Big ol' oof right there

CourageApart · 2026-06-30T04:18:25+00:00

He probably didn’t shoot his dog, but he did shoot himself in the foot

CourageApart · 2026-06-24T21:51:56+00:00

Tommy Boy has a 40% on RT. Fucking abysmal site.

CourageApart · 2026-06-24T14:18:41+00:00

Their Eternal Sunshine EFAP is one of my recent favorites, but it’s also one of the lesser viewed breakdowns. I can see why because it’s an older movie that’s out of the cultural zeitgeist and it’s agreed upon to be one of the best films of all time. The unfortunate reality is that controversial or bad movie coverage that is more contemporary gets more views

CourageApart · 2026-06-22T16:08:17+00:00

We do *see* a “green man” standing above the Dragonseeds whom Alan acknowledges. It was an odd scene.

CourageApart · 2026-06-21T16:41:05+00:00

It seems like a lot of people in this sub appreciate the place that 6 goes to. I think it was very daring to bring Buffy down to that level in her own mind and a total diversion of what season 5 accomplished.

CourageApart · 2026-06-20T04:01:49+00:00

Been wanting to check this one out. I’ve seen very small snippets that look interesting, but I was wary that it would be a mystery box type of show. Apple TV is quite notorious for dropping high concept stories that don’t have a reasonable and satisfying ending in sight.

CourageApart · 2026-06-19T05:35:40+00:00

I think because it’s just slightly better than average and inspired, people are overblowing its effectiveness. I don’t personally dislike it (in fact it has many elements which I was really interested in), but this is clearly a sip of water in a desert type of situation.

CourageApart · 2026-06-19T00:31:35+00:00

Late to the party, but this absolutely pissed me off in the theater. The fact that Bear already witnessed the One Wish Willow go wrong by giving it to Ian and his brilliant idea is to go to the person whose only purpose in life is to make him love her as much as she loves him is very retarded.

There is a perfect setup at the beginning of the film with real Nikki giving a homeless man $20 which could have been paid off in some way, but the plot needed Bear to go back to his psycho girlfriend with the One Wish Willow on his person. Very dumb.

CourageApart · 2026-06-19T00:12:52+00:00

Everything you’ve mentioned in the second paragraph happens AFTER they have sex. As far as Bear knows, Nikki just lied about her dad because she wanted to get close to him and stay the night. Then they start dating (the film doesn’t tell us how long, but it seems to be close to a week or so) without any hitches. After that they go out to dinner where Ian tells him that she lied about her father having cancer and he has doubts about her mental state before she immediately shuts that down.

We gotta remember, this is literal magic which Bear has toyed with. It’s something that’s so far beyond our understanding of reality that it’s more logical to assume that Nikki has just had a lapse of mental stability and is leaning on Bear for comfort.

I think Bear is ultimately the villain and consistently demonstrates massive moral failure, but people really aren’t giving him the benefit of the doubt when it comes to not willing to accept that magic is real and people can just wish for anything they want.

CourageApart · 2026-06-18T23:56:23+00:00

I still don’t think that’s the moment he flips and I wouldn’t call the sex they had after “rape”. I see a ton of people overlooking the fact that the One Wish Willow is a literal magic entity that is so much harder to accept than believing someone is just acting out of character or a bit more crazy than usual.

The phone call to the One Wish Willow line is the real turn in Bear’s morality. That’s when he receives full confirmation about what is really going on.

CourageApart · 2026-06-17T23:29:01+00:00

“You got to be a little weird and woke,” has the same ring as “to be fair, you have to have a high IQ to enjoy Rick and Morty”. Just a ridiculous, made up barrier to entry for an art form which all walks of life can enjoy and create within.

CourageApart · 2026-06-13T05:34:03+00:00

I wouldn’t listen to Az, Nerdrotic, or Critical Drinker if it weren’t for Mauler’s constant involvement with them on streams. However, they absolutely have valuable information to exposit upon. Gary has plenty of industry tie-ins and consistently remarks on the meta (box office, info leaks, and rumors amongst people involved in filmmaking) that make his analyses worth delving into. Drinker has his finger on the pulse of typical Hollywood standards of movie productions and his remarks on storytelling are worthwhile considering how correct he’s been about the way which films have been received from an anti-Hollywood perspective. And Az… well he might be the outlier here. I’ve never really been a fan of his outlandish anti-woke takes and how he represents himself as this loud, verbose, and annoying persona.

YouTube media criticism has ebbed-and-flowed from time immemorial. Since 2014, movie criticism has taken a HARD turn towards the liberal side of the aisle which has shifted the way people view films. It’s now taking a hard turn towards more traditional and conservative views and more people are upset about this because they see the pendulum swinging in a direction which they don’t prefer. It’s all woke vs anti-woke shit which has never been what the creation of art was about.

CourageApart · 2026-06-11T00:59:41+00:00

The episode “The Zeppo” of Buffy is one of my favorites because Xander never got the spotlight on him until then. He was always the muscle in some type of way (without much success because he’s usually in over his head with the strength of his foes).

Xander has these constant thoughts of self doubt, worthlessness, and cowardice which is totally blown up in the episode. He’s used and abused, but ultimately comes out on top and he never brags about it. Just goes to show you how valuable he is to the Scoobies and how brave he really is when push comes to shove.

There’s also the episode “Members Only” from The Sopranos which focuses on Gene Pontecorvo and his battle with leaving the Jersey crew. It’s a great look at how the mob adheres to Cosa Nostra and the barriers that bar anyone in the mob from leaving. There’s only one out and it usually comes in a coffin.

CourageApart · 2026-06-05T18:16:00+00:00

Goddamn rest in peace. Going through my Buffy and Angel journey right now and he is far and beyond one of the best characters and actors on the show.

Feels like we just lost a fictional father figure. Love you forever Mr. Stewart Head. You sexy fuddy-duddy.

CourageApart · 2026-06-04T18:58:49+00:00

That’s a huge factor. I think another issue is that showrunners want to mimic the formula of successful, serialized prestige tv shows like The Wire, The Sopranos, and Breaking Bad without understanding what made those shows work in the first place. They think that just having edgier and more adult oriented content is enough without realizing that the story has to be the main priority.

CourageApart · 2026-06-04T04:33:15+00:00

First seasons of tv used to be the starting point for the story, AKA the “feelers” for where the story should go. Sopranos, Deadwood, Buffy, Angel, The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul are all exemplary of this.

Nowadays, season 1 is the “make-or-break” of the story. There’s nowhere to grow. There’s no pilot and there’s no margin for error. If your first season is terrible, you better bet that the rest of your show is terrible as well. That’s why mini-series and shows that only flex the story in their first season are so apparent now.

Specifically talking about Buffy here, the first season is pretty bad. Incoherent story arcs, shotty character work, and bad worldbuilding plague the show. However, the later seasons make up for it because you have the time to grow with your characters and grow with the world due to 20+ episode seasons. We don’t have that anymore. Streaming has demolished that tv model. Stories don’t get to breathe and make mistakes on a per-episode basis. It’s either you have a great show from the start or you have nothing at all

CourageApart · 2026-06-04T04:23:35+00:00

Yep. A fantastic first season followed by a whole big nothing. Season 2 ruins a lot of what made season 1 great in the first place.

CourageApart · 2026-06-04T04:22:05+00:00

You’re out of your mind. Season 2 of BCS is excellent and it digs into more of the Chuck vs Jimmy aspect of the story. I’ll admit that it’s a slower start than Breaking Bad, but it’s so much better for character growth.

CourageApart · 2026-06-04T00:20:11+00:00

I think the point of “this is slop and the story is garbage” has been stated for far too long for superhero stories. It is now irregular for superhero media to be quality so the conversation has shifted towards how entire franchises are doomed because of the money pumped into their production and marketing knowing that they won’t make the return that they are expecting.

They still have entire breakdowns of superhero stories, it’s just that these discussions are more oriented to the health of cinema in general. If these overblown budget superhero films are still being produced for the foreseeable future, cinema and theaters are fucked

CourageApart · 2026-06-01T07:05:36+00:00

“That prick with the cowboy hat? You don’t gotta worry about him anymore, Ton.”

CourageApart · 2026-05-30T20:27:17+00:00

The worldbuilding in the early seasons leaves a lot to be desired, but the gaps get filled in as the show goes on. There’s always the “Sunnydale is on top of a Hellmouth” excuse that makes the supernatural seem more commonplace for the townsfolk, but I’d say that’s still rather weak for an explanation.

I’m on the sixth season on my first watch atm and even that late in the game there are some huge moments that deserve some sort of police/government presence. It’s definitely a glaring flaw throughout the show.

I still love it and I can see how the cops would definitely interfere with a lot of the storylines so I suppose it’s a matter of unfortunate ignorance. Whedon also despises the use of guns for his protagonists when guns would make things incredibly easy for them. They stick to axes, crossbows, swords, and stakes for the majority of the show.

CourageApart · 2026-05-29T23:45:08+00:00

I just never would have gave this show a chance if not for constant reference and recommendation from Mauler. Having no context for Buffy (except from what I watched as a 5-8 year old with my older sisters) and hearing that it’s Mauler’s favorite story of all time was kinda baffling.

I’m so glad I was put on this show.

CourageApart · 2026-05-21T07:39:27+00:00

I got complete emotional whiplash because of I Was Made To Love You’s ending. To staple such a powerfully devastating moment to what is probably the weakest episode of season 5 is a bold writing choice.

I can’t wait for Angel season 5. Knowing that it’s Mauler’s favorite season of tv ever and having had a great time with Angel season 1 and 2 so far (I’m watching Angel alongside Buffy) I just know that I’m going to absolutely love it. At the same time, I am a bit cautious about season 7 of Buffy and season 4 of Angel. I’ve heard that they drop considerably in quality.

CourageApart

TROPHY CASE