NHL Mega-Mock Draft Reboot - Discussion / Draft Thread – SUPER F***ING AMAZING PHASE TWENTY-FIVE!

[Lord Defect]

I hope A-Aron found some crystals and elixirs to fix his Achilles, because otherwise he will have to rely on nasty science.

We start the day with @Asnito on the clock, @ajgoal on deck, @pit on the lido deck, and DancingPants on the lido afterdeck.

I haven't watched "Ahsoka" yet, so no spoilers. You know that I almost never spoil "Twinkle Love," so please return the favor.

Ashoka has a one night stand with Yoda, it’s revealed that she’s baby yodas father.

 

[BernieParent]

Ashoka has a one night stand with Yoda, it’s revealed that she’s baby yodas father.

As spoilers come that's a real shoka.

 

[BiggE]

As spoilers come that's a real shoka.

 

[BernieParent]

View attachment 742825

Thanks, BiggE. Yoda man!

 

[Asnito]

Didn't expect a run on warplanes so with that in mind the Toads are proud to select the P-38.

The P-38 was used to carry out Operation Vengeance

Operation Vengeance - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

With a heavy heart I now pass the ball to @ajgoal

 

[ajgoal]

I spent a lot of time reading about WWI planes when I was a kid, but not so much WWII. I did, however, watch "Baa, Baa Black Sheep/Black Sheep Squadron" so I wholly support @Captain Dave Poulin's love of the Corsair. But there was one book that I read that made me look at one airplane in particular, which I fell in love with and will always have time for a photo or video or a story about one. Though not designed for it, 16 planes, modified to reduce weight and carry extra fuel flew off the deck of the Hornet on April 16, 1942 bound for Japan and then China. Only one landed safely, where it was "captured" and the crew "interred" by Russia. They went on to serve in every theater and continued in service for decades after the war's conclusion.

Team WWII Aircraft: B-25 Mitchell

@pit

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Potentially exciting game tonight, if Kirk shows up and the Vikings can find some defense. Otherwise, it's a boring blowout. Maybe.

We start the day with @pit on the clock, @DancingPanther on deck, @CanadianFlyer88 on the lido deck, and Striiker on the lido afterdeck.

Generally speaking, I am very satisfied with "Ahsoka" so far. This is a much more important series to me than any of the others because I am so invested in the characters from "Clone Wars" and "Rebels," and it has been perfectly fine so far, and excellent in places. But I have started to dread the moments when they are in conversation, because the characters are just being weird. Ahsoka CONSTANTLY crosses her arms, and Hera is weirdly still. These aren't big deals in the big picture, but they are distracting. I just hope these parts can normalize a little.

There are no words for "Wheel of Abomination." That f***ing thing can f*** right off. So impossibly misguided. I had to take an hour break in the middle of the latest episode before finishing it. Blech.

 

[BiggE]

Potentially exciting game tonight, if Kirk shows up and the Vikings can find some defense. Otherwise, it's a boring blowout. Maybe.

We start the day with @pit on the clock, @DancingPanther on deck, @CanadianFlyer88 on the lido deck, and Striiker on the lido afterdeck.

Generally speaking, I am very satisfied with "Ahsoka" so far. This is a much more important series to me than any of the others because I am so invested in the characters from "Clone Wars" and "Rebels," and it has been perfectly fine so far, and excellent in places. But I have started to dread the moments when they are in conversation, because the characters are just being weird. Ahsoka CONSTANTLY crosses her arms, and Hera is weirdly still. These aren't big deals in the big picture, but they are distracting. I just hope these parts can normalize a little.

There are no words for "Wheel of Abomination." That f***ing thing can f*** right off. So impossibly misguided. I had to take an hour break in the middle of the latest episode before finishing it. Blech.

Yeah, Robert Jordan is likely turning in his grave over the abomination they made from his story. Rosamund Pike is a fantastic actress and even she can’t save this dung heap!

 

[ajgoal]

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

View attachment 743064

That's a damned great kitty.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I think Wheel of Time is completely fine and it’s love for the source material clouding judgement.

 

[Lord Defect]

I think Wheel of Time is completely fine and it’s love for the source material clouding judgement.

Having watching zero minutes of it, it looks low budget. It looks like it’s a spinoff piggy backing off a major product to milk the last drop of revenue from fans, like fear the walking dead and the walking dead.

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

I think Wheel of Time is completely fine and it’s love for the source material clouding judgement.

I deeply loathe the source material - my reaction to it is cold critical judgment.

 

[Rebels57]

I think Wheel of Time is completely fine and it’s love for the source material clouding judgement.

I dunno man..I have no knowledge of the source material and I couldn't make it through a single episode..and yes I usually enjoy these types of shows/movies.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I deeply loathe the source material - my reaction to it is cold critical judgment.

Then maybe you just don’t like this story no matter what form it takes. I personally loathe everything to do with time travel. It’s all terrible. All of it.

You will get no argument from me that everything to do with Rand is awful for example. But the character is pure schlock in the books too. I knew I wouldn’t like him going in. At least half of the plot threads I don’t give a single shit about. S2 definitely has a higher batting average than S1 in this area. There are a couple of side stories that are at least interesting enough to be secondary reasons to watch.

But Rosamund Pike is absolutely fantastic in this as Moiraine. For me personally, I’ll deal with the schlock if you give me one of the main story beats being a role fulfilled to absolute perfection.

I dunno man..I have no knowledge of the source material and I couldn't make it through a single episode..and yes I usually enjoy these types of shows/movies.

There are always going to be exceptions. I was speaking mainly to the nerd rage.

I think what they tried to do was make an accessible version of the books with middling changes. People who love the source material and refuse to allow for changes were always going to hate that, as were people who didn’t want it dumbed down in any way. There’s no way to condense that many books into a show without doing some of that.

I don’t think this is made to appeal to you or me. I think they were shooting for the mainstream in the same way Star Wars has always been mainstream. I know a lot of Star Wars super fans don’t like to hear that, but it’s true. And in the case of WoT, the end product isn’t good enough to get mainstream attention. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad. It’s just fine.

Having watching zero minutes of it, it looks low budget. It looks like it’s a spinoff piggy backing off a major product to milk the last drop of revenue from fans, like fear the walking dead and the walking dead.

That’s exactly what all of these big budget shows are. Peter Jackson put a ton of care into something a few decades ago and it broke people’s brains. All of these shows exist to try to make money. We’re not talking about indy movies here. I read these complaints as the veneer not being thick enough. I’m not sure why that matters.

 

[Magua]

I hate how Amazon Prime shows look. Not just the special effects. The actual photography looks cheap and uncinematic. Everything looks so evenly lit it’s one step above soap operas. It’s odd to me how HBO (or Netflix or whatever) shows all have unique photography, but Amazon shows pretty much all look the same. Some are a little better, but the image itself still looks rather digital and artificial.

 

[ajgoal]

I hate how Amazon Prime shows look. Not just the special effects. The actual photography looks cheap and uncinematic. Everything looks so evenly lit it’s one step above soap operas. It’s odd to me how HBO (or Netflix or whatever) shows all have unique photography, but Amazon shows pretty much all look the same.

Maybe it was a stylistic choice that I didn't grasp (or COVID even?), but the complete lack of anything happening in the background ever in the live action Cowboy Bebop always reminded me of a workplace training video. The sets seemed so dead aside from the characters being featured.

 

[Magua]

Maybe it was a stylistic choice that I didn't grasp (or COVID even?), but the complete lack of anything happening in the background ever in the live action Cowboy Bebop always reminded me of a workplace training video. The sets seemed so dead aside from the characters being featured.

That’s exactly what I’m talking about! This weird sterility in the sets and image. It’s off putting. That’s what every Amazon shows looks like to me (although it’s not as felt in comedies) no matter the budget. It’s cost saving measures.

I probably shouldn’t have said Netflix since they release plenty of schlock — but I do think the prestige shows on Netflix are a lot more cinematic than Amazon’s. But it’s how they churn out the volume of content they do. I don’t think I’ve ever watched an HBO show and thought the visual merits were anything less than you’d see in films. Directing and photography just feels way way down Amazon’s list of priorities.

 

[JojoTheWhale]

I hate how Amazon Prime shows look. Not just the special effects. The actual photography looks cheap and uncinematic. Everything looks so evenly lit it’s one step above soap operas. It’s odd to me how HBO (or Netflix or whatever) shows all have unique photography, but Amazon shows pretty much all look the same.

I've seen a lot of talk that this is due to compression or TV settings. I know this is horseshit because The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel doesn't look like that at all. It's a house style.

For the most part, that studio has two modes. Either it's dark and flat or it looks like a rom com with eye level shots all over the place whether something amusing is happening or not.

 

[Rebels57]

I hate how Amazon Prime shows look. Not just the special effects. The actual photography looks cheap and uncinematic. Everything looks so evenly lit it’s one step above soap operas. It’s odd to me how HBO (or Netflix or whatever) shows all have unique photography, but Amazon shows pretty much all look the same. Some are a little better, but the image itself still looks rather digital and artificial.

The lighting is so amateurish on all of their action/sci-fi/fantasy stuff. It's both harsh and hideous. I'd love to hear an expert technical director like DePalma or Tarantino give their opinions on it.

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on the other hand, is a flawless show from a production standpoint..and writing..and acting. It's their best series they've produced IMO.

 

[ajgoal]

That’s exactly what I’m talking about! This weird sterility in the sets and image. It’s off putting. That’s what every Amazon shows looks like to me (although it’s not as felt in comedies) no matter the budget. It’s cost saving measures.

I probably shouldn’t have said Netflix since they release plenty of schlock — but I do think the prestige shows on Netflix are a lot more cinematic than Amazon’s. But it’s how they churn out the volume of content they do. I don’t think I’ve ever watched an HBO show and thought the visual merits were anything less than you’d see in films. Directing and photography just feels way way down Amazon’s list of priorities.

I will say I never got that feel from Jack Ryan. I otherwise haven't watched much else that's an Amazon original show.

 

[Rebels57]

I will say I never got that feel from Jack Ryan. I otherwise haven't watched much else that's an Amazon original show.

Jack Ryan is much better in every way than their sci-fi/fantasy productions. It's not exceptional by any means, but it does highlight how bad the other stuff is.

 

[Magua]

I've seen a lot of talk that this is due to compression or TV settings. I know this is horseshit because The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel doesn't look like that at all. It's a house style.

For the most part, that studio has two modes. Either it's dark and flat or it looks like a rom com with eye level shots all over the place whether something amusing is happening or not.

In my next post, I was actually hinting at Maisel by my comedy remark. Obviously, that’s a lovingly crafted show in set design and detail. But the “look” of the camera is still what I’m describing. I’m not Roger Deakins, but I know a similarly set show in Mad Men (I know you are a Mad Man) looks more aesthetically pleasing to me in photography.

(I’m of course talking about larger trends on these channels.)

 

[Captain Dave Poulin]

Jack Ryan is much better in every way than their sci-fi/fantasy productions. It's not exceptional by any means, but it does highlight how bad the other stuff is.

It may look better, but it's just as badly written. "The Terminal List" was similar, but even worse. All their shows (that I've seen) have been utter trash. I haven't watched Mrs. Maisel yet, so I can't comment on that. Although I should tell you, @Magua and @JojoTheWhale to go back and watch all seven seasons of "Gilmore Girls" if you really want to support Amy Sherman Palladino. I watched all of them multiple times. I also saw all 18 eps of "Bunheads." You guys have a lot of catching up to do.

 

[Magua]

The lighting is so amateurish on all of their action/sci-fi/fantasy stuff. It's both harsh and hideous. I'd love to hear an expert technical director like DePalma or Tarantino give their opinions on it.

Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on the other hand, is a flawless show from a production standpoint..and writing..and acting. It's their best series they've produced IMO.

Amazon is jonesing to have the next big water cooler show. I don’t know what their data says — who does? — but they’ve assuredly failed so far. The sci-fi/fantasy costs the most in special effects, so no matter how much Amazon beats you over the head with what they paid for a show, that area is going to take from something else because they don’t really care about the holistic product.

I think Jack Ryan — from snippets — visually looks better than the sci-fi/fantasy tentpole stuff. Again, see my first paragraph. But it’s still more on the competent end. I don’t watch Slow Horses on Apple, but watch trailers of each, and I think it’s obvious which looks more cinematic.

Amazon has the money to do whatever they want. This is what they want to do: throw algorithm shit against wall. I absolutely believe they, with the odd exception, don’t place much value on directors and unique creators comparatively.