My Thumped review of Collateral Beauty
OK so this one is my final film review of 2016. And it's a doozy. #link
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Date: December 2016
OK so this one is my final film review of 2016. And it's a doozy. #link
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It’s something we’re still getting to grips with here, interpreting tragedy through an outmoded prism of what it means to be Irish, and particularly an Irish man: parishioner, sportsman, ‘pillar of the community’. We don’t much like self-reflection here; it’s reveals the lie of our theme-park culture. #link
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Warning for autoplay YouTube video. Also, it’s hardly the worst song of all time. But the story behind it is fascinating. #link
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Good advice here. Shame I don’t have a promotion to go to locally, or one where I can have fun at any rate. But one day I’ll get to another RevPro show or few. #link
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So busy this week that I forgot to link this one when it went live on Tuesday evening. Despite what I said before, there might be one more film review from me before the year is out, if I can bring myself to write at length about Collateral Beauty. #link
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Maximum volume, heavy on the swing (and an Xmas surprise) in Enlarged Heart Radio 14.
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Be afraid. Be very afraid. #link
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Accusation-driven reporting is typical tabloid journalism, though even tabloids often get to the truth beyond the sensationalist headlines and opening grafs. This shit’s just ethically dubious clickbait, the kind of stuff they used to call ‘yellow journalism’. #link
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Way too much overthinking here, since the function of the craft doesn’t factor into the story of the film whatsoever. But the fact that these things are thought about? That’s good. [c/o Pinboard/infovore] #link
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Decent stuff on the writing process; writers are problem solvers, not just ‘creatives’. [c/o Pinboard/infovore] #link
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I need say no more. #link
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They don’t have to suck, but when they’re overused, and at the expense of more creative audience manipulation, they’re a bright red flag. [c/o AV Club] #link
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What a stupid name for what we’ve always called urban legends, or campfire tales, or simply folklore. I know where it comes from; still stupid. #link
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All the usual caveats apply, but this will be handy for checking things I’ve missed. Let alone all the film’s I’ve missed this year. #link
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I should’ve been posting this via a fancy new super-fast broadband connection over the national grid, one to which our new supplier was only too eager to sign us up and get us connected. Dundalk’s one of the launch towns for Siro, after all, and there’s quite the drive locally to get people hooked up. Our own connection was scheduled for eight days ago. But it never happened. Because apparently the clearance to the nearest electricity pole is too far, and our house is too low. Funny that, considering every house in this neighbourhood is a bungalow.
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Probably my final film review for 2016, since I’m missing a bunch of screenings over the next fortnight. And it’s one I liked, but didn’t love. Give it a watch if it shows up on your streaming service of choice. #link
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GQ gets in on the Four Horsewomen business. But is the change they herald really a sure thing? With matches still being booked in the Divas-era ‘girly’ style (catfights with hair-pulling, basically), we’re a ways off yet. #link
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I like Shoemaker but I don’t agree with the premise of this piece at all. When did SummerSlam become ‘the smart fan’s WrestleMania’? Isn’t that still WrestleMania? Also, it’s comical in hindsight, what with this year’s SummerSlam being such a drag, and the subsequent minor PPVs being stronger in both ‘workrate’ and entertainment value. #link
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Here’s a better title: Why bad film still deserve fair reviews. Fair to the film and fair to the reader. #link
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I liked it just fine; the story is nothing special, and the songs are blah, but the animation is stunning. #link
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I’ve deleted a whole bunch of Trump-related links from my ‘blogfodder’ folder because it’s shit you already know unless you’re an idiot. But I had to share this one because it’s so mind-numbingly depressing, how little some women in America think of themselves, and how low a bar they set for the men they know. On a related note: Jason Kottke’s post on the five steps to tyranny. #link
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