winther's recent activity
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Comment on Babylon 5 S01E02: "Midnight On The Firing Line" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther Link ParentCurious about Poor Things. It was the first Lanthimos I saw and I did find it interesting to see something that wacky as almost a mainstream feature, though I did have some qualms with its...Curious about Poor Things. It was the first Lanthimos I saw and I did find it interesting to see something that wacky as almost a mainstream feature, though I did have some qualms with its bluntness and lack of subtlety. I have since seen all Lanthimos' films and my opinion now is that he has basically gotten less interesting as his popularity has grown. Dogtooth is still his absolute best.
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Comment on Legacy sequels and remakes you think were actually good and worth making? in ~movies
winther LinkI really liked Godzilla Minus One and would highly recommend it over the original from 1954. The classic is definitely worth seeing, but requires a more historical mindset where Minus One has the...I really liked Godzilla Minus One and would highly recommend it over the original from 1954. The classic is definitely worth seeing, but requires a more historical mindset where Minus One has the same core qualities with the addition of being a high budget modern production. With the black and white version it retains the 1950s monster aesthetics as well.
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Comment on Babylon 5 S01E1: "The Gathering" - Episode Discussion in ~tv
winther (edited )LinkI have dusted off my old complete DVD boxset, and that was really fun revisiting this again after so many years. Couldn't remember the plot as such, but I was immediately reminded of why...I have dusted off my old complete DVD boxset, and that was really fun revisiting this again after so many years. Couldn't remember the plot as such, but I was immediately reminded of why Garibaldi, G'Kar and Mollari were such great characters. And I had almost completely forgotten about Sinclair
as he is only in the first season.While it is clearly a pilot with some drawbacks compared to what the show later become in terms of quality, it still establishes many of the important characters and the overall setting without explaining too much. It really feels like we are just thrown into a setting where plenty has happened before and we get to piece the things together. Especially the former conflict between Earth and Minbari becomes extremely vital to the rest of the series, and we get some great little foreshadowing of that as well.If this becomes a weekly thing, we are in for over 2 years with hopefully at least some people committed to a watch/rewatch.
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Comment on Hot take: movies suck because there is no rental market in ~movies
winther Link ParentThere were definitely big blockbusters in the past that adjusted for inflation can rival those of the present, but a film like Jaws was made on a budget that in today’s money would be $55m which...There were definitely big blockbusters in the past that adjusted for inflation can rival those of the present, but a film like Jaws was made on a budget that in today’s money would be $55m which is a sort of range that don’t really work anymore.
On the contrary, I would say physical media is cheaper today. I paid more for VHS than I do for most Blurays today - and that isn’t even adjusted for inflation. Digital rental prices is also about on par what physical rentals Blockbuster rentals was.
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Comment on Messy 2026 F1 cars leave a deeply disturbing impression in ~sports.motorsports
winther Link ParentI agree, objective speed doesn't matter much. 90s F1 "feels" faster, even though it isn't, because the camera tech back then made things shakier and the cars didn't have the same downforce levels,...I agree, objective speed doesn't matter much. 90s F1 "feels" faster, even though it isn't, because the camera tech back then made things shakier and the cars didn't have the same downforce levels, so the cars appear harder to handle.
In many ways, IndyCar more or less gives what many F1 fans seems to want in that regard, but in reality the whole off-track drama and tech development is always a very integral part of F1 that makes it very different from closer to spec type of series.
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Comment on Hot take: movies suck because there is no rental market in ~movies
winther Link ParentI assume that is just down to opportunistic profit maximization because a small subset of customers will just want it as soon as possible. It usually only stays on that high price for a couple of...I assume that is just down to opportunistic profit maximization because a small subset of customers will just want it as soon as possible. It usually only stays on that high price for a couple of weeks before dropping back to normal levels from what I can observe in iTunes. The new Running Man is for example €6 for me, and it was in theaters just 2 months ago. About the same price considering inflation I paid to rent new titles in Blockbuster 15 years ago, but they didn't arrive so quickly. If anything, the short timeframe to rental is probably hurting the theater business as you don't have to wait as long as you did before.
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Comment on Hot take: movies suck because there is no rental market in ~movies
winther Link ParentMubi and The Criterion Channel is the only streaming services I find worth keeping, exactly because they do curated selections and not just fill their catalogue of random titles they got in a big...Mubi and The Criterion Channel is the only streaming services I find worth keeping, exactly because they do curated selections and not just fill their catalogue of random titles they got in a big bundle deal. Selections based on theme, actors, directors or decades are much more interesting to dive into than algorithmic driven recommendations.
But the hard truth also is that experimental movies that does things a bit differently aren't exactly profitable. Most of what is being produced in Europe only exists due to state funded grants for film production, as only the big ticket sellers are commercially viable. With the loss of the profits from the DVD market, the industry has shifted more towards either massive big budget blockbusters that must make a big profit, or small low budget indie productions. The middle ground has dwindled a lot.
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Comment on AI doesn’t reduce work—it intensifies it in ~tech
winther Link ParentAI tools has definitely unlocked productivity potential that were previously mostly available to programmers, as has become apparent to me when I see what my non-engineers coworkers are talking...AI tools has definitely unlocked productivity potential that were previously mostly available to programmers, as has become apparent to me when I see what my non-engineers coworkers are talking excited about being able to do. I am sure most engineers have encountered countless examples over the years of workflows they could see be greatly improved with a little bit of custom software tooling, but the resources or priority are rarely given to improve internal tooling. In that space, there is potential for great improvement if applied properly.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther Link ParentHaven't heard about Last Hurrah for Chivalry. Interesting with some even earlier John Woo. If you haven't, check out Heroes Shed No Tears from 1984 as it is his take on a war movie, which is about...Haven't heard about Last Hurrah for Chivalry. Interesting with some even earlier John Woo. If you haven't, check out Heroes Shed No Tears from 1984 as it is his take on a war movie, which is about as bonkers as you would expect.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther Link ParentI am planning to rewatch A Better Tomorrow soon as I just rewatched The Killer, which is John Woos major claim to fame from 1989 and a great continuation if you liked A Better Tomorrow. More...I am planning to rewatch A Better Tomorrow soon as I just rewatched The Killer, which is John Woos major claim to fame from 1989 and a great continuation if you liked A Better Tomorrow. More doves, more guns, more bloodspatter and a real good tragic love story on top of everything.
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Comment on Why there's no European Google? in ~tech
winther Link ParentJust to chime in here as I work with both GCP and Hetzner, and Hetzner is very much DIY compared to all the managed services you can get with GCP. Hetzner gives you basic tools to orchestrate a...Just to chime in here as I work with both GCP and Hetzner, and Hetzner is very much DIY compared to all the managed services you can get with GCP. Hetzner gives you basic tools to orchestrate a network and VMs, but the rest is up to you. With GCP we can basically just do a few clicks, then we have a fully managed Kubernetes setup, a database with backup and HA. Stuff like good log search is just there for all your stuff, whereas in Hetzner we have to deploy our own Loki for example. Of course Google has quite a pricetag on those services, but still way cheaper than the man hours needed to provide something similar in Hetzner. Also, in the last five years, GCP have only had one outage affecting us when their HTTP load balancer when down globally. Hetzner frequently has odd smaller outages, weird issues and is generally more flaky.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther Link ParentI agree that Maverick has the better script, but it is easy to get lost in the on track battles, and just like Cruise did with Days of Thunder, Pitt makes the corny dialogue with his charm.I agree that Maverick has the better script, but it is easy to get lost in the on track battles, and just like Cruise did with Days of Thunder, Pitt makes the corny dialogue with his charm.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther LinkGot around to watching the F1 movie and it positively surprised me. I didn't have the highest expectations, knowing that it would probably be closer to Days of Thunder than Rush, which held true,...Got around to watching the F1 movie and it positively surprised me. I didn't have the highest expectations, knowing that it would probably be closer to Days of Thunder than Rush, which held true, but just as it surprised me how much I ended up liking Top Gun: Maverick, this won me over too. Yes the story is clichéd and done before, but everything is just extremely well made, the racing is exciting and there is a charm and love for the sport throughout the entire film. As a Formula 1 fan there may be things that makes your eyes roll at how ridiculous it is, but surprisingly for the most part - almost everything have happened in real races from team mates running each other off track, to shady tactics, dubious investigations and the surprise underdog win. Yes it is heavily dramatized to all happen in a single season, but I was pleasantly surprised how the narrative kept me engaged from start to finish. The technical marvel behind the production is a masterpiece in its own right. The blend of fictional and real drivers and races is seamless and could have been basically any episode of Drive to Survive.
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Comment on Matt Damon says Netflix wants movies to restate the 'plot three or four times in the dialogue' because viewers are on 'their phones while they're watching' in ~movies
winther LinkNot much more to this article than the title, but it is a confirmation why it is getting more and more frustrating watching new movies and shows. From a commercial perspective it makes sense to...Not much more to this article than the title, but it is a confirmation why it is getting more and more frustrating watching new movies and shows. From a commercial perspective it makes sense to adapt to your customers behavior, but the sad thing is that it creates a self-enforcing loop that can only go downhill. When the script constantly demands repetitions, explanations and exposition, if you are actually watching it with proper focus you become bored and will more likely reach for your phone. While putting the big action scene at the beginning can make sense and might even be an interesting change from the usual structure, it is hard to see much artistic good reasons for having characters basically say the plot out loud as it is happening.
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Matt Damon says Netflix wants movies to restate the 'plot three or four times in the dialogue' because viewers are on 'their phones while they're watching'
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther LinkI have never had much interests in the 80s slasher series, but I wanted to at least familiarize myself with the big franchises, so I have seen A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th Part 2....I have never had much interests in the 80s slasher series, but I wanted to at least familiarize myself with the big franchises, so I have seen A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th Part 2.
Honestly didn't expect A Nightmare on Elm Street to be so good and enjoyable as it was. First of all it looks fantastic. Clearly high production value and good cinematography. The gritty rough look can work too, but in this case it really helped the film to not look overly cheap. As the story is built around an effective blend of dream and reality, it is vital that those scene look convincing, and they nail it. Every dream sequence feels unique and well executed. There is a level of creativity I didn't expect. I was completely taken aback by the full on Exorcist mode, that sealed this film in the "Why haven't I seen this before now?"-category.
A few things doesn't work that well, like the ending is weird and off-tone compared to the rest, and the acting can sometimes be clunky. But what an absolute classic! I know the rest of the series probably doesn't have quite the same quality, but I still want to see the rest now.For Friday the 13th Part 2 maybe I shouldn't have watched this was immediately after Nightmare on Elm Street, as the drop in quality and entertainment was massive. Yes, different franchises that does different things, and maybe Part 2 isn't the best place to start, but it was what I had available. On the positive side, this seems very honest in what its goals and ambitions are. Show some kills and some half-naked/naked teenagers. It doesn't try to be more than that, which is fine. I just found it to be very slow going, none of the characters are particular interesting so you don't really care when they get killed off, and the kills aren't that creative. I did appreciate the more "human" part of Jason as a character. He doesn't act supernatural just yet at least.
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Comment on EU-US trade deal ‘on hold’ after new Donald Trump tariffs | MP: "The activation of the EU Anti-Coercion Instrument should be explicitly considered" in ~society
winther LinkWith how EU trade works, the US can’t put individual tariffs on specific countries. It will automatically be all countries. So of course this will be a blatant violation of the previous agreement.With how EU trade works, the US can’t put individual tariffs on specific countries. It will automatically be all countries. So of course this will be a blatant violation of the previous agreement.
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Comment on La Marseillaise, Casablanca (1943) in ~movies
winther LinkWhen I first saw Casablanca that scene got something in me I couldn't explain, I was almost trembling. I know it sounds a bit hokey, but really like the weight of history is captured in that...When I first saw Casablanca that scene got something in me I couldn't explain, I was almost trembling. I know it sounds a bit hokey, but really like the weight of history is captured in that scene. I knew of course that it was filmed during WW2, but only later learned that many of the actors on screen were French refugees and especially the closeup of Madeline Lebeau tells everything. This is not acting in a film, but a historic document of what people were fighting for.
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Comment on Recommendations needed: Favorite “comfort” movies in ~movies
winther LinkJust answering as a stream of consciousness thing, my personal answer would be: My Neighbor Totoro Jurassic Park The Mask Liar, Liar Clerks Galaxy Quest Mission Impossible Everything Star TrekJust answering as a stream of consciousness thing, my personal answer would be:
My Neighbor Totoro
Jurassic Park
The Mask
Liar, Liar
Clerks
Galaxy Quest
Mission Impossible
Everything Star Trek
While there is a plot that both starts and wraps up - sort of, it is still very evident that everything is part of a greater worldbuilding. It properly feels like we are just thrown into the middle of things, with plenty of alliances, previous wars and people with interesting back stories we get glimpses off. The political aspects is what really gets established here, with the conflict between orders from Earth and the difficult diplomatic problems needing to be dealt with far away from home. It has been so many years that I can't remember many specifics, but it all feels very familiar.