The Syndicate

I haven't seen enough films by any, in order to really name a favourite auteur. It would have been easy if Kubrick or Bergman would have been in the poll, but they're not. My favourite film ever is by Kurosawa, but I should really see his classic ones already. So I'll go with Mike Nichols, because he made my other favourite film ever (which is technically a mini-series) and also the breathtaking Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. I may not end up enjoying every movie by him (I think only one third of the The Graduate is good, Catch-22 is a complete dud), but right now he's a legit choice for me. And he'll be missed.

That movie was genuinely bonkers, but in all sorts of good ways, I thought.

I don't know, atm, if I should just dive into Inherent Vice or attempt the book first.

zeek wrote:No Hitchcock on the poll

I remember Alison not liking him, so it's not surprising.

Mongoose wrote:

Canucklehead wrote:

Mongoose wrote:

Canucklehead wrote:Hmmmmm....I am by no means an expert in or connoisseur of film, so imma just vote for a woman, cuz there are practically none on the list.
Ava Duvernay is absent, and Kathryn Bigelow is spelt wrong which made her hard to google, and Nora Ephron made "Julie and Julia" which I hated, and while I loved "The Virgin Suicides", "Marie Antoinette" was an abomination that should've revoked Sofia Copola's filmmaking liscense, so that leaves me with Susanne Bier, of whom I have never heard, but whose films I may now watch just because I now feel an intimate connection with her because I just typed a long and unnecessary paragraph justifying a vote for her.

I truly believe Susanne Bier is the most gifted filmmaker alive today. I had Penny Marshall and others on the list too (Catherine Hardwicke, foreign directors, Mira Nair etc). but you can only have 50 poll options.

In that case, I am legit excited to watch her films! Where should I start? The one she won the Oscar for? (Keep in mind I am a cinema neophyte and may not appreciate some of the subtler/more technical aspects of filmmaking...

In a Better World won her the Oscar, but I loved After the Wedding in a nearly erotic way. It's being currently remade by Hollywood, who also remade her film Brothers.

Cinema neophytes are welcome!

I didn't like that much the movie that won the Oscar. I'm pondering if enough time has passed for me to watch the original Brothers, given that the Hollywood version was awful.

Mongoose wrote:

zeek wrote:No Hitchcock on the poll

Hitchcock was a big omission -- I didn't put any of the characters I had in my game in the poll (which was an easy way to delete the poll options from 210 to 50), but I forgot I deleted him. He might pop up somewhere later k.

Vic/Ric - You are just remembering wrong, sug. My living room is Hitchcock themed. I should take pictures. He's actually my favorite director (I refer to PT Anderson as my favorite living director because I am ridiculous).

Then I'm alone again in being mostly underwhelmed by him

I still have a list of Voopy's favourite movies, I think.

I saw at least one film by only 45 or so of those directors.

von Trier's Melancholia opened me to Wagner. No joke. Ironically, though, most wagnerians I've read actually despise his (mis)use of Wagner in that movie. I finally listened to the whole Tristan und Isolde after seeing the movie and I was instantly transfixed. Melancholia, incidentally, is also the type of movie that's totally bonkers, but in a rather good way.

Also, I'm getting confused why some are writing in normal color and others in green on basically the same subject, i.e. talking about movies.

So the poll has no bearing on the game, but its discussion does?

Oh oh.

Long Con wrote:
I have never seen Casablanca. I don't like old movies, I like modern ones. I saw Citizen Kane at some point, and I don't really remember a single frame of it, I just know it bored me. I saw Gone With The Wind recently, and I enjoyed Rhett Butler's character, disliked the main chick, and just didn't feel immersed or invested in the storyline all that much.

I usually feel the same about the "Golden Age" Hollywood and old, cheap Sci-Fi movies. At least in case of the latter, I realize it's probably because of being fed too much blockbuster CGI these past decades.

Metalmarsh89 wrote:

Ricochet wrote:

Long Con wrote:
I have never seen Casablanca. I don't like old movies, I like modern ones. I saw Citizen Kane at some point, and I don't really remember a single frame of it, I just know it bored me. I saw Gone With The Wind recently, and I enjoyed Rhett Butler's character, disliked the main chick, and just didn't feel immersed or invested in the storyline all that much.

I usually feel the same about the "Golden Age" Hollywood and old, cheap Sci-Fi movies. At least in case of the latter, I realize it's probably because of being fed too much blockbuster CGI these past decades.

What's CGI?

Computer-generated imagery.

S~V~S wrote:

Ricochet wrote:

Long Con wrote:
I have never seen Casablanca. I don't like old movies, I like modern ones. I saw Citizen Kane at some point, and I don't really remember a single frame of it, I just know it bored me. I saw Gone With The Wind recently, and I enjoyed Rhett Butler's character, disliked the main chick, and just didn't feel immersed or invested in the storyline all that much.

I usually feel the same about the "Golden Age" Hollywood and old, cheap Sci-Fi movies. At least in case of the latter, I realize it's probably because of being fed too much blockbuster CGI these past decades.

Oh I love all those bad sci fi movies, Plan 9 etc, and movies with the underwater scenes shot through fishbowls. I love them mainly in a MST3K kind of way, but even without Tom Servo and Crow, I appreciate the imagination that went into them. But yeah, the CGI gets more real every year.

I'm not very good with bad or "so bad it's good" movies, either. I watched once a MST3K take on Space Mutiny, together with Matt, and recently we have a friend over for New Year's Eve who's a fan and showed us some killer American educational shorts parodies. I also watch the Best of the Worst series made by the Red Letter Media guys (the ones with the Plinkett reviews).

I meant SF films more like The Day the Earth Stood Still, Andromeda Strain, Dark Star, The Man Who Fell on Earth (even if it stars a totally, yet typically cuckoo David Bowie). Incidentally, my favourite such movie so far would be a rather esoteric Czech movie called Ikarie XB-1, because looks like a bootleg Star Trek episode, but it's also more existential underneath.

Also, this poll (and Voopy's list) lacks Jahar Panahi.

thellama73 wrote:(looking at you, Michael Bay!)

Well he must be somewhere around here.

A Person wrote:

Metalmarsh89 wrote:

A Person wrote:

Ricochet wrote:

thellama73 wrote:(looking at you, Michael Bay!)

Well he must be somewhere around here.

He's probably just waiting for the thread to blow up.

Voting for Walt Disney might just do it.

It would certainly make it more animated.

But everyone would be back alive the next day after being killed.

I'm too much of a scaredy cat to watch horror. Although I did watch the Babadook recently, due to hype.

sabie12 wrote:

Ricochet wrote:I'm too much of a scaredy cat to watch horror. Although I did watch the Babadook recently, due to hype.

Horror is fun to watch with friends when you can make fun of it together. If only I had friends... sigh haha

I don't have friends either. I only have a girlfriend who will not tolerate nightmare-inducing cinematic experiences.

I'll also be in Bucharest until Tuesday, but I'll be able to pop in at least once a day, maybe just not chat so much about movies. Please don't lynch me either.

Bucharest, by the way, is a European capital where, at a movie theater in its city centre, I could not see Blackhat because I was the only one who showed up there wanting to see it.

That's ok, it's not as if I didn't dread the moment I'd be first to be sacrificed as the noob I am.

thellama73 wrote:
I completely agree with you. There was some movie I was watching (I forget which one, I want to say Swordfish or something like that) where everything was SO YELLOW it was terrible and distracting. I think you can get away with a little more of it in an artier film like Memento, but it can easily be taken too far.

Probably not the one you're talking about, but the only recent movie with intentionally sickening use of yellow (actually, pretty much the whole piss palette) I can remember is Enemy - it even gets much of its flak for this particular aspect, but I personally feel the whole movie (thus, even the use of color) is done in a very smart way.

I'm not very good at judging visual aspects, usually. I pretty much scratch my head every year with the Oscar nominations for Cinematography and especially Art Direction, except if one movie really stands out.

So OMG, it starts. Now that it started, I want to thank Alison for my role and, of course, the Academy...

I knew it was Hitch, but the quote "For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake" made me think of Wes Anderson, but Alison cut him out of the picture as well.

timmer wrote:

Ricochet wrote:So OMG, it starts. Now that it started, I want to thank Alison for my role and, of course, the Academy...

I knew it was Hitch, but the quote "For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake" made me think of Wes Anderson, but Alison cut him out of the picture as well.

It seems obvious, but just to be clear... Mongoose=Alison?

Sorry about that. I should probably stick to forum names from now on.

Mongoose wrote:Anyone seen the controversial foreign film I Am Curious (Yellow)?

First time hearing about it.

Ah well, it probably won't be long now until I'll get overwhelmed by the level of debating here. Needless to say, I didn't pick up anything from anybody, either. I personally appreciated anyone's immersion into the theme during day 0. Without any background in past behaviours, I'd also like to know more on why Vompatti would make a suspect for having been more active. No intention to vote for him, at the moment. That being said, I somehow also can't really imagine him getting an ordinary role, civ or not, either. I'll try to make up my mind who to actually vote, later or tomorrow.

I have to ask, as this point, those who intend to scan back Day 0 for OT content: what exactly do (or will) they consider to be OT in this particular game?

Ricochet wrote:I have to ask, as this point, those who intend to scan back Day 0 for OT content: what exactly do (or will) they consider to be OT in this particular game?

Frankly, the only way this would even prove meaningful to me is that if someone makes every effort to post about film directors, but refuses to engage in current discussion. [/quote]

S~V~S wrote: What I am saying is that after some time days, if someone is mostly posting OT, then I might find that suspicious. Like if someone has 1- or 15 posts and says nothing game related, that would get my eye.

I can perfectly understand these two viewpoints, thank you for clarifying.

MovingPictures07 wrote: - Ricochet - He's new, and seems to be generally interested in playing the game

The only thing I can trace back in the thread regarding MM's self-vote was that there was a lot of irony regarding MM being lynched again on D1, he excused himself for going on a boat trip, even more ironies about lynching him followed, to which he just said fine, I'll vote for myself, because I'll be away. He also voted himself knowing the vote is not changeable, judging from his post. It is an odd vote, indeed, but perhaps this whole thing can at the same time be considered to be completely ironical?

***

I'm back in the hole room, with nothing left to do for today, but I think I'll see that movie now. And some tennis, too. At least Federer was the first to get lynched there mwahaha

thellama73 wrote:Ricochet, you are a new player, so let me ask you a direct question (I hope you don't mind).

Are you bad?

Whoa there! Do all newbies get this baptism of fire?

I don't think that, at this point, either my answer or your reason for asking could be supported by anything from the discussion. But feel free to make claims, if you believe you have reasons to.

thellama73 wrote:

Ricochet wrote:

thellama73 wrote:Ricochet, you are a new player, so let me ask you a direct question (I hope you don't mind).

Are you bad?

Whoa there! Do all newbies get this baptism of fire?

I don't think that, at this point, either my answer or your reason for asking could be supported by anything from the discussion. But feel free to make claims, if you believe you have reasons to.

Are you refusing to answer?

No, I merely wish to be accused properly.

I was not saying you were accusing me. I would just rather have you claim what gives you the impression of being bad, and start from there, rather than having to give an empty answer to an empty question.

timmer wrote:
I will say this, about this recent llama/Ricochet thing.

@Ricochet... when someone asks you if you are bad, and you aren't? You typically say "no". :P

Ah, got it.

thellama73 wrote:Riddle me this: Why would someone refuse to say "no" when asked if they are bad? There are many explanations, but the following springs immediately to my mind:

Because of the implications of simply answering "no". Again, no basis from the debate so far for my answer, just as much as no basis for you to ask. You can promptly go on to say you did simply just asked a question, but I didn't believe it to be anything except a trick question and that's that. If there's something springing immediately in my mind, it's that you could be out to troll on me being a baddie as much as you may have been out earlier to troll on Vomps being a baddie. Opinions on that being a credible theory are 50-50 so far, so I'll take my chances here as well.

thellama73 wrote:
I don't think he is bad (or at least I didn't. I'm rapidly forming an opinion of him.)

Can I confess towards the feeling being mutual and leave it at that? I really feel like detaching from the game for now and watch that movie I planned.

Bass_the_Clever wrote:Ricochet are you new to mafia or just new to the site?

I think I remember when the site was created, but I never joined until Mongoose planned this game and invited me. Regarding mafia, I didn't really do much research in the past games, tbh.

S~V~S wrote: Also, re Ricochet, some people ALWAYS ask noobs that question. I can see Ricochets hesitation at first, but Timmer explained it to him, he acknowledged the explanation, but still refused to answer?

Of course not. I answered to Timmer in a fun way.

S~V~S wrote:Did you read the rest of my post? I said I doubt you have teammates.

You seem to be a natural, though

I did, but I was just addressing what you said re my reply to Timmer (and hopefully dispel your suspicion on that misimpression).

S~V~S wrote:

Ricochet wrote:

S~V~S wrote:Did you read the rest of my post? I said I doubt you have teammates.

You seem to be a natural, though

I did, but I was just addressing what you said re my reply to Timmer (and hopefully dispel your suspicion on that misimpression).

For future reference, picking what you will respond to out of posts, and ignoring connected bits, looks bad. Pulling that out made it look as if I suspected you, and I do not.

Like I said, I think if you had teammates, you would have just answered the question. And i won't vote for someone on Day One of his first game, even if i did think you are bad, which at this stage, I do not. Probably a lot of the old school people won't vote for you Day 1 either. But they might vote for you Day 2. So i you haven't clearly answered this by Day 2, you might want to consider it.

Still not sure we're on the same page with what I wanted to respond, but I fully understood your advice, thanks. Clipping quotes is something by habit for me from regular forums.

To anyone who still expects an actual, straight, simple answer from me, allow me to do "the right thing" and state that: No, I am not le baddie.

thellama73 wrote:

Ricochet wrote:To anyone who still expects an actual, straight, simple answer from me, allow me to do "the right thing" and state that: No, I am not le baddie.

Why should we believe you???? That 's exactly what a baddie would say!

OK, I feel like I have to address this because too many people seem unsure about it:

I'm a he.

The poll is signaling me that there are less than six hours left to vote and it's just incredibly difficult to bring charges against anyone. The only big cases that stood out for me, from what was thrown into debate, are Vompatti, MM and LC.

I don't think I'll vote for Vompatti on the grounds of being more active on Day 0; the game theme is of undoubtable interest for him and I believe that's why he posted (more) about it on that day (besides, much of what he posted was replying to other members' questions). I already said I personally appreciated the movie conversations on Day and I stand by it. (Plus, I'll be amazed if I'll be able to crack out Vompatti at any point of the game. )

I've said already that MM's self-vote and its entire context was somewhat weird, but also possibly simply ironic. He definitely said he'll just vote for himself because he'll be away and have no time to build a case against somebody else. He probably won't make it in time today, either, to defend his position. I don't I'll vote for him because of his self-vote because I haven't fully embraced yet the principle that self-voting would be bad, the way MP did.

I have to say, the most surprising and interesting theory was about LC's overview, but it requires extensive background in playing this game, which I don't have, so I can't really comment upon it. Besides, it's been pointed out already that he did this before and it didn't weigh much on him being a civ or a baddie. I'm more curious why would a good player, as a baddie, intentionally show discontent about civ roles being too overpowered as opposed to bad roles. Wouldn't that be a tactic 101 fail?

I think this will be my final input for Day 1, excepting really significant changes. Again, I have no idea who to vote for.

Can the vote simply be a negative / disapproving vote on one's actions (ideas) or does it have to mean a vibe that that person may be bad?

Dom wrote:

Ricochet wrote:(Plus, I'll be amazed if I'll be able to crack out Vompatti at any point of the game. )

What makes you feel that way?

If he'll just vomperdoodle as usual, I don't see how I'll manage to profile that in any way as good or bad. But you (collectively) certainly have much more experience with that already.

Back from movie with less time to even go through what was posted, let alone process it. I've given an entirely aleatory vote.

thellama73 wrote:

Ricochet wrote:Back from movie with less time to even go through what was posted, let alone process it. I've given an entirely aleatory vote.

Flash back to roughly 48 hours ago when I said:

thellama73 wrote: I generally think it is less productive for everyone to roll in five minutes before the lynch and say "no time to catch up, voting so and so."

That's nice, but I didn't do that. I announced my plans in advance. Had I realized I wont mansge to vote after the movie, I would have voted (the same way) before heading out.

Dom wrote:

Ricochet wrote:

Dom wrote:

Ricochet wrote:(Plus, I'll be amazed if I'll be able to crack out Vompatti at any point of the game. )

What makes you feel that way?

If he'll just vomperdoodle as usual, I don't see how I'll manage to profile that in any way as good or bad. But you (collectively) certainly have much more experience with that already.

Do you know Vompatti outside of Mafia/this game?

Yes, from ProgArchives and currently FB.

RIP, BWT. Pretty significant power we lost there.

With nothing but Magnolia to ever possibly change this (since I still haven't seen it), my favourite PTA is definitely There Will Be Blood. And sorry to bitch, but this poll would have rather been nice in chronological order.

Wait, what's happening?