Kevin Bacon

Since the mobile version of the site makes it virtually impossible to get straight to the end of the thread and I have no idea what point in the thread I'm at, I'm going to say that this is addressing the argument over the popularity of the books helping/most impressive opening.I think that the movie had a bit of a perfect storm, and was helped by the sales of the books completely, the books were a phenomenon before the movie, this OW is a resultant of that. However, the books became a phenomenon after the movie was announced. I think that the hype and promise of The Hunger Games movie that was going to come out as being the next Twilight/Harry Potter created a bandwagon rush to read the books, which are apparently good and word spread like wildfire about them. Without the crazy popularity the books picked up over the past year, the movie wouldn't be getting anywhere near this opening. However, the movie's existence is what prompted that, if no other aspect of the movie or its marketing. Word got around that a new cultural phenomenon was imminent, and everybody wanted to be prepared.The opening without a doubt is one of the most impressive ever, but there is more than enough to support that TDK, Spider-man, Star Trek, Blair Witch, Matrix Reloaded, etc. are arguable challengers. I myself would probably throw in stuff like Alice (as much as I hate Burton and that movie), Jackass 3D (yep), the first Twilight, the first Star Wars (didn't have a monster OW, but had a monster opening based off of nothing but marketing hype), and plenty more into the conversation. The film marketplace is an industry with drastically changing variables over the years. If Twilight had social media and a precedent franchise/phenomenon to be hyped as the successor to, maybe it'd have done this well.This is all not at all discrediting how fucking insane this opening is, of course. One of the biggest surprises I've seen in my time following BO.

I was joking, I've planned on getting around to them for a while, but I've never been really able to get into a comic, and I've been planning on starting Batman with Year One for a while now. It's just the way you said that made it sound like a nightmare to someone unfamiliar, having the best character in the show die early on, the annoying old guy romancing the zombie killing babe, etc.

Are you trying to keep me from reading them?

Apparently "Secrets" was the last episode where Darabont had any involvement and from the midseason finale on, it's been all the new guy. I think that bodes well, because the second half was a considerable improvement over the first.

So it's unrealistic to think that any given group of people has predominantly white people, much like this is a predominantly white country? For one, this show takes place in Georgia, around where The Dukes of Hazzard takes place. Second, what the hell does it matter, really? Why does it bother you that a collection of like 12 American people has one black person (it had two before) and one Asian person? It's a ridiculous complaint. If the show took place in Detroit or something, you may have an argument, but in this environment, a SINGLE group of survivors had a somewhat low white-to-not white ratio, so what? Let's not forget Duanne and Morgan in the premiere. This seems like a pretty accurate portrayal. A couple white trash types (Merle, Daryl, Ed, Carol), a couple of accented deputies (Rick, Shane). Two girls, and an old guy, all normal white people. A probably poor black woman (Nobody gives a fuck what her name is). An Asian pizza boy. And a seemingly literate black guy. It's not like they even threw in a stereotype (and stereotypes are pretty predominant in the African American population in the Bible Belt). He speaks proper English, his name is Theodore, implying he was probably middle class or something of the like.I wish I could see the day where people would just ignore the color of people's skin for once and just look at people as people.

I agree. The show definitely has fantastic zombie scenes and that is the appeal, but the character drama is at least good enough for me to enjoy the walker-less episodes.

What does it matter what the nationality of the cast is?

The Colbert Report.

I'm sad Shane died, but Kirkman said that the prison everyone raves about is coming up so hopefully the show balances out losing such an essential character by introducing a great new angle.

While I definitely agree that there are some terrible characters here, Shane, Rick, Andrea, Daryl, etc I all like. If Shane dies like some speculate, the show will become a bit less interesting (though apparently a fantastic prison arc is coming up, so maybe not) because he is by far the best character.

T-Dog actually started to speak, and Dale immediately cut him off, and I busted out laughing. The writers AND the characters don't give a fuck about him.

The ending was great, and it was great the way that Rick sided with Shane and wasn't a pussy, this episode featured some of the worst moments of the series yet. Carol is in full stupid bitch that needs to die mode, Carl's turned into a terribly acted kid Palpatine, and Dale going around preaching to everybody not to do this and NOBODY gave a fuck. I will admit that that last part was actually hilarious, how everybody was going against Dale, even Glen.Overall, possibly the worst episode yet, other than maybe "Cherokee Rose".

Hey there, Lemon Square, by the time I got to you I was just roasting members for random reasons, which I thought would be given away by the lolcatz comment. I don't really recall taking jabs at you in the past, other than that Silent Day for Closet Awareness that was stupid.But if this is your attitude, then fuck you rick back, pal! Hulk smash!

Also, the Magic situation, what the hell is wrong with you guys? What a bunch of fucking whiners. A guy raises logical if negative points about a film that is being discussed and everybody bitches about him being negative? I mean, shit, if he was just spewing bullshit with obvious biase like enyagal a couple years back and in the TDKR thread that one Cameron fan who talks about how disappointing the movie will be and always works in how awesome JC is, I'd understand a ripping. But he was being normal. But then everybody started bitching at him, and he got all pissy because everyone's mad at him and he's going to his room and slamming the door, cuz you guys are meanies. And then Matt comes in with his "Ooh, everybody has a right to their opinion no matter what" world peace shit, and we all know he's prone to deform this thread into an endless string of lolcatz pictures at any minute. And of course Kamihamiha has his usual passive aggresive yet extreme Disney/JC/3D biase trying to justify the verbal lashing Magic took because JC might as well stand for Jesus Christ.Everybody sucks.

That is to say, you would pay to see a lot of shitty movies?

Meh, not really. We got total classics in TDK, WALL-E, The Social Network, Inglourious Basterds, The Departed, etc.

Carl getting shot wasn't even the peak of that episode. Rick killing the walkers and the whole highway scene were awesome.

The girl who drew the Fiona Apple influence is my favorite so far. Then again, Dia Frampton was totes the rightful winner last year.I kind of wish they had gotten new judges this season. I like the ones we have, but it'd be more interesting if they mixed it up and had a different collection of singers each season.

Why did two movies that would have been doing well with 20M end up with 40M, and a movie that would have been doing well with 10M do 27M? And nobody even seems surprised.

....what the fuck did I miss?

lol

Fight Club gets better on repeat viewings, as does Seven, but I started to lose interest in watching FC after about 18-19 viewings, despite it being arguably my favorite movie.

There are too many what the hell is going on things here to name. Three that particularly stand out to me:Melissa McCarthy for Bridesmaids, what in the fucking hell?I'd normally understand Reznor being snubbed, he isn't really the Academy's cup of tea, but I'm baffled that they actually gave him Best Score last year for a soundtrack that sounds like shit compared to this one, and don't give this one any attention.And, Extremely Loud... I'm just going to leave that one alone.

1. Fight Club2. The Social Network3. Seven4. Zodiac5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo6. The Game7. Panic Room8. The Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonIt's really hard, and the numbers even have it tied. On the other hand, Dragon Tattoo is the next one afterwards, but on another hand, Fight Club is on top and Benjamin Button happily resides on the bottom. I'm going to give it to old Fincher, but as long as he keeps up the pace and avoids another BB, new Fincher will grab it.