smiles134's recent activity

  1. Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    That doesn't change what I said at all

    That doesn't change what I said at all

    5 votes

  2. Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    One thing existing means another project wasn't funded.

    One thing existing means another project wasn't funded.

    7 votes

  3. Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    If we want more from this series, why not another animated sequel? Why put all this effort into redoing a movie that we can already watch, and is less than 15 years old. It's just a soulless cash...

    If we want more from this series, why not another animated sequel? Why put all this effort into redoing a movie that we can already watch, and is less than 15 years old.

    It's just a soulless cash grab relying on (very recent) nostalgia.

    10 votes

  4. Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    When it comes out, the animated movie will only be ten years old lol

    When it comes out, the animated movie will only be ten years old lol

    4 votes

  5. Comment on How To Train Your Dragon | Official teaser trailer in ~movies

    smiles134
    Link
    This seems so totally unnecessary. The animated movie is great, and recent! This would be like remaking Moana 😬

    This seems so totally unnecessary. The animated movie is great, and recent! This would be like remaking Moana

    😬

    19 votes

  6. Comment on Wicked, Dune, It, and deceiving the audience about two-parters in ~movies

    smiles134
    (edited )
    Link Parent
    Wicked is one of my favorite musicals, primarily for the music itself, and while I enjoy all* the songs, I think a majority of my favorites are in the first act. Narratively, the second act is...

    Wicked is one of my favorite musicals, primarily for the music itself, and while I enjoy all* the songs, I think a majority of my favorites are in the first act. Narratively, the second act is mostly falling action and getting the characters into their places for the Wizard of Oz. Maybe that'll be satisfying as a movie because it's going to rely on recognizable set pieces and characters... But...

    3 votes

  7. Comment on Half-Life 2 20th anniversary update in ~games

    smiles134
    Link
    Lol. I literally just played and beat this game for the first time last weekend. Zoop

    Lol. I literally just played and beat this game for the first time last weekend. Zoop

    1 vote

  8. Comment on How Bluesky, the rival of Elon Musk’s X, is seizing the moment in ~tech

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    You can do searches for starter packs here: https://blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs/all There are 15 that came up for Pokemon in a wide array of subcategories for instance, so maybe one of...

    You can do searches for starter packs here: https://blueskydirectory.com/starter-packs/all

    There are 15 that came up for Pokemon in a wide array of subcategories for instance, so maybe one of those aligns with your interests

    5 votes

  9. Comment on Satire publication The Onion buys Alex Jones' Infowars at auction with help from Sandy Hook families in ~society

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    I read this first and then like ten minutes later a friend posted the ABC News article on discord and I lost it. I thought it was a joke lol

    I read this first and then like ten minutes later a friend posted the ABC News article on discord and I lost it. I thought it was a joke lol

    17 votes

  10. Comment on Weekly US politics news and updates thread - week of November 4 in ~society

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    I feel awful. The Iowa poll gave me some optimism, but usually my mood swings from anxious to morose. I cannot believe this race is even close. I will never understand it.

    I feel awful. The Iowa poll gave me some optimism, but usually my mood swings from anxious to morose. I cannot believe this race is even close. I will never understand it.

    18 votes

  11. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    smiles134
    Link
    I'm about 75% of the way through Star Wars Outlaws and mostly enjoying it. It's not going to win Game of the Year in any category, nor is the story particularly original or memorable, but it's a...

    I'm about 75% of the way through Star Wars Outlaws and mostly enjoying it. It's not going to win Game of the Year in any category, nor is the story particularly original or memorable, but it's a fun jaunt through familiar Star Wars locations, and it looks gorgeous.

    There are sections where I just wish they'd just gone full on Uncharted because the world and story feel so well suited toward that. There are places with really big/cool setpieces and mostly linear/scripted action with some light platforming. But everything outside of that is pretty run of the mill open world quest stuff: someone lost something in enemy territory and you need to fetch it. Someone else needs some parts for a thing, and you can bring them those parts from different places. The syndicate reputation system is neat... except it's basically meaningless. I've not found that I've needed to improve reputation with one syndicate over another so far. In fact, I maxed out my reputation with the first syndicate I encountered which made some backstabbing quests fairly trivial, without really impacting the gameplay. I think there's something there, but they didn't commit fully. Same with the story quests: if they'd either excised all the open world baggage, OR gone full into a game where you need to appropriately balance your reputation with the syndicates, taking bounties, working your way up in the underworld... either of those games would've been great. But instead we're left with this middle of the road, not overly exciting or ambitious result.

    I'm always in favor of more Star Wars games -- but I hope the industry can finally get rid of its neat to make everything as BIG and OPEN as possible.

    (As a final aside, I will say the planet hubs are definitely bustling. These cities feel lived in, even if I find myself getting lost trying to navigate them.)

    9 votes

  12. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    Prey is one of my all time favorite games. I plan to go back to it pretty soon, but I've got a lot of other games I haven't yet played for the first time to get through still. But it's definitely...

    Prey is one of my all time favorite games. I plan to go back to it pretty soon, but I've got a lot of other games I haven't yet played for the first time to get through still. But it's definitely one I recommend to most people.

    2 votes

  13. Comment on Did you live in a city then move out? How was it? Did it change your energy towards the day-to-day? in ~life

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    I'm assuming based on your use of neighbours that you're not in the US. I'm not sure a place like that exists in the US tbh. At the very least, access to bus and rail in a town of 20k would be...

    I'm assuming based on your use of neighbours that you're not in the US. I'm not sure a place like that exists in the US tbh. At the very least, access to bus and rail in a town of 20k would be unheard of. I didn't have those things in a big city of 200k.

    4 votes

  14. Comment on Endweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    Yeah, I mean, that's one where you just gotta suspend disbelief haha

    Yeah, I mean, that's one where you just gotta suspend disbelief haha

    4 votes

  15. Comment on Donald Trump US tariffs would increase laptop prices by $350+, other electronics by as much as 40% in ~society

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    Because it truly doesn't matter how many questions you ask. They'll evade answering, talk about something else, refuse to elaborate on how it will accomplish any of their goals, because reality is...

    Because it truly doesn't matter how many questions you ask. They'll evade answering, talk about something else, refuse to elaborate on how it will accomplish any of their goals, because reality is only something other people live in.

    Trump and his whole crew knows his base is completely brainwashed. They just need to say things that sound appealing and/or rile the base up and it doesn't matter what the outcome is.

    14 votes

  16. Comment on Endweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies

    smiles134
    (edited )
    Link
    I've watched quite a few movies in the last 10+ days as my wife was out of town and I had a lot of time by myself. In the order I watched them (all for the first time, unless noted): Taxi Driver....

    I've watched quite a few movies in the last 10+ days as my wife was out of town and I had a lot of time by myself.

    In the order I watched them (all for the first time, unless noted):

    Taxi Driver. I was surprised, I guess, that Bickle's rampage pretty much immediately backfires. Other than that, it plays out as I expected. The end sequence reminds me a lot of the end sequence from The King of Comedy, where it's not really clear if it's delusion or reality.

    The Usual Suspects. I've known the twist for a long time, but it's still a very compelling film. I had a bit of trouble following the plot at the start, but I settled into it after a while.

    Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Dawn is still my favorite of this series, but this one comes in 2nd, I think. I liked it SO much better than War, which I found almost silly at times. Woody Harrelson was cartoonishly villainous in that movie, and by contrast, Proximus was a much more interesting antagonist.

    Ex Machina. I enjoyed this movie but thought the entire plot was pretty telegraphed. I liked Oscar Isaac's portrayal of an egomaniacal tech bro, and the power dynamics throughout were interesting. Domnhall Gleeson kills it in basically every role he's in.

    The One I Love. I don't find Elizabeth Moss to be a very talented actress, but I'm a big fan of Mark Duplass, so I gave this a shot. I thought it was okay. I liked that they just went head on into the weirdness and the characters bought into it quickly, but there was essentially no character development whatsoever. I finished the movie not really knowing anything at all about these characters, except that he cheated on her somewhat recently, and she doesn't like bacon. Like... that's pretty much it. The conclusion was pretty obvious as soon as the doubles were introduced, and I didn't think there was really any ambiguity about the ending, though I guess there's supposed to be. In any case, Mark acting across from himself was probably the most compelling aspect of the movie.

    The Silence of the Lambs. I always avoided this movie growing up because I figured it would be gory/violent/jump-scarey as that's what I associated with "horror" movies, but it's not that at all, which probably everyone in the world already knew but me. I really enjoyed this. I couldn't quite figure out what Jodie Foster's accent was supposed to be (she sounded like Holly Hunter to me. I don't think she always sounds like that but maybe I'm wrong). Anyway -- are the other Anthony Hopkins-as-Hannibal Lector movies worthwhile? Just briefly reading their wiki pages, it doesn't seem like it.

    Bernie. I've actually seen this movie before but didn't realize it until about 20 minutes in. It was pretty forgettable the first time I watched, and I felt that way by the end this time, too. There's something interesting about the real life story it's connected to, but I don't think it really reaches that point in the movie.

    The Wild Robot. I thought this was absolutely phenomenal. The best animated movie I've seen in 10 years probably. It's dark, it's funny without being pandering or relying on innuendo (which I think it's common for animated movies for children, winking at the adults in the audience), the emotional stakes are resonant and clearly defined, the animation is gorgeous and the score was superb. It gets a tiny bit melodramatic in the middle relating to the circumstances of the adoption (especially considering how quickly that conflict is resolved), but that's basically my only criticism. I don't have children myself, but I can't imagine being a parent and watching this movie without crying. It is very very good.

    8 votes

  17. Comment on Asmongold's Twitch channel temporarily banned following racist rant about Palestinians in ~games

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    I had a really good friend in high school and through college who I disagreed with about a lot of things, especially politically, but I felt that he was at heart a good person who 1) liked to be...

    I had a really good friend in high school and through college who I disagreed with about a lot of things, especially politically, but I felt that he was at heart a good person who 1) liked to be contrarian and 2) was still a bit immature and working through his own beliefs, as he grew up in a pretty closed-off environment and was still a bit sheltered from things.

    But then he kept slipping further into the alt-right internet sphere and basically found his echo chamber where he could be antagonistic and get a rise out of people and get celebrated for it. He started as a Paul Ryan styled tea party/"never trump" republican and is now completely onboard the MAGA train. I haven't talked to him in over 5 years now, and I keep expecting to see him pop up behind Trump at some rally in our home state.

    At some point, saying things you don't believe just to be outrageous is no different from actually believing those things, especially online, where there's instant reward/response and those who do believe it can use it as fuel to feel empowered and emboldened.

    15 votes

  18. Comment on What games have you been playing, and what's your opinion on them? in ~games

    smiles134
    Link
    I finished up Arkham Knight this weekend and despite the game's insistence on using the batmobile, I really enjoyed it. It's probably my second favorite of the series, behind Arkham Aslyum (I'm...

    I finished up Arkham Knight this weekend and despite the game's insistence on using the batmobile, I really enjoyed it. It's probably my second favorite of the series, behind Arkham Aslyum (I'm really not a huge fan of open world environments and prefer smaller settings/metroidvania style maps).

    Mark Hamill absolutely kills it as Joker, like always, and I know some people didn't like the whole "Joker blood" thing, but I liked how it manifested in the story.

    Some criticisms:

    • For like the 3rd straight game, the amount of Riddler content is exhausting. I made up my mind to not bother with the trophies early on, but finding out the "true" ending is locked behind finding all 200+ Riddler puzzles is really frustrating.

    • Batman sidelining Robin for just about the whole game felt really contrived.

    • I guessed the "twist" of Arkham Knight's identity about 30 minutes into the game. It seemed really obvious to me, and I'm not what I would consider a huge Batman lore person. (I basically know the characters from the Burton Batman movies and the Nolan Batman movies, and the characters who have popped up in the other Arkham games.) This wouldn't be such a big deal if it didn't take Batman himself the entirety of the game to surmise. I understand Batman thinks this character is dead, but he never saw a body, so...

    2 votes

  19. Comment on Summer Eternal - A new cooperative game studio from ex-ZA/UM devs in ~games

  20. Comment on How do you listen to your favorite obscure music that never made it onto any streaming platforms? in ~music

    smiles134
    Link Parent
    You can load local songs into Spotify. That's how I do it for music that isn't on a streaming platform. https://support.spotify.com/us/article/local-files/ I have copies on my phone and on my...

    You can load local songs into Spotify. That's how I do it for music that isn't on a streaming platform.

    https://support.spotify.com/us/article/local-files/

    I have copies on my phone and on my computer. Yes, it's inconvenient, but you can still listen to them alongside the other songs you want to listen to from your streaming platform.

    25 votes