The issue is not with directors and writers themselves losing their collective touch. Far from it. The cinema brainbin is still able to craft fine film so I contest your assertion, Redington, that Hollywood has been running on reserves for a decade.
Has mainstream Hollywood been pandering to the lowest common denominator? Absolutely, but that in no way indicates an overreaching failure on the part of the filmmakers themselves. In most cases, the filmmakers are impeded at every turn by the studios with their notes, restrictions, their own vision of what a film needs to be often overpowering the creative vision of the filmmakers. One only needs to listen to a half-dozen audio commentaries from directors to get a rather bleak picture of who is really running the creative direction of Hollywood. Another hint would be the glut of Director's Cut dvds.
So no, Hollywood has not run out of creativity. And if the overall quality of mainstream film has decreased, it isn't for a lack of brilliant minds. The studios are simply only bankrolling films they believe will turn a profit, which does not often equate to quality filmmaking. Sequels, prequels, spinoffs, remakes, and films based on preexisting franchises in other media (comic book films, films based on novels, etc) are just seen as better financial undertakings than creative leaps of faith. Unique, risky films flop more often than they succeed. And success often means a cult following at best. Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream, Kelly's Donnie Darko and Nolan's Memento are recent examples of this. Films outside the box high in quality but extremely low in mainstream appeal that have gone on to become classics in their own right. But these were uphill battles, both in getting the films made and in finding the audiences to appreciate them.
Quality isn't dead in Hollywood, but taste certainly is in the mainstream population of moviegoers.
- mikeyG
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Member for 19 years, 3 months, and 22 days
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Jul 29, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Random Thought: Running On ReservesPosted in: Redington Blog
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Jul 27, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Let's put a SMILE on that FACE! *somewhat of a spoiler, keep away*My apologies. I misread your comment. I thought you were talking about Ledger's actual last film, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus which was greatly affected by his death.Posted in: Redington Blog
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Jul 27, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Let's put a SMILE on that FACE! *somewhat of a spoiler, keep away*Posted in: Redington BlogHe was done filming and working on his next project when he died.
No he wasn't. They had to adjust the film and the shoot to compensate for his death. His character will now go through physical changes and be played in part by Ledger but also by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. According to the original shooting, Ledger was nowhere near done. He was done with the location shoots in London, but principal photography onset in Vancouver hadn't even begun when he died. -
Jul 23, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Is It Just Me Or...Posted in: Redington BlogOn the other hand, you can't really enforce the Spam rule here. Nearly all blogs are about things that nobody actually gives a rat's ass about.
No, you're right, we're a lot more lenient when it comes to spam. As long as our leniency isn't being abused with spam, we tend to ignore much of what happens in the blogs. That said, the other rules are in effect. So no flaming, trolling, torrents, porn, etc. -
Jul 23, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Is It Just Me Or...Posted in: Redington Blog
Jolly, you know that regular forum rules are in effect here, right?And we do need more peeps in here. There's just something wonderful about being able to get away with saying whatever the hell you want without fear of ugly red letters.
Guess I should reread each of Jolly's blog entries and comments. -
Jul 23, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Is It Just Me Or...You aren't getting enough attention in CC&S?Posted in: Redington Blog
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Jul 23, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Is It Just Me Or...I reply a lot. But only when there's an entry worth commenting on.Posted in: Redington Blog
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Jul 17, 2008mikeyG posted a message on C4 Communication: 001I guess complaining about people who you think you're better than is just the trendy thing to do nowadays.Posted in: Ether uses Gigagash!
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Jul 17, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Losing Interest in Twilight Skies Block...Why not just work on what interests you while it interests you?Posted in: TarmoBlog
Whenever I hate a creative itch (be it writing, set design, etc), I scratch it while it's there. I don't force myself to finish things if the drive isn't there. I know that eventually I'll get the inspiration I need to finish it. I tend to have many concurrent projects going at once and they all tend to inform the rest. For set design, I think that really works since it allows you to build some inter-set/block links like WotC does. -
Apr 21, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Movies Worth SeeingNo, it means I don't find Adam Sandler at all funny. Especially when he's playing the same psychotic prick in every other movie he makes (sprinkled in between are of course romantic comedies and dramadies to show his 'depth'). SNL has produced a great number of talented people, Sandler's not one of 'em.Posted in: Alacar's Design Zone
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Apr 20, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Movies Worth SeeingBut shouldn't comedies actually be, you know, funny?Posted in: Alacar's Design Zone
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Apr 18, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Movies Worth SeeingDogmaPosted in: Alacar's Design Zone
American History X
Children of Men
The Bourne Series
The Descent
Donnie Darko (preferably the Director's Cut)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Edward Scissorhands
Something from the Tarantino library (preferably Pulp Fiction, but Res Dogs or Death Proof will do)
Memento
Moulin Rouge
Requiem for a Dream (Pi and The Fountain, too)
The Ring (for the first major Japanese-horror-remake of the past while, it's surprisingly great)
Run Lola Run
Serenity
Sin City
The Transporter
Tremors
The X-Men & Spiderman series (though yu could ditch the third in both and be better off)
Dark City is very underrated
The Nightmare Before Christmas
The Thing (1982 version)
Shaun of the Dead
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Apr 13, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Faith is dangerousI read that thinking you were talking about the slayer until the last little bit there.Posted in: Cabalwannabe Blog
I do agree with you, though. Faith can be a source of strength, but it can also be a source of control. -
Apr 3, 2008mikeyG posted a message on Woo! Let's get plastered.Wow, sounds fun.Posted in: Alacar's Design Zone
I'll have a Liquid Cocaine in your honour in case you don't get to. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
For what it's worth, a 'lynch' in mafia-style games refers to the elimination of a player based on group vote. It's literally a game term for mob 'violence', and it's been used on these forums as long as I've been around on the site (likely back to the 'News days).
Though, for the sake of fairness, I know some mafia communities are moving away from that term for obvious reasons.
Mine is really wholesome and not so doggedly competitive so there's a feeling of enjoying seeing other players' decks do their thing, so to speak. That, plus we're all largely budget players, means that we can all get away with more synergistic cards that may not provide the best utility for the cost. And we can get away with decks that aren't as finely tuned so there's less stress about utility.
I'm a bigger fan of being on theme, but I'm also not competitive at all and get more enjoyment out of doing fun things than actually winning. And one of our players has the most fun slowing games down and helping underdogs win (or at least not lose). So my situation is a bit different.
At the end of the day, though, the game supports an array of approaches. I say do you, have fun, and don't worry about what's most ideal or 'right'.
Same. The only sealed products I buy are Commander decks and the odd booster box when I want to treat my staff to a draft night, and I feel ver (as you put it) bogged down.
I maintain 12-15 EDH decks at any time and I usually build one or two new decks when a set releases depending on set themes and interesting/affordable commanders (along with, of course, rebuilding/refining existing decks to include new cards). And I haven't built a new deck since Commander 2019 and there are a ton of interesting commanders and themes that I probably just won't catch up on when in prior years, I likely would have.
That's not entirely on WotC, part of it is the pandemic and part of it was my work situation in the months before the pandemic. And I'm not sharing that for the sake of being negative on the internet (:rollout:), it's just the reality of the situation for me at the moment. The perceived barrage of new products makes catching up feel more overwhelming and expensive, and decreases my desire to do so.
Hahaha, same.
It's a worthwhile exploration of MDFCs. I like that it's a dual to fix you if you didn't draw into one of your colors, and it's a decent spell if you're good on mana. It's also a really neat way of bolstering a multicolor set's number of multicolor cards while also providing the manabase decks in Limited require in that environment.
In terms of aggressive costing generally, I think MDFCs do require the spell side be less efficient as a trade-off for the added flexibility. I think making things sorceries rather than instants can help reduce how much more expensive the cost can be. Ditto with increased color requirements (where applicable), though your mileage may vary as monocolored spells with higher color needs aren't always a major drawback or balance dial. I think if the spell is much more narrow in effect, it can probably be more in line with how it'd be costed if it were not an MDFC, with mind still paid to the flexibility inherent in MDFCs.
Legit, I still haven't played anything from Ikoria yet, and barely played with Theros before lockdown. Obviously WotC couldn't have planned for a pandemic, and as a business they're not inclined to slow down a product release schedule, I'm just getting to the point where I just may not catch up. I likely won't see my playgroup until the new year at the earliest (we have immuno-compromised people in the group, and several of us work with youth/in schools/with the unhoused so there's some concerns around risk) and everyone in the group is on the same page. Still excited for the new cards, but between lack of play and reduced luxury spending budgets I don't see anyone in my group buying a lot of the 2020 products anytime soon. By the time I figure we'll be playing again, I'll have Ikoria through to (probably) the D&D set to catch up on, that's 10+ product releases which is an overwhelming number. I don't know how I'll be able to do much beyond get singles to slot into existing decks, it'd be too much to try to build a bunch of new decks around new commanders/themes from almost a dozen releases.
I don't know what to say about it. I'm excited for new cards, but that's tempered somewhat by a lack of play to warrant buying them and a lack of cash to actually buy them with. Who knows, maybe by the time I can justify catching up on all the sets I missed, the single prices will be really down and I'll have more disposable income.
That depends entirely on the framework you're looking at, the colloquial usage or the social sciences usage. Colloquially, of course anyone can be racist in the sense that anyone of any race can hold race-based prejudices that cause them to see other races as less than and/or their own race as greater than, or otherwise infers inequality on an individual level. That's the typical definition you get when you google racism, and it is entirely true on an individual level.
I think the problem here is that many engaged in this conversation are, because the topic is on a society-wide issue, talking about systemic/institutionalized racism, which is a whole different beast. Unequal practices built into organizations or institutional systems that disproportionately benefit or disadvantage particular racial groups is really what we're talking about here, not racism on an individual level. Within a white supremacist society/system, nonwhite people and groups are going to lack or be denied institutional power, and without significant power on a systemic level, those people/groups are unable to wield systemic racism, even if they may be racially prejudiced on an individual level. So when people say "black people can't be racist," what they're really saying is "black people are denied systemic power and therefore cannot create systems that meaningfully create/sustain black supremacy." Black people can certainly be prejudiced, they just don't have the power to control the very systems oppressing them (which was the point of those systems in the first place). Is that more complicated? Yes. Can it be hard to parse through someone's words to understand what they mean when they talk about racism? Sure. Are the distinctions between the two uses of the word vital to talking about the issue of systemic racism and unjust policing? Absolutely.
Systemic racism and individual racism are certainly connected, they feed and reinforce one another, and dismantling one requires dismantling the other. They just serve distinct functions within society and their complex interactions are a significant reason why these conversations are challenging.
** As an aside, I think there is an interesting conversation to be had about whether racial minorities can create pockets within the larger white supremacist society that involve racially prejudiced systems, but that's a conversation not best served by having it amongst (presumably, and pardon to anyone this does not apply to) white people. At a time where systemic racism is causing untold suffering and taking lives. I think there's an intriguing academic discussion there, it would only serve as a distraction in the current climate/discussion, though.
Thank you, though it would appear WotC has their reasons for choosing a different path. Maybe next year.
In the early days of spoiler season, I expected we'd get an answer to the question "Why play this mechanic if it expects you to keep four creatures of different tribes (and in some cases, colors) alive?" I don't think we ever got the reason. As you said, the mechanic was designed to be conservative, which is probably easier to balance, but I don't think for a mechanic that's more fun or worth building around.
I agree with you that they may expand on party down the line, even if it'll probably still be conservative.
I agree with you, though I don't think pushing some of the scaling effects over to "if you have two or more creatures in your party" would make the set too challenging for draft. The mechanic really needed something to fill out the early/midgame. Thinking about building around party, my biggest reservation is that a lot of the more playable party cards still demand a full party for optimal use, do I just hold them while I'm waiting for another Cleric to cast? That's somewhat facetious.
I don't know that it's completely failed, though I certainly don't see it as a success. I'm interested to see if players are able to build something fun and playable, and how.
Really? It was the cycle of Duos, the auras of the demigods, and the scarecrows at common that cared about how deep you were in a color pair, was that what was considered mentally taxing? Those sets also had cards that cared about their own colors, not unlike Zendikar Rising having cards that cared about their own tribe/tribal theme, so I'm guessing you meant WotC considered the cross-color interactions too complex?
I think a part of it is the limitations of the way they do batching mechanics, your party isn't chosen/static and all the mechanics do is check if things fit basic criteria. What I mean is, the way party was designed doesn't allow for things like "When a creature joins your party" "When ~ dies, if it was a member of your party, " or "Members of your party have lifelink." They were limited to counting roles filled, but even that could have been explored in more dynamic ways than basic scaling with some bonuses for a full party.
Caring if your party has other members ("If your party has two or more creatures in it, ") or more interesting cross-class encouragement ("Target creature gets +1/+1 until end of turn. if it's a Warrior, it gains lifelink until end of turn." on a Cleric or "When ~ attacks, it gains flying until end of turn if you control a Wizard." on a Rogue) may have helped. As it stands, party is quite a binary mechanic, you either want full party to maximize everything or you don't want it at all. I respect that WotC was pushing for that (much the same way Domain was intended to be maximized and encouraged five color play and didn't bother with half steps), I just think it made for a less dynamic, less interesting mechanic.
I think the flavor was well-received, so hopefully they bring party back and expand on how it is explored.
Maybe? I think there's some potential in a WUB build as that trio has some of the better party payoff cards and have a really flush history in the four tribes with really good potential candidates to expand the party with creatures that you both want to play, contribute to a bigger gameplan, and/or protect the party. I think it'd still be pretty casual, and I don't see it making a big splash outside of Limited and constructed formats more focused on fun than fine-tuned competition.
The colors struggle a bit for Warriors that measure up, but a handful may have potential.
Mindblade Render
Mardu Strike Leader
Species Specialist
God-Eternal Oketra
Butcher of Malakir
Solemn Recruit
Once you get into the other tribes, though, things get wonderful. Wizards has Commander stalwarts like Sen Triplets, Azami, Teferi, Venser, Snapcaster. Not to mention more workhorse cards like Exclusion Mage, Vedalken AEthermage, Glen Elendra Archmage, Wizard's Retort, Archaeomancer, Deadeye Navigator. Clerics has Ravos, Ayli, new Mangara, Bishop of Rebirth, Selfless Spirit, Containment Priest. Rogues get Sygg, Oona, Invisible Stalker, Rankle, True-Name Nemesis, Zulaport Cutthroat, Notorious Throng, Gwafa Hazid, Brazen Borrower. These three tribes are deep in these colors, so there's a lot to pick from depending on your playstyle, deck concept, and meta.
Am I overly invested in building around party? No, not really, but if I were, I'd probably run Tazri as a commander focusing only on WUB. I think the biggest hurdles party decks face are consistently getting a full party and keeping that party on the board. WUB likely has the best tools to assemble a party and keep it around, and they have a few party payoffs that are worth it. The red and green party payoffs just aren't worth it.
Ancient powerful character from an empire that fell (leading to its people struggling) regrets not using their power to save their people, decides to address their regret by taking steps to bring peace through restoring their old empire (or parts of it), even if that'll hurt everyone else. Certainly there's nuances between the stories, but at their core (heh), they're quite similar.
Potential commanders I may brew:
Tazri - I don't love the party mechanic as executed, but I once tried a janky 5 color Allies deck and I think a more refined party deck that uses better creatures from other sets may be possible, though I'm in no rush to do that
Akiri - I think she's great, I've wanted to build a RW equipment deck and she is the inspiration I needed
Cards I may add to decks I already have:
Angelheart Protector - I have a blink-focused deck that this may work in, though slots are pretty tight and the ability may not be relevant often enough in terms of indestructability in response to removal.
Felidar Retreat - I have a GW Cats deck, this slots in fairly well and either fills out the board or boosts the army
Luminarch Aspirant - I don't know if it fits in my Atraxa deck, but I do have other decks that may want a steady flow of free counters
Nighthawk Scavenger - immediately in my vampire tribal deck, ditto the Nullpriest and Scion of the Storm
Skyclave Shadowcat - easily slots into a variety of decks, but mostly aristrocrats and +1/+1 counter decks
Moraug - slots right into my Saskia legends/attacking matters deck, extra attacks are great for that deck
Rockslide Sorcerer - another great effect for my NivMizz spellslinger deck, Kaza also slots in easily (60% or so of the creatures in the deck are Wizards)
Valakut Exploration - fits in my Intet deck, though it may be too expensive to justify purchasing since it's largely redundant
Ancient Greenwarden and Ashaya - could be in consideration for my land creatures deck
Roiling Regrowth - good card for almost any deck with green, it's probably the card I'll get in larger numbers
Nahiri - if I build around Akiri, I can see Nahiri being in the list
Zagras - another great addition to my Edgar deck, will frequently be quite inexpensive
Forsaken Monument - goes right in my Baraldrazi counters/Eldrazi deck
Lithoform Engine - I really like it, and want to use it, just not sure where yet because I probably won't be able to buy more than one
Relic Amulet and Vial - Amulet may go with NivMizz (it's already heavy on burn, so the Amulet is redundant), Vial will definitely go in Teysa (it's everything the deck wants more of)
Skyclave Relic - I anticipate it being a pricy card, I'll likely only get enough to go in the decks that both need the mana ramp as well as the extra artifacts
That's honestly about it. I'm really unimpressed with the overall quality of cards. There are ideas here that I like, but the execution was some combination of too costly/too many hoops/too underpowered and ultimately that dulls my excitement for the set. Even the other legends are pretty meh for me, they're alright but are more likely to slot into the 99 elsewhere than being things I build around.
I absolutely adore the concept they have for party, but I can't say they executed it well. Archpriest of Iona, Emeria Captain, Journey to Oblivion, Squad Commander, Nimble Trapfinder, Skyclave Plunder, Coveted Prize, Deadly Alliance, Malakir Blood-Priest, Thwart the Grave, Linvala, Spoils of Adventure, and Base Camp could have potential if party decks manage to get off the ground. Not all of them are stellar, but they all feel like they'd be pretty good with full party. The rest of the party cards largely seem bad, especially given the investment needed.
The MDFCs are nonstarters for me, I just hate playing with them and never will. Landfall isn't really my bag, but I think folks who like it got some great new tools.
I think Commander players should be relatively happy, particularly casual players, the set isn't a total loss. I'm fairly happy that most of what I'm likely to pick up as singles are commons and uncommons, or they're by and large rares and mythics that are unlikely to be popular enough to drive prices up. It's a good set for my budget.
More accurately, they'd be critical of why WotC needed to bribe players with hundred dollar bills to begin with. There's also the novelty wearing off, compare the reactions to Zendikar 1.0 having priceless treasures inserts. (also, wow at threads with thousands of posts and omg 'seds!!!)
I guess they just love their +1/+1 lords too much to bend symmetry.
You may yet get your wish, we are returning soon.
I like to think of it more like a person versus a coconut crab. Seems easy enough to defend against until you're getting Earharted.