So, I just finished watching the new Hellraiser movie and it was okay at best. The best thing about it, by far, is the design of the Cenobites. The story is passable but really nothing to praise. There's a lot of time spent on character development, which bogs down the first half of the movie. Also, for all the fuss that was made about having a brand new Pinhead, the character really wasn't that prevalent, which might rub a few fans the wrong way. Indeed, another Cenobite (The Gasp) spends at least as much, if not more, time in the limelight than Pinhead. There are also a few odd character choices towards the end of the movie that really seemed to be choices of the script writer rather than the characters. By that I mean that the writer wanted certain events to happen, and so the characters overlook easy answers to their problems, thus we end up with the characters making rather silly choices or overlooking obvious things that they could do. I can't go in to much further details without spoilers, but it is extremely noticeable that there is an ending that could have happened and was completely ignored because the writer wanted certain outcomes for certain characters. Also, the motivation of one of the characters is extremely flimsy given the circumstances of what's going on in the movie. Another letdown is the fact that there really isn't much horror in the movie despite it being a reboot of an iconic horror franchise. A lot of stuff happens off screen and, while we obviously can't see everything, a reboot of a gory horror franchise, that almost refuses to show you several death scenes, is a little weird to say the least. As a matter of fact, I would hesitate to label this as a horror movie. It's almost a drama with some supernatural/spooky stuff going on. With that being said, it is much better than several of the Hellraiser sequels that were more than a little disappointing in the past. I'm not sure I'll watch it again, but I can say that if you're a fan of the franchise it does deserve a watch. Just make sure you temper your expectations, because the movie leaves a bit to be desired in several ways.
As far as wokeness goes, it's not terrible, although there are a few moments in the beginning where they have to shove it in your face that the main character's brother is gay. That being said, you can really tell that this is a change made to the original script most likely because, despite his boyfriend being a prominent character, it's never really brought up again or mentioned. I feel like he was a character that was in the script who was a friend of the protagonist and was just kind of rewritten to be her brother's boyfriend. Otherwise I really didn't notice any wokeness in the movie, surprisingly enough. I'd say if you're a fan of the franchise or if you're vaguely curious about how this one is, go ahead and give it a watch. It's not worth subscribing to Hulu for, but if you already have it it's okay if you are looking for a way to waste 2 hours during the spooky month. Also, surprisingly enough, the main character, despite being a female, is shown to be an extremely flawed person who makes a lot of mistakes and is pretty far from being a Mary Sue.
Final Grade: C+
It really has very little to do with men "being owed sex" by women. Most men don't really believe they're owed sex by women, or anyone for that matter. The big issue is that society has placed such an emphasis on premarital sex and random hookups and casual sex that young men are beginning to feel like if they aren't having sex they are missing out on an integral part of life, which is not the case.
Sure, there are definitely men out there who truly believe that women are simply there to please them and be their slaves, but that is not the case for the vast majority of men, even so-called incels. They have simply been led to believe that sex is an amazing, huge part of life, that it is integral to a normal life and, while it is important to a healthy relationship, it's not necessary to live a normal life.
It also comes back, in a way, to the destruction of traditional masculinity. If they can convince millions of men that sex is the only thing that matters, that it is the most important part of a relationship and of life, then that's all they're going to care about. They're not going to focus on other things such as learning new skills or trade or bettering themselves in some other way.
Of course, the funny part of all this is that by convincing men that sex is the only thing that matters, they are completely reducing women to only being important in a sexual way. Although, I suppose that's part of the plan too. After all, we can't have women being motherly figures or caring individuals in a household or in life in general. We have to have them choose careers that debase them and destroy their mental well-being. It really is all connected I guess. The destruction of the family unit, the destruction of traditional masculinity, the destruction of traditional femininity, the sexualization of children... It really does circle back to the destruction of traditional values in a way that lets them swoop in and replace traditional morality with some sort of perverted new age "progressive" morality.
Anyway, that's my $0.02
Thr source material doesn't really matter, I just love learning about the lore and mythology of various settings, so anything from LOTR to WH40K to TES would work.
Hell, the channel doesn't even need to be anti-woke, just being apolitical is good enough.
Specifically their collected short stories. There's a new collection coming out (Leaves of a Necronomicon) and, as a Lovecraft fan, I'm interested. But, as someone who realizes that modern entertainment is overrun by woke cringe-lords, I'm cautious. I can link to the book in question if need-be.
According to his daughter via Facebook...
"Love you always Dad....❤
"See ya next time I see ya" 😘
January 3, 1948 - May 11, 2022 😢💔"
For those of you who may be unaware, Randy Weaver was involved in a stand-off with federal agents in 1992. Several members of his family were killed, as was their family dog...all because he didn't appear in court. RIP.
My boys loved the books when they came out, reading them constantly, so of course they want to see the movie. Given modern Hollywood--especially kids movies--I'm a bit worried the movie will be full of woke crap. Can anyone confirm or deny this? Thanks in advance.
I've been recommended "Fall; or, Dodge in Hell" and was looking for some thoughts on Neal Stephenson, the author. You guys seem to be pretty on point with these things, so I figured this was a good place to ask.
The most "woke" part is a line from Catwoman, and it really makes her seem naive. The themes of the movie honestly seem almost "anti-woke".
For example, a major theme seems to be that we shouldn't be shackled to the wrongdoings of our ancestors, nor should we be punished for them. Another theme is that celebrity/hero worship is a bad thing. Finally, we're presented with the idea that a person can make a terrible mistake and still be a good person, which runs directly against cancel-culture. There even seems to be a message about how strong male figures are important in a child's life, which is just about as far from woke as one can get.
It's a different superhero movie to be sure, but it's not woke. At least not in my eyes. It's a mix of noir detective stuff and more traditional superhero tropes. Think "Seven" meets "The Dark Knight" and you're almost there.
I honestly think people were actively looking for wokeness (and who can blame them?) but that may have made them see woke aspects when, in reality, there really weren't many to be seen.
Probably surprising no one here, Afterlife is miles ahead of the Fembusters. It's well written, fairly genuine, and actually kinda humorous. It's a bit heavy on the fan service, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. My kids enjoyed it and I did too. Recommended.
"Domestic terrorist" and "traitor" are the new "Nazi".
Seriously, they are thrown around in the exact same fashion as Nazi was. Just ignore it and carry on.
I'm worried about this for obvious reasons, but I'll be damned if the trailer, and the director's breakdown of said trailer, don't make me a bit optimistic. The fact that the director is Reitman's son is also a good sign. Again, I'm worried because I know how Hollyweird likes to shit up old franchises, but I'm cautiously optimistic. Anyone else have hopes or concerns?
They specialize in documentary/non-fiction videos. My family loves documentaries but, streaming services being what they are, I'm hesitant to subscribe. Anyone have experience with them?
Religious horror in particular is of interest to me, as is found footage, but I'm open to any suggestions.
Stuff like Tolkien or C.S. Lewis are obvious, but other authors, movies, music, or entertainment might not be as well known.
So, how about a thread that lists some recommendations for things untouched by modern insanity?
It's similar to the whole "Thanks Obama" meme from years ago.
Basically it's "Ted Cruz is why <insert first world problem or minor annoyance here>". The idea is to make a joke out of people seemingly blaming him for the weather and everything else they can think of.
Some zingers include...
-Ted Cruz is why your daughter is dating that weird kid from her art class.
-Ted Cruz is why your check engine light never turns off.
-Ted Cruz is why the McRib isn't a permanent item on the menu.
Go ahead, try it out in a random thread about Cruz!
Every so often it's good to take a step back and look at what few things still unite us as humans. With that in mind, I'd like to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Festivus, and Bah-fucking-humbug to all of you assholes and bastards. Eat too much stuffing and have a good one!