Re: Response part 1arkan2January 11 2016, 20:15:23 UTC
Good to talk to you again, as well, and happy new year. My Christmas was pretty low-key, as I'm currently living out of state and my friends were all celebrating the holidays elsewhere. I mainly spent the day having an early Christmas dinner with my hosts' extended family (they even got me a rad bead bracelet), and watching the latest documentary about the Yes Men (a couple of activist pranksters). And I had a nearly two-hour Google hangout with my mom and my sisters talking about ... The Force Awakens. Fun times.
Yeah, it's a bit unfortunate about missing the Apocalypse trailer, but I wouldn't say it sucks. Now if I miss the movie in theaters, too, that will be too bad.
They made the Death Star comparison during the mission briefing scene, yes.
I actually didn't mind Kylo's rage fits; he at least, seems to confine his the damage to inanimate objects rather than his own people. During that video hangout, one of my sisters pointed out that when we first see him go off like that, it could be interpreted as a childish tantrum, or as a powerful and dangerous person unleashing his primal rage. It's only after he takes off his mask and we see and hear him in all his emo glory that it becomes locked in as the first.
I could never get past Sacrifice; the mere thought of spending another nanosecond in Darth Ripoff (the First)'s head made me cringe. Still, what you say seems in line with the general trajectory of the Legacy Era of killing off the main characters, turning them evil, or making them into complete assholes (or a combination of the above). Just as well I bailed out when I did, by all accounts.
"Clean his chrono" -- ha! That's a really awesome phrase. Seriously. :)
I'm sure I didn't originate it, but I can't remember where I got it from, now.
I actually read somewhere that Abrams had Han killed off to present Kylo Ren as more of a threat
In that case, boy did he miss the boat, casting Adam Driver in the role, and having him remove his mask. Really, though, killing off an unarmed, non Force-sensitive old man makes Kylo despicable, but hardly intimidating. A better way to do that would have been to have Kylo manifest more impressive Force abilities like freezing Poe's blaster bolt in mid-air. How about having him take out an X-Wing or two using only a Force attack or his lightsaber? That would present him as a serious threat.
(I really hate that trope too. It just brings the movie to a screeching halt and requires a lot of the cast to just leave their common sense at the door)
I think you've touched upon one of the reasons why I find Rey and Finn's temporary parting - and Han's death, for that matter - palatable, and even moving. I'm not averse to tragic events like deaths and break ups in fiction per se; the problem I often have is that so often these instances are plot- rather than character-driven, and they require in turn that the characters be operating at well below their maximum capacity (to paraphrase a term from a book on fiction writing I read a few months ago). When the characters are operating at their maximum capacity and things still go wrong, now that's powerful.
Re: Response part 1ladyhadhafangJanuary 11 2016, 21:13:39 UTC
That's good to hear. :) I had a good Christmas, even though I kind of had some...well, health issues, I guess I should say. And all of it sounds fun!
And here's hoping that you don't miss X-Men Apocalypse.
Yeah, Adam Driver...he's pretty nonthreatening, actually. I mean, I can understand Abrams trying to unsettle the viewers by presenting this kind of normal-looking guy, but the thing is...well, he's not really that scary.
Oh God, don't even get me started. I mean, there was the whole Boba Fett thing (I mean, Fett's self-righteous tracts just got on my nerves), things like that. (And Caedus emotionally manipulating Tahiri. Even if he does regret it, it's still a scummy thing to do to someone who lost her boyfriend -- and horrifically, at that!)
It's still a really awesome phrase. I should use it. :)
Very well-said! I mean, there could have definitely been a lot of opportunities for Kylo to just show off.
Maximum capacity vs. operating well below their maximum capacity -- I like that. I think it really does sum things up beautifully.
Yeah, it's a bit unfortunate about missing the Apocalypse trailer, but I wouldn't say it sucks. Now if I miss the movie in theaters, too, that will be too bad.
They made the Death Star comparison during the mission briefing scene, yes.
I actually didn't mind Kylo's rage fits; he at least, seems to confine his the damage to inanimate objects rather than his own people. During that video hangout, one of my sisters pointed out that when we first see him go off like that, it could be interpreted as a childish tantrum, or as a powerful and dangerous person unleashing his primal rage. It's only after he takes off his mask and we see and hear him in all his emo glory that it becomes locked in as the first.
I could never get past Sacrifice; the mere thought of spending another nanosecond in Darth Ripoff (the First)'s head made me cringe. Still, what you say seems in line with the general trajectory of the Legacy Era of killing off the main characters, turning them evil, or making them into complete assholes (or a combination of the above). Just as well I bailed out when I did, by all accounts.
"Clean his chrono" -- ha! That's a really awesome phrase. Seriously. :)
I'm sure I didn't originate it, but I can't remember where I got it from, now.
I actually read somewhere that Abrams had Han killed off to present Kylo Ren as more of a threat
In that case, boy did he miss the boat, casting Adam Driver in the role, and having him remove his mask. Really, though, killing off an unarmed, non Force-sensitive old man makes Kylo despicable, but hardly intimidating. A better way to do that would have been to have Kylo manifest more impressive Force abilities like freezing Poe's blaster bolt in mid-air. How about having him take out an X-Wing or two using only a Force attack or his lightsaber? That would present him as a serious threat.
(I really hate that trope too. It just brings the movie to a screeching halt and requires a lot of the cast to just leave their common sense at the door)
I think you've touched upon one of the reasons why I find Rey and Finn's temporary parting - and Han's death, for that matter - palatable, and even moving. I'm not averse to tragic events like deaths and break ups in fiction per se; the problem I often have is that so often these instances are plot- rather than character-driven, and they require in turn that the characters be operating at well below their maximum capacity (to paraphrase a term from a book on fiction writing I read a few months ago). When the characters are operating at their maximum capacity and things still go wrong, now that's powerful.
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And here's hoping that you don't miss X-Men Apocalypse.
Yeah, Adam Driver...he's pretty nonthreatening, actually. I mean, I can understand Abrams trying to unsettle the viewers by presenting this kind of normal-looking guy, but the thing is...well, he's not really that scary.
Oh God, don't even get me started. I mean, there was the whole Boba Fett thing (I mean, Fett's self-righteous tracts just got on my nerves), things like that. (And Caedus emotionally manipulating Tahiri. Even if he does regret it, it's still a scummy thing to do to someone who lost her boyfriend -- and horrifically, at that!)
It's still a really awesome phrase. I should use it. :)
Very well-said! I mean, there could have definitely been a lot of opportunities for Kylo to just show off.
Maximum capacity vs. operating well below their maximum capacity -- I like that. I think it really does sum things up beautifully.
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