OT: Blues Forum Lounge (Home of All Things OT) - Part XIII

[Note Worthy]

Orioles aren't going to let teams talk to Machado before a trade. Probably smart to avoid, but we should definitely keep tabs to see what the price ends up being.

Is it just me or are the Orioles stupid for not letting teams have a 72 hour window to discuss an extension? If they do and Machado agrees to one of the teams terms then the Orioles can get a MUCH bigger package for him. As it stands now they aren't getting blown away by offers because teams know there's a good chance he may only be on their team for one year. But if a team like the Cardinals knew he would be on the team beyond one year I'd say they would be way more inclined to give up their better pitching that the Orioles want so badly.

Doesn't make sense to me unless I'm missing something.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Is it just me or are the Orioles stupid for not letting teams have a 72 hour window to discuss an extension? If they do and Machado agrees to one of the teams terms then the Orioles can get a MUCH bigger package for him. As it stands now they aren't getting blown away by offers because teams know there's a good chance he may only be on their team for one year. But if a team like the Cardinals knew he would be on the team beyond one year I'd say they would be way more inclined to give up their better pitching that the Orioles want so badly.

Doesn't make sense to me unless I'm missing something.

What if Machado says I am going to test free agency no matter what, or I only want to sign for 1 team, or at a ridiculous price. Then, the potential trade suitors will be extremely limited, and they might even just decide to wait a year to pursue him without giving up assets.

It's kind of a lose/lose for them. They have to get something for him now, and no matter how they play it, they won't get full value.

Holliday returned Carlos Gonzalez in a similar situation, so they'll still get a good return.

 

[Majorityof1]

Saw Star Wars last night, I'm a fan of Porgs, and if you like Ewoks, then you will like Porgs.

SPOILER FREE DISCUSSION of new STAR WARS ahead, but avoid if you want to go in completely clean.....

I think even if you weren't a fan of Ewoks, you could like the Porgs, or at least if you hated Ewoks, you might not hate Porgs. Ewoks were heavily involved in major plot points and strained credulity a bit taking down million credit war machines with pointy sticks and small rocks. Porgs are just there for comic/cuteness relief. They are one of the fun creatures that normally just sits in the back ground of Star Wars movies but put in the foreground for a few very brief scenes.

Overall, I really liked the movie a lot. It was definitely strange for a Star Wars movie, and both felt like one and didn't. Its hard to explain but it subverted your expectations on what to expect from a Star Wars movie, but it leaned into those expectations to set up the reversals. There was also the usual amount of fan service to old movies, but really well done so as not to be intrusive. Critics (media) loved it but a lot of fanboys (or at least a few vocal ones) hated it. While I am a Star Wars fanboy, I agree with the media. It is a very good movie that's biggest strengths were its emotional payoffs and the way it completely subverted expectations. It definitely ran too long in the middle and there were stretches that were a bit tedious. Some of those sequences seemed to serve no purpose to the larger narrative but fit thematically and for character development. There were some eye-rolling plot contrivances as well (my biggest gripe). But they all lead to what was a really good payoff, so are very forgivable. Despite it being a darker movie in the vein of Empire, I was left with a greater sense of hope than any of the other Star Wars movies before it.

If you are a SW fan, go in with an open mind. Don't expect a repeat of the original Trilogy (although Force Awakens got bashed for doing just that). If you are not a huge fan, I repeat, go in with an open mind. You may enjoy the way it subverts genre tropes and expectations. One of the best new characters is not at all what you would ever come to expect from a space opera hero, and is all the more effecting because of it.

Final note, the fanboys moaning elsewhere on the internet annoy me. Why do people find the need to tear things down? They want more of the things they love, but they want it to be different while being the exact same as well. Good luck. To me it seems like they just want to rips something apart, and the more beloved the better. I swear, if they aired Empire and added three to the Episode number, people would still find a way to rip it apart. Many of the complaints I heard about E8, could be laid at Empire. "Humor at inappropriate times undercut seriousness"....In Empire, the I Love you, I know scene, check, Chewie putting 3P0 head on backwards while Han is being tortured, check.. They complain that some plot points that served no ultimate purpose, while ignoring the thematic and character building aspects. Well all of Empire except the big reveal served little purpose. Luke's hand get s cut off...robot hand. Han is captured...rescued 20 minutes into the next movie. C3Po get blown up...repaired. That's not to say Empire is bad, on the contrary its a masterpiece. The events served for character development and theme. My point is that people complaining about E8 and revering E5 are on very shaky ground based on the reasons I have seen.....<sigh>Ok, rant over. Sorry, I'm reading some comment boards with people hating on it and needed to vent here where its hopefully not going to blow up into a big thing.

 

[TruBlu]

SPOILER FREE DISCUSSION of new STAR WARS ahead, but avoid if you want to go in completely clean.....

I think even if you weren't a fan of Ewoks, you could like the Porgs, or at least if you hated Ewoks, you might not hate Porgs. Ewoks were heavily involved in major plot points and strained credulity a bit taking down million credit war machines with pointy sticks and small rocks. Porgs are just there for comic/cuteness relief. They are one of the fun creatures that normally just sits in the back ground of Star Wars movies but put in the foreground for a few very brief scenes.

Overall, I really liked the movie a lot. It was definitely strange for a Star Wars movie, and both felt like one and didn't. Its hard to explain but it subverted your expectations on what to expect from a Star Wars movie, but it leaned into those expectations to set up the reversals. There was also the usual amount of fan service to old movies, but really well done so as not to be intrusive. Critics (media) loved it but a lot of fanboys (or at least a few vocal ones) hated it. While I am a Star Wars fanboy, I agree with the media. It is a very good movie that's biggest strengths were its emotional payoffs and the way it completely subverted expectations. It definitely ran too long in the middle and there were stretches that were a bit tedious. Some of those sequences seemed to serve no purpose to the larger narrative but fit thematically and for character development. There were some eye-rolling plot contrivances as well (my biggest gripe). But they all lead to what was a really good payoff, so are very forgivable. Despite it being a darker movie in the vein of Empire, I was left with a greater sense of hope than any of the other Star Wars movies before it.

If you are a SW fan, go in with an open mind. Don't expect a repeat of the original Trilogy (although Force Awakens got bashed for doing just that). If you are not a huge fan, I repeat, go in with an open mind. You may enjoy the way it subverts genre tropes and expectations. One of the best new characters is not at all what you would ever come to expect from a space opera hero, and is all the more effecting because of it.

Final note, the fanboys moaning elsewhere on the internet annoy me. Why do people find the need to tear things down? They want more of the things they love, but they want it to be different while being the exact same as well. Good luck. To me it seems like they just want to rips something apart, and the more beloved the better. I swear, if they aired Empire and added three to the Episode number, people would still find a way to rip it apart. Many of the complaints I heard about E8, could be laid at Empire. "Humor at inappropriate times undercut seriousness"....In Empire, the I Love you, I know scene, check, Chewie putting 3P0 head on backwards while Han is being tortured, check.. They complain that some plot points that served no ultimate purpose, while ignoring the thematic and character building aspects. Well all of Empire except the big reveal served little purpose. Luke's hand get s cut off...robot hand. Han is captured...rescued 20 minutes into the next movie. C3Po get blown up...repaired. That's not to say Empire is bad, on the contrary its a masterpiece. The events served for character development and theme. My point is that people complaining about E8 and revering E5 are on very shaky ground based on the reasons I have seen.....<sigh>Ok, rant over. Sorry, I'm reading some comment boards with people hating on it and needed to vent here where its hopefully not going to blow up into a big thing.

Currently sitting waiting for it to start. First time I've come to the movies alone in over a decade. Thanks for the spoiler free write up. Was nice to read while anxiously waiting for the start of the movie.

 

[Majorityof1]

Currently sitting waiting for it to start. First time I've come to the movies alone in over a decade. Thanks for the spoiler free write up. Was nice to read while anxiously waiting for the start of the movie.

You're welcome. I will be curious to hear your thoughts coming out. I went alone too. I live in a small town, and none of my friends wanted to make the 30 minute drive to the "big city" when we have a new small theatre here in town. I wanted IMAX, Dolby and reclining seats for Star Wars. My big city friends are all married with kids and most are taking their fam this weekend. So I flew solo (pun intended). It was definitely worth it.

 

[TruBlu]

You're welcome. I will be curious to hear your thoughts coming out. I went alone too. I live in a small town, and none of my friends wanted to make the 30 minute drive to the "big city" when we have a new small theatre here in town. I wanted IMAX, Dolby and reclining seats for Star Wars. My big city friends are all married with kids and most are taking their fam this weekend. So I flew solo (pun intended). It was definitely worth it.

I enjoyed the movie. I don't see why some people flame it so bad. Some of the jokes do kind of pop in when it's a serious moment, but that's kind of a star wars thing. My favorite part about the movie was the character progression of Kylo Ren. He struck me as a weak, whiney little baby in 7. I'm sure that is how they were trying to portray him, but it made it feel like there wasn't much of a bad guy. They continued to move him more into a legitimate looking bad guy in this one.

 

[Celtic Note]

Honest question. Why is star wars so popular? I liked the original, but wasn’t over the top impressed

 

[Bye Felicia]

What if Machado says I am going to test free agency no matter what, or I only want to sign for 1 team, or at a ridiculous price. Then, the potential trade suitors will be extremely limited, and they might even just decide to wait a year to pursue him without giving up assets.

It's kind of a lose/lose for them. They have to get something for him now, and no matter how they play it, they won't get full value.

Holliday returned Carlos Gonzalez in a similar situation, so they'll still get a good return.

The status quo is that he is going to test free agency no matter what and also at a ridiculous price--everybody is assuming so, so if that's what he says, nothing changes. He won't say he will sign for only one team because even if that is his intention, that would do significant harm to his efforts to getting a big deal.

I can't see why allowing a negotiating window would be in any way negative. Most likely Machado won't agree to an extension with any team, and it's moot. But what if he does agree, or at least express interest in an extension? Then the Orioles can (1) get a better return and (2) feel more confident that the team they trade him to is not just going to flip him to the Yankees.

 

[Evocable Manager]

Honest question. Why is star wars so popular? I liked the original, but wasn’t over the top impressed

I thought I was the only one who wasn't in love with it.

Except I didn't really enjoy the original.

 

[Bluesnatic27]

Honest question. Why is star wars so popular? I liked the original, but wasn’t over the top impressed

Honestly, the older I've gotten, the more I've grown indifferent with the franchise...

And I'm only 22.

 

[PiggySmalls]

Honest question. Why is star wars so popular? I liked the original, but wasn’t over the top impressed

I'm sure many have their different reasons. For me it started as the first films I remember my mom and I enjoyed together as a kid. Then reading the books. Basically it has grown to its own universe. The lore of Star Wars is deep and can suck you in.

 

[Celtic Note]

I'm sure many have their different reasons. For me it started as the first films I remember my mom and I enjoyed together as a kid. Then reading the books. Basically it has grown to its own universe. The lore of Star Wars is deep and can suck you in.

It’s interesting that you start by explaining your experience with your mom. Do you think the bond between you and your mom was vital to your Starwars fandom?

I think it’s cool that you have that emotional connection. Thanks for sharing that.

 

[PiggySmalls]

It’s interesting that you start by explaining your experience with your mom. Do you think the bond between you and your mom was vital to your Starwars fandom?

I think it’s cool that you have that emotional connection. Thanks for sharing that.

I'm sure there is a correlation between the 2. The trilogy just came out on VHS with Director commentary and I watched it quite often as a kid. But she was into Battlestar Galactica and Lost in Space. I couldn't get into those though.

 

[EastonBlues22]

Honest question. Why is star wars so popular? I liked the original, but wasn’t over the top impressed

The original was groundbreaking when it came out. It brought epic space opera to the mainstream while re-imagining the swashbuckling genre by setting it in space. The US was fresh off the disappointment of losing the Vietnam war, had a strong cultural activism movement that had carried over from the 70s, and the excitement (and tension) of the space race was still relatively fresh, or at least extremely memorable.

This movie provided an outlet where one one could root for a subversive culture/underdog against an oppressive immoral regime in a fantasy setting that was starting to seem more and more like a potential possibility some day. Combine that with groundbreaking special effects and a fantastic score, and it was easy to see why it gripped the imaginations of so many and became one of the first true blockbusters. It spoke to their experiences, offered them a fantasy escape into a future that was topical, and there was nothing else like it at the movies at the time. Not to everyone, but it did to many.

Younger people who are being exposed to it without those cultural contexts just won't have the same experience. The space race means nothing to them and even cultural activism is much different now. The shine has worn of the movie genres in question, and arguably the franchise/story as well, and it generally suffers from over-exposure. It's not like the original series was new or fresh even for many of the people who were exposed to it in the 1990s or later. Even if you hadn't already been exposed to the characters or story somehow, you had still likely been exposed to something similar. People might still like it anyway, but it's not as likely to captivate them as it did their parents.

 

[TheDizee]

LMFAO that new star wars movie is a total joke and makes the clone wars and phantom menace look like academy award winners.

i cant believe i wasted money and almost 3 hours watching that turd, good god what a abysmal movie.

 

[2 Minute Minor]

The original was groundbreaking when it came out. It brought epic space opera to the mainstream while re-imagining the swashbuckling genre by setting it in space. The US was fresh off the disappointment of losing the Vietnam war, had a strong cultural activism movement that had carried over from the 70s, and the excitement (and tension) of the space race was still relatively fresh, or at least extremely memorable.

This movie provided an outlet where one one could root for a subversive culture/underdog against an oppressive immoral regime in a fantasy setting that was starting to seem more and more like a potential possibility some day. Combine that with groundbreaking special effects and a fantastic score, and it was easy to see why it gripped the imaginations of so many and became one of the first true blockbusters. It spoke to their experiences, offered them a fantasy escape into a future that was topical, and there was nothing else like it at the movies at the time. Not to everyone, but it did to many.

Younger people who are being exposed to it without those cultural contexts just won't have the same experience. The space race means nothing to them and even cultural activism is much different now. The shine has worn of the movie genres in question, and arguably the franchise/story as well, and it generally suffers from over-exposure. It's not like the original series was new or fresh even for many of the people who were exposed to it in the 1990s or later. Even if you hadn't already been exposed to the characters or story somehow, you had still likely been exposed to something similar. People might still like it anyway, but it's not as likely to captivate them as it did their parents.

I remember seeing the original movie on a Saturday matinee when I was 5y old, with my Dad, when it was first released. As I walked out of the dark theater into the bright light of day, I felt like I was coming back from another planet. It was so immersive. The movie completely changed the way my friends and I played and spent our leisure time. I don't think 20-somethings today can get an accurate notion of just how much the movie impacted daily culture for American children, and the entertainment industry more broadly. There were a tiny fraction of competing entertainment venues, and nobody had a cell phone. There was no internet, only Zool. There were 3 channels on TV (plus public television).

Having said that, I thought the prequel trilogy was a huge let-down, if only after being more honest with myself as time passed after watching. But I really enjoyed the reboot. However, I probably won't go to Last Jedi for a week or so (mainly because I'm on call for the next week and I hate the idea of getting paged during a movie I paid to watch, and having an interruption). But I didn't have any drive to try and go to an opening night viewing (before I went on call). I'm about equally looking forward to Jumanji, and I don't think I have any illusions about that one.

 

[Lord Helix]

Jumanji without Williams as a 20 something year old...

 

[Spektre]

LMFAO that new star wars movie is a total joke and makes the clone wars and phantom menace look like academy award winners.

i cant believe i wasted money and almost 3 hours watching that turd, good god what a abysmal movie.

Easily the worst Star Wars movie to date. I’m all for surprises in movies but the writing and character arcs are juvenile at best. The entire body of work is too easy to pick apart and it’s not worth it. Disney could have gathered together a 100 Star Wars fans and they could have produced a much better product.

When the movie ended, the people there all seemed to share the same wtf did I just watch expressions and comments.

 

[KirkOut]

I was also massively disappointed in the movie. 4/10 at best. It was just a constant stream of characters doing and saying things that made no sense whatsoever. I liked Force Awakens and got my hopes up for this one too. Damn it.

 

[TheDizee]

I was also massively disappointed in the movie. 4/10 at best. It was just a constant stream of characters doing and saying things that made no sense whatsoever. I liked Force Awakens and got my hopes up for this one too. Damn it.

ya id give it a 2/10 lol

rogue one was wayyyyyy better than this turd. force awakens was another terrible movie IMO but it got carried by chewy and harrison ford so it became tolerable.

this one doesnt have that and the story is stupid.

 

[Blanick]

ya id give it a 2/10 lol

rogue one was wayyyyyy better than this turd. force awakens was another terrible movie IMO but it got carried by chewy and harrison ford so it became tolerable.

this one doesnt have that and the story is stupid.

I agree, this new one had some huge plot holes and just down right stupid moments. Also, all the music that wasn't taken from the originals was just awful. Took me completely out of it. That being said, it did have few good moments too but they were few and far between. I can only hope they learn from it and help make the next one the best of the new trilogy.

 

[DoubleK81]

I thought I was the only one who wasn't in love with it.

Except I didn't really enjoy the original.

I've never cared for any of them. I've watched most of them ( I refuse to watch 4,5,6 ), but there has never been anything in my head that has said " man, i really have to watch (insert SW movie) tonight".

 

[TheDizee]

3-5 are all great films IMO. the rest of the series is a complete mess. return of the jedi starts off boring and was incredibly rushed. the others arnt even worth talking about.

the disney sequels are a complete joke and make you appreciate the prequels more and more everyday. i cant wait to see how laughably bad that new Han Solo film is gonna be lol. sadly, bet it will be better than this episode 8 turd though.

 

[Blanick]

3-5 are all great films IMO. the rest of the series is a complete mess. return of the jedi starts off boring and was incredibly rushed. the others arnt even worth talking about.

the disney sequels are a complete joke and make you appreciate the prequels more and more everyday. i cant wait to see how laughably bad that new Han Solo film is gonna be lol. sadly, bet it will be better than this episode 8 turd though.

Oh god I forgot that was going to be a thing. It just goes to show that some things just should be left alone.

 

[TruBlu]

I was never a fan of Disney taking over Star Wars. They are running it as a business devoid of the passion that Lucas had for it. Now that they have taken away about 2/3 of the Star Wars story line by naming Canon books as the official Star Wars story, I'm sure future movies will not be as good since much of the rich, very extensive history is gone. I remember seeing an interview where all the director talked about was having a female lead and how it was so groundbreaking. I kept thinking to myself. They just don't get it...the people that grew up watching star wars could care less about the gender of the main protagonist, they want an immersive story that takes them back to their child hood.

I say that from the perspective of someone who grew up watching the originals. Many of the fans that were brought in with the 1999 trilogy won't have that appreciation the ones before them did, and I understand that. Disney is marketing this to the new generation and is gradually killing off the old cast to make way for the new. I'll still go to every single Star Wars they release based solely on the nostalgia it brings back. Every single time I watch a Star Wars movie and the theme music starts at the beginning it makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.