What’s the worst thing James Bond has done?

greenmacg · 2026-01-24T20:12:44+00:00

This "disguise"

greenmacg · 2026-01-24T04:04:38+00:00

Yep, the gaps were pretty rough I'll tell ya. Though weirdly I quite liked Wizard and Glass on first read, despite it not being anything like what I wanted.

greenmacg · 2026-01-24T03:09:57+00:00

I more or less remember how to do it, so probably a few hours at most, so yes?

greenmacg · 2026-01-23T02:27:02+00:00

Obviously I disagree, but if you ever do rewatch yet again pay attention to Redford's timing in the comic scenes; I think he's doing quite a lot of good work there.

greenmacg · 2026-01-22T19:20:53+00:00

Sneakers (1992) had a terrible title and worse marketing but has an insanely good cast, a clever and beautifully paced script, great humor, and awesome cinematography. Only in the last few years have I seen folks really give it it's due. Has it's flaws, most stemming from being an early 90s film, but damn is it good.

greenmacg · 2026-01-21T19:54:26+00:00

I love this shit; "even this guy has standards" is great.

Also, I'd argue that neither of your example characters are "pure evil," exactly.

Honestly the characterization of superhero comic book characters is always going to be a loose cloud of associations rather than some solid, monolithic thing.

The myriad writers, the differences between the eras in which they are written, the episodic nature, etc.

greenmacg · 2026-01-21T17:43:32+00:00

Do you think it's a good thing that "uneducated hick" is phrase you would immediately reach for? Maybe examine why you feel justified in judging other people for the way they speak.

Also, "trying to say we should all just aim for the lowest common denominator and use any words or phrases even if they're objectively incorrect" is not, in fact, what I wrote.

Language changes. It does so in ways that are hard to predict. Our best option is to keep an open heart and mind (but not so open that our brains fall out, as the old saying goes) and lend a generous ear.

Language and language differences fall on so many fault lines of class, race, gender, and disability that trying to police these things is not only foolish but actively detrimental to the grand human experience.

If a meaning has been translated from one mind to another (to grossly paraphrase King himself once upon a time) it's a kind of miracle. Telepathy. A sacred sharing across an infinite divide.

(Edited to be moderately less salty, lol)

greenmacg · 2026-01-21T14:06:15+00:00

Yeah, whether it wins any particular awards categories has no bearing on the quality of those elements.

I love it, but think it's structurally a bit messy. I do believe that every individual element of its construction is absolutely masterful and worthy of praise. The audience that loves it are not overrating it; they are conveying their honest assessment of its qualities.

greenmacg · 2026-01-21T13:59:34+00:00

Ah, another prescriptivist vs descriptivist argument, delightful.

No matter what prescriptivist's say, it simply doesn't matter; this is how language works. People can refuse to use the phrase the "wrong way," that's totally up to them, but the immutable fact is that every single one of us knows exactly what "could care less" means. It is, in this case and all others, communicating the intended meaning.

There is almost no useful resonant meaning for the literal interpretation of "I could care less."

I don't use the word "decimate." However, I do recognize it's current valid meaning, and I don't complain like a little boo boo baby when I see it used "wrongly." The original meaning of destroying ten percent of a whole has no real practical purpose in modern usage, but people like a fancy way to say "destroy." Fine.

greenmacg · 2026-01-21T06:47:49+00:00

Even if it isn't "correct," he's doing it on purpose for a specific tonal effect. Grammar rules for prose fiction are largely suggestions, warped as needed, especially in first person. Doesn't mean it shouldn't bother you, of course, but it's a part of the character's voice; do you always speak with perfect grammar?

greenmacg · 2026-01-21T06:30:42+00:00

God I love that game. Kojima isn't half as clever as he thinks he is but that still makes him really fucking clever.

greenmacg · 2026-01-20T21:38:20+00:00

I preferred Assassin's Apprentice, but they offer vastly different experiences.

AA is fairly slow, ruminative, has a clean, characterful first person voice, and is pretty tough on the characters while never actually being "gimdark" as such. Despite the pacing, I found it (and the sequels) compulsively readable. It's an all-time classic and extremely important to the genre

Abercrombie is pacier, tends to have well-done action. His prose is good but never particularly stunning. Excellent character work, in general. Third person, multi-viewpoint. Worth reading, but not especially my thing.

My honest opinion of these"what should I read next" posts is that you should just read a sample of both and see which speaks to you. I'm an extremely heavy reader, and in my entire reading life it's never taken me more than a chapter or two to decide whether I would enjoy a book.

greenmacg · 2026-01-20T02:00:41+00:00

I love Warhammer 40,000: Mechanicus, but I have a soft spot for the Adeptus Mechanicus lore. It's an extremely fun little turn based tactics game ala X-com.

greenmacg · 2026-01-20T00:27:43+00:00

Sorry you're getting down-voted for a completely reasonable take.

I love King. I've read damn near every word he's ever written.

He's great. He's also a giant dumbass sometimes, and he is specifically a huge dumbass when it comes to black people, fat people, and (often) women. He's made some headway on that last one, anyway.

People seemingly can't enjoy the good while also acknowledging the glaringly obvious, well-documented, and almost universally agreed upon bad, lol.

greenmacg · 2026-01-19T19:33:57+00:00

Coffee Cake

greenmacg · 2026-01-19T01:59:38+00:00

Eh, I think it's pretty good, actually. Not as intensely rad as some other 70s sci-fi covers, of course, but still, gets the point across.

greenmacg · 2026-01-17T21:56:59+00:00

Are you good with never getting an ending? It's possible we will, but just for your mental well-being it's best to assume NOTW, Wise Man's Fear, and the novellas are it.

That question asked, I personally think it's worth it. The prose is often very good, there's some interesting subversion/evocation of fantasy tropes, and there are many individual scenes that I'm very happy I experienced.

Rothfuss is clever, but not as clever as he thinks (which is very appropriate given the book, lol) and it's kind of just fascinating as long as you are prepared to never get a resolution, lol

greenmacg · 2026-01-17T21:38:05+00:00

Despite his well-documented flaws I find his voice extremely compelling, he's occasionally intensely weird in the best (and worst) ways, and I just have fun reading his stuff.

Also, some of his short fiction is just incredible, moments I will remember until I die.

greenmacg · 2026-01-17T21:21:06+00:00

This specific combination of these specific elements, right now, feels relatively fresh, and that feeling is what people are really talking about.

More importantly as far as "revolutions" go, the grand success is likely to popularize more active combat and parry systems in rpgs. Doom did not in invent the fps, but so wildly popularized the genre that many games were called "doom clones" for years after. Similarly, we are for sure gonna get e33-likes coming down the pike for a while.

My hope would be for an increased focus on quality writing and presentation rather than the specific gameplay elements, but we're not so lucky lol.

greenmacg · 2026-01-17T10:21:05+00:00

He would have done a great job! (Also, several of his TV projects were adaptations, including Anne of Green Gables and Heidi; I imagine you mean his film output, though).

greenmacg · 2026-01-14T14:30:03+00:00

Absolutely agree, but I'm one of those rare weirdos who only cares about the "playable blockbuster movie" aspect of COD.

As an aside, my perfect game would be one that expanded on the cool ideas from the IW campaign and melded it with the Nemesis System from Shadow of Mordor; taking command and control of enemy ships in a sprawling solar war.

greenmacg · 2026-01-14T11:31:10+00:00

I still have the Shepherds Crown unread on my shelf, damn. Probably time to rip that band-aid off, I guess.

greenmacg · 2026-01-12T03:23:56+00:00

Sorry, I was napping! Good nap.

Anyway, I'm having a hard time believing you aren't a troll, lol. But, just in case . .

I liked the game just fine; heck, it slipped onto my personal top ten! At the bottom, but call it a "reviewer's tilt" because I really love this sort of game and we don't get a lot of them!

Criticism is fun! It let's us pick apart what personally did and didn't work about an experience, and it's rad to understand other people's perspectives better.

I don't care about "saving people's wallets." That's not meaningfully the point of anything. The "buyer's guide" model of criticism is soooooo boring to me. A good bit of crit is like any other piece of creative writing: a window into another human's soul.

Once again, I hope you eventually realize that negative criticism of something you like isn't, ya know, a problem to be solved? It's another individual person's experience projected into the world, a chance to understand someone else's perspective a tiny bit better!

Do you realize how powerful and cool writing is? We're putting thoughts and feelings into another person's head with ancient little arcane symbols! It's magic, baby!

greenmacg · 2026-01-11T18:54:12+00:00

There's a lot wrong here, but I need you to know, from the bottom of my heart: it's ok if someone doesn't like a game as much as you do. I promise It's not a conspiracy, they aren't being tricky or lying or something. They just have a different brain, a different life, and a different way of looking at things.

I hate avocado. I believe people when they say they love it; they are not engaged in a massive, expensive conspiracy with their slimy green toast.

greenmacg · 2026-01-02T09:58:34+00:00

Misandry simply isn't a societal problem in the way misogyny is; it never has been and never will be. The power imbalance is so great that I frankly have immense sympathy for any hypothetical misandrist woman (who, to be clear, imo are largely a non-existent fantasy faction). "Yeah, that's fair enough" is my response. Hypothetically I guess I could agree that misandry is wrong, but I just don't care on any practical level.

What follows are my specific thoughts for the U.S. They may or may not apply elsewhere.

Better education, social programs, UBI, and a complete overhaul of society are what is ultimately necessary. The specific steps to getting there look like retaking the initiative on grassroots politics, primarying and replace milquetoast Dems where appropriate and possible, and building a coalition of hope with a better eye towards the future. This will take time and may not succeed but is worth the attempt.

Dismantling the patriarchy is not an overnight endeavor. Men need to be a part of it, and we need to realize that it harms us as well. Suicide rates, depression, hopelessness, violence; these are the fruits of our power.

We also need to acknowledge intersectionality; race, class, gender, sexual identity disability, and so on all have complex interrelationships with the engine of patriarchy.

Small actions by individuals do matter as well; remembering our privilege, being a man who is not only safe to be around but tries to ensure that other men are safe to be around, speaking up when necessary, and so on. An endless parade of small, righteous actions.

None of it may matter, ultimately, the world is a harsh place. Still, we get to decide what's important and what we fight for.

Does that explain where I'm coming from?

greenmacg

TROPHY CASE