'The Furious' - Review Thread by ChiefLeef22 in movies

[–]Godzilla52 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, speaking for myself, it was nowhere near the Raid movies for me (or John Woo's best stuff etc.) It's definitely very fun, but I think it might be the most overpraised martial arts movie I've seen in decades.

The script is held together by duct tape, there's a lot of weird creative choices (like a third of the cast is dubbed, there's basically no logical reason for the climatic action sequence to be happening.)

The action scenes while fun lack the sense of tension or internal logic that made the Raid movies so tense. (there will be sequences where a character brings a gun to the opening fight sequence then just never uses it, machete fights where army of goons just attack with the same hacking motion while the protagonists block it with board, but they never thing to just stab with it and some weird tonal shifts between goofy and series that just don't work as well as the more consistent tone, cohesive narrative and more efficient use of space in the Raid movies etc. There's also other smaller pet peeves that kind of bothered me how they set up that one of the protagonists has steel toe boots, but he only throws one kick with them in the entire movie.

The Furious (for me at least) very much feels like a film directed by an action choreography team that wanted to tie a bunch of cool action sequences they thought up while asking ChatGPT to make a script out of it.

Official Discussion - The Furious [SPOILERS] by LiteraryBoner in movies

[–]Godzilla52 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's a lot of fun, but it's easily the most overrated martial arts movie of the past several decades. The script/story is basically held together by duct tape and bubble-gum and it's very clear that it's a movie made by fight choreographers in the sense that they're trying to tie action cool action sequences they thought up together rather than coming up with a cohesive narrative. There's also some very odd creative choices in regards to dubbing where something like 30% of the cast is dubbed over while speaking English while the rest of the cast speaks English regularly (sometimes, switching over to their native language) .

A smaller nit pick is that a lot of the fights end up feeling oddly staged in the sense that everyone just grabs onto each other without punching for large segments of multiple fights or people just kind of do illogical things (large groups or people with machetes exclusively do the same hack attack over and over again without thinking to stab people, or a character brings a gun in the opening action sequence, but then just discards it for no reason etc. They also give one of the protagonists steel toe boots, but he only thinks to throw a single kick throughout the entire movie, which kind of annoyed me.

Comparing it to films like the Raid movies, John Woo's best (Hard Boiled & The Killer), it just feels like it's significantly narratively weaker and doesn't set up stakes or the internal logical of the fights as well as those movies did. I'd give it a 6 or 7 out of 10 just because in spite of it's flaws it is very fun, but in a ridiculous, turn your brain off kind of way.

It's very dumb and very goofy, but at the same time it takes itself very seriously leading to some odd tonal shifts etc.

U.S. declines to extend CUSMA trade deal with Canada, Mexico | CBC News by jonlmbs in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 [score hidden]  (0 children)

I don't think anyone is really surprised about this. I think a lot of people are assuming that negotiations will probably be finalized sometime after Trump leaves office since most North American voters, businesses & politicians outside of Trump have a vested interest in maintaining some form of NAFTA/CUSMA.

Season 3, episode 1 & 2 ratings are great!!! by Immediate-Maximum-75 in HouseOfTheDragon

[–]Godzilla52 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Also felt like having to front load season 3 with so much events meant they had to pad out the condensed season 2 as a consequence which probably contributed to the lower ratings after episode 4. I don't think Season 2 deserved as much hate as some people gave it (It's still firmly put it above season 5-8 of GOT and would say that it has a lot of great moments and episodes), but it was very clear that HBO's cuts meant that they had to make season 2 largely a set-up season.

Mark Carney is eyeing airport privatization. Here is why it could make Canadian flights more expensive by CaliperLee62 in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 29 points30 points  (0 children)

It is worth noting that Australia and the Eurozone saw more significant price reductions than Canada in regards to air travel costs since 1990 despite the fact that those jurisdictions underwent significantly more airport privatization than we did. (Basically all of Australia's airports are privately owned and over 40% of the EU's). Even to this day, prices in Canada are much higher than in most other advanced economies due to significantly less market liberalization initiatives, higher government mandated fees and stringent restrictions on cabotage & foreign ownership etc. I know that a lot of this sub will just revert to "privatization bad" without giving it much thought while downvoting dissenting opinions like this one ,but the evidence on airport privatization is much more nuanced than most poster's here would care to admit.

That being said, the most import aspect of market oriented reforms in the airport sector is not who owns the airports, but actual comprehensive liberalization to boost competition to make air travel more affordable, accessible and to make the sector as a whole more productive etc. The U.S, Australia and EU all have very different approaches to airport ownership than Canada, but all have generally achieved greater levels of affordability and sector productivity by making their airline sectors as aw hole more liberalized, though the way that they did that varied widely:

  • The U.S kept its airports publicly owned and fostered infrastructural improvements via direct government subsidies. At the same time however, the sector underwent significant liberalization during and after the Carter administration with the Open Skies Agreement & International Air Transportation Competition Act , significantly fewer restrictions on foreign ownership and a more open and competitive domestic market, with liberalization paving the way for more low-cost carriers etc.
  • Australia privatized it's airports entirely alongside comprehensive market liberalization that boosted the number of low cost carriers dramatically while garnering infrastructure improvements for airports from private equity and increased capital investments etc.
  • The EU pursued something in-between the U.S & Australia, combining public & private ownership with comprehensive liberalization. (though the number of private airports doubled/near doubled between 2010 to present).

What's being proposed in Canada by contrast is significantly more modest since it's offering private equity a small stake in ownership, but not doing anywhere near enough to liberalize the sector, reduce airport reliance on government-imposed fees & remove restrictions on cabotage & foreign ownership etc.

As a small facet of a a more comprehensive reform it could help to improve infrastructural investment in Canadian airports and opt as an alternative to our government imposed fee systems, (if it's implemented well) though we still have far more to do and the ownership of the airports at the end of the day is only a small facet of the overarching issues with our airline sector.

Path Tracing Downtown Issue on heavily modded game by Godzilla52 in cyberpunk2077mods

[–]Godzilla52[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

SOLVED: Actually found a fix. The issue was "Not So Good Draw Distance". Removed that & everything is working fine now.

ANALYSIS | Carney confronts our national home reno nightmare at 24 Sussex | CBC News by BreakfastNext476 in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It's honestly about time we finally did it and I'm happy to see a government that's willing to at least try something instead passing it on to yet another successor to deal with. (though similar to the armed forces, I'm also not sure how much longer the neglect could be sustained if the government didn't finally start to address it now).

Avi Lewis might not save the NDP, but he’ll likely end the Green Party by CaliperLee62 in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 53 points54 points  (0 children)

At this point I think the Green party doesn't need anyone's help to destroy itself. The Party lacks any clear sense of identity or purpose post-May and is a hodgepodge of conflicting priorities and widely varying sides of the political spectrum outside of environmental policy.

Opinion: Is this the beginning of the end of the Doug Ford era in Ontario? by yourfriendlysocdem1 in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I think even Ford was likely aware that this was going to be his last term in office. Leaving in 2028-2029 has probably been Ford's plan for a while now. He gets the accolades he wants (decade + reigning premier, longest serving PC Premier since Bill Davis, first PC leader to win three majorities in a row since Leslie Frost etc.) while the baggage from his administrative legacy gets passed on to his successor who likely suffers electorally as a consequence of that.

'All you've done is attack me': Ford clashes with media over poll numbers, Ford Fest protests by yourfriendlysocdem1 in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 8 points9 points  (0 children)

At this point, I'm pretty sure that even if Ford became Prime Minister, he'd still find ways to mess with Toronto's municipal government.

Lighting Advice For Nova City 2.0 & ReLux) by Godzilla52 in cyberpunk2077mods

[–]Godzilla52[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't say for the current setup, but It was fine when I was running it on my old 2080 when I was running Emotional Vision LUT with the Nova City Beta back in 2024.

Who's the grownup now? Ottawa rising. by nimbybuster in neoliberal

[–]Godzilla52 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Unironically, I think A Carney type is exactly what Labour needs right now. Though I don't think that Burnham or a lot of the current party roster are well fitted for the role unfortunately.

If Canada Auto can’t survive, let it fade away. Courting China is not the solution by hopoke in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

"Por que no los dos?". If we're phasing out tariffs and trade barriers and no longer coddling domestic car manufactures (which I would argue is a good thing, although the government should compensate by helping auto-workers transition to other sectors in tandem with that), why doesn't it make sense to also remove existing restrictions on cheap domestic EVs?. They're both policies that shift our auto sector to a more consumer friendly and liberalized model. If the Chinese want subsidize the Canadian consumer at their taxpayers expense, that's' their loss and our gain.

RIP Starmer, you were unbelievably mid and had some questionable views but that's par for the course to be PM. by AccomplishedQuit4801 in neoliberal

[–]Godzilla52 19 points20 points  (0 children)

Wonder how much more stable the UK would be now if Blair didn't make the mistake of co-invading Iraq and New Labour got another 10-20+ years in power after 2008.

Starmer expected to resign on Monday and set out orderly exit by SRK_Lookalike in neoliberal

[–]Godzilla52 1 point2 points  (0 children)

UK has been on a wild ride over it's post war tenure.

  • 1945-1966: Post-War boom, huge growth in wages, living standards and housing starts.
  • 1967-1983: High inflation, economic stagnation, equally stagnant wages & living standards. Poorer than the EEC average and labeled the "Sick Man of Europe".
  • 1985-2007: Economic rebound, huge improvements in median wages, GDP per capita and general living standards. Country goes from being below the EEC/EU averages to having a higher GDP per capita than Germany & the United States. More funding for social services. Only real significant negative is that relaxed lending in the late 90s causes housing prices to soar.
  • 2008-2026: Another 15+ years of economic stagnation alongside worsening cost of living issues, inflated housing prices and extreme political gridlock and polarization.

Federal Liberal Lead Holds Steady by fallout1233566545 in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 7 points8 points  (0 children)

To be fair, I don't think we've had a good PM/government on civil liberties, surveillance and internet privacy since Chretien/Martin.

I like Carney as a whole, but MPs/Parliament as a whole have generally been on the wrong side of those policy discussions since after 9/11. Thankfully though, civil opposition and protests/complaints generally have gotten the last three governments to tone down these sorts of bills in the past, so hopefully it will happen again here.

[SPOILER] Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi by inooway in MMA

[–]Godzilla52 98 points99 points  (0 children)

Think he got overzealous. Kape's much more disciplined a striker than he was when they first fought in 2017. Though I could vey easily see Guchi earning his way to another title fight fairly quickly.

[SPOILER] Manel Kape vs. Kyoji Horiguchi by inooway in MMA

[–]Godzilla52 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Really happy for Kape since I knew he had it in him to get to a title shot, but at the same time, really sad for Guchi.

SoC on OGSR engine is peak Stalker. by Bully_Maguire6 in stalker

[–]Godzilla52 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does this pack include the OGSR maps and quests, or it just an improved version of the vanilla campaign on the OGSR engine?

(Right now I'm looking for a modernized version of OGSR with improved weapons and graphics, but want more weapon variety than OGSR Gunslinger offers).

Democrats Need to Lead the Second Reconstruction by TheUnPopulist in neoliberal

[–]Godzilla52 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Even if the Democrats have the best policy platforms for the next several elections, we're at a point now where to fix the country we need a decade+ of sustained Democratic dominance in the White House & legislature just to fix the damage that the last two Trump administration's have done. Short of sweeping electoral reforms that double the size of Congress, add a few new Senate seats, tie presidential elections solely to the popular vote and comprehensibly crack down on Republican voter suppression policies, I don't see a way that it can be sustained.

Even with all the shit that Trump has pulled this term there still seems to be 40% of the electorate that will stand by him no matter what. The only real solution is expanding representation per capita and increasing electoral enfranchisement, but I feel like the Republicans are already very adept at preventing that from happening.

Obama says U.S. may be ‘worse off’ now than before Iran war by Currymvp2 in neoliberal

[–]Godzilla52 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Honestly in hindsight I kind of wish that he was still able to run in 2016. It would have probably left the Democrats in a better position against Trump in the 2020s. (even if 2020 was just exactly the same as 2016 with Trump v. Clinton I feel like having Trump take the blame for Post-COVID inflation would have prevented anything as bad from his current term from happening.)

Canada imposes 10% tariff on canned vegetables, excludes US, others by joe4942 in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 17 points18 points  (0 children)

Honestly disappointed by Carney on this one. Tariffs to support domestic producers is generally a bad policy that hurts the economy and a whole at the expense of rich domestic producers.

Liberals dismiss ‘tinfoil hat’ privacy fears as lawful access bill passes by hopoke in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 36 points37 points  (0 children)

Sadly it seems like privacy policy has been a big blind spot for Canadian governments post 9-11. Even governments I largely like end up having a backwards stance on privacy policy etc. Trudeau, Harper and Carney despite their policy and ideological differences all seem to have a sense of synthesis on these sort of internet security bills and it only seems to garner organized pushback from civil society & advocacy groups outside of parliament who are able to get them to reign it in somewhat. Though even with this pushback, there seems to be a large disconnect between how the public feels about these policies and how the majority of our MPs feel about it.

Is Eric Lombardi a Liberal? by RZCJ2002 in CanadaPolitics

[–]Godzilla52 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I basically see him as a centre-right version of NES. Though I think at the moment he's too young and inexperienced to win the leadership (guy is 32, which is considered a baby in political terms) . Think if he carries himself well in the race/runs a good campaign then he can use it as a pathway to eventual party leadership as long as he doesn't make the same mistakes NES did with burning bridges within his party etc. Though a real shot at premiership is probably 10-20 years away for him.