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ps48's Replies
This can't be serious
I would've also preferred it without the final twist, because... after having seen the ending and knowing what really happened, then, thinking about the entire movie in retrospect, it feels lazy that every piece of evidence that proves the hospital was evil (and that he wasn't hallucinating) can be excused simply by, "Well, he was just imagining that, too."
It reminds me of something my middle school writing teacher encouraged us to avoid - to never end your story with, "and then he/she woke up, because it was all a dream. The End." And that's kind of what this movie did, with the slight difference that the movie is actually suggesting to the audience, several times, that it is indeed a dream (or "hallucination" - same thing, in the context of a movie w/ a twist), but I'm not so sure that that excuses that plot device.
It was still entertaining to watch, but yeah, I also think the final ending made the rest of the movie somewhat of a letdown.
I've seen that one also, and I agree! There are lots of problems with the movie, starting when they arrive at the other guy's cabin near the end, including the very end.
Haha I do have a tendency to nitpick, probably only because I've watched the show so much, so all the little things pop out more and more. :)
I think TNG was really ambitious because they had to create this new world where humans sometimes have totally different perspectives than we do now. For example, Dr. Crusher saying in The Neutral Zone that, "In the past, people feared dying; it terrified them!" Well, no shit! I always thought this line was super weird, BUT, I do understand that this was just the writers trying to make the humans of TNG seem "different" than us.
Whereas typically in most other sci-fi shows, at least the ones that I've seen, humans still act/talk/think pretty much exactly like we do today. Not necessarily true with TNG, hence quite ambitious, and since it was perhaps more ambitious than usual, there are quite a few little flaws and inconsistencies here and there. Doesn't make it bad of course :)
In addition to everyone being in good shape, have you also noticed that almost everyone has perfect posture? Everyone stands up straight with their arms at their sides. Nobody is ever slouching or leaning. Even in turbolifts, rather than stand against a wall, they stand in the center.
I'm not sure whether this detail was intended to be because of the military environment, or if it was intended to say, "in the future, everyone has great posture because everyone is more health-conscious," or maybe a combination of both. Either way, I love this detail about TNG. It gives it a rather unique tone.
Pardon me for being dense but can you rephrase? You say it would've been good storytelling if the randoms interacted a tad more (I agree), but then you refer to the thread as silly, so I'm unsure if you are in support of, or in opposition to the notion. (But I repeat; I am dense. :) )
Be sure, I wasn't suggesting that the main actors stop and have conversations with the randoms, I just found it funny/awkward that they never seem to make any room for them even slightly, and adding in that little detail wouldn't have really ever hindered story flow and might've made the ship enviroment feel a hair more legitimate.
I agree, I think so too.
Yep this was my take too. I always imagined that the idea is that:
1.) Replicators were able to balance nutrients better, leading to better health.
2.) And, I don't know for sure if money still existed on Earth in TNG -- For example in Family, Picard's brother is critical about all the new technology like replicators, which clarifies that not every household is required to have one, but does that mean they must be purchased in some manner? Or are they free if you request one? Those details being unclear aside -- I think they were trying to imply that greed in human societies was no longer a thing, which would mean no more cheap food being mass-produced, precisely because it is cheap to make, even if it's giving everyone loads of health problems.
It's a fine argument, but there are even episodes where randoms step aside for WESLEY, or other low-rank, or unranked characters. Whoever the camera is focused on, whether it be the Captain, an ensign, some aliens, an unranked or civilian -- the random crewmembers will always awkwardly squeeze by the side to get around them.
In the episode Q-Pid, is the only instance I can remember where a random walking by actually politely acknowledges a main cast member in a corridor. As Picard is walking to Vash's quarters, a random walks by, and says "Captain" with a quick nod. This seems in line with TNG's philosophy of treating others with respect and as equals, and I would've expected to see this kind of thing more often. Yes they have ranks, but I've never seen Picard or Riker treat other crewmembers as if they "mattered less," EXCEPT in the corridor scenes where they're forced to awkwardly squeeze by, which is why I think it was an oversight.
The paraglider guy was one of the mobsters shown earlier in the movie, there were some mobsters messing around in a snowy area and one of them jumps off the mountain in a glider, and it's supposed to be him at the very end (he lands directly in the grinding part of the vehicle -- I forget what vehicle it was. A snow plow or something)
I have a soft spot for Geordi because he's kind of a neutral character who the writers seemed to do whatever the hell they wanted with, so I felt bad for him as a character. Originally he's meant to be the ship's pilot. Then he's chief engineer (which was a good change). He's also the token disability character. Other times his identity is being Data's best friend. Other times his identity is being pitiful with women. And he's also the go-to character for whenever the writers need someone to "explain some science stuff". Other times he's condescending, almost to Troi's level. Other times he's sympathetic and supportive. He's literally all over the place, but I can only blame the writers for this. :(
Having said that, I loved his ridiculous over-expressiveness. He has his signature whistle, his signature "slap someone in the back", his signature "Mmm.." response, and of course his signature over-the-top giggle.
I Borg, The Next Phase, The Enemy, The Mind's Eye, Identity Crisis are some good Geordi episodes that come to mind. And although apparently a lot of people dislike this episode, I love the episode Aquiel. Finally, Geordi wasn't a clueless loser with women in this episode, and the guest actors Aquiel/Morag/Torak were great too.
"Devonani Ral" from The Price. I couldn't stand this guy's face and voice, I have no idea why. I think it started with his introduction, which immediately felt unnatural. "And I'mmm...Devonani Raaaal...!" said off-screen... camera immediately shifts to him, giving this awkward, unblinking glare. Even worse that Deanna was instantaneously attracted to him. Just so bad. Crusher got a romance episode as well in The Host, but the Trill guy Odan didn't completely weird me out like "Devonani" did.
"Acost Jared" from Devil's Due. This guy was the most limp, unconvincing guest star of any TNG episode. He's supposed to be like a terrorist leader, but he doesn't look like he could be any kind of strong leader, let alone a leader of some militant, radical group. All of his lines are delivered in such a flat manner. I feel like the original guy for this role got sick, so they got the delivery guy who brought their gyros to do the part. It's a bummer since this episode is otherwise pretty cool.
"Dr. Leah Brahms" from Booby Trap and Galaxy's Child. The actress did fine with her lines, but the existence of this character tainted poor Geordi, and her hologram's lines were just ridiculous. "Every time you touch these engines... it's me..." Gotta be kidding me. :|
Yep lol, I know they probably opted on having families on board as a show because they figured it would make for some good drama, but yeah it's a completely silly idea, especially considering that the Enterprise doesn't JUST explore and chart space -- they deliberately attempt to engage in relations with other beings they come across. (Rather than always assume the worst at every encounter, and blast away at warp 9 as to ensure the safety of the civilians on board.)
In the Borg encounter, a cylindrical chunk of the enterprise gets ripped away and they allegedly lose 19 people or something like that, instantly. That could've very well been a chunk of a schoolroom, or something. So, Ms. Kyle could've very well been the replacement for some poor, unnamed teacher who got ripped out into space in the middle of art class. :)
Well, it could be a justified as a military thing, but I have seen some episodes where a crewmen does indeed deliberately stop briefly, nod, and say, "Captain," which was essentially their military salute in my eyes. (or maybe this only happens in Voyager? I forget.)
But making no (or little) room for others to pass by in the hall always just seemed more like a filming oversight to me, just something the directors didn't think about at all. Their focus was the main dialogue between the main characters in the frame, and while they did make a conscious decision to throw some randoms in walking back and forth to make the ship seem alive, they forgot about the minor aspect of people generally being polite to each other in real life. Don't get me wrong, it doesn't make me dislike the main characters or anything, it doesn't make me think the directors are jerks, I just think it was more or less a very small goof (that probably barely anyone notices anyway)
Tam Elbrun (sp) was written to be overly obnoxious in his first couple scenes, because they really ham-fisted the whole, "Everyone hates him due to his social ineptitude." I get what their intent was, it was just over-done. That whole premise also kind of shoots itself in the foot, because, if Tam is supposed to be extraordinarily telepathic and able to sense others' emotions whether he wants to or not, then surely he would be aware of every moment that someone finds him to be rude. (such as when he arrogantly flips the thumb-drive to Picard, and Picard just glares at him like "... :| ...dude..." I find it hard to believe that Tam wouldn't immediately sense others' dislike for him in moments like those.
HOWEVER, Tam and Data have a GREAT exchange in Data's quarters, in the middle of the episode. In that scene, they make him out to be surprisingly compassionate, even if it's only because he can actually relate to Data.
Also! I just watched "The Chute" today, which actually did, to my liking, have a perfect wrap-up scene. Neelix got to brag about his piloting skills, and Harry and Tom talked about the struggle they just endured while heading off to gorge on a week's rations of replicator food. Nice episode, great wrap-up. We'll see how following episodes go. :)
My take on "Tuvix" is it was an interpretation of the "train tracks dilemma" thought experiment. I'm not sure if it has a name but basically there's a train on a track and it's headed for three people tied to the track. You're by a lever which can switch the rails so the train goes down another path at a Y-fork, but there's also one other person tied to the alternate path.
If you do pull the lever, then you are deliberately taking an action which sentences the lone person on the 2nd track to death, but saving three.
If you don't pull the lever, then three people die even though you had a chance to save them, but one could argue that there's something to be said for "staying out of" the problem and "letting fate take its course" (or something like that)
It's not that simple in Tuvix, there are other factors such as that Tuvix was created accidentally, but in general my view is it was a creative take on the train tracks thing, where there's really no right answer. Was Tuvix murdered? Yes he was. However it's also interesting to think about when exactly Tuvok and Neelix were killed. One can argue they were both immediately killed the moment the transporter accident occurs, but another could argue that they are only truly killed (and in this case, they could be considered murdered) when the crew (or Janeway?) consciously abandons all hope of retrieving them.
I believe Janeway made the "best" decision only in the sense that the majority of the crew seemed to wish to have Neelix and Tuvok back, and since the goal is to get home, there's something to be said for opting for the choice that results in higher overall morale. She still murdered him, but I believe she knows that, and if I remember correctly it seemed like she was trying to make it "her decision"/"captain's decision" so as to absolve the rest of the crew from the guilt of the murder. I do think she's a great character and a great actress. :)
In Bird Box, the hero is a "white woman" though. White women are virtually never cast as having any weaknesses or faults on TV. In fact, they are often portrayed as "the one who receives the prize," the prize being the alpha black man. This occurs so much in US commercials as of late. Weak/ugly/dumb white man makes a fool of himself, while strong/handsome/smart black man shows how great and intelligent he is, often while a white woman observes the obvious difference, often with an impressed, intrigued and/or seduced expression on her face.
The issue is not that it simply occurs. It's the frequency at which it occurs, and the fact that it is never the other way around.
Every man of color in Bird Box is just so very good, and so very moral, that even when infected, they manage to either sacrifice themselves to save others, or quite literally "kill all the bad whites" before sacrificing themselves. Conversely, every white man (and some white women, but not all white women) are bad people who turn into psychotic murderers when infected. Even when they are right and are the voice of reason (Malkovich), they are still not to be trusted or befriended.
Whites make up over 70% of the population of the US, so you can't use, "But we see white heroes so often in films!" as any kind of valid complaint, because we also see plenty of white villains in those same films. And besides, I reiterate again: The existence of noble, heroic, athletic black men on its own, is not the issue. The issue is when they consistently insert a weak, cowardly, ugly, nerdy, racist (etc etc) white man to paint an obvious contrast of one being good and the other being bad.