Resurrection of the Off-Topic Thread

[David Walton]

Really enjoyed this article about abandoned plot points from the original Star Wars films.

I can only imagine the universe cowering in fear at the terror known only as...Darth Wilson.

Some of the stuff might have been an improvement. Uncle Owen as Obi-Wan's brother? That actually makes a bit more sense than what we got.

[Pav]

I'll admit I've never gotten David Letterman's appeal. He strikes me as more of a comedian's comedian, in that he's never been as popular with the general public as his peers. Everyone in the industry swears by him, but I just don't find him nearly as entertaining as Conan or Fallon.

I guess he's just one of those old school entertainers and probably appeals mostly to an older generation. Fallon I never found funny until he did his talk show, and I like that he clearly aims at a younger, more modern audience. Plus, The Roots. Conan...can be a little intense for my taste, but I like him mostly when he's feuding with Stewart and Colbert.

There's a lot of truth in what you say (or at least a lot that I agree with); but I also found that Letterman slowly moved from weird and sort of endearing to just plain bitter and a little bit mean over the years.

I started watching Letterman in late middle school / early high school - so like fifteen years ago - and from day one he was my favorite of his ilk. In the past, I figured it was just because of his weirdness and his appreciation for things that are funny because of how not funny they are. However, I've realized how much I appreciate his irreverence; for example, despite the positives of each show, I have trouble watching Fallon or James Corden because they both are so shmoozy with their guests; they feel fake to me, Corden especially, but I never felt that way about Letterman. He always seemed genuine, and even if he came off as mean or bitter, at least it felt genuine.

In general, I find Conan to be funny; I think Fallon's show is entertaining but I don't think he is particularly funny; Corden has been disappointing despite having Reggie Watts and an enjoyable interview format; and of course the fake news on Comedy Central has been great for years.

-Pav, who is intrigued by Colbert as the new Late Show host...

[Loose Threads]

I'm finding working with WinZip a pain, but I'm too intimidated to try WinRar because of previous malware problems with a download.

[Scott Taylor]

I should probably clarify, I actually agree 150% with Jim Shooter's take on Spidey in Secret Wars. Spider-Man should absolutely be capable of holding the X-Men off long enough to escape them. And Shooter sticks within Spidey's strengths--he's able to out-manuever them, so it's not like he's warding Cyclops' optic blasts off with his hand or anything.

Right. Same sort of thing we see alot from Spidey. His Spidey sense and agility help him to essentially stall his opponents long enough that he figures out how to out manuevre them and beat them or get away. But I also think Spidey is stronger than just about any X-Man. Someone recently pointed out that Spider-Man managed to beat Juggernaut, but Juggernaut has beaten the X-Men before, handily. Not entirely a valid comparison but a good way to look at the situation and competing styles of fighting. The X-Men meet everything head on and fight it, usually. Spider-Man tends to bounce around alot and outsmart his opponents.

I've been reading through Secret Wars II and the tie-ins this weekend. I'm up to the fourth issue, the one where Beyonder falls in love with Dazzler. The core story is really wonky, ranging from genuinely offbeat and entertaining to unintentionally hilarious, but the tie-ins are really good. It could just be that Marvel had such great creative teams at the time, they could take any premise and make it work.

My favorite SWII tie-in was probably the New Mutants issue where the Beyonder killed them all. Shocking!

[Mister Mets]

I saw two good films in excellent theaters recently; Mad Max: Fury Road in one of the Alamo drafthouses in Austin, Texas and Tomorrowland in Imax.

Mad Max was insane figuratively and literally. I like how Hardy captured that the lead is kinda nuts. George Miller also conveyed a rather fully realized world. Nicholas Hoult gave a henchman pathos. Finally, Charlize Theron may be the most impressive female lead of any 21st Century action movie.

With Tomorrowland, I've been reading think pieces about why it didn't make as much money in the box office, and why it wasn't very critically acclaimed (I'd give it a solid B+ while it's at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes.) The message is definitely going to rub cynics the wrong way, although I think some critics might be upset at the implication that the guy making the film is a great man. It's not as bad as it was in Lady in the Water a decade ago, but it is part of the message of the film. Granted, in the case of Brad Bird it's probably right.

[Pav]

I saw two good films in excellent theaters recently; Mad Max: Fury Road in one of the Alamo drafthouses in Austin, Texas and Tomorrowland in Imax.

Mad Max was insane figuratively and literally. I like how Hardy captured that the lead is kinda nuts. George Miller also conveyed a rather fully realized world. Nicholas Hoult gave a henchman pathos. Finally, Charlize Theron may be the most impressive female lead of any 21st Century action movie.

With Tomorrowland, I've been reading think pieces about why it didn't make as much money in the box office, and why it wasn't very critically acclaimed (I'd give it a solid B+ while it's at 50% on Rotten Tomatoes.) The message is definitely going to rub cynics the wrong way, although I think some critics might be upset at the implication that the guy making the film is a great man. It's not as bad as it was in Lady in the Water a decade ago, but it is part of the message of the film. Granted, in the case of Brad Bird it's probably right.

For whatever reason, Tomorrowland just doesn't look particularly interesting, though I've heard it's got a nice thematic message at the end. I think the problem is just that I'm generally pretty jaded about movies. I read a clickbait thing once about "reasons to not become an English major" and one of them was "You will never enjoy another movie again" and... yeah. It is often difficult.

However, Mad Max does look pretty fun and I've only heard good things about it.

I went with my sister and her roommate to see Ex Machina, and I did enjoy that one a lot. I'd recommend it for anyone who enjoys cerebral, suspenseful movies.

On a totally unrelated note, any predictions for the NBA finals?

-Pav, who really hopes the Warriors beat the Cleveland Lebrons...

[Aruran.]

On a totally unrelated note, any predictions for the NBA finals?

-Pav, who really hopes the Warriors beat the Cleveland Lebrons...

Wouldn't be surprised if Warriors win the series before Game 7.

I'd be shocked if a repeat of what the Spurs did happens again for either team though.

[boots]

I saw two good films in excellent theaters recently; Mad Max: Fury Road in one of the Alamo drafthouses in Austin, Texas and Tomorrowland in Imax.

Mad Max was insane figuratively and literally. I like how Hardy captured that the lead is kinda nuts. George Miller also conveyed a rather fully realized world. Nicholas Hoult gave a henchman pathos. Finally, Charlize Theron may be the most impressive female lead of any 21st Century action movie.

loved it. it’s been a while since a movie gave such a full sensory experience. i think i held my breathe from beginning to end. it was probably the best piece of ausploitation i’ve seen, and had a comic book manicness. the designs were amazing and striking and beautiful and kinda ugly at the same time.

my friend’s scene in it was shortened though (one of the brides/breeders), but i’m hoping she’ll be put back into a director’s cut or deleted scenes on dvd.

[Mister Mets]

For anyone with a Tablet, the IDW Humble Bundle is awesome.

You can get digital copies of March Volume 1, Locke & Key Volumes 1-3, Darwyn Cooke's first Parker volume and two issues of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen spinoff Nemo for free.

For just under twenty bucks, you can get League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Volume 3, the four Parker volumes, the complete Locke & Key, the first two March volumes, Jeff Lemire's Lost Dogs and more.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books

I'd give Locke & Key and Cooker's Parker my highest recommendation. Those are awesome comics. Everything else is gravy.

[David Walton]

My post SW predictions (no spoilers, just speculation)

--Slott's off ASM, writing Fantastic Four
--Peter David's back on Hulk
--Steve Rogers is rejuvenated. Keeps the silver hair, but back on active duty as Super Soldier. More Nick fury than Batman Beyond Bruce Wayne.
--Whatever the future holds for X-Men, Prof X and Jean Grey return.

[Loose Threads]

I started writing a new fanfic, but I always seem to have a routine habit of leaving some sentences incomplete whenever I do one, which is annoying. Maybe I need a beta

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

Is there a "Last Spider-Man comic you read" thread? The search system does not work properly for me.

I read Spectacular Spider-Man 178-183, and it made me feel like reading Batman comics because of the psycho babble in it, not saying it's a bad thing, but I prefer to stay focused on the character I read when I read a certain story.

[Mister Mets]

I started writing a new fanfic, but I always seem to have a routine habit of leaving some sentences incomplete whenever I do one, which is annoying. Maybe I need a beta

I know there's at least one name writer who likes to leave sentences incomplete at the end of the day. That way, he has something to immediately do on the next day.

Is there a "Last Spider-Man comic you read" thread? The search system does not work properly for me.

I read Spectacular Spider-Man 178-183, and it made me feel like reading Batman comics because of the psycho babble in it, not saying it's a bad thing, but I prefer to stay focused on the character I read when I read a certain story.

Couldn't find one either. Feel free to start one.

[Kevinroc]

The Madoka Magica movies are now on Netflix. While movies 1 and 2 are a retelling of the original TV series, movie 3 (Rebellion) is an actual continuation of the story.

Rebellion is interesting because at first it seems like they forgot the entire continuity that came before. But after the reveal, well...

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

I had no interest in the series, now I have no interest in the movies.

I saw Attack on Titan a while back, and read some of the manga continuation, not impressed.
I prefer some of the more secondary characters to the main characters.