winther's recent activity
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
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Aggressive bots ruined my weekend
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Comment on Millennials: How do you feel about nostalgia pandering? in ~talk
winther Link ParentNot sure with "over the moon", but I actually think Clerks III hit some right notes in terms of both being nostalgic for the original, while doing something different with the Dante and Randal....Absolutely with you about going back to the originals, though I'm curious: is there a nostalgia example you can think of where the creators hit all the right notes and you were over the moon about it?
Not sure with "over the moon", but I actually think Clerks III hit some right notes in terms of both being nostalgic for the original, while doing something different with the Dante and Randal. Fitting as they are both stuck in time, but can't deny they have gotten 30 years older. The movie itself is hit and miss, and the first half is misplaced nostalgia bait, but the end still won me over.
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Comment on Millennials: How do you feel about nostalgia pandering? in ~talk
winther (edited )LinkIt really depends on how it is being used. For the most part it does feel very calculated, basically nostalgia bait for commercial purposes. I think it really started to feel "wrong" for me was...It really depends on how it is being used. For the most part it does feel very calculated, basically nostalgia bait for commercial purposes. I think it really started to feel "wrong" for me was with Stranger Things. As these goes, not in any way the worst defender of this as it is generally very well done, but it was the first time I felt the producers trying to manipulate a certain target demographics with applying all the "right" nostalgic elements from the 80s. Like a machine learning output had given the script writers a list of elements to integrate into their story for maximum effect for a nostalgic hungry target demographic. That is how most of these things feel to me. If I am feeling nostalgic, I rather go back to the originals rather than new stuff drenched in references.
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Comment on The goon squad. Loneliness, porn’s next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation. in ~life
winther Link ParentI think we are pretty aligned. It all comes down to proper sex education of teenagers, porn or no porn. They could also have used some of that in the 60s, and every decade later. Remember my own...I think we are pretty aligned. It all comes down to proper sex education of teenagers, porn or no porn. They could also have used some of that in the 60s, and every decade later. Remember my own sex education in late 90s was still mostly about STD and pregnancy. Today of course it needs to involve a non-judgemental healthy critical view of porn and how it differs from the kind of sex most teenagers will have. I can personally attest to having some concern on the increased violence in mainstream porn, combined with reports of many saying they have been choked during sex without consent definitely sounds alarming. Though it all comes back to forming a proper culture around sex education, and from what I can gather just from reading interviews in my newspaper, it does seem like gen z is forming a way better consent based approach to sex these years. Where talking about boundaries and asking before acting is seen as attractive, which is all kinds of amazing. Just looking back at my own teenage years, the mainstream media depiction of sex was extremely problematic. Like with how big magazines ran massive articles on which underage girls they were "willing to wait for" with countdowns to them turning 18. There is still ways to go, but we have really come a long way with criticizing the whole woman as just objects in the last couple of decades and just talking about consent means a whole lot.
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Comment on The goon squad. Loneliness, porn’s next frontier, and the dream of endless masturbation. in ~life
winther Link ParentThe newspaper I subscribe to have been running a series lately where they have people from the boomer generation and some from gen z talk together about sex. Of course it is all anecdotal in...is some serious negative effect on people who have grown up watching porn from a fairly young age?
Or is this something we just say because we, as a society, have traditionally thought that sex is something that we need to hide away, because it's "bad," especially from children?
The newspaper I subscribe to have been running a series lately where they have people from the boomer generation and some from gen z talk together about sex. Of course it is all anecdotal in nature, so not proper research as such, but it has been really interesting. Suffice to say, the culture around sex was also pretty damn problematic in the 60s to say the least. One older guy told that they knew absolutely nothing about sex at all, so their approach wasn't exactly built around consent or mutual respect. He told that they once held a girl down in the schoolyard to force her skirt down so they could finally see what was underneath. Those sort of things was mostly shrugged as "boys will be boys". Compared to the gen z young man, acknowledging that porn addiction can become problematic at a young age, it also removes some of the mystery of it all and it does seem like young people have created a much safer consent based culture around sex. It was also eyeopening to read several encounters from elder woman who have been straight up raped in their youth, and only in recent years have actually realized what they have been the victim of.
This is not to downplay potential issues with porn influences these days, but lets not think it was much better a generation or three ago.
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Comment on Wikipedia:Signs of AI writing in ~tech
winther LinkVery nice overview of things that have bugged me about AI-writing, that always made it feels"off" though I couldn't put it concrete terms on the why that is. It seems like its style is very heavy...Very nice overview of things that have bugged me about AI-writing, that always made it feels"off" though I couldn't put it concrete terms on the why that is. It seems like its style is very heavy influenced by a style of writing I can best describe as SEO-blogspam or BuzzFeed. It is possible to steer the models in certain directions that does help some, but it still creeps in. I just recently wrote about some experiment I did with trying to use ChatGPT as a sparring partner. The style is obviously worst when you take the LLM output as is, and we are probably all encountering writing that have at the very least been AI-assisted to some degree without realizing it. It still seems to take a good human editor to reduce the worst of the models' signatures.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther (edited )LinkThis year has been a very Italian year for me, going deeper into especially Italian genre films of the 60s and 70s, which has now led me to what is best described as more normal drama film. I...This year has been a very Italian year for me, going deeper into especially Italian genre films of the 60s and 70s, which has now led me to what is best described as more normal drama film. I bought a boxset with four Sophia Loren films, not really knowing anything about them or her, other than she is a high profile beautiful Italian actress and started with Marriage Italian Style from 1964.
Sophia Loren is really what you notice at first and she keeps the attention for the entire film, putting everyone else in the background. People are also literally turning their heads when she walks down the street in the film. She is tall as well, close to Mastroianni, which was a refreshing thing to see as women are very often at least a head shorter than their male romantic counterpart. Both now and then. Loren really shines in every scene and steals the focus, not just from her natural beauty and attractiveness, but also her whole confident demeanor. She comes with a commanding presence. An interesting contrast to Mastroianni's more restrained acting here, compared to how he was in La Dolce Vita. Which fits their characters well, as Filumena clearly comes from a background where she has to fight for herself, where Domineco has had a more comfortable life.
While the narrative does take form of a sort of romantic comedy, and it is indeed quite funny, there is some depth here with its social commentary on women's status and class differences at the time. Filumena is a fighter, doing what she can to get ahead and keep in control, but even with her extremely good looks and some power over men, she still doesn't really have the upper hand.
It still has elements that reflects its time, so it may be a stretch to call it super progressive, but I still enjoyed for its view of gender dynamics in Italian society. What stands out is the whole Italianess with its very flamboyant depiction of relationships, compared to the often more introverted depiction in other European films.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther Link ParentRush really is the best racing film made. I saw it with my wife at the time, who is in no way interested in Formula 1, racing or cars, but she also really enjoyed it. In all aspects it simply a...Rush really is the best racing film made. I saw it with my wife at the time, who is in no way interested in Formula 1, racing or cars, but she also really enjoyed it. In all aspects it simply a very well crafted narrative, with two interesting characters, that both have a huge drive for the same thing, but are using their skill and motivation in completely different ways. The racing scenes flows naturally with the drama scenes, unlike other racing films where it often very disjointed like in Grand Prix from 1966. And that it had a budget of only $38 million shows that is possible to do so much with comparably few resources.
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Comment on What are some good influences for kids today, both online and offline? in ~life
winther LinkIn terms of media our kids mostly see stuff from the public Danish national tv station. They have a lot of good high quality programs, that are more tuned to Danish society and culture than the...In terms of media our kids mostly see stuff from the public Danish national tv station. They have a lot of good high quality programs, that are more tuned to Danish society and culture than the very commercial kids shows on Netflix.
We also recently got a subscription for a weekly kids newspaper. They cover the same news as other newspapers, but of course with an angle aimed at 8-13 year olds. Everything from K-Pop Hunters to drone hybrid warfare.
We also frequently read various Danish children books that resemble ordinary families in a fun way, so there is something to recognize. And if we can’t read to them, they can listen to it in audiobook format. In general audiobooks is a great alternative to screen time, though it clearly doesn’t have the same attraction. But we try to encourage reading, including comic books, or listening as something they can do practically limitless, compared to time limited screen time. Honestly, not as successful as I would like though.
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther LinkPaul Greengrass's The Lost Bus released on Apple TV+ based on a catastrophic wildfire in 2018 in northern California, focusing on the story of a school bus driver who saved a bus full of kids. The...Paul Greengrass's The Lost Bus released on Apple TV+ based on a catastrophic wildfire in 2018 in northern California, focusing on the story of a school bus driver who saved a bus full of kids. The movie works out as a very classic disaster movie narrative, with a small setup of who the main characters are, so we are supposed to care more about what happens to them. While it is serviceable, and I respect if it is the true background story, it does come off as somewhat clichéd. At least I didn't really connect with the two main characters, as the whole terrifying situation for the whole town was something I found more scary. Of course, a movie like this needs a few people that are fighting to get out of a life threatening situation. Attach a school bus full of kids and it is a good recipe for some edge of the seat tension. It does what it does, in my mind a tad melodramatic at times, but effective. It is unfair to wish for a different movie, but I would personally love to see the same scenario with more focus on the whole community, the fire fighters, life rescuers and police officers trying to control the massive natural disaster. More of Ray Martinez's character basically, but that is not where the main focus is here.
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Comment on Hot take: 4:3 > 16:9 in ~tv
winther Link ParentIt is very interesting when filmmakers does experiment with aspect ratios rather than just doing the defaults. Mommy from 2014 changed ratios throughout the film, which I at first thought was a...It is very interesting when filmmakers does experiment with aspect ratios rather than just doing the defaults. Mommy from 2014 changed ratios throughout the film, which I at first thought was a bit gimmicky, but the close narrow frame did help in highlighting the very "up close and personal"-feeling the film was aiming for. Films like The Lighthouse and Godland used it to give everything a look of a classic old photograph, which I think fits those films perfectly. And then we have Tarantino going somewhat contrarian with taking a very wide 70mm and then use to film mostly inside a crammed cabin. It would be great if more filmmakers dared take on the ultra wide 2.76:1 of Ben Hur again .
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Face to face with the scale of the cosmos
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther LinkWatched Tár from 2022. One of those film experiences that I am definitely not done pondering over, and it is difficult to define what makes it work so well. Most of all, I simply liked how this...Watched Tár from 2022. One of those film experiences that I am definitely not done pondering over, and it is difficult to define what makes it work so well. Most of all, I simply liked how this was made, how it approached telling its narrative, the mental deroute, the shifts, the loss of control, the importance of sounds, and most of all - how the film lets me keep my confusion and doubt. I was left to fill in the blanks many places, where other films would have added several transfer scenes. It is gradual, as the beginning of the film really takes it times with things that seem less relevant, but then suddenly things goes fast by and everything makes perfect sense in the end. Perfectly structured and built-up from start to finish. This really deserved the Oscars more than Everything, everywhere, all at once that year.
I didn't know much about it before, but I like classical music and the whole setting was great to sort of "be" in. Maybe I expected something like a mix of Black Swan and Whiplash, and those are not completely missing the mark in terms of comparison, but this is really something else. Maybe closer akin to The Piano Teacher. Definitely not done with this film. And I want to listen to Mahler again.
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Comment on Throwback Thursday: Let's talk old flash and memes! in ~talk
winther Link ParentOh god the llama song :D Then I feel like it is obligatory for me to throw in All your baseOh god the llama song :D
Then I feel like it is obligatory for me to throw in All your base
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Comment on Vimeo enters into definitive agreement to be acquired by Bending Spoons for $1.38 billion in ~tech
winther Link ParentThey provide videostreaming infrastructure for smaller streaming services. I know Criterion Channel uses them.They provide videostreaming infrastructure for smaller streaming services. I know Criterion Channel uses them.
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Comment on Don’t like joining in? Why it could be your superpower. in ~life
winther LinkWhile labeling personality traits into such terms as introverted and extroverted is in many ways flawed and reductive, and this third option introduced here with otroverted does seem like sort of...While labeling personality traits into such terms as introverted and extroverted is in many ways flawed and reductive, and this third option introduced here with otroverted does seem like sort of a subset of the introverted trait, I must admit I personally found it a bit more fitting than the usual introverted stereotypes. Maybe it will resonate with others.
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Don’t like joining in? Why it could be your superpower.
43 votes -
Comment on Study finds Rotten Tomatoes scores inflated by 13% compared to ten years ago in ~movies
winther Link ParentWhile all scoring system are flawed and reductive, you have to actually read reviews to get something substantial, but over 8 on IMDB or 4 on Letterboxd is usually a decent indication of a good...While all scoring system are flawed and reductive, you have to actually read reviews to get something substantial, but over 8 on IMDB or 4 on Letterboxd is usually a decent indication of a good movie. RT is mostly just noise, as so many movies easily go above 80-90% fresh. Of course that is also just down to the nature of how they score, as it is more binary whether the reviewer recommends the film or not. So freshness doesn't have much difference between a decent movie and a masterpiece, as both will end up in a thumps up.
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Comment on Bland, easy to follow, for fans of everything: what has the Netflix algorithm done to our films? in ~movies
winther Link ParentThe changing of thumbnails is also mentioned: Which to me is very offputting, and dishonest in that it is trying to "sell" a movie as something it isn't. Not unlike dishonest trailers, which...The changing of thumbnails is also mentioned:
The streaming firms already auto-generate artwork and trailers, personalised for each subscriber. If, say, Good Will Hunting appears on the feed of an inveterate romcom watcher, their thumbnail image for the film would feature Matt Damon and Minnie Driver getting cosy; for a user who prefers comedies, Robin Williams would feature.
Which to me is very offputting, and dishonest in that it is trying to "sell" a movie as something it isn't. Not unlike dishonest trailers, which directors often have little control over.
Watched Alien: Romulus as I had heard decent things about this as it should be a sort of return to form for the franchise. Maybe I am just incapable of appreciating mainstream blockbusters now, but I was mostly disappointed. With some notable good parts.
First of, the intro tries to mimic 2001 in style and sound. Bold, but it doesn't work when you can't live up to even a small percentage of that reference. Secondly, the whole premise with escaping the mining planet wasn't very convincing. I am not buying this group of random people just have access to a spaceship they unhindered can take off with and the whole setup becomes completely irrelevant after 15 minutes. Of course the plot needs some reason for them to enter that station not knowing what is there, but it could have been handled better I think.
There is a varied cast of characters, but I practically don't care about any of them and we barely get any character development or background either. So I am not emotionally invested at all once they get killed off one by one.
The only one with an interesting story is the synthetic Andy. He actually has an interesting character progression throughout the film, that opens the always interesting dilemmas of artificial life and how it should be weighed against biological life. Rain is fine, but being so much a copy of Ripley makes her uninteresting. It tries to sits somewhere in between Alien and Aliens but lacks the anxiety of the first one, and the spectacle isn't nearly as exciting as the second one. The nostalgia references was terribly handled too.