Very good. I read despite spoiler warnings - enjoying Pluribus thus far and glad to see that it continues in an interesting trajectory. I actually think in the era of streaming and badly edited, badly plotted, badly scripted movies a spoiler is something that might stop you wasting your time on a series or film that is spun out over interminable false endings and plot contrivances.
What a superb piece of writing! (I ignored your instruction - to watch Pluribus before reading - because of a very old *obsession* with Body Snatchers. It's a film I have actively to prevent myself from watching weekly. I have the memory span of a fruitfly so the "spoilers" won't spoil it for me when I do watch. And like you, I read Animal Farm- and picked up on its warning about collectivism- both before I knew of Stalin, and, I remember distinctly, through my English teacher's stained, gritted and very communist teeth.)
I, too, read this without having watch "Pluribus." Maybe I will now.
Hollywood and the US entertainment industry have this reputation for making material less dark, but I think this is largely for commercial reasons (although this doesn't wash with the "Animal Farm" remake), rather than ideology. Films are expensive and collaborative in a way that book publishing is not, and people don't want to lose money, not just for themselves but for other people. I think my favourite example is "Rumble Fish" which was written by a seventeen-year-old, and I had a copy in a children's imprint (before the "Young Adult" thing took over, obvs). The film was a "X" (18) here, and they softened the ending. (Matt Dillon goes to the Pacific; he stays at home in the book. He gets the fish Mickey Rourke tries to free into the river too, which wasn't in the book, IIRC.)
It's a funny thing with endings. "Planet of the Apes" has a fantastic ending (better than the book, where they go back to Earth, to find an ape driving out to the ship when it lands). I'm not convinced audiences object. I think they *say* they do when they're asked for feedback, but writing down one's thoughts on a film or tv show is pretty alien to most people, and perhaps many say they didn't like the ending without specifying that it was a good not liking rather than a bad not liking. In other words, the cheery optimistic thing is an artefact of commercial caution, and is neither the artistic intention of scriptwriters nor even the preference of audiences.
"Easy Rider" has a pretty miserable ending, and that was a huge success.
Very good. I read despite spoiler warnings - enjoying Pluribus thus far and glad to see that it continues in an interesting trajectory. I actually think in the era of streaming and badly edited, badly plotted, badly scripted movies a spoiler is something that might stop you wasting your time on a series or film that is spun out over interminable false endings and plot contrivances.
What a superb piece of writing! (I ignored your instruction - to watch Pluribus before reading - because of a very old *obsession* with Body Snatchers. It's a film I have actively to prevent myself from watching weekly. I have the memory span of a fruitfly so the "spoilers" won't spoil it for me when I do watch. And like you, I read Animal Farm- and picked up on its warning about collectivism- both before I knew of Stalin, and, I remember distinctly, through my English teacher's stained, gritted and very communist teeth.)
Thank you!
I, too, read this without having watch "Pluribus." Maybe I will now.
Hollywood and the US entertainment industry have this reputation for making material less dark, but I think this is largely for commercial reasons (although this doesn't wash with the "Animal Farm" remake), rather than ideology. Films are expensive and collaborative in a way that book publishing is not, and people don't want to lose money, not just for themselves but for other people. I think my favourite example is "Rumble Fish" which was written by a seventeen-year-old, and I had a copy in a children's imprint (before the "Young Adult" thing took over, obvs). The film was a "X" (18) here, and they softened the ending. (Matt Dillon goes to the Pacific; he stays at home in the book. He gets the fish Mickey Rourke tries to free into the river too, which wasn't in the book, IIRC.)
It's a funny thing with endings. "Planet of the Apes" has a fantastic ending (better than the book, where they go back to Earth, to find an ape driving out to the ship when it lands). I'm not convinced audiences object. I think they *say* they do when they're asked for feedback, but writing down one's thoughts on a film or tv show is pretty alien to most people, and perhaps many say they didn't like the ending without specifying that it was a good not liking rather than a bad not liking. In other words, the cheery optimistic thing is an artefact of commercial caution, and is neither the artistic intention of scriptwriters nor even the preference of audiences.
"Easy Rider" has a pretty miserable ending, and that was a huge success.
I really enjoyed that Damian, and it makes me want to watch all the stuff you reference again.