T3551ER

lol

Black Widow. I .... it was fine. A lot of good elements (acting, humor, direction, themes, etc.) that somehow combined into an end product that felt bland and devoid of anything memorable. Felt like a slightly higher budget episode of agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 10 Scarjo hair flips / 13 questionable russian accents

Well, really glad to hear things are looking up (and that you've got a good support network - that shit's crucial, particularly in these very trying, very weird times). I remember being laid up w/ hernia surgery a few years back. I figured I'd just be popping pain pills and catching up on anime, which did happen, and was kind of cool for a while, but the pain and the just not being able to get up and do shit got to be realllly frustrating. It's amazing how much you miss really simple shit (like, real basic things, like walking 15 feet without feeling exhausted) when you can't do it. Glad you're on the positive side of recovery, don't forget to take it easy on yourself! Back OT - hellz yeah, just saw this post on Facebook where Neil Gaiman got a special edition Key model from the Locke and Key Sandman crossover going on (I'm a HUGE Sandman fan, so this puts L&K even more on the radar). Still on True Detective which is seriously threatening to A-bomb my sleep schedule because first season is SO. Friggin. Good.

Just wanted to say that my personal experience with therapy, as well as friends who have been involved with it both as providers and receivers doesn't really mesh with the portrayal here? With the massive caveat that I feel like some of the complexities of the philosophical discussions in this thread are beyond me, I do feel like I understand the above and it just doesn't jive with what I've seen/experienced. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure there are a lot of psychotherapists that are trying to push people into a certain set of standards and boxes that could be labelled as normative but I've actually actually found the opposite is true - a lot of therapists I've talked to have even discussed society (well, at least our society) as being severely unhealthy and, in a lot of ways, the cause of a significant amount of our suffering. I distinctly remember one saying to me "it's hard to be immune from all of societies' signals" which I thought was fucking SPOT ON and holds true to this day. I don't know, just my experience, but I've absolutely never felt like any therapy that I've experienced ever pushed me towards "fitting in" and "being normal" and "being stable" and "not bogged down by my emotions." That being said, my issues (and, of the people that I know who have done therapy) are generally of a trauma-related/PTSD nature - a few of my friends have legitimately had severe bipolar which I think is a bit different. ... but I also don't really know that their experience has been described as all that different. Most people that I know who provide therapy frankly don't really seem too keen on society or what constitutes the promulgated idea of "normalcy," and in fact often say things that most "normal" people would probably do a triple take at (e.g., hey, maybe taking drugs isn't actually a bad thing, depending on how and why you are doing it). My 2 cents, probably not even worth that much. Though, I guess this is the "pointless thoughts" thread so maybe I'm just uber OT .. EDIT: Wanted to correct something here. I was discussing this with my wife last night and she pointed out that bi-polar and schizophrenia are different diagnoses. She also let me know that several of her close friends (5 actually) were clinically diagnosed with schizophrenia, and their experience may mirror what you're talking about here to a degree - i.e., they felt that the medications and focus of their therapy was aimed at removing something that they felt was integral to their identity so they could "function better" in the world we live in. I.e., their schizophrenia felt like a huge part of who they are, and attempts to modify or change that felt like giving up a part of themselves for the sake of existing in a world they felt was not for them. I still hold the intent of therapy, in my experiences, is often not to enforce becoming dulled, chill, fit in or become "normal" and accept society without question (and would say the opposite is actually true). But I can understand why someone who deeply identifies with their condition and the way that causes them to function might feel like this is the case (I also get the argument that in another time/place, people with these disorders might be seen as holy prophets/shamans/visionaries instead of being shunted to the periphery of society, and there might be better societal ways of dealing with these issues than we are using now).

Very interested to hear your thoughts on this - it's been on the radar for a while and from what I hear it's pretty great. Actually think a few folks around here have given it high praise? Might just be making that up tho... I just started watching the first season of True Detective last night. I had watched 5 minutes of it maybe 3 years ago and for some reason turned it off. what is wrong with me? holy crap the first 50 minutes are better than like 98% of the trash I usually watch. Stoked to see more... EDIT: sry, forgot, was going to say "hope you feel better soon!" Back problems are no fun at all - good luck getting vertical when you can!

Mm, Rover looks good. Thanks for mentioning. This horror flick about aging/dementia I thorough enjoyed. Not necessarily a reflection on the topics per se, but a pretty crackin' found footage horror film

What... what a STRANGE movie. It's either awfully brilliant or brilliantly awful. My opinion vacillates between these two on an almost moment by moment basis. ^ This is perfect. Spot friggin' on.

Yeah, I'm worried. Been trying to figure out why and "well executed fan film" is spot on. It's weird, b/c the Sandman clip looks so well polished whereas this looks like... I don't know, something obviously filmed on a sound stage. Hard to tell until actual footage gets release though, Cho sounds fully committed which makes me hopeful....

Oh HELL YES. Thanks for the heads up!

Yeah, gonna +1 this. The MCU stuff, in particular the most recent Disney+ shows (Wandavision and Loki) really feel like actually excellent sci-fi/fantasy, and show a willingness to start to dig into some deeper themes (Wandavision is a meditation on grief and loss, Loki on growing the fuck up and being an adult). Although some of this stuff is definitely cookie cutter origin story/hero's journey third act bombast, I'm pretty much fine because... it is what it is. It's popcorn movie fare, but over time it's also been infused with heart, interesting direction, and like @Himelsteinnotes, a really excellent handling of interconnectedness across media. I'd actually argue that one of the reason's why the Star Wars sequels failed is because there wasn't a singular vision at the helm. You compare the three sequels that always seemed to be tripping over themselves with something like the Mandalorian, which was confident, had it's own feel, but still remained ineffably Star Wars and you see how having someone like Dave Filoni involved (who has an encyclopedic knowledge of the subject matter and is involved in many arms) can really help make something both cohesive and still unique. Maybe it's age (and having a kid) but .. I guess I'm less critical about this sort of thing than I used to be. Part of that is taking things on the face of what they are - I don't go into Thor expecting Shakespeare (though, ironically, some undertones there with Branaugh directing), I don't go into a Billie Eilish album expecting microtonal scales. Don't get me wrong, definitely hear the criticisms and agree with some of it. Black Panther sadly felt so very Marvel origin story roadmap and I fear Shang Chi will have similar issues - but also think Marvel continues to expand its flavor palate with things that are weirder, stranger, and more nuanced, and really should be applauded for continuing to take risks with indie directors that bring a different slant to things. I guess, for me, it's like this: If someone were to ask me what my favorite movie is, I'd probably say Twin Peaks Season 3. It's the magnum opus of Lynch, combining everything that came before and adding new bits, a meta-commentary on wanting to be satisfied with resolution, a horror movie, an abstract comedy, a set of musical performances, a tone poem, a work of staggering genius. However, if someone were to ask me what movie I watch every year and enjoy thoroughly all the way through, it's probably Guardian's of the Galaxy. It's by turns heartbreaking, hilarious, weird, sad, and joyful, beautifully shot, directed, and acted, and the soundtrack is killer to drive to. Sometimes you wanna 50$ filet mignon with a side of organic greens and homemade garlic aoli, sometimes you just wanna fuckin' big mac with fries and a McFlurrie.

Deathloop - sort of up and down about this one. Reviews kind of skyrocketed expectations and the first few hours lived up to it. Got a little frustrated for the next few hours, but I think that's mainly because I kept trying to force a "guns blazing" approach when I really wasn't powered up enough for it (and the game seems more structured to be a "stealth while you can, then blow shit up when it goes to hell .. but stealth first") Hit a crest last night where some things finally clicked, including getting some slabs and infusing some weapons/trinkets, which makes everything a lot more forgiving. Other thing that started to click was getting familiar with the levels - and then discovering interesting, hidden things. Initially the amount of info seemed just overwhelming but have sort of accepted that it'll make more sense as time goes by (haha). Some weird LOD issues also where things will remain blurry until I'm right up on top of them (PS5) - emailed support but that will probably do fuck all. I know this sounds like a pretty meh response but really it's been a great gaming experience. I actually look forward to the point where I really know/understand the levels - the whole thing is like one very elegant puzzle, with multiple ways of solving individual situations, and even solutions that cross locations/times of day. The actual story/what's going on is also fascinating - the game oozes atmosphere and a sense of legitimately lived in spaces. I spent a while in Frank's complex last night and the music/psychedlia etc. was just stunning. Kind of hoping they release the soundtrack for this one. ... EDIT: This song in particular *swoon*

A buddy and I took a crack at doing a VR startup at the beginning of the resurgence in VR (our focus was on educational opportunities in VR). We used to lug around our rigs to schools and do demos of Titans of Space mainly (this was back in the DK2 days, before the retail version had launched, and well before standalone models). Even back then, this stuff was very compelling (I mean, not this program per se, but the idea of VR - the chance to do things in a virtual space and, for me, particularly the promise of artistic expression). Things didn't ever work out with the startup (turns out ... running a business is hard, and there isn't a lot of $ in the educational space for VR, or at least there wasn't at the time) - but I still carry this love for VR that I've had basically ever since I read Neuromancer etc. and it lit my brain on fire as to the possibilities. @ignatius I hear you - my last experience with VR was admittedly not the most ideal, as it was on devkits and even back then unless your had a god tier rig you weren't ever going to even be hitting the FPS you need to start to mitigate sim sickness for those who are sensitive. I'm about halfway sensitive - I don't immediately get sick, but after a certain amount of time I found myself getting nausea that lasted well beyond taking the goggles off. It's funny - I've actually very willfully held off on trying any new VR - mainly because when I do, I want to be blown away. Basically, like the jump from playing a game on the OG nintendo to a PS5. Stuff like this is kind of the same - pretty crude but interesting glimpse at what things may end up being down the road. At the beginning, I think we all thought "oh, I'll throw on this headset and live inside Quake forever" but then you realize there are all these things that need to be sussed out first. A main one really is the movement/space issue - if there was a functional way to trick the brain into believing the legs/body is moving without actually having to move around a game space, that would go a long way towards solving a huge hurdle of VR. Right now, you're either confined to a box/limited play space or using teleporting or some other non-natural feeling solution. Anyway, appreciate this for what it is - not something I will ever actually use to make music, but a great proof of concept/seed for what might be amazing down the road. Look forward to what the future brings!

This is pretty awesome. I read the description and apparently the "floating blob dudes" are actually him on earlier passes on the track... so, basically, a recording of various versions of him working on the individual segments. Thanks for sharing!

Cheers M8. Tom Ellis is the guy, you'll see him start to exercise his acting chops more as the series goes along. It does remain a bit OTT (it's a lot of drama that definitely swings into melodrama). I know for me, though, it ended up being this really amazing meditation on love/loss/sacrifice and some very deep themes that were carried off perfectly within the context of this sort of pulpy action/drama - in particular, you see all of the characters actually grow, change, and mature - something which is actually reflective of the show itself (starts off as procedural monster of the week, ends up being something much more). Hope you enjoy!

Lucifer, final season. I bawled and blubbered like a little baby through almost every episode, particularly the last few. The rare show that somehow started off good and then just got better and better and better. I thought Season 5 couldn't be topped and I was so very wrong. Season 6 tore my heart out and provided an ending that was hard but felt totally earned/correct for everything the series has ultimately been about. I'd call it my pinnacle of guilty pleasure shows but I'm not even guilty about it so I guess I get to escape my hell loop ?

Yeah, pre-ordered Deathloop last night. Woke up this AM to see the 10/10 scores which has me hyped (I enjoyed Dishonored 2 but not as much as I thought I would, so trying to temper expectations going in on this one...)

^ Yeah, man, MIndhunter (particularly S1) is pretty fucking flawless. I heard a rumor he's thinking about going back in for another season but we'll see. I'm throwing caution to the wind and just holy fuck I'm hyped for this. To support the whole "meta" idea check out this still from the trailer where it's clear someone is watching the Matrix (or, at least a scene from it) in the world of the film:

I literally can't *heart* this post enough. Bring it on!!!!

Matrix news and Radiohead news in the same day? Sign my nostalgic ass up. Less stoked about this than the OK NOT OK release (and those leaked cassettes omfg that was a treasure trove) but still stoked. Follow me Around from this era should make most Radiohead fans go apeshit though I'll probably go gaga of the How to Disappear strings.

hahah IKR?! No idea - very little has been said/revealed about it up to this point (which is crazy given how long it's been in production and how close to release). Would suspect this would be a one-off though... something about these clips feels awfully "final" to me...

https://thechoiceisyours.whatisthematrix.com/ Well god damn I'm such a sucker for this sort of shit but color my HYPED. Great marketing - click on the blue pill or red pill. Video changes each time (and not just the time stamp - a lot of the scenes seem repeated but I've caught at least one new one literally each time I've clicked on this).

Thanks Webby - the comment about the reverb tails is helpful. Trying to pinpoint where things are getting mushy has been a challenge, will go back and take a look/listen to this in the mix. Appreciate it!

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