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Mark's Down On Your Syntax

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Members
Join date
4-May-2016
Last activity
20-Jun-2025
Posts
608

Post History

Post
#1132711
Topic
Dealing with People Selling Fan Projects
Time

Well you’ve got to admire the commitment to their craft. Those blu-rays appear to be sealed very nicely in plastic and the whole range looks completely authentic and on the up-and-up. The casual shopper likely wouldn’t realise there was anything dodgy going on at all. It’s all kinds of wrong.

Making money by essentially stealing other people’s hard work and skill is deplorable. I hope Karma catches up with these scumbags one day.

Post
#1132698
Topic
If you need to B*tch about something... this is the place
Time

First I accidentally scratched a line of paint off the wall while pulling the curtains back.

Then I cut my finger trying to open a tin of paint.

Then I dripped some paint onto both my panda socks and the carpet.

Then as I attempted to buy a newspaper some Maude Flanders wannabe told me I should wear a bra as my nipples were showing through my top (a sight to which her son had apparently taken great offence.)

Then I found the puzzle section of the paper was missing.

Then I see a cat ambush and maul one of the sparrows in the garden.

Then I find Firefox has upgraded automatically to a version that I do not like the look of.

Then I stumbled across and foolishly watched a youtube video about a scientist who grafted an extra head onto a dog which will now haunt my every waking moment until my death.

And finally one of my favourite contestants on Strictly gets voted of.

Screw you, Sunday.

Post
#1132379
Topic
Last movie seen
Time

A TMBTM fan edit double feature for us tonight!

First was "Alien-ATE" which was a mercifully brisk retelling of Alien Resurrection. I’ve got to say it’s the best version of that rubbishy film I’ve seen. I loved the seamless use of footage from AVP and the rejigged finale was perfect. Light years better than any official version.

Then came "Kong" a mercifully brisk retelling of, erm, Kong. I’ve always liked the spirit of the original but it’s always felt a bit too self indulgent and overdone to me. In this version we’ve left New York in the first 9 minutes and are exploring the island by the 20 minute mark. Pared down to have just enough of everything good this was a much more comfortable version to watch. The only major problem I had was that several members of the supporting cast just disappeared with no explanation.

A great double bill from a great fan editor.

Post
#1131750
Topic
Last movie seen
Time

"Justice League" (2017)

I had the entire cinema to myself which made this movie all the more enjoyable. It deftly ties together a lot of characters and plot points and gently introduces several new ones. The music is great, incorporating the best of what’s come before (including a couple of cues from a long way back.)

The plot is the usual old nonsense - big angry dude wants to end the world - but the point seems to be about showing us everybody’s reaction to what’s going on. All the main characters get at least one great moment and the secondary characters get handled well enough to make me interested in seeing them again.

There’s humour, action, heart and a lot of fun in this movie. It’s short by modern standards too, but it clipped along at a nice pace that didn’t feel rushed to me.

Steppenwolf could easily have been played by a human being in prosthetics and he lost a great deal of personality due to the CGI rendering. It was good enough in parts, but it’s going to age quickly - and badly.

On the whole, it was tremendous fun. Do stay until the very, very end of the credits too, it’s worth the wait!

I give it 4 pitchforks out of 5.

Post
#1130021
Topic
Star Wars: Heir to the Force (TFA edit) <em>Released</em>
Time

I finally watched this edit and just wanted to praise the good job done throughout.

There’s several cuts I wouldn’t have made but if this version had been what I saw in the cinema I wouldn’t have felt anything was lacking.

After reading the cut list a few months back I went in thinking the early “who talks first?” scene wasn’t going to work. I really love Poe’s line but, honestly, the way that you edited it plays perfectly and the quiet moment you’ve created actually enhances the scene. Ditto for the edit right at the end - I adore the scene with Luke and that was the only way the movie could possibly end but after seeing how well this works I’m changing my opinion.

Loved hologram Snoke and the other subtle effects tweaks you did. I liked how you handled the Rathtars too. The Kylo/Ben reveal worked out far better than I thought it would as well. There’s enough mystery for it to be a surprise but also enough information if you go back for it not to feel like a cheap trick.

I could go on, but suffice it to say that I thought it was a really impressive fan edit. Well done! I’m looking forward to your Rogue One edit even more now (if I ever figure out how to download it that is!!)

Post
#1129086
Topic
Last movie seen
Time

There’s a reason “The Descent, Part 3” doesn’t exist and that’s because “The Descent, Part 2” (2009) does, and we should be thankful for that if nothing else.

I was warned in this very thread not to watch this one but the blu ray was only £2.98 and that’s cheaper than renting it. It was a win/win as far as I was concerned but I’ll be donating this to my local charity shop on Monday.

The first Descent barely put a foot wrong, but for everything it did right, this one does it wrong. Considering the original has (no word of a lie) one of the best jump scares in movie history the profound mishandling and overuse of the jump scares here is baffling. The sets in the original never felt anything other than real (and were all the more terrifying for it) but here they are obviously sets and what atmosphere there is suffers for it.

All the original main cast return in one way or another but I can’t help thinking this would’ve been better if it had no connection with the original except for the creatures. Oh, and if you want to see how absolutely, positively NOT to do a twist ending, look no further.

Throw this movie into the deepest darkest cave you can find and hope it gets eaten by something scary. I give it a generous 0.5 out of 5 (and that’s only because it seems like they were trying their best to make a good film.)

Post
#1126174
Topic
Last movie seen
Time

Haarspalter said:

There’s a sequel?!?!

Don’t watch the Sequel! It’s awfully boring, ruins the ending of the first movie and weakens the mystery surrounding the creatures.

Oh no, whilst ordering the blu ray of the first one I saw the sequel was available for £2.98 so I bought that too! I didn’t read a plot synopsis or reviews but I saw the cast list and was intrigued judging by how the first one ended. Ah well, I’ll lower my expectations!

Post
#1126064
Topic
Last movie seen
Time

I thor Thor Ragnarok and thort it was thor-oughly lok-ay. I give it a hearty Thor out of Five.

I also just watched “The Descent” (2005) and it blew my socks off. I had no idea this film existed until today! A nasty, claustrophobic, gory, tense, psychological thriller with an all-female cast and impeccable direction and production design which has so much going on on the surface and in subtext but remains perfectly balanced from the jump-start to the slap-in-the-face ending.

The only thing I’ll say against it is the cliched use of a happy group photo over the end credits. The preceding film is glorious though and I feel ashamed of myself for being ignorant of it for the last twelve years. I give it 5 out of 5 (of course!)

Post
#1122955
Topic
If you need to B*tch about something <strong>other than originaltrilogy.com</strong>... This is the place
Time

I went for a mammogram in the small town nearest to where I live. The female population is about 2,500 and the checks are free and can be scheduled pretty much to suit you. Despite this I was told that in the last week alone 157 appointments were missed and NOT ONE phoned to cancel, they just didn’t bother to turn up.

I simply can’t understand this. Yes, it’s awkward, uncomfortable and a bit scary but it’s a free, potentially life saving exam!

Post
#1122947
Topic
Info: Buffy The Vampire Slayer (TV Show) &quot;Remastered&quot; in HD
Time

WTF is wrong with these people deleting their posts!!! When the OP deletes the most important part of a thread as has happened here can’t the mods restore it?

Does anybody remember if this was a fan project or a discussion about the rubbishy official hd versions? And for that matter, is anybody aware of any other Buffy-related fan editing going on? Google brought me here but didn’t have much else to say on the subject!

As for this Shmis Noodles, great username mate, shame about your petty attitude.

Post
#1122616
Topic
General Star Wars <strong>Random Thoughts</strong> Thread
Time

I just finished reading From A Certain Point Of View (a collection of short stories from various characters in '77 Star Wars for those who don’t read novels) and there were several stories based in the cantina. Every single one has Han shooting Greedo and every time the scene plays out as it does in the original theatrical release.

Does it mean the special edition canon of Greedo shooting at Han is now officially changed or is it (more likely imo) just down to the fear of nerd rage that including that part might provoke?

Whatever the explanation they clearly had a discussion about how the event should be portrayed with all the writers. It’s interesting, as a book like this telling stories from varying povs was a golden opportunity to have either Greedo or Han shooting first with a wink to the reader.

It’s a good book though with a lot of fun (and bonkers) stories.