RIPPA Posted February 18, 2019 Author Share Posted February 18, 2019 I assume folks around here would be interested in this 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Contentious C Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 I just finished The ABC Murders last night, and hoo boy, yeah, the back-walking...woof. But this was a strange show regardless of that. I hadn't read the book, so I had no idea about the plot or the twist ending, but the show itself tries really, *really* hard to behave like it's "updating" Christie's stuff. Again, since I haven't read the book (or any of hers, something I should probably remedy), I don't know how deeply she gets into the mindset of the killer, but a simple plot synopsis seems to suggest the way it's set up in the book is the trope-y way of revealing (one she's probably responsible for): gather all the suspects together, show off Poirot's skills, point a finger, Big Bad Exposition Time. The show doesn't do any of that, and that's good, because not only is it trope-y, it's a totally ridiculous trope that only "works" in a novel anyway (and even then is lame). Above and beyond that, though, there are a lot of elements that just seem anachronistic. There's a predictable - and yet wrong-feeling - stretch of discussion by the end that sounds like it's stolen straight out of the kind of "serial killer psychology" that has only truly developed within the last 40+ years, not something that was around in the 30s. Hell, psychology as a whole was still adolescent then, let alone understanding the motivations of murderers. The talks seem like they're there because today's audience would expect that, having had a belly full of police procedurals and Nightlines, not because it belongs. There are a couple of moments where it feels like there's a hint of Jack the Ripper being made up for, that Poirot is exorcising that particular demon by catching new killers, but it's only a whiff, and not a theme. Similarly, the one big stand-out piece of the show is this nagging feeling throughout as though the killer exists because someone exists to catch him: that it's all a big game because there's finally someone "worthy" to play it. For anyone who's played Arkham City, this should feel familiar, because it's more or less the entire thrust of what Hugo Strange discusses by the end of the game: the deviants exist because Batman himself is a deviant, and it casts Poirot in a totally different light as a result. Some of that is quite good, and I would have been interested in a rendition of that that didn't involve John Malkovich being on autopilot. I liked the time spent giving the smaller characters a chance to show how they're kind of all alone and screwed up in their own way, but since it's only 3 episodes, those moments almost feel out of place. It's not like they're going anywhere else with any of these characters except the central one. Then again, if the show had been any longer or had spent more time on the murders themselves, it might have done more to give away the ending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Cincinnati Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 March 31. And a little something to remind you why you love it: 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig H Posted February 19, 2019 Share Posted February 19, 2019 Awwwwwesome. They really are running with Jonah vs Selina. That's just fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Attention @piranesi This episode of mccloud I am watching stars Joanna Pettet, Ross Martin, Neville Brand, Joanna Barnes, Teri Garr and Steve Allen. Also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piranesi Posted February 20, 2019 Share Posted February 20, 2019 Dear God. Did McCloud Cibernetico out? because Teri Garr, Joanna Pettet, and 1960s Joanna Barnes in a "who's the hottest person on earth" contest would be earth shattering. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Jussie Smollett is being charged with disorderly conduct (which is what filing a false police report is in Illinois), and in that state, it's a Class 4 felony with the possibility of 1-3 years in prison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Someone needs to ask the Empire showrunner how integral Jussie is to the show now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 11 hours ago, Elsalvajeloco said: Someone needs to ask the Empire showrunner how integral Jussie is to the show now. Not very, since the rumor is that he pulled this stunt because he heard through the casting grapevine that his character was about to be written out of the show. The death threat note didn't grab immediate headlines, so this was Plan B. In the advent of this caper, it looks like the showrunners are cutting back on Jussie's scenes during the production of the upcoming episodes for the fifth season. If I was his sister, I'd be beating the fuck out of him right about now. This dumb shit could mess with her ability to earn and that can't pass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I've been listening to the Smollett story pretty much every morning on the news here in Chicago, hoping they'd catch these guys. It honestly sounded strange from the start, but I really didn't think he'd lie about it. I'm listening to CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson(who's black) at the LIVE press conference and he is pissed at this fool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIPPA Posted February 21, 2019 Author Share Posted February 21, 2019 As part of the press conference - they said that Smollett did it because he was "dissatisfied with his salary" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 5 minutes ago, RIPPA said: As part of the press conference - they said that Smollett did it because he was "dissatisfied with his salary" Well the dumbass will be lucky to make a nickel after he gets out of jail for pulling this stunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supremebve Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Am I the only one who doesn't understand how this hoax was supposed to lead to him getting a raise? This may very well be the dumbest scam of all time, and I just watched the Netflix Fyre documentary last night. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 7 minutes ago, supremebve said: Am I the only one who doesn't understand how this hoax was supposed to lead to him getting a raise? 1. Garner public sympathy. 2. Become a media darling and a poster child for hate crime victims. 3. Profit. He fucking sold out clubs in that brief tour he did following the incident. Becoming an advocate celeb might've translated into good press and a pay raise for Empire if this had all been legit. If you're an Empire showrunner, certainly you don't want to be the guy that doesn't pay Jussie what his fans and supporterrs thinks he's worth if he's riding a ginormous wave of positive public opinion. You'd be branded a racist and a homophobe in one burning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 It's one of those stories that makes me feel like Marge Gunderson at the end of Fargo 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 10 minutes ago, jaedmc said: It's one of those stories that makes me feel like Marge Gunderson at the end of Fargo It makes me feel like I'm back in the late 80's watching press conferences about Tawana Brawley. I imagine that Al Sharpton is sitting at his desk at MSNBC with a bottle of Scotch in his hand and shaking his head and thinking to himself, "Dear Lord. Not this shit again..." XXX from Layer Cake was right though. Only stupid criminals believe that the police are stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
odessasteps Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 On 2/19/2019 at 11:11 PM, piranesi said: Dear God. Did McCloud Cibernetico out? because Teri Garr, Joanna Pettet, and 1960s Joanna Barnes in a "who's the hottest person on earth" contest would be earth shattering. The plot was about someone killing call girls, including Pettit, and Barnes was the Mayflower Madam Type. Garr was actually a flustered officer trying to get mccloud to do his paperwork. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.T. Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Speak of the devil. My phone is blowing up with stuff about the case including a new article in the Chicago Tribue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf&Subs Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 I have no idea where this should go... Grestest movie ever getting its appreciation back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raziel Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 Wait, is that actually Weller too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoneWolf&Subs Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 1 minute ago, Raziel said: Wait, is that actually Weller too? I think it’s just the voice. Those don’t look like Weller’s lips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AxB Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 So, Jussie Smollett and Liam Neeson to co-star in a Buddy Movie directed by Mel Gibson in a couple of years, yeah? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 3 hours ago, jaedmc said: I'm listening to CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson(who's black) at the LIVE press conference and he is pissed at this fool. I wouldn't put too much stock into that because anytime there is a black person involved in some type of crime (suspect or victim) and they happen to have a black police chief or some type of black representative, they make sure to put him front and center. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elsalvajeloco Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 3 hours ago, J.T. said: XXX from Layer Cake was right though. Only stupid criminals believe that the police are stupid. Yeah, I'm going to use my best judgement and stay outta this one. 4 hours ago, J.T. said: If I was his sister, I'd be beating the fuck out of him right about now. This dumb shit could mess with her ability to earn and that can't pass. If people that could potentially hire her can't discern the difference between her brother's actions and her ability, they are pieces of shit. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaedmc Posted February 21, 2019 Share Posted February 21, 2019 2 minutes ago, Elsalvajeloco said: I wouldn't put too much stock into that because anytime there is a black person involved in some type of crime (suspect or victim) and they happen to have a black police chief or some type of black representative, they make sure to put him front and center. He's Chicago's"Top Cop" so he's often front and center at just about everything, so I don't know how much of his presence was dictated to him, but your sentiment in general is one that I recognize as valid. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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