I guess putting this here is as good as anywhere else.

Yesterday I was telling a friend that I was in the process of reading Ambrose Bierce's wonderful book The Devil's Dictionary, and she asked me if I had ever read his short story called An Occurance At Owl Creek Bridge. I had not, so she recommended that I do so at my earliest convenience. So last night I Googled it, and enjoyed it greatly. Then today I called her to let her know that I had read it, and she said there was a movie about it. So I did a search for it at YouTube and found a short version of it, and read in the comments that there is a full version. So I did a search for that and found an audio version that was wonderful!

Now I've seen several versions of it, and they're all great! I can highly recommend it with full honors!
🖖

Damn, I just discovered that there's a Twilight Zone version! I must watch, it's like an addiction! 🤪

Quote from: Unbeliever on August 18, 2023, 01:34:23 AMDamn, I just discovered that there's a Twilight Zone version! I must watch, it's like an addiction! 🤪

That is one of my fav, if not my all-time fav Twilight Zone!  I loved it when I first saw it and saw it again just last week and it is still my fav!

It was totally awesome! 🤩

Quote from: Unbeliever on August 18, 2023, 11:17:02 AMIt was totally awesome! 🤩

It was and is!  I don't want to ruin it for anybody but one cannot beat the way the ending surprise is handled.  I do not remember any Twilight Zone ending better, or even a better Hitchcock ending for that matter. 

When I read the short story I wasn't really surprised by the ending, but I was satisfied, given that the protagonist was a dirty traitor.  🤫

Quote from: Unbeliever on August 18, 2023, 04:25:07 PMWhen I read the short story I wasn't really surprised by the ending, but I was satisfied, given that the protagonist was a dirty traitor.  🤫

"GEORGIS IS MUH HOME!" It was still "these United States" rather than "the United States". One mantra was "The Union is the sum of its parts, not the master of them."

I'm rewatching Pirates of the Caribbean and I guess I misremembered one scene because I could've sworn that the big reveal that the pirates are undead happened a lot differently in my head than in actuality.

In my head, Elizabeth dines with Barbarossa, he talks about the curse, she grabs a knife, he says something menacing and she stabs him, staggering him backwards towards the window into the moonlight, revealing some skeletal features.  She runs out of the cabin, sees the skeletal crew, then he tells her she best be believing in ghost stories because she's in one.

In reality, she stabs him, runs into the skeletal crew, then he comes out after her, revealing *gasp* he's a skeleton too! (we know)

The one in my head is better than the real one because the big reveal is more gradual and not all at once.  Because once you've seen the skeletal crew, it kinda ruins the reveal that he's a skeleton too.  In mine, you know that something is definitely up with him but aren't entirely sure until the big reveal with the crew.


Also, they really romanticize the hell out of Caribbean pirates.  The real ones wouldn't make you walk the plank (they'd just throw you over) or bury treasure (they don't part with valuables easily except at port), but they were absolutely brutal when they wanted to be.  If merchant vessels surrendered on sight to the black flag, they'd be relatively nice and just take everything of value and leave everyone alive (sometimes they'd take prisoners, especially if they captured the vessel)  But if the merchant vessels attempted escape or fired on the pirates - either with cannon or musket - the pirates would have no problem hoisting the red flag and just massacring pretty much everyone they come across.  They were less like Robin Hood and his merry men and more like gang members.

Watched ~30 minutes of "Oppenheimer".

Quote from: Gawdzilla Sama on August 31, 2023, 06:47:44 PMWatched ~30 minutes of "Oppenheimer".

Is it good?  Did the Allies win?  No spoilers!

He destroyed the worlds. Should be enough for anybody to accomplish.

I saw it a couple of weeks ago, and it was pretty good.  I just wish they'd have concentrated more on the physics than the politics.

I didn't sit through it. maybe when it come to cable.

Quote from: Hydra009 on August 31, 2023, 06:28:21 PMI'm rewatching Pirates of the Caribbean and I guess I misremembered one scene because I could've sworn that the big reveal that the pirates are undead happened a lot differently in my head than in actuality.

In my head, Elizabeth dines with Barbarossa, he talks about the curse, she grabs a knife, he says something menacing and she stabs him, staggering him backwards towards the window into the moonlight, revealing some skeletal features.  She runs out of the cabin, sees the skeletal crew, then he tells her she best be believing in ghost stories because she's in one.

In reality, she stabs him, runs into the skeletal crew, then he comes out after her, revealing *gasp* he's a skeleton too! (we know)

The one in my head is better than the real one because the big reveal is more gradual and not all at once.  Because once you've seen the skeletal crew, it kinda ruins the reveal that he's a skeleton too.  In mine, you know that something is definitely up with him but aren't entirely sure until the big reveal with the crew.


Also, they really romanticize the hell out of Caribbean pirates.  The real ones wouldn't make you walk the plank (they'd just throw you over) or bury treasure (they don't part with valuables easily except at port), but they were absolutely brutal when they wanted to be.  If merchant vessels surrendered on sight to the black flag, they'd be relatively nice and just take everything of value and leave everyone alive (sometimes they'd take prisoners, especially if they captured the vessel)  But if the merchant vessels attempted escape or fired on the pirates - either with cannon or musket - the pirates would have no problem hoisting the red flag and just massacring pretty much everyone they come across.  They were less like Robin Hood and his merry men and more like gang members.

Yes, however pirates would rarely engage a real naval warship. They would try to run if discovered. They just didn't have the discipline or firepower to stand up to a real fighting ship, much like today.

Oh, god. There's a whole bunch of things about the reality of pirates and pirating that movies tend to ignore. CGP Grey has two videos on the topic, in fact, but we're not here for historical accuracy. It's a fantasy.

However, I never liked the Pirates of the Caribbean movies and I especially hated Jack Sparrow. Back then, I would say that I wanted a swashbuckler but instead I got the gay town drunk. I hated it and it baffles me that people found it at all compelling a character.

Weirdly, I recall liking the second better than I would have thought. They put some amount of effort into it, I guess. When that British dud shows up about 2/3rds of the way through the movie kind of burnt out on chasing Jack Sparrow between the first and second. I dunno, I kinda liked that when they could have just not had that actor come back. I also liked the beginning of the third where Sparrow's punishment is to be surrounded by himself. Seems like a fitting punishment to me.

Fortunately, I was divorced by the time the next two came out so I didn't get dragged to see them... there's an anti-marriage message for you. So, I have no opinion on those ones other than "Are they still making these things?" Kind of like the Saw franchise.