That's an interesting point. Some of the best tv shows in history have those non-sequiturs that are complete digressions but stand out as the most memorable episodes. Pine Barrens for the Sopranos, The 7 Fishes for The Bear, Ronny/Lilly for Barry immediately come to mind.
So few directors have ever had enough freedom and capital to do whatever they want, I'm inclined to believe the sample size is way too small to declare "compromise" the secret to making great cinematic art.
Having seen Apocalypse Now a few times through the years, and then watching the Final Cut last year, I enjoyed the inclusion of the French Plantation segment. Certainly a digression but disagree with the author that it is idiotic or serves no purpose. It most certainly adds to the story, albeit at the expense of the film's pacing.
As for Godfather III Coda - I thought it was an improvement on the original, but until technology allows him to replace his daughter with another actress, that movie is fatally flawed. (And they should have just paid Robert Duvall what he wanted)...
This was really well done, Andrew. Our heroes are almost always complicated. Some more than others. Few more than Rose.
As for the Rose/HoF Debate, I have about as much interest in that as I do the Vice Presidential Debate. Less than zero.
If Pete wanted to be enshrined, he could have/would have been. Part of me thinks he preferred being banned. It was far more financially lucrative to him. He made it his career for almost 40 years.
Wow. I had not heard about the shortening of the Auburn/Alabama A&M game. Apparently it wasn't the only game shortened last week - Arkansas v Ark Pine Bluff was as well.
The most obvious implication is if the point spread or o/u totals being impacted. Sounds like these were never in doubt, but damn, the uproar you'd hear if the numbers were close. Bettors beware!
I'm not sure why that matters. The VP is why the administration's signature bill passed.
And I don't recall a more purposeful effort to brand an administration with the VP so prominently. "Biden-Harris" was there doing. Walking back from that now seems silly.
This is a tough assignment. I'm not sure about using the label "middle class" for many of those US presidents listed who were raised in the 17th & 18th century (JQA, Van Buren??). Also, a bit of conflation between wealth and class. Kennedys and Trumps were not exactly high born. George Washington was a soldier who married well, etc.
"the first season of Hot D was nearly as good as Thrones at its zenith."
No. No. No. Not even close.
The first season of GoT was as close to a perfect season of television that has ever been produced. The subsequent season's were excellent as well, but the show started to fall apart when they outpaced GRRM's source material.
To put this HoD in the same ballpark is either wishful thinking or simply forgetting how good GoT was in its prime.
The problem with HoD is the source material is just a relatively brief telling of a fictional history (as told by 3 fictional sources). It's an interesting writing experiment but could never provide the rich storytelling that GoT provided in its first 4+ seasons.
Here's hoping the Dunk and Egg short stories make for a better TV show. However, i do fear they don't have enough source material for them either. We shall see.
Yeah, if you hear the word conspiracy and immediately think of "Pizza-gate" - I can understand a reluctance to apply the term to anything that doesn't sound ridiculous.
I think we fundamentally disagree about the level of transparency and how much who and what matter. Yes, the intent was known, but I'd argue the public pressure was an integral part of the conspiracy to get him off the ticket.
A sitting U.S. President just went through his party's primary process and earned an overwhelming majority of delegates to earn said party's nomination. That President had every intention of accepting the nomination and competing in the general election. Then his party revolted against him and pressured him to stand down.
Justified or not, I think it matters that we find out as much as we can. An incredible precedent has just been set.
And no, he didn't just do "the right thing". C'mon now.
I wouldn't pretend to know which camp were the weaker people in this scenario.
We don't know what was actually done to persuade Biden & Co to relinquish their pursuit of maintaining power, but I suspect it was both a carrot and stick approach. I'm quite sure we don't know the half of it, or what "the hard way" was in actuality. There is an iceberg analogy to be made here to the extent some of it is out in the open, but most of it was not..
As I said, looking forward to the books to be written.
The two narratives are not at all in tension. They did not exist concurrently.
Once the jig was up, there was a pivot, and as widely reported, the democratic leadership applied a coordinated campaign to have Biden not accept his party's nomination. Yes, they conspired to do that. So we can dare call it what it was.
I don't feed trolls man. My baseline assumption is that people who comment here have been following the very obvious mental and physical decline of the president. If you don't recognize everything that has transpired - especially this year between the Hur Report to the debate - to his OWN PARTY throwing him off the ticket 100 days before election day- as evidence, what is the point of engaging an internet rando on the topic who demands I provide evidence. You sound like a nut. This isn't 10th grade debate club and I don't care if you are satisfied with my non-serious responses to your silly questions.
On “2024 Election Day Live Stream, Reaction, Open Thread”
Real quiet in here.
Anyone going to do a welfare check on some of our OT superstars?
"
Turns out a survey of 808 people isn't the "gold standard" poll people wished it to be.
Shocking.
On “From The Atlantic: Trump: ‘I Need the Kind of Generals That Hitler Had’”
Desperate times call for Godwin measures.
On “Megalopolis Is Terrible And Everyone Should See It”
That's an interesting point. Some of the best tv shows in history have those non-sequiturs that are complete digressions but stand out as the most memorable episodes. Pine Barrens for the Sopranos, The 7 Fishes for The Bear, Ronny/Lilly for Barry immediately come to mind.
"
The result can also be 2001 A Space Odyssey.
So few directors have ever had enough freedom and capital to do whatever they want, I'm inclined to believe the sample size is way too small to declare "compromise" the secret to making great cinematic art.
"
Having seen Apocalypse Now a few times through the years, and then watching the Final Cut last year, I enjoyed the inclusion of the French Plantation segment. Certainly a digression but disagree with the author that it is idiotic or serves no purpose. It most certainly adds to the story, albeit at the expense of the film's pacing.
As for Godfather III Coda - I thought it was an improvement on the original, but until technology allows him to replace his daughter with another actress, that movie is fatally flawed. (And they should have just paid Robert Duvall what he wanted)...
On “Pete Rose and the Limitations of Hustle”
The Lenny Dykstra comparison is excellent. What makes these type of people successful is the very same thing that can destroy them.
"
This was really well done, Andrew. Our heroes are almost always complicated. Some more than others. Few more than Rose.
As for the Rose/HoF Debate, I have about as much interest in that as I do the Vice Presidential Debate. Less than zero.
If Pete wanted to be enshrined, he could have/would have been. Part of me thinks he preferred being banned. It was far more financially lucrative to him. He made it his career for almost 40 years.
On “College Football, and I Didn’t Know You Could Do That With The Game Clock”
Wow. I had not heard about the shortening of the Auburn/Alabama A&M game. Apparently it wasn't the only game shortened last week - Arkansas v Ark Pine Bluff was as well.
The most obvious implication is if the point spread or o/u totals being impacted. Sounds like these were never in doubt, but damn, the uproar you'd hear if the numbers were close. Bettors beware!
On “Open Mic for the week of 8/12/2024”
I'm not sure why that matters. The VP is why the administration's signature bill passed.
And I don't recall a more purposeful effort to brand an administration with the VP so prominently. "Biden-Harris" was there doing. Walking back from that now seems silly.
"
Harris has cast 33 tie-breaking votes in the Senate (the most of any VP in US history), including the Inflation Reduction Act.
If any VP gets to share the credit/blame of an administration's track record, it's Harris.
On “The Rise and Fall of the Giant Smile”
The 1912 Giants might have been smiling in September, but they were certainly crying in October.
On “House of the Dragon Season 2 Cheats its Audience”
The show-runners may end up being technically correct, but they most definitely botched it.
On “The Differences in Identity Politics Between America and Britain”
I'd say DJT was born/raised upper middle class.
His children grew up upper class.
"
This is a tough assignment. I'm not sure about using the label "middle class" for many of those US presidents listed who were raised in the 17th & 18th century (JQA, Van Buren??). Also, a bit of conflation between wealth and class. Kennedys and Trumps were not exactly high born. George Washington was a soldier who married well, etc.
On “House of the Dragon Season 2 Cheats its Audience”
"the first season of Hot D was nearly as good as Thrones at its zenith."
No. No. No. Not even close.
The first season of GoT was as close to a perfect season of television that has ever been produced. The subsequent season's were excellent as well, but the show started to fall apart when they outpaced GRRM's source material.
To put this HoD in the same ballpark is either wishful thinking or simply forgetting how good GoT was in its prime.
The problem with HoD is the source material is just a relatively brief telling of a fictional history (as told by 3 fictional sources). It's an interesting writing experiment but could never provide the rich storytelling that GoT provided in its first 4+ seasons.
Here's hoping the Dunk and Egg short stories make for a better TV show. However, i do fear they don't have enough source material for them either. We shall see.
On “None Dare Call It A Conspiracy, Because It Wasn’t”
McCarthyism, the Dreyfus Affair?
Not conspiracies either?
"
Yeah, if you hear the word conspiracy and immediately think of "Pizza-gate" - I can understand a reluctance to apply the term to anything that doesn't sound ridiculous.
"
I think we fundamentally disagree about the level of transparency and how much who and what matter. Yes, the intent was known, but I'd argue the public pressure was an integral part of the conspiracy to get him off the ticket.
"
A sitting U.S. President just went through his party's primary process and earned an overwhelming majority of delegates to earn said party's nomination. That President had every intention of accepting the nomination and competing in the general election. Then his party revolted against him and pressured him to stand down.
Justified or not, I think it matters that we find out as much as we can. An incredible precedent has just been set.
And no, he didn't just do "the right thing". C'mon now.
"
I wouldn't pretend to know which camp were the weaker people in this scenario.
We don't know what was actually done to persuade Biden & Co to relinquish their pursuit of maintaining power, but I suspect it was both a carrot and stick approach. I'm quite sure we don't know the half of it, or what "the hard way" was in actuality. There is an iceberg analogy to be made here to the extent some of it is out in the open, but most of it was not..
As I said, looking forward to the books to be written.
"
You really think it was poll numbers that convinced Biden & Co to stand down?
I'm looking forward to the books that will be written in the years to come.
"
The two narratives are not at all in tension. They did not exist concurrently.
Once the jig was up, there was a pivot, and as widely reported, the democratic leadership applied a coordinated campaign to have Biden not accept his party's nomination. Yes, they conspired to do that. So we can dare call it what it was.
On “Joe Biden Announces that he is not Running for Re-election”
Another one going down with the ship!
"
I don't feed trolls man. My baseline assumption is that people who comment here have been following the very obvious mental and physical decline of the president. If you don't recognize everything that has transpired - especially this year between the Hur Report to the debate - to his OWN PARTY throwing him off the ticket 100 days before election day- as evidence, what is the point of engaging an internet rando on the topic who demands I provide evidence. You sound like a nut. This isn't 10th grade debate club and I don't care if you are satisfied with my non-serious responses to your silly questions.