TV/Movies Megathread

[Ideologue]

It Follows. Pretty cool. Very annoying soundtrack though, but that's usually the case with indie films.

Regarding the hype, it is the best horror film I have seen in quite a while, but that says more of the sad state the genre is than anything else. It is a good film though.

That one really got overhyped last year.  The filmmaking is good, the monster concept great (execution bad), and the score is the best part of it, but it adds up to less than it ought.

2015 wasn't a great year for horror, I agree, though The Nightmare was scary for a documentary.

[11B4V]

Creed:   C+     

Not all that great.

[jimmy olsen]

It's more Germany in 1917.  Without the US intervention, it is not unlikely the Germans could have fought to a favorable standstill or make some minor gains in France.

Probably not, unless French morale completely collapsed.  As long as the war was still going on into the later part of 1918, Germany loses, because it couldn't feed itself, and the Allied blockade was literally starving the nation.

Britain would not have been able to continue subsudizing the French war effort without access to American loans, which they would not have continued to get had the US not entered the war. French economic collapse would have done in the Entente and forced them to negotiate an end to the war.

[Tonitrus]

David Milch - NYPD Blue and Deadwood creator - has gambled away his fortune:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/david-milch-made-100m-gambled-866184

I hope that means he's forced to do more Deadwood 

It always amazes me how these rich folk seem to lose millions, yet have an IRS bill that is huge, or nearly equal to their loss.

The only way I can think of that happening is that they just blew off their tax bill when they were raking it in, prior to the losses.

[Razgovory]

The most I gambled away at one time was that money I gave to Berkut.  And let's face it, that wasn't gambling, that was just giving money to Berkut.

[Berkut]

It's more Germany in 1917.  Without the US intervention, it is not unlikely the Germans could have fought to a favorable standstill or make some minor gains in France.

Probably not, unless French morale completely collapsed.  As long as the war was still going on into the later part of 1918, Germany loses, because it couldn't feed itself, and the Allied blockade was literally starving the nation.

Britain would not have been able to continue subsudizing the French war effort without access to American loans, which they would not have continued to get had the US not entered the war. French economic collapse would have done in the Entente and forced them to negotiate an end to the war.

On the other hand, if Britain could not continue, and had to accept a German victory, they would not be able to repay those loans, hence there was never really any chance that the US was not going to enter - or certainly no chance that the US would cut Britain off.

Owe the bank $100,000 and the bank owns you. Owe the bank $100,000,000 and you own the bank.

[Tonitrus]

So basically the Entente was "Too big to fail". 

[Razgovory]

And Britain didn't pay the money back anyway.

[Berkut]

So basically the Entente was "Too big to fail". 

From the US perspective, very much so.

By 1916/17 the US had invested so heavily in the Allies that there was no chance we could let them lose the war. We had, effectively, already entered the war in that we were preferentially funding one side.

[Berkut]

And Britain didn't pay the money back anyway.

True enough, but that wasn't known in 1917.

Although wasn't most of the debate about the payment of Allied war debt back to the US mostly around government debt that was incurred AFTER the US actually entered the war?

I know the figure of $10 billion is bandied about in post war bickering, but I am not sure if that includes private debt, public debt, or both. Or if that is strictly considering the amount that the Allies got from the US government in supplies once the US entered the war, or includes the amount that various US entities loaned to the Allies prior to US entry...

[celedhring]

Riddick. After the ridiculous "Chronicles of Riddick", they obviously try to go back to basics and leave Riddick stranded on yet another planet populated with dangerous predators. The film, however, is quite terrible, and seems to completely misunderstand what made "Pitch Black" work.

[jimmy olsen]

It's more Germany in 1917.  Without the US intervention, it is not unlikely the Germans could have fought to a favorable standstill or make some minor gains in France.

Probably not, unless French morale completely collapsed.  As long as the war was still going on into the later part of 1918, Germany loses, because it couldn't feed itself, and the Allied blockade was literally starving the nation.

Britain would not have been able to continue subsudizing the French war effort without access to American loans, which they would not have continued to get had the US not entered the war. French economic collapse would have done in the Entente and forced them to negotiate an end to the war.

On the other hand, if Britain could not continue, and had to accept a German victory, they would not be able to repay those loans, hence there was never really any chance that the US was not going to enter - or certainly no chance that the US would cut Britain off.

Owe the bank $100,000 and the bank owns you. Owe the bank $100,000,000 and you own the bank.

I don't believe the US government understood what financial straits the British were in until they actually joined the war. IIRC they initially refused to offer unsecured loans even after their entry, and only changed their mind after the British shipped over proof.

Would the British have been willing to provide that proof if the Americans hadn't joined the war already (lets say no Zimmerman message). If they did, how is Wilson going to sell the war to the public? We can't let the bankers go bankrupt? That would go over worse than the 2008 bailout with the public.

[Sophie Scholl]

I finally got around to seeing The Revenant.  It was a movie watching experience worth partaking in, especially on the big screen for the amazing scenery.  That being said, I'll be more than happy not to have to endure it again for quite some time.  I walked out of the theater drained.

[Norgy]

"I Believe In Miracles".
The documentary about Nottingham Forest's rise from second division nobodies to winners of the European Cup. Even non-soccer fans would enjoy it. Well-made, and already written by mr. Clough and Peter Taylor.

And unlike any Forest match these days, it had a happy ending without someone getting spunked on.

[lustindarkness]

Riddick. After the ridiculous "Chronicles of Riddick", they obviously try to go back to basics and leave Riddick stranded on yet another planet populated with dangerous predators. The film, however, is quite terrible, and seems to completely misunderstand what made "Pitch Black" work.

I enjoy that type of simple plot/no story sci fi with action and some alien monsters thrown in. I liked Riddick.

And Chronicles does suck.