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So I think we have enough negativity on the board, let's try for something positive.
Pick some work, a movie, TV show, book, game, whatever that is genuinely purely good stuff. Not kinda good, not so bad it's good, but good good.
And of course why.
For example...
It shouldn't have worked. It really shouldn't.
By the early 80s Marvel Comics had a small empire of successful licensed books like Conan, Micronauts and most successfully Star Wars. Then one fine day Hasbro came to them, they were reviving their old GI Joe line but this time as 3 1/2" figures with a line of high tech modern vehicles. And they wanted a comic to go with.
Everyone turned it down. War comics don't sell after all.
Then they asked a Japanese-American writer and Vietnam vet named Larry Hama. As it happened he had just proposed a book involving a special forces anti-terrorism team called Fury Force. So he met with the toy folks and his first question was who do they fight? To which the toy people kind of said huh? So he quickly doodled a logo and said, they'll fight a terrorist army called Cobra.
Over the next 12 years GI Joe was a top selling comic and, despite the demands of supporting a toy line and working in dozens of new vehicles and characters each year. It had its ups and downs but Hama managed to wed Tom Clancy-like military jargon and details with fun stories and layers of story to turn GI Joe into an evergreen franchise that's still spawning TV shows and movies now.
And best of all, 15 years after the Marvel run ended Hama was invited to write a new GI Joe comic picking up the numbering and continuity of the original book.
So if you've never read it, Larry Hama's GI Joe run is today's five star pick!
-----------------------------------------------
And that's the idea. If you see something you don't like, don't trash it, suggest something better.
This thread is all about celebrating some of the great stuff out there.
Batman: Under the Red Hood. Great casting, fun one liners: "Lasers! He's got lasers!" (read by NPH, of course) and a helluva good storyline. John DiMaggio does a great job as Joker, on par with Heath and Hamill. And the opening scene where he beats Robin almost to death with a crowbar, right before blowing him up and killing him? Holy. Crap. Yeah, UtRH is my favorite cartoon Batman movie, and the only reason I don't consider it superior to TDK is because it's a cartoon. I've watched it 5-6 times in the past year and a half, and I still haven't found a single instant of it that I don't like. I recommend it to anyone who likes Batman, even the slightest amount. It's twisted and really nails what Batman comics and the characters should be all about. I'm a Marvel fan over DC, but no Marvel cartoon movie has ever come close to this one.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/10 02:43:51
Reality is a nice place to visit, but I'd hate to live there.
Manchu wrote:I'm a Catholic. We eat our God.
Due to work, I can usually only ship any sales or trades out on Saturday morning. Please trade/purchase with this in mind.
I have a lot of stuff that jumps to mind right away, but I am going to start slowly.
Charles Stross is, IMHO, the best fiction writer today. His genre is Science Fiction, But I am going to nominate him for best overall. I started with The Atrocity Archive, the first book in a series about a simple civil servant named Bob Howard.
Bob works for The Laundry, the only surviving department of the wartime SOE. So imagine a less misogynistic Ian Fleming, crossed with the technical acumen of Tom Clancy. Where the SF comes in is The Elder Gods are real. At the bottom of the Mandlebrot Set is a doorway into other dimensions populated almost entirely by beings from H.P. Lovecraft. Since math can be used to open doorways into the dungeon dimensions, being an IT professional for the government agency tasked with preventing a visit from Cthulu can be interesting. There is humor, sarcasm, esoteric stuff about computers, but best of all the entire series is tautly plotted, full of interesting and exciting charchters, and truly a joy to read.
The other two books in the series are:
and:
The fourth book will be out shortly.
Liver by Will Self.
Great collection of four short stories. The first is set in a Soho club and seems a study in absolute debauchery. The second follows a woman diagnosed with liver cancer who decides to attend a Dignitas euthanasia clinic and then has a change of heart. The third merges the story of Prometheus and Pandora with a bloke who works in advertising. And the forth is told from the point of view of the Hepatitis C virus. It's all quite dark and bleak, but its so well written and tells such good stories.
Butchery by a cool old man with an axe. Can be read inside two days, awesome violent man porn of the highest order!
The man was responsible for getting me started on fantasy aged 10 after my Dad gave me it along with Lord Fouls Bane by Stephen Donaldson, and I was left shaking my head in bewilderment at the latter.
I went back and read them a decade later, and they weren't too bad, but the easy reading and primary colours of Gemmells somewhat one dimensional novels have always stirred my blood, and I recommend literally everything he ever wrote.
We are arming Syrian rebels who support ISIS, who is fighting Iran, who is fighting Iraq who we also support against ISIS, while fighting Kurds who we support while they are fighting Syrian rebels.
Two of my favorite things, coffee and metal. I love this show, I'm really glad i listened to my friend and watched it.
This message was edited 3 times. Last update was at 2012/06/10 09:13:22
Every Dakkanaught gets a 4+ Pinch of Salt save.
When you suffer a Falling Sky hit, roll a D6 - on a 4+ the hit is ignored as per the Pinch of Salt save. On a 1-3 panic insues - you automatically fail common sense tests for the next 2 weeks and get +7 to your negativity stat. -Praxiss
I will throw this book (series) into the ring as my five-star pick of the day:
A very well written book that takes the fun of fantasy dungeon quests and gives it a wonderful little twist. You might imagine Ciaphas Cain in a fantasy setting, and just imagine he is a goblin as well. It is written very well, doesn't take itself too seriously, will make you at the very least grin if not laugh, and flows very well.
Scott Lynch's the Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies.
Easily the best fantasy novels I've ever read, and probably two of the best novels. His writing is truly a joy to read, and his characters are probably the most fleshed out and believable I've seen in any fantasy. The setting is wonderfully realised, and the narrative is compelling and well structured.
Now if only he'd release the third book.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/10 12:01:41
DC:80SG+M+B+I+Pw40k97#+D+A++/wWD190R++T(S)DM+
htj wrote:You can always trust a man who quotes himself in his signature.
htj wrote:Scott Lynch's the Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies.
Easily the best fantasy novels I've ever read, and probably two of the best novels. His writing is truly a joy to read, and his characters are probably the most fleshed out and believable I've seen in any fantasy. The setting is wonderfully realised, and the narrative is compelling and well structured.
The single most original fantasy setting I have ever read. The world of Bas-Lag is totally fascinating and the characters and races unique and intriguing.
It is followed by two other books set in the same world.
A pretty good story, not going to win any oscars but good nonetheless, immature humour in vast quantities, but easily the best multiplayer experience I've had... Virus and mapmaker made the best scenarios.
I'll add the Red vs Blue series here too as that has had me in stitches at the beginning, and had a great storyline towards the end. The fight scenes are pretty damn epic too.
Pretre: OOOOHHHHH snap. That's like driving away from hitting a pedestrian.
Pacific:First person to Photoshop a GW store into the streets of Kabul wins the thread.
Selym: "Be true to thyself, play Chaos" - Jesus, Daemon Prince of Cegorach.
H.B.M.C: You can't lobotomise someone twice.
The centre of a massive brood chamber, heaving and pulsating.
The Goon Show.
End of.
Squigsquasher, resident ban magnet, White Knight, and general fethwit.
buddha wrote: I've decided that these GW is dead/dying threads that pop up every-week must be followers and cultists of nurgle perpetuating the need for decay. I therefore declare that that such threads are heresy and subject to exterminatus. So says the Inquisition!
My five star pick of the day is not a book or movie, it is a place; the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum in Washington D.C. You don't have to actually be into bonsai yourself to appreciate the beauty of these living works of art. The link i've included goes to a page with a large catalog of images from the museum, but I'll post a few teaser pictures as well.
A pretty good story, not going to win any oscars but good nonetheless, immature humour in vast quantities, but easily the best multiplayer experience I've had... Virus and mapmaker made the best scenarios.
I'll add the Red vs Blue series here too as that has had me in stitches at the beginning, and had a great storyline towards the end. The fight scenes are pretty damn epic too.
There's that feeling when you find 10 dollars or so on the ground.
There's that feeling when you have a great day.
Hell, there's that feeling when you get married.
Then, there's the feeling you get when you play this game.
I don't know, I've been a huge fan of the silly nature of the Starship Troopers movies, and I personally think that this ruleset is one of the most solidly written out there, the balance and innovation is stunning. Just seeing all of the cool bug models and the concept of humanity fighting against something so utterly alien from itself is cool.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/11 00:34:00
Some people play to win, some people play for fun. Me? I play to kill toy soldiers.
DR:90S++GMB++IPwh40k206#+D++A++/hWD350R+++T(S)DM+
Play the Lonesome Road DLC, but DLC I ever spent the money on.
"The Imperium is nothing if not willing to go to any lengths necessary. So the Trekkies are zipping around at warp speed taking small chucks out of an nigh-on infinite amount of ships, with the Imperium being unable to strike back. feth it, says central command, and detonates every vortex warhead in the fleet, plunging the entire sector into the Warp. Enjoy tentacle-rape, Kirk, we know Sulu will." -Terminus
"This great fortress was a gift to the Blood Ravens from the legendary Imperial Fists. When asked about it Chapter Master Pugh was reported to say: "THEY TOOK WHAT!?""
I'm both selfish and rational. I'm scheming, secretive and manipulative; I use knowledge as a tool for personal gain, and in turn obtaining more knowledge. At best, I am mysterious and stealthy; at worst, I am distrustful and opportunistic.
Desert Hunters of Vior'la 
The Purge 
Iron Hands 
Adepts of Pestilence 
Tallaran Desert Raiders 
Grey Knight Teleport Assault Force
