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Info and forum posts by 'Gareth Williams'
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Joined on: Tuesday, 17th June 2003, 17:42, Last used: Friday, 6th September 2013, 10:38
Access Level: Elite
About this user: Why are you reading this?
This user has posted a total of 5338 messages. On average, since joining, this user has posted 0.7 messages a day, or 4.91 messages a week. In the last 30 days, this user has posted 5 messages, which is on average 0.17 messages a day.
Recent Messages Posted:
RE: Ripping CDs
If it still doesn't rip with other software, it could be that the disc has a form of copy protection.
I remember trying to rip some of my brother's CDs a few years ago and encountered a few copy protected discs. I tried a bunch of different solutions but in the end I just downloaded some rips instead.
RE: [VIDEO] Speak No Evil
Looks cool but I really don't see the point of remaking this so soon after the original. The Danish version was only two years ago. One of the better horror movies in recent memory.
RE: 3 Body Problem
Just finished this and it was surprisingly disappointing. Given how good of a job they did with adapting the first four seasons of Game of Thrones, I thought they would manage something similar here.
This was like somebody giving you the jist of a story after skim-reading through it. They left out all of the philosophy and skipped over half the story without giving it time to breathe. The pacing is so fast that some of the big plot points feel incredibly silly, such as:
SPOILER:
"My plan is to perfectly line up a thousand nuclear bombs in space and detonate them one by one..."
*one episode later*
"Alright the thousand nukes are in place, let's roll..."
They really needed to do a better job of depicting the passage of time and the logistics of all these grand plans.
The chinese adaptation was much better in that sense, although very flawed in other ways. The Netflix version certainly has better acting and production value (although some of the CGI was terrible), but the story feels terribly dumbed down.
Liam Cunningham felt miscast IMO. Just didn't suit that role at all, which is sad because he was literally perfect for Ser Davos. Benedict Wong was the best part of the show.
One final grievance: the cover of Lana Del Rey's 'Video Games' would have been great if I didn't spend the whole scene wondering where I'd heard it before (it was in Westworld).
They've got a 4 season plan but I don't know if they'll get that far. The later seasons are going to be super expensive and I'm not sure this was quite the megahit they were hoping for.
RE: [VIDEO] Masters Of The Air (AppleTV+)
It took me until episode 3 to really warm to the characters but now I'm enjoying it a lot.
Only three episodes left so presumably Ncuti Gatwa (the new Doctor Who) will show up soon.
RE: [VIDEO] True Detective
‘True Detective’ Renewed For Season 5 At HBO As Showrunner Issa López Strikes Overall Deal
Quote:
True Detective is coming back for a fifth season at HBO.
Issa López, who served as showrunner for True Detective: Night Country, the fourth and most successful iteration of the crime franchise, will oversee the next installment as part of an overall deal she signed with the network.
It’s yet to be decided as to whether season five of True Detective will be related to Night Country or will be an entirely new story.
Hopefully this season will have some detectives in it.
RE: [VIDEO] True Detective
Well this was a complete dud. I don't think I've ever been so disappointed in a series. Such a waste of potential with that setting and cast.
Almost every character was a complete moron. Most of the detective work was done off-screen by the one competent character, whose wife somehow cannot fathom that he might have to work late given the insane mass murder case that just landed on his desk.
Seemed like the writers cared more about the indigenous people than the actual detective story, which would have been great if the show's entry point into their perspective wasn't the most annoying character in television history. Good Lord, Leah was just insufferable.
The final episode tried so hard to tie up all the loose ends with one horrible contrivance after another, not always successfully either. The throw-away explanation for the mass deer suicide was especially unconvincing. Some things they didn't even bother to explain.
Laughed out loud when it turned out...
SPOILER:
it was the cleaning ladies
So dumb.
Not a patch on seasons 1 and 3.
RE: [VIDEO] Windows 11
It only affects CPUs that are at least ~15 years old, and if you're running a system that ancient I doubt W11 would run particularly well anyway.
RE: [VIDEO] Next on Netflix
Quote:
RJS says...
"Yeah, when last Stranger Things tho?"
Need to wait for Next on Netflix 2025 for that 😁
RE: [VIDEO] Loudermilk
Not sure why they made a new trailer for this, it's been running since 2017. Three seasons so far.
As much as I love Ron Livingston, it wasn't for me.
EDIT: Trailer is because they just added it to Netflix.
This item was edited on Thursday, 1st February 2024, 15:51
RE: [VIDEO] Masters Of The Air (AppleTV+)
First two episodes are out. Only watched episode 1 so far and it's fairly decent.
I remember watching the first episode of Band of Brothers and feeling almost like I was part of the company because the sense of cameraderie amongst the characters was so strong. This doesn't really have that, but it does establish the characters fairly well.
The airborne scenes are pretty brutal. So often in movies, you see those puffs of black smoke from flak cannons and they only seem to make the ride a bit bumpy. Here they tear planes to shreds.
Those scenes are quite bloody in places...
SPOILER:
I wasn't quite prepared for that shot of the guy with his face half blown off.
Some ropey CG effects in places, though, particularly the landing in Greenland. But mostly it does the job.
I remain somewhat hyped.
Pop Quiz, Hotshot!
So, Speed is coming up on its 30th anniversary this summer and to celebrate the occasion, Kris Tapley (formerly a film journalist and awards editor for Variety) created a podcast all about the making of the film, from development and pre-production all the way up through to the release.
50 MPH - The Making of a Movie Megahit
It's a 50 part series, one episode per week. The 30th episode was just released, focusing on Mark Mancina's pulse-pounding score, which is what drew me to the podcast.
I particularly recommend episode 12, which details all the drafts the script went through before they started shooting (including ones where Jeff Daniels died at the start and another where his character was the villain).
It's a fascinating look behind the scenes of the Hollywood machine and well worth a listen if you're a fan of the film.
(sorry if you were expecting a quiz)
This item was edited on Tuesday, 23rd January 2024, 02:56
RE: [VIDEO] True Detective
Thought the first episode was sort-of okay. Love the setting - big Fortitude vibes! Sadly, I can't imagine the resolution to the story will be anywhere near as cool or out-of-left-field as that show. The storytelling feels strangely unfocused and littered with boring family drama.
As much as I love Jodie Foster, her character here isn't all that interesting so far. Navarro feels better defined, but also not particularly likeable. I hope the interplay between them evolves into more than just the two of them sniping at each other all the time.
John Hawkes is really good, although his character is just plain weird. Not sure how his Russian bride will factor into the proceedings...
Awful choice for the title song as well.
RE: Mr Bates vs The Post Office
Quote:
Jitendar Canth says...
"Could ITV commission a TV drama about Grenfell"
This one is currently in production by the BBC, although the survivors are petitioning against it:
RE: Windows 12
Okay well that's pretty old indeed. In fact, that CPU celebrates its 10th birthday this month.
Which means the TPM setting will not exist in the BIOS, unfortunately. It was just a thought.
TPM is a hardware-level feature that is required for Windows 11 and the installer/upgrade wizard checks to see if you have it before it will proceed with the install. There are a few methods you can use to skip this check and install W11 on any machine, but this may have unforeseen consequences in the future.
So upgrading to a new PC is probably the best option after all.
As for whether you should wait until Windows 12 is released before upgrading, I doubt it would make much difference tbh. It seems like Microsoft are trying to copy Apple and Google once again by releasing more frequent major OS updates, much like MacOS/iOS and Android. Give it a few years and you'll be hearing about Windows 13...
I wouldn't expect the kind of problems that you used to get with older Windows versions, where you had to wait for a service pack or two before taking the plunge. Also, it is highly unlikely that any system you buy today would be incompatible with W12 in the way that W11 made semi-recent hardware obsolete.
The only reason I might be inclined to wait would be for better hardware in the future. That said, if you only use a PC for regular use then current hardware will be more than sufficient.
RE: Windows 12
What CPU do you have?
It's possible that your system is compatible but requires the fTPM or PTT setting in BIOS to be enabled. I needed to do this last year when I "upgraded" to W11.
You can also disable the TPM check in registry if you want to, although this might cause issues with any software that requires TPM to function (for example, some video game anti-cheat systems will not work without it). Windows itself doesn't seem to mind not having TPM, though.
RE: [VIDEO] The Last of Us (HBO)
HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 Officially Casts Its Abby Actress
Kaitlyn Dever, who I've loved ever since she was in Justified. Also fantastic in Dopesick.
Which is pretty funny, because she would have been perfect for Ellie if they'd made the show 10 years ago.
I hope she knows what she's getting herself into...
This item was edited on Wednesday, 10th January 2024, 02:13
[VIDEO] Society of the Snow (Netflix)
A fresh re-telling of the story of the 1972 Andes plane disaster, previously featued in the 1993 film Alive (which the real-life survivors refer to as the "Disney version").
I've been fascinated by this story for a long time and read the book on which Alive was based some years ago. I was surprised by how much the film left out or glossed over. The true story was even more harrowing than the film made out and it remains one of the most astounding feats of human endurance.
This version, directed by JA Bayona (The Impossible), is considerably more accurate and was made with the cooperation of the remaining survivors. It also features a race-appropriate cast of mostly newcomers and was partly filmed at the actual crash site.
Anyway, it's really, really good and as you might expect, pretty gruelling.
[VIDEO] RE: GTA 6 announced by Rockstar
2pm tomorrow...
*SNIP*
Low quality leak here:
https://uploads.kiwifarms.st/data/video/5531/5531800-5dd0d62826de232ae47f2e33e0197406.webm
This item was edited on Monday, 4th December 2023, 23:14
RE: [VIDEO] Monarch: Legacy of Monsters (AppleTV+)
Four episodes in and it's a bit naff.
I quite like the cast, but they are wasted on some pretty awful writing that is filled with contrivances and boring family drama.
The effects are quite poor in places. The monsters look okay (in fact the designs are cool) but the CG backgrounds look super fake in some scenes. For example, the ferry scenes in episode 3, where it is painfully obvious that it's all shot on a soundstage.
Some other annoying things that niggle me:
SPOILER:
Not showing the aftermath of the nuke in episode 3 is unforgivable.
In fact, the depiction of Castle Bravo in the show in no way resembles the real-life footage of the detonation.
The missing father who leaves piles of pencil shavings everywhere he goes.
The eponymous Monarch seem to alternate between omnipotent and incompetent at the whim of the writers.
[VIDEO] Fallout (Amazon / 2024)
The highly anticipated TV series based on the video game series of the same name, from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy (Westworld).
Some cool promo shots in this Vanity Fair article as well:
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/11/fallout-first-look
Starts April 12th 2024.
RE: [VIDEO] Reacher
Quote:
Snaps says...
"All at once or an ep a week?"
Three episodes on Dec 15th, then one per week until Jan 19th.
Which is different to the first season, where the whole lot was released on the same day.