Octopus Overlords

You know, the perfect comeback vehicle for Gunn would be to direct a Paste Pot Pete film.

In many ways, I feel like my life has been leading up to that moment.

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 5:07 pm I don't know if firing was appropriate. I do feel that a response was warranted, and, from a business perspective, it was probably required. Firing for old tweets does seem a little extreme, though.

Yeah . . . But those tweets. I’ve only seen his current apology/statement, but some of those tweets were really, really bad. I’m really conflicted on this, but I end up thinking Disney did the right thing here. I just don’t see how they could continue to be affiliated with someone who had posted that stuff.

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 5:55 pm In many ways, I feel like my life has been leading up to that moment.

It's fair to say that this would "glue" his life back together, right?

El Guapo wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:14 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 5:55 pm In many ways, I feel like my life has been leading up to that moment.

It's fair to say that this would "glue" his life back together, right?

Bravo, dear sir...bravo.

Kurth wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:03 pm I just don’t see how they could continue to be affiliated with someone who had posted that stuff.

If Walt were still around in the age of Twitter, you’d find out.

I'm informally auditioning for a writing role on the screenplay.

Pretend you’re Nick Nolte doing his version of The Aristocrats.

Kurth wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 10:03 pm

Blackhawk wrote: ↑Mon Jul 23, 2018 5:07 pm I don't know if firing was appropriate. I do feel that a response was warranted, and, from a business perspective, it was probably required. Firing for old tweets does seem a little extreme, though.

Yeah . . . But those tweets. I’ve only seen his current apology/statement, but some of those tweets were really, really bad. I’m really conflicted on this, but I end up thinking Disney did the right thing here. I just don’t see how they could continue to be affiliated with someone who had posted that stuff.

But they had been affiliated with that person for years, he has made them 100s of millions of dollars. Nothing changed about Gunn from the day before those tweets were brought up and the day after. Disney knew about them before, but for whatever reason decided to hire him anyway, and to just bail like that because a bit of pressure was put on now by some right wing group with an axe to grind? Not sure I agree with that at all.

He was trying to do comedy and he failed. He was never actually advocating for pedophilia or rape. Bad taste? Sure. But we're going down a dangerous rode with this kind of reaction. The Deadpool movies (which Disney now owns) make tons of awful, sick jokes. Why aren't we damning them too? I posted a link in another thread to a skit from a Ricky Gervais comedy in which Liam Neeson tries to joke about AIDS. Should we stop him from making another Taken movi….wait, bad example.

Also, this:

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:37 am He was trying to do comedy and he failed. He was never actually advocating for pedophilia or rape. Bad taste? Sure. But we're going down a dangerous rode with this kind of reaction.

I get this, but I also don't get it. What's funny about his tweets? Some of them do seem like jokes gone wrong, but others don't come across like that to me. It's all in the eye of the beholder, obviously, but at some point, you cross a line where you can't expect to get a pass for anything you say on the basis that your comments were just "jokes" and that you were being a "provocateur."

You want to spend years joking about pedophilia and rape on Twitter? You're well within your rights. But don't be surprised when that behavior prevents you from continuing to work for a company like Disney.

Kurth wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 3:21 pm

hepcat wrote: ↑Tue Jul 24, 2018 7:37 am He was trying to do comedy and he failed. He was never actually advocating for pedophilia or rape. Bad taste? Sure. But we're going down a dangerous rode with this kind of reaction.

I get this, but I also don't get it. What's funny about his tweets? Some of them do seem like jokes gone wrong, but others don't come across like that to me. It's all in the eye of the beholder, obviously, but at some point, you cross a line where you can't expect to get a pass for anything you say on the basis that your comments were just "jokes" and that you were being a "provocateur."

You want to spend years joking about pedophilia and rape on Twitter? You're well within your rights. But don't be surprised when that behavior prevents you from continuing to work for a company like Disney.

First off, if a joke fails it isn't automatically turned into an endorsement of the subject of the joke. It just means it wasn't funny. Also, absolutely none of his tweets come across as being anything other than just him being an immature wise ass who thought he was being edgy and funny.

Second, he didn't "spend years joking about pedophilia and rape". That makes it sound like the majority of his writing was centered around those subjects. It wasn't. The greater majority of his tweets were...well...also dumb jokes...but about a myriad of things other than pedophilia and rape.

I remember when dead baby jokes were all the rage (this was back in high school/early years of college). I didn't like them, but I didn't assume that any family member, roommate or best friend at the time was guilty of killing toddlers when they told one, or that they legitimately had no issues with others killing toddlers, or that they even thought the real act of killing toddlers was anything but horrifying. I just assumed they were trying to be shocking because they were too stupid to understand that isn't always funny. I didn't immediately call the head of their school and report them, or called their place of employment asking that they be fired. I would just tell them "not really funny, dad" and then went about my business.

I think the pendulum has swung too far. I'm fine with punishing those who actually have committed a crime, or calling out those who endorse hatred without a shred of remorse. But going after people for their sense of humor when it's obvious they were just being a dumb ass...and ESPECIALLY after they offer an unprompted, sincere apology in which they recognize they were being a dumb ass...is the breaking point for me. I don't care what side does it. I actually don't even think Roseanne Barr should have been blacklisted...although she WAS being political and not trying to be funny as far as I can tell. She should have lost some sponsors over it, but she didn't deserve to have her entire career (potentially) ruined.

If you're up in arms over this to the point where you're okay with Gunn being potentially ruined (and yes, he may get another job...but I doubt it will be at the level he's at now ever again if enough people don't rise up and put an end to this nonsense), you need to look back at your life and review every sick joke you've ever told, and then assume social media was around at the time and what might have happened.

But I think it comes down to this: I want to live in a world where a Mel Brooks can make a Blazing Saddles, or a Jonathan Swift can write A Modest Proposal and not lose their head at dawn.

Guardians of the Galaxy cast writes an open letter supporting James Gunn.

The letter stops short of asking for him to be reinstated for GotG 3 (though Pratt and Saldana separately wrote that), but does say that they hope to work again with him in the future. Pretty interesting.

At some point, someone has to put their foot down and say enough is enough. I'm hoping that proven money makers like Pratt and the rest of the GotG cast can be that someone...er...some people.

hepcat wrote: ↑Mon Jul 30, 2018 4:26 pm At some point, someone has to put their foot down and say enough is enough. I'm hoping that proven money makers like Pratt and the rest of the GotG cast can be that someone...er...some people.

Sorry for being behind on this, but there's no real indication of sexual misconduct or anything, right? Just really bad and distasteful jokes?

Yup. He thought he was being Lenny Bruce, but without the advantage of actually being funny. He's apologized and owned up to it all. But there has been no crime whatsoever.

I find it odd that our current President says incredibly stupid and distasteful things...yet he keeps his job running the country.

I've had someone overhear a comment I made to a close friend that shares my humor and offended that third person. It pains me to think that if I were famous, I could have my career ruined over something like that.

I lost track of the number of meetings I had in my 20s where something I said to someone who had no problem with got reported by a third party and got me caked on the carpet. It’s why I tend to go the understatement route when I complain about things these days.

Buatha wrote: ↑Mon Jul 30, 2018 5:02 pm I find it odd that our current President says incredibly stupid and distasteful things...yet he keeps his job running the country.

It makes me wonder if that's part of the current hyper-sensitivity to such things - a backlash against having to watch Trump shed bullshit.

I don't know, but I love hearing people's linguistic gymnastics trying to explain why it's okay for Trump to say the crap that he does while others are crucified. Expectations, I imagine. If people expect you to say something stupid, people will apparently forgive you.

Sucks we’re not gonna get a good GoG 3.

hepcat wrote: ↑Thu Aug 16, 2018 8:46 pm Sucks we’re not gonna get a good GoG 3.

Why not? GoG 2 was a significant step down from the first one (unless you have a diorama fetish). A new perspective might be a good thing.

The GoG franchise was unique in the Marvel Universe due almost entirely to Gunn’s unexpected approach. I have very low expectations from anyone trying to fill those shoes.

...but mostly I’m just pissed we now live in a world in which you can be tried and executed without a fair trial.

The Hardwick incident suggests that that particular pendulum may be slowing down for the return swing.

This wasn't even a case of Gunn possibly hurting someone. It was simply a case of stupid jokes getting his life (hopefully temporarily) derailed. That's why this bothers me so much. Hell, I'm starting to sympathize with some folks on the right who are getting the same treatment. It needs to stop.

James Gunn reinstated

EXCLUSIVE: Redemption and second chances have long been superhero movie staples, and today it looks like life has imitated art. I’ve learned that Disney has reinstated James Gunn as the writer-director of Guardians of the Galaxy 3, and I’ve confirmed it with Marvel and Gunn’s camp.

The decision to rehire Gunn ... was one that was mulled and actually made months ago, following conversations with Disney studio leadership and the team at Marvel Studios. Why the change of heart? After the firing, Walt Disney Studios president Alan Horn met with Gunn on multiple occasions to discuss the situation. Persuaded by Gunn’s public apology and his handling of the situation after, Horn decided to reverse course and reinstate Gunn.

I think Guardians 3 would have been a total fustercluck if they hadn't done this, but good on them for not being too arrogant to reverse course like this.

hepcat wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2019 3:25 pm

+1

And Spider-Man

July 02, 2019
Spider-Man: Far From Home (my thread)

Newsweek

Marvel Studios President, Kevin Feige has revealed that the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s third phase will conclude with Spider-Man: Far From Home, set to release on July 2.

Prior to this, it was believed that this week's highly anticipated release Avengers: Endgame would close out Phase Three, and that Far From Home, co-produced with Sony, was intended to kick off Phase Four.

However, when Feige was asked this weekend about Far From Home during an interview at a Shanghai-based fan event for Endgame, the Marvel Studios president bluntly stated, “It’s the end of the third phase.” He then added that this was the first time he had said this publicly.

This is fantastic (though, thematically they should have gone with REM's It's the End of the World as we know it (and I feel fine), even if lyrically it doesn't play as well):

the cast of Avengers: Endgame joined up for a singalong on The Tonight Show.

This time around, they've come together for a superhero-themed version of Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire."

It's more a look back at the Marvel characters we've come to know and love over the years, and also comes with a perfect tribute to Stan Lee, which you'll catch right at the end.

Dammit. I meant to post this in the Endgame thread.

IGNORE ME!!!


I think Kevin Smith liked it.

So @harleyquinnsmith and I went to the movies tonight, and 3 hours later I’m shook! My God, Endgame is beyond epic! It’s everything you hope it will be and more - an absolute marvel! Bring lotsa tissues for tears and other fluids! I’m pretty sure it will make all the money ever printed! Loved it and would watch again instantly!