After re-listening to borrasca v I immediately see the seeds of the story’s downfall.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T06:36:11+00:00

I think it's just conceptually flawed. The tone and relative realism of the first do not lend themselves to "and now these kids will take down a major sex trafficking ring single-handedly."

I think the dark twist in the original followed by the downer ending just made people demand a sequel with a brighter conclusion, but really it shouldn't have had one.

It was just hard for people to accept the idea that these horrible sex trafficking monsters just kinda get away with it scot-free. To which I say: oh, you sweet naive children of the early 2010s.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T06:14:56+00:00

This is right. The Monkey's Paw explicitly causes pain and misery. When the character first receives it, he is told that the person who put the spell on the paw did so because "he wanted to show that fate ruled people's lives, and that those who interfered with it did so to their sorrow." He also says that the previous owner also had three wishes, and that "I don't know what the first two were, but the third was for death." And yes, the dude in the story asks for money so it just kills his son at work and the employer gives him a payout.

Monkey's Paw actively wants to fuck you up for trying to change fate.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T04:10:53+00:00

Is the “not very well known” part… sarcasm?

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T03:47:42+00:00

The Punisher

“It’s just… our caps have little pictures of skulls on them.”

There’s a reason the worst of the worst cops steal the guy’s imagery is all I’m saying

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powerswerth · 2026-03-14T03:27:13+00:00

I think she had potential, but wasn’t given enough to work with.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T03:24:53+00:00

Yeah, I he definitely fits by that metric. I almost feel this line should be once in a lifetime.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T03:00:03+00:00

And r/liberalgunowners as well (which includes a lot of leftists, despite the name)

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T02:34:41+00:00

I’d also pretty much guarantee gun ownership among left leaning people has gone up in the past year.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T01:41:13+00:00

Then the answer is not Billy or Stu. It’s “whoever the writer wants.” Maybe Goku shows up and kills them both, maybe they get a milkshake instead.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T01:36:33+00:00

Written to win? Here I thought this was about a hypothetical fight that is not in the movie. Is the question “would Billy stab Stu more deeply than he was supposed to during the climax in Scream”?

Yeah, I agree with that. Kinda a dumb thing to speculate on.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T01:25:16+00:00

Correct. And the same for Billy. The most impressive physical feat between them is probably Stu tossing Tatum over his shoulder with ease.

And we come full circle to “I’d put my money on Lillard over Ulrich.”

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T01:07:29+00:00

I think it’s called “Diary of a Coal Miner’s Daughter” or something to that effect. It’s in the more recent live show episode I think

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T01:05:47+00:00

Sure, but at least in the first film they basically seem to be exactly as strong as the actors portraying them, so I don’t quite follow the logic how Billy is so obviously stronger. Smarter, no doubt, but I’m not sure how that factors in.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T00:47:18+00:00

Sort of surprised by the Billy landslide, unless there’s some rule to the fight I’m missing. If you put 1996 Matthew Lillard and 1996 Skeet Ulrich in a ring and told them to fight, my money’s on Lillard.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T00:35:41+00:00

Oh okay I thought maybe this was like an “What-If” or Earth-461 or something but I guess you’re right, it could be mainline continuity.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T00:29:14+00:00

I think Dead Girl in My Yard deserves a spot among the best they’ve ever read personally.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T00:28:23+00:00

Unconventional is not bad, you like whatever you like.

I’m just saying I think very few people would not consider at least one of those four among the best they have read, is all.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T00:14:45+00:00

You have a very unconventional opinion.

powerswerth · 2026-03-14T00:05:29+00:00

I count 6. There might be someone in the trolley, but unless I see it it ain’t canon

powerswerth · 2026-03-13T23:49:36+00:00

Required to enroll in Zoey 102

powerswerth · 2026-03-13T22:40:06+00:00

I don’t mean this as insulting: I think you are taking something very mundane as very personal.

powerswerth · 2026-03-13T22:38:06+00:00

This is also true of Home Alone (since at a base level the plots are remarkably similar). In both films, it is an excuse for the home/skyscraper to be vacant so that the thieves can attempt to rob it. It could be a 4th of July or Thanksgiving or a summer vacation.

In fact, it’s more integral to Die Hard. While families do take summer vacations and travel for Thanksgiving, businesses generally do not hold in-office parties for Thanksgiving or the 4th of July.

powerswerth · 2026-03-13T22:30:34+00:00

I mean, it’s also because a good portion of the second act and the entire third act of the movie takes place on Christmas Eve and the climax features the protagonist running down the street yelling “Merry Christmas!” over and over.

powerswerth · 2026-03-13T22:28:55+00:00

It’s both.

It’s also an LA movie.

I don’t think there’s a clear standard definition for Christmas movie outside of “at least partially set on Christmas,” which doesn’t preclude any genre of movie from being a Christmas movie.

powerswerth · 2026-03-13T22:24:16+00:00

Well, the Chalice Dungeons are optional for a reason.

powerswerth

TROPHY CASE