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#41
Bad Movies / Re: 100 *alliterative* movie t...
Last post by bob - August 01, 2026, 07:32:58 PM
15

#42
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by lester1/2jr - August 01, 2026, 04:45:22 PM
Rec (2007) - Good ol' Rec, hadn't watched this one in a while. It is certainly in the top tier of found footage horror movies, maybe even the best one considering how boring most of Blair Watch was. Right off the bat, you can tell the people involved are on board with making it realistic and making the characters likeable and relatable. It does, at certain points, resemble a video game, where the leads are dodging zombies and discovering clues and so forth. I wouldn't be surprised if it was influenced by some of that, like the one where you shoot zombies at the amusement park. Maybe the writer worked at Dave and Buster's in a mall somewhere.

A cute and feisty young reporter who has an "Insomniac" type show on Spanish TV hopes something interesting and salable happens when she does an episode at a firehouse. Her wish is granted, but it's a little more than she bargained for. Rec Spawned a number of sequels and makes most found footage movies look half assed and lazy ( probably because the genre has been taken over by microbudget narcissists. )

4.75 /5 almost perfect, (though not EXACTLY my thing)
#43
Entertainment / Re: What have you been listeni...
Last post by Allhallowsday - August 01, 2026, 03:53:06 PM
E. POWER BIGGS Bach Toccata & Fugue Passacaglia & Fugue Pastorale Prelude & Fugue 

#44
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by zombie no.one - August 01, 2026, 02:31:29 PM
Quote from: M.10rda on August 01, 2026, 07:42:33 AMI'll check out OFF THE RAILS. It is said that if you know one person on the autism spectrum, you know one person on the autism spectrum. However fwiw I know (or know of) multiple people on the autism spectrum who are obsessed w/ trains.  :question: Seems odd, but it's a thing. Maybe Trains are the new Anime.

my mother's job used to be working with kids diagnosed with autism, and she said more often than not they would be obsessed with Thomas The Tank Engine !
#45
Off Topic Discussion / Re: The Random Crap From Aroun...
Last post by Rev. Powell - August 01, 2026, 02:16:25 PM
Not crap. I was shocked to find an essay this literate and perceptive published in a newspaper. (A UK newspaper, sure, but still).

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/jul/26/age-of-decadence-pleasure-ai
#46
Games / Re: Answer the question with a...
Last post by Rev. Powell - August 01, 2026, 12:21:26 PM


What wish did you ask for from the genie?
#47
Games / Re: Movie Title Chains
Last post by Rev. Powell - August 01, 2026, 12:16:03 PM
Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955)



(Cool little movie from Czechoslovakia, BTW).
#48
Bad Movies / Re: 100 Historical Movies in O...
Last post by Rev. Powell - August 01, 2026, 12:12:17 PM
67. LA Confidential. Fictional, but historically accurate. Takes place in 1953.
#49
Off Topic Discussion / Re: Debunked historical facts?...
Last post by claws - August 01, 2026, 11:57:09 AM
Interesting. Never heard of that story. I asked AI about more debunked claims:

Common Myths and Debunked Claims Regarding Apartheid in South Africa

The history of apartheid in South Africa (1948–1994) has been subject to various historical distortions, propaganda claims made by the former regime to legitimize its policies, and subsequent historical myths.

1. The Myth of "Separate but Equal" Development

The Claim: Proponents and architects of apartheid—such as Hendrik Verwoerd—marketed the system not as racial oppression, but as "separate development" (apartheid in Afrikaans) that would grant different ethnic groups self-determination, economic independence, and equal status in their own designated homelands (Bantustans).

The Reality: The policy was profoundly unequal. While Black South Africans made up the vast majority of the population, they were allocated only about 13% of the land—typically the least fertile and economically viable regions. The homelands were entirely dependent on South Africa economically, lacked true sovereignty, and served primarily as cheap labor reserves for the white-minority-controlled economy.

2. The "Empty Land" (Vacant Land) Myth

The Claim: An older colonial and apartheid-era historical narrative claimed that Dutch and British settlers moved into a largely uninhabited, pristine southern tip of Africa, meaning that indigenous populations arrived concurrently with or after European expansion.

The Reality: Archaeological and historical evidence has thoroughly debunked this. Bantu-speaking farming communities had inhabited large portions of what is now South Africa for centuries before the arrival of the Dutch East India Company in 1652. The narrative was constructed politically to justify land dispossession and white territorial dominance.

3. The Framing of Apartheid Security Laws as "Anti-Terrorism" Only

The Claim: The National Party government frequently defended draconian measures—such as detention without trial, banning orders, and the suppression of political organizations—as necessary, routine law enforcement to combat violent communist subversion and terrorism.

The Reality: While violent resistance groups like Umkhonto we Sizwe (the armed wing of the ANC) did engage in sabotage against state infrastructure, the state's security apparatus systematically targeted peaceful political dissent, trade unions, journalists, religious leaders, and civic organizations. Legislation like the Suppression of Communism Act defined "communism" so broadly that almost any opposition to racial segregation could be criminalized and severely punished without judicial oversight.

4. Economic Viability and Self-Sufficiency of the Bantustans

The Claim: The regime claimed that the creation of independent or self-governing Black homelands (such as Transkei, Bophuthatswana, Venda, and Ciskei) would eventually create self-sustaining economies where citizens enjoyed full political rights.

The Reality: None of the nominal "independent" homelands gained international recognition (except from each other and South Africa). They operated as dysfunctional, impoverished enclaves heavily subsidized by Pretoria. They suffered from high unemployment, poor infrastructure, and rampant political corruption, forcing the vast majority of their workforce to continue migrating illegally or under strict permit systems to work in white-owned urban centers.

5. The "External Agitator" Narrative

The Claim: State propaganda routinely attributed mass internal uprisings—such as the 1976 Soweto uprising or the mass resistance movements of the 1980s—not to genuine domestic grievance, but to a small group of communist agitators, external radical elements, and foreign media manipulation.

The Reality: Investigations by bodies like the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) and independent historical research demonstrated that resistance was driven by widespread, systemic oppression, including inferior Bantu Education, forced removals, pass laws, and a total denial of basic human rights to the majority of the population.

I wasn't aware of this  :buggedout:

#50
Bad Movies / Re: RECENT VIEWINGS (Bad Movie...
Last post by claws - August 01, 2026, 10:44:43 AM
The sad thing is these videos and shorts were made for mass consumption, for views, likes and clicks.
No creativity or passion in their "art." I guess that is why these videos come off as unintentional funny.