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TV/Movies Megathread

Started by Eddie Teach, March 06, 2011, 09:29:27 AM

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The Larch

Apparently Moffat and Gatiss, the creators of the Sherlock series, are going to prepare a new one for the BBC based on Dracula. Colour me curious...

Valmy

Quote from: The Minsky Moment on June 19, 2017, 02:36:27 PM
Ok that makes more sense.
I agree that the post Carrie Fisher shift to more empowered female leads in action movies is a good thing, and not just for feminist reasons.  The helpless damsel in distress role is just boring.

Yeah but that happened decades ago.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

viper37

Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 09:49:39 AM
Quote from: The Minsky Moment on June 19, 2017, 02:36:27 PM
Ok that makes more sense.
I agree that the post Carrie Fisher shift to more empowered female leads in action movies is a good thing, and not just for feminist reasons.  The helpless damsel in distress role is just boring.

Yeah but that happened decades ago.
someone should tell the über left.

Though, tbh, the 80s were not particulary strong on interesting female characters.  Most of them were there to support the male lead and you really could have change any of these characters from any movie.  Even tv series were like that.

I think the real shift occured with Buffy.
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

Valmy

Even if I accept your premise Buffy was still decades ago  :P
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

HVC

does the first terminator count asa  strong female lead, or does it fall more into the horror damsel running away from the unstoppable. i'd count terminator 2, but that's 90's
Being lazy is bad; unless you still get what you want, then it's called "patience".
Hubris must be punished. Severely.

garbon

Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 01:11:04 PM
Even if I accept your premise Buffy was still decades ago  :P

And we still have things like Twilight that are hugely popular.
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Valmy

Quote from: garbon on June 20, 2017, 01:21:32 PM
Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 01:11:04 PM
Even if I accept your premise Buffy was still decades ago  :P

And we still have things like Twilight that are hugely popular.

Twilight it is not exactly a damsel story though right? She chooses to go after the vampire dude even with everybody telling that is a stupid thing to do. I mean I think that is true. I have only ever seen videos of people talking about it.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Grey Fox

"I also don't have a TV"
Colonel Caliga is Awesome.

Valmy

Quote from: Grey Fox on June 20, 2017, 01:30:32 PM
"I also don't have a TV"

Then man I am really getting tired of paying hundreds of dollars a year for cable and netflix.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

Barrister

Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 01:29:03 PM
Quote from: garbon on June 20, 2017, 01:21:32 PM
Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 01:11:04 PM
Even if I accept your premise Buffy was still decades ago  :P

And we still have things like Twilight that are hugely popular.

Twilight it is not exactly a damsel story though right? She chooses to go after the vampire dude even with everybody telling that is a stupid thing to do. I mean I think that is true. I have only ever seen videos of people talking about it.

Twilight is totally a damsel in distress kind of story.  She even has two hot boys fighting over her later on.

Bella has some degree of agency in the story, and even becomes a vampire herself later on, but she is hardly an empowered character.


That being said if you want a movie from the 80s with a powerful female lead you have to look at Ripley from Alien(s).
Posts here are my own private opinions.  I do not speak for my employer.

The Brain

Aliens is a great outlier. All the badasses in the movie are female. I mean I love Michael Biehn as much as it's possible for a man to love another man, but he was just competent. Vasquez is soo bad. :wub:
Women want me. Men want to be with me.

viper37

Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 01:11:04 PM
Even if I accept your premise Buffy was still decades ago  :P
feels like yesterday to me :D
I don't do meditation.  I drink alcohol to relax, like normal people.

If Microsoft Excel decided to stop working overnight, the world would practically end.

garbon

Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 01:29:03 PM
Quote from: garbon on June 20, 2017, 01:21:32 PM
Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 01:11:04 PM
Even if I accept your premise Buffy was still decades ago  :P

And we still have things like Twilight that are hugely popular.

Twilight it is not exactly a damsel story though right? She chooses to go after the vampire dude even with everybody telling that is a stupid thing to do. I mean I think that is true. I have only ever seen videos of people talking about it.

'I want to be a victim*' is not a damsel in distress story?

*actually that's also roughly the lyric from a hit Katy Perry song
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.

Valmy

#36928
That is actually an interesting question. Not sure. I mean if I undergo self-destructive behavior that necessitates somebody having to bail me out, is that a damsel (or dude I guess) in distress story? I thought the main idea was that this woman was pure and good but put into danger by evil necessitating being rescued. That strikes me as different then somebody intentionally putting themselves into danger. But I guess tropes can have many different varieties. 'Girl does stupid shit and needs to be rescued' I guess is just a variation.

But I guess the more pertinent point is we are never going to have a sense of purity in our media but that powerful women are not exactly a novelty anymore. There are plenty of examples out there.
Quote"This is a Russian warship. I propose you lay down arms and surrender to avoid bloodshed & unnecessary victims. Otherwise, you'll be bombed."

Zmiinyi defenders: "Russian warship, go fuck yourself."

garbon

Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 03:07:02 PM
That is actually an interesting question. Not sure. I mean if I undergo self-destructive behavior that necessitates somebody having to bail me out, is that a damsel (or dude I guess) in distress story? I thought the main idea was that this woman was pure and good but put into danger by evil necessitating being rescued. That strikes me as different then somebody intentionally putting themselves into danger. But I guess tropes can have many different varieties. 'Girl does stupid shit and needs to be rescued' I guess is just a variation.

Totally that. Same girl who also stays in bed for a long stretch when her vampire lover leaves her, writes endless emails she never sends and then jumps off a cliff in despair. :D

Quote from: Valmy on June 20, 2017, 03:07:02 PM
But I guess the more pertinent point is we are never going to have a sense of purity in our media but that powerful women are not exactly a novelty anymore. There are plenty of examples out there.

I'm not sure we're at an optimal point yet. Besides powerful women aren't new, not even in the last few decades. What happened in the past few decades is the frequency with which a woman could be powerful without being evil/worthy of punishment.
"I've never been quite sure what the point of a eunuch is, if truth be told. It seems to me they're only men with the useful bits cut off."
I drank because I wanted to drown my sorrows, but now the damned things have learned to swim.