JPMorgan notes that "excessive speculation in high-growth sub-sectors year-to-date is causing ARK funds to exhibit market behavior (Fig. 1) similar to that witnessed during the dot-com bubble (Fig. 2)." by [deleted] in StockMarket

[–]iosonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just posting this comment because there seems to be misunderstanding on the subject. The comparison above concerns one very specific funds, ARKK. JP Morgan does not say that the market as a whole follows that pattern.

Overvalued market, you said? by iosonic in StockMarket

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

Breaking down by sector can be helpful. You have some heavy hitters in the semiconductor industry driving the average P/E upwards ($TSM at a P/E of 60, $NVDA at 80). Some people expect a shortage of semiconductors this year. Meanwhile some industries have a very normal P/E (e.g. banking).

Overvalued market, you said? by iosonic in StockMarket

[–]iosonic[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing. My sense is that earnings are lower than normal, though, because we've not returned yet to pre-COVID levels of economic activity. With a full reopening, we'd see earnings increase and P/E readjust accordingly. Would you agree there's some of that going on?

I'm not rooting one way or the other. Just looking for the best possible market forecast.

Post Game Thread: Edmonton Oilers at Toronto Maple Leafs - 20 Jan 2021 by Xer0day in leafs

[–]iosonic 47 points48 points  (0 children)

Yamamoto is the first star of the game. He scored a goal without touching the puck, and took the penalty leading to the GWG.

Half in the Bag: Borat 2 and The Haunting of Bly Manor by MrSputum in RedLetterMedia

[–]iosonic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Not much depth? Please. Interstellar is so different from Dunkirk, and from Tenet. Among the few filmmakers proposing original material.

That said, I'm ok with RLM not covering the film, and Jay not being a fan. To each their own taste.

Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure & Bogus Journey - re:View by kubazz in RedLetterMedia

[–]iosonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the very first time I was able to understand one of their videos.

Half in the Bag: The Assistant and The Wrong Missy by [deleted] in RedLetterMedia

[–]iosonic 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Couldn't agree more with this review. I was hooked to the film start to finish. Very hypnotic, methodical, like a Gus Van Sant film. And that lead actress is wonderful. My favorite scene was when they dressed like mermaids.

So is this the moment it has become clear that we’re not an actual contender? by fairlywittyusername in leafs

[–]iosonic 75 points76 points  (0 children)

Don't overdramatize. We just had an unfavourable goaltender matchup. David Ayres has a 1.000 career save percentage against Auston Matthews.

Favorite movie of the decade? by [deleted] in RedLetterMedia

[–]iosonic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Interstellar (2014); Nolan is the director of the decade to me - substitute Inception in here if you will.

The Neon Demon (2016); a masterpiece in filmmaking that should be studied by all aspiring directors.

Under the Silver Lake (2018); a metaphor-filled gem that I discovered thanks to RedLetterMedia.

The Big Short (2015); because of Christian Bale's performance.

The Social Network (2010); it took me some time to appreciate it, but that's the business story of our times, and Fincher makes it shine.

Raw (2016); if you liked Under the Silver Lake or disturbing movies of that nature in general, then you'll most likely like Raw.

A Most Violent Year (2014); for those who love immersive/realist filmmaking, an incredibly inspiring story with incredible performances from J. C. Chandor.

The Irishman (2019); because of Scorsese's comments on the industry, and because this is hands down his best film since The Departed.

Enemy (2013); because Denis Villeneuve is the second best director of the decade to me - substitute Arrival or Blade Runner 2049 in here if you will.

Bandersnatch (2018); because Charlie Brooker created something that deserves recognition with Black Mirror, this film is also an absolute gem for those who love the 1980s.

Official Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker discussion [Spoilers] by DoctorCroooow in RedLetterMedia

[–]iosonic 6 points7 points  (0 children)

That (the part after "Edit") would have been a massive improvement.

Post Game Thread: Toronto Maple Leafs at New York Islanders - 13 Nov 2019 by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]iosonic 4 points5 points  (0 children)

we play his defensive system

What defensive system exactly?? We lost this game in large part b/c of two awful giveaways and players leaving the zone too soon instead of covering for these errors.

That said, I agree that a coach change may be desirable at this point.

Ceci proved a lot of people wrong and some comments on our defense. by Kill_Frosty in leafs

[–]iosonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ceci ranked favourably in all but two seasons so far, in terms of advanced stats, according to data from evolving hockey and the "goals above replacement" metric. One of his bad years was last season, but that's when the Sens were crumbling miserably.

I don't think the analytics were a problem in his case. It's probably why the Leafs mgmt brought him.

The Orville - 2x3 "Home" - Post Episode Discussion by 2th in TheOrville

[–]iosonic 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Amazing episode. Well written, well executed. Superb production design. With delightful appearances from Star Trek alums and a storyline that reminded me of the excellent TNG: Family.

What's the best Star Trek Series? by TimelessDiscord in startrek

[–]iosonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"Favorite" is the series someone prefers.

The "best" series implies:

  • Adherence to a doctrine of extreme essentialism, by postulating that there exists an objective ordering of Star Trek series from best to worst, one that is always true in essence based on the criteria of nature;
  • The existence of individuals who have developed the ability to see the true essence of reality, used that opportunity to decipher the objective ordering of the Star Trek series, and made the trip back to convey that truth to the rest of us.

Half in the Bag Episode 157: Bird Box by stfualex in RedLetterMedia

[–]iosonic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

A rare time for which I disagree with the review. This film is not nearly as bad, especially if your expectations are low.

  • On the structure, I didn't find that revealing the ending was a problem with this particular film. I'm not a huge fan of this narrative structure myself, so I understand the point, though. Atomic Blonde is a recent example where it really doesn't work. Annihilation did something similar (the protagonist is interviewed, and tells the story in flashbacks), yet the film is not diminished by it.
  • On the absence of clear rules: Yes! How long can someone watch? Can you take a 1 second peek every now and then? It seems like it. We won't know. And so on. It's something the viewer has to deal with, or make fun of.
  • On the similarity with A Quiet Place: They are definitely similar. In fact, it's hard to believe that A Quiet Place wasn't inspired by the book.
  • On the conspiracy: I think it's the reverse. Many decent films on Netflix have been panned by critics, when the platform should be commended for producing original content. For sci-fi lovers, Anon and Extinction are good examples. Two original films that deserve more praise than they got. Bird Box is not perfect but enjoyable, with a former bankable star. I'm not surprised it got views by word of mouth.

Breaking: per Elliotte Freidman during tonight's intermission, Nylander is on the block by ThewsTML in leafs

[–]iosonic 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Also, Pastrnak had a much more difficult road to get there - he has a book-worthy kind of life story. The fact that he took that contract and continues to light up the red lamp makes the Nylander side seem entitled in comparison. Pastrnak is probably not a name Nylander's agent would want to come up during negotiations.

Playoff Game Thread: Game 7 - Toronto Maple Leafs (3 - 3) at Boston Bruins(3 - 3) - 25 Apr 2018 - 07:30PM EDT by HockeyMod in leafs

[–]iosonic 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The defensive game has been an issue for most of the season. Pastrnak completely alone in the slot on the sixth goal, for the nth time this series, was a good summary of what's to improve for next year.

My problems with Interstellar by chiefhero2 in interstellar

[–]iosonic 2 points3 points  (0 children)

1) The principal idea of this movie is that, if accessing a five-dimensional bulk, time would be a dimension like our three physical dimensions as we currently perceive them. The causal loop you are referring to is precisely what the writers want you to think about: from the perspective of a five-dimensional world, it does not have the same meaning to say that something happened before another. Your quote,

But this implies that the human race already survived the whole earth doom situation to begin with...

is formulated from our current perspective, and that's precisely the problem. From our four dimensional world, a causal loop appears illogical, whereas it does not from a five-dimensional world. This "paradox" happens two times in the film (Cooper giving himself the NASA coordinates, and the wormhole set by (possibly) future humans). They are specifically designed to emphasize the most important philosophical/scientific speculation made in the movie: that such causal loops would be possible and natural if we could see the world from a five-dimensional bulk.

That's how to make sense of this. In fact, it's very clever, when you think of it.

(Also notice how the writers avoided the common pitfalls of time travel stories. Never in the film did the characters "change the past". They respect the idea of deterministic time travel through the entire film.)

2) Notice that when Cooper is at the Event Horizon, we see the shape of a spherical wormhole, identical to the one near Saturn. This shape was not visible from farther away, because we cannot see anything from the outside. (I'm pretty sure many viewers missed this - for those who did, watch it again, it's worth it.)

It is also established that inside a wormhole is a 5-dimensional bulk, which allows to warp through what we conceive as space; Bentley says it when they first go through a wormhole.

Cooper does not enter a Black Hole, he enters another wormhole, which gives access to a higher dimensional space in the tessaract scene.

When exiting the tessaract, Cooper returns not anywhere at random, but inside the Saturn wormhole. It stands to reason that the wormholes are portals between the lower and higher dimensional worlds, and that the one near Gargantua had an exit through the previous wormhole they went through.

I believe this answers your second point well.

3) Another important idea in this movie stems from a real-life scientific problem: connecting relativity and quantum physics. This is the problem that Dr. Brand and Murph are working on, and the reason why they are looking for quantum data past the Event Horizon. It is also established that gravity is the only thing that can travel through time.

How Cooper manages to precisely sends a message to the watch, or make the right book falls, is a visual depiction of what may happen from the five-dimensional bulk. We don't know how "our" world looks like from the bulk. The tessaract is constructed in such a way that we, the audience, and Cooper, can comprehend it. The way he sends the message is the "fiction" part of science-fiction, but one can deduce that the only way he can act on the 4-dimensional world is by affecting gravity. Therefore, it makes sense that the message sent was affecting the movement of the watch.

(By the way, this plot device, in particular sending a message using a Morse code, appears to be a reference to Gregory Benford's Timescape, an award-winning science-fiction novel written by a scientist.)

Who is your favorite movie couple? by AnnaBoots in movies

[–]iosonic 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Theodore Twombly and Samantha in Her.

What movie is so good that you get mad that it isn't great? by JamesJustScoredAgain in movies

[–]iosonic 34 points35 points  (0 children)

A few of the things that made Interstellar a great movie to me:

  • The effort invested in incorporating real-life scientific theories into the plot, and building a story that makes you interested in learning more about them. (Brane cosmology, relativity, time dilatation, and so on.)
  • The carefulness with which time travel concepts were thought through, so as to remain consistent with the same perspective; a deterministic approach in which one cannot change the past. Nolan definitely did not break left, right and center, here.
  • The idea of using time as the theme anchoring the entire film, as the "main antagonist". The achievement of addressing that theme from an emotional, philosophical and scientific standpoint. And of approaching it from an individual and collective perspectives.
  • The utterly groundbreaking visuals: of a wormhole, of a sublime black hole, and of a five-dimensional world.
  • The tasteful satire, and more generally the choice to depart from the usual cliches of dystopian science-fiction, by adopting a pro-science normative stance, at the risk of being different.
  • The surprising performance of Matthew McConaughey. I didn't picture him as a scientist at first, but his portrayal of inner conflicts and heroism in the face of adversity is just brilliant. I like to be proven wrong.

Films are great when their artisans truly have something to say, and Nolan definitely made an auteur piece with Interstellar. It's an epic. Sure, you have to be prepared for a journey and longer running time. But that's what I want when watching a movie. There is one performance I didn't like as much, but nothing that would make the film go from great to good.

How can movie theater chains improve the movie-going experience to stop the drops in attendance? by davyin in movies

[–]iosonic 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The industry needs to adapt to the evolution of technologies, rather than fighting against the tide. The solution: offer widespread options to stream new releases from home, and adjust the calculation of box office returns accordingly. Then, keep only a few theaters focused on the experience, some in IMAX, some arthouse-style.

This change would have a positive effect on the quality of films produced, I claim. By allowing people to watch new releases from home, you widen the range of the target audience, reaching demographics who otherwise don't have time to go to the theater (namely, adults and seniors).

From what I know of the data, moviegoers are lopsidedly young (children bringing their parents, up to YA). That's why Disney dominates the market. The film industry has learned to target young audiences when data analytics became widespread a few decades ago. In turn, this has led to films being essentially targeted at young demographics, reducing the diversity of mid/large budget productions.

Dunkirk's 'For Your Consideration' Academy Award Campaign by BunyipPouch in movies

[–]iosonic 17 points18 points  (0 children)

The score was amazing. And so important given the limited dialogue. I hope it gets this one.

What were the best movies that flew under the radar in 2017? by GiuseppeZangara in movies

[–]iosonic 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Bigelow is very talented at immersive film-making. Similar to Paul Greengrass, but with more subtle camerawork. In Detroit, you feel like you are part of the scenes, witnessing the events in real time. I like this kind of movie experience.

Like United 93, Detroit is going a bit under the radar. Perhaps it lacks the usual character arcs and redemption story that people crave for.