TV/Movies Megathread

[Josquius]

I really want to see Prometheus. Not coming out for ages though.

[Grey Fox]

It sucks anyway.

[viper37]

Anyone else watching the new season of True Blood? It's so gay.

I am disapointed just like GF about Tara.  For the rest... it's only 2 episodes in the season, let's wait a little more.

[Neil]

I am discarding the spoiler tags, since they're terrible and the movie's been out for a while.  If you don't like it, skip this post.

1.  It's possible that the facility changed purposes at some point over the last 30-odd millennia.

I suppose.  Actually, one of the things that really bugs me about stories which require a civilization to have endured for even thousands, let alone millions or billions (!) of years, is that it implies a profound changelessness d stagnation that goes against our experience of how development and innovation works.

Likewise, the idea of seeding life on Earth in the late Hadean suggests a pretty shitty biotechnology.  An idea I find amusing involves a species capable of interstellar travel and seeding life on a lifeless planet, and does, but comes up with far, far quicker processes in the intervening billions of fucking years.  It's the biotech equivalent of the sleeper warships briefly referenced in Hitchhiker's Guide that wound up fighting battles centuries after their conflicts ended.

I don't think that the seeding had a political or military point.  Judging from the ceremonial way he did it (and the pointless but pretty self-sacrifice, when there would be much better and less lethal ways to do it) I would say that that species or an element of that species was seeding worlds as part of a religious drive to spread life.

2.  Kinetic impactors are rather hard on the planet.

Only briefly.

Especially for a civilization with a timescale in the billions of years.

6.  I assume that the scene at the opening of the movie takes place roughly 3.5 billion years ago, and that scenes like it happened on more than one world.  There's no way that they would spend countless millions of years developing a species, and leave it all to chance in some cosmic accident.  We're looking at a potentially very friendly universe for mankind, which seems to fit with the universe that the Alien movies took place in.  Imagine thousands of worlds around the galaxy stocked with life that we share a common ancestry with.

That's a pretty cool idea; on the other hand, other planets have been explored, and it would be completely common knowledge that Earthly life was seeded, almost certainly by a preexisting intelligent species, if planets light years distant had life with a clear common ancestry.

The plus side to this idea is that Shaw doesn't seem like nearly as much of a complete moron, merely inarticulate, since the line "It's what I choose to believe" would be a mere malapropism, as a better response to the scientists' stupid question would be to ask if he got his biology degree off the back of a cereal box.

I guess it depends on how much planetary exploration had been done.  I got the impression that the Prometheus was especially far-ranging, which tells me that the explored universe might only be a sphere of 40 or so light years in radius.  If Earth is the only world with engineer biology in that sphere, that might not be unexpected in a galaxy as large as ours.

[The Larch]

Anyone here watched Lilyhammer? It's about a NY mobster hiding out in rural Norway after becoming a protected informant to the FBI.

[Admiral Yi]

I think it was MIM who mentioned watching it.

[Habbaku]

I really want to see Prometheus. Not coming out for ages though.

Don't bother.

[MadImmortalMan]

I think it was MIM who mentioned watching it.

Yeah I did. I'd like to see Netflix making more of their own shows, so I hope it does well. I dunno if they will do more seasons, but van Zandt is touring with Springsteen right now so it won't be for a while.

[Tonitrus]

Watched the first episode of Lilyhammer a while back, completely failed to hook me in.  It looks like it should be a "fish out of water" comedy, and then isn't...and is not really compelling as a drama.

[MadImmortalMan]

Watched the first episode of Lilyhammer a while back, completely failed to hook me in.  It looks like it should be a "fish out of water" comedy, and then isn't...and is not really compelling as a drama.

It's more of a "something to have on while you're playing civ5" kinda show. Not uber-TV, but ok. 


BTW--What's the deal with the jumpsuits or whatever the kids graduating wear? They look like Super Mario plumber uniforms. Is that a Norway thing? I'm assuming the ones in the show are graduating high school, is that right or is it college? I can't tell because I assume it's ok to show teh boobies in scandiland regardless.

[Josephus]

I made plans to see a movie next weekend. I don't get to movies much these days and was planning on Prometheus, but you guys pretty much talked me out of it.

So....anything good playing, then?

[CountDeMoney]

Just caught up with Rise of The Planet of the Apes.   It was sad, but had a happy ending.

[Ideologue]

Just caught up with Rise of The Planet of the Apes.   It was sad, but had a happy ending.

Lol.

I was really pleasantly surprised with that flick.

[MadImmortalMan]

Steven Fry in America is on instantwatch.

Seeing Fry pass out Romney pamphlets on the streets of New Hampshire is a bit strange. 

[The Brain]

I'm watching a music video from TV Sudan 1984. Craptastic image and sound quality. It's the best thing on right now.