5,962 Forum Posts by "Dr-Worm"
Night and Fog - Having not yet worked up the nerve to take the 10-hour plunge into Shoah, this is the definitive Holocaust documentary as far as I'm concerned. Incredibly disturbing but necessary viewing.
Stop Making Sense - Best concert film of all time, hands down, won't hear any arguments.
Sans Soleil - Probably the best doc I've seen about cat worship, African revolutionaries, video games, sex museums, Vertigo, graphic giraffe murder, Icelandic children, and more.
Man With a Movie Camera - This is literally what the movies were invented for.
F For Fake - This one has Orson Welles at his fattest doing magic tricks and pontificating about art and shit. Also the entire aesthetic of those Dos Equis commercials is ripped off from this movie and I'm somehow the only person to notice.
Exit Through the Gift Shop - Admittedly this is kind of biased because I'm actually Banksy.
Las Hurdes - In 1932 Luis Bunuel took the piss out of a genre that barely even existed yet and more or less invented the mockumentary.
The Thin Blue Line - Among other things this movie literally saved a guy's life, so.
Sweetgrass - The most hypnotic movie about sheepherding you will ever see.
At 12/28/14 11:43 PM, Natick wrote: man on wire
the act of killing
grizzly man
Word.
At 12/29/14 11:07 PM, fearthepiff wrote: Anyone already see enough movies to know their top 10 for this year?
Not even close, I have about a thousand things to catch up on. Very very tentatively here are my favorites so far:
1. Boyhood
2. Under the Skin
3. The Grand Budapest Hotel
4. We Are the Best!
5. Snowpiercer
6. Ida
7. Song of the Sea
8. The LEGO Movie
9. Frank
10. The Raid 2
I imagine at least the last four films there will probably be knocked out once I finally get around to seeing Inherent Vice and Princess Kaguya and Life Itself and everything else.
At 12/28/14 02:06 AM, 24901miles wrote: I tend to think that people who are voted into any category see it as a positive.
Okay but obviously the categories are meant to have positive or negative connotations. Like I don't think the winner of the "Attention Whore" award is supposed to be happy about it.
Really my biggest beef with these awards is that on the whole the emphasis leans way too heavily on the quantity of posts and not nearly enough on the quality. That that's what we focus on encouraging maybe goes some way towards explaining why the BBS is the way it is now...
Rebuild stinks. Takes everything that was challenging or interesting about the original series and smooths it out in order to tell the dullest and dumbest possible version of this story.
At 12/28/14 01:09 AM, Natick wrote: she's still on tumblr, skype and steam, breh
so not all is lost
Yeah but a) I don't really use any of those, at least not for social media-type dealies, and b) the whole situation is still pretty emblematic of this site's slow and steady slide into the gutter.
At 12/28/14 12:26 AM, 24901miles wrote: Since we all really don't care why our names were mentioned, I pulled a list of the votes we all got, including events which focused primarily on one person's activities.
3 votes all in positive categories. Eh, I'll take it.
At 12/28/14 01:01 AM, Natick wrote: bunch of nobodies and idiots congratulating each other on winning the senate elections for shit mountain
It's just like a real election! Yaaay!
Ah balls the voting thread got locked before I had a chance to post. I haven't been around as much this year but it still would've been nice to be able to highlight some of the people I think are cool. So I guess I'll just have to do it here: @TheMaster, @Vnzi (fuck all of you), @Natick, @Oolaph, @Powerage, @Piper, @Sense-Offender, @Slint, @HeavenDuff, @Jackho, @Auz, @Piggler, @AxTekk, @Viper, @Ryanson, @NuScarab, @24901miles, @orangebomb, @naronic and @Feoric and probably lots of other folks I'm forgetting right now. Mad self-back-pats all around guys.
At 12/27/14 02:03 PM, Sense-Offender wrote: And when did "faggotry" cause people to pee their pants around here? You know I'm not literally calling anyone gay or trying to defame gay people as a whole. I thought I was on Newgrounds, the last place to have people getting a chub from taking self righteous offense over nothing. Am I the first person here to get scolded for referencing arboreal lgbts?
Words don't exist in a vacuum, dude. C'mon...
At 12/21/14 01:54 AM, Chdonga wrote: It was purely fanservice. There was just not enough buildup in the series to justify them falling for each other.
IMHO there was a hell of a lot more buildup for them (especially in this season) than there was for Aang and Katara, which was pretty much a completely one-sided attraction until that last scene.
I was at the taping. It was incredible. Watch.
At 12/8/14 11:20 PM, Natick wrote: just re-watched the conversation and now i have to write a thematic analysis paper by thursday, @Slint
Hey, I wrote a (shitty, intro class) paper about The Conversation too!
Protip: sound does most of the formal heavy lifting in this movie, like, to an extent that's really unusual compared to most movies. You should probably talk about it.
I've barely gotten to listen to anything from this year so I'm not going to make a list yet.
But I will say that Run the Jewels 2 is fucking awesome.
At 12/9/14 01:02 AM, Natick wrote: ignoring the gamergate farce, i think her arguments were quite rational and succinct
I don't know how you can "ignore the gamergate farce" when she's specifically made this video to capitalize on it.
This video was made by the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank which had close ties to the George W. Bush administration and is known among other things for throwing substantial support behind climate change denial. I would not take anything these people say at face value and I would call them anything but "rational and succinct."
Hahaha, of course. I knew it would be Christina Hoff Sommers, the woman Gamergators actually call "Mom" without the slightest hint of self-awareness, because the psychology behind their movement is that fucking transparent.
Funny how 'Gator-types rage against socially conscious games writers/indie developers - many of whom have been making/writing about games for years and most of whom have been playing games since before most 'Gators were even born - for "bringing politics into games" and call them out as some sort of invading external enemy, but Sommers - who doesn't have any sort of background in games and works for a conservative think tank - is not only totally a-okay but one of the movement's biggest heroes. Hmmm...
At 12/8/14 10:08 PM, Bit wrote: - Some studies show that female gamers outnumber male, but we all know that isn't true because Angry Birds and Bejeweled aren't hardcore games.
Sort of a self-fulfilling prophecy when the working definition of "hardcore" is basically "shit men like" and the working definition of "casual" is basically "shit women like." These are completely worthless, meaningless distinctions that exist only to bolster the status quo and delegitimize anything else (not coincidentally just like Gamergate itself).
- Male hardcore gamers (20+ hours per week) outnumber females 7:1 and this has been fairly constant for over a decade
So two seconds ago "hardcore" described a type of game but now it describes how much a person plays games. Wouldn't a person who plays over 20 hours of Candy Crush per week be a "hardcore gamer," then? See how nebulous and stupid a term this is? How completely arbitrary and ridiculous the notion of "20+ hours per week makes you a real gamer" is? How utterly impossible and ass-pulled that "7:1 ratio over the past decade" non-statistic has to be?
No other artistic medium dwells on this sort of insanity. Sure, there's still plenty of in-group out-group posturing and bluster, but at least it's not whatever the hell this shit is.
- People describe video games as causing violence, despite no real link between violent games and real life violence being shown
Oh, you mean people like disbarred former lawyer and noted Gamergate ally Jack Thompson?
- Many games feature manly heroes and sexy women, but these tropes have nearly died out because of all of the innovative new games
So you've never actually sat and watched a single one of Sarkeesian's videos have you.
But even then this is such obvious bullshit on its face. Those tropes are still blatantly all over mainstream video games, and I have no idea what "all of the innovative new games" is even supposed to mean in a AAA environment that mostly amounts to sequels to games where you're a grizzled white dude shooting people or sequels to games where you're a grizzled white dude stabbing people, and maybe sequels to games where you're a cartoon plumber jumping on shit ever few years if God is being merciful.
- And games which do feature male protagonists and attractive women do so because the people who play them are mostly men
Again, a self-fulfilling prophecy. Of course women are more often going to be disinclined to play these types of games when those games and the men who play them are so quick to marginalize them, if not treat them with open hostility.
- Anti-videogame women cherry-pick their arguments, and really just want to kill male gaming culture
And here we have more impossibly vague, totally meaningless mouth farts. Who are the "anti-videogame women?" When and how have they expressed a desire to "kill male gaming culture?" What is "male gaming culture?"
If I had to venture a guess at what you mean by that then I suppose I'd say "male gaming culture" was invented ~15 years ago by media conglomerates and junk food companies and good riddance if it dies. Maybe if gaming culture stopped being dominated by leering, sweaty goons who speak entirely in Internet memes and teabag each other I wouldn't have to be so embarrassed to call myself a fan of video games.
- Game culture is not really dying.
Then why is it voiding its bowels so loudly.
Game culture actually tends to be very accepting
...As long as you think and act in perfect lockstep with the consensus of the dominant culture, like the anime girlfriend Gamergate had to make up to represent them because they couldn't find any normal game-playing women to join their hate mob.
Also @Dr-Worm @Vnzi @anyothergenderactivistsandSJWs
Please do not @ mention me on any more of your posts, you mouth-breathing dunce.
Re: the whole John Boyega "controversy," I love how Star Wars nerds have strenuously disowned the prequels and their additions to the canon for years, but now that they help to provide a paper-thin justification for racism it's suddenly of vital importance that all the stormtroopers are clones of Boba Fett's dad.
At 11/29/14 09:37 PM, Natick wrote: seriously, if you're over the age of 19 and still enjoy star wars, you're fucking pathetic and have shit taste
Oh stop it.
Do you actually not understand what non-diegetic sound is?
I had to delete a couple of the questions I'm less knowledgeable about or didn't have a simple answer for to make space for other shit but here ya go. Also sorry if some of my answers come off as especially angry but between the Brown and Garner verdicts and this past election cycle I've been getting pretty pissed off about American politics lately.
At 12/4/14 04:06 PM, Scarface wrote: I see a lot of quasi-political discussions here, and while it seems most of the users are a bit more liberal, I'm genuinely curious to find out your opinions on some issues.
Huh, if anything I've found this site to lean substantially further right than every other site I frequent but okay.
1. What kind of economic system do you prefer? Free-market capitalism? Socialism? Somewhere in between?
Capitalism, kept in check by government regulation and cushioned by socialist programs. That's the winning Coca-Cola Classic formula, but since the Reagan years we've been steadily deregulating and throwing that balance way out of whack, and now we're stuck drinking nasty New Coke.
2. More regulation on corporate practices? Or less?
Much more. See above.
3. Higher minimum wage? Lower minimum wage? No minimum wage? If you do support a minimum wage, should it be constantly adjusted for inflation?
Higher.
5. Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?
Choice. Anti-abortion laws, like all anti-contraception laws, are first and foremost attempts to restrict and control women's bodies. Not okay.
6. What kind of foreign policy do you prefer? Isolationist? Interventionist? Some moderate intervention when necessary?
This shit is so complicated and case-by-case that I couldn't even begin to give a single broad answer.
7. Marijuana: Legal or illegal?
Legal. It's significantly less dangerous than alcohol and various frequently abused prescription meds, and the only real problems with the drug are those that are directly caused by its prohibition. So.
8. Same sex marriage: Legal or illegal?
Legal, on account of it's the 2010s and I'm not a knuckle-dragging moron.
9. Same sex couples adopting: Legal or illegal?
See above.
10. Do you think we should remove ALL discrimination laws, so employers have the freedom to hire and turn away whoever they want?
No. Fuck. No.
11. How do you feel about Affirmative Action?
It's not ideal, but as the events of the past couple weeks (among other things) have clearly displayed, systemic racial prejudice and racial inequality are far from over in America and incentivizing schools and businesses to be more diverse is still very necessary.
I also think that a lot of people misunderstand what affirmative action actually is and vastly overestimate how much it actually ends up effecting school/employment decisions, which leads them to resent it more than maybe they should.
12. Should references to religion be allowed on our money, in our pledge, etc. and should people swear on a bible when testifying in court?
I'd really rather they didn't. This is fundamentally a secular nation, by law, by the very first clause of the very first amendment to our constitution in fact. By contrast the invocations of God on our money and in our pledge are pretty recent and frivolous inventions, brought about in the mid-20th century to combat atheist Communism.
13. Should the theory of creationism be allowed in public schools?
Sure...in a literature or comparative religion class where it fucking belongs. Things that are not science should obviously not be taught in science classrooms, though.
14. Should police be allowed to use racial profiling as a part of probable cause when stopping and frisking people without a warrant?
Absolutely not.
16. Do you think there should be a flat tax rate or a progressive tax rate?
By this point in the survey I think you can guess.
17. Do you think churches should be required to pay property taxes?
Yup.
18. Do you think citizens should be allowed to own guns? Are there certain types of guns they should not own? Should they be allowed to carry these guns (if only certain kinds) on their person in public?
Honestly, no. But I know that's not a realistic goal given this country's insane gun culture, so I'd be fine with tighter regulations.
19. Do you think criminal background checks should be required when purchasing a gun? Mental background checks?
Yes, that'd be the least of it.
20. What kind of procedures should be implemented to prevent further school shootings? No guns being allowed at all on school property (aside from police officers)?
This is the only option you've listed that would actually help to prevent further shootings. The notion that putting more guns in people's hands will make us safer is statistically untrue inane cowboy bullshit.
21. Should someone suspected of terrorist activity be entitled to a trial before they are detained?
Yes.
22. Should corporations be allowed to donate as much as they want to political candidates? Should politicians be allowed to accept corporate donations at all?
Absolutely not, and maybe but with heavy restrictions and regulations. This is the problem that causes all the other problems.
23. Should the government subsidize any industries (agricultural, energy, medical research, etc)?
Yes, but obviously it needs to be very careful about what it's subsidizing and why.
24. Should it be legal for teachers or parents to use physical punishment on children?
No.
25. Should the government pass a law protecting net neutrality?
Yes.
27. Should products like tobacco, alcohol, prescription drugs etc. be allowed to be advertised the same as any other product?
Their very real health risks should be clearly and honestly stated and they shouldn't be marketing to children, but other than that sure.
28. Should food companies be required to label their products if they contain GMOs (Genetically Modified Organisms)?
Yes. As with above, any labeling regulation that helps consumers make more informed decisions can only be a good thing.
29. Should United States Supreme Court Justices (or the equivalent in other countries, if there is one) have term limits?
No, that would pretty much defeat the court's entire purpose.
30. Should there be legal consequences if a politician is caught blatantly lying to the public, either in a political campaign commercial, a debate or an public speech or address?
Only if those lies already violate existing laws. I'd say that the frequency and flagrancy with which politicians are able to lie with impunity is mostly the media's fault, not the law's.
32. Should the government be able to monitor citizen's internet activity and phone conversations without probable cause for suspicion? With probable cause? Should that be considered admissible evidence in court?
No, only with a warrant, only with a warrant.
34. Should the United States (and other countries who still do this) continue its embargo on Cuba?
No.
35. Should gambling be legal everywhere?
This is one of the rare cases where I'll say leave it up to individual states and localities. There are pros and cons to legalized gambling and each community has to weigh them for itself.
36. Should everyone get the same quality health care? Or should those with more money be entitled to better health care?
This is a false dichotomy. You can have a system where people with more money can get more expensive care and there's a decent baseline of coverage for everyone.
37. Should the death penalty be legal? Under what circumstances should it be used?
No. Again, something something 2010s. Plus life sentences actually end up being much cheaper for the state because they don't go through an endless appeal process.
38. Should euthanasia be legal?
Yes.
39. Should drug abuse be treated criminally or medically?
Medically.
40. What political party (if any) do you align yourself with?
I'm a registered Democrat but I'm getting pretty frustrated with their bullshit too, and I tend to lean more progressive than what their general party line seems to be.
There's still a lot I have to see but right now I guess I'd say Boyhood, with Under the Skin and The Grand Budapest Hotel close behind.
At 11/10/14 08:32 PM, Luke wrote: It was a really fucked up movie, and the main actor was really ugly. I have been trying to figure it out for hours, but no luck... Anybody seen this?
The movie you're thinking of is Holy Motors, more or less my favorite movie of the 2010s so far!
He's not a hitman, he's an actor being recorded by high-tech hidden cameras for the viewing pleasure of an unseen audience, though he does play a criminal in two of his "scenes" (in fact, he plays both killer and victim in both of them).
The movie is indeed really fucked up (way to bury the lede on the model-kidnapping scene; the model is Eva Mendes, the actor plays a feral, naked sewer-dweller, and he drags her to his underground lair where he refashions her clothes into a burqa and munches on her hair while sporting one of the angriest boners in cinematic history), and I highly recommend it to everyone.
Also a paper I wrote about this movie is actually going to be published in a film journal in a couple months. So yeah.
I've been playing pretty much all weekend. Still pretty rusty (I only just got past Mom's Heart for the first time) but for the most part it's a blast as always.
At 11/4/14 07:10 PM, SansNumbers wrote: I just played a round and died on Depths I against Monstro II, which was a reasonable thing to expect from a bad player like me back in the original game.
Yeah, it looks like they fixed the little exploit where you could draw Monstro II into only doing its laser move, which used to make it much easier.
I love the changes they've made to the Mom's Heart boss fight, though.
At 11/6/14 08:32 AM, Chdonga wrote: The only problem I had with Rebirth was a problem that was in the original game: You can move freely but you can only shoot in four directions. Eight-direction shooting should be the standard.
Uh, you can shoot in eight directions, it just takes a little maneuvering.
Slowly, slowly, sloooowly making my way through David Foster Wallace's Infinite Jest (I'm maybe a little less than 15% of the way through). So far it's pretty damn fantastic and not nearly as daunting as people say it is, just really long.
At 10/19/14 11:58 PM, Powerage wrote: things an actual adult might say
At 10/20/14 09:08 PM, Piper wrote: other things an actual adult might say
Oh thank god.
Seeing as I'm not a socially maladjusted 13 year-old this game looks boring and embarrassing.
Because FOX News really is substantially worse than any of the others. Several studies from various sources over the years have all come to the conclusion that FOX viewers are consistently misinformed about issues to a greater extent than the viewers of any other news programs, with at least one study finding that people who watched no news at all were better informed than FOX viewers.
At 10/16/14 12:26 AM, FlockMastaBack wrote: Pretty much this. Remember when people freaked out when a game that literally had you beat her up got taken down? Lmao.
Haha right. A website deciding they don't want to host an ugly, abusive game is apparently a gross violation of free speech, but literally forcing a woman into silence with threats of violence is totally a-okay.
This shit would be funny if it weren't so terrifying and real.
Right, clearly Anita Sarkeesian's incredibly mild, accessible, introductory level critiques of ubiquitous and easily identifiable gender tropes in video games make her history's greatest monster...
Ugh, enough with this shit already. Grow up.
At 10/9/14 03:27 PM, Jackho wrote: Man I just want to play videogames without women on the internet trying to bully me into feeling bad for it.
Pleasetellmeyou'rekiddingpleasetellmeyou'rekiddingpleasetellmeyou'rekidding
At 10/8/14 01:43 PM, WahyaRanger wrote: I gave up on The Legend of Korra but I still watch it because I'm a vegetable.
The first season got worse and worse as it went along and the second was absolutely abysmal throughout...but the third season was inexplicably fantastic.
To this day I'll still go to bat for City of Heroes. I can't think of any game where I've seen a wider variety of character designs.
At 10/7/14 11:05 AM, All-American-Badass wrote: I don't know what Nik is trying to prove here, we already know he's probably the best tightrope walker in the world.
I think Philippe Petit might argue with that...
