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[MrCunningham]

Man, what a trollish title... and I mean that in a good way. It will have people debating over Jedi being plural or singular up until the first trailer. Even after that it will be up for debate if there will be one Jedi left standing at the end of the movie. Well played.

 

[Ainsz]

What's RLM?

Search them on youtube, they're great!

 

[What did he mean by this?]

I dislike RLM now, I just make references ironically!

 

[Discotheque]

it's like the expendables of corny garbage movie reviewers.

i liked their plinkett reviews though, regardless of my opinion of the prequels those were entertaining.

 

[Surfinn]

The RLM podcast review clip linked above wasn't bad, but the video that spawned that endless trash gif seemed like typical youtube stuff to me.

I guess they don't spend half of that clip screaming or making dumb noises, so it can be in the upper half of typical Youtube clips.

This is where I'm at. The above video is funny, but as you state, most of the time this doesn't seem to be their style. And their most anticipated review pretty much ever (Plinkett TFA) is, ironically, about as disappointing as the OT to PT.

I mean that thing is truly a hack job piece of shit. Turned me off from ever watching one of their videos again.

 

[Bronx-Man]

I could never imagine telling 15-year-old me that RLM would go on to suck.

 

[scoobs]

The first guy does the same thing as the other three.

Just because he pretends he's too cool to be doing it doesn't actually make him so.



Oh I get it now

If by "doing it" you mean "having a successful youtube movie channel"... then yes, he's "doing it."

The only similarity between RLM and those other channels is they're channels dedicated to movies. 50% of the content on RLM's channel is three guys watching hilariously awful straight-to-VHS movies from the 80's and 90's.

You are so off-base here IMO, but whatever, this thread is about Star Wars so I'm just gonna leave it at that. Luke doesn't die until episode 9. Another red herring I guess.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

If by "doing it" you mean "having a successful youtube movie channel"... then yes, he's "doing it."

Dunno why you're arguing then

You are so off-base here IMO

You must be thinking of the other guy.

 

[Einchy]

If by "doing it" you mean "having a successful youtube movie channel"... then yes, he's "doing it."

The only similarity between RLM and those other channels is they're channels dedicated to movies. 50% of the content on RLM's channel is three guys watching hilariously awful straight-to-VHS movies from the 80's and 90's.

You are so off-base here IMO, but whatever, this thread is about Star Wars so I'm just gonna leave it at that. Luke doesn't die until episode 9.

What's so bad about the other guys compared to RLM?

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

What's RLM?

Rogue Leader Media

 

[Bobby Roberts]

What's so bad about the other guys compared to RLM?

They just do straightforward reviews of things without pretending to be half-drunk hyper-cynical vcr repairmen.

 

[scoobs]

What's so bad about the other guys compared to RLM?

I actually don't have a problem with any of them, I like their reviews most of the time, but a lot of people on the internet don't like them for some reason and are pretty vocal about it (I guess because they're successful, i dunno)

 

[Einchy]

I actually don't have a problem with any of them, I like their reviews most of the time, but a lot of people on the internet don't like them for some reason and are pretty vocal about it (I guess because they're successful, i dunno)

Your post made it seem like you also shared RLM's opinion that the other guys are trash and thus have to ridicule them.

I, too, like all four guys but I've never been a fan of people pretending to be better than their peers, especially when their shtick is as un-funny as all the skits that happen in Half in the Bag are. More often than not, RLM just come off as assholes.

 

[scoobs]

Your post made it seem like you also shared RLM's opinion that the other guys are trash and thus have to ridicule them.

I, too, like all four guys but I've never been a fan of people pretending to be better than their peers, especially when their shtick is as un-funny as all the skits that happen in Half in the Bag are. More often than not, RLM just come off as assholes.

Oh they're totally assholes, but that's what I like about them. I'm a sarcastic fuck, so they speak to me.

 

[Surfinn]

Your post made it seem like you also shared RLM's opinion that the other guys are trash and thus have to ridicule them.

I, too, like all four guys but I've never been a fan of people pretending to be better than their peers, especially when their shtick is as un-funny as all the skits that happen in Half in the Bag are. More often than not, RLM just come off as assholes.

Nah, I'm sure all the elitist millennial bashing is just part of the fun. Right? I seriously doubt there are passive-aggressive undertones hidden there.. or complaining about diversity, that's all in good fun too, right? Doubt they actually believe in that stuff.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

When you wanna talk about movies, but you don't like movie critics, but you wanna sound like one, but you don't wanna sound too smart about it, but you wanna let other people know you think they're stupid, just go to youtube. Don't read reviews! Repeat them instead!

Welcome to your new home! Film Criticism for people who hate Film Criticism! Now with more catchphrases! Because why know what you're talking about when you can feel like you belong, with like-minded individuals who know just enough to sound knowledgeable!

Don't think of it as a review! Think of it as a load-out for winning reddit and facebook fights! A load-out provided by your YouTube friends who are way too cool to be doing any of this, but you're just cool enough to hang out with us.

All you gotta do is click play!

 

[Dash_Riprock]

I could never imagine telling 15-year-old me that RLM would go on to suck.

Try telling 7-year-old me that George Lucas would fuck up the Star Wars prequels.

 

[scoobs]

When you wanna talk about movies, but you don't like movie critics, but you wanna sound like one, but you don't wanna sound too smart about it, but you wanna let other people know you think they're stupid, just go to youtube. Don't read reviews! Repeat them instead!

Welcome to your new home! Film Criticism for people who hate Film Criticism! Now with more catchphrases! Because why know what you're talking about when you can feel like you belong, with like-minded individuals who know just enough to sound knowledgeable!

Don't think of it as a review! Think of it as a load-out for winning reddit and facebook fights! A load-out provided by your YouTube friends who are way too cool to be doing any of this, but you're just cool enough to hang out with us.

All you gotta do is click play!

Your shtick is worse than RLMs.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

13 year old me thought for sure I'd get a college scholarship for basketball.

13 year-old me stopped growing about 5 months later.

Your shtick is worse than RLMs.

Yes but at least I pay attention to you.

 

[Randam]

Man, what a trollish title... and I mean that in a good way. It will have people debating over Jedi being plural or singular up until the first trailer. Even after that it will be up for debate if there will be one Jedi left standing at the end of the movie. Well played.

Just wait till other countries like Germany for example translate the title.

 

[Glass Rebel]

In general I feel that if Film Critic Hulk with his outplayed gimmick out-criticizes you and your outplayed gimmick, you kinda already lost. And RLM definitely falls into this category.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Anyway: The Last Jedi is Luke Skywalker.

 

[Glass Rebel]

remember tho kylo ren isn't a sith YET

 

[Pikelet]

...or complaining about diversity, that's all in good fun too, right? Doubt they actually believe in that stuff.

I think there's a pretty large distinction between complaining about diversity and complaining about tokenism and pandering. From what I've seen of them, RLM fall into the latter category.

For instance, they pointed out that Donnie Yen's character in Rogue One was largely superfluous (in the sense that he was completely inconsequential to the main plot), and he was added in a transparent attempt to capture more of the Chinese market.

Essentially it came off like his character was a product of pure marketing rather than the artistic vision of a writer/director. These are valid criticisms of the film in my opinion, and is not an attack on diversity in a broader sense.

 

[Bronx-Man]

Try telling 7-year-old me that George Lucas would fuck up the Star Wars prequels.

 

[Randam]

https://j.gifs.com/j2Bqj4.gif

It gave a second career to the kid from Children of the Corn though.

Say what? Who?

 

[Surfinn]

Anyway: The Last Jedi is Luke Skywalker.

Logically it doesn't make much sense to not just be him. That's not to say Rey and Finn can't be Jedi at some point, of course. Although "The New Jedi" doesn't quite have the same ring to it in terms of titling EP9.

I think there's a pretty large distinction between complaining about diversity and complaining about tokenism and pandering. From what I've seen of them, RLM fall into the latter category.

For instance, they pointed out that Donnie Yen's character in Rogue One was largely superfluous (in the sense that he was completely inconsequential to the main plot), and he was added in a transparent attempt to capture more of the Chinese market.

Essentially it came off like his character was a product of pure marketing rather than the artistic vision of a writer/director. These are valid criticisms of the film in my opinion, and is not an attack on diversity in a broader sense.

That would make more sense if the TFA review didn't blatantly call out "diversity for the sake of it". Because surely including a female and black man was just about simply being different. Not like there's any people out there who identify with those people for who they are. That criticism is fucking garbage when you use it outside of R1, as it's been done before.

Like I said, it's a straight up hack of a review. Lost respect for the team for publishing it.

 

[The Silver]

Anyway: The Last Jedi is Luke Skywalker.

No I'm the last Jedi

 

[scoobs]

But... Princess Leia is a Jedi, oh wait

 

[Glass Rebel]

I think there's a pretty large distinction between complaining about diversity and complaining about tokenism and pandering. From what I've seen of them, RLM fall into the latter category.

For instance, they pointed out that Donnie Yen's character in Rogue One was largely superfluous (in the sense that he was completely inconsequential to the main plot), and he was added in a transparent attempt to capture more of the Chinese market.

Essentially it came off like his character was a product of pure marketing rather than the artistic vision of a writer/director. These are valid criticisms of the film in my opinion, and is not an attack on diversity in a broader sense.

Yeah, people who complain about "forced diversity" always come up with silly arguments for why a PoC shouldn't have been in a movie, that's nothing new.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

Essentially it came off like his character was a product of pure marketing rather than the artistic vision of a writer/director. These are valid criticisms of the film in my opinion, and is not an attack on diversity in a broader sense.

The problem with the criticism is that it seems very tightly tied to the concept that the films are being made not only by committee, but by corporate committee, with the creatives taking secondary, if not even tertiary, roles in the construction of the story.

The only way you can level the number of "forced diversity" complaints that they've leveled towards Star Wars since it's come back is if you honestly believe all diversity present in the films is the product of corporate meddling for the sake of filling a quota so as to shamelessly exploit other genders and races for their cash.

Which makes sense if you have a) a cynical outlook on the idea of diversity in film in the first place and b) a pretty skewed, uninformed idea of how the filmmaking process at Lucasfilm actually works.

They don't know what they're talking about and they don't want to know and they reject any other possible explanations for why more women and minorities are in the films. Which likely leads to their being more critical of their presence when their characters aren't executed 100% perfectly.

Which is, if you think about it, kinda fucked up, because it basically reinforces the notion that women and minorities in genre entertainment better be fucking flawless* at whatever it is they're doing, and better be right up front with the justification of their mere presence in the story, otherwise the conspiracy theory kicks right back in and their being in the film is mildly delegitimized.

*don't be too flawless because then you're open to criticisms of Sue-ism

Anyway, when you've built your entire brand on being smarter than the people making the movies and speaking truth to power about all the craven idiots looking to fuck you out of your hard-earned money with endlesstrash.gif, there's not much in it for you to lay off that narrative, even when it doesn't fit with the reality of the thing you're criticizing. Better instead to say shit like "kids don't care about representation, this is all a corporate conspiracy to make you feel better about giving them money."

 

[Einchy]

I think there's a pretty large distinction between complaining about diversity and complaining about tokenism and pandering. From what I've seen of them, RLM fall into the latter category.

For instance, they pointed out that Donnie Yen's character in Rogue One was largely superfluous (in the sense that he was completely inconsequential to the main plot), and he was added in a transparent attempt to capture more of the Chinese market.

Essentially it came off like his character was a product of pure marketing rather than the artistic vision of a writer/director. These are valid criticisms of the film in my opinion, and is not an attack on diversity in a broader sense.

I never understood how that's pandering but having white people isn't pandering to, you know, white people. Why is one bad and the other is fine?

 

[Surfinn]

The problem with the criticism is that it seems very tightly tied to the concept that the films are being made not only by committee, but by corporate committee, with the creatives taking secondary, if not even tertiary, roles in the construction of the story.

The only way you can level the number of "forced diversity" complaints that they've leveled towards Star Wars since it's come back is if you honestly believe all diversity present in the films is the product of corporate meddling for the sake of filling a quota so as to shamelessly exploit other genders and races for their cash.

Which makes sense if you have a) a cynical outlook on the idea of diversity in film in the first place and b) a pretty skewed, uninformed idea of how the filmmaking process at Lucasfilm actually works.

They don't know what they're talking about and they don't want to know and they reject any other possible explanations for why more women and minorities are in the films. Which likely leads to their being more critical of their presence when their characters aren't executed 100% perfectly.

Which is, if you think about it, kinda fucked up, because it basically reinforces the notion that women and minorities in genre entertainment better be fucking flawless* at whatever it is they're doing, and better be right up front with the justification of their mere presence in the story, otherwise the conspiracy theory kicks right back in and their being in the film is mildly delegitimized.

*don't be too flawless because then you're open to criticisms of Sue-ism

Anyway, when you've built your entire brand on being smarter than the people making the movies and speaking truth to power about all the craven idiots looking to fuck you out of your hard-earned money with endlesstrash.gif, there's not much in it for you to lay off that narrative, even when it doesn't fit with the reality of the thing you're criticizing.

Bolded sums the problem up nicely. Good post.

I think what you see in the TFA review is straight up racist, imo, which is why it really turns me off. So, what's the real suggestion here? Just keep casting white actors with a token black guy/minority? That will satisfy all 40-50 year olds' original vision of keeping Star Wars "traditional"?

It's a pretty goddamn slippery slope and people give them a free pass because they're RLM.

Wait.. that sounds oddly familiar to a current political situation..

 

[The Silver]

I never understood how that's pandering but having white people isn't pandering to, you know, white people. Why is one bad and the other is fine?

Well it is, it's why whitewashing is now being called out a lot more often

 

[Bronx-Man]

The whole "no one cares bout diversity hurr durr" shit is only one of many reasons why the TFA review sucked.

Them boys just ain't got the stuff anymore. Their time has passed.

 

[Surfinn]

The whole "no one cares bout diversity hurr durr" shit is only one of many reasons why the TFA review sucked.

Them boys just ain't got the stuff anymore. Their time has passed.

Yeah, their "back in my day" shit is easy to see through for what it really is.

 

[scoobs]

I'll have you know that RLM has a real scientist man working for them so they definitely know what they're talking about. You can't argue with science.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

What, a bunch of insular middle aged genre-fed white guys in Wisconsin are having a hard time with the notion movies aren't being made specifically for them anymore?

No!

 

[Surfinn]

What, a bunch of insular middle aged genre-fed white guys in Wisconsin are having a hard time with the notion movies aren't being made specifically for them anymore?

No!

It's almost like encouraging a wider representation of races/ethnicities in blockbusters is a good thing.

 

[George Oscar Bluth II]

The whole "no one cares bout diversity hurr durr" shit is only one of many reasons why the TFA review sucked.

Them boys just ain't got the stuff anymore. Their time has passed.

Only the prequel reviews are good (ignoring the disturbing humour) but as mentioned in other threads, they had years worth of existing prequel criticisms to pore over and use. It seems they're really rather crap at coming up with their own criticisms.

 

[What did he mean by this?]

I'll have you know that RLM has a real scientist man working for them so they definitely know what they're talking about. You can't argue with science.

That scientist guy who tried to downplay Leslie Jones' racist and sexist harassment on Twitter as part of some Sony conspiracy? I cant remember if that video was ironic or sarcasm or ironic but not sarcasm or sarcasm but not ironic; see now I'm confused again

but this thread isnt about RLM, or is it? its not
or is it?

 

[Surfinn]

That scientist guy who tried to downplay Leslie Jones' racist and sexist harassment on Twitter as part of some Sony conspiracy? I cant remember if that video was ironic or sarcasm or ironic but not sarcasm or sarcasm but not ironic; see now I'm confused again

but this thread isnt about RLM, or is it? its not
or is it?

Lol. You're fucking kidding me. Looks like I checked out at the right time.

 

[Bronx-Man]

The more I think about it, the more I realize i'm not gonna be able to handle it if Luke bites the dust. He spent so long trying to stop the Empire, training to finally fulfill his destiny, defeat Vader, and rebuild the Jedi Order....

....and in the end it all meant nothing.




Like I seriously might start bawling if Luke dies.

 

[professor_t]

*Enters thread to share in excitement*

*Sees people barfing out RLM quotes and fan fiction labels*

*Dies*

Haha. I feel the exact same way. "The Last Jedi" is fucking dope and everyone who doesn't agree can respectfully go read the Timothy Zahn novels for the seventh time.

 

[Dash_Riprock]

Only the prequel reviews are good (ignoring the disturbing humour) but as mentioned in other threads, they had years worth of existing prequel criticisms to pore over and use. It seems they're really rather crap at coming up with their own criticisms.

That and it really seems the success got to their heads...

 

[Surfinn]

The more I think about it, the more I realize i'm not gonna be able to handle it if Luke bites the dust. He spent so long trying to stop the Empire, training to finally fulfill his destiny, defeat Vader, and rebuild the Jedi Order....

....and in the end it all meant nothing.




Like I seriously might start bawling if Luke dies.

WHAT? If he dies his death will at least have the meaning of Vader's. You know.. directly helping save the entire galaxy from the Empire.

But I know what you mean. If he DOES die.. it's gunna suck knowing Luke doesn't ride off into the sunset like in ROTJ.

 

[GhaleonEB]

Anyway: The Last Jedi is Luke Skywalker.

I'm not signed into GAF at work and had one long freaking day, but this was my first thought upon reading the title when the thread was posted, as well. My hope is thematically, it's about Rey seeing what the Jedi were about and going her own way. Not so much rejecting his teachings as rejecting his order.

Donnie Yen's character in R1 set the stage, as a force sensitive person who is not a Jedi; now Rey goes on to be a full fledged force user who is not a Jedi, just as Ren is not a Sith.

Edit: fixed an epic buttload of fatigue induced typos.

 

[Einchy]

Haha. I feel the exact same way. "The Last Jedi" is fucking dope and everyone who doesn't agree can respectfully go read the Timothy Zahn novels for the seventh time.

The Last Jedi really is a baller ass name, especially when it's displayed with that red logo. It just feels so damn cool.

 

[Bobby Roberts]

I also think Chirrut's ability to feel the force (if not use it) might be a nudge in the doorway to allow Finn to be a relative normal guy who can, through determination/force of will, actually tap into it despite not having a natural affinity.

Jedi didn't even consider that sort of shit a possibility.

 

[Surfinn]

I'm not signed into GAF at work and had one long freaking day, but this was my first thought upon reading the title when the thread was posted, as well. My hope it's thematically, it's about Rey seeing what the Jedi were about and going her own way. Not so much rejecting his teachings as rejecting his order.

Donnie Yen's character in R1 set the stage, as a force sensitive person who is not a Jedi; now goes on to be a full fledge force user who is not a Jedi, just as Ren is not a Sith.

I agree, it's really difficult to argue the title doesn't literally refer to Luke.. but I'm not convinced that Rey doesn't become a Jedi and Ren doesn't become a Sith. His idol IS Vader, after all.. and Jedi are a staple of the saga as much as the lightsaber.