General philosophy thread

[Crims]

I think where the majority of people are using the news as an excuse for more ranting, I think this is the prime time for getting started on all the work I've always wanted to.

 

[Arantor]

My wife and I had a conversation about that last night, she can see how angry I am about the current governmental events but she suggested it might be better for me if I stepped back from following events because I can do nothing about them, and that I might fret a little less if I weren't with my finger on the pulse.

I have no shortage of projects and too much kind of... brain fog from work to think about any of them in anything beyond superficial depth.

 

[Retro]

@Arantor yeah, it's that feeling of impotent rage, isn't it? Awful feeling that I know very well that causes those stress hormones to spike. It isn't healthy at all, but that's modern life, unfortunately.

 

[Crims]

Back to philosophy:

Action and mindless play, still fun as adults? I've seen barely 1 good action film.

 

[Arantor]

I think we have come to expect more from our action films, more sophistication and more ACTION in our action. What was a 'good action film' 20 years ago barely gets a mention now, and changes in our ways of processing mean that we need to ramp things up.

Like, I remember Knight Rider being the height of action entertainment, that and the A-Team, but it's dull now by comparison. We seem to have severely raised our expectations.

That said, I thought Kingsmen: The Secret Service was pretty good as a spy/action film but also as a tribute-but-savage-spoof of the Bond franchise, without even being entirely too meta about it.

 

[Crims]

I think that in general we're just doing terrible action. Charismatic characters are absent. Choreography is good but only used for dramas and hence an afterthought, unique camera angles and set pieces I don't remember from Skyfall being the absolute most recent one. It speaks to the human condition and how little actual play people are getting up to.

 

[Tiffany]

Love action movies, but not the same theme with a different version over and over....which it would seem some of your larger then life actors are doing in the past few years, like Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson, Pierce Brosnan and Jackie Chan to name a few. Bruce Willis is cranking out a movie it seems every quarter, though he's hardly in these movies and other actors are doing most of the acting though Willis is being billed as the top actor. We've grown "fatigued" (think Kahn from ST) with much of the same in his movies.

Last night, we caught Fist's of Fury just starting, (Bruce Lee) very old, and have seen it many times. Yes, all of the voices are messed up, but the choreography is still amazing which is the part I really like about martial arts, it's an art. I like movies where I'm taken from one place to another, where I at least get to see other places of the world or different scenery. The movie Gravity, though billed to be outstanding, I did not care for because it all took place in the space craft. I realize the actual drama was supposed to be the captivating part, but I was not captivated....sorry if some of you liked it....we watched it to the end, simply because we paid for it, lol...and really wanted to know what the heck was going to happen.

Movies like Escape Room, where you just switch to another room but same version of the room the actor's just came from....I just want to say, take me some where?

Mr. Bean's Holiday, silly movie, but even Rowan Atkinson, was in a different place for each scene, though I guess, it's not really action, and comedy, just illustrating a point.

I've noticed too many movies lately are taking place on one set. Either in the forest, a building, or one location. I'm sure that cuts costs, but unless you have outstanding acting, can get dull.

Speed 1 (Reeves and Bullock) was action and all on the bus....that is one of the few action movies in one location, basically, that was captivating....lots of suspense in every scene.

 

[Arantor]

Bruce Willis is cranking out a movie it seems every quarter

This wasn't surprising. He's not been well for a while, has declared retirement from acting over aphasia (which means you can't say words properly, or necessarily understand them either) and he made it clear he was working to ensure his family was provided for when he couldn't work any longer.

The Razzies - sort of the Anti-Oscars - did originally have a category for 'Worst Bruce Willis Film' this year until Willis went public with his diagnosis and suddenly everything made sense.

Mind you I wonder what a modern cinema-goer would make of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly as a film. Especially, say, the last 20 minutes.

 

[Tiffany]

Clint Eastwood movies are always on in my house....you flip channels and theirs another and of course the laughter that comes with it because I know my husband will be stuck on one for awhile. Two Mules for Sister Sarah was on last week....lol. We've seen the Good, The Bad and The Ugly often too.

I was aware of Bruce Willis's condition and wishing him the best. We all get older and never know what will happen to us. I didn't realize his motive for cranking out all of these films, admirable.

 

[Crims]

Is "no such thing as bad press" still true? The Metaverse, which has been talked about a lot for several years, is going to tank. Coupled with other things, it seems that nowadays PR isn't the only thing you need.

 

[Arantor]

Well, the narrative has evolved. These days, it's possible to get ahead of the narrative.

Consider the recent Amazon series, The Rings of Power, and how much narrative was pushed ahead of the series about how 'woke' it was. It's the kind of thing you can use to build PR where you control the narrative - even allowing it to be negative, to head off worse narrative about how good/bad the show actually is.

 

[Retro]

Is "no such thing as bad press" still true?

It was never true. I remember reading an article about it a while back when Googling the issue, because I never personally agreed with this statement and I wanted to confirm if I was right or wrong. I ended up being right on this one.

An example of bad publicity could be a food company being accused of producing contaminated food that makes people seriously sick and then covering it up to avoid an expensive recall. Whether true or not, that accusation would be extremely damaging to them, possibly resulting in the eventual shutdown of the company which is why there are anti-defamation laws for when an accusation like this is untrue.

 

[Crims]

My personal thoughts are culturally people are more reactive to bad press and it's going full circle with regards to what is truly regarded. I think with the recent interest in integrity its relevant.


This week it's whatever you like: philosophy or curiosity.

For me quotes from life that are relevant: Be aware rocks may be thrown at you (a personal favourite)

 

[Crims]

With the new game awards almost returning to 'chosen by fans', with many fans supporting Sonic Frontiers, only for Genshin Impact players to get jealous and sabotage it, what are your thoughts on a world driven by american consumerism, fast fashion and absolutist popularity?

I think the question of fast fashion, while not really the subject, is actually a solution. Genuine commitment to culture instead of treating enjoyment as a fad is a way forward as a culture to develop. Atleast it levels it beyond surface level masquerade-as-a-culture and reestablishes shallow.

 

[Crims]

Capitalism is a paradox. I already wrote a capitalism spiel, though it's fun to say that Disney is failing at its capitalist peak, and a work reform 'antiwork' movement formed in america because of the low wages for workers. Successful capitalism, is a net loss for everyone. Relative success within capitalism may need distinction.