Superhero movie discontent

Recently, a thread concerning the second, silly Hobbit movie was merged into a pre-existing one about the first Hobbit film. This was a commendable action by The Mod who did it because we also have other threads here which encompass an entire set of movies and/or a specific character or genre.

What do you folks think about compiling all of the various superhero threads together with their corresponding titles?

What I mean is:
Instead of 2, have 1 general thread for the flying Goldilocks who wears a Viking helmet.
Instead of 2, have 1 general thread for the goofball with the metal Frisbee and fairie wings on his hood.
Instead of 2, have 1 general thread for the big, green moron.
Instead of 2, have 1 general thread for the circle-jerk team of keen, vigilante dickheads.
Instead of 3, have 1 general thread for the gang-bang of bouncin' & bumpin' mutants.
Instead of 4, have 1 general thread for the jackass soaring around in red & blue Underoos, a cape and booties.
Instead of 4, have 1 general thread for the leotard nerd with a severe case of arachnophelia.
Instead of 4, have 1 general thread for the bozo in the tin suit.
Instead of 15 (!), have 1 general thread for the douchebag who prances about dressed like a winged rodent.
etc.

Does The Raven really NEED so many separate threads for EACH & EVERY single superhero sequel that comes out? Afterall, people talk about the previous movies in those sequel threads anyway so it would make much more sense to have them combined together.

(Or is The Raven a safe haven for people with a Spandex & leotard fetish?)

I think that is a grand idea, Stoo.
I'm not the least bit interested in superheroes or the movies about them, but there sure are a ton of threads dedicated to them scattered around the old bar.
Can we sweep the floors around here a little better? The barkeep sure is slacking!

The Hobbit example is not exactly directly comparable, given how it's technically a single long epoch cut into more manageable chunks. Now, I don't really give these superhero movies much time of my day myself, but unless I'm mistaken, the story with them is not as clear-cut.

As far as I'm understood, they are often standalone pieces, that - despite dealing with a particular character - can vary between anything from a direct sequel to an earlier piece, a spin-off, and a reboot or whole new continuity, sometimes with whole new crew & cast. While just the character link could be enough to warrant some merges, it's worth noting that there are also arguments that support the opposing point of view.

Another thing is that the motivation of our merge policy is not really to have all the thematically similar pieces under a single title and be anal retentive about it, but eliminate discussion threads that could possibly run in two places concurrently. Now, while we could likely find some grounds for housekeeping especially with those multiple Batman threads, overall the overlap between these various threads dedicated to different films seems to be rather miniscule. Not shooting this suggestion down - but it'd be nice to get some more comments concerning the topic, in order to work out what could be the most intuitive way to handle this particular issue.


And finally, Stoo... I couldn't help noticing that you appear to harbor bit of an aversion towards the subject. While comic books and their adaptations are not exactly in my domain of geekhood either, I should still note that it's generally difficult to take even a worthwhile suggestion seriously when it's coated in so much spite.

Stoo said:

What I mean is:
Instead of 2, have 1 general thread for the flying Goldilocks who wears a Viking helmet.
Instead of 2, have 1 general thread for the goofball with the metal Frisbee and fairie wings on his hood.
Instead of 2, have 1 general thread for the big, green moron.
Instead of 2, have 1 general thread for the circle-jerk team of keen, vigilante dickheads.
Instead of 3, have 1 general thread for the gang-bang of bouncin' & bumpin' mutants.
Instead of 4, have 1 general thread for the jackass soaring around in red & blue Underoos, a cape and booties.
Instead of 4, have 1 general thread for the leotard nerd with a severe case of arachnophelia.
Instead of 4, have 1 general thread for the bozo in the tin suit.
Instead of 15 (!), have 1 general thread for the douchebag who prances about dressed like a winged rodent.
etc.

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Good Lord, here we go again...

Let's see..."jackass", "dickheads", "moron", "nerd", "bozo", douchebag".

Stoo, are you just oblivious, or are you aware those are words perfectly befitting a cruel and intolerant schoolyard bully?

Go ahead, be patronizing and all that to me. Call me "friend" and "pal" and all that. I understand and get you being annoyed at all the superhero talk on here...but this is childish, idiotic trolling. In the real world, you would be utterly hated by people for this type of behavior. Why? Because it's douchebag behavior. Yes, I called you that. But wait, it's all okay! We're on the Internet, so typical human decency is irrelevant!

I don't want to hear a counter-argument. No BS. You just don't stop with this, and are incapable of restraint and manners. I would have loved to do this as a PM, but I think a little public calling-out ought to happen. It's not done enough for this sort of thing. And the worst part? You'll just shake your head and go, "Oh, that poor Kong, totally suckered by that plague! The poor child!" and remain blissfully ignorant of the image you're projecting to others. I tried to have a calm and reasonable discussion about this in private, and it did utterly jack squat, I see that now.

Mods, feel free to give me a scolding. This is definitely bad Internet manners I'm doing here, I know. But this man refuses to have an ounce of manners himself, so I'm calling him out. I'm done playing his stupid game. And yeah, this'll probably murder my chances winning the contest (come on, admit it, the winner is partly going to be chosen based on how they've been behaving). Doesn't matter to me anymore. If I get kicked out of here, it's fine with me. This site has so little making me come back anyway. I'm used to injustice happening, the wrong person being punished just for putting their foot down and making a stand. It's fine, really, it is.

kongisking said:

I think a little public calling-out ought to happen

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I think between you and Finn, that's been more than taken care of. Oh, except for this addition: I think your "bad Internet manners" - which is to say, "bad manners" - was just replying in kind.

kongisking said:

Mods, feel free to give me a scolding.

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There's hardly any need. That said, if either of you really feel the need for a feud, I'd love for it to happen in PMs.

kongisking[/QUOTE said:

And yeah, this'll probably murder my chances winning the contest (come on, admit it, the winner is partly going to be chosen based on how they've been behaving).

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I think that's entirely unfounded. I haven't read any of them as they've been coming in, and we'll probably make our decisions without names attached.

kongisking said:

Doesn't matter to me anymore. If I get kicked out of here, it's fine with me. This site has so little making me come back anyway. I'm used to injustice happening, the wrong person being punished just for putting their foot down and making a stand. It's fine, really, it is.

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Feel free to elaborate further in this thread, but I'm saddened to hear you feel this way, both with regards to what you apparently see as our vindictive nature and the tone of the forum in general. I honestly thought things have been livelier on the Jones side of the discussion lately. I certainly wouldn't wish for your departure.

Maybe you should kick back with a great Amy Adams flick, take the edge off?

* * *

As to the matter more directly at hand, while my interest in the threads Stoo complains about is somewhat limited, I think it should be apparent that combining, say, a thread entitled "Who is your favorite Batman?" with a general thread on The Dark Knight Rises would result in some dovetailing that would be more than a little destructive to comprehension. They are also decidedly not the same topic, despite being about the same film franchise.

I think we tend to avoid merging threads that were active at the same time when possible, because it makes it hard to follow the train of thought in each previously separate conversation once they are joined together. Like Finn says, I'd like to hear some input from the group, especially since these subjects seem to be a big deal to some of our membership.

kongisking said:

Stoo, are you just oblivious, or are you aware those are words perfectly befitting a cruel and intolerant schoolyard bully?

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Yes, but the after-school tutoring is paying off. Look how well he's learning his colours!

Stoo said:

(Or is The Raven a safe haven for people with a Spandex & leotard fetish? )

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The main bar is still strictly a leather and whip establishment.

But out back there are rooms to cater for almost every perversion imaginable. Some perversions are so specific that you have to set aside extra rooms for them.

And never forget the debt that the Tanis map room might owe to Captain Marvel!


When he finally disembarks the slow boat from China a big, green moron will step into Smitty's Junk room.

Attila the Professor said:

I'm saddened to hear you feel this way, both with regards to what you apparently see as our vindictive nature and the tone of the forum in general. I honestly thought things have been livelier on the Jones side of the discussion lately. I certainly wouldn't wish for your departure.

Maybe you should kick back with a great Amy Adams flick, take the edge off?

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That Adams joke gave me a good laugh. Thank you Attila, it was needed. And I've heard that's a marvelous film. Hope to rent it soon.

I agree, there's been more Jones-related talk thanks to the rumor of Ford's conditions and such. Hope always springs eternal for the faithful. I guess I meant, I certainly DON'T want to leave, but if I did, it would not be a remarkable loss to my sanity. I do have a lot of affection for this old place, as it was my first forum. I'll try to stick around. "Trust me."

And the accusation about the contest was out-of-line spite, I'm sorry. I take responsibility...in tiny letters.

The Drifter said:

I think that is a grand idea, Stoo.
I'm not the least bit interested in superheroes or the movies about them, but there sure are a ton of threads dedicated to them scattered around the old bar.
Can we sweep the floors around here a little better? The barkeep sure is slacking!

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Right on, man. It appears that the janitor has fallen asleep and lost his broom.

Attila the Professor to Kongisking said:

That said, if either of you really feel the need for a feud, I'd love for it to happen in PMs.

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I have no desire for a "feud" with Kong (public nor private) but please allow me the opportunity to reinforce my position.

kongisking said:

Good Lord, here we go again...

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That's exactly what I think everytime someone starts another superhero thread.

kongisking said:

Stoo, are you just oblivious, or are you aware those are words perfectly befitting a cruel and intolerant schoolyard bully?

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Very aware...but superheroes aren't real people so they won't be offended by those words.

kongisking said:

Go ahead, be patronizing and all that to me. Call me "friend" and "pal" and all that. I understand and get you being annoyed at all the superhero talk on here...but this is childish, idiotic trolling. In the real world, you would be utterly hated by people for this type of behavior. Why? Because it's douchebag behavior. Yes, I called you that. But wait, it's all okay! We're on the Internet, so typical human decency is irrelevant!

I don't want to hear a counter-argument. No BS. You just don't stop with this, and are incapable of restraint and manners. I would have loved to do this as a PM, but I think a little public calling-out ought to happen. It's not done enough for this sort of thing. And the worst part? You'll just shake your head and go, "Oh, that poor Kong, totally suckered by that plague! The poor child!" and remain blissfully ignorant of the image you're projecting to others. I tried to have a calm and reasonable discussion about this in private, and it did utterly jack squat, I see that now.

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My opening post for this topic is indeed "childish" but it isn't "idiotic" nor is it "trolling" because this is the Feedback section of an INDIANA JONES website. Many Ravenheads constantly slag & make jokes about "Crystal Skull", Harrison Ford's age, the Mutt character, Shia's family name & personal life, etc. so how is a mockery of golly-gee-whiz-superheroes considered trolling? The labelling does not compute (and none of your comments address the idea of merging threads so your own, misplaced rant is a perfect example of "trolling").

Not everyone in the "real world" has an unabashed reverence for superheroes so I wouldn't be "utterly hated" by everyone who heard those remarks. Many people in the real world don't care about science-fiction/fantasy stuff because they are "real world" people who are interested in "real world" things and do "real world" activities. Most people on this earth won't get bent out of shape if someone refers to The Hulk as big, green moron.

Yes, we did indeed have a friendly discussion in private but I never promised to stop crapping on The Spandex Men. I didn't respond to your last PM from 2 months ago because "real life" got busy and my Inbox filled up again so let me make some room (again for you) and write back because I do consider you a friend and mean that sincerely. Until then, make a nice cup o' tea, drink it, go for a walk outside, sit by a lake, have a smoke and chill out.

--
Aside from all of that, do *you* think it'd be a good idea to merge the superhero topics?

(This post is getting too long so I'll reply to the other guys later...)

That's precisely the problem, here, Stoo: you are insulting the characters when I know full well you are using them as proxy to insult the people that like them. It was subtle...ish, but I can tell when you're being petty, sir. I'm willing to admit when I go too far and sound like a tool, why on Earth can't you?

I repeat, I was not angry for you giving cute little labels for the characters; it was because of the obvious disdain and disgust that came through in your post, as with any other superhero-related post of yours, towards the fandom of such.

And you clever man, using the obvious fact I diverged from topic to point out this idiocy, a fact for which I even was aware of and apologized for, to call me a troll in riposte. Classic tactic of someone trying to cover their hindquarters: turn the opposite party into the bully of the discussion.

Finally, I stand by my stance that if you said such comments in public, especially in the company of nerdy and/or geeky people (yes, Indy fans count in that group, sorry to break it to you), you will be shunned and hated for your attitude and pompousness. THAT is what people will be angered by, not your opinion. Anybody who sounds that spiteful, foul-mouthed and openly mocking looks like an a-hole, my "friend". No idea what your social skill standards are where you come from, but in my neighborhood, that kind of crap is considered rude and insulting.

And I even fall into this trap. Mention, say, Twilight and I can easily launch into a Stoo-worthy rant of hatred so white-hot it could burn my entire state to ashes. The difference is that, objectively speaking, hating that series is a morally commendable thing, since it has such disgusting, horrible messages in it and---guh, see? I can go on for hours. Everybody has the things they hate. But I have the good sense to shut up and be polite when in the company of others, and not go utterly nuts with my opinions and look like a psychotic nutjob. That's called being a decent human being. Try it sometime.

My point with that is that, yes, I can do this kind of thing too, and when I do, I feel instant regret afterward. But your ego doesn't allow you to feel such, I suspect. You've seen my reaction, seen how angry and offended I get with this stuff, and you don't make a single effort to be considerate. That is grounds for the offended to completely write you off, and I sure want to.

But in answer to your question: Yes, it's a good idea, to un-clutter the forums. Pity you couldn't just say that, and keep your vindictive bile out of it.

For the record, I'll keep making this public until either Stoo has the gall to own up to this behavior, or a mod (probably rightfully) forces my silence.

Leaving most of the above aside, I've done a bit of poking around at the film table, and think it would be difficult to have any unitary policy towards threads about various series of films (because there's no particularly strong reason to treat superhero films as a class differently than, say, the Pirates of the Caribbean films, or Transformers, or Star Trek, or James Bond).

For instance, the threads on the Christopher Nolan Batman films are massive, and it would be preferable to keep them separate for the sake of descriptive accuracy.

Thor, on the other hand, has produced fewer than 100 posts of content in the two threads about it. The final post of the thread on the first film is separated by years from the first post of the thread on the second film. Those threads would be a perfect candidate for a merger.

The threads on the three Tobey Maguire Spider-Man films could probably (I'm speaking sight unseen here) be merged; the Amazing Spider-Man film with Andrew Garfield is a reboot and thus an entirely separate entity.

Oh, and poor Sherlock Holmes, who is the fictional character portrayed with the greatest frequency on film, has one thread. Never mind that he's the major character probably most similar to Indiana Jones in the form and structure of his universe.

All of which is to say, some of these mergers probably can happen, but not all of them. Some of them probably should happen.

Maybe we should crowd-source this, eh? You all can provide us links to the threads on individual entries in a film series, or that are part of the same franchise, or just have the same character at their core, perhaps even with your opinion on how they should be handled. Then your unpaid, far-flung moderators will be able to make their own judgments on a case by case basis.

Stoo said:

It appears that the janitor has fallen asleep and lost his broom.

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Attila the Professor said:

You all can provide us links to the threads on individual entries in a film series, or that are part of the same franchise, or just have the same character at their core...

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Sweep up all the Indiana Jones threads and merge them into one.



You won't be able to find anything ever again, but the old bar will be very neat and tidy!

Montana Smith said:

Sweep up all the Indiana Jones threads and merge them into one.



You won't be able to find anything ever again, but the old bar will be very neat and tidy!

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I laughed out loud when I read that!

Montana Smith said:

You won't be able to find anything ever again, but the old bar will be very neat and tidy!

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You know, I think it'd be way easier to notice all the dirt and grime if it were not spread around all the corners, shelves and whatnot, but rather gathered in one huge pile in the middle of the floor.

Besides, that much microbial activity in one place could just develop a consciousness of its own, and start demanding service.

Stoo said:

(Or is The Raven a safe haven for people with a Spandex & leotard fetish?)

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Attila the Professor said:

...while my interest in the threads Stoo complains about is somewhat limited...

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The Drifter said:

I'm not the least bit interested in superheroes or the movies about them.

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Finn said:

Now, I don't really give these superhero movies much time of my day myself...

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Look at all the cool kids here.

Now, if everybody is reading -- but has nothing to add -- and aren't inspired enough about whatever to pick up the source material in order to possibly contribute, who are they to complain about how the forum is being used? There are plenty of threads out there about thematically relevant subjects that get absolutely zero traction. Guess what? If they did, they would keep the superhero threads on the margins. The remaining patrons here, those who insist on staying for final call, have nobody to blame except themselves.

To answer a straw man from a different thread: A forum need not be popular to be considered active.

If inertia remains an option do The Mods a favor -- turn out the lights, put up the chairs, and make everything read only.

Now, to answer the question at hand. There are plenty of threads that could be merged (I've made a couple of requests to have the disparate Tomb Raider threads conjoined, for example.), but, like The Professor stated, it would be difficult to have a uniform policy. Right now it reeks of "I don't like something, so let's reduce its offending footprint."

It's late, so I'll be brief. A grouping of, say, like material could be readily grouped together. For example, the first three Pirates pictures can be mashed up. However, the next couple of pictures should have standalone threads, because they're reputed to be standalone pictures. You could even lump the Jurassic Park pictures together.

The Professor's Spider-Man example is another good one. The Toby Maguire movies can be lumped together, but the Andrew Garfield series should be it's own thread. It's a remake that wants to take the character into different directions (and draws much of its history from an alternate timeline). Same would apply to a thread on, say The Spectacular Spider-Man.

The original X-Men pictures could be lumped, but First Class & Days of Future Past should have stand alone threads because they're bridge pictures. Days will probably reset the timeline, and subsequent films could be grouped together. The Side of Beef Transformers can be merged, but the next Marky Mark series should have its own thread, etc., etc.

Le Saboteur said:

Look at all the cool kids here.

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Hey, keep me out of your mockery. I thought that I was pretty clear when stating that while I've got no personal stake on the subject whatsoever, I'm anything but willing to simply go along with the OP's idea. Partly because I fully recognize I've no full competence to evaluate the importance of the subject to our clientele, partly because I'm also full well aware that if the additional subjects discussed in here were all in line with my other interests, this would be a rather dull forum indeed.

Le Saboteur said:

Right now it reeks of "I don't like something, so let's reduce its offending footprint."

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There seems to be a misunderstanding of my motive so let me clarify a few things for you fine fellows:

1) I actually DON'T HATE superheroes since I used to watch their TV shows & cartoons when I was a kid and collected their comics in my early teens (still have them all in storage, too). I also LOVE the '60s "Batman" TV series and have gushed about its Batmobile & theme music here (& the great "Wonder Woman" opening theme, too). Please realize & remember that my mockery is done in good fun and is called, TEASING!

2) This ain't my website so I ain't demandin' anything, which is why I asked, "What do you folks think?". (My admiration for this place is the real drivin' force behind wantin' to improve its already stellar organization.)

3) My reason for singling out superhero topics is because there are so many. Hey, I'd love to see merges of subjects that I adore and have even suggested some in the past, such as Allan Quatermain and James Bond. Unfortunately, a Quatermain merge never materialized. The former name of the main Bond thread was, "James Bond [Films Past, Present and Future]" and people were postin' reviews of "Skyfall" there. After I inquired about mergin' the separate "Skyfall" thread into it, the title was changed to just, "James Bond" (at my suggestion since a merge was, oddly, deemed unwarranted). I also love King Kong and "Jurassic Park" and think it'd be ideal to have their respective threads combined.

Hope these points help make my stance clear. More to come...(in a probable sequence of double or triple posts).

P.S. Kong & I squared everything away privately so we're good.

Perhaps we could do the same thing with Indiana Jones. Just lump everything under the hat into one thread. That's not a half bad idea. Imagine how clean and shiny that'd make the forum.

There'd be one thread for Indy, one thread for Lucas, one for Speilberg...

Pale Horse said:

There'd be one thread for Indy, one thread for Lucas, one for Speilberg...

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Sounds like a good idea. We would finally have all the space we need to celebrate the true driving force behind the whole franchise (and no, don't mean the movie series only), by opening 3,000 new threads dedicated to different aspects of the divine pantheon every Indyfan worth his or her salt should be paying their respects to...

...The Raven Moderators.

Pale Horse said:

Perhaps we could do the same thing with Indiana Jones. Just lump everything under the hat into one thread. That's not a half bad idea. Imagine how clean and shiny that'd make the forum.

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Pale, you're late to the party because Smiffy already made the same joke in this very thread 4 days ago. (Just scroll up a tiny bit and you'll see it.)

Before the Indy 5 section was created, I also made the same joke...over 4 YEARS AGO...about all of the Indy 5 threads!
http://raven.theraider.net/showpost.php?p=443879&postcount=45

..but I added Lucas and Spielberg to the mix FTW.

Besides, the multiple pages ensure lots ad traffic revenue to pay for us moderators.