Lurker > scarletspeed7

"I was very confused about what form of Roddy Piper I was getting. At first, he was coming off like a strong silent type. Then he was acting like a bumbling, clumsy idiot. Then he was screaming like a classic Roddy Piper promo. WHO ARE YOU, PIPER?! But those inconsistencies aside, this was a wild ride of a movie. Every aspect of it was as good as the next. The homeless camp told a really good story in of itself. The church stuff and the alien reveal was great. The impromptu back alley brawl was amazing and was probably the best part. Piper brazenly picking fights with every alien he sees, not giving a shit if he is vastly outnumbered is video game logic and I love it. The only thing that really irked me was the girl. There was nothing good about her. She was robotic, she was a backstabber, and she wasnt even pretty. I dont even think the movie knew exactly what her deal was and just decided as it went along. Hostage? Love interest? Enemy? Lets just not commit to any of them and have her show up everywhere for NO REASON! Ugh. Piper was already having to battle in a friendship on a pole match with Keith David. He didnt need any addition antagonism. But that hiccup aside, I will definitely watch this again.

Traviss Opinion: I probably could have gotten away with showing him this one. It really wasnt that bad. But after I screwed up with District 9, I tried to be more conservative with the R rated movies. Maybe next time Ill let him watch it with me. Hell probably love the wrestling match. " ~Stifled

"One of my personal favorite John Carpenter movies, just short of the likes of The Thing, Halloween, and In the Mouth of Madness. This is one of those where the social commentary is poured on almost painfully thick, and I really enjoy it anyway (sci fi and horror being two of the genres that can get away with this more effectively than, say, a historical drama). A subversive take on Reaganomics and consumerism (of which Carpenter is clearly not a fan), They Live! Turns out to be a ridiculously entertaining middle finger of sorts. Rowdy Roddy has an impressive screen presence, and great chemistry with the always-wonderful Keith David (not to be confused with David Keith). No scene better encapsulates both the entertainment factor and the unsubtlety of this movie than the scene where the two of them are just beating the shit out of each other for like half an act. I also love the concept of the sunglasses, and the way everything looks through their lens is great." ~KBM

"This is a movie that lives or dies on how much you enjoy cheesy, corny moviesand I feel like They Live! manages to be a perfect degree of cheese to be enjoyable, while I can still admit that its not as good as a lot of other films on this list. Im here to chew bubblegum and kick assand Im all out of bubblegum. You either put on these glassesor start eating that trash can. Youre okay. This one? REAL fucking ugly. Its just so corny and hilarious at the same time. And even the premise is this bizarre parody of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, mixed with an anti-capitalist message. Rowdy Roddy Piper is just such a hokey action hero that he single-handedly elevates this film to newfound degrees of hilarity. And honestly? If the ending felt more satisfying (not-Kirstie Alley randomly turning heel is downright stupid), I could honestly rank this several spots higher. But I think this is still a good placement given the caliber of films on this list." ~Inviso
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

#25 - They Live! (1988)
Snake - 1
JONA - 4
Scarlet - 12
Stifled - 12
KBM - 18
Inviso - 28
Genny - 31
Charon - 32
Johnbobb - 32
Wickle - 32
Karo - 39
Total: 241

"Part action, part horror, part satire, all awesome! "Rowdy" Roddy Pipers aloof and awkward (in a good way) performance as John Nada is the perfect medium to stumble down this rabbit hole of subliminal messaging, conspiracy, and misdirection. The sunglasses that reveal the truth to you is one of my favorite film concepts ever, and the scene where Nada first tries them on is so shocking and incredible. It makes you instantly think of the real world, and how subliminal messaging is a totally real thing. I could easily sit here and list all my favorite parts and lines, but special mention needs to made to the near six-minute long straight fight scene between Nada and Frank, which is almost so unnecessary and overly brutal that I couldnt imagine the film without it. Finally, the classic Carpenter score puts the perfect little cherry on top to make this a near perfect film." ~Snake

"A big reason this ranks so high is because of that damn fight scene. It is so fucking great. One thing I liked about the movie was the difference in John Nadas attitude before and after learning the truth about the aliens. Pipers character acts rather reserved before the big moment and then just explodes afterwards. The aliens have great designs and its not just that one fight scene thats great in terms of action. The big climax of the movie is very thrilling. Just an awesome ride." ~JONA

"What It Is: In an effort to eradicate a group of elitists with a stranglehold on modern society, two homeless guys resort to the use of asskickery sans a supply of chewing gum.

Why It Matters: They Live has become an utter cult classic, with a large and passionate following. The film has been referenced countless times and many aspects of its plot as well as lines have entered modern vernacular.

What I Think: Theres been a lot said about gaslighting in America as of late. Partisan cable networks and politicians often rattle off falsities (fake news) that makes us question what truths, facts, and reality even are anymore. If people cant understand the truth, what do they even know? Carpenters scathing satire about unfettered capitalism can be read any number of ways, beyond its primary anti-Reagan themes. But in the current American political climate, Rowdy Roddy Pipers tumble down the rabbit hole somehow gives audiences a new sense of empathy for his everyman character. Piper uncovers a reality that most people cant even perceive, and in turn he has to prove his sanity by convincing others of the truth. Theres it feels so timely in a world where people are capable of living in a reality with falsehoods being misrepresented as truth.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Also, Kairi Sane is a Pirate Princess in the same way that Elizabeth Swann is the Pirate King in PotC. And again, she hasn't been around in her gimmick as long as some of the easier inclusions, but it's clear that by the announcing and the GM and even her top opponent, she's a pirate princess.

The question is, if Elizabeth Swann had been named the Pirate Princess by the court instead of Pirate King, would you have included her?
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Yeah I REALLY think Emily Kaldwin should be out. By any definition, she is no longer a princess. She stops being a princess in the first game and all three of its DLCs, and she isn't a princess in the second game and its big DLC. She's actually a princess about a third of the time she's the empress.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Fang
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Excuse me what?
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Desperado

People were really having fun!
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I did it! It was a lot of fun.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

3.2
4.5
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Kairi is absolutely a princess. She's been referred to as such by both Shayna (her biggest opponent) and William Regal. She also has a constituency that produces plundered treasure which she brings to the ring at times.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Stark Girls are iffy, and Emily Kaldwin is the Empress now and not a princess, half the series' worth of not being a princess.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

FinaIFantasy posted...

Im coming to raise your entire Kingdom to the ground!!!!

Chris continuing to work with someone who says this proves how uncultured Chris truly is.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I'm already participating so it should be fine.

Wendy
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Drakeryn posted...

scarletspeed7 posted...

I'm thinking of doing a No Boys Allowed Year and only voting for women.

thematically this would be interesting except the great majority of FF females range from terrible to bland. FF writers are just bad with female characters tbh

Enough of them that I like. Plus it would help some other users who I like, such as Snake and Prof.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Good. He just broke two bones in his ankle, so he has a cast on, but otherwise, perfectly normal. Climbing ladders has been a good source of jokes today.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

"MWC was banned that night for threatening to lynch one Tom Brady. That's it for this edition of TCM's Classic Board 8 Posts. I'm Robert Osborne. Good night."
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Turns out, today was a great day for no rankings! Thanks for all of you being understanding with my sitch.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Anything anyone really wants a nomination for? The two things I really wanted most are in.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

EVOLUTlON*
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I'm thinking of doing a No Boys Allowed Year and only voting for women.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Is anyone thinking about next year yet?
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Hey guys it's actually my fault because I asked for who I should save and I took the first two recommendations. They were Fang and Kefka.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

DoomTheGyarados posted...

I am the best at Sprite.

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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

5.1
2.2
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Kefka
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Kairi Sane
Iolande (Green Lantern)
Padme Amidala
Silk Fox (Jade Empire)
Fiona (Chronicles of Amber)

Not gonna lie, I think my participation would hinge on if Wonder Woman made it in. She's a rare princess that spends her time performing the functions of a diplomatic envoy as well as a princess.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Fang
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Dejah Thoris (John Carter)
Carmella (WWE)
Ivy (Xanth)
Midna (Zelda)
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Wonder Woman
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Red needs a diet confirmed.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Zigzagoon posted...

scarletspeed7

You are:

Weavile!



There are a lot of qualities that I see in Weavile and a lot of them fit with your personality. Or at least in my opinion! Weavile knows how to have a good time, but don't mess with him otherwise you'll get the claws!

Damn this is really close to what I would have picked. (Sneasel). You are a savant.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

LinkMarioSamus posted...

From my side of the story, I specified that it was "in my world" to note that I was just offering my view and NOT acting like I was some sort of premier film critic. And Mr. Lasa was just saying that he couldn't take the list seriously anymore, which I quite frankly agree with him on.

I was going to provide more "opinions" in my original post, but I cut it down to those two, partially because I've actually seen Men in Black, 2001, The Godfather (and part 2), The Avengers, and Happy Gilmore all this year. Whew. But just for the fun of it...in my world it's like saying that:

-Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl is better than The Shining
-The Firm is better than Die Hard
-Ocean's Eleven is better than One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
-The Phantom is better than Indiana Jones & the Last Crusade
-Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is better than The Dark Knight
-Star Wars: The Last Jedi is better than Beverly Hills Cop

This is probably doing more to discredit that point of view lol.

Total Twitter intellectualism. All you articulate are opinions without observations. My post early was a parody of your post AND YOU HADN'T EVEN MADE IT YET.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Except that few if any critics watch a movie three times before sharing their review, and what these are are, in fact, reviews. And also, what you do by saying, "You don't get it" is imply that people are too stupid to pick up something a film. This ain't Shakespeare. It's the talking, moving pictures. There are significant amounts of time where you can ruminate upon what you're watching and achieve an adequate interpretation of what the story conveys.

But if you're bouncing from the topic for real, I hope that you leave with this: my roommate and I watched Blade Runner for this list. Afterwards we spent 90 minutes dissecting what we saw and sharing our interpretations of it. Neither of us are all that intellectually acute. Heck, he's never seen the film before. But the conversation was one of the best I had this year despite us not watching the film 3 times, because Truffaut can't diminish my experience or perspective on a film and the meaning which I find within myself and within that vehicle of expression.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Chris, should I try Mafia at some point?
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Transformers is better than Scooby Doo. Prove me wrong: The Lasa Story.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Yes please. I need this topic.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Mr Lasastryke posted...

scarletspeed7 posted...

Well, a lot of people do write ups for comedic effect and have for actual years of these lists. Karo is a prime example.

if the masturbation line is one of his favorites, did he really only use it for comedic effect?

That's why he likes it. Because it's overexaggeration and shock value silliness.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Mr Lasastryke posted...

Inviso posted...

Lasa, you're berating us for having "incorrect" views on one of your favorite movies, yet you've done exactly zero to explain why we're wrong. You just arrogantly claim "it's stupid that MiB is rnaked higher than a masterpiece of filmmaking" without offering any explanation. Those of us who ranked 2001 low gave a full write-up as to why we didn't like it. What you're doing is Vlado levels of "well I'm right and you should all just KNOW I'm right."

again, i haven't explained it because i don't want to. it would take a lot of time and effort and i think it would be pointless so i don't see why i should bother.

if you seriously think you've done a thorough analysis of the movie and all you got out of it is "the pacing is slow" and "the plot is lacking" there's nothing i can say to convince you you're wrong.

It's actually more pointless than anything else to take this much time to criticize without presenting any real information into the discussion. That's what contest only users do about shit like Tifa. If you want to continue engaging people stop pretending yiur time and effort are more valuable than oira and it would demean you to even deign to share these mythical deeper thoughts you have. Because that's how you're coming across.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I don't agree with that line, but it was quite amusing.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Well, a lot of people do write ups for comedic effect and have for actual years of these lists. Karo is a prime example. The meat of the actual discussion comes from conversations both here and in Discord, where we all talk more openly about movies. These are just basic jumping-off points.

And the reason this is an assault when the write-ups aren't is simply because, without using so many words, you dismissed a huge chunk of my friends as stupid rubes. They dismissed a work. You dismissed the people. Write ups aren't transformative works, and movies are.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Actually it's more like saying Shrek 2 is better than Shrek 3. It's like saying White Christmas is better than Miracle on 34th Street. It's like saying Pete's Dragon is better than Interstellar. It's like saying The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie is better than Sleuth. It's like saying Mamma Mia is better than Cabin Fever. It's like saying JFK is better than The Postman. It's like saying Expendables 2 is better than Sleepless in Seattle. It's like saying Inherit the Wind is better than Father's Little Dividend. It's like saying Shrek 3 is better than Shrek 2.

Please, for the love of God, stop wearing opinions as if they're badges that define objective interpretations of fact rather than subjective interpretations of art. This is what I was talking about earlier. There are very few positions you can take that are objective metrics of anything in art, especially in film.

What about the people who "got" the film and still didn't like it? Did I miss some crucial bit of data that you in your infinite wisdom wish to provide to me like Prometheus with fire for the gods? Or does it happen to be possible that the act of watching film differs from person to person? Does a list have to be based on the supposed greatness and artistic merit of a film? I expressly took that out of my personal rankings because I wanted to rate all of these staples of the genre (all of which I've watched more than once at least) based solely on my love of science fiction and the childlike factor of enjoyment and eye-opening wonderment at what those films provide to me personally.

When you talk about how you can't take the rankings seriously, I can't take the attitude of an intellectual bigot who continues to return to the thread time after time after time despite claiming he was clearly finished with his cruel assault on friendly rankings seriously. I bet dollars to donuts that some of the group wanted to share more about 2001 and now they won't at all because this kind of behavior prevents further discussion by demonizing outlying opinions.

This is Twitter intellectualism.

Look, I know I'm a divisive user with some poor judgment at times and I tend to go off on a crusade like Don Quixote. But I'm on a mission to civilize here. And we can't have open discussions when people demonize the simple act of having opinions that are counter-intuitive to their own. I feel like the kid at the end of Camelot, riding from town to town, trying to maintain the legacy of Camelot, a city on a hill where opinions are embraced, explored, developed, reaffirmed. The greatest writing doesn't come from the complete dismissal and shutdown of alternative ideas. Those alternatives are what lead to some of the greatest points of view and changing attitudes. Counter-culture and Timothy Leary. The Protestant Reformation. The Supreme Court dissenting argument dug up by some clerk decades later to change an archaic law.

Why can't we all be more romantic about our notions of how we talk about the creative, the sublime, the imperfect art of observation?
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Great list Snake! Thanks for doing what you do best every fall!
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I just want to say that I was going to post something but when I came to a fork in the buttons on my screen, I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

That was a joke actually. I would never subject the group to that.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

The timing doesn't matter. Bullying is bullying. He should practice what he preaches.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

I think they can stop when he stops calling people who like Pokemon SJWs and cucks.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Can we talk about how, when AJ and Daniel were fighting at the beginning of Smackdown, Shane raced down to the ring BY SHUFFLING BACKWARDS?
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

That sounds like the ultimate recipe for disaster.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Well just you wait. Next week is Liefeld week.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful

Alucard is a palindrome.
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"It is too easy being monsters. Let us try to be human." ~Victor Frankenstein, Penny Dreadful