GOTHAM (May Contain SPOILERS)

What a dumb show.
I guess people will watch anything, as long as it distracts them from reality...

doolhoofd said:

What a dumb show.
I guess people will watch anything, as long as it distracts them from reality...

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So far, all your posts have been about how stupid popular movies and shows are. Is there any kind of entertainment you do enjoy?

Manuel Royal said:

So far, all your posts have been about how stupid popular movies and shows are. Is there any kind of entertainment you do enjoy?

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This is an excellent question. I'm much more interested in reading about something someone found worth their time, and interesting.

Manuel Royal said:

So far, all your posts have been about how stupid popular movies and shows are. Is there any kind of entertainment you do enjoy?

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I watched Jim Gaffigan's brilliant show Beyond the Pale recently.
Seriously though, you have to admit, all that Hollywood slush is pretty dumb.
I used to enjoy movies when I was younger.
Then I grew up, and started to notice how fake and silly it all is.

doolhoofd said:

Seriously though, you have to admit, all that Hollywood slush is pretty dumb.
I used to enjoy movies when I was younger.
Then I grew up, and started to notice how fake and silly it all is.

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I love Hollywood slush. And Gotham. Some don't, and that's fine--as long as we respect each other's opinions.

doolhoofd said:

I watched Jim Gaffigan's brilliant show Beyond the Pale recently.
Seriously though, you have to admit, all that Hollywood slush is pretty dumb.
I used to enjoy movies when I was younger.
Then I grew up, and started to notice how fake and silly it all is.

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You seem to have watched a lot of "dumb"* movies in your time. May I point you towards the bookshelf?

*Ahem. Wordchoice is a Thing.

mccardey said:

You seem to have watched a lot of "dumb"* movies in your time. May I point you towards the bookshelf?

*Ahem. Wordchoice is a Thing.

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I've read a lot of good - and bad - books in my time as well, let me assure you.
And I didn't mean to insult or disrespect anyone.
I'm just saying, watching film is easy and comfortable, it provides instant visual gratification, so it's addictive, and I think we've come to the point now where people who've grown accustomed to the new media will simply watch just about anything offered to them as long as it provides them with an escape from reality info more fantastical and supernatural worlds.
People actually got "homesick" after watching Avatar, they fell in love with the Na'vi and wanted to stay in Pandora...

doolhoofd said:

I've read a lot of good - and bad - books in my time as well, let me assure you.
And I didn't mean to insult or disrespect anyone.
I'm just saying, watching film is easy and comfortable, it provides instant visual gratification, so it's addictive, and I think we've come to the point now where people who've grown accustomed to the new media will simply watch just about anything offered to them as long as it provides them with an escape from reality info more fantastical and supernatural worlds.
People actually got "homesick" after watching Avatar, they fell in love with the Na'vi and wanted to stay in Pandora...

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People watch tv and movies for different reasons, and I don't think any is more valid than another.

I do love the fantasy/supernatural shows, had a blast with the Marvel universe on Netflix. The two movies I enjoyed most this year (one is older, but I'm often way behind) were BlackKkKlansman and The Florida Project. All very different, but none cancel out the others.

doolhoofd said:

I watched Jim Gaffigan's brilliant show Beyond the Pale recently.
Seriously though, you have to admit, all that Hollywood slush is pretty dumb.
I used to enjoy movies when I was younger.
Then I grew up, and started to notice how fake and silly it all is.

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How nice for you! While you luxuriate in your personal maturity, take a gander at The Newbie Guide to Absolute Write.

We're particularly serious about the respecting your fellow writers part. We're also serious about writing; write like you mean what you say. Write as if your words are being read by lots of people who don't know you except via what you write.

Was there something wrong with what I wrote?
Sorry; I'm not a native English speaker; I'm from Belgium; we speak Dutch here; hence my username.

doolhoofd said:

Was there something wrong with what I wrote?
Sorry; I'm not a native English speaker; I'm from Belgium; we speak Dutch here; hence my username.

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You're using English very well. I admire anyone who can communicate in a second language. My grandmother was Dutch (maiden name Reyngold), but I don't speak any of the language.

It's true that, at any point in history, most popular entertainment has been pretty shallow. That's just as true now.

And yet -- there are more tv series in production than at any time before, and quite a few of them are intelligent and interesting. More than I have time to watch. (Haven't caught up on "The Expanse", for instance.)

There've been some really good movies the past few years, as well. Especially for science fiction fans ("Arrival", "Ex Machina", "Blade Runner 2049", etc.), but also in every other genre. They're all debatable, of course -- no movie can please everybody, and shouldn't try to. (I found "Avatar" dreary.) But, there's lots of interesting stuff.

And that's just what's on screens. There are probably more books being published than in any previous year, and they're amazingly varied. Among the writers here on Absolute Write, there are people who are passionate about things I barely understand, writing in genres and styles I might not connect with -- but that's good, because other readers, with tastes very different from mine, may love their work.

In a sense, any form of fiction can be seen as silly. We make up things that don't exist and then tell each other about them. But humans have always done that, and the imaginary things we conjure up have resonance in the real world. Sometimes a fantasy is the best way to express a truth.

I like Jim Gaffigan too. ("Beyond the Pale" is a punning title in English; I'm not sure if the phrase has a Dutch counterpart.)

What are some books or movies you like, Doolhoofd?

Manuel Royal said:

What are some books or movies you like, Doolhoofd?

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Books: Seduction, The Vital Illusion and Fatal Strategies by Jean Baudrillard; Lof Der Zotheid 2001 by Arnon Grunberg (Dutch); American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis.
Movies: Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2; Gremlins 1 & 2; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas; American Psycho; Jurassic Park; Star Wars (the original trilogy).

You are right, of course. I like GotG for the atmosphere; it made me feel like I was in another world for a small period of time. But I can think of many things that are wrong with the films - for instance, that the whole universe appears to speak English. As far as movies and series, and fiction in general goes, an era of overproduction is beginning, we're starting to live our lives in virtual realities almost full-time now, and to be honest, it saddens me.

doolhoofd said:

I'm just saying, watching film is easy and comfortable, it provides instant visual gratification, so it's addictive, and I think we've come to the point now where people who've grown accustomed to the new media will simply watch just about anything offered to them as long as it provides them with an escape from reality info more fantastical and supernatural worlds.
People actually got "homesick" after watching Avatar, they fell in love with the Na'vi and wanted to stay in Pandora....

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Here's a thing - films aren't always easy or comfortable. They can be as challenging and discomforting as you like. Choose easy, you'll get easy. Instead of dissing easy and the people who choose easy, try extending your own choices.

(Also, not for nothing but your assumptions are very neuronormative. I find following films and television extremely difficult - much much more difficult than reading.)

Even though Gotham is a prequel, if anyone is interested, there is a new TV series that will be a prequel to Gotham....

Title: Pennyworth
Airdate: 7/28/19
Network: Epix (American cable / dish).
About: "Interested in Batman's butler's origin story? Then you'll have to figure out if Epix is included in your cable package. (Also: Do you have cable?) This 10-episode, series (a prequel to Fox's Gotham) is set in an alternate version of 1960s London and follows former British SAS soldier Alfred Pennyworth (Jack Bannon) as he forms a security company with young billionaire Thomas Wayne (Ben Aldridge). The series comes from Gotham's Bruno Heller and Danny Cannon and also stars Paloma Faith, Jason Flemyng, and Polly Walker."
Website: https://www.epix.com/series/pennyworth

I use Comcast for TV and Internet. It's on channel 860, with my local Comcast, but I have to pay additional money on top of my plan to watch it. I'll pass.

No Sean Pertwee? I'll pass, too.

Gotham was a great show. I'm gonna miss the hell out of it.

So I actually sat down and watched this.
-Spoiler alert, maybe-
Theo Gallivan is the most unbelievable villain ever (in the sense of: zero credibility).
So many things that don't add up, so many logical fallacies...
It would be fatiguing to list them all.

doolhoofd said:

So many things that don't add up, so many logical fallacies...
It would be fatiguing to list them all.

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Then by all means, don't.