InvaderStych

Currently Reading (fiction): The Mirror of Her Dreams ... pristine 1st edition paperback found in a thrift shop, thought I'd revisit it as I remember liking it when I was 13/14(?), lol, still solid fantasy fiction ... - Paused my non-fiction reading for a few weeks do focus on some potentially-work-related study. - Recently finished (non-fiction): Chatter ... fascinating, accessible, quick read yet packed with interesting insights for anyone who struggles to quiet their mind ...

Sofia Isella - The Doll People

Solid opening from the first two episodes. Diner conversation between Murdock and Fisk was every bit as gratifying as the trailers hinted it would be. I could nit-pick on a few of the technicals, but they're just minor details that fall under the category of aesthetic opinion and don't detract from the work as whole thus far. Will certainly continue watching. Will also recommend to those who enjoyed the Netflix version. They've captured the spirit of the thing nicely.

Apparently the ToS Red ones also come with a massive +Taunt/+Threat as well.

Anyway ... ... This guy puts a rather fine point on the problem ... The "Dying Dragon named Profit Motive," is the driving factor behind more than just the late stage MCU films. The theory being that if massive money is thrown at a project in the form of "bankable stars," multiple re-writes, multiple re-shoots, test screenings, press junkets, marketing blitzkriegs, then that automatically means the companies/execs should see the ROI to which they seem to feel entitled. Note the subtle difference in the video - almost nobody ever wanted to make a film and not earn some money off if it, but the goal was to make a quality film, well crafted, that tells a compelling story first and thereby earning the audience's viewership and dollars. DisneyMarvel seem to have lost sight of this along the way. The storytelling quality has just trended downward in the films - most were not as bad as the denizens of the internet (particularly those who have created the cottage industry of shitting on everything Marvel does for You Tube Views) would have one believe, but none of them - even as genre films - were as well conceived/executed as the higher points of the first couple of phases. Even under the expectations I have for an action/effects heavy genre work the later films lack cohesion, the multiple-film arc bends back upon or contradicts itself, and the performances are wildly variable. For example, young Miss Vellani's adorable, joyous, fan-girl energy was the only really watchable performance in The Marvels, no one else really seemed to want to even be there. Which brings me to the streaming series, and why they have been - for the most part - superior to the later stage films. Less pressure from Profit Motive, more emphasis on the Craft. WandaVision was fantastic and unique, Loki took a broken continuity, salvaged it, and gave the character one of the more meaningful arcs in the whole oevure while looking ultra-slick the whole time, and Agatha All Along was a delightful diversion from form. Yes, the other series may not have been as good as those three, but with the exception of the abysmal Secret Invasion, they were still better - for the most part* - than what I've seen of the post-Endgame films. * fwiw - F&WS had its good moments, but some of its "Try Hard" moments dragged it down. Hawkeye was sort of average, but nothing in it really weighed it down. I enjoyed Echo more than the average bear, and don't understand all the complaints about the lead's performance. She did quite well in my professional opinion. Ditto with Ms. Marvel - that one was exactly what it needed to be - nothing more nothing less.

Yes.

Octopodes have entered the chat. 😉

Canonical from this point forward.

Tough to say without so much conjecture as to render the discussion effectively hypothetical. Also, this isn't my area of expertise, but I'll take a stab at it ... Generally speaking a published "It Cost This Much To Make" statement shown the the general audience may or may not include the costs of the script which could have been written for hire (likely with a Disney property like this) or acquired directly from a writer, it probably includes post-production budget but is unlikely to include distribution costs (which no longer involves printing lots of reels to send to theaters, but does still cost money), rarely they include the costs of marketing, advertising, cutting trailers, press-junkets, and all the assorted things related to that (but I've seen them where that is included and the associated statements say so), and almost never publish what sort of tax incentives they'll be claiming after the fact from filming in places that incentivize such things along with other assorted write-offs and accounting trickery they can and do use to spend less money in actual fact that they're telling the public it cost them to make the thing. I don't think they're under any obligation to tell the general public exact numbers/details, but they are beholden to the accountants, the unions (for paying cast and crew according to the various agreements), and of course the tax collectors. @ThaOGDreamWeaver is most likely far more knowledgeable on that side of things than I am - I was just a "below-the-line" grunt for the most part. 😉

Given that there is no actual barrier to imposing "One Life Only" restrictions on yourself, here's a thought ... Create a Hardcore Super Group on Excel. Easy enough to maintain the SG leadership on a couple of administrative characters that aren't at risk of death by the rules. Excel is the most populated of the Homecoming servers, and thus gives you the best chance at a decent sample size. Decide on a rule set, create a thread in the sub-form for Excel with said rules and invitations for interested people to join up. Heck, start yourself a Discord just for the group. Promote the effort using in-game chat. Play by your rules/restrictions, boot anyone who cheats from the SG. Two birds here - First, you get to play "Hardcore" to your heart's content. Second, you get to see just how much interest there is/isn't among the actual player population. These forums represent a fraction, and this sub-forum a fraction of that. FWIW - search around, there have been a handful of threads on folks doing "Hardcore" runs of various types. IIRC, a few even attempting to get others to join in. Historically it hasn't been terribly popular with the average Homecoming player, but who knows, maybe with some effort you'll get a decent group of dedicate folks going. Unlikely enough to support the coding and maintenance effort for a dedicated server with specific rules, but enough to enjoy yourselves - which is the whole point in the first place.

This was a great combo on the Stalker I built. Brimstone's proc dmg can benefit from critical hits, which is pretty good with AS. Also, losing Mud Pots for Hide is a net gain for the set, imo.

Fair, although that was never what I found irritating about the character. This was. Which is what made the TVB parody so delicious. The sinister nature behind the veneer.

I'm an idiot, and should know better than to post before my coffee ... editing my post above with corrections.

So much this. I struggle to take Stretch Armstro... I mean Reed Richards seriously (regardless of who is cast in the role). Parody of this team in The Venture Bros. is sheer perfection though. In fairness to the movie though, Art Department went all out. Set-Deco is great, vehicles/props also great, color palette is perfect. Might even make for a solid entry in the litany of Marvel movies. I'm willing to admit my opinion on the team itself is just a me thing. 🍻

Well, you're keeping a better count of this than I am, lol, but, no not at the time of this one ... Still looks like standard, if possibly solid, Marvel fare. Liking the theme of characters who get to become more than the sum of their mistakes. If they give HJK some actual acting to do instead of just using her skills in choreographed cinema-fighting I'll be pleasantly satisfied with it.

Edwards knows how to make a solid concept piece. Even within the constraints of a franchise he's still quite good. Wasn't particularly on board until learning he was at the helm. Likely won't put me in a theater, but I'll get it a watch at home.

All hail Clair Uty!!! May the light of her eternal flame bless us all!

Speaking as one of those people that selects a concept, chooses AT and powers accordingly, then applies min/max techniques within those choices to see how far something can be pushed I can firmly say that the ND implementation does not appeal to me at all. Ability to mix/match primary and secondary, perhaps, but selecting multiples of the same power, auto-granting all inherents/travel powers, using the highest base modifiers for each category? No thanks. Finding ways to min/max within a set of limitations is the interesting part - free reign with no restrictions is boring, imo. Maybe that's just me, but the build paradigm and the costume creator are what draw me to this game. The actual act of combat with static targets driven by rudimentary AI in a system where hits are determined by math instead of aim isn't all that interesting to me - which is why this is the only MMO I've actually enjoyed - the dressing around the gameplay appeals to me. Now, if the implementation were something like ... ... Choose 1 AT inherent. ... Choose any primary from any AT ... Choose any secondary from any AT ... Deny access to ATO sets as there is no applicable AT ... Choose 1 base modifier from existing ATs ... ie, blaster mods for all thing, or defender mods for all things, but not a mix of mods for range, melee, buff/debuff, etc. ... Same rules for Pool choices and slotting ... Choose any "Epic" from any AT ... that might be interesting. Point is that the constraints are what make building interesting, speaking only for myself here.

Yup. Singular Genius.

Forgot about that one. I should probably give it a watch.

I'd even go for a solid re-work of Genesis Climber Mospeada as its own series. Could certainly work. While possibly considered "problematic" by some of the more persnickity folks out there, if we are talking about re-booting old OVAs, then let us add Bubblegum Crisis and Dominion to the list, plzkthx.

Appears to have kept the spirit of the N series, and Vincent is always flawless as Fisk. Will watch. Yes. He was very much the "Speak Softly and Carry A Big Stick" type, and it worked well. There were other flaws in the N run of DD and other "Defenders" series, but Cox's performance wasn't one of them. Plenty of moments showing his sense of humor in that series - "Two of the best damn avocados ..." - and in his cameos elsewhere - "I'm a very good lawyer" (whichever Spiderman that was - the most recent one). (Apologies for all the abbreviations, broke my right clavicle yesterday on the mountain bike, so I've got one functional arm atm) Echo and, to a lesser degree, some parts of Hawkeye demonstrated that they're not afraid of getting graphic with the fight choreo. If this trailer is relatively honest it looks like they might be bold enough to keep the proper tone for Kingpin's menace.

Oh, FFS. I knew it had to be something tremendously simple that I was missing. 🤣 Thanks @Captain Fabulous