Fake violence is better than real violence. I can only recall one round in boxing history that was as exciting as a movie boxing match: the first round of Hagler vs. Hearns in 1985.
Professional gladiators very rarely fought to the death against each other. If a gladiator died, the promoter of the games had to pay 50 times the normal fee.
I read they never fought to the death outside Rome, but given ancient medical care and hygiene, some probably died later of injuries.
It would have made it more interesting if the wild animals won a round now and then against someone not tied to a stake. One of Saki's stories has the line, “Never,” wrote Reginald to his most darling friend, “be a pioneer. It’s the Early Christian that gets the fattest lion.”
I suspect that was a printer's error, and it should have been "fastest."
Freddie Freeman (b.1989) -- for those wondering on the surname -- is reported to be a sixth-generation member of the Salvation Army church.
In other words, a full White-Protestant rooted fully in the Western tradition.
He is exactly the type of figure to be found in baseball all over its classic eras (early 20th century?), of course, and its earlier formative era (mid-late 19th century). These are the people who created baseball and developed it at all levels.
It makes sense, therefore, that he would make a Roman gesture. It would just be downright bizarre if (somehow) a player from the Dominican Republic or somewhere, had done the same.
For Freddie Freeman to have a "Salvationist" ancestor that many generations back, by the way, likely places his ancestor among the founding generation of the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army really burst on the scene in (by) the early 1880s and was quite controversial in its early years for their provocative tactics and nuisance-causing in the streets. But they became accepted and even celebrated; they are mainstream now, known as a kind of church full of Santa Claus-type men who love singing "Onward Christian Soldiers."
The Salvation Army was an active and interesting late-19th-century and early-20th-century church-movement. A classic expression of White NW-European self-confidence in the era. And of the exuberance of world-mission work at the time (not all of which make sense in this more-cynical 21st century).
The Salvation Army was largely Methodist- and Quaker-derived, in other words drawing from mainstream Protestant traditions but with a fresh energy. It sprang out of strong first-generation leadership in England; its staying power shows it was no flash in anyone's pan. Both of Freddie Freeman's parents were born in Canada, which corroborates the British affiliation likely to be found among first-generation "Salvationists."
"Scott’s director of cinematography John Mathieson complained that the industry has gotten lazier"
The conveniences of technology?
The self-satisfied complacency of a hegemonic elite?
Or a cultural Third Worldization-driven pessimism, leading to less innate drive for greatness? (I note, still no serious manned Mars mission or Moon colonies or similar ambitious project; but we do have a political Transgender movement).
I can see all those things at play. The hype around "AI replacing all writing jobs" was a jolt to it all, especially since late 2022.
Digital film making technology (which I have little knowledge and experience with) and music tech (with which I have more) both make the recording/editing/effects part of the process cheaper and more forgiving. All the cool techniques that some genius in the past invented, are now plugins, and it's all more accessible to less talented, lazier people (like me!).
Tech giveth and tech taketh away. I can't recall the last time I saw something that struck me as new in the way, e.g., 'Raising Arizona' or 'Goodfellas' did. Maybe it's just that I was young and hadn't seen much yet.
I do believe that LLMs could take the place of most of the mediocre writers. Ten person writer's rooms could become two. Yet, people crave original stories. What will happen?
Is this really common in Hollywood movies? I'm struggling to think of overt examples in which a white character who is not a racist colonizer, is the villain because of what his ancestors have done.
“the highlight of this year’s World Series was Los Angeles Dodger Freddie Freeman’s last-chance grand slam to beat the New York Yankees in the 10th inning of the first game. Rather than then flinging his bat away contemptuously in the modern style, Freeman instead strode toward first holding his bat skyward in a dignified gesture I instantly recognized, although I haven’t seen the movie in decades, as drawn from the body language of Gladiator.“
It would’ve been just as amazing, if not more, if Freeman had dropped his bat and then done a salute to a legitimate style 2024 gladiator—-by doing the Trump dance. If the NFL players are starting to get in on the dance, so too can MLB and in the biggest stage of their sport. After all, Gladiator is a movie, whereas the newly elected President is actually real.
There was a thing going around the web a few months ago. Women were urged to ask their men how often they thought about the Roman Empire. Supposedly a shocking number claimed they did so every day.
I'd like to think that is correct.
WRT Hollywood audiences loving inherited nobility, I think the 'Star Wars' movies are the most extreme example. You'd think the common people would like stories about common people being the real heroes (Lord of the Rings?) but in practice most prefer the main character to appear to be a common, but secretly have noble bloodlines with lots of midchlorians.
Maybe most people are mid-talent schmoes who like the idea that they could unbeknownst to themselves, have inherited some nebulous quality like nobility that means they are actually not schmoes?
Fake violence is better than real violence. I can only recall one round in boxing history that was as exciting as a movie boxing match: the first round of Hagler vs. Hearns in 1985.
Professional gladiators very rarely fought to the death against each other. If a gladiator died, the promoter of the games had to pay 50 times the normal fee.
I read they never fought to the death outside Rome, but given ancient medical care and hygiene, some probably died later of injuries.
It would have made it more interesting if the wild animals won a round now and then against someone not tied to a stake. One of Saki's stories has the line, “Never,” wrote Reginald to his most darling friend, “be a pioneer. It’s the Early Christian that gets the fattest lion.”
I suspect that was a printer's error, and it should have been "fastest."
Freddie Freeman (b.1989) -- for those wondering on the surname -- is reported to be a sixth-generation member of the Salvation Army church.
In other words, a full White-Protestant rooted fully in the Western tradition.
He is exactly the type of figure to be found in baseball all over its classic eras (early 20th century?), of course, and its earlier formative era (mid-late 19th century). These are the people who created baseball and developed it at all levels.
It makes sense, therefore, that he would make a Roman gesture. It would just be downright bizarre if (somehow) a player from the Dominican Republic or somewhere, had done the same.
For Freddie Freeman to have a "Salvationist" ancestor that many generations back, by the way, likely places his ancestor among the founding generation of the Salvation Army. The Salvation Army really burst on the scene in (by) the early 1880s and was quite controversial in its early years for their provocative tactics and nuisance-causing in the streets. But they became accepted and even celebrated; they are mainstream now, known as a kind of church full of Santa Claus-type men who love singing "Onward Christian Soldiers."
The Salvation Army was an active and interesting late-19th-century and early-20th-century church-movement. A classic expression of White NW-European self-confidence in the era. And of the exuberance of world-mission work at the time (not all of which make sense in this more-cynical 21st century).
The Salvation Army was largely Methodist- and Quaker-derived, in other words drawing from mainstream Protestant traditions but with a fresh energy. It sprang out of strong first-generation leadership in England; its staying power shows it was no flash in anyone's pan. Both of Freddie Freeman's parents were born in Canada, which corroborates the British affiliation likely to be found among first-generation "Salvationists."
"Scott’s director of cinematography John Mathieson complained that the industry has gotten lazier"
The conveniences of technology?
The self-satisfied complacency of a hegemonic elite?
Or a cultural Third Worldization-driven pessimism, leading to less innate drive for greatness? (I note, still no serious manned Mars mission or Moon colonies or similar ambitious project; but we do have a political Transgender movement).
I can see all those things at play. The hype around "AI replacing all writing jobs" was a jolt to it all, especially since late 2022.
Digital film making technology (which I have little knowledge and experience with) and music tech (with which I have more) both make the recording/editing/effects part of the process cheaper and more forgiving. All the cool techniques that some genius in the past invented, are now plugins, and it's all more accessible to less talented, lazier people (like me!).
Tech giveth and tech taketh away. I can't recall the last time I saw something that struck me as new in the way, e.g., 'Raising Arizona' or 'Goodfellas' did. Maybe it's just that I was young and hadn't seen much yet.
I do believe that LLMs could take the place of most of the mediocre writers. Ten person writer's rooms could become two. Yet, people crave original stories. What will happen?
Sailer: "Hollywood likes the hereditary principle"
Including, in recent decades, an inherited-and-eternal hereditary blood-guilt principle -- for some groups. (A "blood libel," you might call it.)
Is this really common in Hollywood movies? I'm struggling to think of overt examples in which a white character who is not a racist colonizer, is the villain because of what his ancestors have done.
"Voted Most Likely To Be Played By Joaquin Phoenix". This is why we need Sword and Sailer movies being made!
“the highlight of this year’s World Series was Los Angeles Dodger Freddie Freeman’s last-chance grand slam to beat the New York Yankees in the 10th inning of the first game. Rather than then flinging his bat away contemptuously in the modern style, Freeman instead strode toward first holding his bat skyward in a dignified gesture I instantly recognized, although I haven’t seen the movie in decades, as drawn from the body language of Gladiator.“
It would’ve been just as amazing, if not more, if Freeman had dropped his bat and then done a salute to a legitimate style 2024 gladiator—-by doing the Trump dance. If the NFL players are starting to get in on the dance, so too can MLB and in the biggest stage of their sport. After all, Gladiator is a movie, whereas the newly elected President is actually real.
In Gladiator I, Commodus kills Marcus Aurelius by strangulation/smothering, not poisoning.
There was a thing going around the web a few months ago. Women were urged to ask their men how often they thought about the Roman Empire. Supposedly a shocking number claimed they did so every day.
I'd like to think that is correct.
WRT Hollywood audiences loving inherited nobility, I think the 'Star Wars' movies are the most extreme example. You'd think the common people would like stories about common people being the real heroes (Lord of the Rings?) but in practice most prefer the main character to appear to be a common, but secretly have noble bloodlines with lots of midchlorians.
Maybe most people are mid-talent schmoes who like the idea that they could unbeknownst to themselves, have inherited some nebulous quality like nobility that means they are actually not schmoes?