Poll: Do you enjoy Moviebob's content?

[mitchell271]

Zero Punctuation made me come over and start lurking on The Escapist. Escape to the Movies is what made me say, "screw it" and sign up. I really like Big Picture too and whenever he posted Overthinker on youtube I'd be sure to check that out too. I haven't seen many new Overthinkers but I think those moved to a different site...oh well.

Just... avoid the Overthinker. The first episodes were interesting when he was talking about games, but Jim and Extra Credits did that but better. Then he added what can barely be called a story along with some of the worst effects and acting I've ever seen. I get that he's just one guy, but he should be able to realise when something is just plain bad.

 

[JonSherwell]

Yes, I like him, he's one of three groups I watch regularly on The Escapist (Yahtzee, LRR, MovieBob, until recently JimFnSterlingSon), and I do enjoy his reviews and articles. Guy's got a talent for what he does. I can't blame him for being opinionated, and I think usually it comes from genuine passion and has some good weight to it (except for his over-abundant disdain for certain directors). That being said, I don't always agree with him, but, like I said, I think something beneficial can be drawn from what he says.

 

[Story]

I like his work on the Escapist. However, I never watched his other series the Game Overthinker nor have I read his book. He has never insulted me personally or at least I never felt that he has. I also tend to agree with him politically 90% of the time too.

My biggest problem with Bob is that he tends to be hypocritical, or at least he doesn't "stick to his guns" long enough for me to take him very seriously as a critic. It seems like he changes his mind on things way too often.

 

[Mutie]

snipety

See, I see this the exact opposite. While I find Bob incredibly watchable, whether I agree with his opinion or not, I find Jim f*ing Sterling to be a overbearing arrogant prat, even when I totally agree with him.

Yeah, I see where you're coming from. Due to the fact that I often disagree with Bob I make a point to watch reviews of things I have a vested interest in, as it's a healthy way to get a little duality in my internal argument. And he's deffo the best place for Marvel news. I think the defining difference between Bob and Jim Blooming Sterling Dude is that you very much have to "get" Jim's persona. It's likely a product of mine and my best friend's dynamic that makes the faux-grandeur appeal to me; the guy just cracks me up every time he takes it to a new level... Probably because it is a rather blatant facade masking a likely timid and uneasy true-character, as with many such comedians. I imagine it's the fact that Bob ISN'T so exaggerated in his persona that bugs me; I feel like he's being less of a character and more of a genuine prat, even when I know he isn't.

 

[Mikeybb]

I can separate the person from the output, but in honesty I've never really felt the compulsion to watch any of his work.

This isn't to say I think he is bad at producing content, but more that I see anything that made me particularly attracted to the prospect of watching or reading any of it.

Tend to get my movie news, reviews and riffing upon the two for fun from other places, to be honest.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

I give him credit that he's really good at communicating his point in the time frame the videos allow him. Whether or not I agree with him depends on every video, but I guess I can say he is a pretty good guy for his position.

I don't think he's anywhere near as good as Yahtzee.

 

[And Man]

I enjoy the content he provides for the Escapist. I don't agree with a good number of the things he posts, but I'm able to separate the content from the creator (when his political leanings and views aren't the center of one of his videos or articles).

 

[silversnake4133]

While I don't always agree with all of the things he says or puts his opinions on, I do overall enjoy his content. Unfortunately, he'll never be able to beat out Yahtzee for my favorite Escapist Contributor.

 

[Lovely Mixture]

He's a liberal fascist - I find that his intolerance of viewpoints outside his own narrow one negatively impact his professionalism. I definitely can't say I appreciate his work because of this.

This.

I stopped watching him after the Mass Effect 3 debacle. I didn't have a strong stance on the whole thing, but his behavior was deplorable, his attitude towards people who anyone who disagrees with him is deplorable, I'm not surprised at his behavior toward GamerGate supporters. No matter your stance on GamerGate, that behavior is unacceptable, you don't endorse harassment to anyone.

I think he's good at what he does, though I more often than not take issue with his attitude both in his videos and on Twitter.

And no, it's not because of ''t3h SJW!!11'', though he and I are definitely political opposites in many ways. I find it ironic that despite claiming to be all about the joys of geek culture and campaigning for more inclusivity, he can be really hostile to people who disagree with him even over small things.

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2014/10/cultural-genocide-thing/#comment-1649541742

In the comment section of that article he outright compares people who don't like superhero movies to Gamergate of all things. Yes, he compared people who don't like a particular genre of movie he's passionate about to a hate group that's best known for harassing women.

Speaking of harassment. This is what he thinks of the fact that Jack Thompson was also harassed back in the day:

https://twitter.com/the_moviebob/status/527993572734537728

Yes, that's him openly and explicitly endorsing harassment of Jack Thompson.

He hates GamerGate so much that he's made it into his boogey man.

Oh yeah, not to mention the time he tried to get a guy arrested for trolling female game players, then quickly backtracked on it.

 

[FriedRicer]

I enjoy the content for the most part. The self-reference - meta-explaining-social commentary on jocks/geeks thing IS cringe-worthy though.

Is this topic around because Jim fuckin' Sterling left?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Is this topic around because Jim fuckin' Sterling left?

Yeah, as of Jim's departure Bob and Yahtzee are the two biggest content creators left. Except Yahtzee gets way more positive feedback than Bob. Or at least that's my impression. So far Bob has 45% positive feedback, 30% negative feedback and 25% of middle ground.

 

[The_Waspman]

Way back when I first started lurking here, he was one of the contributors that I tuned into each week. Now though, it feels like an effort to do so. I can generally tell from his movie reviews whether I'll like a film or not (mainly because his taste and mine are not in sync. Captain America: First Avenger the best of the Phase One movies? Pffft, Please...) but I dunno, there came a point - and this happened quite a long time ago now (which is when his content went from 'tune in to' to 'meh, maybe later') when his attitude kinda changed from 'this is what I feel about a film/topic' to 'my opinion is right, and if you disagree, you're a culturally devoid moron'.

So yeah.

Now that Jim has gone (someone else who I only occasionally tuned in to), all the escapist needs to do is lose Yahtzee and I'll probably stop coming here...

 

[Spider RedNight]

As others have mentioned though, I go to TGWTG almost every day, at LEAST twice a week because their stuff is just funnier and more honest and open.

Out of curiosity, I searched TGWTG since I'd never been to the site. Wow. I didn't realize that a bunch of Youtubers I enjoy all contribute to the same place. I'll definitely going there quite regularly now.

Awww buddy, welcome to a slice of LIFE. TGWTG is GREAT. I love it so much

 

[camazotz]

http://www.hollywood-elsewhere.com/2014/10/cultural-genocide-thing/#comment-1649541742

In the comment section of that article he outright compares people who don't like superhero movies to Gamergate of all things. Yes, he compared people who don't like a particular genre of movie he's passionate about to a hate group that's best known for harassing women.

Speaking of harassment. This is what he thinks of the fact that Jack Thompson was also harassed back in the day:

https://twitter.com/the_moviebob/status/527993572734537728

Yes, that's him openly and explicitly endorsing harassment of Jack Thompson.

You're misrepresenting him. The post in question:

$200 million wasn't even a plausible amount of money as early as three decades ago. Meanwhile, SEX TAPE cost *only* $4 million less than CLEOPATRA. inflation happens.

Online video is my business, I know it's not easy and it sucks. But are you seriously going to argue that it (getting a smaller film seen) sucks MORE than it did even a decade ago when streaming etc didn't exist? When your options for distribution of a self-produced film was to luck out at Sundance, sell cheap to Troma or Full Moon (and then ONLY if you were "genre") and nothing else? It ain't easy, but it's better now.

And we both know that you won't be "scrambling" for "normal human being" movies because of the 4 - 5 superhero movies out of hundreds a year. Really, now - that's veering into the cinephile version of Tea Partiers screaming about "LOSING AMERICA!!!!" because they have to push 1 for English, or the GamerGate brats squealing about games without guns.

He is specifically indicating that someone arguing from the unreasonable position that 4-5 blockbuster super hero films will prevent hundreds of lower cost human interest films from being made is taking an unreasonable stance, comparable to the nuttier elements of society which he (Correctly) characterizes as Tea Partiers and the stranger, scarier elements of the amorphous Gamergater movement.

On the Jack Thompson harassment issue: context is everything. He was making a statement about Thompson's notoriously creepy interaction with Janet Reno that frankly even pisses me off to have had to dredge that effin memory up. But then....Thompson was a very bad man in his time. Emapthy is hard to feel for the man.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Thompson_(activist)

 

[camazotz]

Double post! Gah!!! Well...I voted "entertaining sometimes." I realized at some point that Bob's highly specific view on the last few decades is not in sync with mine, so his movie reviews are unreliable....but his informational pieces are usually fun.

 

[camazotz]

Like a lot of people i came to the escapist for ZP, stayed for Big picture/Escape to the Movies. Lately though I finding myself reading his stuff out of a kind of fascination for his drama and tantrums. I still enjoy his work and i think he's very talented, we have polar opposite tastes on everything (despise family friendly superhero movies) but he explains his points well and even if what he's saying makes no sense to me i believe that he really believes it makes sense, if that makes sense? I guess i admire his honesty, if not his tatses and justification for them.

As for culture stuff, to me he's a caricature of well intentioned/deluded American liberalism. Like i know politics over there is extremely polarized, so maybe bob is like the mirror of fox republicans, but I've long since stopped counting him to inform my opinion. Instead the myriad neuroses he places on screen are their own kind of fun to watch unravel.


Here's a charming example i just took from his twitter.

"2 fundamental questions underline 90% of my decisions: "Does this get us closer to a better world?" "Is this morally correct?" In that order... It's a thin line of importance separating the two, but at the end of the day a tangible superior future has to sometimes "win out" over......"how does this square with some largely subjective social concept of right or wrong?"
Immediately followed by
"Classic example: "Is murder wrong?" Yes. "If you could time travel, would you kill pre-WWII Hitler?" Of course. Without hesitation or regret."

See here he endorses transgressing societies widely held morale code so long as it will help bring about his 'better world'. (Building a better world on the ashes of the old one is a common rhetorical device of Moviebob's) Abhorring murder but being willing to murder hitler is the example he then gives of this philosophy in action, with no irony or awareness that the crime that would justify hitler's murder was transgressing societies moral code in pursuit of a 'better world.' He acknowledges that society's morale code is subjective, but not the definition of a better world because there can only be one and that is his.
I dunno, its just sort of neat to watch these stream of consciousness rants coil round and round and round. I vote i like his content. For different reasons than when I began

Bob's a movie critic.....I don't think he's deeply enmeshed in ethical studies. That said: the people I'd worry about are the one's who wouldn't kill Hitler in the past before he got started, if given the chance. That suggests two problems, both related to arbitrary moral absolutism (either "never kill, period" or "he's not actually guilty of something under moral code X") that is destined to failure or complication through extremism.

EDIT: although to be fair, as an adherent to a mixture of utilitarianism and social contract theory myself, I think one could imagine a utilitarian argument against killing Hitler if it turns out that his not rising to power led to an even greater and more destructive result (i.e. no Germany, so Stalin achieves greater power and then starts a different sort of WWII that leads to greater death and destruction). Since it's all hypothetical anyway, why not throw out arbitrary complications....!

 

[Signa]

I used to consider him quite insightful, but now I kinda hate him. The last couple of articles and videos I've read/watched by him have been borderline offensive to me.

 

[rorychief]

snip

I just thought the quote was a good example of what's made him so alienating lately. Talking in terms of breaking 'society's largely subjective moral codes' in pursuit of 'superior worlds.' Who talks like that? What he's referring to is replying to mean tweets with mean tweets, but he can't admit to being petty and short tempered unless he first wraps it up in a sacrificing humanity through battling monsters narrative. Its ok to be snarky to trolls, the pretentious self justification then is offputting.

I don't know what he's defending here, but he's obviously been called on tweeting something dickish or hypocritical, and is defending himself by conjuring some greater dickish hypocrisy that was avoided through his dickishness. The lesser of two dicks. Its an absurd way to excuse one's own behavior. 'See, I needed to call you a virgin neckbeard. Think of the millions I saved from being called SJWs. I lowered myself to your level, yes, but only for the greater good!'

I son't like it and I don't respect it.

 

[Ramzal]

Just a quick word in here and this may be a bit forward but.... Am I the only one who wishes he'd shut up about "The Avengers"? Yes it was a cool film and yes this is the first time something like this has been done in film history (I think) and it worked to a level that I don't even believe that Marvel/Disney had conceived but he mentions it far too often and compares that movie with others to judge their quality as though it's the be-all-end-all for movies. It is cool to be excited about something but Jesus Christ it is grating and paints a very jaded and inexperienced color of him.

 

[laggyteabag]

I never really watch his stuff. If I want to watch a movie review, I will watch Jeremy Jahns on YouTube, so I have no real desire to watch any of MovieBob's content.