I agree to an extent. Particularly with political/personal matters, it is your belief and your feeling on the subject, and you should not be told that your opinion is wrong. I don’t think there are any right or wrong opinions.
Don’t know why I’m mentioning this but I consider myself Apolitcal. I don’t really care much for the left or right. I can’t say I have a big view on politics anyway.
People who play games on their phones for a long time, that have repatative sounds, and they don’t turn the sound down or off.
You do make some good points. I did like Avatar though it wasn’t one of the BEST films I’ve seen. Cameron has definitely made better films in his career like the Terminator flicks and Aliens (I found it slightly better than the first for some reason, more action)
I think the action in Aliens is what makes it so conventional when compared to the unnerving thriller that Scott made of the original.
It’s not a bad film, but I think it would have been better to remain in the genre established by Alien, which wasn’t action.
I think Cameron was trying to make the instalment appeal to the action-film audience more. As much as I liked Aliens more, there’s no doubt that the original Alien had a really good atmosphere and loads of suspense. Since I’m more of an action guy though, I liked Aliens a bit better. Still, both of two of my all-time favourite movies. Infact, I like alot of sci-fi action/horror movies from earlier decades, like The Terminator, RoboCop, Total Recall, Predator and The Thing, which I particularly love for it’s Antarctic atmosphere and gory gross-out special effects.
Now that you remind me of it, Terminator is another franchise that embraced action in the sequels in detriment of the original feel.
The second one is good, too, but I can’t help to feel that Cameron keeps himself much more centred with a smaller budget.
Well the first Terminator did have several action sequences to be fair, but some scenes gave it more of a horror/thriller feel compared to the more action-packed sequels.
Sorry if I’m going off-topic here, but what did you think of Alien 3 and Alien: Resurrection? I thought 3 was decent but I didn’t like how they [spoil]killed off Hicks and Newt right from the start[/spoil], plus I didn’t feel alot of sympathy for the victims. I enjoyed Resurrection more than 3 mainly for it’s action sequences and over-the-top characters, but the story was really weird and the whole thing felt more like some spin-off mad scientist flick than an actual Alien movie. The scene with the Xenomorphs swimming was awesome imo.
However, neither of those hold up to the first two, obviously. I think it’s fair to say that Alien works as a sci-fi/horror movie, and Aliens works as a sci-fi/action movie. They’re both fantastic in their own ways, though I personally preferred Aliens a bit more for it’s action sequences.
As for the Alien Vs Predator movies, I personally found the first one to be OKAY (despite the stupid storyline), but the second one was complete rubbish. The original Predator films are great though.
I may say what I say about Aliens, but at least I admit it’s a good film.
Alien 3 and Resurrection, on the other hand, are not. To be perfectly honest, they grind my gears 
Agreed. Alien 3 was a bit dissapointing, but Resurrection is decent as a standalone action flick imo.
iTunes only having cover versions of songs I want.
Coworkers who talk about the same stuff everyday.
Soundbities used in commercials for interviews. They make you think one thing before watching the interview, but most of the time it turns out to be something else. I guess the person doing the interview learns how to create soundbities.
Oh, I have a lot of things that grind my gears… 
Some of the the things that annoy me:
Trashy Reality TV ‘Stars’-You know who you are.
Michael Bay-He has changed the way that films are made, more than people know. It ain’t for the better.
Shrek-I love parodies, but this isn’t a parody. It’s a hateful, vengeful work dedicated to bashing Disney.
Ties-Pointless, useless, annoying.
Bullies-Find something better to do with your life.
And many, many, more…
Agreed about Bay
It grinds my gears that I’ve been getting grief recently from friends since I’ve told them that my favorite Disney movie is Beauty and the Beast, and that I love My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Loving those two are a major no no since I’m a man. And when I said that I have the BatB soundtrack, I was told that there are some things that I should not tell people.
It also grinds my gears how I had a coworker spend two days trying to convince me that I need to grow up. She saw me pull out my Spongebob wallet, and that started her asking me questions about what I’m into. I told her, and I told her about my love of toys and how I have a lot of them in my room. She talked about how a women might feel freaked out by me having so many toys. She said I shouldn’t completely change, but I need to mature a bit, and tone down some of my ways. I told her that I’m a grown man who is a kid a heart who holds down a job and takes care of his responsibilities. Therefore, there are no problems when it comes to how I live my life. And if I ever met a women who didn’t like it, then she can go on her way. To change the way I am, or to tone it down, would be devestating to me.
I can relate with you, theoutsider. While I had understanding friends in uni (who later went to work with me in my first job) who respected my love for animated films (they themselves watch anime and read manga, so it’s not like they can afford to be hypocritical) with the occassional teasing about me liking Friendship Is Magic, I’m not sure that I can share my interests with my current work colleagues at a big corporate firm.*
It makes me both sad and angry that your so-called friends should treat you that way. A true friend should accept you for who you are (unless what you do is something obviously evil or illegal like stealing candies from babies or robbing old ladies). But seriously? Liking the soundtrack to the first animated film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards? Loving a show that has grown beyond its target demographic for its heartwarming themes and endearing characters? Your pals can’t handle that?
I’m not saying you should abandon them entirely. But perhaps you should explain to them (if you’re close enough) that it is perfectly fine to watch animated films and TV shows, and that it is not wrong or illegal or what-have-you. And if they turn you away or shut you off, perhaps you should consider seeking like-minded friends while keeping your current ones for company.
As for your co-worker, that is very rude of her. I advise that you ignore her, she’s probably a ‘hater’. Lots of adults collect toys, or action figurines, or whatever you wanna call 'em. Plenty of video games come in collector’s editions that have figurines, like Uncharted 3, Gears Of War 3, Batman: Arkham City, et cetera. Why do we find it okay for girls to watch Transformers at the movies, but we cringe at guys watching My Little Pony on TV? Ladies, I’m not attacking you, I’m just pointing out society’s double standards.
And as long as you hold a steady job, are self-reliant, and are able to think with maturity and compassion, then you’re a perfectly well-adjusted bloke in my books. It is these people who aren’t open-minded, who have to pigeonhole individuals into little compartments (Boys must play with cars, girls must wear skirts, adults can’t watch cartoons because it is childish), who need to ‘grow up’ and get a life.
- As an aside, I admitted to one of my female work colleagues that I loved films like Wall-E and Rio and she told me she liked them too! And today, she revealed during our conversations that she watches Danny Phantom and The Legend of Aang. I suggested Friendship Is Magic and Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends and she said she’ll give them a go. It is these big-hearted, imaginative and brave people we need in the world nowadays, and fewer of the sceptical, inconsiderate and mean ones.
I tell openly to my colleagues and students that I like Pixar films, for instance, and I even use them in class as examples in many topics of study.
Some, I’m sure, find a way to be dismissive about that. They won’t go far in the film industry, if they can’t recognize the greatness of some products just because they are animated.
But I have the luck of being among people who perfectly understand it.
It bothers me when people are so rude and do such impolite things.
I’m glad you mention your corporate job, thedriveintheatre. I told my coworker about how I have cartoon character window decals on my rear car window, and I have Walle and Eve action figures on my dash board. She talked about if I ever had a job in corporate America, and how if people saw me in my car they wouldn’t take me seriously. I told her that my interest outside work should have no effect on how people at my job feel about me if my performance meets their expectations. In the end she basically said that I was crazy and stubborn. I did ignore her, and I have no bad feelings toward her.
The thing about my friends is that in a lot of ways we are like minded people. That’s why I felt like I could tell them about BatB and MLP: FiM. But I realized that there are certain things I can’t share with them. One of them even asked me if I was a kid who grew up dancing around my room to Disney movie music. When he said that he acted out this really girly dance while saying it. Good grief! I acted out Power Rangers and my favorite superheros like millions of other little boys during the 90s! Never once did I dance to Disney music. Oh, and the grief I got when they realized that I wore my Brony shirt when I had my picture taken for my badge…smh. I told them to go on Netflix and give the show a chance. They immediately shot down the idea. I haven’t been this surprised by people reactions to something I like since I wore a pink shirt a few years ago. I thought that thinking that pink was for girls was something that people grew out of as they became adults.
I’m sorry if these pics are to big, I don’t know how to shrink them.
Here’s my computer desk.
My dashboard.
My rear window.
You know what really grinds my gears? This rant about Pixar. (Warning: strong language!)
Now, I’m not saying that there aren’t studios better than Pixar, nor am I saying that Pixar is immune to legitimate criticism. That’s a subjective matter that I won’t delve into. However, the author’s argument has no real substance, nothing to back up the claims, is full of logical fallacies, and is immature. It just sounds like someone desperately seeking validation by being an “edgy” counterculturalist.
Anyways, if they’re just a troll, then I’ll have to admit that they succeeded in getting an emotional response from me. I’m annoyed.
theoutsider: Well, that’s the good approach to your coworker. As the Internet saying goes, “Haters gonna hate.” And it’s very big-hearted of you to harbour no ill feelings towards her, in fact, I would feel sorry because she can’t find it in her heart to accept you for who you are (and you have done nothing illegal or wrong to begin with!).
A lot of my close friends also make fun of my pony fandom, they would sing the song and roll their eyes when they discover I like it. I tried to get a few of them to watch some episodes and, to their credit, they did went along. Unfortunately, they still remained unconvinced, so I simply don’t talk about the show anymore with them or tag them in my pony-related posts on social media. It’s just not their cup of tea, and I’m cool with that.
But it truly is unfortunate that your colleagues would go out of their way to chastise you or even tell you not to continue your interests. That is incredibly close-minded. It is like me telling someone not to eat shrimps, because I just don’t like them. Or a grown-up that he can’t watch The Simpsons, because it’s a cartoon and therefore for kids. Or a businessman that he can’t skateboard on weekends, because, you know, that’s for teenagers and ‘delinquents’.
Why should you not have the right to like what you like if it doesn’t harm anyone? Heck, if some guy wants go watch Barney or Teletubbies, I say good on 'em. If it’s more riskier fare, which I will not list, but those of you who have seen Japanese anime with octopuses would know what I mean, again, I have a view on it, but I won’t judge them for it. It’s their life, who am I to say that what they personally choose to indulge in is ‘wrong’ or ‘inappropriate’?
My rule of thumb for actions and interests is: If it doesn’t hurt anyone or anything, and is not illegal, by all means, continue.
Ding: I read a bit, and then I decided it’s not worth my time (but thanks for sharing anyway!). There’s no way I’m going to convince the person to see otherwise, and reading it is just gonna get me incensed with their attacks on our interests.
Also, the person is entirely entitled to his opinion, no matter how offensive Perhaps this is his honest view. I just don’t choose to listen to him. 