Most Boring Opinions in Geek Culture - Part II
- Thread starter MovieBob
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I'm willing to put up with a lot of stuff on that list, but #3 is so wrong it literally makes no sense.
And because I just know you had this in mind even though the list dodges the issue: for the last time, easy mode is fine, but if you add it to a game where the core experience is the challenge from the high difficulty, you are actively killing the game, this is objective game-design theory, we've been over this already, let's discuss it no more.
And because I just know you had this in mind even though the list dodges the issue: for the last time, easy mode is fine, but if you add it to a game where the core experience is the challenge from the high difficulty, you are actively killing the game, this is objective game-design theory, we've been over this already, let's discuss it no more.
"Roger Moore was the worst James Bond." Really? not Timothy Dalton... pretty sure the worst was Timothy Dalton
"X people destroyed games."
Lets put it this way, if enough people who watched movies ONLY watched bro movies or summer blockbusters, wouldn't people who are really into movies get annoyed at the fact that because that's where the money is, more and more of what those people like is made and less and less of what you like is made?
Yes, of course that happens, and the way better movies are made much of hte time is by alternative/smaller places. Until relatively recently, there wasn't enough of an indy scene for more interesting/innovative games to come out of.
I can't say for sure, but I feel like I've heard less and less of that argument in the past couple of years since we've had SUCH an influx of indy games to help drive the market in interesting ways.
So, hopefully those arguments will leave the list soon enough.
Lets put it this way, if enough people who watched movies ONLY watched bro movies or summer blockbusters, wouldn't people who are really into movies get annoyed at the fact that because that's where the money is, more and more of what those people like is made and less and less of what you like is made?
Yes, of course that happens, and the way better movies are made much of hte time is by alternative/smaller places. Until relatively recently, there wasn't enough of an indy scene for more interesting/innovative games to come out of.
I can't say for sure, but I feel like I've heard less and less of that argument in the past couple of years since we've had SUCH an influx of indy games to help drive the market in interesting ways.
So, hopefully those arguments will leave the list soon enough.
22. CGI has ruined the movies.
Protip: If you're talking about something having "ruined the movies" and your answer isn't "that a**hole in front of me using his iPad in the theater," it probably didn't actually ruin the movies.
Dear God, thank you. There's been an epidemic lately of people deploring all CG as inherently bad or some sort of necessary evil that should only ever be used as a last resort and I'm getting pretty sick of it. Transformers is not bad because it's loaded with CG robots, it's bad because it's a soulless cash grab created by hacks who were only in it for the paycheck (this describes most bad movies Hollywood has put out in the last ten years or so).
Protip: If you're talking about something having "ruined the movies" and your answer isn't "that a**hole in front of me using his iPad in the theater," it probably didn't actually ruin the movies.
Dear God, thank you. There's been an epidemic lately of people deploring all CG as inherently bad or some sort of necessary evil that should only ever be used as a last resort and I'm getting pretty sick of it. Transformers is not bad because it's loaded with CG robots, it's bad because it's a soulless cash grab created by hacks who were only in it for the paycheck (this describes most bad movies Hollywood has put out in the last ten years or so).
21. The 1990s "Dark Age" of comics was totally negative.
It was pretty bad for superhero comics, because superhero comics are inherently silly as a result of their premise. I mostly read DC Vertigo titles in the 90s, which could get pretty grim, but maybe because they were written by a bunch of young anti-establishment Brits, they were also fuckin' hilarious and had a fun, punk-rock vibe. But even the grim-&-gritty superhero comics still launched the fandom of a lot of comic readers. Most of us liked a lot of crap when we were younger.
22. CGI has ruined the movies.
17. Blue and orange color-grading has ruined movies.
These are just new tools for the filmmaker's toolbox. The problem isn't that they exist, but that too many "me-too!" bandwagon jumpers abuse the crap out of them without any thought about artistic intent or appropriateness. I.e., an electric screwdriver is a handy thing to have, but sometimes you need an adjustable wrench.
15. "That comic/game/fantasy art heroine's pose/proportions are impossible!"
It is possible to have sexy characters without consistently posing and dressing them like a blowup doll. If a character is some kind of combatant or researcher or scout and currently engaged in that activity, shouldn't the art emphasize their competence and ability first and their sexuality second or third?
10. Roger Moore was the worst James Bond.
I agree with your reasons (although interestingly, Moore was Ian Fleming's first choice). Moore is the Bond of my youth--Octopussy was the first Bond film I ever saw in theatres, and Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" is the first memorable theme song for me. So I can't outright hate the guy. The franchise's writing as a whole was so bad at that point, they managed to make Christopher Lee one of the worst villains of the series!
8. Only the even-numbered Star Trek movies are good.
Right on about Search for Spock. Plus, in retrospect, all the Next Generation films are pretty bad. First Contact is the most fun and watchable of those, but I'm no longer sure the havoc it wreaked on continuity was worth it.
1. Superman is too powerful to be an interesting character.
I know we're in this period where every hero has to be brooding and flawed and have deeply personal reasons for doing what they do. But can we keep one guy around who tries to do the right thing just because it's the right thing?
It was pretty bad for superhero comics, because superhero comics are inherently silly as a result of their premise. I mostly read DC Vertigo titles in the 90s, which could get pretty grim, but maybe because they were written by a bunch of young anti-establishment Brits, they were also fuckin' hilarious and had a fun, punk-rock vibe. But even the grim-&-gritty superhero comics still launched the fandom of a lot of comic readers. Most of us liked a lot of crap when we were younger.
22. CGI has ruined the movies.
17. Blue and orange color-grading has ruined movies.
These are just new tools for the filmmaker's toolbox. The problem isn't that they exist, but that too many "me-too!" bandwagon jumpers abuse the crap out of them without any thought about artistic intent or appropriateness. I.e., an electric screwdriver is a handy thing to have, but sometimes you need an adjustable wrench.
15. "That comic/game/fantasy art heroine's pose/proportions are impossible!"
It is possible to have sexy characters without consistently posing and dressing them like a blowup doll. If a character is some kind of combatant or researcher or scout and currently engaged in that activity, shouldn't the art emphasize their competence and ability first and their sexuality second or third?
10. Roger Moore was the worst James Bond.
I agree with your reasons (although interestingly, Moore was Ian Fleming's first choice). Moore is the Bond of my youth--Octopussy was the first Bond film I ever saw in theatres, and Duran Duran's "A View to a Kill" is the first memorable theme song for me. So I can't outright hate the guy. The franchise's writing as a whole was so bad at that point, they managed to make Christopher Lee one of the worst villains of the series!
8. Only the even-numbered Star Trek movies are good.
Right on about Search for Spock. Plus, in retrospect, all the Next Generation films are pretty bad. First Contact is the most fun and watchable of those, but I'm no longer sure the havoc it wreaked on continuity was worth it.
1. Superman is too powerful to be an interesting character.
I know we're in this period where every hero has to be brooding and flawed and have deeply personal reasons for doing what they do. But can we keep one guy around who tries to do the right thing just because it's the right thing?
1. Superman is too powerful to be an interesting character.
This one is kind of odd for me. I do think Superman isn't an interesting character, but it's never been because he's too powerful, or because he's "too good" or whatever. I think it's just because he was the original superhero template, and the first attempt at anything is never going to age well. Decades of refining and new ideas have created characters with more interesting powers, back-stories and personalities that Superman just can't compete with. Even worse, because he was one of the originals and is still alive and kicking today the lack of those things is now what sets him apart from other characters, such that he can't become significantly more complex without deviating from what people consider the essence of the character.
Personally if I was DC I'd just scrap the character completely or kick him up to a more distant leader role where he'd offer advice and guidance to other characters rather than be the focus of stories himself- sort of like the role Nick Fury played in the Avengers movie.
This one is kind of odd for me. I do think Superman isn't an interesting character, but it's never been because he's too powerful, or because he's "too good" or whatever. I think it's just because he was the original superhero template, and the first attempt at anything is never going to age well. Decades of refining and new ideas have created characters with more interesting powers, back-stories and personalities that Superman just can't compete with. Even worse, because he was one of the originals and is still alive and kicking today the lack of those things is now what sets him apart from other characters, such that he can't become significantly more complex without deviating from what people consider the essence of the character.
Personally if I was DC I'd just scrap the character completely or kick him up to a more distant leader role where he'd offer advice and guidance to other characters rather than be the focus of stories himself- sort of like the role Nick Fury played in the Avengers movie.
If we're talking about 'Who was in the worst Bond movies', which a lot of people find difficult to distinguish from 'Who was the worst James Bond' then... I don't know. Neither had movies as good as Connery or Craig. Dalton's movies were forgettable, whilst Moore's were silly. I'd be inclined to say that Brosnan had the worst movies (with the exception of Goldeneye), as they were just as silly as Moore's without the charm of also being old fashioned.Devin Barker said:
In terms of which of the two of them was actually better as James Bond though, I'm sorry, but Dalton absolutely destroys Moore.
"Escapist Team! We need a neat little exciting series!"
"How about we write about stuff we find boring."
"Excellent!"
"How about we write about stuff we find boring."
"Excellent!"
Maybe this is a generational thing, i really like the Brosnan movies (i grew up with those ones im only 24) and i cant stand Craig (to actiony) but Dalton was very carried by the supporting cast (loved his villains hated him)NinjaDeathSlap said:
You probably could've just combined 22, 17, 16, 14, 13, 5, and 4 into one and just say "_______ ruins _______"
Movie Bob telling us that we need to shut up about our opinions again because they've been said an arbitrary amount of times? No thank you. And Superman IS boring, you want a character who doesn't have a stick up his ass and does the right thing because they're right? Fair enough, but did you have to make him a physical God? Man of Steel looks interesting interesting because Superman is portrayed as Human and not an invulnerable flying brick that never gets upset.
No Movie Bob I will NOT fucking shut up about it.
No Movie Bob I will NOT fucking shut up about it.
24. Yeah, Family Guy wasn't exactly worth resurrecting
23. He's definitely easier to adapt because of his humanity and significant angst
22. It definitely needs to be scaled back
21. It could have been good, it was just plagued by mostly bad writers
20. Not forever, but it doesn't help the reputation of comics
19. Don't care anymore, I have the original cuts.
18. Maybe a bit
17. So annoying
16. Only if you let them. They're still boring and badly made though
15. True, a lot of great artists said "fuck proportions." Some artists do need to realize that skeletons and joints have limits though
14. Agreed.
13. Bigots need to just shut up
12. Thank you for noticing the obvious. You could also say the same of Samus (before Other M), Link, Commander Shepard, and every bloody W-RPG protagonist ever.
11. Whatever
10. Moore had the unfortunate luck of being in one of the stupidest eras of James Bond which included some of the WORST movies of the series. Poor bastard
9. No need to reiterate the obvious
8. No comment
7. Ugh, 3D Blast
6. Indeed, CAPCOM has one of the WHINIEST fanbases I've ever seen
5. Agreed
4. True, a lot of anime dubs as of recent are very good. Heck, anime and games actually share TONS of voice talent.
3. Not...really. That's actually being kind of ignorant, Bob. If you're talking about DBZ clones you might have a point, but manga is way more varied a medium than that.
2. I have no words
1. In the hands of SHITTY writers he is.
23. He's definitely easier to adapt because of his humanity and significant angst
22. It definitely needs to be scaled back
21. It could have been good, it was just plagued by mostly bad writers
20. Not forever, but it doesn't help the reputation of comics
19. Don't care anymore, I have the original cuts.
18. Maybe a bit
17. So annoying
16. Only if you let them. They're still boring and badly made though
15. True, a lot of great artists said "fuck proportions." Some artists do need to realize that skeletons and joints have limits though
14. Agreed.
13. Bigots need to just shut up
12. Thank you for noticing the obvious. You could also say the same of Samus (before Other M), Link, Commander Shepard, and every bloody W-RPG protagonist ever.
11. Whatever
10. Moore had the unfortunate luck of being in one of the stupidest eras of James Bond which included some of the WORST movies of the series. Poor bastard
9. No need to reiterate the obvious
8. No comment
7. Ugh, 3D Blast
6. Indeed, CAPCOM has one of the WHINIEST fanbases I've ever seen
5. Agreed
4. True, a lot of anime dubs as of recent are very good. Heck, anime and games actually share TONS of voice talent.
3. Not...really. That's actually being kind of ignorant, Bob. If you're talking about DBZ clones you might have a point, but manga is way more varied a medium than that.
2. I have no words
1. In the hands of SHITTY writers he is.
To me, it just seems like there are fewer opportunities to have Superman be super then there are other superheroes to be who they are. I hate to use Batman as an example, but there is a moment in Dark Knight Returns where he's basically taking on normal street thugs and preventing a rookie cop getting himself killed, and it's tense and really lets Batman showcase his abilities. Superman on the other hand, only gets to really showcase his potential with upper tier super bad guys or convoluted situations. Otherwise, it seems like he's being really dumb just to give the enemy a fighting chance. Not saying he's a bad character or there aren't times that I enjoyed him, it just seems like the writers really have to know what they're doing with him to make him work.Falseprophet said:
...and yet Bob made it an interesting and worthwhile read.Marik Bentusi said:
Do you mean that the statement "Manga is superior to Western comics because its stories have endings." is wrong, or that Bob's commentary about the stories repeating is wrong? I'd say both are probably wrong, honestly. When I think of popular mangas, many of them go on for one hell of a long time (which I don't mean as a positive or negative)... and some still arguably drag out aimlessly for far longer than they should (I'm looking at you, Bleach). Regarding Bob's commentary--that one's a little weird. Bob, better than most of us, probably, should be well aware of the fact that there are only a handful of basic types of story, so criticizing manga (or any other storytelling medium) for telling the same story again and again really doesn't make much sense (especially given that, as a movie critic, his job entails watching the same couple of stories again and again and again). I may have misunderstood his comment, though.MichaelMaverick said:
Slightly off-topic, but does anyone happen to know how much of a creative team is involved in making manga vs making Western comics? I was under the impression that the former is basically created by one person (plus an editor/basic support people?) whereas the IP for Western comics is typically (or so I'm guessing?) owned by DC, Marvel, etc. and they have a whole staff (subject to change/replacement) working on a particular comic. ...or if Bob would ever want to explain any of that via video or article, I'd be quite interested.