Reportedly taxi drivers are trying to evacuate children, hotels are taking in distressed families and children. Couldn't be more proud to be British.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-40007886
News is breaking now.

Several fatalities confirmed. Cause of the blast is unknown.

And I guess I'd be okay with a single payer healthcare system based primarily on race.

ftfy

Honestly, not by much. Maybe slightly more to the left now that this right wing populism has swept the Western world, but my core beliefs still remain largely intact.

-Restriction on immigration

-Emphasis on national identity.

-Semi pro legalisation of certain drugs, such as marijuana and MDMA. Production of other Class A drugs need to be kept criminalised but laws on possession should be relaxed.

-Pro regulated capitalism. More regulation on banks, less regulation on small businesses.

-Gender equality debate needs to be put to bed. Neither a feminist, nor the cringe inducing term "anti feminist", but I think the discussion on the gender debate is like beating a dead horse at this point. Not much left to solve in the western world, but if you want to identify as either of the aforementioned terms then go right ahead, but you aren't adding anything to what's not already been said.

-Strong free speech advocate, although I recognise certain facets of speech such as libel, classified information etc obviously need to be restricted.

-Still pro Brexit, but the way May has handled the negotiations so far doesn't look too optimistic for a post Brexit UK.

-Against Foreign aid.

-Pro rehabilitation in criminal justice

-Pro abortion

-Pro gun restrictions

DELET

t. someone who didn't pay attention while watching Prometheus.

>Your first two posts is based off fan theory with no confirmation.
>David was ordered by Weyland to find any possible way to extend Weyland's life, that's why he started researching the black goo. Infecting Halloway with the goo wasn't pointless, he wanted to see what would happen. He even asks Halloway's permission first "What would you risk/how far would you go to achieve your goals?" "Anything and everything" *bloop* bottoms up.
>The black goo alters DNA but it's left purposefully unclear on its exact parameters, this isn't a plot hole.
>The murals on the wall in the big face room/altar show Xenomorphs were already a thing by the time of Prometheus.

Go back and rewatch it, and this time without prejudice.

Quote from: 🅱️egone thots on May 19, 2017, 12:12:26 PM

Prometheus was a shitshow though, and no matter how good the sequel is it doesn't rectify the shitty writing and aimless plot.

>Engineers created us
>no w8 a sec, now they want to kill us all, the entire human race, because a select few of us killed Jesus who was apparently an Engineer (not even making that shit up, Scott dropped this stupid idea in an interview)
>David poisons a crew member because...who knows. The entire David subplot was utterly irrelevant and yet somehow emphasised throughout the marketing and movie
>Infected human + regular human = trilobite
>Trilobite + Engineer = precursor to a Xenomorph I guess??

I'm not entirely blaming Scott for this trainwreck of a movie, most of the blame goes to Damon Lindelof's Lost tier writing, but that doesn't make him completely blameless for going ahead with this thing. A sequel doesn't magically alter the sins of its shitty predecessor.

Scott:
"But if you look at it as an ‘our children are misbehaving down there’ scenario, there are moments where it looks like we’ve gone out of control, running around with armor and skirts, which of course would be the Roman Empire. And they were given a long run. A thousand years before their disintegration actually started to happen. And you can say, ‘Let’s send down one more of our emissaries to see if he can stop it.’ Guess what? They crucified him.”

I'm not so much as criticizing the black goo as a plot hole as I am calling it out for what it is; a dumb plot thread. They could have just left it as a deadly mutagen but instead decided to go on this really weird plot tangent with borderline hentai porn just so we can get a hint hint, wink wink easter egg at the end of the film.

There's so much fat that could've been trimmed from this movie, because that's where Prometheus ultimately fails. Aimless filler that really adds nothing to the established universe besides the fact that the handsome squidwards want to kill us for being naughty children.

>Bungie fucks their fans over
>"i schleep"

>Deci isn't going to buy Destiny 2
>"REAL SHIT"

Accusations of rape should always be taken seriously, yes. Especially if the accusation has been levied shortly after the crime has taken place.

The problem with rape is that it's such an abysmally difficult crime to prove in a court of law, and so it helps if the accuser wastes little time to make the claim. That's why I always take these Billy Cosby etc accusations with a grain of salt. You want to take him to court thirty years after this alleged crime now that he's in a position of extreme wealth and success? Hm, funny that.

Tangential points aside, we should always ensure that an accusation is given its due credence in a court of law, but an accusation itself is not proof. We need the foundations of innocent until proven guilty to sift through the bullshit, because if we just take someone's word at face value without even properly scrutinizing it then you're only circumventing the problem in a different direction.

Falling Down

o shit

Yeah I know it's not the most original thread idea, but Big Boss's thread has put me in a film making discussion mood, and I thought we could go into a little bit more detail as to why we consider these films to be so good instead of just ranking a list. Feel free to just list 5 if you're not particularly bothered to go into extraneous depth with 10.

10. Mad Max Fury Road

A visual delight in sheer action and universe building. George Miller crafted nothing short of a masterpiece when it came to stunt work and practical effects. It uses CGI sparingly and emphasises physical props and tools to give the actions more gravitas. It touches upon themes like gender roles, redemption and survival but doesn't make them the focal point of the movie, nor are they prioritised over the actual storytelling or action. A perfect example of how an action film can have serious depth if done correctly.

9. Zodiac

One of Fincher's most underrated pieces IMO. What makes Zodiac stand out to me is how it avoids the formulaic approach to detective thriller films with shoot-outs, chases and cuffing the bad guy after finding a stupidly blatant clue that a competent serial killer wouldn't actually leave before spouting a cheesy one liner at the camera. Instead it focuses on the methodical and painstakingly detailed approach to police work, which often times, doesn't always come up with results. It delivers authenticity to a tee, and feels like we're actually watching how the Zodiac case was conducted despite the artistic liberties it took.

8. Prisoners

Villeneuve's Prisoners is a potent, and highly disturbing thriller seeded with tension and mystery throughout. Jackman delivers a powerhouse of a performance as a man who has presumably lost his daughter to a child abductor, and Gyllenhaal as a resolute cop determined on solving the case. The two characters strike a perfect duality within the film, an emotionally driven lower middle class family man that performs morally questionable vigilante actions in order to find his daughter, and a systematic, logical government agent who takes a more disciplined approach to solving crime.

Roger A. Deakins as always, produces exquisite cinematography that captures the authentic feel of a rust belt community and the wallowing grief of its missing children.

7. 28 Days Later

Shot in grainy, pulp like definition that gives the movie a bleak and depressing aesthetic to it. The low budget horror revamped the concept of zombies/infected by giving them the ability to run, and the fact that it doesn't even require a bite to render you infected adds a whole new level of terror to the prospect of a post apocalyptic world ravaged by a disease. It balances scenes of horror and anguish with moments of tranquillity and reflection perfectly. As mentioned, the hyperactive visuals and filming techniques are unorthodox, and at first may seem cheap and low budget (which they technically are), but are intended to add to the movie's main theme of the political and social instability of mankind.

6. Birdman

Shot in a single take with digital conjunctions to convey the seamless passage of time, Birdman excels in snappy, smart comedy, satirisation of the entertainment business, and what people are prepared to sacrifice in the name of art. At first it may seem snooty, taking jabs at high budget blockbuster entertainment films, but on second glance, it also depicts the pretentious attitude of art house critics as prejudiced and shallow as well. The film encapsulates what it means to passionately produce art and expressions of oneself from the perspective of a washed up Hollywood actor on the verge of a possible mental breakdown. Innaritu doesn't attempt to bog down the film in serious issues such as mental health and depression though, but translates the thoughts and intricacies of an artist attempting to produce real art to validate his existence, and the hilarious obstacles he has to overcome in order to achieve that.

5. The Prestige

As mentioned in a previous thread, I really think this is Nolan's finest work. Narratively structured in a Tarantino esque, non linear fashion, the story depicts two bitter rival magicians as they attempt to master their craft as a means to best one another. What starts off as heated competition, ends up with their lives and the lives around them in tatters. One of the select few films to actually have me taken aback with its twist, The Prestige is a fantastic display of delightful cinematography, brutal obsession and eerie visuals that compliment the overall tone of the film.

4. Children of Men

Set in a world where 18 years has passed since the birth of a human, Children of Men is probably one of the most unrecognised science fiction masterpieces in modern cinema. Instead of taking the conventional Hollywood approach to sci-fi, where the protagonist is a chiselled chad that solves a complex, worldwide problem such as infertility in the space of a 2 hour run time, Cuaron portrays the main character as that of a cynical, alcoholic bureaucrat, providing us with an unconventional, yet somewhat relatable main figure as a means to guide us through the realistic and palpable world he lives in. Taking a similar filming approach as Birdman, the director uses lengthy, detailed tracking shots to immerse us in the universe as aptly as possible, and yet, somehow never becomes gimmicky.

What makes Children of Men so unique is its ability to construct a detailed, teeming universe without resorting to exposition, and yet also simultaneously focus on fantastic characterisation throughout.

3. The Thing 1982

Undoubtedly my favourite horror of all time, and deservedly so. Initially people mistook Carpenter's The Thing as just another blood splattering horror, but there's actually a whole other layer of depth to the movie some people miss out on. The film provides you with snippets of clues to piece together throughout, but never treats the audience like morons, allowing us to play detective and figure out how the Thing assimilated various characters off screen. The practical effects are timeless, and set a precedent for the future of body horror films such as Hellraiser and The Fly. There are actually YouTubers out there that have attempted to dissect the film's open to interpretation mysteries, that's just how fucking good it is.

2. Trainspotting

This probably comes from a place of bias seeing as how it's set in my home town, but I don't really care. I could write essays after essays on how brilliantly constructed this film is. Set in 1980s Edinburgh, it depicts the lives of four junkies and one psycho and their hilarious yet somewhat grim escapades. It tackles heavy themes such as masculinity, pursuit of happiness, and hedonism, interwoven with clever dialogue, stunning filming techniques and pounding house music. The film got huge flak for its dark material, being accused of advocating drug use. Of course, anyone that's actually watched the film knows it's anything but that. In my mind it's neither pro drug, nor anti drug. It's simply just an insight into what drug use does to people, why people take it, and the lengths they will go to satiate their habit. To me, the film is a drug in and of itself, ironically enough.

1. Goodfellas

NOW GO GET YA FUCKING SHINEBOX

Truly a testament to the directorial abilities of Scorsese, few films have left such a lasting impression on me as much as Goodfellas does. Where the Godfather depicts the intricacies of the higher ups within Italian organised crime, Goodfellas shines light on the boots-on-the-ground grunts that carry out the business orders of the bosses, depicting the shallowness and depravity of the lifestyle.

The film doesn't completely trash the organised crime way of life though. It doesn't necessarily follow a strict narrative either. It simply displays what it's like to live the mobster life, the good times and the bad.

Ultimately, what makes the film so poignant is its capacity to examine the mentality of mobsters and sociopaths. In the end, Henry isn't guilty for killing, threatening and extorting people. The ultimate source of his guilt comes from (spoilers) ratting his compatriots out and disregarding his mafia code for survival. That's what makes the film such a subtly complex masterpiece, and why I consider it to be the best film ever made, from my perspective.

Honourable mentions:

The Hunt

A gripping portrayal of how utterly damaging something as menial as a false accusation from a child can totally ruin a person's life.

Falling Down

Might not be the most subtle of films when it comes to its themes but it's a fucking gotdam entertaining movie nonetheless.

The Last Samurai

Chris Stuckmann did a great review on this underrated gem of a film which pretty much sums up my thoughts.

Inglorious Basterds

Shame none of Tarantino's films made it to the list considering I watched so much of them during my teen years, but eh, none of them particularly blow me away in terms of narrative or film making. Don't get me wrong, they're all pretty much consistently entertaining films, with the exception of maybe Jackie Brown, but Inglorious is the one that really stands out for me and came really fucking close to making the list.

>degenerates and welfare leeches get turned into my 12 o clock lunch

wtf I love cannibalism now

-Gladiator

My parents introduced me to this when I was around 12, and I hated it. I guess I was expecting an epic swords and sandals all out war film but I was put off by Joaquin Phoenix's disturbing performance and didn't really pay attention the film's emotional intricacies. Obviously as I matured I learned to appreciate Maximus' quest for vengeance and his love for family.


-Killing Them Softly

Another film which I had different expectations for. I was hoping for a Goodfellas esque film set in the modern day, but found the film's pacing off putting. After several viewings I think it's an unrecognised masterpiece, and I love the film's subtext that American capitalism is the perfect breeding ground for crime. It's also one of James Gandolfini's last and great performances.


-Spirited Away

Only weeb film I find acceptable. Again, another film my undeveloped mind didn't really understand. The imagery and the concept of this film is actually quite disturbing and unnerving for a U rating (having your parents turned into pigs only to then be abducted into slavery by Japanese spirits), but the animation is utterly absorbing and the struggle the main character goes through to win her family back is compelling.


-The Prestige

Probably Nolan's best work. At first I thought the bitter rivalry between the two magicians was unwarranted and kind of ridiculous, but then I grew to appreciate the lengths two performance artists will go to perfecting their craft and appeasing their audiences at the expense of their lives. A movie will always get props from me for having David Bowie as a cameo.

Nah, it's only weird if you make it weird.

I've done it a few times. Just go to a late night screening with less people if it makes it more comfortable. I saw a couple loner guys there as well. It's not as uncommon as people think.