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What If SPOILERS Were A Good Thing?? A New Study Says This May Be So...
Merrick here...
I'll never forget standing in line for TITANIC's opening night back in 1997, surrounded by tightly wound teenage girls and unequivocal James Cameron sycophants. All were jabbering incessantly about the film, about "Leo" this and "Kate" that, until someone finally realized I wasn't engaged in the conversation and generously attempted to include me. Honesty, I didn't really feel like talking to these people at the time (I tend to be that way in crowds), but I accommodated their effort all the same. Life's too short, and can be too lonely, to remain unfriendly for no particular reason.
"What are you most looking forward to about the movie?" asked the short, curly haired, glasses-wearing woman in front of me. "I'm actually here to watch the boat sink..." I replied.
For the following twenty minutes, I was thoroughly dressed-down by this woman, who only a few moments earlier had actually wanted to talk to me. I was berated about how inconsiderate I was for ruining the movie...about how she didn't "want to know ANYTHING about it!"...lectured about how much excitement I must be depriving myself of by knowing what happens in the picture. After my lambasting subsided, my only retort (after mulling a more succinct "Go fuck yourself") was, simply, "It's a movie called TITANIC. What, exactly, are you expecting?" She didn't have an answer, apparently having never considered that one pesky little consideration before flying off the handle.
Since that night, I've frequently found myself both intrigued (and frustrated) by the issue of SPOILERS. Where is that delineation between "spoiler" and common knowledge - and how are either quality truly defined? Is a fervent avoidance of "spoilers" merely a knee-jerk, apologist reaction to protect one's self from weak or unsuccessful storytelling?
Personally, I've never minded spoilers, and here's why: I believe that if a story (book, TV, film, etc.) is told well enough...and is inherently strong enough in its nature...any degree of spoilage will not truly hinder our appreciation of that tale. I knew Darth Vader was Luke's father well before seeing THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, but the whole of that picture was so strong that being aware of such a major reveal didn't prevent me from deeply loving that movie (the best of the STAR WARS films). I knew Enterprise was going to self-destruct in STAR TREK III a number of months before I watched the moment for myself in 70mm at the Americana theater here in Austin. As much as I knew, nothing could've prepared me for the visual impact - or the grim majesty - of that sequence.
So, in short, I do not believe foreknowledge of spoilers truly HURT our perception of a product...I believe that remaining spoiler free merely softens the overall blow should said product fail to live up to its inherent potential. I'm fully aware that many people will not share this opinion, but there it is all the same. This said, I do go through painstaking efforts to shield the masses from spoilers on this site - I respect the rights and "needs" of others to remain pure about a film or TV show, so please don't feel I'm being critical or unsupportive in the matter. I genuinely do not mean to be so.
With all of this as preamble, presented for your consideration is an article from the folks over at Wired - which looks at a recent experiment by Nicholas Christenfeld and Jonathan Leavitt at the University of California, San Diego.
The experiment itself was simple: Nicholas Christenfeld and Jonathan Leavitt of UC San Diego gave several dozen undergraduates 12 different short stories. The stories came in three different flavors: ironic twist stories (such as Chekhov's "The Bet"), straight up mysteries ("A Chess Problem" by Agatha Christie) and so-called "literary stories" by writers like Updike and Carver. Some subjects read the story as is, without a spoiler. Some read the story with a spoiler carefully embedded in the actual text, as if Chekhov himself had given away the end. And some read the story with a spoiler disclaimer in the preface.
You can find the results of their study HERE. In short, their experiment suggests that people with foreknowledge of story elements may actually derive more enjoyment from that story than people who go in cold. And, yes, the sentence I just wrote is, itself, a spoiler. Check out the piece - there's some interesting food for thought, and fodder for discussion I should think in the Talkback below.
Thanks a ton to longtime AICNer Royston Lodge for calling our attention to this piece.
— follow Merrick on Twitter ! ---
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Sept. 7, 2011, 11:04 a.m. CST
Titanic spoiler
by pumaman
I still haven't seen it, and don't want to know how it ends. I'll maybe watch it this weekend.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:05 a.m. CST
I disagree with this study.
by terrytips
This measurement of 'enjoyment' is what makes this pretty much nonsense. Sometimes things should be shocking or surprising to live with you, and work on deeper levels. Not saying this is true of all stories, but it makes scientific analysis of art in this way slightly reductive and invalid.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:07 a.m. CST
So even when relaying this kind of story
by Bass Ackwards
We're still a month behind everyone else...
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:08 a.m. CST
annd spoilers don't just regard the ending
by terrytips
Just because we know the end doesn't mean there aren't surprises. Even when I cheat and read the final pages first, a good thriller will still surprise me with how it gets there.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:09 a.m. CST
Spoilers killed Green Lantern
by cookylamoo
You knew just about everything that was going to happen in the movie because it was in the trailers. Unless there was someone who really thought Green Lantern was going to die.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:09 a.m. CST
Terminator 2 with no trailer
by Domi'sInnerChild
You're thinking Arnie is a bad guy until that moment where both terminators are walking towards John with the Pepsi machine in the background. My college roommate made it a rule to skip trailers after that.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:11 a.m. CST
I wondered why, three years, no one spoiled the end of "Deathly Hollows"
by cookylamoo
Now, having seen the movie, I know why. everything you expect to happen, does and none of the revelations are all that surprising.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:12 a.m. CST
i'm sorry but finding out Vader is Lukes father is
by eric haislar
a HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE spoiler. Not knowing that and seeing it for the first time was fucking crazy! hell you thought he was lying until you saw Jedi 3 years later. You where like there is no way he is lukes father You refused to believe it. Now the movie would have been just as good. with our with out that seen. But that moment has stuck with me for years. I was a true WTF moment.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:13 a.m. CST
Depends on the movie
by Tell_Your_Mom_I_Said_Hi
I think certain movies thrive on the surpise ending, and the initial enjoyment would stem entirely on a fact being hidden from the audience. A good movie, despite the twist, encourages multiple viewings to dissect the movie, if not enjoy the movie in a different perspective. I think the Sixth Sense would not have made as huge of an impact if people knew the twist before sitting down to watch it. Even now, the movie is still great, if not somewhat slow-moving, at repeat viewings, but that initial feeling of "holy crap, why didn't I see that coming" is still in the back of my mind, reminding me of the bliss that it brought on that first viewing. I recently had the pleasure of showing the movie to my daughter at the ripe age of 12, and get to giggle at her amazement of the ending that she never saw coming. So the TLDR of it all is, spoilers effect can depend wholly on the movie being spoiled.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:14 a.m. CST
by eric haislar
They totally ruined that surprise with the trailer. Hell the movie is designed so you don't know who is trying to kill him until you hear "Get Down!". And they ruined it. But still it's the best action movie of all time.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:14 a.m. CST
real life events
by terrytips
The topic is interesting when regarding films 'based on real events'. Such as the boat sinking in Titanic,or the fact that they all die in the Perfect Storm. Surely that is free knowledge, and not up to the film maker to conceal. Spoilers can also be suggested in a title. Imagine seeing The Texas Chainsaw Massacre without knowing what its about. It's be a totally different experience. The recent film Kill List is marketed as a horror, and one of the scariest films in years. You could say even knowing the genre was a spoiler. I actually think it adds to the film though, as you know you are never safe, and adds to the feeling of unease. Sometimes you want shock, sometimes you want slow tension. Again, up to the artist. But if it is 'based on real events' then I think it is fair game to reveal whatever you like.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:15 a.m. CST
Sixth Sense spoiler ending...
by Tell_Your_Mom_I_Said_Hi
M. Night Shyamalan is a hack director. I was fooled for so long...
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:15 a.m. CST
Yes, what a pointless study
by skycrapper
I mean who cares. I would say the Titanic lady is an extreme case because of being a history moron.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:16 a.m. CST
I wish I could have seen from Dusk Till Dawn blind
by JackSlater4
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:19 a.m. CST
Saw Dusk Till Dawn blind
by Tell_Your_Mom_I_Said_Hi
I was fucking going nuts when the end came. Fucking awesome experience.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:19 a.m. CST
Yeah Right.
by TDH1138
How the fuck did you know about Vader being Luke's father when it was kept from EVERYONE but Lucas, Kurtz, Kersh, Hamill and the Screenwriter's? So unless you're one of those, which you're not, you're full of shit. ONE more reason AICN is useless. Bullshit.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:20 a.m. CST
by eric haislar
Dude he could have found out from a friend. He would have been a kid then and probably did not see it opening night.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:22 a.m. CST
tdh1138, I knew it too because it was in the book
by jim
which came out before the movie. From Wikipedia: "The Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back novelization was written by Donald F. Glut and first published on April 12, 1980 by Del Rey."
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:22 a.m. CST
I guess the closest thing for me was Brotherhood Of The Wolf (spoiler)
by JackSlater4
When they switched badasses halfway through the movie, that was toight
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:22 a.m. CST
The Sixth Sense
by chronicvoid
This film is very affected by spoiling. Glad I knew nothing when I watched it.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:23 a.m. CST
I Completely Agree
by Crow3711
I don't want to know every story point, but knowing some details about what I'm going into, and what I should be looking for/prepared for, at least in some small way, helps me to sink myself into the world of the film immediately, instead of taking the first 15 minutes to figure out what I'm looking at and how the world works, etc. I don't like "spoilers" but I like, essentially, the work that a good trailer does. Prepares me for the story about to be told. Sometimes it is great to go in completely unaware of what you are about to see (as I did with attack the block, ZERO clue what that movie was about) but most of the time, 95 percent of the time, for me, I get a much richer, more enjoyable experience if I know what I'm walking into. Knowing details and story elements doesn't ruin anything. It's the context of those moments and events that makes them matter. Hence, I am in total agreement with this study and have thought about this exact situation many times in my movie-going life. I always enjoy a movie more when Im mentally prepared for what I'm about to see.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:24 a.m. CST
It depends on the filmmakers' vision (sorry this is long)...
by vicmackey1268
I think the idea that spoilers hurt every movie is dumb and completely untrue... The Titanic thing is stupidity but imagine all the bad vibes you would've caused if you said "ya too bad Leo dies cuz the big girl doesn't want to share the door" The point is when filmmakers create a movie for the purpose of causing you to get a twist ending, its rude and unprofessional to ruin that part of their art....Hitchcock asked people not to ruin Psycho, the SAW creators based all of their fortune on the twists in their films, 6th Sense would never have made what it did if it wasn't marketed as the movie with the twist ending. Point is, SAW was ruined for me when my friend said "dude its awesome the guy in the middle is alive the whole time"... I think it's only when movies are marketed wrong that it's better to enjoy the movie with the spoiler known...maybe of the "twist" films are better the 2nd time around: Prestige, Shutter Island, Departed, etc we all improved after I'd seen it once....but the twists were done on my terms... Honestly, the only time I want to know the ending is if I'm going to watch a 2 hour movie and then have the character fail or die...for instance, Buried...tons of tension, great acting, dies..I felt like I'd wasted 2 hours filled with hope only to just have the obvious happen. The original ending for The Decent was that the woman wakes up in the hospital from the crash and the title/cave referred to the slow decent into madness...then they went with the "she wakes up still in the cave" thing and it was a total horror movie cop-out. I would have liked to know what I was getting myself into beforehand... The point is, based on the film being made I can see how it wouldn't matter but a spoiler for some is the like pirating the end of a movie.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:25 a.m. CST
At The Very Least I Like Knowing Who The Main Character Is
by Crow3711
Too often, especially in today's cinema that doesn't always follow narrative "rules", you can go 15 or 20 minutes in a lot of movies without knowing who the main character is and whose story I should be looking for. I don't like that. It makes me feel like the first 20 minutes are muddled, and they aren't. It's just me trying to get myself into the film. So, give me a trailer basically.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:25 a.m. CST
or what erichaislar said since Merrick doesn't say when
by jim
he saw the film. I knew the twist in Psycho before I saw it. No, I'm not Alfred Hitchcock or anyone associated with the film. I believe the first time I saw it was 20 years after it came out.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:27 a.m. CST
I have thought about this before.
by frank
I think this is true to the extent that sometimes I get really nervous watching a movie that I care about for the first time because I am worried they are going to fuck it up. Like I enjoyed watching Return of the King much more on subsequent viewings after I knew everything that was going to happen than I did the first time when I was just basically on the edge of my seat the whole time waiting for Peter Jackson to ruin a key scene. The second time I saw it, I already knew which parts had been screwed up, and I could just enjoy all the great stuff. I think if a Hobbit script were leaked I would seriously consider reading it for this reason. I did read Guillermo Del Toro's At the Mountains of Madness script, and I think that would have increased my enjoyment of seeing that movie had it gotten made, because I would already know that it was going to be a bastardization of the novella and would have been better able to enjoy it for what it was.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:31 a.m. CST
I prefer to remain unspoiled and then...
by chuckmoose
watch the movie a second time. That way I can enjoy it on both levels.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:31 a.m. CST
The original trilogy spoiled the prequels
by rahtard
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:31 a.m. CST
but even knowing there is a twist is a kind of spoiler itself
by jim
I hate movie reviewers that end with "... and a twist I never saw coming". Thanks, dick, now I know there's a twist so, unlike you, I'll be watching for it and, for me, I'll "see it coming" to some degree.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:32 a.m. CST
Merrick: I had the exact same thing happen with Titanic
by Playkins
We were talking about it at work and another guy got pissed we mentioned that the boat sank. I said something along the lines of, "What, did you think aliens were going to attack the ship?" We used to give the guy shit incessantly after that. We had him convinced that UFOs were causing the tornadoes in "Twister" and in "Lost World" there were ape/dinosaur hybrids that chase everyone. Damn, I miss that guy.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:32 a.m. CST
Not enough information
by ND Karrde
How is this relevant to the general population? We do not have access to the actual results - just a Wired author's interpretation based on interview. "A dozen or so college undergraduates" is not really applicable to everyone. Statistically speaking, there needs to be some accounting for age variance, education level, and other factors that might contribute to why someone might find a spoiler interesting or not. Google only provides a subscription site for the journal. Without knowing what factors they controlled for in the study, on the surface, this just appears to be sloppy research. I would disagree with the study. Part of the enjoyment, for some, can be the revealing point of a plot. As for the Titanic folks, they are as bad as the lady telling her daughter in the theater that this "all really happened." Sorry - no Rose, no Jack existed. Not a spoiler - just poorly informed about history.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:36 a.m. CST
franks_television, so what you are saying is
by jim
you are ok with spoilers as long as its for an adaptation of a story you are already familiar with? Not quite the same thing as giving away who lives or dies, or "it was just a dream", or whatever, for an original story.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:40 a.m. CST
Plus, if you're familiar with the "Hero's Journey" plot.
by cookylamoo
You already know what's coming in most mainstream action movies. Hollywood directors like Jon Favreau follow this plot religiously.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:41 a.m. CST
by paul burnett
I had a similar experiance waitin in line for SNAKES ON A PLANE!
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:41 a.m. CST
@cookylamoo: (I agree... a bit).
by Playkins
:::SPOILERS:::: (hehe)<P> There should have been a lot of tension while reading Deathly Hallows because the reader should have been unsure who was going to live and die. Unfortunately, I think JK Rowling did a pretty job of totally telegraphing deaths. Fred and George Weasley (for instance) had been written as such interdependent and likeable characters that I was SURE JK wouldn't be able to resist killing one of them off- and at the same time fulfilling Molly Weasley's fear that the family wouldn't come out of the war unscathed. Also, I knew Remus Lupin would die because he was the symbolic last link for Harry to his father. The only character I was positive would die (but didn't) was Hagrid. Rowling's greatest caveat was that she never killed anyone slowly. Actual deaths came quick and abruptly to shock the reader, but they never came without a great deal of foreshadowing.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:45 a.m. CST
Sixth Sense and Fight Club
by rosasaks
These came out the same day in the UK. One was heavily hyped as a plot twist movie and the other one wasn't. Which is curious as they both are. Knowing in advance that Sixth Sense has a twist means you spend the entire two hours hoping that the twist is not going to be that he was killed in the opening scene. You're not 100% sure that will be it because you've heard it's a great twist and that seems kind of obvious. So you hope it's a bluff and the reveal will be cleverer than that. And are disappointed when that's not the case. I'd be interested to know how Sixth Sense plays without that foreknowledge. Is the surprise preserved and does it feel genuinely rewarding? Fight Club was hyped on some dubious bare knuckle boxing controversy that seems foolish now but was maybe a shrewd move to protect the film's real themes from being spoiled. It made it possible to guess at the twist shortly before the reveal and feel some suspense whether your surprise hunch would be right or not as that story took you with it. Which is to say the end of the film felt a lot more effective than Sixth Sense even if you guessed both. The manner in which you get there is important. As it is with something as famous as Usual Suspects where it's pretty easy to latch onto the possible story idea for the twist pretty early and go back and forth over whether that will be the case. What makes that film stick its ending is the manner of the reveal. The way it's done and how it undercuts the whole narrative structure is a twist within a twist almost. In any case I'd be interested to know if Fight Club had been hyped as a plot twist film and Sixth Sense hadn't, how the viewing experience might have been reversed, or not. There's an infamous Spanish poster that features four CGI portraits and promotes the film as starring Edward Pitt and Brad Norton. How fucking retarded is that?
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:46 a.m. CST
I remember a Peter David article years ago
by Barrymore
...he went to the movies and went to see "Romeo and Juliet" (the Leonardo one) and ended up sitting behind a group of teen girls. He said that they were all shocked--shocked--when the two young lovers die at the end. He couldn't believe that they didn't know what was going to happen, especially when it is even said (in Shakespeare talk) during the movie!
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:51 a.m. CST
Psycho was shocking for me and I already knew the spoiler
by sweeneydave
Everyone knows about the shower scene. But when I finally got around to watching that movie the first time, Hitchcock got me so wrapped up in the story of this young woman trying to escape from the law and get away with robbery, that even when she meets Norman Bates, I wasn't snapped back into "Psycho" world. I knew what was going to happen, but I was more concerned that he was going to find out what she did and call the cops. Hitchcock gave us the same anxiety that she was having. Stopping at the wrong motel and getting murdered was not on the agenda. Then all of a sudden, the film not only switches gears, but kills off the main character halfway through the movie. It was certainly a shocker for me. I first saw it 4 years ago.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:51 a.m. CST
AICN mocked the WTF ending of "SKYLINE"
by cookylamoo
But at least It was something unexpected. And in the context of the movie it was well set up. Sometimes the only escape from predictability is a bummer ending.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:52 a.m. CST
Only sort of, Big Jim.
by frank
I can imagine the same principle applying in cases where I don't know how the story turns out but am emotionally invested in the narrative and am therefore worried about what is going to happen next. For example, I might have been more relaxed while reading the Harry Potter series if I had known which characters were going to die beforehand. For me the only benefit would be reducing anxiety, though. I am not sure if that is a problem for the average filmgoer/reader. Probably not, I would guess.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:52 a.m. CST
Also, there's an episode of "The IT Crowd"
by Barrymore
Roy wants to see a certain movie (a "new Tarantino movie?) and his friend calls him and tells him there's a twist at the end. That basically ruins the movie for Roy, because he says he'll keep looking for the twist that's coming instead of just watching the movie. (Like someone said above.)
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:54 a.m. CST
Spoilers and Gimmick Movies
by Shankapotomus
I think spoilers don't hurt good films, but take away the only good thing (a twist or surprise ending) from a bad film. For example, in Memento I knew the "gimmick" going in. Same thing with Sixth Sense. But they were so well done and, in the case of Memento, so original, that it didn't matter. But take a bad gimmicky film, say, anything M. Night Shamalamadingdong has done since Sixth Sense, reveal the twist, and the movie does not stand up to repeat viewing. The point here is to make good movies, not rely on some surprise plot point. The spoilers don't matter. I'm looking at you M. Knight.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:55 a.m. CST
Spoilers/trailers f@#$ing suck but marketing movies dictates them.
by threetoesoffury
Its all about money and butts in seats. To do that we get trailers which reveal WAY to much. i hate it. I personally find a movie 10x more enjoyable when i go in knowing little to nothing. Second point: twist endings do not a movie make. sixth sense is perfect example. lame movie built around a (all too predictable) twist. Usual Suspects is, on the other hand, a great example that you can make a GREAT movie that stands on its own with a twist ending. Same goes for Fight Club.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:56 a.m. CST
Great writers can pull it off.
by cookylamoo
Nabakov gives away the entire plot of "Laughter in the Dark" in the first paragraphs, then goes on to present a wonderful, rich telling of his story in detail. But we're talking Nabokov here, one of the great writers of all time, not some coke snorting, arrogant, twenty something American screenwriter.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:56 a.m. CST
Greek Drama
by Amy L
If my high school history teacher is to believed, the audience was expected to be familiar with a story before going to see the play. If it's good enough for the Sophocles, it's good enough for me.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:56 a.m. CST
I agree, Merrick, and true, hardcore film fans are always seeking out details anyway.
by The Reluctant Austinite
Growing up a hardcore film fan, I would read everything I could get my hands on detailing behind-the-scenes information on films I was interested in. This includes the great genre film magazine, "Cinefantastique." Good films are always good films, no matter what you know going in. Sometimes knowing too much can soften the blow of a bad film, but it won't sway your opinion much. And I've never been that big a fan of "twist ending" films. Unless a master is at work (Rod Serling, Hitchcock, etc.) they come across to me as gimmicky and I can usually only watch them once. On second viewing I get bored because the whole film is just geared at setting up the twist. As far as "The Empire Strikes Back" goes, I had the Marvel Treasury Edition adaption a week before the film came out, and even while I tried to resist, I ultimately couldn't hold out with that thing sitting on my night stand all week smiling at me. The film still rocked my world. One of my biggest annoyannces is with my lifelong film fan friends who don't want to talk to me about a film AT ALL unless they've seen. That wouldn't be so bad if they went to see it at the theater or got the DVD when it first came out. But when a film has been out for a couple of years, and it comes up for discussion at our weekly get together and someone says, "I don't want to hear anything about it. I haven't seen it yet, so change the subject," I about lose my mind! If it's been out for over a year, and you haven't seen it, then clearly you don't really want to see it very badly. In this day and age you can't expect to remain spoiler free until you get around to seeing something. There's a time limit!
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:57 a.m. CST
Dark Tower
by RamboJohnJ
I recall quite well whenever the final Dark Tower book was published; it might have been yourself Merrick (although I rather think it's Quint who's the Tower junkie on AICN) who published a review on this website that was very clearly marked 'spoiler free'. Safe in the knowledge that I could read the review and still read the book unspoiled, imagine my dismay when halfway through the review, the reviewer 'let slip' a major plot point; his justification for doing so in a 'spoiler free' review being that '[Stephen] King sets up the scenario so far in advance its not really a spoiler.' Guess what chum, It was a spoiler. I didn't enjoy the book half as much as I think I would, and should have. Spoilers can be, and are, a big deal. Just cause you don't think something's a big deal, doesn't mean someone else doesn't. I'm over it now, but rest assured, if the reviewer who spoiled Dark Tower for me had been within arm's length at the time I read the 'spoiler free' review, they would have been in a serious amount of trouble.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:59 a.m. CST
Exactly, big jim
by supertoyslast
I'm trying to think if I've ever seen a 'big twist' movie without knowing that there was a twist. I don't think I ever have. It's just distracting. Especially when I only work out the twist well ahead of time because I know there will be a twist.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:59 a.m. CST
Playkins, Deathly Hallows (spoiler)
by cookylamoo
Having not read the books, the deaths in "Deathly Hallows" didn't affect me. I never got to know any of the characters that well through the movies to care about them And the secret pact between Snape and Dumbledore is no surprise because they used the same red herring with Snape in the first movie.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:01 p.m. CST
There are spoilers, and then there's SPOILERS
by Mister Vertue
I'm rather passionate about this subject for reasons that aren't important right now, but surely the bottom line is that the artist should be the one to release the 'spoiler' when they feel it's the right time and not beforehand? In an age of 'spoiler' websites and such, it's almost impossible to keep anything a secret these days. Case in point, the website 'Doctor Who Spoilers' recently posted footage from episode 13 of the new series, which was obviously recorded using a camera-phone or some such device, and figured this would be okay. Wrong! That article (and the related footage) has now been removed after they were asked to do so in a very nice fashion. I know the footage will crop up elsewhere now that it's been in the public domain for a day or two, but it's still important for the artist to fight those who choose to ruin their work. I understand that people want to know things about their favourite movies and tv shows in advance, it's human nature, but there's a limit and I think it's important to understand that. Merrick knowing about the Star Wars thing *after* the movie came out is fine, whether someone ruined it for him (which isn't cool, but accidents happen) or if he sought it out for himself. However, if he took sneaky photos of Vader talking to Luke on-set and posted that for others way ahead of the release, that most certainly is *not* fine. Hopefully I've been able to make my point clearly, but probably not. Shoot me down!
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:01 p.m. CST
For me the reason to AVOID SPOILERS comes from LOST . . .
by JMoe
At the end of season 3, bearded Jack . . . thinking is was another flashback episode until the end. WHAT, THEY ACTUALLY GOT OFF THE ISLAND AND WANT TO GO BACK? I totally did not see that coming. For me that one episode sealed LOST as being the best TV show evah . . .
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:05 p.m. CST
The real spoilers for me
by John McG
are trailers which include the "best" scenes in the film; the most recent example that comes to mind being Uwe's Auschwitz. Everything not in the trailer was watered down in comparison to what was, to the extent that the camp seemed less brutal than most depictions I've seen. I expected unflinching brutality, and got a History Channel re-enactment instead.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:05 p.m. CST
I think the Village works better knowing the spoiler
by tHEgREATgABBO
The concept is kind of neat, living in the "past" like that
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:06 p.m. CST
Season 3 was so fucking awesome
by JackSlater4
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:11 p.m. CST
ew johnnyg you watched an Uwe Boll movie? Was it a dare or a bet? Were you being paid? Every exaggerated rant the haters on this site spew on Michael Bay and McG is actually deserved for Uwe Boll. Just curious.
by JackSlater4
I lost 90 mins of my life to House of the Dead. That was 90 mins of my early 20s which is even more valuable.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:13 p.m. CST
Holy shit is *this* OLD NEWS
by D.Vader
You guys are so buddy-buddy with Devin Faraci I can't believe you didn't refer to his piece he wrote on it a month ago. Still, congrats to old talkbacker Royston Lodge for getting a shout-out!
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:13 p.m. CST
My POV
by mcgillj
well.. you have a point.. a twist.. can still be GOOD.. if the writing and the filmmaking supports it.. BUT.. if I had KNOWN the twist of Sixth Sense.. I don't think I would have cared to actually sit through the movie.. and somehow, I avoided knowing ANYTHING about it until it was on dvd.. I still have no idea.. maybe because it just flew under the radar here. BUT.. for example.. I had the ending of "Usual Suspects" ruined.. and granted.. the filmmaking is just intense.. and wonderfully written.. so everytime its great.. similar to a twist in "Swimming with Sharks" with Spacey.. honestly.. his character in that film makes his "Horrible Bosses" character look like a Care Bear. But.. other films can OUTRIGHT tell you the ending.. for example.. "American Beauty" more of less starts with Spacey narrating just that.. as they laugh into The Who's "The Seeker"... But its still a great and incredibly acted film.. and you follow it through. Unfortunately alot of films are not as well written and do NOT hold up on repeat perfrormances.. for every Empire.. or Wrath of Kahn.. there's.. well most ANYTHING M. Night has EVER done.. I never found any of his twists particularly engaing.. but that was the ENTIRE premise the films were sold upon. Trek, Empire.. Suspects.. they HAD great twists.. but they were never marketed "oh and you will NOT believe the ending.." that hyperbole is what sells movies now.. and the shocks and twist endings have to keep coming to try and top the last one.. and sadly.. we end up with rushed mush like "Scream 4".. I actually LOVED the first 2... and 3, it had a decent enough FOUNDATION if you took out the Act III Scooby Doo'ing.. and the whole Hollyweird subplot.. I would LOVE to have it set back in Woodsburrow.. with the idea that someone was behind the original murders coming out of the woodwork.. but, that's what a HACK writer gets you.. compare and contrast Williamson's not really SHOCKING twist.. but definitely a surprise ending.. was well written in the original, while the second seemed a direct parody in contradiction to the first.. the third was just hackneyed.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:14 p.m. CST
Someone told me Spock dies in Wrath of Khan right before I left to see the movie...
by DadTimesTwo
I was working the drive-thru window at a fast food restaurant, and was only a few minutes from getting off and going to see the movie. A lady pulls up to the window, clearly upset and crying. I asked her what was wrong. She said, "I just saw Star Trek II, and Spock dies!" I still harbor murderous thoughts.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:18 p.m. CST
TheGreatGaboo is right, The Village is better with knowledge of the end
by D.Vader
I enjoyed the movie, and I knew the end. But when I talk to people who hated it, their reason is always "I figured it out 20 minutes into the movie."
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:21 p.m. CST
I'd love to be unspoiled for every film I see, but it's nearly impossible this day in age.
by Cletus Van Damme
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:29 p.m. CST
franks_television, I'm different - I like that kind of anxiety
by jim
when an author or filmmaker can make me care that much about the characters, and tell the story in a way that the outcome isn't obvious. Reading "The Road", for me, was such an immersive experience. I was at times very anxious for the characters because I didn't know what was going to happen or how a situation would turn out.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:29 p.m. CST
That Titanic story didn't really happen
by Prawnee
Did it Merrick? You probably thought it did, but it didn't. I know someone who makes up little anecdotes to make himself seem more interesting.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:30 p.m. CST
Because it is subjective, it is purely a matter of courtesy.
by Hipshot
Some people prefer not to be told. If you respect their feelings, you give them a chance to avoid the information. If you don't respect their feelings and preferences, no amount of quoting studies compensates for the fact that you feel it is your right to force them to have the information, any more than I have the right to stop you from eating fatty foods because medical reports prove they are bad for your health.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:31 p.m. CST
I knew about Ned's death, my wife didn't, and it destroyed her...
by Billyeveryteen
I was a virgin for Soylent Green, and that fucking kicked ass! Guess I was lucky...
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:34 p.m. CST
Would not have wanted to know anything about The Prestige or The Usual Suspects.
by BlackBanana
Just sayin'.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:35 p.m. CST
David Letterman spoiled "SIXTH SENSE" for me
by BenBraddock
He gave away the twist ending in a skit... the wanker
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:36 p.m. CST
Star Trek VI
by 5minutes
When I went to see ST6 with a couple of friends of ours, we're sitting in the theater waiting for the lights to go down, and right before the movie starts, some nardbucket leans forward behind us and says 5 words: The Vulcan Chick did it. The three of us nearly strangled him on the spot. I guess the upside is that while the spoiler took away from the mystery, the movie was still fantastic.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:37 p.m. CST
So the prevailing wind is that spoilers are BAD!
by Mr Gorilla
A few points. Firstly, this 'study' is clearly bullshit. How do you measure enjoyment? So let's reject that straight away. Secondly, the AICN staff generally seem to be fine with spoilers, but most of the people on this Talkback have very strong memories of experiencing big narrative twists unspoiled. Spoiling ruins the experience, for me, because at some level you're thinking 'I wonder when they are going to reveal that the chick is actually a guy' or whatever. You watch the movie in a meta-way, rather than being truly immersed in the story. Many of my most powerful book, play, film & tv experiences have been from the sheer force of a story. They wouldn't have been as powerful if I'd known what was going to happen. They always say that the best story endings are 'surprising but inevitable'. That's a very difficult balance for an artist to strike, but it makes for such a great experience. Not helped if it's spoiled. One thing worth noting - sometimes artists CHOOSE to reveal something about how the story works out, so you DO experience the story at an ironic distance. IE Boccacio in THE DECAMERON. Or indeed Lucas in the prequels. Or any of those gorgeous black and white movies where there's some kind of a flashback after the first few minutes, like SUNSET BOULEVARD. But that is the storyteller's choice. They don't want their storytelling ruined by some goon cutting trailers, or an image that flashes up on a DVD menue (my new bete noir). So that's my opinion. And though I disagree with the AICN's feelings about spoilers - you guys should try watching some films unspoiled, you'd be amazed at how much more you enjoy them - I do thank them for being sensitive about them.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:39 p.m. CST
In regard to classical tragedy, the point was to know the ending.
by Ingeld
All of ancient Greece knew the story of Oedipus before ever stepping foot in a Greek theater. Knowing the events of the story before they happened gave the audience the point of view of the Gods who knew what fate had decreed. Like the Gods who see all, the audience could only watch Oedipus make the mistakes they knew would bring about his downfall.
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:40 p.m. CST
My Titanic story.
by UltimaRex
So Titanic is out and everyone is going nuts for it. Everyone but me as I had no intention of seeing it. My eldest niece says to me "You have to see it. It has a twist ending." I answer "Leo dies right?" She goes "How did you know that?" I answer "It's a James Cameron movie. If he can kill off the main male character he will. Plus the old lady is alone in the present. It would be more of a surprise if Leo survived"
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:41 p.m. CST
Study has to be wrong...or purely subjective...(T2 with no spoilers)
by Darth Macchio
[warning: potential spoilers below!] As others have mentioned, in T2, it's clearly meant to be unknown that Arnie is not what you might be expecting until the moment where he says "Ged down!" to John Conner (Furlong) and I was probably the only guy in the theater who didn't know what was about to happen. I very purposefully avoided all T2 spoilers from the moment I first heard about it. Having 'Terminator' be one of my favorite movies of all time, I went out of my way to avoid spoilers. i'd cover my eyes and make noise in my head during movie theater trailers (so as not to disturb others too much) and, consequently, i had no idea that Arnie was the good guy and Robert Patrick was the bad guy. That reveal worked so well for me that I was reeling for a few minutes after it happened! Same for Empire - we had zero idea that Vader was Luke's father when first seeing it and it was a huge shock to hear him say that and the scene simply HAS to be far more profound than knowing it ahead of time. I just can't imagine knowing it ahead of time would still allow for that profound moment and having it spoiled makes you incapable of judging it purely as you will simply never know how it would have been without the spoiler. Some movies would be utterly ruined by spoilers - Uusual Suspects, Crying Game, Six Sense, etc but I find that all movies are improved going in as blind as possible - studies be damned. However, given the study, it sounds like they're asking the wrong question. I think it should be more accurately questioned as "Do spoilers *always* ruin movies?" and then the answer would be "no"...
Sept. 7, 2011, 12:49 p.m. CST
I didn't mention it when I emailed the link to AICN, but...
by Royston Lodge
...I am curious if the results of this study are only valid for WRITTEN stories, and not for motion pictures. Like, maybe knowing about a twist in a written story heightens the enjoyment because the reader is looking forward to getting to that part of the book. Maybe they heard that there's this awesome part of the book from friends and that is what's helping them slog through all the boring bits. For a motion picture, where there is vastly less cerebral effort required on the part of the audience, enjoyment comes not from the work involved (like when reading a book), but rather from the story elements that are revealed. As such, I would love to see the researchers repeat this study using different sorts of media. Show participants episodes of The Simpsons and give away the jokes beforehand. Show people "twist" movies and give away the endings. Heck, show people famous paintings and give away beforehand the little touches that make them famous in the first place. I bet they'd get different results from the different media forms. I bet spoilers would tend to hurt movies and tv, because those form rely heavily on "the reveal", but would tend to help written stories and paintings because the reader/viewer will be waiting eagerly to read/see the hidden element that they've heard so much about. Just a hypothesis.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1 p.m. CST
I call bullshit on unspoiled T2
by JackSlater4
Don't see how you could not see a tv commercial or Trailer or Toy or Guns N Roses music video or poster or TV commercial or TV commercial and not know The Terminator is the hero this time. And, aaaaand When he first shows up and takes those bikers clothes, that scene is obviously played with more levity then when Bill Paxton got terminated in the first one, it had to feel like a wholly different terminator right off the bat. And when no human gets sent back in time but 2 Terminators do what would one assume was the reason for that. Not buying it.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:02 p.m. CST
I figured "The Sixth Sense" out during the intro.
by Fawst
And it still blew my mind. Not saying I'd want to know that going into it, because then I'd have missed out on the experience of figuring it out for myself. And the movie was still amazing.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:02 p.m. CST
Knowing who the killer is. Pros vs. Cons.
by Royston Lodge
When it comes to a mystery story, knowing who the killer is beforehand can be a curse OR a blessing. If you don't know who the killer is, then you can experience the mystery along with the detective characters. You know as much as they do, and the secret is revealed to you at they same time it's revealed to them. However, this "shock value" can be used by the author to hide that, just maybe, the mystery wasn't constructed very well. For example, I hate mystery stories where there is NO POSSIBLE WAY for the reader to figure out the solution before the author reveals the identity of the killer. If the author hasn't given the reader ANY real clues throughout the length of the story, I tend to believe it's a poorly-constructed mystery story. Way too many Sherlock Holmes stories were written this way. The reader couldn't possibly solve the mystery because it required some insanely obscure piece of information that only Holmes possessed which was never revealed to the reader. If you know who the killer is beforehand, you can track the story to see if the author actually dropped ANY clues for the audience. ON THE OTHER HAND, I tend to agree with chuckmoose that the best strategy in this case is to probably watch the movie twice. The first time around, you get to enjoy the experience of "the reveal". The second time around, you get to enjoy the experience of catching all the clues that you had missed the first time (or enjoy the experience of catching that the author didn't give you any clues at all, so you can go on the talkbacks and complain about it.) Half the fun of The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable was watching them for a second time and recognizing all the clues that you'd missed. Half the pain of LOST was watching the series a second time and realizing that there WEREN'T ANY CLUES, and that the ending really was made up on the fly. That doesn't mean LOST was "bad", per se, as long as you enjoyed it the first time around. But it does show how keeping spoilers secret can heighten the enjoyment of the product on first viewing, and can also serve to hide flaws and errors in the story. In other words, a double-edged sword, a blessing AND a curse, pros and cons, such and such, and so forth...
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:07 p.m. CST
Being unspoiled can make the difference between liking and loving a good film.
by Chewtoy
Seriously, we all see a ton of good films that are probably just as well made as the films we personally love... but there was that something extra about our experiences with those certain few that tipped the balance. Yes, knowing the spoilers for a good film will probably not make you think the film was bad, or even keep you from enjoying it... but you'll never know if that missing bit of discovery would have endeared the film to you all the more. There's a special excitement to discovery... that's why so many people's favorite bands, novels, films and such aren't the most well-known things.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:07 p.m. CST
Oh come on, Ain't It Cool!
by frankenberry
This is getting ridiculous! You guys used to have the major Hollywood scoops! Now you're reporting articles that came out a month ago?! Yeah, Just Jared and YouTube get all the good set pics and videos nowadays, and Deadline Hollywood gets the news scoops. But you could still put forth some real effort into the site. I mean, if you're going to post news and articles this late, you might as well put a little effort into your writing.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:07 p.m. CST
To the people calling "bullshit" on the UC San Diego study...
by Royston Lodge
... remember that the researchers were studying spoilers in short stories. They were not studying spoilers in movies. I'm just sayin', is all...
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:09 p.m. CST
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock
by theDORK
Kirk turns to the camera, with a shrug of the shoulders and says, "Sorry...we searched, but couldn't find him!"
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:09 p.m. CST
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
by theDORK
The crew of the Starship Enterprise embark on a voyage...and they end up at home.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:13 p.m. CST
I don't want to know spoilers.
by notspock2
it's so much fun NOT knowing what's going to happen. I also saw T2 a month before release, the collective GASP when Arnie was revealed to be the good guy was really rather fantastic. Sure, good storytelling is important, and can compensate for foreknowledge somewhat- however having a story ruined by some blabbermouth who just wants to show that he knows something you don't should be rewarded by a punch in the goolies, and an obvious but effective "bet you didn't know THAT was going happen"
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:14 p.m. CST
I don't get the whole "spoiler" thing.
by Mooly
There has been times when I'm on the fence whether or not I want to go see a movie, and so I ask a friend who has seen it to tell me about it. Often they will go in depth about all the cool scenes, or things they didn't like, actions the character takes they agreed with or didn,t, etc. Most of the time, that description makes me think "Cool! I'll have to go see it then". NEVER have I thought to myself, "Well, he just told me the whole movie so why bother seeing it?" To me a spoiler is someone telling you how the story ends or surprise twists. But even then, it shouldn't dampen your enjoyment of a movie. I think anyone who blames "spoilers" for their not liking the movie is just projecting. They didn't like the movie, despite their expectations, so they are looking for someone to blame. WHat bothers me is the group of people much like the woman described in the article. The person who thinks saying "the titanic sinks" is ruining the movie. There are lots of people who you just can't talk movies with because they consider any and all information a spoiler that ruins the movie. That is just extreme and ridiculous.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:14 p.m. CST
Rosebud was the sled.
by fustfick
SPOILER is a pretty subjective term, I'd say. And certainly there's a distinction between SPOILER and PLOT TWIST, right? Really, almost any detail or story point might be considered by someone to be a SPOILER - like the door designs on PROMETHEUS or some shit. But SIX SENSE, FIGHT CLUB, PSYCHO, etc. are movies with distinct plot twists and its hard to imagine one's enjoyment of these movies wouldn't be somewhat diminished by advance knowledge of said twists. But I've got a friend who always reads the end of the book first. This is the same guy who insisted we go see ORPHAN only AFTER he heard about the twist ending. So, while I doubt advance knowledge of SPOILERS actually contributes to the enjoyment of a piece of entertainment, this knowledge can definitely make the story more enticing. By the way, anyone notice the awesome SPOILER T-SHIRT worn by Tom Atkins in DRIVE ANGRY?
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:17 p.m. CST
Love Them or Hate Them...
by Read and Shut Up
...if it wasn't for spoilers, sites like AICN and CHUD wouldn't exist. Which, depending on your point of view, could be a good thing.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:19 p.m. CST
reply to Hanyoyo
by Royston Lodge
I cannot understand why, or even how, anyone thinks knowing the ending is a good thing.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:19 p.m. CST
Nice made-up story about waiting in line for Titanic.
by Lucky13
At least when you waste our time with bullshit 'me' stories, you attempt to craft an interesting, fictional tale. I have one too: When I was waiting in line for the Friday the 13th remake (ha), a stranger asked me what I was most looking forward to. I answered "well, probably to see how inventive the kills are" (spoiler: they suck). This stranger looked me dead in the eye and screamed "People are murdered in this movie? You've ruined it! Have you no sympathy, man!?" True story (or not).
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:24 p.m. CST
Shit. The site deleted my entire reply.
by Royston Lodge
And I'm way too lazy to retype it all. Bullet point version: It depends on how the story is constructed. Example: In this season of Doctor Who, we already KNOW that evil Melody Pond eventually grows up to become lovable scamp River Song. We know the ending already, but we don't know the middle. Learning about the middle is what makes the story exciting. Example: TV detective stories where the viewer sees the crime committed right at the beginning. We already know who the killer is. The enjoyment comes from watching the detectives piece together the information that we already know. If the story is designed in such a way that a spoiler would hurt, then clearly we should avoid the spoiler. But sometimes a story can be constructed so that a spoiler is actually integral to the plot.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:26 p.m. CST
I had a simpsons-like moment of a spoiler
by consoler3
If y'all are familiar with Homer's flashback of viewing Empire, and his walking out with MArge exclaiming "WOW! Who would have thought Darth Vader was Luke's father??" to which everyone is yelling and pissed at him. I had not read Half Blood Prince yet and I was waiting in line for the 3am showing they had where I live and as crowds emerged from the 12am showing, everyone was crying their eyes out talking about how sad it was thatt Dumbledore died. That made my stomache turn and feel like shit the entire movie, it made it VERY difficult to enjoy! *still hit me very hard, though
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:28 p.m. CST
If Merrick's story is true...
by frankenberry
...then that girl was just looking to "put on a show" and act over-emotional. The boat had been sinking in the posters, trailers, TV ads, and history books for a long, long time.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:28 p.m. CST
Spoilers STINK
by Kikstad
Why bother going to see a movie if you know every detail or key twists and turns? Sure, some movies are classics and still great upon repeat viewing. BUT nothing compares to that magic of experiencing a story unfold for the first time. Anyone who says otherwise has obviously never experienced an "I am your father" moment in the cinema.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:29 p.m. CST
I so wanted to punch a girl...
by bubcus
I was in line for The Phantom Menace opening night with decades of built up anticipation to see the new Star Wars film. My friend Leslie comes up to me joining up with our party in line and she says the following: "Rob, I saw it last night at the midnight screening. You're not going to like it." It wasn't so much a spoiler, but it was enough to piss me off and nearly send me over the handle bars. Turns out she was right. I went and saw that film seven times in the theater trying to like it but she was right, the prequels are dead to me.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:31 p.m. CST
Very Interesting Merrick.
by billyhitchcock1
Some nice thoughts there. I myself end up spoiling most things for myself for some reason, accidently or most of the time purposefully. i'm not sure why. i think in the age we are in now with us being bombarded with information 24/7 i think the responsibility lies with the individual. i'm sick of people complaining about media outlets spoiling films for them. As discussed on a recent Mark Kermode podcast, Sight and Sound magazine print an entire synopsis of every movie they review which i think is pretty cool. read it or don't, it's up to you.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:32 p.m. CST
In the case of something like Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter...
by Royston Lodge
...the writers/directors already know that a huge proportion of the audience has already read the books, so they HAVE to put the movie together in such a way that spoilers don't kill it. Example: If you didn't already know that it was going to happen, it's an awesome moment when Gandalf returns, alive and well and wearing white. But really, how many people in the audience didn't already know that was going to happen, even if they hadn't actually read the books? The "shock value" in this case is an extra treat for the minority of viewers who had no foreknowledge of it, but it isn't integral to the story as a whole.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:34 p.m. CST
What a load of crap...u stood there for 20 minutes while she chewed you out..........oreally.....
by Arkhaminmate001
If some bimbo went to see a movie called Titanic & didn't know that the ship was going to sink and then had the gaul to moan at me when i said that the ship sunk i'd laugh my fucking ass off in her face & tell her to go watch sex in the city...WTF!!!!! You sure are a putz if you just stood there in a queue of people letting some fuck wad chew you out pal. Or of course you coulda just made it all up to put a few lines down about a poitless subject......OF COURSE KNOWING THE ENDING OF A MOVIE TAKES AWAY SOME OF THE ENJOYMENT..... i'M GONNA TREAT THIS ARTICLE LIKE A CRAP GAME OF MW2 TEAM DEATH MATCH AND RAGE QUIT RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:35 p.m. CST
I still say Phantom Menace is good ... right up until Jar Jar.
by Royston Lodge
The ships, the droids, the Trade Federation double-cross, the invasion force, etc. It's all awesome right up until we meet the Gungans. Then you can just skip ahead until you get to the Duel of the Fates, which is the only other awesome part. The whole movie should be reduced to those two sequences...
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:38 p.m. CST
Sometimes the opposite is better
by Domi'sInnerChild
I thought I was watching An American Werewolf in Paris. I kept wondering when Julie Delphy would turn into a werewolf. Turned out it was Before Sunset.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:40 p.m. CST
Potter is a great example.
by billyhitchcock1
It was really nice watching DHP2 without worrying about whether the ending was going to be shit or not. you could just enjoy the ride.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:48 p.m. CST
True dat, but...
by Royston Lodge
Imagine someone who has no knowledge of the past few seasons of Doctor Who watching the rest of the current season. Would it truly be a crime for someone to say, "don't worry, we already know River Song doesn't die." It all depends on context, and the nature of the story in question, is my only point. I think Citizen Kane is a great example. Knowing the identity of Rosebud didn't diminish my enjoyment one iota. In fact, the identity of Rosebud is such a minor story point at the end of the day that I don't think I would have really been that impressed by "the reveal" even if I hadn't been spoiled. The bigger surprise is when you read about the making of Citizen Kane and you find out what Rosebud REALLY means. Nudge nudge, wink wink. (Spoiler: It turns out it was an inside joke.)
Knew someone after seeing The Phantom Menace excitedly told us she'd figured out the big twist to the prequel trilogy and Chancellor Palpatine absolutely had to be the Emperor from Return of the Jedi. We had to make fun of her over that. In retrospect it might have been funnier if we'd pretended to be disgruntled that she'd spoiled the surprise of waiting six years to find out.
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:50 p.m. CST
If it is okay for Jesus, it is okay for you.
by Ingeld
"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his chosen from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:53 p.m. CST
Yabbut, imagine if the novels HADN'T already revealed the Emperor's identity...
by Royston Lodge
... the Palpatine/Emperor reveal COULD have been a really big deal that COULD have MAYBE made the prequels worth watching. We'll never really know, cuz Lucas loves to tell the audience absolutely everything, usually in advance. He doesn't use foreshadowing. He uses forespotlights!
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:59 p.m. CST
You made that story up, didn't you Merrick?....
by thegeorger
Sept. 7, 2011, 1:59 p.m. CST
HIDDENBURG. Spoiler: It explodes.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2 p.m. CST
TITANIC spoiler: it sinks
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2 p.m. CST
JAWS. Spoiler: the shark dies.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2 p.m. CST
CITIZEN KANE. Spoiler: it was a sledge
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:01 p.m. CST
PSYCHO. Spoiler: It was him.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:01 p.m. CST
PASYCHO 2. Spoiler: It was his mother.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:01 p.m. CST
by eman31
I'm glad I wasn't waiting to watch any of the movies you spoiled in that post!
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:01 p.m. CST
PSYCHO 3. Spoiler: it was him again.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:02 p.m. CST
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE 3RD KIND. Spoiler: The ETs are actually nice people
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:02 p.m. CST
ET. Spoiler: He goes home.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:02 p.m. CST
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK. Spoiler. He ends up losing the ark anyway.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:03 p.m. CST
BLADE RUNNER. Spoiler. He's a replicant after all. Or not. Who knows for sure?
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:03 p.m. CST
2001. Spoiler: Giant space baby in the end.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:04 p.m. CST
APOCALYSE NOW. Spoiler: Kurtz dies.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:04 p.m. CST
SCARFACE. Spoiler: He dies.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:04 p.m. CST
THE SIXTH SENSE. Spoiler: He's a ghost.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:05 p.m. CST
THE USUAL SUSPECTS: Spoiler: He's Keizer Soze.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:05 p.m. CST
SPOILER AHEAD: Re: The Usual Suspects
by DonLogan
Upon the release of The Usual Suspects i had read a delicate review of the film which implied the film's mystery was 'Who is Keyser Soze?' With this this mind i deliberately avoided anything else regarding the film until i had the chance to watch it for myself. However, soon after i was in a newsagent perusing the magazines to pass some time. I picked up one magazine and opened it at a random page where, staring me in the face was a photo of Kevin Spacey with a caption underneath that read in capitals: KEYSER SOZE. Cunts. Fucking selfish, irresponsible journalist cunts.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:05 p.m. CST
STAR WARS: Spoiler: The good guys win.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:06 p.m. CST
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: Spoiler: Good guys and bad guys both lose.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:06 p.m. CST
RETURN OF THE JEDI. Spoiler: Good guys win.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:06 p.m. CST
THE PHANTOM MENACE. Spoiler: Good guys win.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:06 p.m. CST
Got to stop reading this thread
by eman31
Every post I read contains yet another spoiler for something I haven't seen! I actually don't mind spoilers but prefer if there is some kind of warning so I can choose for myself whether to indulge in them or not.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:07 p.m. CST
ATTACK OF THE CLONES. Spoiler: Good guys win.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:07 p.m. CST
REVENGE OF THE SITH: Spoiler: Bad guys win.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:07 p.m. CST
tdh1138, fuck off
by WillTheThrill
Why don't you actually do some research or have some idea what you are talking about before insulting the writers on AICN??? For your information, the novelization of "The Empire Strikes Back" came out several months before the movie. I was one of those unfortunate enough to have read the book first so was robbed of being surprised by Vader's announcement that (SPOILER, LOL) he is Luke's father.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:08 p.m. CST
CHINATOWN. Spoiler: Bad guy wins and is the father of his daughter's daughter.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:09 p.m. CST
THE TENANT. Spoiler: It was him all along.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:09 p.m. CST
MOSQUITO COAST. Spoiler: he dies.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:09 p.m. CST
TOP GUN. Spoiler: They are all gay.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:10 p.m. CST
ARMAGEDDON: Spoiler: They are all gay and stupid.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:10 p.m. CST
TRANSFORMERS: Spoiler: The robots are barely in the movie.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:11 p.m. CST
THE ROCK: Spoiler: Who fucking cares?
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:11 p.m. CST
CASABLANCA. Spoiler: he doesn't get the girl.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:12 p.m. CST
500 DAYS OF SUMMER. Spoiler: he doesn't get the girl
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:12 p.m. CST
THE THIRD MAN. Spoiler: he doesn't get thr girl
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:13 p.m. CST
ON HER MAGESTY'S SECRET SERVICE. Spoiler: Bond marries but she is killed.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:13 p.m. CST
Well I have not seen The Usual Suspects yet...
by rogueleader66
And now I guess I don't have to. Asimov, I usually don't say this of you, but that was very uncool to do.....VERY uncool.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:13 p.m. CST
ASIMOVLIVES. Spoiler: Dies from autoerotic asphyxiation in parent's basement
by Ingeld
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:13 p.m. CST
Asimov, seriously dude? Stop what you are doing, please.
by rogueleader66
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:14 p.m. CST
THE LOR DOF THE RINGS. Spoiler: the ring is destroyed
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:14 p.m. CST
Good Lord, when Jar-Jar jumped on Qui-Gon...
by Billyeveryteen
A slightly more sicking moment than when realizing Arnie's T2 was a benevolent douche protecting that Furlong cunt.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:15 p.m. CST
Good job, again, Merrick
by HornOrSilk
In general, I do think spoilers are not a problem. For stories which are good stories that will get told again and again, spoilers do not interfere with the presentation and the value of the story itself. However, I think there are times when a spoiler might be problematic --when a movie or story is meant to be a mystery where the audience is trying to figure out the mystery, spoiler warnings I think are valid. However, I think even then, spoilers do not always ruin the story. Columbo is great example of this.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:15 p.m. CST
"I still say Phantom Menace is good ... right up until Jar Jar." I'd say the movie is good whenever there is no JarJar. Which means less then half of it.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:21 p.m. CST
Titanic queue woman = most cretinous human ever
by Lone Fox
Take that, Hitler! (SPOILER: he lost WW2) Although, being in the queue to watch Titanic yourself is a close second.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:23 p.m. CST
ASIMOVLIVES SPOILER: He was a douche the whole time
by Mattman
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:24 p.m. CST
Comparing "literature" to movies? *head to desk*
by onezeroone
Really? Reading a story and watching a story in a movie are two very unique experiences. Applying results of one study to another is demeaning to both the media. Apples and Oranges fellas... apples and oranges.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:25 p.m. CST
Merrick, you're confused - the boatin sinking in Titanic isnt a god damn spoiler.
by Mel
A spoiler would be saying that Leo's character dies and Kate Winslet's character survives. So this "study", if it actually uses Titanic as an example is stupid as fucking fuck. One of the appeals of Titanic is that everyone knows the boat will sink and people are curious to see if everyone dies. So I wipe my ass with this so-called study. I just took a massive shit all over it. pwned.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:28 p.m. CST
People who use "pwned" really should just stop doing that....it's probably one of the stupidest "slang" words ever created. No offense to the previous poster, just sayin.
by rogueleader66
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:31 p.m. CST
Spoilers are ok if there are no big surprises or twists in the movie. Those should not be revealed, excpet to those who WANT to know.
by rogueleader66
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:32 p.m. CST
re:onezeroone Yes and no.
by Ingeld
Everyone forgets that apples and oranges are both fruits. In short there are points of similarites. The question is always whether there are enough for the comparison/analogy to be meaningful.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:32 p.m. CST
Like say for instance, in a Die Hard movie, you know the bad guy is gonna die, and McClane is gonna kill him. You dont go to a DH movie for incredible story reveals. Not much to spoil there, so whatever may be revealed is probably ok.
by rogueleader66
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:33 p.m. CST
Congrats Asimov... you've become the most despicable form of troll
by Mattman
One who reveals spoilers in a subject just to ruin films for others. I'm sure you'll come up with some pathetic defense for your blatantly trollish actions, but don't expect me to read anything you write ever again. Luckily, I've seen all those movies... but clearly not everyone here has. Go. Fuck. Yourself.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:34 p.m. CST
I remember when the other film blogs covered this study a month ago.
by THE_CHOPPAH
If I had told you then that it would take several weeks for AICN to catch on to the story, I don't think I would have spoiled anything.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:37 p.m. CST
yes and no
by oddlyshane
Several times I've watched a film not knowing a major plot twist. The twist ended up making me dislike the film overall even though I was enjoying it before the twist. In many of this instances, after letting the movie settle and re-watching it later, this time knowing the twist (obviously), I really enjoyed it, one example being Se7en. And there are other films that I knew the twist/spoiler and still enjoyed the film. However, many times when I don't have much knowledge of the films story I really enjoy seeing what will happen next. I try to just experience it w/out trying to guess what'll happen next. So it can go both ways, but sometimes knowing can put you in the right frame of mind to enjoy the experience better than not knowing.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:38 p.m. CST
Choppah, bwahah
by Mattman
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:39 p.m. CST
Disagree with Merrick, Agree Asimov is Giant Douche.
by GBH
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:43 p.m. CST
Bwa ha ha! Well done ingeld.
by Skyway Moaters
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:44 p.m. CST
Asimovlives is also an intellectual bully and coward
by Hipshot
I remember a couple of months ago when he claimed "most American blacks are descended from Caribbean islanders." When I asked him to present his data, instead he tried to make me jump some intellectual hoop, about whether I was one of "those ignorant Afrocentrists who believed Cleopatra was black." For the moment controlling my irritation at such an obvious race-baiting tactic, I answered no, she was Greek and a Ptolemy. Then, instead of presenting his data, or admitting he was wrong, he criticized my rather trivial error that it was her grandfather rather than her father who was gifted with the throne. Wow. Good one. My life would be infinitely better had I known that without looking it up. Much more important to know things like that than to have the honesty to admit when you are wrong (and he absolutely is, about the Carribean thing). I actually appreciate him clearly designating himself as someone I never need to dialogue with. Life is too short to waste it on people like that.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:47 p.m. CST
Thanks Skyway, you old tailender
by Ingeld
Hope all is well my old friend. Bjarki
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:50 p.m. CST
hipshot, that sounds exactly like him
by Mattman
After a while, you realize there's nothing behind his faux intellectual rants. He talks in circles.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:55 p.m. CST
Big Lebowski spoilers
by harrys_site_sucks
We never learn if the Dude ever got his rug back. We never see the Dude bowl. Donnie was out of his league.
Sept. 7, 2011, 2:55 p.m. CST
You only ever get a chance to be truly surprised by a film/book/tv show/whatever *once*...
by Stegman84
Every other time you ever watch/read that film/tv show/book/whatever, even if it is your favourite 'whatever' of all time, it will never have quite that same magic, because you trying to re-live an experience and recapture how it made you feel, rather than experiencing it fresh. Something can only ever truly surprise you or amaze you or move you once, every other time is just an echo of that original experience. You can still very much enjoy it, but you are doing so partly based on nostalgia about that original experience, which is a poor substitute, but alas on rewatch or reread it is the only one we have, so we accept it for what it is. But taht first time, that first time is where the magic happens, and fuck anybody selfish enough to steal and spoil that for anybody else. By the way, AsimovLives - absolute cunt. That's not a spoiler, that's a fact.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:07 p.m. CST
You know me, Asi. I usually have your back.
by THE_CHOPPAH
But this time, even though I see your point, I cannot defend you.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:07 p.m. CST
asimovlives to suck the fun out of everything
by JackSlater4
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:11 p.m. CST
Even if Asimov sees the error of his ways and realizes this was a monumentally stupid thing to do, any apologies are pointless...the damage has been done, I don't need to see The Usual Suspects as urgently as I did before, and that SUCKS. No apology will
by rogueleader66
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:12 p.m. CST
no apology will un-spoil the movie for me now
by rogueleader66
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:13 p.m. CST
AsimovLives, you fucking dick
by D.Vader
You can go fuck right off. You're not funny. That behavior isn't funny. Fucking stop already.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:17 p.m. CST
Someone spoiled for me a big development in A Dance With Dragons.
by THE_CHOPPAH
It was still a riveting chapter, but knowing what was going to happen really sapped it of that chill-inducing moment that would have come had I not known was going down.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:25 p.m. CST
Congrats, Asimov, everyone hates you now
by D.Vader
You've done what no other person could, you've unified everyone at AICN, friend and foe, into hating you because of your idiotic and immature behavior.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:26 p.m. CST
by AssyMuffJizz
WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME??? Seriously, Asi: why? [sniff] You let me down, old man.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:28 p.m. CST
asimov successfully spoiled PSYCHO for me...
by Tigger Tales
but I am still going to see it. I don't know why I waited this long!
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:28 p.m. CST
by ThatEndDown
I can't agree with that, personally. For me, I get sucked into the story so much that it feels as though I am reading for the first time, and all the little twists and turns, all the surprises, all the moments that elicit some kind of emotional response hit me the same way as the first time, with the same impact. I don't really see it as an echo of previous experience, but genuine reaction. Come to think of it, if a film is truly excellent it has — and should have — the same affect.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:31 p.m. CST
Hey, you're right, we DON'T ever find out if The Dude gets his rug back!
by Royston Lodge
I never realized until now. This, I cannot abide.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:33 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
I don't know why I waited so long to see The Usual Suspects, but hey, it happens sometimes there are movies we know we need to see and somehow it takes us forever to do so. Thanks to Asimov's post, my desire to see TUS is down to a very low level. Because we waited so long is no reason for ANYONE to come along and just spoil the fucking movie in THE SUBJECT LINE of a post, where seeing it is UNAVOIDABLE. Sorry, but there is NO excuse, NO reason anyone can give that excuses such a thing. Nothing. Unforgivable.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:33 p.m. CST
What about.....
by Geoff
Columbo? The spoiler was always at the beginning. What made it so good, was to see how he solved the crime. So the argument for knowing the ending or any other reveal is warranted in some circumstances.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:35 p.m. CST
Yes, some stories open with the ending. That can be cool.
by THE_CHOPPAH
It's the shit that happens before then that's more interesting, and therefore shouldn't be spoiled.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:35 p.m. CST
The Dude's rug.
by THE_CHOPPAH
He never lost it. A Chinaman peed on it. The only rug he 'lost' in the movie was the one he took from the Big Lebowski's joint, and it belonged to Maude.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:36 p.m. CST
Merrick, you can still spare a few more talkbackers...
by Mattman
Pretty sure what Asimov did is against the rules.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:38 p.m. CST
While I don't think Asi should be banned (yet)...
by THE_CHOPPAH
His posts on this thread should be obliterated. Very childish behavior.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:40 p.m. CST
Dumb cunts like that titanic hag deserves to have the movie spoiled.
by alienindisguise
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:41 p.m. CST
Columbo wasn't a mystery
by Hipshot
It was suspense, a cat-and-mouse game, calculated to be so. Very different from a film or book where the author/director calculates the entire thing to rest on a mystery. Much lip service is given here to respecting the artists. But I don't know of a single writer who would not prefer his work experienced, for the first time at least, without the major twists revealed. To reveal those to someone who WANTS to know is one thing. But insisting you have the right to tell people things they don't to know is incredibly selfish.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:48 p.m. CST
by Stegman84
Well, if that is the case for you then I truly envy you, my friend. For me though foreknowledge is definitely a detriment when going back to something I've read or watched previously. I can still appreciate it and enjoy it, don't get me wrong, but it's still never the same as that magical first experience, precicely because I already know all the beats, all the twists, and there is little new to discover. It doesn't matter how well it's all done, I've still been there before.
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:52 p.m. CST
Columbo was/is billed as a mystery
by HornOrSilk
Columbo Mysteries
Sept. 7, 2011, 3:55 p.m. CST
so asi, you've devolved into a spammer
by spidercoz
I suppose it's the natural outcome of your increasingly nonsensical, gibberish-laden posts You have finally outlived your usefulness.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4 p.m. CST
kaiser? he's a roll? a German leader?
by spidercoz
It's KEYSER Learn how to fucking spell.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:01 p.m. CST
wtf, has_snyder etc?
by frank
Have you not read any of this comment thread? Now the Usual Suspects has been spoiled twice in subject headings. And yours is worse because Asimov didn't technically say who Kaiser Soze was.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:03 p.m. CST
Sorry, I did spell it incorrectly. Keyser like geyser, not like the roll. Got it. Now I have a craving for a Philadelphia-style pork roll, egg & cheese sandwich, though...
by mdk
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:04 p.m. CST
...and I got a fuckin' Ween song running through my head as well...
by mdk
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:04 p.m. CST
If anyone here hasn't seen the films Asimov spoiled...
by billyhitchcock1
....then you shouldn't be here. End of.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:05 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
Your a fucking asshole. Go fuck your mother some more loser.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:06 p.m. CST
But spoilers are GOOD! It's been scientifically proven!
by mdk
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:08 p.m. CST
rogueleader66... Catch up on your movie-watching, idiot! Yeah, I was really giving it away with that Vader reveal, huh?
by mdk
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:10 p.m. CST
This just in, on the ST:TESB Blu-Ray, Lucas re-edited again and now Vader ISN'T Luke's father...DAMN! Did it AGAIN!
by mdk
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:11 p.m. CST
Being spoiled doesn't bother me. Even before the internet I still found spoilers in magazines of movies because I wanted to be spoiled and it's never ruined my movie experience.
by XxSoulFlyxX
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:11 p.m. CST
honorsilk, you're correct
by Hipshot
But the mystery wasn't "whodunnit" it was a "howdunnit" as in "how will Columbo catch him." That weighs everything in a specific way, very carefully considered by the writers, directors and actors. In the case of Columbo, the spoiler would be the specific way Columbo tricks him at the end of the show, the specific errors the killer will make. It is totally fair to let people who WANT to know know, if that's what they want. But deciding for others that they SHOULD know is similar to deciding for a woman when she should have sex, whether she wants it or not. That's called "rape." You simply don't have the right to make that decision for others, without saying "I don't respect your boundaries, and you have no reason to respect mine." Societies don't work that way.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:14 p.m. CST
SPOILER: There are asses on this talkback!!
by Carolinamaestro
I guess they are losers in real life, so they take their misery out on people here. If Asimov and snyder gets some kind of sick thrill out of hurting people they don't even know, I feel sorry for them.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:16 p.m. CST
The ending od Skyline was the origin of Paul Chadwick's Concrete...
by mdk
...The damn movie was an hour and a half of set-up for 30 seconds of crappy payoff. It'd be like if Man of Steel turns out to be 2 hours of Jor-El and Lara going about their days on Krypton, then blasting baby Kal-El off to Earth, followed by a 1 minute, still image montage of the Kents, Clark growing up, then becoming Superman, then the end credits.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:19 p.m. CST
Don't compare me to Asi, I don't have a blind, unrelenting, obsessive hatred of JJ Abrams
by mdk
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:22 p.m. CST
The Usual Suspects was released in 1995...
by mdk
...I think we can agree that 16 years is enough time for all the spoilers to travel around the world numerous times. Do I now have to be quiet about what Charlton Heston sees on the beach at the end of Planet of the Apes? Can't we just assume that everyone just knows? Geez, there's some overly sensitive little twats on this site today.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:23 p.m. CST
billyhitchcock1, you mean everyone here should have seen Psycho 2, 3, The Tenant, etc?
by Mattman
Some people have lives... they haven't necessarily seen every movie ever made yet. Certainly not the sequels to psycho. And before you respond with the predictable "if you have a life why are you on a talkback?"... most people peruse talkbacks while at work. Anyone putting spoilers in a subject is a fucking twat.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:23 p.m. CST
So billyhitchcock,
by frank
if we haven't seen every single one of the movies Asimov spoiled we shouldn't be allowed to post in the elite forum of intelligentsia that is AICN? Sorry, haven't gotten around to Psychos 2 and 3 yet.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:32 p.m. CST
Empire was spoiled by the novelization of the film, which I bought and read several weeks before the movie opened, so blame Lucas for that one!
by mdk
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:34 p.m. CST
SPOILER WARNING!!! In every single Bond movie starring Roger Moore... Bond gets caught by M and various British PMs having sex!!!
by mdk
Just to show you how ridiculous the main argument on this thread is.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:41 p.m. CST
You know what amazes me about this place?
by Stegman84
You have a quality long term posters like Childs (remember him?) banned a while back by Herc for daring to *politely* suggest that Herc should be covering all the shows that AICN readers are interested in, rather than Herc's just covering his own tastes and watch list and pimping amazon links as if AICN was his own personal blog rather than a news site. That was pretty much it (though more detailed and better written), and for that Childs ass got banned. And yet you have guys like asimovlives and has_snyder_been_fired_from_superman_yet who are pretty much complete cunts non stop, and go out of their way to be trolls and assholes as often as humanly possible, and yet they get to stick around and never get squashed for any of their many, many sins by any of the AICN crew. Fucking travesty really.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:45 p.m. CST
I had the same experience at Titanic
by thebatsloth
I used to work part-time at a movie theatre. One night I was tearing tickets and someone asked me about Titanic. I said "The special effects when the Titanic sinks are really good." One teenage girl standing in line overheard and yelled "Thanks for ruining it!" I also heard another teenage girl get upset when someone in line mentioned that both Romeo (Leo diCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes) died in Romeo and Juliet.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:55 p.m. CST
How about the opposite of spoilers?
by Autodidact
People who, while watching the movie, are so impressed with their own ability to decode the information being spoon-fed to them that they must announce every bit of unspoken exposition? Happened to me last week with Red Skull... these two brothers behind me announced the name of every character, and "predicted" out loud the most obvious things five seconds before they happened. I'm officially done with movies at the theatre, by the way. Standards of the cinema chains, along with the standards of public comportment in the average individual, have come down so low that you literally get a higher quality presentation at home if you have blu-ray, a decent screen, and surround sound. At least you can be rest assured some idiot is not going to fill your ears with "that's the red skull"... "he's going to be red skull later".... "he's going to pull his face off now" .... "that's red skull's plane" .... "red skull is dead".
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:57 p.m. CST
The best was "that's his shield"
by Autodidact
Which they said at like four different points in the movie. Wow, brilliant deduction assfucks. Not to mention my own viewing companion, who I won't name, but at the beginning of the movie this person turned to me and at full voice, not even hushed at all "[YOUR NAME], IS THIS THE MOVIE?" which has to be the stupidest fucking question I've been asked in a long time.
Sept. 7, 2011, 4:59 p.m. CST
stegman, c'mon, if there isn't a statute-of-limitations time limit for "spoilers", there should be. That's my point.
by mdk
This site ain't exactly dedicated to a serious, erudite discussion of the art of cinema. It's a fan/geek site. Also, if Herc wants to pimp DVDs, that's his and Harry's prerogative. Maybe a little pissy to ban someone who complains, I don't know, I never read that particular thread. Lastly, I was just having fun and was called an asshole by some delicate little busybody, sorry, not gonna let that stand. PS: Fuck you, too!
Sept. 7, 2011, 5 p.m. CST
Never mind spoilers i want to know NOTHING
by ricstrr
Seriously, Nothing, Nada, Not even who's in it, even the setting, i just need someone I trust to tell me "it's good". Heck, before I saw Inception I thought it had Matt Damon in it, that's how clueless I was and it totally blew my mind, I went back to see it again twice. Black Swan? Something to do with Natalie Portman and Ballet. I had no idea Mila Kunis and Mental Illness was going to happen. Fantastic. Like earlier posters I think the mistake is trying to quantify "enjoyment". I LIKE not knowing, letting the director lead me off god knows where with no idea where I'm headed.
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:11 p.m. CST
re: "if there isn't a statute-of-limitations time limit for "spoilers", there should be."
by jim
But what about people who are just now discovering movies from 20 years ago (or more)? Not everyone grew up in the '80s. And not everyone has the time to watch a dozen movies a day in order to catch up on everything ever released. It's not like the output of film has slowed down for people to catch up. In fact, there's more being released now than even 10 years ago. It's tough enough just keeping up with current films.
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:15 p.m. CST
Had The Usual Suspects spoiled for me right before I was about to watch it.
by jim
**spoiler* for those who don't know or didn't see it above. I was all set to watch the premiere on the Movie Network. I knew of the movie only as far as it was some kind of heist film that was considered quite good. The description in the Movie Network's magazine was only a couple of lines, and ended with "Kevin Spacey won an Oscar for his role as Keyser Soze". Didn't think anything of it at the time but as I watched the movie it dawned on me that you aren't supposed to know that.
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:23 p.m. CST
The Dude knocked up a rich bitch...
by Billyeveryteen
I'm sure more rugs were to follow, just not ones that are sentimental for her.
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:28 p.m. CST
That study is total bullshit
by MattHooper
That was my Spoiler.
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:32 p.m. CST
Try to justify it any way you want
by Stegman84
But pretty much everyone here still thinks you're just an idiotic, annoying, smarmy little cunt has_snyder_been_fired_from_superman_yet. That you actually think you're being clever or hardcore or edgy or funny or whatever other delusions go through your tiny little mind, well that's probably the saddest fucking thing of all. But hey, have at it, the AICN head honchos don't seem to give a damn about culling assholes like you, so why should I care? Instead I'll just hope you die in a fire and call it a day. You may now predictably insult me once again with your legenday 'wit'. In fact go wild. Won't be reading, don't care, so knock yourself out pal.
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:35 p.m. CST
All you have to do is say **Spoiler**
by Hipshot
And there is no issue. What people are saying is that they have no concern for the feelings of others, and demand to play by the rules they wish to play by. Bet they download "free" movies and make up their own rules about that, too.
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:35 p.m. CST
The Titanic sank...next thing you'll tell me the world isn't flat...
by kravmaguffin
Well at least the econonomy is in good shape. Well gotta make a call on my rotary phone. Have a fine day sir, gfy
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:39 p.m. CST
by Krueger77
I try to avoid spoilers ever since learning that Willow was the "Big Bad" of season 6 early in the season, and that Tara was going to die. I think it would've been much more powerful if I hadn't known. I continue to do my best to avoid all those Avengers and Dark Knight Rises pictures, although they're cropping up anywhere and it's really hard. But the flip side is Dexter. I never was interested in the show, and had no plans to ever watch it. So I'd heard awhile back that (SPOILER ALERT!) Julie Benz dies in the last episode of season 4. Last Christmas eve, while wrapping presents all day for the kids, I decided to try Dexter since it was streaming on Netflix. Within the first 5 minutes I was hooked and have come to really love the show. From the onset, though, I knew Rita's fate. Part of me was disappointed knowing it, but it also caused me to watch the show in a different light then I would have. Knowing she was destined to die gave me an appreciation for the character I might not have had, and made me realize how important she was for Dexter. As I watched season 4, as the season got closer and closer to the end, my sense of dread increased as I knew there'd be real consequences. That last episode was actually painful to watch; I was cringing, with that feeling of "no,no,no..." as if you can somehow cheat the death of a loved one. It was tragic, and great stuff.
Sept. 7, 2011, 5:47 p.m. CST
by Aaron
Thanks for spoiling Buried, you assfag.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:04 p.m. CST
SPOILERS: Asimov is a spaz.
by KilliK
oh wait,evryone knows that already.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:08 p.m. CST
The Sixth Sense...SPOILER!
by SHWIGGINSTEIN
So I just saw the premiere of The Sixth Sense last night & I have to tell everyone...BRUCE WILLIS IS A GHOST!!
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:11 p.m. CST
I bought a sweater with a bunch of spoilers emblazoned on it.
by Happyfat73
This one, to be exact: http://tinyurl.com/6da5alb </p> </p> However, if you haven't seen the films in question, you likely wouldn't know which films where being referred to.</p> </p> For example... I had one girl puzzling over the meaning of "Dil is actually a man." Now, without knowing what movie is being referred to there, it doesn't really count as a spoiler does it?</p> </p> Or am I just trying to justify the fact that I'm a spoiling douchenozzle?
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:17 p.m. CST
I knew what was going to happen in Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter
by gandalfs_bong
That did not detract from my enjoyment of those movies though. My favourite 'twist' ending is for sure Fight Club and I went into that one spoiler free and am glad I did. It would have really taken away from the movie if I had. So I guess I'm on both sides of this argument.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:21 p.m. CST
When a plot twist enters the pop culture collective consciousness, is it still a spoiler?
by Happyfat73
The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense, Soylent Green, The Empire Strikes Back, Citizen Kane, Psycho, Planet of the Apes.</p> </p> All of the above films have plot twists that are so iconic, that they are almost ubiquitous. Is it justified to get upset about spoiling something that could almost be considered common knowledge? Discuss.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:23 p.m. CST
Umm...how did people NOT know that Vader was Luke's father?
by s0nicdeathmonkey
His name is almost DARK FATHER if you know any German. I'm only 22, so I grew up seeing "I am your father" jokes. But when I saw the Star Wars special edition in theaters, I was still impressed by the scene.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:26 p.m. CST
I also guessed the ending of The Usual Suspects 10 minutes in without knowing it had a twist.
by s0nicdeathmonkey
You see the urine stream and the swift cigarette light then Verbal makes a comment about not being able to pee and fumbles with the lighter for waaaaay too long. It was pretty clear and I was only 13. Just sayin'.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:28 p.m. CST
=Planet of the Apes=?? WHAT SPOILER?
by KilliK
i am sorry,but you must be a retard if you havent took the hint from the first frame of the movie,that the planet is actually Eartch since everyone there s speaking english and there are a lot of humans too.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:30 p.m. CST
For the record, Rick DOES get the girl.
by s0nicdeathmonkey
In the play, she sleeps with him in exchange for the letters of transit. In the movie, he realizes that the depth of his love for her means that he would rather her be safe and happy with someone else than in danger with him. He doesn't 'get' the girl, but he is finally able to GET the girl.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:31 p.m. CST
The spoiler thing is relative and, with movies, that usually means...
by justmyluck
... if the movie delivers with the telling of the tale, spoilers are sometimes forgiven. There are also those who enjoy a particular type of story, so knowing the plot in advance maintains their comfort zone for enjoyability. Two dozen students of a particular age range at one university aren't a proper sampling, so I'll take that WIRED story with a grain.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:32 p.m. CST
Merrick's story reminded me of my own story where I was trying to deliver some spoilers as a good samaritan
by Bobo_Vision
These weren't movie spoilers...but spoilers nonetheless. Last summer in Bryant Park in New York, a large silver box was assembled, and a note outside read that a mystery celebrity would be arriving at 6pm and people would be allowed to line up and meet the celebrity one at a time. It was about 5:30 and they weren't permitting people to line up earlier than that, and the line began forming at just that moment, so luckily, I was 3rd in line. But the celebrity would be there until 10pm so the line could grow for the next four hours. <p> Someone being covered up under 3 open umbrellas and surrounded by bodyguards was wisked into the box, and they started letting people in shortly after. New York arranges a lot of crazy free shit, so who knew what or who it might be. I get in there, and look around. There's a make-up chair and mirror set up, and three people. I stare at each of them and realize, none of them are famous. They sit me down in the chair and start telling me how I'm a star, and I have to live up to my potential and all my fans are waiting for me, etc., etc....basically, they acted like I was a star. They were a theater company promoting themselves and their actors, and this was their gimmick. <p> I was disappointed but it was no real loss because I was 3rd in line so I didn't spend too much time lined up. But by the time I got out of the box the line had grown considerably. The bodyguards were staring down everyone who left the box so that we wouldn't tell the others who was in there....but I decided I was pick a couple people and save them the hour or so they were going to wait in that line, because they were far at the back. I asked a couple guys at the back, who seemed like decent guys, if they wanted to know who was in there...and I told them no one was in there, etc. etc...... <p> And some fat bitch behind them got really pissed off. She said, "Why the hell would you do that?!! Why the hell would you do that?!!! My friend was here last week and said it was a really great experience and I had to try it myself and now you ruined it!!! Why the hell did you do that?!!!" <p> The woman was nuts and was creating a scene, so I got the hell out of there. That's the sort of weird shit that happens in New York when you try to do something nice.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:37 p.m. CST
re: The Sixth Sense...SPOILER!
by SHWIGGINSTEIN
Erm...That random Sixth Sense spoiler was in fact part of this story - The quotations I added must have only posted the quote. Weird. ANYWAY... I'll never forget Nathan Lane on Letterman when the Sixth Sense was about to come out. He comes up on stage and literally the first thing he says is this: So I just saw the premiere of The Sixth Sense last night & I have to tell everyone...BRUCE WILLIS IS A GHOST!! The entire crowd moaned and booed, Letterman laughed his ass off and when I finally got around to seeing the film, it was totally ruined for me. I just couldn't get into it knowing the big twist ending. I guess the point is...If the movie is hinging on a giant twist at the end then yes, I would argue that a spoiler can indeed ruin a film.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:38 p.m. CST
I was happy to have the baby rape in A Serbian Film spoiled for me...
by Happyfat73
... so I knew in advance that I did not want to see that film. Spoiling stuff like that is a public service.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:39 p.m. CST
When it comes to books, I don't read even read the back of the book
by Rebel Scumb
I like to start it without even knowing the premise or the genre.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:44 p.m. CST
@rebel scumb same here.i dont mind
by KilliK
spoilers in movies,but i hate when a good book is spoiled to me.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:56 p.m. CST
@rebel scumb...
by SHWIGGINSTEIN
I had an english teacher who as a personal rule read the last chapter of every book she read beforehand. She claimed she could then tell if she felt the book was worth reading in the first place and enjoyed the journey knowing full well what the outcome will be. Clearly a nutjob but that's how she rolled.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:58 p.m. CST
ahhh calm the fuck down
by kobain
Seriously, most of y'all are just a bunch of drama queens. What the hell did asimov spoil? if you tell me any of you didn't see those movies already, what the hell are you doing on this site? Also, I have no affiliation whatsoever with asimovlives, and I think I've seen his comments once or twice before. but you're all still a bunch of drama queens.
Sept. 7, 2011, 6:58 p.m. CST
Book spoiling is a different kettle of fish, given the time investment required
by Happyfat73
I remember when I had just started reading Stephen King's IT, and some douchebag spoiled a major character death. I was PISSED!
Sept. 7, 2011, 7 p.m. CST
ohh and Rick DOES get the girl in the movie
by kobain
It's 1941, they weren't gonna show it on screen, but you can tell they have just had sex when rick lights up and she looks out the window and they discuss the papers
Sept. 7, 2011, 7 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
LOVE your list of spoilers of films from the past! Great sense of humor. It certainly serves as an asshole detector. AROUND THE WORD IN 80 DAYS SPOILER - he goes around the world in 80 days. JFK Spoiler - he gets shot and dies. Man o man, some of you crybabies need to just simmer. The article was about how spoilers may be a good thing. Spoofed. Good one, ASI!
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:01 p.m. CST
yes and no...
by Detached
i used to love spoilers. these days, i'd rather not know. i'll let the story lead me along. a friend of mine and i were talking about this the other day. she said one of her daughters reads the end of a book first, because that way she enjoys the story more. i can see that- knowing where you're going can make the journey more enjoyable, because you're seeing how you're getting there. that's why, i think, some people like a movie or book more on repeat viewings or readings. that's the way i prefer it now- go in blind, then re-watch (or re-read) and pick up things you didn't notice the first time around (and they'll be there). to this day, one of my favorite moments in "LA Confidential" is (sorry, spoiler alert) when james cromwell turns around and suddenly shoots kevin spacey. didn't see it coming, and loved it for that very reason. now that's a moment that, if i had known it was coming, i never would have enjoyed as much.
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:01 p.m. CST
and meant to add...
by Detached
good subject, merrick. thanks for posting.
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:05 p.m. CST
by kobain
----Quote----- It'd be like if Man of Steel turns out to be 2 hours of Jor-El and Lara going about their days on Krypton, then blasting baby Kal-El off to Earth, followed by a 1 minute, still image montage of the Kents, Clark growing up, then becoming Superman, then the end credits. -----Quote---- Wasn't that called "SmallVille"?
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:06 p.m. CST
ohh wait
by kobain
Did I just spoil Smallville?
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:09 p.m. CST
BLAKE'S 7 SPOILER- they all die - this is fun!
by mcgoocain
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:11 p.m. CST
ST. ELSEWHERE Spoiler - it's all in the mind of an autistic child staring at a snow globe
by mcgoocain
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:12 p.m. CST
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS spoiler- he goes on the mothership
by mcgoocain
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:13 p.m. CST
THE PRISONER spoiler - number six is number 1
by mcgoocain
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:18 p.m. CST
=he goes around the world in 80 days.=
by KilliK
Actually he goes around in 79 days.In the 80th day he is already in London,not arriving.
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:19 p.m. CST
I just picked up THE PRISONER DVD set based on recommendations. Haven't seen it yet.
by Happyfat73
You're right mcgoocain, this spoiler game of yours really does serve as an asshole detector.</p> </p> Thank you very much for spoiling that for me. Hope it made your day.
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:20 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:21 p.m. CST
Jesus, I nearly choked just now laughing about that St. Elsewhere ending.
by fustfick
And seriously, dudes, if you're trying to avoid SPOILERS maybe you shouldn't read a TB about SPOILERS.
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:21 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:21 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:22 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:23 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:24 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:25 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:26 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:29 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
God, you are a fucking idiot. It's not my spoiler game, it's a talkback about spoilers. You just HAD to read it- didn't you? You couldn't just skip over it, could you, crybaby. Get a life shortstack. By the way, he also escapes, or does he?
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:30 p.m. CST
SUPERMAN spoiler- he brings Lois back to life
by mcgoocain
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:31 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Have you seen St. Elsewhere? That is, actually, how the series ended, quite brilliantly.
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:34 p.m. CST
Hey Asi! look how everyone is now doing what you started and I continued!
by mcgoocain
asimovlives - you are quite the trendsetter!
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:35 p.m. CST
SPOILER James Bond defeats bad guy
by MaxCalifornia.
22 spoilers in one!
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:36 p.m. CST
mcgoocain... are you fucking kidding me?
by Happyfat73
I'm an idiot because you spoiled a mystery TV series in the fucking subject line of a post?</p></p> You're suggesting that because this article is about the subject of spoilers, that every fucking piece of entertainment ever created is free to be acceptably spoiled without a warning? I came here for a discussion about the philosophy of spoilers, not to entertain your puerile idea of fun</p> </p> Besides which, its just common fucking courtesy not to put the spoiler in the subject heading. Ever used the internet before, jackass? Grow up.
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:38 p.m. CST
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 7:47 p.m. CST
I read the entire storyline for Indana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
by Ronald Troy Cowan
and I think it helped. I loved it it was just what it should have been an updated version of Indy. in the first three films he was in the 30's or 40's with the appropriate style of cliffhanger film with Crystal Skull it became a B movie like the ones that were popular in the 50's while still (IMO) retaining the key indiana jones moments. Infact the only two Indiana Jones films I own on DVD are Raiders and KOTCS and they fit seamlessly to me.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8 p.m. CST
need more THEY ALL DIE!!!! spoilers please...
by Squinty CGI Flynn
Sept. 7, 2011, 8 p.m. CST
SPOILER Most of David Lynch's movies: ?????????
by Dennis_Moore
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:04 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
You are funny! Yes, and an idiot, since you asked. I spoiled nothing. You are about to watch one of the best, most creative TV series, ever. It is about so much more than numbers of prisoners. It is about an allegory about life, filtered through socio-political moods, in the 60s. By the way, you are told that number 6 is number one at the beginning of nearly every episode. Listen, very closely, to the exchange, when McGoohan asks "Who is Number One?" Now, go fuck yourself in your simpering ass. Enjoy, the show, I mean.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:05 p.m. CST
How did you get spoilers in the 80's
by Phategod2
I was born in 77 and I don't remember there being alot of sources for spoilers other then D-bags who saw the movie 1st, so how did you find out that Vader was lukes father.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:06 p.m. CST
by LostCause
I just love how people get money thrown at them to make these "studies" where they put 5 people in a room and get 4 of them to touch an egg, and if they don't get cancer and the 5th does, eggs prevent cancer"<BR><BR> A scientific study with a unit of measurement that has no comparative possibility. "enjoyment" Does that mean the 1st person said I enjoyed it, the 2nd said i really enjoyed it, and so on<BR> Fucking idtios.<BR> /Rant <BR> Give me Lisa's tiger prevention rock!
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:21 p.m. CST
spoilers in the 80s
by berserkrl
There were fan magazines, comic book adaptations, novelizations .... I certainly went into TESB knowing what was going to happen.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:22 p.m. CST
by berserkrl
Frederick Ahl has a book arguing that the ending to Oedipus was a surprise. I've read another book (I forget the author) that makes the same claim for Medea.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:23 p.m. CST
What's an acceptable thing to spoil, and what's the acceptable way to do it?
by Happyfat73
This thread's an interesting case study in spoilage... I mean, generally, on the web it's considered poor form to spoil something without warning - the subject heading of a post, for example (unless, apparently, the subject matter of the forum is the concept of spoilers themselves). This way, you at least give the reader the choice of whether they want to be spoiled or not.</p> </p>Then, there's this idea of a statute of limitations on spoilers. That's a dubious idea, IMO - some plot twists are ubiquitous and well known (ie the sixth sense), and some are not. Is it okay to spoil an older property by virtue of it's age - even if the twist is not a pop culture meme? I mean, younger viewers especially might be coming to something many years later, after the cat is out of the bag - have they forfeited their right to not be spoiled without warning? Or is it still incumbent on people to be mindful when discussing an older film/book/show's plot?</p> </p> I mean, it seems to me that spoiling the end of The 6th Sense and spoiling the penultimate episode of Game of Thrones S1 are not the same. Although, there are already memes popping up surrounding a certain character's death in GoT, so it's sanctity may not last much longer.</p> </p> Finally, this thread itself. Does the fact that this article discusses the nature of spoilers make it acceptable to launch a free-for-all of spoilers in the subject heading. I'd say no, simply as a matter of respect for others. The nature of this discussion, shouldn't overturn the standard web convention of flagging spoilers in the subject heading, and then revealing them in the body of the text. Unfortunately, a couple of posters here are getting perverse joy from flouting the convention. It's a shame, because they're "spoiling" an otherwise interesting topic.</p> </p> Respect.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:35 p.m. CST
The Walking Dead Season 2 SPOILER!
by Joey_Redballs
Frank Darabont got fired. At least one episode sucked so much he tried to 'fix it' before he got fired. More episodes 'miss' than season 1. AMC execs don't know what they are doing. The twice as long season 2 has half the budget of season 1. Blame the greedy Mad Men production that can't do the same numbers on its best day. Expect a worse or no season 3 whatsoever. If you happen upon an AMC exec, please feel free to pin them down and defecate on their face.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:38 p.m. CST
just way too much of a geek
by IWasInJuniorHighDickhead
Ever since i've been watching films, i've been reading about them (in the once great Empire) and so it was very rarely i'd watch a film 'blind'. The internet came into my life around age fifteen and then of course it was game over.<P> Childhood things like The Goonies, Star Wars, I can't remember seeing them for the first time so I don't know if I was shocked by the Vader reveal or maybe I just didn't know what was going on. T2 came out when I was ten, and I definitely knew that Arnie was a good guy before I saw it. Must be TV spots and docs and EPKs, which i'd tape cause it all felt so rare, pre-net.<P> The only surprises I remember are the end of Fight Club; everyone dying in Private Ryan (I figured everyone would live cause it was Spielberg); the ending to Super and the whole of Inception. Inception slipped past me and I went in not knowing anything and not particularly interested, either. Enjoyed it all the more. <P> Love how much we can discover with the net, but I do like the idea of knowing less before I see a film. I just can't help it..
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:40 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
Wow dude could you kiss Asimov's ass anymore if you tried? Dial it down a bit will you?
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:42 p.m. CST
Stories does not equal movies. Movie spoilers are bad.
by happybunni
Yes movies can still be made, but it gets rid of that "WOW" factor when certain scenes come up. Like if you didn't know certain characters were in the next Batman, when they show up it's an "eh" moment. Or you didn't know certain things about Promethus... I remember none of my friends would tell me what The Matrix was about, and I was much better for it. Now we get like full scenes and images and scripts everything so there is nothing surprising really. It's far better to stay away from spoilers and be surprised for movies you're really looking forward to
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:46 p.m. CST
I can see little willy faulkner is his usual "check out how witty I am" self
by rogueleader66
Even though he is an extremely dim witted ass. But hey let him THINK he is witty and funny....as he continues to be ignored by everyone on this site. He can insult me all he wants, I have no need to feel superior among a bunch of strangers...all I ask is for common courtesy, I dont give a FUCK how old a movie is, or if anyone thinks I should have seen it by now. It's plain decency to not spoiler shit like that. But that's asking to much in this place, apparently. Ok willy boy, don't disappoint me, come back and respond with childish insults, I expect nothing more from you.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:48 p.m. CST
Of course willy, only come back when mommy allows it.....or sneak on to your puter...she won't know
by rogueleader66
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:50 p.m. CST
AsimovLives is lacking in moral fibre, but he knows his film spoilers
by IWasInJuniorHighDickhead
it's hardly a substitute
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:55 p.m. CST
The Matrix blew my mind because I knew NOTHING abut it going in.
by Happyfat73
I can't imagine that film would have had anywhere near the same impact if I'd gone in knowing what the plot was all about. As it was, all I'd seen were bus ads and billboards with the "What is the Matrix?" line, and it built just the right amount of intrigue, without giving anything away.</p> </p> When Morpheus explained the nature of the Matrix to Neo, I was gobsmacked at the ambition of it all, precisely because I wasn't expecting it.</p> </p> Now, rewatching that film - I still love it, and marvel at it's construction, but there's no way that enjoyment comes close to the exhilaration of discovery from the first viewing.
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:58 p.m. CST
rogueleader66...I have a sincere question?
by Bobo_Vision
Have you seen any of the following movies: <p> Norbit, Big Momma's House, Catwoman, Batman and Robin, Jersey Girl, Boat Trip, Superman Returns, The Green Lantern, Master of Disguise, The Whole Nine Yards, or Daddy Day Camp? <p> Which, if any of these films, have you seen, rogueleader66?
Sept. 7, 2011, 8:58 p.m. CST
Come on, McGoo
by D.Vader
You highlighted endings that are *obvious* and well-known (Round the World in 80 Days, etc) Asi highlighted twists that were mostly well-known, but he still included surprises that aren't known by everyone (including myself). One should never presume that just because he has seen a movie, and its an old movie, that everyone else has too.
Sept. 7, 2011, 9:15 p.m. CST
SPOILER: LUCAS will fuck up SW 3D with ever more absurd changes.
by KilliK
Sept. 7, 2011, 9:19 p.m. CST
Oh, how I wish I had been among those first audiences to see PSYCHO.
by THE_CHOPPAH
Hitch sold the movie in the most minimal terms possible, and people weren't admitted after the first 10 minutes of the film. I wonder what audiences felt when they saw what they thought was essentially a Janet Leigh movie turned on its head so violently.
Sept. 7, 2011, 9:23 p.m. CST
TRANSFORMERS SPOILER: It's a stupid movie
by DARKJEDI
Really it is....
Sept. 7, 2011, 9:24 p.m. CST
TRANSFORMERS 2 SPOILER: It's an ever dumber movie
by DARKJEDI
Sept. 7, 2011, 9:25 p.m. CST
by DARKJEDI
You'll feel like Michael Bay's personal jackass for sitting through 6 hours of his crappy phoned in work!
Sept. 7, 2011, 9:48 p.m. CST
I can appreciate that some people don't care about spoilers, but this conversation in modern context is bullshit
by Arteska
Especially since this stuff is now the very currency and lifeblood of THE only medium that matters today when it comes to pop culture. I know people knew things in the past before they were released but there is no relativity now to then. None. Modern fandom has no fucking clue what it was like to be a fan of anything more than 20 years ago and they are poorer for it. I firmly believe that most of the firmament of fandom would crumble and be rendered meaningless in today's pop culture. The only way to engage with stuff after seeing it ONCE was to indulge oneself with ephemera or fandom. Now everything is Zapruder'd and TMZ'd to hell and back before it arrives whether anyone wants it or not and you have to be a complete luddite to duck any most of it. I appreciate and join in the fellowship of internet anticipation and participation but more often than not stuff is eaten and barfed out before it's even served anymore and it's made worse by the fact that it's stuff that we've already consumed.
Sept. 7, 2011, 9:57 p.m. CST
kobain... another dumbshit who thinks anyone who hasn't seen Psycho 2 and 3 "doesn't belong on this site"
by Mattman
Go fuck yourself (I'm sure you're quite good at it by now). And fuck anyone else who thinks what Asimov did is acceptable.
Sept. 7, 2011, 9:57 p.m. CST
FIGHT CLUB blew me away...(no spoiler)
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
If someone had spoiled it for, I would've beaten the shit out of them. That was just insane & I remember it f*cked with mind for a few minutes. for me it's still the biggest WTF moment in cinema to this day..
Sept. 7, 2011, 10 p.m. CST
BREAK'N 2 SPOILER: They do the Electric Boogaloo
by skycrapper
Never actually saw it but a friend of mine did.
Sept. 7, 2011, 10:07 p.m. CST
ass rape in PULP FICTION
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
I don't think anybody expected that when Bruce Willis opened the door & I was shocked Tarantino had the balls to shoot a big black guy getting pounded by a redneck.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:16 p.m. CST
@ingeld: Great point, and that is why I gave that analogy.
by onezeroone
You compare apples and oranges when you want to eat a fruit [or make a salad?]. But you don't compare same criteria to judge an apple as you would for an orange, right? So, while I *do* compare whether to watch a movie, or play a game or read a book on a given day off, I don't use criteria of one medium on another. Poor editing mars a movie way more than a book. I can't knock on a movie saying it is over only in 90 minutes while a book lasts me [lets say] 4 hours.<p> In books normally they got so many sub-plots [which are not possible in a movie's duration] that you got many more things to enjoy than just the final twist.
Sept. 7, 2011, 11:24 p.m. CST
mcgoocain - How come that autistic kid had to go and give Mark Harmon AIDS?
by fustfick
It was Howie Mandel's fault, wasn't it? Fuck that guy. Except in GREMLINS. GREMLINS is cool.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:37 a.m. CST
several dozen people don't mean shit
by thedottedlion
not in the big picture, anyway. this is bullshit. sorry.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:10 a.m. CST
Are You Afraid of the Dark (series) spoiled Sixth Sense for me
by yourSTEPDADDY
so, my mom saw SS and came home to tell me about. after like two sentences describing the movie, I guess Willis was a ghost the whole time because maybe 8-9 years earlier, I seen a episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark that had the same twist... so I dont have anything negative to say to M Night really except that his twist came from a SNICK show... but Sixth Sense was still good and creepy
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:12 a.m. CST
whoever mentioned Brotherhood of the Wolf gets props
by yourSTEPDADDY
I used to have illegal cable and saw it was coming on one day and decided to watch it (despite it being a "foreign movie")... and it was one of the greatest decisions ever (when it comes to anything French) 1st, the badass switch the TBer mention was "toight". I never imagined the old guy to be such a badass 2nd theres a fuckin lion with armor! 3rd... A FUCKING CHAIN-SWORD! that movie was "toight"
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:16 a.m. CST
AICN really changed me when it comes to movies
by yourSTEPDADDY
in my teen years, I was really into spoilers for everything, but now I only get spoiled for stuff I dont really care about if its Dark Knight Rises, a Scream movie, or any show that I watch, I avoid spoilers. but if its something I could care less about (Red Riding Hood) I search for spoilers... I think I blame the "screenwriter" in me because if a movie has a "twist", I want to know about it before I put it into a future screenplay where then people will call me a hack. so I justify my curiousity with spoilers on that PS: I read the script for Cabin in the Woods and even knowing the "twist" for it, I cant wait to see it
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:19 a.m. CST
by the_box_drone
That study is nonsense. It fails to take into consideration that the spoiler free test subjects can have the same "enhanced experience" by simply reading the story a second time. Then they get two experiences out of the deal. The people who had the story spoiled for them may have enjoyed it more the first time through, but they'll never know what it's like to read it fresh. A spoiler may or may not "ruin" a movie depending on how well written it is or is not, but it will definitely alter the experience. I prefer starting with an unaltered author-intended experience, and if it's a good movie, I'll watch it again and experience it that way.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:54 a.m. CST
Sorry, but
by Clio
anyone who has ever read a short story by O. Henry would be sorely pissed if anyone spoiled the twist at the end. That's what he was known for, the unusual twist in every one of his stories' endings. So do a study of people reading just his stories---no one will enjoy it more knowing what's coming.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:59 a.m. CST
Greatest Spoiler in Brotherhood of the Wolves?
by KilliK
the scene transition from Bellucci's buttcheeks to the mountain hills.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:12 a.m. CST
i wish someone had spoiled LOST for me
by mynamesdan
that's a hundred hours of my life i'll never get back
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:45 a.m. CST
cotton mcknight
by hst666
Chinatown is still worth it. One of my top ten favorite films.
Sept. 8, 2011, 5:19 a.m. CST
What If SPOILERS Were A Good Thing?? A New Study Says This May Be So...
by SUPERJIM
This isn't a NEW study. I read this somewhere else weeks/months ago.
Sept. 8, 2011, 5:27 a.m. CST
SPOILER: The Trojan Horse had Greeks inside.
by Losers_Game
Oh, sorry, guess I shouldn't spoil a 3000-year-old story.
Sept. 8, 2011, 5:30 a.m. CST
A T.B about spoilers...
by BookhouseBoy
I think it was inevitable that people were gonna start posting spoilers about movies, considering the subject. We are mere pawns. They are laughing at us, that is all
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:12 a.m. CST
cotton_mcknight, if you cose yourself to never watch CHINATOWN, thenjust hand over your geek credentials and call it quits. Damn the spoilers, the movie is unmissable.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:13 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I had a kick doing it myself.
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:16 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
obviously,m there is many peoplein here without a real sens eof humnour. And a severe lacking in their film knowledge. And that's suppose to be my fault? Keep whinning and i spoil more movies. Bunch of cold fishes!
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:17 a.m. CST
I diddn't spoiled any new recent released movie, did I, crybabies? Keep whinning about my spoilers (really, fuck's sakes, you call yourselve geeks?), and i spoil even more. Bunch of crybabies!
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:19 a.m. CST
humourless pissants! The article says people enjoy movies more is spoiled. i do my best to help you guys appreciate movies more, and i get shit for it? Ungrateful!! Never going to help you ever again, teach you right!
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:29 a.m. CST
by rogueleader66
What does it matter if I have seen those movies or not? What I have seen or have not seen is totally irrelevant, excuse the shit out of me if I have not gotten around to seeing ONE FUCKING MOVIE, and so sorry that I got a bit upset that it was spoiled for me. I get so tired of all this rationalization, everyone making excuses why it's ok to do dumb shit...but I should expect nothing more from the crowd here, so the question is, why am I even surprised at the lack of common courtesy? I should have EXPECTED it.
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:46 a.m. CST
LOST finale SPOILER: The dog dreamed the whole thing... or something...
by mdk
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:55 a.m. CST
by almostgrown
the boat sank?? that is so totally not the ending I remember. if only I had known ahead of time, I wouldn't have missed that.
Sept. 8, 2011, 8:38 a.m. CST
I really don't understand why people
by vicmackey1268
can't put their thoughts on the article in this....yes I spoiled movies during my waaaaay above post but I did it to prove my point and I was actually replying to Merrick, not just rambling on and on for other people But then to have a game played that is, actually, really annoying, especially for people who wanted to read honest opinions about the article, that completely disregard everyone else's movie experience, is really just rude... All "sense of humor" aside posting in the subject line, the spoiler for ANY movie or TV show is really rude, even if you hate the person you're replying to... And to make fun of people for not seeing a specific movie by now or TV show is kind of against what this site is about in the first place...I didn't watch half of the movies/shows until I saw stuff about them on this site. My girlfriend has never seen Titanic...did it piss her off that Leo dies..no...cuz she's a grown up...but a real spoiler like (SPOILER)..........................at the end of The Machinist, Bale is hallucinating everything................ (END SPOILER)...would've really pissed her off... It's really shocking to me that on a supposedly friendly site there can be this many people that get their laughs from ruining movies and shows for a lot of people... It's unavoidable to not name call and insult because that's how people on blogs act, especially when their views are shut down by other people who decide they have to name call, but really...to blatantly ruin a film for someone is pretty low...I'd rather be called the worst friggin things imaginable than for someone who knows of a movie I might want to see and then spoil it for me... While I was interested in this forum and topic, I feel like the best thing to do is just tear it down and move on...it's a shame that civilized, adult, responsible responses can't happen
Sept. 8, 2011, 8:46 a.m. CST
Ya know what spoiled Titanic for me?
by BookhouseBoy
Boogie Nights! I rented both these movies when they were first released on VHS. I was pleasantly surprised how much I was enjoying Titanic. Then for some reason I switched tapes half way through. After watching what I could only describe as a STONE COLD MASTERPIECE I just couldnt take Titanic seriously anymore. It just seemed so cheesy.
Sept. 8, 2011, 8:49 a.m. CST
How in the fuck....
by Stark1070
do all you so called "film geeks" come this site every day and...after asimov provided general knowledge 'spoilers" to the most low level film geek (in the most random of ways), cry hysterically as if you were surgically joined as the middle man of a Human Centipede sandwich of John Goodman in your front and Liberace in your rear? Wow. Just wow. Actually, did I just spoil Human Centipede for you too?
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:31 a.m. CST
The matrix was the last time I...
by digginjim
.. went into a movie knowing nothing about it other than having seen the poster. Totally blew my mind. That hasn't happened to me since. mainly bacause I read every damn thing on this website....
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:33 a.m. CST
Spoilers (SPOILERS)
by Ithrat Cordwallis
There aren't any spoilers in this post. There are a number of comments on this thread which, I think, exist to demarcate the difference between what could be considered spoilers in literature and those that would be considered spoilers in the movies, and it is quite an important difference, unless one is considering art-house films, wherein a lot of cases the visual journey is more important than the destination anyway (and likewise for a lot of literature, where it is the style that is the most important, despite what the report might suggest). For most mainstream visual entertainments, as it is the destination which is most important, great care needs to be taken if someone starts espousing the hooks or major plot points of interesting works without due consideration, even though this POV is quite in opposition to what the study suggests is the case with regards to short stories, but it is worth bearing to mind things such as this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Experiment_in_Criticism Additonally, as others have mentioned, the way we consume books and the way we consume TV or films is quite different, so it is very much a case of apples and oranges, and hazelnuts, bananas, raisins, coconuts and sultanas. Furthermore, as the Wired report doesn't give any background on whether or not the study was double-blind, nor details regarding the calibration of this hedonic scale, it seems less useful as a study of these things than this here talkback is. For the record I used to be an avid sniffer-outer of spoilers, mostly because I would rarely have access to the works I was seeking to spoil, so the spoilers themselves were the closest I would get to the thrills within, but that's no longer the case. I imagine most of us here have ready access to whatever entertainment products we wish, so the question would have to be 'why would we wish to seek out information that will have a great deal less impact if its seen out of context?' Of course, I can't fully promote this POV because, as others have pointed out, that insatiable curiosity will always remain, and if it didn't sites like AICN would cease to exist, but there's a line to be drawn somewhere and I like to think that AICN (mostly) gets it about right. Of course, one can consider that without spoilers, or, at the least, with very judicious ones, movies and TV shows become more of an event, which everyone gets to experience at once, as new, with all the associated glee that brings, and there's got to be something said for that, as that combined revelation seems to me to be the closest we might get to old-school fandom of the type that arteska mentioned way above in this talkback. In fact, this seems to be what the producers of the current Doctor Who are aiming for, god love 'em, and for the most part they seem to have the support of the UK press in keeping things under wraps, which is lovely, even if from a cynical point of view it could be considered a form of collusion between the state apparatus (in the form of the BBC) and the fourth estate, which means we are but one step from a police state. Blimey. Finally, then, let us instead consider at this juncture the wise words of a sadly departed sage, which deals with how to reveal information is an appropriate manner: The missile attack shortly to be launched by an ancient automatic defence system will merely result in the breakage of three coffee cups and a mouse cage, the bruising of someone's upper arm and the untimely creation and demise of a bowl of petunias and an innocent sperm whale. In order that some sense of mystery should still be preserved, no revelations will yet be made concerning whose upper arm has been bruised. This fact may safely be made the subject of suspense since it is of no significance whatsoever.
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:47 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I think you mannaged to do somethingbeyond the impossible by still not knowing the twist in THE USUAL SUSPECTS. The suprising thing is not that you haven't seen the movie yet. There's some classics i haven't seen yet. Only this year i saw PSYCHO. But i have had that movie spoiled for 20 years already. Not because anybody spoiled me, but because it's part of pop culture, it's impossible not to know it eventually, even without seeing the movie. THE USUAL SUSPECTS is the same thing. It's 17 years after the movie was released. The very year of release, everybody was talking about the twist, it was even spoiled in that year's oscar cerimony by the very actor. Everytime the movie is talked about, it's because of the twist, it's everything to do with it. The twist is now part of popular culture. It's why the movie is known in the first place. You mannaged to do the impossible. I would say, you went beyond the impossible. And it goes triple suprising considering you are a movie geek yourself, and not a 13 years old newbie at that, but a 30something who's a movie geek for decades. Wow! Really, wow!
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:52 a.m. CST
I don't know why i evne feel the need to defend myself on this, because i shouldn't, but here it goes:
by AsimovLives
I only spoiled (if one can even call it that) movies whose twist are already part of popular culture and universally known even by people who have yet to see those movies. I DELIBERATLY chosed them for that. So your complains about "motherfucker, you spoiled the movie for me" is just bewildering to say the least. From my perspective, it just reeks of complaining for the sake of complaining. It's impossible to be a movie geek and not be savvy of those "spoilers" i posted above. It's just ridiculous. It's nonsense! I don't believe it. Specially coming from people who call themselves movie geeks. Really guys, cut the crap please! Thank goodness i refrained from spoiling THE CABINET OF DOCTOR CALIGARI, hem? Was that too soon for you too?
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:52 a.m. CST
JJ Abrams' STAR TREK. Spoiler: It's very stupid.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:53 a.m. CST
LOST. Spoiler: It makes no fucking sense.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 10 a.m. CST
rogueleader66, another thing about THE USUAL SUSPECTS:
by AsimovLives
The great thing about the movie is not when you see it for the first time, but the repeating viewings. The movie becames great with the second viewing. The second time you start picking the clues. The third time you start to see alternative perceptions to the story and two or more different ways the story actually plays out besides what you though the first time you saw it. And that's when the fun really begins. THE USUAL SUSPECTS is not the movie you first watched, but the one you watched again.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:01 a.m. CST
onezeroone, someone once said that movies are the literature of the 21th century. I agree.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:02 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Now now, friend. I mean, jesus, even you didn't got the joke? C'mon!
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:08 a.m. CST
tigger_tales, i saw PSYCHO this year already knowing the spoiler because IT'S VOX POPULI! i know it for 20 years already, it's impossible not to know it by now.
by AsimovLives
After so many parodies and references, it's impossible not to know the spoiler. But i tell you this, it doesn't rob the fun out of the movie. The movie is more, much more then just a twist.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:10 a.m. CST
You know what i find suprising? Some months or a year ago there was a talkback where everybody started writing spoiler posts about very well known movies. The joke being, of course, everybody knew them. Like the ones i wrote above. Nobody threw a fit then
by AsimovLives
But now they do? Strange.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:11 a.m. CST
by mcgoocain
The only thing proved here is people just want to bitch about having a movie experience, or potential movie experience, ruined by spoilers. If you don't want a movie spoiled, don't go to the internet to read about how spoilers are a good thing, without the possibility of being exposed to spoilers. Spoilers were not always a fact of life - the term flourished because of the internet. I used to be very strict about someone describing a movie to me, insisting that they not give me any plot details - of course, because I wanted to be surprised and enveloped in the story, as it unfolds. Most movies are such trivial garbage, it doesn't matter. For those movies that I anticipate being good, I try to avoid reading anything about, except for a general description. In any case, sorry if I ruined anything for anyone, but get over it. There are going to be thousands of other movies to see, past, present and future. I love film, always have. So, sorry if I upset anyone, really. Was only trying to have fun, anf be funny, not be malicious on purpose. I forget that there are people who haven't seen all the now classic films I have seen. But I did get over my rigidity with spoilers, cuz, folks, the older one gets, having a movie spoiled, even a great classic film, is pretty trivial in the scheme of things. And getting all upset over it is really, a waste of time and energy, stressing out about it. In the long run, it just won't matter. You will see, particularly the younger bunch here who think they are going to live forever. But, if there is anyone here who is a true film fan, and doesn't like spoilers - when you are in a theater, or watching TV and a movie trailer comes on, do you stop watching and listening- to THE SPOILERS!!! Where does one draw this line of discontent vs. excitement to see the movie being previewed?
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:11 a.m. CST
Defend it anyway you want, Asi
by D.Vader
Truth is, you were STILL being a dick. And you know it.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:17 a.m. CST
AsimovLives, you're spewing bullshit
by D.Vader
The Usual Suspects twist is not universally known. I meet people all the time who have never seen it and don't know the twist. The Tenant is not universally known either. Same goes for Psycho 2 and 3. What would have been funny (well, not funny, just stupid, but acceptable) would be if you spoiled the OBVIOUS: The Titanic sinks They fly around the world in 80 Days The Good guys win Etc. Stuff everyone knows because its obvious. Instead, you started out spoiling TWISTS everyone knows (Vader is Luke's father) but then moved on to twists that are still not universally known. AND you did it in the subject line, which is always a dick move. If you wanted to attempt to be funny (you failed) and still be respectful (which I would have respected), then you would have put "Usual Suspects SPOILER" in the headline and then revealed the twist in the body. That way people could avoid your spoilers if they wanted to engage in this conversation and not have twists revealed to them. But instead, you acted disrespectfully to everyone here. Its not cool.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:24 a.m. CST
Usual Suspects
by vicmackey1268
true is part of pop culture...but im pretty sure rewarding the person who hasn't seen it by leaving the ending alone is a lot better than saying it, unless you put the big word "SPOILER" and give them the option to avoid the next few words My gf never saw Se7en...clearly you know where I'm going with this one...so when the ending happened she was totally shocked...I found it insane that she didn't know the ending since it is definitely part of pop culture and shows like Entourage even mention it without pause...and she even saw that episode before seeing Se7en...but she didn't catch what Ari had just said.....now obviously when she watches that episode she laughs harder and says "haha that's from Se7en!".... The point is, people manage to avoid things whether it's on accident like they just haven't come across things...or on purpose by avoiding internet debates on that particular movie... Shouting out twists, even in the ones "everyone should know by now" is kind of rude if the entire pop-culture reason for all the hype about the movie IS the twist.... Is it slightly odd that people who love movies don't know these endings...ya...is it kind of pathetic that they've never seen it...ya....but is it kind of rude to spoil the ending of a movie known for its ending....ya
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:24 a.m. CST
I'm going to appologise. It's sincere.
by AsimovLives
I'm sorry for all those who felt i have ruined their possible enjoyment of movies you have yet to see. My post was writen in jest. I deliberatly wrote about movies in which their spoilers are now part of popular culture. Movies which, in fact, thanks to being so well known and have been so constantly referenced by every other know media, their spoilers are, at best, open secrets. Aparently, i over-estimated the reach of the vox populi qualit yof this movies. i couldn't dream that people in here, movie geeks like myself, wouldn't be savvy of them. I made a mistake then. Believe it or not, I sincerely appologise for that. Now, there is one thing i take umbrage about: The notion that i did it with any malicious intent. Not at all. It was all just harmless jest. My error was i miscalculated. I really believed i was not spoiling anything. I really believed anything i posted was things EVERYBODY IN HERE WOULD ALREADY KNOW. Given that so many of you are real hardcore geeks, many far more then i am. I deliberatly chosed very well known movies who have been referenced times and again in popular culture. How often the spoiler of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK has been parodied already? It's even done in TOY STORY 2! Is that a spoiler? You tell me. So, believe me when i say, there was no malicious intent or any intent to act trollish with my posts. It was just a jest about things i believed everybody in here would know. That's the truth, regardless if you believe it or not. I appologise. I sincerely appologise for the spoilers. I'm very sorry. I'm very sorry for those who felt now they had their fun ruined. If i could i'd buy you a beer and tell it in person. Sorry.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:28 a.m. CST
simmer folks, simmer
by mcgoocain
Remember, it's only a movie, only a movie.... Even the best of the best of film, remember, it's only a movie, only a movie. A nickel and a cookie to the first film fan who says for what movie "It's only a movie, only a movie" was part of the tagline in the advertising campaign. I have a SF writer friend who told me he used to go to the movies to see the end first. He said it helped him to figure out story. He figured out the end of Usual Suspects, halfway through. So really folks....
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:28 a.m. CST
phategod2, maybe he read The Empire Strikes Back novel
by jim
which came out a month before the film was released, or, since he doesn't say when he saw the film, someone who had seen it told him. Merrick says he knew it before he saw the film, not that he knew it before the film came out.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:28 a.m. CST
has_snyder_been_fired_from_superman_yet, i don't hate JJ Abrams, i just despise him. I reserve my hate to Michael Bay.
by AsimovLives
And if people insist on hating me more then you in here, i give up on the human race right here and now.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:30 a.m. CST
I used ot watch COLUMBO religiously when i was a lil lad.
by AsimovLives
The thrill of that show was not how the crime was done, becaus ethat's how every episode started, but how Columbus would figure it out, because all the murders were set to be perfect crimes. I loved the episode directed by Steven Spielberg. I even saw it before i saw any of Spieberg's movie.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:32 a.m. CST
Awww willy is back....and being ignored, as usual.
by rogueleader66
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:32 a.m. CST
Awww willy is back....and being ignored, as usual.
by rogueleader66
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:32 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I love the irony of you calling me a cunt.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:33 a.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Film fans sure can be fickle, eh? Anyway, I found the humor in what you did - too bad so many people are just poised to attack at the sligthtest provocation, as if waiting for the attack is their one true purpose in life. I was attacked several times for trying to have some fun too. Thank you, internet, for creating a generation of wire trigger malcontents for all the wrong reasons. Keep on keeping on, my man.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:33 a.m. CST
There is a big difference between being a crybaby and expecting common courtesy
by rogueleader66
Something wee willy is unaware of. It's ok, tolerance of the handicapped is expected, that's why he is tolerated.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:36 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I bet with you that if you saw THE TENANT, your first raction will be to guess the end. Because you would. At the tiem the movie was made, it was rare. Today, and thanks to how many movies you have seen already, specially horror, you would be into it right from the get go. The only suspense you would have would be you wondering if the movie really didn't go for that. Believe it. It was what happened with me and i'm no smarter then you.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:37 a.m. CST
Avoiding spoilers these days is harder than simply staying away from related
by jim
stories on AICN, or staying away from the internet. There was that douchebag who posted a spoiler for "A Dance with Dragons" in a Harry Potter TB the day after the book hit stores (then did it again a week later in a "Game of Thrones" TB). His justification was "it's been all over the internet for a month now and everyone is talking about it". Basically, since he knew it without reading the book he assumed everyone knew it. Plus, since this is supposedly a "spoiler site" he felt justified in dropping said spoiler wherever he liked, regardless of how tenuously "on topic" it might be. I had a major character death on The Sopranos spoiled for me while watching the Emmys. I didn't have HBO so was only able to watch once the DVDs came out. But they get released to coincide with the new seasons which was at times more than a year apart. Anyway, a writer wins then apologizes to a member of the cast for killing them off.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:39 a.m. CST
ricstrr, i envy you for being able to know so little before watching a movie.
by AsimovLives
Whenever i watch a movie, i already have a good guess about the plot.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:40 a.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Do you watch movie previews?
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:40 a.m. CST
asimovlives...your POS worthless apology...
by vicmackey1268
...was actually awesome and I'm just joshin ur taters... to be fair the first time Usual Suspects appears in the thread it's after a few posts saying TITLE: Spoiler!: blahblahblah..... so whoever was already amused, annoyed, etc with those posts should've seen that and been like "ok I think I'll skip this one!" Therefore...judge rules: Not a big deal because there was enough of a warning and anyone should've seen the spoiler coming... Still kind of a lame game and it went on wayyy too long and involved too many really really bad jokes like "Trojan Horse had Greeks inside"... But as for your post..for the idiots who kept reading every single one of your comments NOT expecting some movie they haven't seen to be spoiled...um, it's their loss, I've decided to drop all charges...
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:46 a.m. CST
Anther thing: When i was posting my spoilers, for a long time i didn't saw any other new posts being posted at the same time i was posting mine
by AsimovLives
I don't know if this ever happened to you, but many time si post and for a long time there is no other postings form others showing. Many time swhen i post more then one post, only much later i see that somebody did posted between two of mine. From my perspective, ony i had posted and nobody else. Even when i refresh, it still happens like that. Antoehr example is above, form my point of view, only i have posted in this last 10 minutes. I do not see any other posts from anybody else. Now i notice that rogueleader66 posted his post asking me to stop after my 3rd spoiler post or so. If i had seen it, i would had stoped right there out of cortesy for my friend rogueleader. But i never saw that post. Never. To my surpise, it was there only when i revisited this talkback. I think many people think i acted malicious because of that, becaus i kept posting after the first complain. I just didn't saw the complain. I swear i would had stoped right there if i had seen that post. Specially because it was from my friend rogueleader66. As i posted above, i'm suprised he hasn't seen USUAAL SUSPECTS yet or known about it, but i would had complied out of respect.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:47 a.m. CST
by mcgoocain
It takes a real human being to apologize when wrong - don't see much of that in society anymore. Asi is a true film fan, and he speaks very well for himself, but I did want to add that he would not have apologized if he were not a seriously true film fan who embraces the vlaue of great filmmaking. One person's fun is another pseron's turture. And so it goes. There are malicious creeps who come here just to insult the fans- and they are all over the internet. Hey, maybe JJ will eventually make a film that Asi enjoys- such are the vagaries of life. I consider you and asi to be some of the best of the good guys, thoughtful and intelligent. So, let the films unspool and remember to have more fun than hate - it's all a fine balancing act- Respect, my man.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:48 a.m. CST
Big Jim...agreed
by vicmackey1268
If I'm on a thread about how Minka Kelly is doing a full frontal naked stripper scene for her next film titled "Super hot girl has sex with vicmackey1268" and then someone randomly says "Looks good but..."....."blahblah gets his head chopped off in episode 9 hahahaha"....they're a dick. And yes I've had Oscars and previews and interviews and random talk shows spoil things for me and it's a shame...to a certain extent I agree with an above poster saying "to say 'it was a great twist i never saw coming' forces people to look for a twist and that alone kind of ruins it"... Yes it's harder to avoid spoilers...I too had GoT spoiled for me due to that guy...it just sucks that when someone asks people on the same site to be more polite they go apeshit and start namecalling and act like a bigger idiot...
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:50 a.m. CST
I went to see Tree of Life knowing only it was written/directed
by jim
by Terence Mallick (that's all I needed to know) and Brad Pitt was in it. Oh yeah, I glimpsed at the poster on my way to the ticket window. And I knew where it was playing and the showtimes. Funnily enough, had I watched the trailer or read a review or two, I don't think it would have made any difference. The only thing that could have spoiled that movie would have been if the fidgety couple with their own snacks hadn't moved from my row down to the front row.
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:58 a.m. CST
by vicmackey1268
Agree about the not seeing a post thing...I usually exit out of the site and then come back in....also, if I post wayyyyy above and like 50 people have posted, its obnoxious going through each of their responses to see if someone mentioned me or responded to me....in a way I wish i was notified if a person was addressing me... however...I'm pretty sure if someone said "dude stop, please...I haven't seen some of these and I really don't want more ruined" it's wayyyy different from "stop being such a piece of shit you f*cking c**t asshole I haven't seen that movie yet, stop being so retarded, dickface"... 1st is reasonable and warrants you stopping, 2nd I would completely ignore and keep going.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:03 a.m. CST
the_choppah, rogueleader66, mattman, d.vader
by AsimovLives
I post this for you guys in particular because you are some of thepeople i most respect in here, rgardless of whatever differences we might have. Again, i appologise. This appology is exclusively for you. As i said above, you are some of the top people i most respewct and like in here. Believe you me whern i say that. I repeat what i posted above: my spoiler posts were done in jest. And for some reason, i didn't saw when rogueleader complained about them. I never saw his posts as i was posting mine. I would had stoped right there and then, out of respect. I don't think that a mere joking aroud is worth to alienate people i respect and like. Believe me that. I guess from reactions like mattman and d.vader that i might never get back to your good side again. Well, you are still on my good side, and i doubt you will ever leave that. My appologise is sincere. I though i was jesting about things which were more then well known in our popular culture. And this is whow you should take my actions. they were not malicous at all. I'm not a troll. Not in the definition of the term. You should know that. So, as i see you as friends, i extend my hand to you. I hope you take it.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:12 a.m. CST
dude you can stop apologizing..
by vicmackey1268
its a movie website...even the biggest a-holes on here don't really bother me 2 minutes after leaving the site and carrying on with my life... You've apologized three times so far....I forgave you after the 1st which was more than enough.... now while I think ur views on some things are odd and sometimes just wrong (The Rock is my favorite action movie), nothing you ever say, other than possibly making some kind of really rude comment involving my gf's younger brother who has autism, would ever make me NOT want to read your next comment.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:12 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
That was my point, friend. I didn't noticed rogueleader66 post. If i did, i would had stoped right there. The guy asked me politely, as he always is. I only saw his post hours later. I'm certain many are with a bad opinion of me because of that lag. I'm not putting blame to others, i'm just saying, had there be no lag, the joke would had stoped when it began.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:14 a.m. CST
When i started watching GAME OF THRONES, i also got spoiled about the fate of one of the major main characters. And all because i was checking out wikipedia about the show. Still didn't prevented me from enjoying it, because the show is total badass.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:15 a.m. CST
time for some fun
by mcgoocain
Wanna see Barbra Streisand in a dominatrix costume whip Harrisn Ford on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom? http://www.joblo.com/movie-news/cool-videos-the-lost-footage-of-barbra-streisand-in-temple-of-doom
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:17 a.m. CST
agree about the badassity
by vicmackey1268
After the spoiler I too went to wikipedia to find out more cuz I figured that was the main spoiler...then I read about other characters and events and while it sucked knowing everything, it made me read the books, and now I know most of what will happen but still want to watch because the show is so good.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:19 a.m. CST
by vicmackey1268
hahaha, I sent this to Harry this morning dammit...way to crush my hopes of being mentioned in a topic again...siiigh it's pretty funny and good to see Harrison laughing and Carrie not fat or doing drugs lol
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:19 a.m. CST
asimovlives - something you may not have seen
by mcgoocain
India's first science fiction film: Trip to Moon, in which a crew of super-tough spacemen in wide belts fight robots, cyclops and supervillains. http://io9.com/5837956/the-most-amazing-bollywood-space-opera-youll-ever-see
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:26 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
We will never agree with THE ROCK, will we, friend? Well, as long we both love DIE HARD, it's OK. I could make a whole list of arguments why THE ROCK sucks, but it's not the time or place, and really, who cares? You know why i appologise more then once? Because it's genuine. I want to make the point to those who claim i'm some mindless malicious troll that i'm no such thing. Since when a fucking troll has ever appologised? Right! The good thing about all this trouble is that you caught my attention. I like you, you are cool. Seems i found myself another friend in here.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:31 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Thanks for your understanding and your support and atempts at defeding me, friend. It does make a difference and goes immensely appreciated. I'm glad you took my posts in the spirit of jest that they were. I'm suprised that my longer time friends in here didn't caught that. It's one thing to be castigated, and rightly so, because i'm spoiling movies they haven't. What suprises me, and hurt me, is that such long time friends, who do know me for quite a while, presumed so right off the bat i was doing so on macilious intentions. I'm shocked and hurt. And still i appologise. I don't want to lose their friendship. I really don't.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:32 a.m. CST
Rosie O'donnell ruine Fight Club for me. She said she didn't
by SID 8.0
Like the movie and started talking about schizophrenia and how Norton's name is never mentioned. I was like oh you bitch. Now when I was watching I looked for clues the whole time. The Matrix on the other hand no clue at all going in. I walked out of the theater looking at everyone and everything differently.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:37 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Read my ESB twist again: what i wrote was "The good guys and the bad guys lose". That was my ESB spoiler. Which is a good indication of the spirit i wrote my spoiler posts above. It was merely a jest. I beleived it obvious due to my understanding i was spoiling movies whose secrets have been so in the open for so long and have been parodied so often in all media. You know people who dodn't know the spoiler of USUAL SUSPCTS? I know people who don't know the spoiler of EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Those people don't go to sites like this. I really beleived i was spoiling nothing to the geeks in here. Believe you me. Your presumption that i did it as an act of evildoing is wrong. It bewilders me you could come to such conclusion yourself. But i appologised, sincerely. Does that count to you, friend?
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:39 a.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Thanks - just stay true to yourself- that is all that really matters. The world of talkbacks is a decidely alien world - full of surprises. Take the good with the bad, but really, just have fun - there will always be those who appreciate you and those who don't and some in the middle. Life - more than just a cereal and a board game.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:44 a.m. CST
sid 8.0
by AsimovLives
FIGHT CLUB kinda spoils itself. Before Tyler Durden shows up, there is at least 3 times when he appears onscreen, in subliminary flashes. however, they are not that subliminary. and since Brad Pitt is such a recognizable actor, it's easy to see it's him in those flashes. so, the first time he realyl shows up as a character, there was alarms bells going on all over the place. I didn't guessed the twist of the movie, but i knew that something was up with the dude more then just his idiosincracies.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:47 a.m. CST
re: "Life - more than just a cereal and a board game."
by jim
Yeah, it's also a Cabaret (old chum), and a too-soon cancelled NBC show.
Sept. 8, 2011, 11:57 a.m. CST
re: "Rosie O'donnell ruine Fight Club for me"
by jim
Me too. Sort of. Flipping channels I came across her talk show and she was talking about movies. She starts going on about movies like "Fight Club" and "The Sixth Sense" and how "they trick ya". I knew there was some twist with "The Sixth Sense", but had no idea there was one in "Fight Club". Knowing that, I spent it trying to figure out what the twist was (at one point I thought Helena Bonham Carter was a figment of Ed Norton's imagination). As for "The Sixth Sense", **spoiler** while no one revealed the twist to me (I saw it in late October that year) I knew there was one. I caught on not by the obvious clues like his clothes or not touching anyone or anything, but while watching his wife sleeping she shivered as if cold.
Sept. 8, 2011, noon CST
You assholes crack me up.
by Skyway Moaters
Asimovlives isn't sorry. Regret requires a soul.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:05 p.m. CST
by Mattman
My thoughts exactly.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:20 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I'm sorry but i already have my fun robbed from me in this talkback. Asmch as the anti-spoiler brigade might feel about my posts,i feel worst about the viciousness shown by ,many in here. More hurtul regarding peoplewho know me for a long time and made strange conclusions about me and my intentions. Those realy hurt. Mothing hurts the most then the slings and arrows thrown from people i call friends. I beleived they would know me better by now. It hurts, it really hurts.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:21 p.m. CST
skyway moaters, speak for yourself.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:26 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
That hurted, that really hurted. You should know better. I tell you, right now, i'm in agreat unhapopy mood, and mostly because of your reactions and what you have said. You are breaking my heart. You, of all people. This is definalty not a good day for me. Believe it. Have you ever known how it feels to lose a friend?I'm feelling that now. Think about it. I'm one of your true friends in here, believe you me, not asses like skyway moaters above. That is true.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:26 p.m. CST
...people I call friends?
by p0llk4t
You consider anonymous AICN TBers to be friends? Damn how sad your life must be. What's happening in this thread is you are seeing everyone share their "objective" opinion that you are a delusional douche and an obtuse fool.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:29 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
yes i do. Yes i can. you know why? Because, unlike some who claim otherwise, i do have a soul. I don't need to get drunk with a dude to be his friend. The problem is yours, not mine. Don't blame me for having a soul. Your post says way more about you then me. You should had though before you posted. Which you never do.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:34 p.m. CST
It amazes me when people like willy twist things to mean what they want them to
by rogueleader66
wee willy, is not a reference to anyones private parts...lets' break this down for the mentally incompetent.... wee......little willy....short for william thus you have wee willy, a little boy. Seems like he is the only one with cock on the brain.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:36 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
Yes i watch movie previews, why do you ask? Also, apologies for my kiss ass remark, it was uncalled for. Despite what some fuckwad's on these tb's say, I aint a bad guy.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:36 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
Thank you for the apology.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:38 p.m. CST
Spoilers can definitely ruin a movie. Imagine watching Sixth Sense knowing the ending? It would definitely take away. Most stuff it's not as big a deal as people make out.
by HarrysNemesis
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:40 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
thank you for accepting it. it means a lot.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:41 p.m. CST
Well well well. William_Faulkner is Skyway Moaters?
by AssyMuffJizz
I might have known.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:43 p.m. CST
by Mattman
My thoughts exactly.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:44 p.m. CST
Now, Asi... what WERE you thinking?
by AssyMuffJizz
Surely you knew that printing film spoilers in the subject line was a dick maneuver. That was just not like you, man. THAT SAID -- I just can't stay mad at you for very long. We all fuck up sometimes...
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:46 p.m. CST
whe n i first saw USUAL SUSPECTS and THE CRYING GAME i already knew about the twists. You know why? The oscars!
by AsimovLives
I saw this movies after the oscars ceremonies. At that time, movies took their sweet time untilit reached here, specially american productions. In 1995, the oscars spoiled the twist about USUAL SUSPECT because of a coment made live on TV. So, when i first saw the movie, my though was "how can this even be?" The movie showed me how, and it was awesome. THE CRYING GAME i'm not going to say how, but anybody who remembers that cerimony will know why.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:56 p.m. CST
No excuse, Asi. Just because you were spoiled on a film doesn't give you carte blanche to spoil films for others...
by AssyMuffJizz
Moving on...
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:59 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
People get weird about spoilers. Traliers for movies are spoilers. People watch them and don't think they are being spoiled. You tell them the end of a 30 year old movie and thay want to be angry. I am a film fan, and if I read a spoiler, oh well....not the end of the world. Myself included, we all have bizarre peculiarities. The older one gets, the harder it is to make new friends. I know we only talk in this rather bizarre way here on AICN, but I respect you, your opinions and your sense of humor. I proudly call you a friend, and if that is too odd for some of the people here, they are just odd themselves. Sometimes hate is just irrational. Sometimes justified. You apologized profusely. Your regret is palpable. Why must people wage war over all the wrong things, such as spoilers. Grow up kids, grow up. Life is way too short to live a life filled with irrational hatred because you had a movie twist revealed. Really, kids, really.
Sept. 8, 2011, 12:59 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
As i explained above, i wrote those in jest with the understanding that i could not be spoiling movies that geeks in here would be all too familiar with. All those i did were either movies in which the twists had been parodied countless of times in all media, including comedy acts, TV shows and movies, or movie which, while the general public might not be to savvy about them, they are more then well known among the gekry. Someone above comented on my spoilers was bad becasue i did spoiled movies like PSYCHO 2 and 3, which are relatively obscure movies. Which is true. But the reason why i watched those to begin with was becasue of the coments made by the geeks in here. Some time ago there was a talkback about one of those sequels, probably one of Quint's A MOVIE A DAY articles, and i swear to you, of the hundreds that posted there, i was the only one who had not seen any of those movies. Hell, i hadn't even saw the first movie to begin with. With that in mind, i couldn't even guess anybody in here would react badly to my spoilers when i'm certain i am the latter comer to those Psycho movies in here. You have no idea the suprise it was for me to see that reaction. Oh, and in that Psycjho talkback there was lots of spoilers (which spoiled the sequels for me) thrown in made by casual coments. Nobody threw a fit then. OK, i did an uncool thing. Uncool, that's me. I'm the kind of people they talk about in ALMOST FAMOUS. But rightful as the complains were, their viciousness is way off, if you ask me. But it's cool that you are still with me, friend. Thanks a lot.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:01 p.m. CST
I wish I could quit you, Asi...
by AssyMuffJizz
But I just can't. Seriously, though: we all make mistakes. Live and learn.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:02 p.m. CST
mattman, you should know better.
by AsimovLives
I make make friends both live and online. How is that hard to understand? If anything, that bodes well for me.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:05 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Dude,i was not justifying my spoilers with being spoiled in other movies. That was not a response to you, but to a coment said above by harrysnemesis. I don't think like that, i don't do things like that, i'm no petty revenger like that. Easy on me, buddy. My response to you was directly adressed to you. See it above. It's so bloody strange the things presumed of me based on nothing much and complete misunderstanding.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:09 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Thanks for your apology. You seem like a good guy. I asked because I consider previews a form of spoiler, some of them reveal the whole movie. I think that if one needs to get angry at someone because they revealed a movie detail, you are not really a film fan in the best sense of the word, you are a film fanatic, in the worst sense of the word. Get the distinction? In other words, the world seems to be getting more and more uptight over the trivial, while the very fabric of humankind is having it's soul sucked dry by the greedy. And it seems way to late to do anything about it - like getting the news that a world changing asteroid is on the way and will hit in 2 days. No one fights the true enemies of society- so we shit on each other- because it is so easy. Lot harder getting a little power back from the rich and powerful, to live a decent life without worrying about slipping off the map because of the economy - as so many have. So, that's it- thanks for your time.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:10 p.m. CST
Back to the Future spoiler
by MrFusion
In the end Marty does go Back to the Future.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:13 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Hang in there my friend. You are a worthy citizen of planet earth, and you need to feel good about yourself. Don't let momentary lapses of reason get to you - angst can be a really strressful killer. From one country to another - my friend. Let the haters hate, and be ignored. You have friends. Just be you. They will come. One time a few months ago I was banned. Peope like you rallied behind me and got me unbanned. Internet friends can be fun and supportive, just like those we have beers with!
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:14 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Sometimems sometimes i think people are taking an opportunity to make a jab at me in revenge for all the things i have said igo n the past about Jar Jar Abrams's RETARD TREK. i know that movie is beloved in here, and so is the hack who did it, and my iconoclastic heresy cannot go unpunished. They caught me in a weak spot and now they are going to bleed me dry until i'm dead, dead, dead. Well, that would be what i would think, if i was sufficiently paranoid and . Went for the same type of lgic some in here operate on Which i'm not and which i don't. And i'm certain the joke will pass over again. Why keep i doing it? One thing to understand all my posts is that 1/3rd of them are self-mockery, 1/3rd is referencs to movies or other media, and 1/3rd is me saying from my heart. When i go personal, like appologising or calling ou tto people i conbsider frieds, that's all from the heart. And see what i did there above? I made another movie reference, and i was fully sincere. Why can't both be taken for the good will spirit that they were made?
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:17 p.m. CST
Peace, Father Asi.
by AssyMuffJizz
Moving on...
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:19 p.m. CST
"In other words, the world seems to be getting more and more uptight over the trivial, while the very fabric of humankind is having it's soul sucked dry by the greedy." I agree. And this talkback seems to exemplify that.
by AsimovLives
I mean, there's all this vitrol against me and me appologising fo profusely... and all for what? Movie spoilers? To quote from Casablanca, that's the type of problem that don't even amount to a hill of beans. Really, are we all going mad in here? Me included? Hate words and penetance because of a movie spoiler. To quote from another work, frankly, all this looks like much ado about nothing. Spoiling is petty. But is reacting so ravenously an admorable and normal course of action? You are right, friend, we are losing sight of what's really important. Societies all over the world are going to hell, and we wage wars and break friendships in here because of film spoilers. We must be mad! I must be mad! We all must be mad!
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:21 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I owe you a beer for those words. I owe you plenty. If you ever find yourself on my shores, the treat is on me.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:22 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
The prodigal son returns. Awesome!
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:25 p.m. CST
And with all that, i helped AICN got a lot of hits.
by AsimovLives
I should be made a silent partner of this joint. I help bring hits (aka, cash) to this place. I want my cut. My house is not going to get payed by itself!
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:36 p.m. CST
Were good mcgoocain
by rogueleader66
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:37 p.m. CST
Remeber the days when movie trailers revealed very little?
by rogueleader66
They literally were a tease, they made you want to see the movie. I want those kind of trailers back......some trailers these days practically tell you every plot point in the film.......stupid, galactically stupid.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:42 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Couple things. From the heart, thank you for your offer. I have a rich friend, and traveling to Portugal may be a possibility. Not likely, but certainly possible. You have certainly given me a reason to travel there. Also, I most certainly do not want to intrude on your private life. In any way. I am a very private person myself, and value my privacy. But if there is some way to communicate on a more regular basis with you, without all the baggage that goes on here., via email or whatever, let me know. Not sure how, though. I am not gay (even though my rich friend is - he inherited $27 million earlier this year - we have some good $100 lunches!!), so that has nothing to do with anything. Of course, this is homophobe bait, so I expect insults from the terminally lame. Life is really all about choices. We all make the wrong ones at one time or another, but never choose to let bad people dictate the course of your life for very long. There are too many good people who just want to live and let live. It has been raining where I live for 5 days straight, no sunshine. But it feels a little sunnier today chatting. Be well, my friend.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:45 p.m. CST
Rogueleader, agreed
by Mattman
One of the worst trailers ever made was for "What Lies Beneath" which revealed way too much about Ford's character.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:48 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Trailers used to be a very entertaining format, an artform unto itself. Nowadays they just seem to be depressingly quick ADD flashes of scenes that make almost all movies look bad. Why does almost everything seem to be in a sad state of decline?Almost everything, I say.... Maybe it's just the weather, my osteoporosis and my age. Fuck getting old is not golden....not when my brain is stil lthinking like a 20-year-old. Well, movies are still my salvation... fellow fans.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:50 p.m. CST
re: "One of the worst trailers ever made was for "What Lies Beneath" which revealed way too much about Ford's character."
by jim
Agreed. It was like watching a Coles Notes version of the film. Or an Entertainment Tonight "First Look" that explains the entire story except the last 15 minutes.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:54 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Actually,i remember the days when trailer revealed everything. Old trailers used to spoil like hell. then they became more abstract and present more the mood of the movie then the plot itself. now it seems things have gone full circle and now trailers spoil... again. Can't wait for when the circle turns again.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:56 p.m. CST
Thankfully i never saw the trailer of WHAT LIES BENEATH before i saw that movie. to this day i still wonder how i mannaged that feat.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:57 p.m. CST
re: "Remeber the days when movie trailers revealed very little?"
by jim
Yes and no. They could be vague, or they could reveal way too much. Take for example the trailer for "Shane". Be forewarned, do not watch if you haven't seen the movie. The trailer contains a **Spoiler** from the film's climax (pretty much the crux of the climax). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdd07SDHv5Q
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:57 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
I didn't see that movie based on that trailer. I should see it, and I will someday. But yea, trailers like that SUCK.
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:58 p.m. CST
Didn't know atheists believed in a soul...
by p0llk4t
...not sure why you would care to be called soulless. Another contradiction in your personality?
Sept. 8, 2011, 1:59 p.m. CST
There's actually very few trailers which are an art into themselves. The exceptions are quite few. Like ALIEN, for example.
by AsimovLives
The latest great trailer i can think of was for A SERIOUS MAN. That trailer is an art piece in itself.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
Yea, many things have taken a turn for the worse. But I try to be an optimist, even in my old age (I turned 45 today...me and ST:TOS). Music, for me anyways, has declined a lot more than movies have, I find myself liking less and less of todays music, and not because I am old, but I just feel the quality of it has really gone down. I still find I like a lot of the movies I see, whereas music is a different story.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:02 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I know all about being a 20 years old trapped in the body of an older age. I'm 40 and yet for all porposes i'm still a 20 years old kid at heart. Well, more matured then when i was at 20, and more cynical as well. Well, you know what Joseph Conrad said about cynics: they are desilusoned romantics. The dude had a point.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:05 p.m. CST
mattman, ytou spiled WHAT LIES BENEATH becaus of your coment about Harrison Ford's character. Evil man!!! A witch, a witch!!
by AsimovLives
If you never made a coment about his character, i would never suspected there would be anything suspect about his character... You see how this works, friend? We can all spoil a movie, regardless of our intentions and how thoughful we are with how we wrote. some smart dude wil always figure it out and complains and call you a spoiler. The point being? Nobody should ever go in holier then yhou attitudes. As true to you as to me and anybody else, friend.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:07 p.m. CST
p0llk4t, i didn't knew that idiots like you knew how to write "atheist". Suprises every day.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:10 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
How you decide to watch a movie and deem it worth of your time and money? Me, the most important element is who's directing it. But a trailer can help. I decided to watch CAPTAIN AMERICA because of the strenghs of the trailers. I didn't regreated that decisionm because i quite enjoyed it. I watched A SERIOUS MAN because of the Coens and the trailer. I don't think i ever saw the trailer of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN before i watched the movie.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:12 p.m. CST
serious question
by mcgoocain
When a film is announced to have a twist ending, do you then, instead of just watching the movie, try to figure out the twist while watching? And if you do figure out the twist, do you then deem the film inferior for being able to figure it out? Just curious.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:12 p.m. CST
Some think Warrior's trailer spoiled it but I disagree.
by Dogmatic
KNOWING the two brothers are gonna face each other in the final fight DOES take a little wind out of the moment when we "find out" it is gonna happen, but it give a much heavier weight and feel to every scene with them for the rest of the film leading up to that moment. ANd even though you know both of them are gonna win their earlier rounds... Tom Edgerton's character is put up against folks that you are really kept guessing as to just HOW he is gonna pull this one off....meanwhile just watching Tom Hardy decimate people is still a lot of fun.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:14 p.m. CST
If Tom Hardy goes all "Warrior" on Batman as Bane...
by Dogmatic
it's baaaad things for the Dark Knight maaan.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:15 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Today is apparently the 45th anniversary of the airing of the first Star Trek episode. Where no man has gone before...
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:15 p.m. CST
dogmatic, i think that's the point.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:17 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
Nope, I never try to figure out the twist.....if I do it's purely because it was so obvious that you cannot help but figure it out. But i never make an attempt to figure it out, I let the movie surprise me....well, try to anyway. Like the twist to Burton's god awful Apes movie...surprised the hell outta me....at how mind numbingly awful it was, making a bad movie even worse.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:19 p.m. CST
I like that topic...
by vicmackey1268
generally (even though no one's asked me)...I choose a movie based on a combo of director and actor...obviously when someone decides to use their go-to it's harder to figure out if I really want to see the film, but generally if it's got a director I like and a few actors I like I'll be interested. Then I'll watch the teaser for it to decide if I want to see more... Trailers, for the most part, give away wayyyyy too much...but its the quick editing, awesome music part that gets me into it....The Captain America trailer/teaser during last year's superbowl was amazing, I'm sure whatever Dark Knight Rises clip they show for this season's will be even better But as far as full trailers go...if it's a mystery/suspense/drama I rarely watch them...action/comedy/comic hell ya cuz those who really cares.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:21 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I think that if a movie announces it has a twist, then we automatically are going to look for one, no matter how hard we try not to. It's inevitable. And some clever minds will figure it our while watching the movie. either they clue thmselves in to what is the twistm, or they can make a blind guess and hit the jackpot. The point is, if a twis is anounced, or you know from other sourses that a twist exists in the movie, you are in a way already spoiled. The way you will experience the movie changes. Consider this: if you go watch a movie knowing in what genre it belongs, that is already a spoiler of sorts. Consider all those horror movies in which they start out like dramas but became horror, but you go watch them already knowing they are horror. You will have the turn of events spoiled already because you know that, that being an horror movie, something of horror will happen eventually. You are robbed of a suprise. In a perfect world, we would all watch movies without knowing a trailer, without knowing what genre it belongs. In a perfect word, there are no bad movies and we could afford be that trusting. that's why we need trailers, regardless if we want them or not. And even then...
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:22 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Really? Wow!
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:24 p.m. CST
Today is apparently the 45th anniversary of the airing of the first Star Trek episode. Where no man has gone before...
by rogueleader66
Correct, both Trek and myself were started their existence today. Season One, episode One...The Man Trap. Sept 8th, 1966
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:24 p.m. CST
Asimov, I can't believe I ever considered you intelligent
by Mattman
Your logic is so childish, "friend". Saying a trailer revealed too much about a character doesn't spoil anything... it indicates that the TRAILER spoiled it. Use your brain, "friend". You used to possess one. Oh, and apology NOT accepted, because your apology was laced with childish excuses. Stop responding to my comments; I wasn't talking to your illogical, broken-English ass in the first place.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:26 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I should do as you do. I have tried to avoid spoilers lately, but the things seem to know where i live. Mostly, i get spiled by trailers beause i go to the thrater to watch some movie and have to sufer like 20 trailers for other movies. It0s such a baragge, it's a miracle i don't get to see a trailer for a movie i'm interested and don't want to get spoiled, if you know what i mean. You know what spoils movies for me? Having to endure through so many trailrs and publicity adverts. i don't know how it is with you guys in the USA, but in my country going to watch a movie is to first suffer 20 minutes of crap commercialism.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:36 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
You have proven youself to be both hateful and irrelevant to humanity. Have fun stewing in your enlightened misery and have fun dishing out your cheap shots to people who enjoy film more than you seem to enjoy life. In other words, fuck you, flyspeck.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:37 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Happy Birthday - hope it is Trektacular!
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:37 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
You disapoint me. Ah you think i'm not intelligent, hem? Then why don't you go with your pal p0llk4t and revel in his "intelligence". Intelligence doesn't mean agreeing with everything you think and say. Every coment you might say about me can be used as a fip side coin about you, don't forget that. Believe me, i'm the one who feels the biggest disapointment. I simply canpt believe you wrote what you wrote. where i have gone so wrong about you? Can you answer me that? Are so rich in friendship in your life you can afford to lose an honest true for the sake of making buddies with retard shit like p0llk4t. And all because of spoilers?? I appologised. It's more,much much more then THE VASTY MAJORITY OF PEOPLEIN HERE would do. I extended my had to you as a friend. And i'm the souless one? I'm the childish one? Really? I extended my hand to you, you spited on it. It's you who is looking bad now. Don't you think that you can go on pointing fingers and not have fingers pointed back. you are judged as much i am. _your actions reflect who you are and how you are. Is this how you want to be seen in her,e in a public forum, as a person uncapable of forgiveness and reaching out to offers his hand? Is that how you wan tto be seen? Is that who you are? I still call you friend in the hopes we can make amends. i still have hope for that. Friends fight too. I hope i'm right in my good hopes. Prove me right, please.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:40 p.m. CST
Thanks mcgoocain
by rogueleader66
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:40 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Happy birthdday! I didn't knew you were older then me. I though that you were younge,r as inm, in about 35 or so. I misremembered then. Old man! Anyway, best wishes and have a merry day with your loved ones. You were born the same day Star Trek started. Cool!! I can only boast that i was born the same day when Star Wars was first released, but not in the same year, alas.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:42 p.m. CST
As for my broken english, i'd like to listen to the broken portuguese of the lot of you. Should be fun.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:43 p.m. CST
Trailers at Theaters
by vicmackey1268
get longer and longer...it really was like 20 minutes of movie before the actual movie started...a few times I've been like "soooo what are we seeing again" Certain times I've seen them before, mostly cuz they show up on this site, like Mission Impossible, Sherlock, Drive, etc...and when I get to the theater and it comes up I nudge the gf and say "this looks awesome!" or "ugh, this looks terrible" A lot of times if I know things will be shown before a movie I get excited to see it again, like knowing Rises was going to be before Harry Potter But overall I think a well done trailer gets the point across without being too long or two showy...take the trailer for Tinker,Tailor,Soldier,Spy...the trailer doesn't really reveal anything or even tell you anything other than it's about spies...that's how movies should be... Then there are ones like The Double with Richard Gere where I've just watched the entire movie in 2 minutes...it's horrible...especially if 40 minutes of the movie is the main character in trouble or being held hostage and then the trailer has "I'm going to fight back!" with like 20 clips of them fighting back...its like great...so they told me the first 40 minutes of the 90 minute movie... Dream House is a perfect example...they show a HUGE twist during the trailer and I'm like wtf now I don't even want to see it...then Daniel Craig says "No that twist happens in the first 20 minutes, the bigger ones we saved for the theater"....on one hand, I'm glad, but on the other hand holy crap that moment would've been sweeeet to see during the film.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:44 p.m. CST
"I still call you friend in the hopes we can make amends."
by Mattman
No friend of mine builds an apology on excuses. In fact, no decent human being does that.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:45 p.m. CST
Thing is, Asi: Mattman is right.
by AssyMuffJizz
You should've just written, "I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. I'm an idiot." Instead you followed up your apology with 101 excuses (which is arguably worse than not apologizing at all). When you simply and gracefully apologize, it often defuses the situation--both externally and internally. I learned this the hard way from my significant other. I too used to make half-hearted apologies followed by a shit ton of excuses, but the thing is: when I fuck up bad enough to apologize, 99% I am wholly in the wrong. Not judging you, Asi (like I said--I was there myself some years back)... I'm just pointing out that it might be best to apologize and move on when you fuck up in the future.
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:46 p.m. CST
Thanks very much Asimov, appreciate the sentiment. Gotta work my first and second jobs tonight, but my kids will be over on the weekend and we will all celebrate then....coolness.
by rogueleader66
Sept. 8, 2011, 2:47 p.m. CST
by Mattman
I accidentally went off on you one time thinking you were another talkbacker... so I understand your dislike for me. That's fine. I was extremely rude and I'm sorry for that... sometimes emotion gets the better of me. Asimov can kiss my ass. I've been burnt too many times by him. In fact, many talkbackers have. His apology was not sincere... it was an excuse.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:15 p.m. CST
assymuffjizz, you know what, i was an idiot. The jokes were lame and i took too much for granted.
by AsimovLives
I knew those movies. Some of those are recent movies i watched recently. Because of the good word from AICN. Movies like the Psycho saga. All of them i watched them for the first time this year. Actually, i have yet to watch Psycho 4 and the remake. You know what i took for granted? That i would really be spoiling anything to anybody. I presumed everybody knew about those movies, every each of them. And as they say, oresumption is the mother of all fuck ups. So, i fucked up. I admit that. I'm sorry, i fucked up. Mea culpa. I though i was making a njoke in the spirit of this talkback, whose team was "spoilers might be a good thing" My spoilers posts were made in the spirit of jest, to go with the theme. I think that came across clearly enough. I was mistaken. I made a mistake. So, here as it is: i had an unfortunate idea of a joke for the theme of this talkback and I fucked up. I presumed something about others which was wrongheaded and idiotic, and I made a mistake. I'm very sorry.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:19 p.m. CST
Saw Usual Suspects on TV or the first time; it was
by Dennis_Moore
halfway through. Figured out the end in a few minutes. Not a difficult twist.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:23 p.m. CST
mattman, you are wrong, my appologises are sincere indee. I fucked up and i wish i hadn't, i wish i could take it all back. Believe me, this is hurting me more then you can imagine. I don't revel in hatedom.
by AsimovLives
There's many in here who don't give a fuck about what others think of them. I'm not like that. I don't care if others disagree with me. But this is personal, and it hurts. Believe me when i say to you, the appologies are deeply sincere. You would know, you know me from before, and don't you think i'm in any way different from the person who once used to talk with sympathy and respect. Will you accept my appologise, please? Nobody who would be a fake as you claim i am would insist as much as i do, would they? What would be the logic of that? Think about i.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:24 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Have a better one.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:29 p.m. CST
vicmackey1268, i think studios lost the ability to sell a mkovie the moment they hired marketing firms to do that.
by AsimovLives
Marketing firms treat the selling of movies the same way they sell shoes. It's just wrong. The other big problem is that movies are being made for the sake of the marketing department. When it's the marketing department that should work for the movie.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:34 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Those my early appologises were my atempt at a simple and graceful appologise. I was not trying to excuse myself, but to explain. -for example, about me missing the posts from rogueleader who compaiend about them, i didn't saw them for real. I only saw my posts. It's not an excuse, it's explanaing why i keep posting. I'm not excusing myself, i'm explaining, to help see things from my point of view. Accuse me of verobosity, that's fair. I'm doing it again right now. but it's because i feel the need to exlain why things happened as it did, and to see things from my point. That's not an excuse, it's an explanation. So i fucked up trying to emend the fuck up. Ufff!
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:34 p.m. CST
Asi, apology accepted
by Mattman
That apology was clearly sincere and without excuse... and impossible not to accept.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:36 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You made my day.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:37 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Thanks for the apology. My emotions often run high as well. AS far as asi, we will just have to disagree, I have discoursed with him many times, and he is being sincere. We all make mistakes, even you, even me. If he displeases you, better to just walk away than antagonize. No hard feelings. Thanks again. You seem like a better person than the cheap shots you dish out, but all is well.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:42 p.m. CST
by Stegman84
If you don't act like a thoughtless cunt you don't get called one. That isn't irony, it's fact. Just as it is a fact that people who show no consideration for others deserve no consideration nor respect shown towards them. I don't throw the C word around carelessly, but you more than earnt it with your efforts here in this thread, and on many previous occasions to boot if we're going to be completely honest. In fact usually these days when I see your name I just scroll right past your posts, but when even your thread titles are set to 'full asshole' it makes it even more difficult to just simply avoid you and your latest childish efforts. As for your half assed, excuses laden apology, that was clearly made out of self interest, not sincerity. You realised that you had gone too far this time, and alienated pretty much everyone as a result, so your only option was to throw out an apology in the hopes that you can claw back some favor, at least with those whom you were most cliquish with previously. And so you gave an apology where, somehow, apparently, everything you did really isn't your fault, and thus you take no real responsibility for your actions in any real way regardless. Real, genuine apologies don't come layered in a mountain of excuses, and aren't given out of pure self interest. But that is exactly what I see from you. But you know what, I don't care. As long as you keep such extreme deliberately spoilerish assholishness out of your thread titles, you can write whatever you want, and I can safely spot your name and scroll right past, and once again all will be right with the world.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:45 p.m. CST
Mcgoo, I usually pay a little more for my shots
by Mattman
If they're cheap shots, I'm probably purchased them in haste. ;)
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:47 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
mattman is a cool guy. He just doens't like me much anymore, much to my sadness. We used to have great chats, and i stillk hold those moments as some of the best things that happened to me here at AICN. We used to coment about our mutual love for medieval movies and their historical accuracy. I think it was he who told me about this movie called BLACK DEATH, which is a really cool and intelligent medieval movie which unfortunatly is still little known. We had great convos about it, and also about other medieval movies like KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: DIRECTOR'S CUT, which we both beleive is a unrecognizeed masterpiece. I love movies set in medieval times, and it was cool to find a fellow geek as enthusiast about it as i am. Meanwhile he tolerated my extreme dislike for Abrams Trek and i bewildered about his enjoyment of DIE HARD 2 (i think he likes it, hard to say, we talked about it so long ago). Good times.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:49 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
You are a standup guy.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:54 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
And what toes did i step and in what way did i shocked your sensebilities to merit being called a cunt by you? Certainly it was not just because i hate ABRAMS TREK, right? I really liked to know becausem, reading your posts,m you do not strike me as the usual AICN dumb boy. Quite the contrary. So i'm curious. Indulge me, please. -by the way, I mean every word in my appology. Nothing half-arsed about it. And i was not trying to make excuses, i was explaining. Badly and unsucessfully, i suppose.
Sept. 8, 2011, 3:56 p.m. CST
by vicmackey1268
I wish you'd read my old posts because in A TON of them I mention Kingdom of Heaven Director's Cut and how it's my favorite film...I also talk about how insanely different it is from the theatrical cut, how the 4 disc dvd set is one of the greatest efforts in artistic talent, and how I'd easily pay $10 to see the director's cut be released the way it was supposed to be shown....the story, the emotions, the characters, the color and set designs, the direction, and the message of the film were all very well done and it's a shame that what should have been one of, if not the, highlight of Scott's career... I also talked about how all of his director's cuts are better than the theatrical and how you'd think studios would've recognized this by now.. And I enjoyed Die Hard 2, although it's the worst of the 4, provided the 4th is the Unrated version
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:09 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I couldn't be bothered with DIE HARD 4. Too many people i trust told me how lame it was, and i have no rson to not believe them. A nd i can't see how the director's cut cna help it just because there's more cursing and CGI blood. I just can't For me, there's only two die hard movies: the ones directed by John McTiernan. The rest are in name only, at best. Mentioning the name of Renny Harlin is a good way to ruin my appetite. About Ridley Scott's director's cuts, there is one exception, of course: ALIEN. But Scott himself says that the real director cut of that movie is the theatrical version, the so-called DC version was merely made just for a laugh, it's not official. I have a rule of thumb about director's cuts: they always improve a movie if they are of movies made in all decades except the 1970s. In the 1970s, the directors were making their directors cut in the theatrical versions. _any atempt at a director's cut/a reediting of a movie made in the 70s have always turned for the worst. This includes one of my all time favorite movie, APOCALYPSE NOW. Even though it has some individual cool scenes, the REDUX version is inferior to the theatrical version. My convicition about that is absolute. Everything you said about KINGDOM OF HEAVEN: DIRECOTR'S CUT is true. Funny enough, i actually liked the theatrical cut, i wasn't as harsh as so many were. But the director's cut is a whole new ballgame. It's so above and ahead that, nowdays, when i think of the movie i only think of the DC version and nothing else. The first time i saw the DC version i couldnpt believe. It was the same movie, and yet it was completly different. It was a new movie for me. And on eof my complains about it, in the theatrical cutm, that it felt rushed and oever-edited, disapeared with the DC version. And i rejoiced. One of my best well spend money, if you ask me.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:09 p.m. CST
Die Hard 2
by Mattman
That must have been someone else... I never got the Die Hard 2 love.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:10 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
OK then. I should had guessed that. My mistake.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:11 p.m. CST
Asi, thanks for recommending Moffat's Sherlock
by THE_CHOPPAH
Much better than Moffat's current stint on new Who. I'm halfway through the first episode and absolutely loving it. This may be my favorite interpretation of Holmes yet. The actor who portrays him is superb. Shame there's only 3 episodes. This would have been a great series.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:12 p.m. CST
That series is awesome, Choppah
by Mattman
Last I checked they were making more... all 2 hour episodes. I kinda like that format... it gives them time to focus on each episode and make it feel more like a movie.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:16 p.m. CST
Not judging you, Asi (like I said--I was there myself some years back)
by THE_CHOPPAH
Wait, assymuffjizz came first? I always assumed you were just a parody of AsimovLives.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:19 p.m. CST
That's great news, matt
by THE_CHOPPAH
I know when I finish the 3rd episode, I will be wanting some more highly functioning sociopathic Holmes. I love the 2 hour format as well. Reminds me of the Columbo movies and other tv detective series back in the day.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:20 p.m. CST
by Stegman84
Putting aside that you now are coming across as someone who is trying to play the victim card (intentional or not), your clear and obvious lack of consideration for others in how you acted caused me to call you what I did. It was coarse and blunt of me, granted, but I have little patience for those who show no respect or consideration for others. In fact few things rub me the wrong way more than that kind of thing. I don't care what you think of Abrams, Star Trek, or anything else. Everyone is entitled to their opinions, and that is something I'll always stand up for, regardless of whether I agree with those opinions myself or not, and regardless of who it is stating such opinions that I may or may not agree with. I'll be completely honest with you, I don't give you much thought at all, beyond spotting your name and generally these days skipping your posts completely. I can't point to one definitive post of yours that 'changed everything' or offended my sensibilities to such an extent that I suddenly enforced this rule, because sorry, but nothing that I've read of yours has been quite that memorable, it was more just something that grew naturally over time. Most of the time I don't like reading your posts, you are just one of those posters here that I personally find grating (at best), so I generally don't read anything you post these days. Simple as that. I have no particular vendetta against you whenever you aren't impacting on other people (like you did in this thread), nor should you much care what I think, or whether I read your posts. Do your thing, I'll do mine. I don't expect you to change, nor would I ask you to. You are who you are, you act how you choose to. So do what you want, say what you want, have and express whatever opinions you like, and do so as often as you see fit, that's fine, no complaints here. All that I ask is that you don't do so at the expense of other people, and that you don't intentionally ruin or undermine the filmic experiences of other film fans that you share this site with. That's it. But if I see you or anyone do something like that I'll call it as I see it, coarse or not. But given the backlash I doubt you'll do so again any time soon anyhow, so that's an end to it I guess. That's as honest and straight forward as I can be. Now I'm moving on.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:24 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Hurrahh!!! Yeah, the new Sherlock show is amazing indee. I was kinda skeptical of it at first, but like you, but by the first minutes i was won over. The actor is fantastic indeed. And he has the most awesome name: Benedict Cumberbatch. If i was an englishman, i wanted to have that name. Don't fret about the brevity of the show. First of all, it's to be expected from a british show. The upside is that they get more tight and focused. Besides, each episode is 90 minutes long. You are basically watcing 3 movies. Not bad, hem? I'm liking the new Doctor Who show. The episode "Vicent and the Doctor" put me to tears. As soon you finished watching SHERLOCK, my next sugestion is to check out another british TV show called WALLENDER. It's a crime procedual show staring Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hiddleston. The original twist of the show is that, despiste british with british actors, it's set in Sweden and all characters are swedish. I really like it a lot bd i have a felling you would too.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:27 p.m. CST
british tv shows are notorious for being short. 3 to 6 episodes is the norm.
by AsimovLives
It's not unusual for a brit Tv show to only have one or two writers and one or few directors. The upside is that it helps keep the focus of the show, there's little aestetic or artistic deviations or clashes, and keep things thigh. If a show is really good, it's a tremendous advantage.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:27 p.m. CST
Die Hard
by vicmackey1268
4 was fun...it was not a Die Hard movie though..it was a Bruce Willis kick ass movie...it felt nothing like Die Hard and his name could've been John Snow and it still would've been the same film and been fine.. The unrated removes some dialog and subs brand new conversations/dialog that are much better...and even in the new ones there really aren't any swears...it's odd...but the biggest change is, of course, the Yippie....M F...which is actually said this time, was is why it's much better. As for Aliens and Redux...I agree. I have a few recommendations if you haven't already watched them...the first is Narc with Ray Liotta, imo it's a better film than Training Day, but a completely different movie. Second is Trick R Treat which I think is the best Halloween film ever made...it was shelved because of Bryan Singer's poor box office success of Superman Returns and the studio held it as payback, even attempted to not release it at all...it was made back before Anna Paquin was naked in True Blood every other week...it's got ghosts, vampires, costumes, murder, and every other Halloween myth and tradition. Third is probably the one you're going to hate, but I suggest watching Cliffhanger again..I think the man you say not to name did a great job with that film and Sly is pretty cool and the mountain rescue team member...its just a decent action flick. Finally...go see Drive next weekend and we'll talk about it.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:33 p.m. CST
That'll do, Asi.
by D.Vader
That'll do.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:37 p.m. CST
Re: british tv shows are notorious for being short
by THE_CHOPPAH
Is it because british television isn't as dependent on commercials and syndication for funding? The UK Office was a short and sweet 2 seasons while the US Office jumped the Scranton Strangler a long time ago and is about to start it's 8th.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:38 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
CLIFFHANGER is like whatever nothing much... which for Renny Harlin is a major achievement. I was rooting for John Lithgow to win because i love that actor. I love NARC. Tremendous movie. That movie is the reason why i still give a lot of changes to the director's new movies, even if they end up disapointing me. He still has creed with me, thanks to the excelency of NARC. Didn't saw TRICK OR TREAT. But if you want to ask me about a Halloween type slasher movie which i enjoyed a lot and can't help recomend to everybody and their aunts is the norwegian slasher movies COLD PREY 1 and 2. They ndonpt reijvent the genre by any stretch of the imagination. But they are so well made and with better actors that i can't help but enjoy them so much. And lo and behold, a movie which the victim characters are actiually likable and act like human beings instead of plot devices. And it has one of the best final girls the genre has ever produced, worthy of Laurie Straude's mantle. I can't wait to watch DRIVE. I'm a big groupie of Nicolas Winding Reff, i love BRONSON and i'm in complete awe of VALHALLA RISING. I begged the_choppah to tell me everything he thinks of DRIVE when he finally sees it. I beg you the same thing. Can't wait for the word about it.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:40 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:50 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I do know that BBC and it's subsidiaries are state sponsored. So, the money must be thighly mannaged and there's not much to fuck around. The upside is that, as you said it, they are not dependent on sponsors and thus, can free from ass kissing sponsors. This has benefited such shows like TOP GEAR, in which the guys can talk trash about any car they like. But UK also has other Tv statiosn which ar enot state sponsoired, and still their shows are also pretty short, again, 3 to 6 episodes. A 10-12 episode show, like Doctor Who, are notorious exceptions. Long lived shows like EASTENDERS are soap-operas, not TV shows, in the sens eof the word. The reason for so, i guess, is as you said, there just isn't as much money in UK to fuck around on TV shows. scarcity breed necessity which breed a style. And frankly, maybe the brits are into something. Maybe they are right in keeping their shows short and sweet. I mean that was one of the reasons why such HBO shows like ROME, CARNIVALE and DEADWOOD had such few episodes per series compared to the usual american series episode count standards. Those show were inspired by british TV shows brevity. And it served them well.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:50 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Such nice things to say.
Sept. 8, 2011, 4:52 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
Really? Get a grip....
Sept. 8, 2011, 5:02 p.m. CST
I once read an article in CRACKED.COM about how people today are losing the capacity to accept differences in others.
by AsimovLives
The article contended that, thanks to the shiled of anonymity of online blogs and chatrooms, people are now losing the capacity to accept differences in others, to lose the capacity to accept others as differents. In yesterwears, we had to deal with others directly, face to face. Our colleges at work, neighbour knew each other much more and had more direct contact with. People had to be tolerant of others. The internet and the social network circles, the article concludes, removed that element of direct contact, and thus, we lose tolerance. Because we are not in risk of having to deal with others directly, people now afford themselves to have extreme positions and hear nothing of the others. Tolerance has gone down the drain, the article sugest. I don't think the article is too wrong about that. And soemtimes at AICN i see posrts that remijnds of what was said by that article. Like hanyoyo's above. That Cracked.com article is into something.
Sept. 8, 2011, 5:21 p.m. CST
by mcgoocain
I have been thinking the same thing for years. Simply put, people with inferiority complexes feel a need to feel superior in some way - so they get high and mighty, anonymously, on the internet. Sad state of affairs.
Sept. 8, 2011, 5:23 p.m. CST
I think Hanyoyo went off on me once for not being british
by Mattman
Unless I'm thinking of someone else...
Sept. 8, 2011, 5:28 p.m. CST
Asi, you often refuse to acknowledge other people's opinions
by Mattman
This is my biggest problem with you. Like with Star Trek. If someone says they enjoy it... you often respond by insulting their intelligence. You've done it with me more than once... someone you claim to call a friend. This is something you need to work on, and it's the reason I haven't engaged you in conversation as often as we used to.
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:07 p.m. CST
Episode and season length
by vicmackey1268
depends on the show...would I have liked Entourage as much if it was a 1 hour comedy....no..30 minutes is about right, but so far there have been maaaybe a handful of 30 minute episodes, the rest are around 22, one was just over 20....when your show is that short, you can squeeze out a few more episodes, especially cuz I ain't payin $30 for an 8 episode season, especially when shows like 24, LOST, Community, ER, etc all have a ton more But lets talk HBO, Showtime, etc...Game of Thrones was 10 episodes and covered the book extremely well, I'm willing to be leaving almost nothing out, or nothing important, and even adding fantastic conversations that never took place in the book (Robert and his wife ring a bell) But those shows like Deadwood, Dexter, Rome, Game of Thrones, etc are all 1 hour programs that fill very close to the entire 1 hour, sometimes giving viewers the all important extended episode Final example...The Tudors...fantastic show...weakest season? 3...very short, really rushed, and yes it was writer's strike time but seriously...anyways....shows that want to have short seasons can be totally fine, IF they give me the satisfaction I've been looking forward to all year. But Entourage..dude...you make millions and your lazy ass can't film more than 4 hours a year? I love long seasons, I vote they stay that way forever, as long as the writing stays good...Parenthood comes to mind for that one...and if you're a 30 minute program you better rack up close to 20 episodes or I'm not buying your show until its a Black Friday sale on Amazon for $10
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:17 p.m. CST
The problem here is, spoilers come in so many shapes and sizes.
by Happyfat73
And people react differently to different types.</p> </p> For example - I got pissed at Mcgoocain earlier for spoiling a plot point in The Prisoner TV series (which is sitting unwatched in my DVD stack as I type this). Now, I felt righteous in my pissed–offedness, because The Prisoner is primarily a mystery series and the identity of Number 1 is one of the key mysteries. I thought that was pretty uncool - and my righteous indignation was exacerbated by his flippant dismissal of that uncool act, and his insulting tone that I should be annoyed. But, whatever, you can't un-learn something, so I'm just gonna have to deal with it.</p> </p> Spoiling a mystery or plot twist is completely different to spoiling an overall story concept – the type you might get from watching a trailer. That said, some people consider a basic plot synopsis as a spoiler.</p> </p> Ultimately, it's a question of choice. Nothing is more infuriating than being spoiled against your will. You can't get annoyed if someone gives you fair warning - but to drop a plot twist in a subject heading denies a person that choice.</p> </p> Now, maybe it was naive to assume that a TB about spoilers would stay on track about the concept of spoilers, without becoming a free for all spoilerfest of specific properties. Maybe not. I just hope people might show a little more respect in future.
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:22 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Not exactly true. Only the opinions i find pretty flaulty, or given by people have little respect. On those cases, i pull no punches, that is true. I make the distinction. As for Abrams Trek... let me just say this: it's anathema to me how anybody can find any positive thing about it outside of the cast. For everything right anbody finds with it, i see a dozen things wrong. About that very thing. For me, Abrams Trek is like the work of the devil. I'm not exagerating. Like everybody, i find most movies ot be meh and unremarkable. I don't think one should bother taking about that type of movies. At least the really bad ones can trigger our passions. I do that. Somebody here once said that the bad movies are as important as the good ones in regard to appreciate them. I agree.
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:26 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
The problem with long season is the inevitable middle season drag. Seasons have their start and ending pretty well developed and locked, but it's the middle season stuff that's left for later. Very often, middle season episodes are just an exercise in ass pull so they can create filler. Rarely a long episode running season avoid that. Even in consistently good shows comes up.
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:34 p.m. CST
most movies are "meh"
by vicmackey1268
I have pretty much the opposite view...I find most movies I watch to be good if not great...I don't have money to buy films and don't want to spend a bunch per month on Redbox...plus premium channels are good for tv shows but they replay movies over and over, and chances are, ones I already own... When I sit down to watch a dvd/bluray I already know if its something in the genre that I'll like, so when I watch it I can rank it in that genre...so most films I rent/watch I end up walking away from thinking "ya that was good!" A few of the flip side of that is when I heard soooo much talk about True Grit being so amazing..so I rented it....Meh...but that's just because I liked the original and I felt like nothing in the new one stood out, and it was something outside of what I normally would watch... I like a lot of movies, a lot of genres, etc...I just like films...so yes I could pick apart everything I see and have a smaller collection, but I enjoy movies and find a lot of positives about all of them....just don't ever ask me to like Glee in 3D
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:36 p.m. CST
One show i think overstayed it's welcome was LOST.
by AsimovLives
LOST had entire sesries which was just filler. The whole show could had worked as a one season or two season show and it would be so much better. If the whole show had actually been maped out and just stayed in the hands of a few creators, it would had been short but sweet. Instead, we got a whole show made of ass pulls and bullshit just created on the spot. I know that show is very popular here. I just see in it a really good show trying to get out of the middle of all the useless dragging marasm. A grrat two season show squeezed into a six series show, to paraquote from Ebert's review of Pearl Harbor. And we could had been spared that lame ending.
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:43 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I go more for qulity over quantity in regard to my movie collection. That doesn't mean my video collection is made of Fellini. In fact, i have very few movies of those. most of my video collection is actually made of horror and other genre movies. I do have some high brow movies like THE SEVEN SEAL, but that's because i think they kick ass. Most of my movies are commercial movies, matter of fact. And even though i'm quite selective, i ended up with a 300+ titles DVD collection. If i was less slective and more free accepting i would had the entire house's furniture made of DVD cases. Matter of fact, i haven't bought a new DVD since i bought GOJIRA. That was six months ago.
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:51 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I'm quite selective about the movie i own. I go for quality over quantity. And by quality i mean, movies that, one way or another, have impressed me. Doesn't mean it has a high borw art movie or a mega budget thing. A quirky hammer horror movie like CAPTAIN KRONOS can do that to me. High brow art movies are actually a rarity in my collection. I have THE SEVEN SEAL because i think the movie kicks ass. Most of the movies i have are horror and genre movies. Horror is by far the most representative. It's not even my favorite genre, but it's the one i find most movies i enjoy. And still,with all this selectiveness, i ended up owning more then 300 titles. It's an headache to find places to keep them. If i was less selective with teh titles i bought, i would had furniture made of DVD cases. Came to think of it, the last DVD i bought was GOJIRA. That was six months ago, if not longer.
Sept. 8, 2011, 6:52 p.m. CST
@asimovlives - the irony of LOST
by Happyfat73
LOST showed so much brilliant potential at the start. I still class the LOST pilot as one of themost effective pilots ever on network television - it almost demanded the viewer keep watching.</p> </p> I thought it kept this level of interest up throughout Season 1 and into season 2. After that, it felt like it was treading water - which is not sustainable in a mystery series.</p> </p> Then, when it was announced a fixed end point, I, like many fans, rejoiced. It was seen as an opportunity to stop treading water and swim for the shore - to toighten the plot threads and tie them off. Ironically, this is where the show LOST its way even more.</p> </p> However, by this time, I was fully invested in the characters. Say what you will about the outcome of the mystery element, LOST was a show with some damn fine characterisation. In the end, one can't help but be disappointed by the way the plot was wrapped up - but I'll admit I'm one of those people who found the finale to be emotionally satisfying (if not intellectually), and for me the show became more about the characters than the mysteries a long time earlier, so I was able to give it a pass more than many other people, even if there is just that nagging disappointment that marred what could have been something truly amazing.
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:07 p.m. CST
The problem with LOAST is that thry piled up too many mysteries right from the start.
by AsimovLives
If i had to guess, it looks like they were throwing everything and the kitchen sink to see what stuck. I think the very problems of LOST's subsequent seasons came from the first season. Pilling so much mystgery, of course it was impossible to give a satisfactory resolution to al of them. So much so that some were just dropped and never talked about again. Of clours,e who came up with the idea of chocking the show with so much mysteries that could not resolved or answered? JJ Abrams. And then he jumoed ship when the show started to show problems. Class act! And frankly, i think the show focused on the wrong characters. Yes, the main trio of Sheppard, Sawyer and Kate was made of the msot attractive actors in the show. But how many were actuially watching the show because of Locke, Sayid or Linus? Sheppard, Sawyer and Kate were boring and unlikable and uncharismatic. LOST could had actually been great. It didn't fuillfill the promise of the first series, which itself torpedoes the whole show because of Abram's inability to reign in. LOST is on the whole a collection of half-baked ideas serve with a very effective advertizement campaign. It's the story of Abrams entire career.
Sept. 8, 2011, 7:28 p.m. CST
by vicmackey1268
ugh....forgot this show generates so much talkback...I was using it to show that it was an hourlong with over 20 episodes....in fact, writer's strike season 4 felt insanely rushed and was the season where the most happened...a giant improvement over an entire season inside a zoo and cage I agree that LOST overstayed its welcome...I actually didn't start watching until the 6th season started and finished watching every episode just in time for the finale.. Maybe it was because I didn't have to wait 6 years or maybe it was because I flew through episodes going "holy crap it really IS that good!" Season 3 was the weakest for me...from there more questions than answers were given and the end was horrible...discuss all you want how a longrunning show can never have a terrific ending but yes, yes it can...or at least one that answers questions. Sorry I brought up LOST...I still think it's a great show and despite the ending, the stupid final season, the rushed 4th, the lame 3rd, etc...for some reason it remains a strong series for me.... As for the best finale...The Shield wins hands down.
Sept. 8, 2011, 8:04 p.m. CST
LOST *is* a great show
by D.Vader
Let's not pretend it wasn't.
Sept. 8, 2011, 8:59 p.m. CST
Talkback funny and interesting humor lacking
by triplesixclickqueer
Shit is way lame. I blame the economy And religion and Obama and politics generally and especially now. And gay people but never fat people. Black people Rogue man, I was a serious fan. Defuck? dude Yea, parody or something. This is dipstick fraudulent Just fucking awful You fat liberal fucks ECONOMY, economy, economy Pay some person to fix this. So we can build on this . Yea, that lame. Keyser Soze, not serious I mean really? Rape me, man. Rape me
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:03 p.m. CST
by triplesixclickqueer
For some bored person to cut and paste a song. Please Wax poetic. Think of yourself (someone , please , as Forrester in FINDING FORRESTER) A young , hot shot black writer just looking for some hope. hope, hope, hope You Da Man Now DOGG?! yea, that lame
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:04 p.m. CST
Yellow and Blue Make Green
by triplesixclickqueer
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:07 p.m. CST
It's Sealed
by triplesixclickqueer
Someone posted "let the hater's hate" Pay the man his money , man. Yet Here I am Just looking for a friend Alligator Blood this site no longer has Yes, the syntax is jumbled because Im that mad. mad, mad , mad
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:15 p.m. CST
by triplesixclickqueer
That said or some shit Fucking cornmeal me. fuck this I am eating ( I was gonna eat indian food and enjoy shableeze but now have to eat something stale, stale, stale) a taco. ( but not really, I cant eat because of the meth.) (thanks unpaid gang, thanks) And Mike Kors makes me laugh more than anyone on tv. Except Bert. I love Bert like a trench recon marine loves his newly born son. I imagine BERT daily as my better future. Bert Project Runway - Pawns ya'll in funny. pawn. a cliche a day. Get with it gang Yet Im here. Must be my under armour drawers
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:19 p.m. CST
Lost <IS> ( oh, because it is no longer a show?) it's no longer airing? Present past future tense
by triplesixclickqueer
sophisticated post by le vader Lost cornmealed by marriage and my father now hate's me. Miles was the only one who knew. miles, miles, miles outta the ol' spoiler thing I guess- Just like the lost writer's did. Guessed
Sept. 8, 2011, 9:20 p.m. CST
Lost IS still a show.
by triplesixclickqueer
Sept. 8, 2011, 10:22 p.m. CST
by KilliK
http://tinyurl.com/43fn56j not bad,not bad at all.
Sept. 9, 2011, 12:41 a.m. CST
Spoiler Alert: Jon Snow dies in Dance with Dragons!
by bloody_shit_on_my_dick
Sept. 9, 2011, 12:43 a.m. CST
Spoiler Alert: Boromir dies in Game of Thrones
by bloody_shit_on_my_dick
Sept. 9, 2011, 12:45 a.m. CST
Spoiler: Dexter's wife gets murdered by Jon Lithgow
by bloody_shit_on_my_dick
Sept. 9, 2011, 1:58 a.m. CST
bloody_shit_on_my_dick deserves the ban hammer.
by Happyfat73
What a complete and utter fuckwit. If that Dance with Dragons spoiler is true, I hope an anvil falls on your bloody, shit-stained dick.
Sept. 9, 2011, 2:02 a.m. CST
by AsimovLives
I don't need to pretend that LOST is a most overrated show. It just is. If i want to watch an excelent show, i'll watch ROME.
Sept. 9, 2011, 2:16 a.m. CST
by bloody_shit_on_my_dick
The spoiler is true. If you didn't want to be spoiled you shouldn't have read it. I did post spoiler prior to the post after all.
Sept. 9, 2011, 2:20 a.m. CST
also happyfat
by bloody_shit_on_my_dick
This whole topic is about spoilers. You sir are the "fuckwit" for reading a talkback about spoilers not expecting to be spoiled. I'm sure your eventual enjoyment of Dance With Dragons will not be ruined, but rather enhanced by the reading of the spoiler; hence the topic of the article.
Sept. 9, 2011, 3:32 a.m. CST
SPOILER: downloading porn ends with you jerking off.
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
Sept. 9, 2011, 3:36 a.m. CST
SPOILER: King Kong climbs the Chrysler Building
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
Sept. 9, 2011, 4 a.m. CST
Spoiler: In Fight Club, Brad Pitt and Ed Norton are actually the SAME GUY. And Norton shoots himself.
by bloody_shit_on_my_dick
Sept. 9, 2011, 4:05 a.m. CST
Spoiler: The Town - The blind Amish girl robbed the bank
by rosasaks
Sept. 9, 2011, 4:18 a.m. CST
Spoiler: Scooby Doo - The dog killed the caretaker and it's covered up by some kids
by rosasaks
Sept. 9, 2011, 4:21 a.m. CST
Some friends were spoiled for Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but it's okay because they can't remember how it ends.
by rosasaks
Sept. 9, 2011, 4:29 a.m. CST
Heathers (spoilers)
by rosasaks
The second time I watched Heathers must have been many years after I first saw it new as I had no memory that J.D. blows up the school. I find general memory loss helps with spoilers and keeps old favourites very fresh. On another note before I saw Reservoir Dogs I saw a reader's letter that commented on who shot who in what sequence in the warehouse. I was annoyed by this and then surprised when it did nothing to affect my viewing of the film.
Sept. 9, 2011, 4:32 a.m. CST
Spoiler: The Bible - Jesus is betrayed by Judas and killed by the Romans
by rosasaks
Sept. 9, 2011, 4:35 a.m. CST
Spoiler: Der Untergang - He commits suicide with cyanide
by rosasaks
Sept. 9, 2011, 4:45 a.m. CST
Spoiler: Rashomon - The Samurai dies
by rosasaks
Sept. 9, 2011, 7:03 a.m. CST
rosasaks, not all of them. You are being both a spoiler and incorrect.
by AsimovLives
Sept. 9, 2011, 7:05 a.m. CST
So, where are the people throwing complains and tantruns about the spoilers above?
by AsimovLives
You guys are going to be democratic about this, aren't you?
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:17 a.m. CST
by rogueleader66
Needs a fucking sword to the groin. Asshole.
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:17 a.m. CST
You guys are going to be democratic about this, aren't you?
by rogueleader66
Absolutely Asi, see my above post.
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:30 a.m. CST
SPOILER: Harry gives Green Lantern a positive review
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:37 a.m. CST
SPOILER: Tom Cruise is gay
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:41 a.m. CST
SPOILER: Dinosaurs get wiped out by an asteroid
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:41 a.m. CST
SPOILER: There is no God.
by james_cameron_raped_my_childhood
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:44 a.m. CST
SPOILER:None of this is really witty or funny....although the effort is there, still a FAIL
by rogueleader66
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:45 a.m. CST
SPOILER:Most people who TRY to be witty and funny, usually are not.
by rogueleader66
I won't say who.......wf
Sept. 9, 2011, 9:57 a.m. CST
Don't be so hard on yourself Rogue, in a couple of years you'll have figured out how to write a formulaic talkback gag
by rosasaks
Sept. 9, 2011, 9:57 a.m. CST
Spoiler: Asimov Dies
by rosasaks
Sept. 9, 2011, 10:33 a.m. CST
MMA competetion
by triplesixclickqueer
Like Al Davis says, "I just want to win Baby!." Nope and true: Not funny or witty but I did try hard. Really thought about stuff and even outlined a few ideas. Worked hard to push the envelope so a young upstart my see the wit and hire me for a cool job. That and I like to drink Zelko vodka mixed with arizona mango juice and amuse myself. Nothing beats reading a one on one conversation in these addictive boxes. Sorry if anyone is offended by my stupidity :( It was for me only and I'll remember that next time im alone and open my imaginary unseen mouth. Have a great weekend gents. Be funnier than thou
Sept. 9, 2011, 10:36 a.m. CST
MMA and Talkback
by triplesixclickqueer
Just win Baby!
Sept. 9, 2011, 10:36 a.m. CST
Ignore the typos
by triplesixclickqueer
I have the shakes. From the alcohol. Sorry,
Sept. 9, 2011, 12:26 p.m. CST
Kevin Spacey was on the daily show a few months ago
by SID 8.0
He said when the Usuaul Suspects was finished Bryan Singer had a private screening just for the cast. Afterward Gabriel Byrne and Singer were outside arguing about the fact that he wasn't Keyser Soze.
Sept. 9, 2011, 12:42 p.m. CST
by bloody_shit_on_my_dick
A Song of Fire and Ice is not sacred. SPOILER: Jon Snow dies, get over it.
Sept. 9, 2011, 1:05 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Yes, i'll die on day. And will you. While taking a shit, Don Simpson style.
Sept. 9, 2011, 1:07 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
You think that the "There is no God" thing counts as a spoiler? I know that since i'm 17, but you reckon many do not know it yet? In the 21th century?
Sept. 9, 2011, 1:09 p.m. CST
Who says Song Of Fire and Ice is not sacred? Madness!
by AsimovLives
Sept. 9, 2011, 1:44 p.m. CST
by rogueleader66
Don't be so hard on yourself Rogue, in a couple of years you'll have figured out how to write a formulaic talkback gag
Sept. 9, 2011, 1:47 p.m. CST
Stupid quotes, they just ruined an entire post, great site AICN, works really well.
by rogueleader66
I am not even gonna bother typing it again. Besides, i won't wast my time with people on here who are insignificant to me. No Asi, I am not referring to you.
Sept. 9, 2011, 1:48 p.m. CST
But there are many in this TB who are insignificant
by rogueleader66
And I will bet that they will come back to tell me how insignificant I am. That's how stupid these people are, thus the reason I don't bother putting any value into what they say.
Sept. 9, 2011, 1:57 p.m. CST
That said, I'm out.....have things to do before i go to my second job tonight...gotta pay those bills. Good talking to you Asi, take it easy.
by rogueleader66
Sept. 9, 2011, 2:40 p.m. CST
What if dogs were cats?
by Joaquin_Ondamoon
Just askin'. I'm going to take a random cross-section of canines and question them as to how they would feel if they were cats? Would they chase themselves? Be full of self-loathing? Would they climb a tree? If you were a dog pretending to be a cat would the lack of spoilers in a movie trailer, say Stuart Little, cause you to enjoy the movie more? Where do I publish?
Sept. 9, 2011, 5:21 p.m. CST
by AsimovLives
Compared to the universe, everybody is insignificant. Everybody. The universe makes us all into communists.
Sept. 9, 2011, 8:02 p.m. CST
I generally hate spoilers and I consider most details spoilers
by CherryValance
not just deaths and endings. That's why I usually show up to talkbacks late. I try to avoid reviews of a movie I'm really looking forward to. Because the best thing for me is to fall in love with a movie having known nothing about it. Sometimes, it's okay. Like if I read the book and I know what's going to happen. I can still like the movie because they're not the same thing necessarily. And in that case I will real spoilery material online. Some things like The Dark Knight Rises are different because again, it's Batman there's not too much set photos will spoil. But video of scenes being filmed, where you can hear dialogue, and plot points and all that, that crosses a line, imo. So that's a slippery slope. I think with most things, especially TV shows, there needs to be a little bit of a common grace period. People are really busy and sometimes you miss a week so going around and blurting out spoilers 1o minutes after a finale airs without spoiler tags, etc., is just evil. And opening weekend for movies, is kinda the same unless it's a movie where the mystery is the main thing, as in The Usual Suspects, The Sixth Sense. I still don't talk about those endings unless I know the people I'm talking to have seen them. I think people should kinda stay tight-lipped about those.
Sept. 23, 2011, 4:58 p.m. CST
Doctor Who Spoilers has never been asked to remove any episode 13 footage from it's site.
by Pseudo
Man_of_Vertue said: "Case in point, the website 'Doctor Who Spoilers' recently posted footage from episode 13 of the new series, which was obviously recorded using a camera-phone or some such device, and figured this would be okay. Wrong! That article (and the related footage) has now been removed after they were asked to do so in a very nice fashion." Hi, I'm Pseudo. I'm the owner of the website doctorwhospoilers.com. I can categorically confirm that the site has NEVER removed an article at anyone's request and has never received a request to remove video footage or articles from the site. The only occasion on which anything was removed from the site was back at the end of March and that was at the request of a supporting artist called Ikay Agu, who quite frankly was a bit of a dick about it.
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