I wrote a veritable thesis of the book's problems in Goodreads because I was so annoyed I got lured in by the pretty pictures that ended up having next to nothing to do with the actual book. I had hoped Burton would take the more intriguing elements of the book (perpetual arrested development, existence at the edge of…

You're probably right and I'm sure someone more familiar with the horror genre would be more effective in recognising tropes there that I don't. But I think I'm thinking more in terms of lack of resolution than helplessness in general. Like the difference between putting characters through hell and dropping them in…

According to Wikipedia, 1408 is the year when The Order of the Dragon is founded under King Sigismund of Hungary. Somehow I feel this would have made a more interesting movie.

Full disclosure, I'm not a big horror fan. That said, what often creeps me out is this feeling that there is no way out and nothing you do can solve anything. Maybe not so much in terms of what actually happens in the movie (like a locked room or a difficult problem), but rather in the way the story is told.…

I'd love to see more Peggy Carter and really enjoyed both seasons of the show, but I guess not enough people really did. Maybe it was a bit of an odd duck in the superhero genre seeing as no-one involved had any superpowers. Then again, Daredevil is more ninja than superhero and that seems to be doing just fine (not…

It kind of was, come to think about it. There is something inherently ridiculous in trying so hard to make thing better only to end up having made them so, so very much worse. But the line really worked for me and it's pretty much the only thing I remember of either of the films properly. Otherwise they were both…

I liked the abruptness of the line. So far the movie had proceeded like a typical story form problem to resolution. Dropping that line unexpectedly and without much foreshadowing was subverting the seemingly inevitable happy ending. It's like if Snow White and Prince What'shisname were walking down the aisle and…

Is The Ring the one where you weren't supposed to help her? If so, agreed. After all these years, that's still chilling to me. And to think the line was delivered by a kid too!

Such sad news, and hits home hard for me due to some similar family stuff. And yet all I can think about is Terry Jones playing the piano butt nekkid with a wild grin on his face. A worthy, creative life and by the sound of it, it's not over yet as he gets to be with his family and friends with his mind at peace.

Definitely! The Jianyu twist was great and I certainly didn't see it coming, but I'm hoping that won't cause any weird drama between Tahani and Eleanor. Them as mismatched friends with some slight snarking and bitching on the side could work really well.

I was just on that show thread commenting about it! I'm liking it because it's making me laugh (always a bonus for a comedy) but also because it seems to have an actual story behind it, so it feels like there is a reason for watching it regularly. These days I prefer to wait and see if a show is cancelled after two…

I don't think Chidi is teaching Eleanor his own views on ethics but rather showing what Aristotle had to say on the topic. In the first episode he says that most philosophers see goodness as something inherent to a person and their motivations, and the reason why they hone in on Aristotle during the lessons is because…

I think it would be very, very difficult for the show to actually have a place of eternal torment and still maintain a sense of philosophical integrity. A slapstick comedy can have a hell and play it for laughs or a show like Lucifer that skates over ethics in favour of relationship drama (I love Lucifer). But this…

Mort had an early take on this concept, as well. There they used roughly the example that if you're alone at home and hear someone creeping in through the door, you might shoot them (with a bow an arrow, this being Discworld) and kill them. If you then turn the lights on and discover it was actually your…

Yay for a Kristen Bell mention! She's the only actor I can think of that I would consider seeing a movie for, if I wasn't otherwise interested in it.

Absolutely agree on Caroline Bingley. Her main motivation as a character was certainly not just to catch Darcy, even if that was a part of it. Austen's books are commentaries on the society in which she lived and Caroline Bingley is there to show how strict the rules of that society were. The Bennets were the 'right'…

I don't think I considered myself a particularly tortured adolescent but I loved Tori Amos. I was amazed to find out later that her music was considered something for the pretentiously tormented - I had thought it quirky and original, like wearing big scarves and reading books on philosophy in public spaces.

That's an interesting disconnect, because I think the general European stance at least is that Obama is someone that can be respected precisely because he's an intelligent person willing to negotiate, while Trump is seen more as a clown (a scary one). So the difference seems to be the preference for a type of respect…

I particularly like it when he tries to smoke but his lighter inexplicably stops working and he throws it away. For a guy as fond of luxury items as he is, he really ought to invest on a quality lighter.