DominicCobb

A solid response: http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2016/10/04/hoth-white-why-diversity-matters-in-star-wars

Actually it was never a book, just a screenplay written by Crichton.

And the TV show is amazing so far.

Tyrphanax said:

Well I’m sorry that I think the show is more than mindless PT garbage for children.

Oh no I meant that it isn’t but that people claim it’s amazing television or something better than it is to prove that.

ray_afraid said:

DominicCobb said:

I agree Anakin is better on TCW than in the PT but that is a very low bar. He is passable but honestly I find it hard to care for any of the characters in TCW. It’s a half-hour non-serialized kids show

This is all I ever found it to be as well. The praise it gets is something I’ll never understand.

I think mainly people feel the need to overpraise it to convince others that it’s not just a mindless kid’s show and/or more PT garbage but I think it can be pretty fun to watch.

Episode was fine. I’m of two minds in regards to Maul. Obviously that he’s not dead is pretty silly and also his characterization is almost completely different. On the other hand, yeah they’ve mainly done pretty interesting stuff with him on TCW and Rebels.

It also seemed he was most likely talking about Obi-Wan. Another match-up between the two would be welcome (and would presumably and thankfully keep Maul in the animated TV realm and not the potential live action Kenobi film). This of course begs the question, are they going to finally kill him once and for all? And if so, who should really do the job? Obi-Wan or Vader?

ray_afraid said:

Dom, you should watch his PT reviews. I don’t like a few of his off-topic tangents (many are funny though), but the review content is spot on and hilarious.

I might have to at this point just to see what all the fuss is about.

Jeebus said:

TV’s Frink said:

Well first off, I don’t care about anything outside of the movies, but that’s a personal choice. With that said, what exactly are you using as your personal canon (I hate the term “headcanon” and refuse to use it)? Is this based on something tangible, or just a fan fiction story in your head? Did someone create a good Anakin character?

Really, just TCW and the RotS novelization did wonders for me. I think that the book format is much better for telling Anakin’s story, and TCW made him a much more likable character.

Well sure but that doesn’t make Anakin in the movies a magically good, compelling character. If we’re just talking movies, Anakin is not even in remotely the same league of any of the TFA characters. He’s in a league of his own, swimming in a trash compactor pool of wildly inconsistent, inexplicable, and downright annoying shit.

Tyrphanax said:

DominicCobb said:

This review is so stupid. First of all, it’s almost two hours! Are you serious! I might as well watch the movie again. You know, I read a comment from somewhere before the film came out that said “Why even bother reviewing the film at all? What will any critic have to say about the film that will mean anything to anyone other than themselves?”. Well my opinion on TFA isn’t really going to change based on a two hour Youtube video. I’ve read other reviews, I’ve heard the usual complaints ad naseum. It’s nothing new. I know exactly how I feel about the movie. I haven’t seen or read an interesting critical take on it since the week it came out. It’s just been the same bullshit. This Plinkett douche is 9 months late to the party and not fashionably. There is value in good film criticism that analyzes a film beyond surface opinions but this doesn’t seem to be that.

So I didn’t watch the whole thing because I don’t hate myself but I did skim it. First of all the guy seems to be mostly riffing on his greatest hits (from what I’ve heard) shitting on the PT rather than actually getting to the topic at hand. Yeah the PT is nice to shit on, but it’s low hanging fruit. And yeah, the PT apologizers are annoying as fuck but I’ll never not be tired of generational bashing. Finally he gets to TFA and it’s the shame old shit. His comments on diversity seem nice at first because he isn’t criticizing the fact that the cast is diverse (you have to be a truly fucked up individual to think there’s anything wrong with a diverse cast), but then he starts to sound stupid. Saying kids don’t care about diversity isn’t really true. Yes, kids don’t care about seeing characters that aren’t their race or gender (unlike some deplorable adults) but if a kid sees someone who is their race or gender they are most certainly going to care. Don’t think for a second little girls aren’t loving TFA because of Rey, for example. And then he starts talking about the film being devoid of sex and I just have to stop. This is one of the most absurd criticisms of the film I’ve heard that I don’t think it’s even worth responding to.

Beyond that, dude’s got a super annoying voice and I just didn’t find any of it funny. Shrug.

What I took away from the diversity section was not that he had problem with the diverse cast (he says as much) and more that he felt that it was a bit disingenuous because it was more of a focus-group manufactured diversity motivated more by “the soulless evil force that is the Hollywood machine and their manipulative string-pulling” than it was a genuine diversity, because diversity is the popular trend thing to do these days.

Sure but I say bullshit to that. There was no focus-group casting this film. That was the job of JJ, Kennedy, Burk, and the casting director. These were simply the best people for the job (and there’s evidence that they were not looking for specific ethnicities). And even if it was focus-group manufactured, who cares? There’s not a weak spot in the cast and literally no one in this movie says anything about race or gender. It’s just… there.

As far as the sex thing goes, he doesn’t mean it needed more hardcore banging, but that the characters were mostly passionless and there wasn’t any of that romantic tension that was in the OT from ANH.

There was barely romantic tension in ANH. Little bits here and there, with Leia, sure, but that was mostly the romance of adventure itself. And that’s one of the beautiful things about ANH is that it is a romantic adventure film but it’s also the best adventure film and one of the reasons it’s my all time favorite movie. TFA had a different tone from ANH so I don’t think it’s a problem (of course everyone who cries “rehash” thinks the only elements of a film that matter are plot but that ain’t so). Besides, Finn very obviously has a crush on Rey (and she does kiss him! literally in the exact shot Plinkett is complaining she didn’t!), and whether romantic or not there’s certainly chemistry between Finn and Poe (which he even brings up). Anyway, passionless I completely disagree with. Again, Luke is the one character in ANH that might be said to have more “passion” because he’s aching to get out there and adventure. Rey does too but her desire to find her parents holds her back (goddam TFA why won’t you be more like ANH?). Either way if passionless is what Plinkett meant it’s not what he argued and what he argued was just silly.

You should go back and watch those bits in more detail because even though they’re presented in a goofy way, he makes some legitimate points about the manufactured, corporate, “safely made based on focus groups and marketing data in a sterile factory” quality of the film while it lacks the homespun, grassroots, low-budget, risk-taking feel of the OT.

In many ways TFA was designed to be for everyone and open the doors for new fans of all ages and the filmmakers don’t deny that. It’s obvious, but it’s also impressive in it’s success when you think of it (considering this is the seventh film in the saga and the last three sucked). As to whether it’s soulless or whatever I’d say agree to disagree. I’ve heard the complaint before so to me Plinkett’s saying nothing new. When I see the film I see a whole lot of heart, regardless of the massive production budget or familiar plot.

It’s funny too because SW is the only one that was really “homespun, grassroots, low-budget” and ESB is the only one that was really “risk-taking.” ROTJ feels a lot more passionless and driven by corporate marketing to me than TFA.

I’m guessing you haven’t seen any of the other ones?

Nope. I’ve pretty much only heard good things about the PT ones and since the PT truly sucks they’re probably easier to stomach but I’m not sure if he’s really my thing.

JEDIT: to include relevant quote.

This review is so stupid. First of all, it’s almost two hours! Are you serious! I might as well watch the movie again. You know, I read a comment from somewhere before the film came out that said “Why even bother reviewing the film at all? What will any critic have to say about the film that will mean anything to anyone other than themselves?”. Well my opinion on TFA isn’t really going to change based on a two hour Youtube video. I’ve read other reviews, I’ve heard the usual complaints ad naseum. It’s nothing new. I know exactly how I feel about the movie. I haven’t seen or read an interesting critical take on it since the week it came out. It’s just been the same bullshit. This Plinkett douche is 9 months late to the party and not fashionably. There is value in good film criticism that analyzes a film beyond surface opinions but this doesn’t seem to be that.

So I didn’t watch the whole thing because I don’t hate myself but I did skim it. First of all the guy seems to be mostly riffing on his greatest hits (from what I’ve heard) shitting on the PT rather than actually getting to the topic at hand. Yeah the PT is nice to shit on, but it’s low hanging fruit. And yeah, the PT apologizers are annoying as fuck but I’ll never not be tired of generational bashing. Finally he gets to TFA and it’s the shame old shit. His comments on diversity seem nice at first because he isn’t criticizing the fact that the cast is diverse (you have to be a truly fucked up individual to think there’s anything wrong with a diverse cast), but then he starts to sound stupid. Saying kids don’t care about diversity isn’t really true. Yes, kids don’t care about seeing characters that aren’t their race or gender (unlike some deplorable adults) but if a kid sees someone who is their race or gender they are most certainly going to care. Don’t think for a second little girls aren’t loving TFA because of Rey, for example. And then he starts talking about the film being devoid of sex and I just have to stop. This is one of the most absurd criticisms of the film I’ve heard that I don’t think it’s even worth responding to.

Beyond that, dude’s got a super annoying voice and I just didn’t find any of it funny. Shrug.

MalàStrana said:

DominicCobb said:
(not to mention a film JJ is barely involved in).

So what does he know about VIII if he’s barely involved in ?

Barely involved doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what’s going. Just that he’s not calling the shots.

This is only “advertising” statements (“yeah this was a rehash but the next one will be good !”) ; there is no point in discussing that until the movie is released.

There’s not “but” necessary. The similarities to ANH did not keep TFA from being good. I think VIII will be great, “rehash” or not.

I agree Anakin is better on TCW than in the PT but that is a very low bar. He is passable but honestly I find it hard to care for any of the characters in TCW. It’s a half-hour non-serialized kids show driven by mostly action (basically never character) so I guess that’s to be expected. For a compelling Anakin, read the ROTS novelization or Labyrinth of Evil.

imperialscum said:

soulless rehash crap.

Funny how this describes 99% of your shitty repetitive posts.

Bingowings said:

you meen like Benedict Cumberbatch isnt karn… ?

An utterly ridiculous comparison. JJ lied about Khan because he thought it would make for a fun surprise in STID.

This is a completely different thing all together (not to mention a film JJ is barely involved in).

This is dumb as shit.

Tyrphanax said:

DominicCobb said:

Why am I supposed to care about this guy’s opinion again?

Because other people’s opinions can be funny, insightful, and interesting.

You don’t have to care.

Fair enough. I just hear people around hear talking about his reviews like they’re gospel.

30 minutes in and it’s all PT bashing, haha. Perfect.

I love the dismantling of the Ring Theory and the talk about how we’ll never see the end of Star Wars.

JEDIT: lol, number three is titled “Idiotic Millennials ‘re-think’ the Star Wars prequels”

Pretty much sums it up. He goes on to talk about the weird prequel apologizing that’s been going on lately that we’ve all noticed and has been really annoying me with its weird subversiveness like they can somehow sneak it past the guards.

You know I don’t really mind this. Mostly because I grew up with the PT too and get where they’re coming from (I have nostalgia enough that I can watch all three prequels on Blu-ray back-toback-to-back and actually enjoy myself). I understand why they still like those movies, but their bitching needs to stop. They need to open their eyes and realize that the movies are in fact pretty shit and just get over themselves.

What actually annoys me the very most (and this is not just from PT apologizers which is insane) is when people say that the PT did this or that thing better than TFA. WRONG. There is not a single thing in the PT that is better than TFA. Fact.

Why am I supposed to care about this guy’s opinion again?

Laughable because the hyperspace is pretty much the only thing he preserved. And it’s really such a small thing.

CW03 is a little over the top but I can let it slide because it’s so stylized.

TCW is good too but not as good in my opinion. I’d say a good chunk of it (more than half of the episodes) are completely useless filler and or really dumb. Of course the first series is so short that it never had this problem. But I do think if you want to watch TCW and really enjoy it all the way through you need to pick and choose.

Dek Rollins said:

Then add the other side, which is where I am included. You not only said that anime was bad, but you also said that watching/enjoying a piece of Japanese animation is clear evidence immaturity. That is quite insulting as well.

Well I think he has been proven right about the immaturity thing, at least.

MalàStrana said:

Dave Filoni is working on the next show, so Rebels is probably not going to last more than 3 seasons (or maybe a few more set between ANH and TESB ?). With Rogue One coming the ANH “direct prequel” era has enough material, could be fun to explore other eras, such as after ROTJ.

This is almost certainly not the last season. I agree with Tobar, five sounds about right (and would get them right up to ANH if they’re doing one season = one year).

And Dave Filoni working on a new show is just speculation at this point, though it wouldn’t be surprising if true. Either way I’m hoping the next show is set immediately post-ROTJ.

I have ROTJ on in the background, which is fun because it’s a fun movie, but also frustrating because the presentation’s such shit. I mean, obviously the 16:9 crop is fundamentally wrong, but they didn’t even try! Some shots that look like total shit with the crop easily could have been okay if they just shifted the frame a bit.

Ending TCW prematurely does seem unnecessary and misguided but I don’t think we have to worry about that here. That was part of the Disney take over and the OT over PT shift.

I think Dodonna would be the least they could do (or Mothma or Bail).

Saw Gerrera might make sense because they sort of created him but if what I’ve heard of his character in RO is correct I don’t know how well he’d fit.

I am starting to wonder how long they see this show going. I always thought of it as a prequel that’d end by the time of ANH but I suppose they could go past that if they really wanted, though I’m not sure if they would.

I’ve been thinking, it’d be a damn shame if we don’t see at least one Rogue One character this season. Rebels is now what, 3 years before ANH? Getting pretty close.

I understand not putting a Rebels character in RO, that just makes sense, but why not the other way around? Would be an opportunity sorely missed. Isn’t this what the story group is for?