now famous lines "you're skills with the Force are formidable, but now let's see how you fare with a light saber", then used his dark magic to rip all the adamantium from Gandalf's bones.

At least that's how I remember it.

In this show, that will probably be how it goes.

"Live long and prosper"
- Malcom Reynolds, to Princess Leia, right before being shot by Starbuck (secretly a cylon).

Giz · Post by **Giz** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 11:43 pm

I liked the bit where the elf said:
“But being this is a mallorn bow, the most powerful bow in the world and will blow your head clean off, you've gotta ask yourself a question: "Do I feel lucky?" Well, do ya, orc?”

Pyrrho · Post by **Pyrrho** » Sun Sep 11, 2022 11:57 pm

Could do without Glenn Yarbrough singing all of the ballads.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:47 am

I watched Moonfall today for the fuck of it.

It was like Independence Day, Ancient Aliens, and every doomsday movie made after 2000 had an orgy, got pregnant, then tried to have an abortion, but it was too late because Roe vs Wade was overtuned, so Hollywood was forced to birth this abomination and unleash it upon society, and now we are expected to figure out what to do with it.

It ended up as a side-show attraction on HBOMax. Not really worth the subscription price of admission, so I moved along to watch one of the three-ring events, but I'm on season 4 of Westworld and the AI robots are getting as bored with the narratives as I am.

Its ending up just like cable. Costing money, shoving commercials down my throat, and having the nerve to lure me into paying more money for movies and shows that I might want to watch. Fuck you Paramount Plus and Roku Rental.

At this rate, I might have to unplug and focus on saving the world. Not much else left to do.

robinson · Post by **robinson** » Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:39 pm

I rarely watch anything anymore. Waiting for the final episodes of The Walking Dead, and still trying to make my way through the foundation series on Apple TV. In three months of manage to watch the first episode and part of the second

It’s suffers from the woke Nonsense

Ben Trovado · Post by **Ben Trovado** » Mon Sep 12, 2022 5:18 pm

Bruce wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:47 am I watched Moonfall today for the fuck of it.

I saw the trailer for it when my kids and I saw the last Spiderman movie.

I was just " . . . "

I mean, someone GREENLIT this? At a real movie place, and not like a Neal Breen thing? This was a thing that a number of people signed off on and spent money toward?

I side-eyed my kids, suspicious that they had worked up the trailer as some type of elaborate practical joke. In fact, I still suspect them.

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Mon Sep 12, 2022 11:57 pm

Ben Trovado wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 5:18 pm
Bruce wrote: ↑Mon Sep 12, 2022 2:47 am I watched Moonfall today for the fuck of it.
I saw the trailer for it when my kids and I saw the last Spiderman movie.

I was just " . . . "

I mean, someone GREENLIT this? At a real movie place, and not like a Neal Breen thing? This was a thing that a number of people signed off on and spent money toward?

I side-eyed my kids, suspicious that they had worked up the trailer as some type of elaborate practical joke. In fact, I still suspect them.

And cast Halley Barry as the lead. Remember when A-list actors had self-respect?

BTW, the moon is actually a Dyson sphere that's secretly housing a white dwarf. I wish I was making that up.

Giz · Post by **Giz** » Tue Sep 13, 2022 12:47 am

It’s 2022 and they made the dwarf white!??!

Bruce · Post by **Bruce** » Tue Sep 13, 2022 1:33 am

The moon is falling because ancient sentient nanobots are attacking the gyroscopic orbital stabilizer surrounding the white dwarf and keeping the moon in orbit, but Haley saves the day with an EMP blast to the nanobots, just in time too. The bad news is the moon sheered off the tip of Mount Everest and due to all the gravity wierdness, the top half of the Chrysler building also ended up on Mount Everest. Once the nanobots were defeated, the moon returned to its regular orbit within minutes, but the Tibetans are suiing Haley for ruining their tourism industry.

I made up one fact in the above summay. Only one. If you want to know which one, watch the movie. It helps if you imagine a laugh-track while watching.