tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post8112930458406001895..comments2024-03-29T05:14:33.223-07:00Comments on Steve Sailer: iSteve: Who likes "Fast & Furious" movies? NYT remains stumpedUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-9012585229576787592013-02-26T19:25:57.299-08:002013-02-26T19:25:57.299-08:00Nice article,by the way I'm an avid fan of fas...Nice article,by the way I'm an avid fan of fast and furious films since 2001,2003,2006,2009,2011 series and now the <a href="http://www.worlks.com/2013/02/fast-and-furious-film-series-in-sixth.html" rel="nofollow">fast and furious 6 2013</a>. Thank you.<br />Diomar Salvadohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10473287217336697052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-27877746315223966562013-02-20T01:41:25.034-08:002013-02-20T01:41:25.034-08:00"The denouement? You ain't the target aud..."The denouement? You ain't the target audience, yo."<br /><br />Now that's good. Somebody's been reading my stuff.Truthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17286755693955361308noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-86549134150743565172013-02-20T01:03:44.246-08:002013-02-20T01:03:44.246-08:00In the 80s we had this thing called "Trekkies...In the 80s we had this thing called "Trekkies"<br /><br />But now every media-nerd variety of synthetic tribal identity--even these stupid 90-minute car commercials for the macho MEChA set--has been blessed with social acceptanceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-21184243100730279592013-02-19T23:50:22.777-08:002013-02-19T23:50:22.777-08:00Another bewildered news story. Searching on Googl...<a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2013/02/06/harvard-professor-spots-web-search-bias/PtOgSh1ivTZMfyEGj00X4I/story.html" rel="nofollow">Another bewildered news story. Searching on Google for "black" first names provokes ads for criminal background checks more often than searching for "white" first names. No one can conceive any explanation for this strange phenomenon except that, just perhaps, Google is malevolently racist.</a>Wispnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-11066527438514134982013-02-19T20:53:16.172-08:002013-02-19T20:53:16.172-08:00Roland said...
...who cares about Spanish?
You&#...Roland said...<br /><br />...who cares about Spanish?<br /><br />You'll care sir, when you can't get a job in the government, or advance in public life because you don't speak it. When your unilingualism makes you a second-class citizen in your own country. You'll care THEN. But just as with Canada, it'll be too late. I would say America is a generation and a bit, behind Canada, in the language wars. But don't worry, its coming. And believe me its not going to be pretty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-39573865832708054692013-02-19T19:50:59.152-08:002013-02-19T19:50:59.152-08:00""I could tell that American movies had ...""I could tell that American movies had shifted demographics. A decade or so ago, I started watching European movies, and found that their reliance on clever plots and storylines over exploding cars and chihuahuas appealed to me more than the current American movies."<br /><br />Translation: You got old."<br /><br />That could be part of it (or at least older, don't know how 'old' I was at 22), but I also like a number of older American movies for the better plots as well, which suggests that the steady drift towards mindlessness in American movies has gone hand in hand with the demographic shift.Nalennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-49051142057592603342013-02-19T18:17:31.593-08:002013-02-19T18:17:31.593-08:00Say whatever you want about SJP. Whenever I see h...Say whatever you want about SJP. Whenever I see her in a movie I think of her in <i>LA Story</i> and...<br /><br />I'll be in my bunk.Bob Loblawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11081916786770290968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-20085277843083684522013-02-19T18:12:43.477-08:002013-02-19T18:12:43.477-08:00"Well, after reading this comment-thread, it ..."Well, after reading this comment-thread, it seems that a major audience component of that stupid Fast & Furious movies series is...readers of this blogsite!"<br /><br />Selection bias.<br /><br />Gilbert P.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-41703361054444390272013-02-19T18:06:55.546-08:002013-02-19T18:06:55.546-08:00When gyroscope bearings seize (which isn't oft...When gyroscope bearings seize (which isn't often) the gyro goes flying out of its housing in some random direction, right through people or walls. It's a gruesome thing. <br /><br /> The other problem with gyro cars is the car can't turn because the gyro won't let it. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-79278991356926782232013-02-19T17:00:05.994-08:002013-02-19T17:00:05.994-08:00Sarah Jessica Parker and her horse face were still...<i>Sarah Jessica Parker and her horse face were still kinda attractive in "Striking Distance."</i><br /><br />Thankyou! I thought I was the only one who thought she had a horse face. My family are well used to me whinnying when she appears on-screen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-57661790388491474042013-02-19T15:36:45.440-08:002013-02-19T15:36:45.440-08:00Perhaps Hollywood remains an avenue of English-lan...Perhaps Hollywood remains an avenue of English-language adoption? Until they start making them in Spanish, I suppose. But outside of Latin America (and the Beltway), who cares about Spanish?Rolandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05542218368657857440noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-65727344144218155062013-02-19T14:11:59.353-08:002013-02-19T14:11:59.353-08:00"The good thing about Fast and the Furious is...<i>"The good thing about Fast and the Furious is that they don't talk about the diversity of their cast or make it a plot point."</i><br /><br />They don't talk about it explicitly, but Diesel's character refers to his multi-ethnic group as a "family". And they do family-like stuff: they eat meals together, say grace before meals, share chores, etc. So the message is sort of the opposite of Bowling Alone. <br /><br /><i>"Ray - The F&F movie that I like best is TOKYO DRIFT. A thing of beauty, it is."</i><br /><br />Tokyo Drift wasn't my favorite, but it was good. And interestingly, it succeeded despite ditching pretty much the entire cast (save for a brief cameo by Diesel near the end).<br /><br />BTW, a couple of weeks ago when we had a huge snow storm around here, I was walking out of a diner that was one of the few places open, and saw a half dozen AWD cars and their drivers hanging out in the mostly-empty, but snow-covered parking lot. Snow was coming down at about an inch or two an hour then, and these guys were apparently going for a joy ride in it. A WRX did a Tokyo Drift-style slide in an arc around the lot and then led the rest of the cars out on the empty highway. Maybe the F&F after this one should be set in snow country somewhere. <br /><br /><i>"The cliche in these kind of movies is the orange-red fireball that accompanies every crash. Having all your fuel go up all at once is obviously bad for your mileage to say nothing of the climate change implications. It's time for a more eco-friendly but still spectacular auto crash.<br /><br />One reason gyroscopes are not used for automobile power is because when their bearings freeze they spin the car around wildly. I would like to see a bit of that instead of all the gasoline explosions."</i><br /><br />Actually, most of the crashes in F&F don't have the big orange fireball, but if you watch Gladiator again, there's a shot similar to what you have in mind with the fly wheels -- it's in the Battle of Carthage reenactment scene, when the chariot crashes into the wall. <br /><br /><i>"You misunderstood the point, which is Hollywood studios make movies for an international audience, so they've denuded the product of anything that people in other countries would find confusing or offensive. Which leaves the artistic equivalent of lukewarm gruel.<br /><br />Filmmakers in other countries don't do that. A Japanese movie is unapologetically Japanese, and will have some complexity based in Japanese culture. Same with Chinese, or Persian."</i><br /><br />I'm not so sure about that. I think the Chinese in particular tried to aim for an international audience with some of the movies produced after the success of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.DaveinHackensackhttp://www.thehackensack.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-29178685203400172042013-02-19T14:06:08.834-08:002013-02-19T14:06:08.834-08:00Theres a 6th one? Theres are 3rd through 5th ones?...Theres a 6th one? Theres are 3rd through 5th ones?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-82573297013892039522013-02-19T13:42:36.510-08:002013-02-19T13:42:36.510-08:00Do you know how depressing it's become to work...Do you know how depressing it's become to work in Hollywood with aspirations to make something decent? If not Casablanca or The Godfather, at least popcorn entertainment as well-crafted as Jaws or Raiders of the Lost Ark? <br /><br />Sure, the money helps, but it's no fun making movies for knuckleheads that have to be able to play in Moscow, Delhi, and Sao Paulo as easily as in Van Nuys.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-68891442633038764682013-02-19T11:04:03.239-08:002013-02-19T11:04:03.239-08:00"Hollywood doesn't make movies for Americ...<i>"Hollywood doesn't make movies for Americans any more... That's why I stopped watching American movies in favor of Chinese and Japanese."<br /><br />Gotcha.</i><br /><br />You misunderstood the point, which is Hollywood studios make movies for an international audience, so they've denuded the product of anything that people in other countries would find confusing or offensive. Which leaves the artistic equivalent of lukewarm gruel.<br /><br />Filmmakers in other countries don't do that. A Japanese movie is unapologetically Japanese, and will have some complexity based in Japanese culture. Same with Chinese, or Persian. It's only Hollywood movies that are written by a committed and expected to do x million dollars internationally.<br /><br />I know a guy who writes scripts and sells them to studios. It turns out to be an easier gig than you'd expect, because studios buy up scripts they have no intention of turning into movies to keep them away from competitors.<br /><br />Anyway, a few of his submissions have been turned into movies. None of them have been rewritten less than six times by other (separate) people, including the producer, on occasion. None of the rewrites were done to address artistic problems.<br /><br />No, they were done for business reasons. Characters and vehicles were added to make merchandising easier. love interests were added to bring in the adolescent boys. Any dialog or plot elements that wouldn't be obvious in Romania were stripped out. Etc.<br /><br />By the time they were done his original scripts had been turned into artistic clones of all the other movies that came out that year.<br /><br />He didn't care that much, because the money was good and he understands it's a business. But if this is normal it goes a long way toward explaining what we see (or don't, in my case) in the theaters.Bob Loblawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11081916786770290968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-13071481536213364072013-02-19T10:55:34.974-08:002013-02-19T10:55:34.974-08:00Is "who watches movies like 'Fast and Fur...Is "who watches movies like 'Fast and Furious?'" really an interesting question that demands some sort of racial/socioeconomic demographic breakdown? I suggest the NYT is just filling some space and they don't care that much.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-35846462113693565642013-02-19T10:23:57.964-08:002013-02-19T10:23:57.964-08:00"It's amazing what's going on out the..."It's amazing what's going on out there. The popularity of various TV shows, movies, music and videos that I've never even heard of is incredible."<br /><br />I have the same reaction, but I didn't find it so amazing. I attributed it to turning 40.Ednoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-79973545117802855572013-02-19T10:09:08.974-08:002013-02-19T10:09:08.974-08:00I have a few suggestions to make these movies more...<br />I have a few suggestions to make these movies more acceptable to the NYT readership..<br /><br />The cliche in these kind of movies is the orange-red fireball that accompanies every crash. Having all your fuel go up all at once is obviously bad for your mileage to say nothing of the climate change implications. It's time for a more eco-friendly but still spectacular auto crash.<br /><br />One reason gyroscopes are not used for automobile power is because when their bearings freeze they spin the car around wildly. I would like to see a bit of that instead of all the gasoline explosions. Let's get a new screenplay in which the F & F gang are a dedicated group of eco-terrorists who drive only flywheel powered cars. <br /><br />At vital plot points the bad guys (guys who burn gas) shoot the good guys cars and hit the flywheel bearings. The car immediately spins at great speed and tragically ultracentrifuges one of the good guy side-kicks to death.<br /><br />Plenty of action for the yahoos - politically correct automobiles for the effete urban snobs. Sure hit.<br /><br />Albertosaurus<br />Pat Boylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13477950851915567863noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-50729280605251477222013-02-19T09:44:10.506-08:002013-02-19T09:44:10.506-08:00http://www.ted.com/talks/keith_chen_could_your_lan...http://www.ted.com/talks/keith_chen_could_your_language_affect_your_ability_to_save_money.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-58055317963807354042013-02-19T09:31:05.326-08:002013-02-19T09:31:05.326-08:00"Bill Simmons "The Sports Guy" and ..."Bill Simmons "The Sports Guy" and Adam Carolla both spend ridiculous amounts of time talking up this series. So it would seem that white prep school kids and jocks love these movies. NYT reading SWPLs probably not so much."<br /><br />White prep school kids are SWPLs -if you haven't noticed. Even jocks are pretty SWPLfied at those places.Anonyianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-65145803477134310982013-02-19T09:18:40.768-08:002013-02-19T09:18:40.768-08:00DaveinHackensack said,
I watch the Fast & Fur...<i>DaveinHackensack said,<br /><br />I watch the Fast & Furious movies... during the movie's denouement. </i><br /><br />The denouement? You ain't the target audience, yo.robnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-81385041712935731532013-02-19T08:11:40.365-08:002013-02-19T08:11:40.365-08:00Ray - The F&F movie that I like best is TOKYO ...Ray - The F&F movie that I like best is TOKYO DRIFT. A thing of beauty, it is.<br /> FabrizioAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-90893709474099807062013-02-19T07:47:48.218-08:002013-02-19T07:47:48.218-08:00The good thing about Fast and the Furious is that ...The good thing about Fast and the Furious is that they don't talk about the diversity of their cast or make it a plot point.<br /><br />Unlike the usual NYT movies of choice, there are no wise Latinas or socially conscious black men to englighten the white stars - the hispanic and asian actors steal cars and drive like maniacs just like the white ones.el supremonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-53676612123323048002013-02-19T07:09:08.579-08:002013-02-19T07:09:08.579-08:00Justin Lin director of the movies is another Taiwa...<i>Justin Lin director of the movies is another Taiwanese guy in US movie directing. Becoming a trend?</i><br /><br />I think that we're going to see more asian and asian-american directors in Hollywood. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9430835.post-39366700590968497352013-02-19T06:41:42.651-08:002013-02-19T06:41:42.651-08:00"Hollywood doesn't make movies for Americ..."Hollywood doesn't make movies for Americans any more... That's why I stopped watching American movies in favor of Chinese and Japanese."<br /><br />Gotcha.Truthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17286755693955361308noreply@blogger.com