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High [Chat]

ThomamelasThomamelas Only one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered User regular

Oh, to be torn 'twixt love an' duty.
S'posin' I lose my fair-haired beauty.
Look at that big hand move along,
Nearing high noon.

High Noon is the anti-western. It rejects the Fordian theme of civilization as the force that should triumph over the frontier. That the coming of civilization is the improvement of all. If The Searchers is the dark mirror to the John Wayne Cowboy, then High Noon is the dark mirror of the townsfolk. We see it in the opening moments. As Jack Colby and the rest of Frank Miller's gang ride into town. The reaction of the town folk is silent terror until we get to the saloon where the proprietor proclaims with glee that it's going to be a busy day.
d5GLOHV.jpg

I love this shot. Grace Kelly looking on with a certain sweet innocence while Gary Cooper looks at her lovingly. At the same time we can see the age and weariness around his eyes.


We move to the wedding of Will Kane, the marshal of Hadleyville, to his Quaker bride Amy. The lawman marrying the pacifist, who represents the far end of civilization. Perhaps impractical but driven by ideals. With his marriage it's time for him to give up his badge and give in to her ideal of running a store. But Will Kane is uncomfortable with this. It will leave the town without a lawman for a day. As he takes off his star, he clips it to his holster, the tool of his office. And at this point we learn about Frank Miller. That he is coming back to town that day.

After being rushed out of town Will Kane's sense of duty forces him to return, even as his new wife can not understand why they don't continue to flee. Amy brings more tarnish to the cause of civilization, telling him it's not his problem. To just ignore it. And then she rejects him, tells him she'll leave him. As Kane begins to gather his posse the town rejects him, shows itself to be full of cowards and the corrupt. The Judge gathers his things and calls him foolish then tells two stories of people welcoming tyrants who would kill the legal goverment. We find out his deputy is unfit for the job. He attempts to blackmail his way into the Marshal's position for his help.

The hotel clerk is slimy, gleeful of what's going to happen. Telling Amy that he has a comeuppance coming. The good people of the town, the ones in church debate what they should do only to turn their backs on him. Even his mentor tells him to run. Even when the one man he finds to help him learns it will just be the pair of them, the deputy runs. In the end the only person in town that will stand with him is a child. Only one other person in town even understands why he has to do what he has to do. Helen Ramírez is an outsider, the older, experienced woman who explains to Amy just the kind of man she married. But even she won't stand with Will Kane. He finishes his duty to the town that isn't worthy of it, and he throws his badge into the dirt. A final act of contempt for the townsfolk.

High Noon provoked a strong reaction when it came out and still gets angry reviews written to this day. John Wayne and Howard Hawks hated the message so much he made Rio Bravo as a counter. The review in Pravda condemned it for glorifying the individual. Usually when the film is brought up, people will talk about it as an anti-HUAC film. But it's been adopted and viewed as an anti-Korean War film as well as a film glorifying a call to arms in fighting communism. No matter how you view it, it's a fantastic film. Shot not quite in real time (The events of the film cover 100 minutes or so, the film runs 80.) Zimmerman keeps the tension going.

Zimmerman's use of Gary Cooper is inspired. He carries a weariness not seen in the Fordian Cowboy. He's tired, he's earned his rest but he carries a gravitas that makes you understand why he has to do one last duty. Events move along with him and you can just sense the weight he carries with each rejection of his call for support. But it's not just his performance, the cast around him does an amazing job of building up Frank Miller as an elemental force. A force that one runs and hides from like a tornado. Leading up to the crane shot.

Will Kane is alone, tiny compared to the town around him. And yet he has his duty.

High Noon

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Posts

  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    damn

    I was making a LotR chat.

  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    ehh. Drafted.

  • ThomamelasThomamelas Only one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered User regular
    Delmain wrote: »
    ehh. Drafted.

    I have a bunch sitting as drafts.

  • AresProphetAresProphet Registered User regular
    this is on the short list of albums that i can press play, put on headphones, turn off the lights, and just listen to it

    and holy crap there's an acoustic version of nimos and tambos which is... is...

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mpaaPBnaoY

    I have no words

    ex9pxyqoxf6e.png
  • ElldrenElldren Is a woman dammit ceterum censeoRegistered User regular
    I'll never be called by Geth to make a chat (since I am set to appear offline always) but I have an emergency thing saved somewhere anyhow

    fuck gendered marketing
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    Thomamelas wrote: »
    Delmain wrote: »
    ehh. Drafted.

    I have a bunch sitting as drafts.

    I've literally never been chosen to make a chat, so I don't really see a need to keep a bunch.

  • PotatoNinjaPotatoNinja Fake Gamer Goat Registered User regular
    @emnmnme‌

    The orcs in SoM sometimes get scared and run, you also have some abilities that frighten certain types of enemies, and some enemies have particular fears you can exploit to get them to turn tail and run.

    The best is the captains that have a cowardly retreat trait, they have the most ridiculous smack talk when running way.

    Really all the orc shit talk in Shadow of Mordor is great, they are full of dumb incoherent bravado, they love booze even though they rarely drink it, and they are primarily interested in awkwardly convincing their peers that they are the best by yelling the loudest.

    Basically Shadow of Mordor allows you to wage war against an entire army of 17 year old boys.

    Two goats enter, one car leaves
  • spacekungfumanspacekungfuman Poor and minority-filled Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    @jacobkosh - how long is Dragonfall?

  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    emnmnme‌

    The orcs in SoM sometimes get scared and run, you also have some abilities that frighten certain types of enemies, and some enemies have particular fears you can exploit to get them to turn tail and run.

    The best is the captains that have a cowardly retreat trait, they have the most ridiculous smack talk when running way.

    Really all the orc shit talk in Shadow of Mordor is great, they are full of dumb incoherent bravado, they love booze even though they rarely drink it, and they are primarily interested in awkwardly convincing their peers that they are the best by yelling the loudest.

    Basically Shadow of Mordor allows you to wage war against an entire army of 17 year old boys.

    I loved Shadow of Mordor so much for the voices.

    And yeah, the fact that scaring the shit out of them was a mechanic is pretty awesome.

  • P10P10 An Idiot With Low IQ Registered User regular
    i should make a quality chat OP draft and then never use it because i too am an invisible

    Shameful pursuits and utterly stupid opinions
  • spacekungfumanspacekungfuman Poor and minority-filled Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    I cannot reccomend Mordor highly enough. The nemesis system works so well and truly feels new and fresh, and the pacing of the game works so that just as it starts to feel old, new life is breathed into it.

  • PotatoNinjaPotatoNinja Fake Gamer Goat Registered User regular
    jacobkosh - how long is Dragonfall?

    My playthrough was on hard difficulty and I did every sidequest available

    took me 27 hours.

    Two goats enter, one car leaves
  • PotatoNinjaPotatoNinja Fake Gamer Goat Registered User regular
    I cannot reccomend Mordor highly enough. The nemesis system works so well and truly feels new and fresh, and the pacing of the game works so that just as it starts to feel old, new life is breathed into it.

    Unfortunately few of my Steam friends have it so I rarely get to murder people on their behalf, which is really a great feature to build into a game.

    Two goats enter, one car leaves
  • DelmainDelmain Registered User regular
    I cannot reccomend Mordor highly enough. The nemesis system works so well and truly feels new and fresh, and the pacing of the game works so that just as it starts to feel old, new life is breathed into it.

    Adding a caveat to the recommendation: Only get it if you're gonna get it for Xbone, PS4, or PC. The nemesis system was super gutted in the last-gen console versions because of hardware limitations.

  • spacekungfumanspacekungfuman Poor and minority-filled Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    jacobkosh - how long is Dragonfall?

    My playthrough was on hard difficulty and I did every sidequest available

    took me 27 hours.

    Is hard more fun than normal? Is the combat challenging on hard?

  • spacekungfumanspacekungfuman Poor and minority-filled Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    Seriously, I don't finish a lot of games because I stip playing if they feel repetitive or boring. Just as I was getting tired of the nemisis system, they took it to the next level with a quest that was so memorable and fun and still capitalized in what makes the nemesis system so much fun. The pacing is brilliant. It's like they knew everyone was going to ignore the story and just kill their rival orcs for a while and they accounted for that in the pacing.

  • OnTheLastCastleOnTheLastCastle let's keep it haimish for the peripatetic Registered User regular
    It is pretty easy on Hard so far, but I am the savior of mankind so.

  • PotatoNinjaPotatoNinja Fake Gamer Goat Registered User regular
    edited January 2015
    jacobkosh - how long is Dragonfall?

    My playthrough was on hard difficulty and I did every sidequest available

    took me 27 hours.

    Is hard more fun than normal? Is the combat challenging on hard?

    Depends on how broken you build your character. I don't think the game's combat is ever really good, but it feels pretty balanced and workable on hard difficulty. If you die you probably deserved to die or can at least load your game and try again with a better strategy in mind.

    The dialogue, setting, and story are really why you should play Dragonfall. And, while I do think the combat is kind of meh, YOU SHOULD PLAY DRAGONFALL. It is fantastically written, with interesting characters and a story that is not only very good overall, but manages to remain interesting throughout the entire game. You don't get to some midpoint where suddenly the plot is no longer relevant and you're just going through the motions to beat the big bad, the game remains interesting and full of surprises right up to the end.

    The combat is meh. Hard mode is fine, its "fun" in a simple, uncompelling but completely functional sort of way. Play on hard if you are worried of getting bored if the game is too easy, or play on normal if you just want to tear through fights to see the rest of the game. But do play Dragonfall.

    PotatoNinja on
    Two goats enter, one car leaves
  • AresProphetAresProphet Registered User regular
    night [chat]

    ex9pxyqoxf6e.png
  • ElldrenElldren Is a woman dammit ceterum censeoRegistered User regular
    uTd3kER.png

    fuck gendered marketing
  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    @jacobkosh - how long is Dragonfall?

    About 15 hours, I'd guess. I took a little longer cause of my bad eyes.

    rRwz9.gif
  • spacekungfumanspacekungfuman Poor and minority-filled Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    jacobkosh - how long is Dragonfall?

    My playthrough was on hard difficulty and I did every sidequest available

    took me 27 hours.

    Is hard more fun than normal? Is the combat challenging on hard?

    Depends on how broken you build your character. I don't think the game's combat is ever really good, but it feels pretty balanced and workable on hard difficulty. If you die you probably deserved to die or can at least load your game and try again with a better strategy in mind.

    The dialogue, setting, and story are really why you should play Dragonfall. And, while I do think the combat is kind of meh, YOU SHOULD PLAY DRAGONFALL. It is fantastically written, with interesting characters and a story that is not only very good overall, but manages to remain interesting throughout the entire game. You don't get to some midpoint where suddenly the plot is no longer relevant and you're just going through the motions to beat the big bad, the game remains interesting and full of surprises right up to the end.

    The combat is meh. Hard mode is fine, its "fun" in a simple, uncompelling but completely functional sort of way. Play on hard if you are worried of getting bored if the game is too easy, or play on normal if you just want to tear through fights to see the rest of the game. But do play Dragonfall.

    It's next in my list, after IWD, which has actually gone from the mobile game in playing to the game I'm playing since DA: I glitched in me and I'm moving through it much faster now.

  • ThomamelasThomamelas Only one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered User regular
    The cold war was a fucked up period of history but damned if it didn't make for a fantastic backdrop for spy thrillers.

  • GimGim a tall glass of water Registered User regular
    Is that dog holding a slice of pizza?

  • ElldrenElldren Is a woman dammit ceterum censeoRegistered User regular
    Gim wrote: »
    Is that dog holding a slice of pizza?

    yes

    fuck gendered marketing
  • GimGim a tall glass of water Registered User regular
    Elldren wrote: »
    Gim wrote: »
    Is that dog holding a slice of pizza?

    yes

    See, now that could make me a dog person.

    More pizza dogs!

  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    @PotatoNinja‌ I enjoyed Dragonfall's combat, honestly - to me it was like diet XCOM. I felt it could be improved a lot, but mostly by additional options and scope - more weapons/items/spells, more enemies on screen, bigger environments - than by, like, a conceptual overhaul.

    Where did it fall down for you?

    rRwz9.gif
  • ThomamelasThomamelas Only one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered User regular
    Gim wrote: »
    Elldren wrote: »
    Gim wrote: »
    Is that dog holding a slice of pizza?

    yes

    See, now that could make me a dog person.

    More pizza dogs!

    ZsIuLQw.jpg

  • override367override367 ALL minions Registered User regular
    Thomamelas wrote: »
    The cold war was a fucked up period of history but damned if it didn't make for a fantastic backdrop for spy thrillers.

    this is my cue to remind everyone The Americans is coming back in 10 days

  • shrykeshryke Member of the Beast Registered User regular
    Thomamelas wrote: »
    The cold war was a fucked up period of history but damned if it didn't make for a fantastic backdrop for spy thrillers.

    Like WWII, it's always great to have an enemy.

  • ThomamelasThomamelas Only one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered User regular
    tQWXi5Q.png

  • GimGim a tall glass of water Registered User regular
    I take it back, this would make me a dog person:

    gkJh9J7.jpg

  • ThomamelasThomamelas Only one man can kill this many Russians. Bring his guitar to me! Registered User regular
    xtGwNZb.jpg

  • ShivahnShivahn Unaware of her barrel shifter privilege Western coastal temptressRegistered User, Moderator mod
    Elldren wrote: »
    I'll never be called by Geth to make a chat (since I am set to appear offline always) but I have an emergency thing saved somewhere anyhow

    That will not protect you >.>

    It didn't me, anyway.

  • Mojo_JojoMojo_Jojo We are only now beginning to understand the full power and ramifications of sexual intercourse Registered User regular
    Pre-preparing chats is cheating. They should be made in panic

    Homogeneous distribution of your varieties of amuse-gueule
  • ZephiranZephiran Registered User regular
    Esam taking that 'Chu all the way to the bank.

    Alright and in this next scene all the animals have AIDS.

    I got a little excited when I saw your ship.
  • PotatoNinjaPotatoNinja Fake Gamer Goat Registered User regular
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    @PotatoNinja‌ I enjoyed Dragonfall's combat, honestly - to me it was like diet XCOM. I felt it could be improved a lot, but mostly by additional options and scope - more weapons/items/spells, more enemies on screen, bigger environments - than by, like, a conceptual overhaul.

    Where did it fall down for you?

    No I think that's about it.

    It isn't super bad, its just kind of "meh." Its XCOM minus a bunch of cool stuff that made XCOM more fun. Its not like Baldur's Gate 1, where the AD&D ruleset meant combat was actively unpleasant from start to finish. Its just kind of like a really straightforward board game. There are some utility abilities, some flanking rules that are kind of wonky but work more or less, and mostly you either just make a super tanky melee powerhouse or you shoot everyone in the face with long range weapons while hiding from cover.

    I've played many games with worse combat, I'm simply down on Dragonfall's combat because the rest of the game is so much better that the mediocre-but-passable combat sticks out really clearly.

    Two goats enter, one car leaves
  • OnTheLastCastleOnTheLastCastle let's keep it haimish for the peripatetic Registered User regular
    Jacobkosh wrote: »
    PotatoNinja‌ I enjoyed Dragonfall's combat, honestly - to me it was like diet XCOM. I felt it could be improved a lot, but mostly by additional options and scope - more weapons/items/spells, more enemies on screen, bigger environments - than by, like, a conceptual overhaul.

    Where did it fall down for you?

    it's pretty basic and unpolished. xcom had you exploring the map and pulling guys into a meatgrinder or having things go belly up and you had to scramble

    dragonfall is like shoot the man he's dead. don't bother with anything flashy cause it's not as good as shoot the man.

  • OnTheLastCastleOnTheLastCastle let's keep it haimish for the peripatetic Registered User regular
    what is that pizza dog comic

    someone @ me, i'm goin' to bed

  • JacobkoshJacobkosh Gamble a stamp. I can show you how to be a real man!Moderator mod
    Everyone should watch High Noon, btw

    rRwz9.gif
This discussion has been closed.