I am not a fan of golf. I think it is the most boring game ever invented. Well, except perhaps Curling. But I enjoyed that movie. Charlize Theron was just breath-taking. I think Matt Damon had one of the best lines in the movie:

"You see every drink of liquor you take kills a thousand brain cells. Now that doesn't much matter 'cos we got billions more. And first the sadness cells die so you smile real big. And then the quiet cells go so you just say everything real loud for no reason at all. That'ok, that's ok because the stupid cells go next, so everything you say is real smart. And finally, come the memory cells. These are tough sons of bitches to kill."

Since my last thread post I've watched the final two episodes of Game of Thrones season 3, and the first four episodes of season 4, including weddings both red and purple.

Some posts earlier, after watching s.6 ep.10, I mentioned that one of Bran's "dreams" all but confirmed R+L=J, but that with Martin you just can't assume it's set in stone. Apparently others don't consider R+L=J a given, as this YouTube video attests. I find it interesting food for thought, and possibly more.

Reddit had a ton of discussions on this theory, too. (I won't give spoilers on future episodes, but Reddit might)







This post has been edited by mALX: Feb 26 2017, 12:51 AM

Now watching: One of my all time favorite movies = "The Hunt For Red October" - Awesome movie!

That's a fantastic film that I will have to see about getting on dvd at some point.


As part of my continuing Transformers binge, I've just finished watching Dark of the Moon.

Now, just to be clear, there is absolutely no level on which the plot of this film works. It's nonsensical in every way, and has no continuity with the other films. (And I'd just like to take this opportunity to have a mini rant about the way they crowbarred the Matrix of Leadership into the films without actually making it the Matrix of Leadership. So stupid.)

But, and it is an important but: who watches a Michael Bay film for the plot?

There are only a handful of reasons to actually watch the Transformers movies. Personally, I love those detailed transformation sequences. I could just watch those all day. And I love the Autobot/Decepticon fight scenes, the hand-to-hand sequences and the like. Again, I could watch those all day. And you do get the occasional non-fight scenes that are worth watching.

But they spend way too much time having humans doing way too much of the fighting. And they throw comic relief around like one of the scriptwriters turned up with a can of silly string and started spraying it indiscriminately.

Fortunately, I can go fire up the Transformers games that I've got to get a better Autobot vs Decepticon experience

I'm watching Hickok45 playing around with a S&W Governor. It's a 45LC/.410 shotgun but his apparently can use other .45 Cal rounds.

Ha! You just made Mirocu's day !!! That is like his absolute favorite YouTube Vid series!





This post has been edited by mALX: Feb 27 2017, 11:19 PM

Currently watching a bunch of martial arts stuff, all in the name of research and technical knowledge for Reasons-As-Of-Yet-Unspecified. Dan Hardy and Lawrence Kenshin's breakdowns are notably excellent. So excellent it makes me wanna take up the gloves and train again, this time for good.

Yesterday I watched GoT Season 3 episodes 5 & 6. I enjoyed both. I imagine that most people consider Tyrion's trial the highlight of these two episodes. I also quite enjoy the Arya/Hound interactions we've seen throughout season three. Theon/Reek & Ramsey is good stuff too. The show attempts to make Cersei a slightly more sympathetic character than do the books. I wish they hadn't bothered, but it's no lease breaker.

My father and I need to stop watching him, he gives us bad ideas on what guns to get lol .

Yes, that felt like a real Hollywood move to me (trying to manipulate the viewer into sympathizing with Cersei - and also Jamie) - and for me, the scenes with Reek went beyond what I wanted to see. I started leaving the room when those scenes came on.

Was the book this bad on Ramsey's evilness? Did he have any gray quality in the book? Because one thing I loved from the beginning was how gray GRRM's bad guys were, some were even likable or funny despite their evil side (such as Walder Frey).

But in the series, Ramsey was so totally evil and black that it kind of became unbelievable = eye rolling. It felt contrived and manipulative, at least to me it did. I expected to see him twirling a moustache it got so bad - didn't feel like most of GRRM's bad guys to me.

I'd love to know how GRRM wrote Ramsey.





Yeah, poor Mirocu has spent quite a bit and had to wrangle with the government regulations on gun control because of the inspirations he got from Hickok45,

Ramsey is one of the few characters that Georgie wrote about in ASoI&F that has practically no redeeming qualities. He's rotten. To the core. The difference is most of Ramsey's cruelty to Theon/Reek in the book is committed off page, so most of his atrocities against Theon/Reek are left up to our imaginations (the literal taking of Theon's "manhood" from the show being one such instance).

Wow, what a difference then from how in depth all his other characters are! That stuff with Reek on the film just really went on way too long and was too much to watch for me. I wish they had left a lot more to the imagination on the show too.

Thank you so much for letting me know!

Yeah, the physical damage Ramsey done to Theon/Reek in the books is far worse than depicted on the show. As I recall, Theon loses a number of fingers and toes. Also, aren't his teeth either removed or shattered?

Watched episodes 7 & 8 yesterday evening, which includes Tyrion's trial-by-combat. I've mixed feelings about its ending, which is pretty much the same in both book and show. It is certainly a dramatic twist of fate, yet would a highly seasoned warrior like Oberyn allow himself to fall victim to such utter stupidity, especially when faced with a foe as formidable as the Mountain? Reminds me too much of the finish of too many "pro" wrestling matches. Then again, maybe that was Martin's intent, since those matches trained us to know what was likely to come from Oberyn's posturing. I bet plenty of folk were screaming at the screen for him to quit screwing around and finish it.

*mALX raises hand* I was screaming at the screen for him to just kill the "Mountain" before he came out of that stupor already,






This post has been edited by mALX: Feb 28 2017, 09:47 PM

Watched the final two episodes of GoT Season 4 this afternoon. Enjoyed both, especially 10. I think 9 is the first episode to take place in one location (the Wall and its immediate surroundings). Was glad to see Tyrion's escape and confrontation with Shae and Twyin play out pretty much as they do in the books. Can't remember, does Cersei confront Tywin with "the truth" in the books? Enjoyed the Brienne / Hound fight, and Ayra's final exchange with the Hound afterward. Not a big fan of the fire/lightning strikes that save Bran and crew just before they reach the Tree. It seems too sword & sorcery in a way alien to ASOFAI. This is another instance where I can't recall how the books handle it, assuming there is a book equivalent.

Alas, I do not yet own season five.

This post has been edited by Decrepit: Mar 1 2017, 03:07 AM

Not having read the books (but dying to) = I've wondered many times about some of the more theatrically staged and over the top Hollywoodish feel to some parts = wanted to know how it was in the books. This is one of the very few things I've found on TV that I've cared enough about to want to read the original story behind it. At some points I was pretty sure I had the feel of GRRM, of his characters. Then when they did something off to what GRRM had established for them = wondered if it was the Hollywood influence showing through.

You and Khajiit are so lucky to have had that background first!!!! I would love to have both the ASOFAI and the Dunk & Eggs!

Re: Hollywood Game of Thrones v. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire

While it irked him about some of the things the show did that he feels the books did better, Khajiit understands that some things don't translate well from book to film. Also, the tv audience gets bored somewhat easily, so there is a necessity to constantly "one up" what was done in previous episodes/seasons by doing increasingly more shocking (and sometimes outlandish) things.

If I recall correctly, Coldhands fights off the approaching wights while everyone heads to the cave.

This post has been edited by hazmick: Mar 1 2017, 04:19 AM

And that right there is why I tend to not care much for TV watching. They think people are too stupid to appreciate good writing if it isn't loaded with special effects and overly fantastic and over the top "shock and awe."

Me = I just love the good writing and in depth characters GRRM was genius enough to create. To me that is more exciting than any of all that extra Hollywood crap (imho).