winther's recent activity
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
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Comment on Midweek Movie Free Talk in ~movies
winther Link ParentUh, I have a soft spot for these classic massive epics and while The Ten Commandments isn't near the level of something like Ben Hur or Lawrence of Arabia I still think it has some charm despite...Uh, I have a soft spot for these classic massive epics and while The Ten Commandments isn't near the level of something like Ben Hur or Lawrence of Arabia I still think it has some charm despite its age.
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Comment on ‘Ideal’ movie running time is 92 minutes, poll claims in ~movies
winther Link ParentThe ads is also a big annoyance for me. Like I already pay almost €18 for a ticket, which in my opinion should be ad free. Knowing this I do sometimes just arrive 15 minutes late but it is silly...The ads is also a big annoyance for me. Like I already pay almost €18 for a ticket, which in my opinion should be ad free. Knowing this I do sometimes just arrive 15 minutes late but it is silly you have to do that, and it messes with my general sense of punctuality.
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Comment on ‘Ideal’ movie running time is 92 minutes, poll claims in ~movies
winther Link ParentThe so called "best movies of all time" have the length they need. Like 12 angry men is 97 minutes and Casablanca 102, though on average the movies on those lists do tend to be on the longer side....The so called "best movies of all time" have the length they need. Like 12 angry men is 97 minutes and Casablanca 102, though on average the movies on those lists do tend to be on the longer side. But then, most movies don't need to be at that sort of level and more often I think a movie could be shorter than I wished it was longer.
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Comment on ‘Ideal’ movie running time is 92 minutes, poll claims in ~movies
winther LinkNot sure how much can deduced from this sort of poll, especially since it is being contradicted by the types of movies that actually sell tickets. Still, it is an interesting discussion and I am...Not sure how much can deduced from this sort of poll, especially since it is being contradicted by the types of movies that actually sell tickets. Still, it is an interesting discussion and I am generally in the camp of thinking many movies are too damn long these days. Always good exceptions and a good movie has the proper length it needs and all that, but I get weary especially by action movies that are stretching the two and half hour marks.
As a columnist in response to this survey says:
I have watched epic films that have zapped by very quickly, and I have watched films that were short in theory (usually commercial Hollywood pictures) but whose every minute seemed to last as long as Wagner’s Ring Cycle. Let’s not tie ourselves to a 92-minute rule.
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‘Ideal’ movie running time is 92 minutes, poll claims
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Comment on AI video won't work in Hollywood, because it can't make small iterative changes, former Pixar animator says in ~movies
winther LinkThis interview with the people behind the Sora made short film "Air Head" goes into some detail about how it is definitely much more manual work than simply writing a few prompts. Most technology...This interview with the people behind the Sora made short film "Air Head" goes into some detail about how it is definitely much more manual work than simply writing a few prompts.
Most technology developments goes through a overestimation in the short term but underestimated in the long term, and I think we are still very much in the overestimation phase. It is anyone's guess when and how long the long term will be. But it is not a natural given than progress comes linearly fashion, sometimes thing hit a plateau and where the last 20% takes 80% of the effort or more. The current AI models are not their infancy, but the culmination of decades of research and many of the limitations are not like small bugs that needs to be fixed. There are fundamental limitations with the approach that isn't just fixable with a few more years of work. Like we have some NP-hard problems in computer science that have been known for several decades, that simply can't be solved with non-exponential algorithms. I think we are seeing some sort of plateau with the current tech of AI. The hype 2 years ago would have us believe that we by now should have amazing AGI that could do everything, because people just extrapolated half a years of progress and thought it would keep going like that. It is pretty clear that AI didn't just explode exponentially in capabilities.
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Comment on "No CGI" is really just invisible CGI in ~movies
winther Link ParentI saw someone describe it as "CGI can look real but feels fake. Practical effects look fake but feels real", which of course is wishywashy and very dependent on what types of film you grew up...I saw someone describe it as "CGI can look real but feels fake. Practical effects look fake but feels real", which of course is wishywashy and very dependent on what types of film you grew up with. But there is something about it for me at least where if I notice the CGI too much, my interest in the film drops. It looks boring. Something like this is like watching a boring video game, compared to a proper action scene like this even though both uses CGI.
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Aaron Sorkin is writing some kind of ‘Social Network’ sequel
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Comment on Movie of the Week #27 - Fargo in ~movies
winther Link ParentI am from Europe so I have no idea whether these regional differences and accents are accurately portrayed, so I appreciate your insight.I am from Europe so I have no idea whether these regional differences and accents are accurately portrayed, so I appreciate your insight.
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Comment on Movie of the Week #27 - Fargo in ~movies
winther (edited )LinkThis was a turning point in cementing the unique black comedy style from the Coen-brothers. The humor was also what did it for me the first time I saw this. It was almost unheard of using violence...This was a turning point in cementing the unique black comedy style from the Coen-brothers. The humor was also what did it for me the first time I saw this. It was almost unheard of using violence in such a odd comedic setting. This time around it was a bit different. All this meaningless violence isn't just for pure fun, but to showcase how greed can spiral out of control with dire consequences. What really matters is that you can be content with the small things in life as Marge being happy for her husband's stamp design.
It has been a while since I saw the tv show, but I remember liking at least the first two seasons even better than the movie, despite the Coen-brothers not being directly involved in that.
Frances McDormand is a delight in this with her down to earth deadpan approach to all the crazy things going on. She is just comfortable living a normal life, and succeeding, while the others go around killing themselves for money. She is also great in Burn After Reading, really showing her comedic talent. A good example of actors being better in comedies than most comedians are in movies in my opinion.
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Movie of the Week #27 - Fargo
Warning: this post may contain spoilers
Last in the line of prominent female leading roles is Fargo from 1996 directed by the Coen brothers and starring Frances McDormand.
Besides any thoughts on this movie, what did you think of Frances McDormand's performance in this?
The schedule for May is:
- 6th: Pan's Labyrinth
- 13th: The Zone of Interest
- 20th: Luxury Car
- 27th: The Tree of Life
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Comment on Nominate for "Movie of the Week" in May - Cannes Film Festival in ~movies
winther LinkWell not much competition here, so for May it is: 6th: Pan's Labyrinth 13th: The Zone of Interest 20th: Luxury Car 27th: The Tree of LifeWell not much competition here, so for May it is:
6th: Pan's Labyrinth
13th: The Zone of Interest
20th: Luxury Car
27th: The Tree of Life -
Comment on The man who killed Google Search in ~tech
winther Link ParentTheir cloud infrastructure is also very good. We have been using it at my workplace for six years and have only had one major outage in that period. When their load balancers was down and broke...Their cloud infrastructure is also very good. We have been using it at my workplace for six years and have only had one major outage in that period. When their load balancers was down and broke half the internet for a few hours. Everything practically runs at 100% uptime. And every kind of deprecation is handled with years of warning and usually you can still use it afterwards, just not create new instances. A very different experience than using their end consumer products.
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Comment on Nominate for "Movie of the Week" in May - Cannes Film Festival in ~movies
winther Link ParentLooks interesting, but do you know if it is available somewhere? Seems hard to find.Looks interesting, but do you know if it is available somewhere? Seems hard to find.
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Comment on Reddit, AI spam bots explore new ways to show ads in your feed in ~tech
winther Link ParentEspecially for news sites I wish there was some good option for micropayments for single articles. But it will likely require some sort of corporation between all the news sites with a single...Especially for news sites I wish there was some good option for micropayments for single articles. But it will likely require some sort of corporation between all the news sites with a single entity that handles payment since fees will make small amount payments worthless. A service called Blendle did something like this but it only lasted a few years.
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Comment on Instagram's Nudify [non-consensual fake nude photo generator] ads in ~tech
winther Link ParentThere is a difference in banning tools and certain use of them. All laws are being broken, but that doesn't mean every law is useless. It does limit things we generally don't tolerate. Like...I don't think these tools are able to be banned either. Will be about as useful as banning alcohol or marijuana or pirated music. Never going to happen. With alcohol, marijuana, and free music, the solution was to make them easily available. That was the least damaging way to deal with them.
There is a difference in banning tools and certain use of them. All laws are being broken, but that doesn't mean every law is useless. It does limit things we generally don't tolerate. Like security testers and hackers are using the same set of software tools, but there is a pretty clear line between illegal and legal use. One that is very applicable here as well, whether there is consent involved. Do you have consent to mess around with this computer system, or do you have consent to use images of this person.
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Comment on Reddit, AI spam bots explore new ways to show ads in your feed in ~tech
winther (edited )LinkThis sort of thing almost make me depressed with how the internet is devolving into an adinfested dystopia. This is just another sad story on top of for example the thing with Roku wanting to...This sort of thing almost make me depressed with how the internet is devolving into an adinfested dystopia. This is just another sad story on top of for example the thing with Roku wanting to inject ads directly into the HDMI standard.
I go to great lengths to avoid ads in my life and try to limit the exposure for my kids, but it is an uphill battle. I know ads work and is a part of any market economy, but is it really the only way to make the web go around? With all the brilliant people working in tech across the world, is it really necessary to have half of them basically working on getting us to click more ads?
I understand the reason to want to get another humans opinion on some product rather than a marketing speak, but I also think one can research a product purchase to death. Spending hours searching and reading opinions, reviews, comparisons and specifications hoping to find the perfect match rather than just something that is "good enough". Just to argue with myself, I know that is exactly what the big brands wants us to do, by simply relying on brand recognition rather than making a critical informed decision. I don't know what the solution is here. Maybe using something like non-profit testing organizations like Consumer Reports, because it seems like we can't trust random internet people anymore - if we ever really could.
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Comment on Nominate for "Movie of the Week" in May - Cannes Film Festival in ~movies
winther LinkThe Zone of Interest (2023) It won the grand prix at Cannes, as well as two Oscars this year.The Zone of Interest (2023)
It won the grand prix at Cannes, as well as two Oscars this year.
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Comment on How Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Movie Critic’ fell apart in ~movies
winther Link ParentI really appreciated Jackie Brown when I rewatched it again last year. I saw it when it came out but was disappointed, likely because I was too young and just wanted more raunchy gangster stuff...I really appreciated Jackie Brown when I rewatched it again last year. I saw it when it came out but was disappointed, likely because I was too young and just wanted more raunchy gangster stuff like Pulp Fiction and Resevoir Dogs. However, Jackie Brown is really interesting with how it has characters that don't sound like they have all their lines written by Tarantino.
The Teachers' Lounge
This was the German entry in this years Oscar nominees for best international picture and I think it deserves at least the same level of attention as Anatomy of a Fall (which was awarded in other categories). They are even somewhat similar with the theme of a crime investigation, but where Anatomy of a Fall used a courtroom to mercilessly dissect a persons private personality, this is less about character exploration and more of an uncomfortable lense at group dynamics, social status, rumors, school politics and how even the best of people with the best intentions can have something totally spiral out of control. It provides even less resolve and answers than Anatomy of a Fall with no clear explanations, which can be very frustrating and challenging, but I love the boldness of it and how the film manages to create so much tension and personal drama on the nature of doubts with a relatively minor plot about some small time theft in a regular German school. I only know Leonie Benesch from Das Weisse Band but she is outright amazing here as well, where we really get her most inner thoughts and doubts and inner monologue just from facial expressions and body language, while still maintaining a personal boundary where we never really get to know her.
There is an interesting interview with the director here.