# Let’s play Heresy! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 22, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623 "2005-07-22T12:51:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/61 "2005-07-22T21:23:24Z")
> [@MaxTheVool](#): > > **Lord of the Rings** is a fine fantasy series, if a bit tedious, but not even in the same league as **A Song of Ice and Fire**. …or the works of Guy Gavriel Kay. Dan Simmons’ _Hyperion_ is much better than _Dune_. In fact, it’s probably the best science fiction ever written. Robert E. Heinlein had some good ideas and could produce some decent prose, but when it came to plot and chracters he was a very mediocre writer. Isaac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke were just like Heinlein, only without the decent prose. I’ll take _Dragonlance_ over Harry Potter any day of the week. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/62 "2005-07-22T21:26:57Z")
Napoleon Dynamite was dreadful. The most beautiful women making movies now are: Kate Winslet Drew Barrymore Selma Hayek Scarlett Johansson In that order. I’ve probably fallen in love with 90% of Drew Barrymore’s characters. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as it were. ---
**Author:** ![Gilligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Gilligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilligan)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/63 "2005-07-22T22:10:36Z")
Vastly overrated, wouldn’t watch again: **The Shining Blade Runner American Beauty Jackie Brown Survivor** Didn’t get much out of, don’t hate but also don’t see what the fuss is about: **Taxi Driver Seven Donnie Darko Fargo WKRP in Cincinnati** Don’t understand the hate, these things are great despite some flaws: **Titanic** \*\*Starship Troopers \*\* \*\*Friends \*\* (and I love Janice and her voice) \*\*Everybody Loves Raymond \*\* (Debra is great) **Married with Children** (and the show was greatly improved when Steve Rhodes left, and more so when Jefferson Darcy joined) Random thoughts: While generally crap, there are some very funny scenes in some of Adam Sandler’s movies. **Lord of the Rings** is a great three hour movie spread out over 175 hours. It really doesn’t matter who shot first. Julia Roberts, Calista Flockhart, and Kate Moss are very attractive women. Uma Thurman, Cameron Diaz, Mena Suvari, and Selma Blair are not. In 30 years, SNL has aired about four hours of humorous material. The four hours includes Robert Smigel, Jack Handy, and Mr Bill. ---
**Author:** ![mamboman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecb155/32.png) [@mamboman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mamboman)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/64 "2005-07-22T22:26:32Z")
All said with hand on the heart sincerity: “Showgirls” was a very clever indictment of the vapidity and fundamental self-prostitution underlying “the american dream”. Serie A is a waaaaaay higher standard of football and of entertainment than the English Premier league The overall quality and entertainment value of english football has measureably decreased since the Premiership came in Nicole Kidman is a talentess anti-actor. How is it she still gets work? Phil Ceretta and Max Greevey kicked Lennie Briscoe’s ass The designated hitter rule is a perversion fo the laws of God, man and nature Harry Potter is not only turgid crap written by a seveth rate writer, it may well _encourage_ functional illiteracy instead of curing it “Licence to Kill” was a rockin’ James Bond film, and Timothy Dalton was a rockin’ James Bond David Moyes should be sacked - right now! He is incompetent. (spoken as a life time Tofffeeman, this) Tom Baker waaaay overtayed his welcome as Dr Who and was never as good as Jon Pertwee anyway. Most of the time, he wasn’t even as good as Peter Davison. Helen Hunt is much prettier than Jodie Foster mm ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/65 "2005-07-22T22:31:35Z")
Tolkien was a believer in a conventionalism of fantasy, who not only followed conventions but instituted his own bizarre nouveaux-conventions, which have unfortunately caught on. I suggest Piers Anthony as an alternative. Alan Moore’s _Watchmen_ was largely a concentration of elements found in other “adult-themed” comics of the era. It does not completely succeed as a deconstruction of the superhero form, for it is primarily horror writing, & it has only a single super-powered individual surrounded by masked mystery-men. Also, he treated the Charlton trademarks with unwarranted disrespect, for which he deserves a hiss. Alan Moore’s _The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen_ is unmitigated crap, so bad as to seem to lend credence to the argument that copyrights should be forever. And the artist, what’s-'is-face is unbelievably bad. He was bad on _Marshal Law_, & he’s still bad. Shakespeare’s real strength was in goofy comedy. _The Comedy of Errors_ is a masterpiece of farce. _Romeo & Juliet_ reads like a comedy before being turned tragic at the end for arbitrary reasons, & is therefore unsatisfying. The Beatles were a better songwriting band than performing band, as a whole. Most Beatles songs can be improved by being covered by a decent rock band. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/66 "2005-07-22T22:46:04Z")
James Bond was really only worth one book/movie. The literary/cinematic world would be vastly better off if it had one Bond title and twenty _Chitty-Chitty Bang-Bang_ adventures. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/67 "2005-07-22T22:54:13Z")
Some of Kid Rock’s music is engaging and fun to listen to. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/68 "2005-07-22T23:07:48Z")
> [@Ghanima](#): > > Thai food is disgusting and vile. There, I said it. I agree wholeheartedly. You see, my stepmother is from Thailand and she cooks it in authentic Thai style. That is to say, it stinks up the entire house. I was reading some restaurant reviews in the Boise Weekly and one review of a Thai place said “try the larb.” I pray that’s Americanized larb. I’ve had the authentic item. If one day I’m held at gunpoint and forced to choose between eating a plate of larb or starring as the bottom in a _scheisse_ video, well, I’ll pick the latter hot lunch. Also, the last episode of _Seinfeld_ is without a doubt the best series finale I’ve ever watched. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/69 "2005-07-22T23:20:00Z")
1920s style death-rays just don’t work. Cindy was the coolest Brady. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/70 "2005-07-22T23:22:19Z")
Although this thread is meant to be cathartic, I suppose, some of you people are making my eyes bleed. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2005, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/71 "2005-07-22T23:24:53Z")
I am going to give it another try, since I really, really want to like it, but the first time around, I found **Firefly** to be dull and unimaginative. I’m taping the reruns on Sci-Fi, hoping that the second time will be the charm. Some of my SF-loving friends think I am horribly warped and awful, and I’d love to be able to speak to them again about this show without getting glared at. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/72 "2005-07-23T01:23:05Z")
Some of these have already been used , but I don’t care . Still my opinions , so I will repeat . 😛 **Rap** should have a **“C”** permanantly in front of it . **Pulp Fiction** sucked . Really , really hard . People that don’t like animals cannot be trusted . Stephen King seems to have forgotten how to write . There may be more to come . My mind is blanking . ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/73 "2005-07-23T01:58:21Z")
Rock and roll is currently dead (though is has undergone several resurrections and may well rise again). Hip hop is where it’s at right now-- it’s the new rock, and everyone should just accept that and move on. If you think you’re listening to rock, you’re probably listening to classic rock, older bands who’ve been around for a while (and may well suck boulders now but you won’t admit it), or that emo crap that’s passing itself off as “new” rock. \*Blade Runner \* (The Director’s Cut) is the best sci-fi movie ever made. Joaquin Phoenix, Ewan McGregor, and Matt Damon are frickin’ uglier than sin. There are guys who change my oil at Jiffy Lube who are better looking, and that’s not a compliment. This is not to say they are bad actors; no, they are just very unattractive. Kevin Smith is a hack and he sucks. None of his movies are any good. He is so full of crap that he should be ridden out of Hollywood on a rail. _Clerks_ is his best movie and the actors are so wooden they might as well be holding their scripts in their hands and doing a cold reading. When will he go away? Tom Cruise’s best movie is _Legend_. Steven Spielberg generally fails to thrill me, with a few exceptions of course. He doesn’t suck, but he is overrated as hell. _Requiem for a Dream_ was the \*Reefer Madness \* of its generation-- a highly improbable cautionary tale for our times. What an over the top, ludicrous, vile stream of manipulative nonsense that movie was, replete with excessively hip gimmickry. A triumph of style over substance. Ellen Burstyn and Jennifer Connelly were wasted. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/74 "2005-07-23T02:43:40Z")
Thomas Harris’s \*Hannibal \* is a great book. The filmmakers should have used the ending from the book. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/75 "2005-07-23T02:48:04Z")
Jack Kirby was one of the greatest comic book artists ever, but as a writer, after he quit working with Stan Lee, he sucked. His “Third World” stuff is atrocious hackwork. He heads the list of artists who should never have written, which also includes Steve Ditko and Todd MacFarlane. ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/76 "2005-07-23T03:40:42Z")
Romance novels are entertaining. The genre has better authors than mainstream fiction. Firefly sucked. ST:DS9 was better than ST:NG, but neither was outstanding. M.A.S.H. the TV series was abysmal, the movie was so-so. LOTR needed an editor, badly. Enders Game is not a good book. ---
**Author:** ![Reepicheep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@Reepicheep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reepicheep)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/77 "2005-07-23T03:43:06Z")
Arrgh! When will I learn preview is my friend? ST:DS9 = ST: DS9 ---
**Author:** ![Max\_the\_Immortal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/78 "2005-07-23T06:13:47Z")
\*Friends \* was consistently entertaining. The movies Clint Eastwood has directed are boring. ---
**Author:** ![Audrey\_Levins](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Audrey\_Levins](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Audrey_Levins)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/79 "2005-07-23T07:43:19Z")
_Alice In Wonderland_ is creepy. (The Disney classic, not the book. Never read the book b/c I disliked the film so much.) _O Brother Where Art Thou_ is a thoroughly awful, stupid, boring film and the soundtrack is even worse. I don’t get Brad Pitt As Sex Symbol. At all. He looks to me like a fine example of Prehistoric Man, and his acting has never done much for me either. _Moby Dick_ is really, really, really, really boring. It was a flop when it was published for a REASON. ---
**Author:** ![Hung\_Mung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@Hung\_Mung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hung_Mung)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2005, 7:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623/80 "2005-07-23T07:58:54Z")
Oh, here’s one that has earned me no end of enmity, IRL or otherwise. I cannot forgive someone who values the life of an animal over a human being. There’s not much difference, but there’s a hell of a lot of difference. Also, fuck squirrels. It took forever (and a dying sugar maple) to get them away from the birdfeeder. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/let-s-play-heresy/313623.md?page=5)