Movies: What did You Watch Last Night?

[IAmBatman]

Kutcher, by the power of being born in '78, is a Xennial, though. Seann William Scott was born in '76, though, so he'd be a Gen-Xer.

[TREX]

Im sure there are a lot of hard working milennials around including myself. I just know that whenever I hear the word milennial its associated with bad things. Stereotyping in a whole isnt my thing so Ill leave you guys to the generation name game. There are people of all walks of life that are different ages that have different mentalities and different work ethics. Generation X does sound a bit cooler though. So congrats to those on fitting that mold.

[Dad_Scaper]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

I’m with you on Last Jedi, Bats. I preferred Rogue One, but I’d probably put it at 3, just behind Empire. Those top 3 are very close. After that, in my book, the drop off is pretty steep.

Oops! I misspoke. I meant The Force Awakens. I didn't care much for The Last Jedi. My top 3, in order:

1. Rogue One
2. Empire Strikes Back
3. Force Awakens

Then all the others, a substantial distance back from these three.

Force Awakens was a very good movie. It was widely criticized as derivative, but I accepted its close tracking of A New Hope as a way to lay out the bona fides of the new generation of films. It wasn't a straight ripoff; it was a telling of a similar story with a little bit more maturity and dimension. I thought it was a deliberate choice and well done, setting the stage for a whole new saga with more maturity and more dimension, and less trivial nonsense (we hope) like ewoks and Jar Jar.

Last Jedi suffered from some serious storytelling flaws, and FWIW, I had no problem with a force-flying Leia.

[quozl]

1 Star Wars
--------------
2 Rogue One
--------------
3 Last Jedi
--------------
all of the other films

[Tornado]

Empire
R1
Star Wars

I liked the TLJ better than TFA. Beyond the feeling of 'I already have seen this movie, twice' I had problems with most of the characters. I thought they addressed, fixed and even flat out mocked those problems in TLJ and I appreciated that.

Talked to a lady recently who loves Phantom. She saw it as a kid and loved Jar Jar and I thought, what a gift. If you love Jar Jar, Phantom is arguably the best movie. It has the only villain to rival Darth Vader, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, space battles, giant sea creatures, pod racing...

Still would not trade it for watching Empire at the theater as a kid though.
Gen X.

[ollie]

When I'm feeling sentimental, the best three are Star Wars, RotJ and The Force Awakens. I had the VHS of Star Wars and watched it loads as a kid, RotJ was the first one I saw at the cinema and I when was visiting family in England I first saw TFA with my mum (who also took me to RotJ) at the same little local cinema. My kid watched and loved them all (except R1 and The Last Jedi) in quick succession, which boosts the overall sentimental value of the saga.

When I'm feeling less sentimental, ESB and R1 are right up there. But when I'm less sentimental I'm also less inclined to watch Star Wars movies. Not sure where The Last Jedi is going to fit in. I've only seen it once and I simultaneously enjoyed it while also thinking it was a bit long with not-especially-fun redundant bits (the casino stuff; the ten different types of novelty creatures...)

[vegietarian18]

I really liked Star Wars as a kid and still probably do now. I grew up with the prequels so I guess I have an unfair advantage w/r/t enjoying them but I do think that they are the best Star Wars movies for kids anyways. The idea of lots of jedi going on missions across the galaxy is super fun when you are under 10 years old.

The original trilogy is probably the best as Films (at least the first two) but I really don't think there's too much value in judging Star Wars in that way, it's too culturally saturated.

The Disney movies have been okay. I think Force Awakens was serviceable if a bit bland, and The Last Jedi was very interesting and had some really good stuff but alongside some really bad stuff. I do think that universe inside of the Disney trilogy feels unnecessarily small and that's really bad: they focus too much on referencing the universe instead of making the movies feel like they're happening in a larger universe.

I really didn't like Rogue One and will probably not see Han Solo as a result of that. I don't think that treating Star Wars as a "cinematic universe" like Marvel's is a good idea at all (although that's not the reason I found R1 bad) and I'd rather Disney just did saga movies as that seems to me what Star Wars is really about.

I guess The Last Jedi probably goes in as my favorite Star Wars movie but that's mostly because I'm not bothered by things that take a lot of risks and fail some of them. Lots of TLJ's risks definitely didn't pan out, but some of them did, and I think as a result it's a lot more interesting than the other Star Wars movies.

[japes]

Originally Posted by TREX

Im sure there are a lot of hard working milennials around including myself. I just know that whenever I hear the word milennial its associated with bad things. Stereotyping in a whole isnt my thing so Ill leave you guys to the generation name game. There are people of all walks of life that are different ages that have different mentalities and different work ethics. Generation X does sound a bit cooler though. So congrats to those on fitting that mold.

This is why I don't really care for any of the Generational labels. When I talk about Millennials it usually is associated with bad things...however, I'm not referring to an entire generation...I'm talking about the ones that fit the title. I always thought it was kind of abstract to pick a certain date and before that your are this thing and after that you are that....kind of dumb.

[Yodaking]

Yeah, when I think of 'millennials' I think of it more as a state of mind than an age range. I'm not sure when that changed for me as I do think of 'baby boomers' as more of a generational thing.

[IAmBatman]

Originally Posted by japes

This is why I don't really care for any of the Generational labels. When I talk about Millennials it usually is associated with bad things...however, I'm not referring to an entire generation...I'm talking about the ones that fit the title. I always thought it was kind of abstract to pick a certain date and before that your are this thing and after that you are that....kind of dumb.

Um ... so don't do that then?

[Hahma]

I think the ones making generalizations about millenials, don't look at the big picture.

I've heard people complain that millenials are lazy and still live at home. Or that they bounce from job to job, and aren't loyal or don't want to pay their dues.

Obviously, some of that may be true in some cases, but looking at the bigger picture, there aren't the unskilled jobs that people can go into right after high school and make a career of 40 years like there were in the past. So some sort of schooling os needed for most things, and people aren't going to be able to get that schooling and have a full time job, and be able to pay for a place to live etc at the age of 18 or 19.

College tuition is very expensive and kids going to college get saddled with a huge debt, and of they are lucky to get a decent job right after graduating, they are already in the hole.

The Baby Boomers and Gen X'rs pushed their kids to go to college, making it seem like the magic to a great future. But it isn't for everyone, some are better suited for the trades. So kids that weren't cut out for college are not only properly set up for a good job, but are also in a huge debt.

As far as loyalty to companies, we'll companies aren't generally loyal to their workers, no reason for workers not to move on to further their careers and livelihoods.

My oldest daughter and I have talks about this on occasion and I get her perspective as an almost 26 year old. I do remind her that while the millenials have their share of issues, so do the older generations. People working 30 years for a company getting laid off because the company folds, moves or downsized. Those people have mortgages, kids in college they want to help, and often medical issues. So I think that it's good to understand the many factors going on before making generalizations either way.

[japes]

Originally Posted by Yodaking

Yeah, when I think of 'millennials' I think of it more as a state of mind than an age range.

Exactly where I was going.

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

Um ... so don't do that then?

Like I said...labeling an entire generation with a name is ridiculous and I don't even use the word Millennial in my Speech (Actually I don't think I've ever said it out loud). But the actual few in the subset of people that are used as the generalized description of the derogatory meaning of Millennial rightfully get the critizsm. There is a subset of that generation that does tend to have an entitled attitude and I've actually heard a grown man in his late 20's say..."my worst fear as a child was that I'd have to grow up and get a job one day...I'm glad I've been able to avoid it for so long" and then a few minutes later complain about how it's not "fair" the way some people don't have to deal with the harshness of his life.

Originally Posted by Hahma

I think the ones making generalizations about millenials, don't look at the big picture.

I've heard people complain that millenials are lazy and still live at home. Or that they bounce from job to job, and aren't loyal or don't want to pay their dues.

Obviously, some of that may be true in some cases, but looking at the bigger picture, there aren't the unskilled jobs that people can go into right after high school and make a career of 40 years like there were in the past. So some sort of schooling os needed for most things, and people aren't going to be able to get that schooling and have a full time job, and be able to pay for a place to live etc at the age of 18 or 19.

College tuition is very expensive and kids going to college get saddled with a huge debt, and of they are lucky to get a decent job right after graduating, they are already in the hole.

The Baby Boomers and Gen X'rs pushed their kids to go to college, making it seem like the magic to a great future. But it isn't for everyone, some are better suited for the trades. So kids that weren't cut out for college are not only properly set up for a good job, but are also in a huge debt.

As far as loyalty to companies, we'll companies aren't generally loyal to their workers, no reason for workers not to move on to further their careers and livelihoods.

My oldest daughter and I have talks about this on occasion and I get her perspective as an almost 26 year old. I do remind her that while the millenials have their share of issues, so do the older generations. People working 30 years for a company getting laid off because the company folds, moves or downsized. Those people have mortgages, kids in college they want to help, and often medical issues. So I think that it's good to understand the many factors going on before making generalizations either way.

I agree on the lack of Trades. When did it become a bad thing to be a working class individual. I am the first person in my family to go to college and that was only because I was lucky enough to be a decent baseball player. Most of my family was military but they all ended up with a job/career. My uncle started as a Plumbers assistant after Vietnam and ended up having his own Plumbing business after many years of hard work. That path just looks non existent these days...I don't know if it lack of opportunities for training or if there are just too many people that have grown up being told that they can be whatever they want to be. My wife's been a teacher since 2003 and I've coached kids of all ages...not all of them can be doctors, lawyers, and such...despite what there parents tell them.

I feel that the definition of success has shifted to the point that too many people are discouraged by the thought that success is unattainable at the accepted definition.


Anyways...

So I have my tickets to see Infinity Wars at the Alamo Drafthouse. A good friend and I are taking our sons that Friday afternoon. So they get a bonus Daddy day and get out of school early. Exciting times for the little guys. It's great when your great friend and your son's great friend are father and son. Good times.