Books, Movies and Show You Did Not Like

[Taliax none (name only)]

14 hours ago, Sami said:

I know lot of people love this series, but I didn't like WoT that much. The first two books were alright, but by the third or fourth book they were getting a bit slow and I didn't like the way things were going. I didn't get past there though, so probably one day I'll try again. 

I had the opposite experience, I thought the first books were really slow, but my friend kept promising me they got better so I kept reading, I felt like almost every book (except probably book 10) was better than the one before it.  I may get some flak on this from the hardcore Jordan fans, but I liked the last three that Sanderson wrote the best out of the series, and that was before I was really a Sanderfan.

[Dunkum he/him]

6 hours ago, Taliax said:

I had the opposite experience, I thought the first books were really slow, but my friend kept promising me they got better so I kept reading, I felt like almost every book (except probably book 10) was better than the one before it.  I may get some flak on this from the hardcore Jordan fans, but I liked the last three that Sanderson wrote the best out of the series, and that was before I was really a Sanderfan.

They were pretty good.  my biggest issues with them were that Sanderson has a different writing style, and it was sort of noticeable and a bit jarring.  Also, at least in book 12, he did not do a very good job of writing Mat.  the later books were a bit better about this, but book 12 Mat, for his brief appearance, is pretty bad.

[Taliax none (name only)]

48 minutes ago, Dunkum said:

They were pretty good.  my biggest issues with them were that Sanderson has a different writing style, and it was sort of noticeable and a bit jarring.  Also, at least in book 12, he did not do a very good job of writing Mat.  the later books were a bit better about this, but book 12 Mat, for his brief appearance, is pretty bad.

That's fair, I don't think I cared for Mat as much near the end either. 

[Steeldancer he/him]

Arrow. Sorry. Just let it die already. 

Rick Riordan. I feel like his books are getting a touch bogged down trying to address social issues. They're not awful, it's just I feel like he goes out of his way to do it, and it doesn't feel natural. 

Marvel Comics. Dont even get me started. I guess I'm ok with some of the replacement characters. But the one that REALLY ticked me off was when they decided to take Tony Stark out of the suit, and put a black girl in the suit instead... because... reasons? I'm in a sour mood towards Marvel comics right now. Gosh I miss when they didn't use politics to stuff their plotlines. I read comics to get away from stupid things like politics, not to run right back into them!

The Kite Runner. I'm reading it for school right now, and I HATE IT. A LOT. It seems determined to make me lose my faith in humanity. If it weren't for school, this book would be forgotten in a closet. 

[Sami she/her]

8 minutes ago, Flash said:

Arrow. Sorry. Just let it die already. 

If it comes to that, Supergirl is super cheesy. And her costume is cheesy. And all her sidekicks are cheesy (except for maybe Alex). And all of her love interests annoyed me supremely. (okay, I stopped watching it halfway through the second season, but still I got enough of Mon-El to hate him) 

Basically the only thing I like about it are the crossovers. (the Flash/Supergirl musical was hilariously cheesy - but I loved it)

Edited August 3, 2017 by Sami

[Steeldancer he/him]

Just now, Sami said:

If it comes to that, Supergirl is super cheesy. And her costume is cheesy. And all her sidekicks are cheesy (except for maybe Alex). And all of her love interest annoyed me supremely. (okay, I stopped watching it halfway through the second season, but still I got enough of Mon-El to hate him) 

Basically the only thing I like about it are the crossovers.

I feel exactly the same. Supergirl should have had much more they could do with her. But it was cheesy and like a sitcom. 

But I do have my fingers crossed for black lightning. I think there is still hope for the Flash (in my opinion many of the issues people had with season 3 were a result of Season 2. If season 2 had never occured, season 3 would have been awesome.) They promise a more optimistic Barry for season 4... so hopefully they'll deliver. And the villain sounds cool. 

LoT died the minute they killed off Leonard Snart. 

[ryshadium90]

15 minutes ago, Flash said:

Rick Riordan. I feel like his books are getting a touch bogged down trying to address social issues. They're not awful, it's just I feel like he goes out of his way to do it, and it doesn't feel natural. 

The Kite Runner. I'm reading it for school right now, and I HATE IT. A LOT. It seems determined to make me lose my faith in humanity. If it weren't for school, this book would be forgotten in a closet. 

I know how you feel. The Magnus Chase books are okay, as was the Trials of Apollo. I'll keep reading them because that's how much of a die-hard fan I am, but most of the tone/mood is kind of melding into all the same thing. He can't really seem to get a very different character.

I can agree with you on Kite Runner as well, for the losing faith part, but I actually enjoyed it mainly because of the way it was written and how well the characters are expressed. If a book makes me hate/love/feel for the character enough, then it is a great book. Like The Crucible. I had to read that last year and it was so good, but I hated the main character so much. Of Mice And Men is a really good book as well. Though it broke my heart at the end.

[Sami she/her]

Still not sure what to think of Ezra Miller as the Flash in Justice League. No one will ever be so great as the Flash as Grant Gustin, in my opinion.

But he seems like he could do a good job - if not very different.

behold my 200th post

Edited August 3, 2017 by Sami

[Steeldancer he/him]

Just now, Sami said:

Still not sure what to think of Ezra Miller as the Flash in Justice League. No one will ever be so great as the Flash as Grant Gustin, in my opinion.

But he seems like he could do a good job - if not very different.

Hey at least he has fantastic effects, and really feels fast. 

And yeah. Its going to be hard to really develop something new when you have a show already doing it. 

[Sami she/her]

1 minute ago, Flash said:

Hey at least he has fantastic effects, and really feels fast. 

And yeah. Its going to be hard to really develop something new when you have a show already doing it. 

Yeah Justice League is going to be great. The effects look awesome. Plus, its got Wonder Woman in it  

[Dunkum he/him]

21 minutes ago, Flash said:

LoT died the minute they killed off Leonard Snart.

did you watch season 2 at all?  far better than any of the other shows has been for at least 2 years.  Snart is missed, but they also dropped vandal savage and replaced him with Merlyn, Darkh, and Thawne all of whom work even better as a team than they did in their initial turns as individiual villains.   they also dropped the hawkpeople entirely and replaced them with better characters (admittedly a low bar)

for the other shows: Supergirl has never been perfect, but I completely disagree with you on the character herself.  I think they got her portrayal down perfect, and the cheesiness is more or less right.  I also liked Mon El, though not as a love interest, so sort of half agree on that at least.  Arrow turned around some this seasons, but I wouldn't miss it too much if they shut it down.  that said, flash season 3 is down near the bottom of things they have produced, and I am not wholly convinced they'll do any better next season

[Taliax none (name only)]

43 minutes ago, Sami said:

Yeah Justice League is going to be great. The effects look awesome. Plus, its got Wonder Woman in it  

Is anyone else super sad that Hawkgirl, Martian, and Green Lantern aren't in it though?  I just really loved the old JL cartoons and Hawkgirl was my favorite, I was really hoping to see her in it.

Also, I really liked season 1 of Flash and part of season 2, but there came to a point when there was just way too much time travel to me.  I'm just not a fan of time travel plots (like, time paradoxes and stuff like that, on the other hand stuff like Doctor Who is fine).

Edited August 3, 2017 by Taliax
Added more stuff

[Draginon he/him]

I kind of agree on the points brought up about Rick Riordon's books. I like the mythology books, but it almost feels forced with the diversity. In Percy Jackson he doesn't mention anyone at the camp who is not white. Suddenly in Heroes of Olympus everyone is non-white, the first person mortal Apollo meets is an abuse case suffering from Stockholm syndrome and Magnus Chase has a weird explanation for how a Middle Eastern family is connected to the Nords that is just as contrived as a Greek going to China and later having descendants that moved to Canada to become Romans. Despite my complaints there my favorite characters are Piper, Hazel, Frank, Annabeth, Samirah, Blitz and Hearth.

[MightCosmere he/him]

On 8/3/2017 at 10:09 AM, Taliax said:

Is anyone else super sad that Hawkgirl, Martian, and Green Lantern aren't in it though?  I just really loved the old JL cartoons and Hawkgirl was my favorite, I was really hoping to see her in it.

Also, I really liked season 1 of Flash and part of season 2, but there came to a point when there was just way too much time travel to me.  I'm just not a fan of time travel plots (like, time paradoxes and stuff like that, on the other hand stuff like Doctor Who is fine).

I agree with this. They should have at least added Green Lantern in it. That guy needs more appreciation.

[Erandeni he/him]

On 3/8/2017 at 4:09 AM, Taliax said:

Is anyone else super sad that Hawkgirl, Martian, and Green Lantern aren't in it though?  I just really loved the old JL cartoons and Hawkgirl was my favorite, I was really hoping to see her in it.

Agree, Green lantern is like my favourite superhero, he should be there.

[Draginon he/him]

1 hour ago, Idealistic said:

Agree, Green lantern is like my favourite superhero, he should be there.

Preferably the black Green Lantern (drawing a blank on the name) they used in the cartoon.

[Erandeni he/him]

1 minute ago, Draginon said:

Preferably the black Green Lantern (drawing a blank on the name) they used in the cartoon.

You mean John Stewart? I prefer Hal Jordan, but John is better than Kyle Rayner.

[Taliax none (name only)]

1 hour ago, Draginon said:

Preferably the black Green Lantern (drawing a blank on the name) they used in the cartoon.

Yes! I love that Green Lantern! His friendship with Flash was one of my favorite parts of the show.

[Calderis he/him]

Kubo and the Two Strings. 

Don't get me wrong it was beautiful. But the story was overly simplistic. 

After all the hype, I was disappointed, and my favorite part of the movie is the Regina Spektor cover of "While my guitar gently weeps" 

Edited August 10, 2017 by Calderis

[ryshadium90]

5 hours ago, Calderis said:

Kubo and the Two Strings. 

Don't get me wrong it was beautiful. But the story was overly simplistic. 

After all the hype, I was disappointed, and my favorite part of the movie is the Regina Spektor cover of "While my guitar gently weeps" 

I love that song! Or at least that version of the song. I thought the movie was cleverly put together, what with the forms of magic, but I can agree with its over simplicity.

[Draginon he/him]

7 hours ago, Idealistic said:

You mean John Stewart? I prefer Hal Jordan, but John is better than Kyle Rayner.

Yes, that's the one. The one from the terrible GL movie is your preferred GL? To each their own I guess.

 

6 hours ago, Taliax said:

Yes! I love that Green Lantern! His friendship with Flash was one of my favorite parts of the show.

He was the best!

[Erandeni he/him]

6 hours ago, Draginon said:

The one from the terrible GL movie is your preferred GL? To each their own I guess.

I never saw the movie, is really that bad? I like Hal for the comics.

[Draginon he/him]

5 hours ago, Idealistic said:

I never saw the movie, is really that bad? I like Hal for the comics.

I haven't seen it myself, but the clips I've seen were bad. Also you knows it's bad when the entire costume is CGI instead of being practical. If Power Rangers can have real physical costumes then why can't GL get a real costume that's augmented with CG?

[Retsam]

I'll echo ongoing disappointment with the Rick Riordan books: the social issues thing is part of it, but overall the writing is just been on a decline, IMO.

I don't think it's bad that he's trying to address social issues or have more diversity (but maybe "everyone is a minority now" is a bit of an overcorrection), but the seemingly shoehorning of social issues was to the point that it actually got in the way of the actual story being told, I though.

Blood of Olympus was a real mess as a conclusion to an entire series, and part of that, I feel was because it was sidetracked on social issues: we get an entire arc for Reyna, which TvTropes labels a "feminist fantasy": her arc is "admitting that she shouldn't define herself by the men in her life, and dealing with Straw Misogynist Orion", and meanwhile a good third of the big climactic battle is taken up with introducing a gay love interest for (totally not retconned) Nico.  At best, suddenly introducing a love interest (gay or otherwise) in the last book would have felt a bit forced and awkward, but doing it in the middle of your big climax is just bad writing, IMO.

But even beyond the social issues stuff, Heroes of Olympus's writing was just not up to the same quality as Percy Jackson and the Olympians.  I really liked the first two, and I loved the idea of the Romans (bit of a Roman history enthusiast), but it just wasn't well executed beyond that: 

Gaia was a pretty dull and generic antagonist, theoretically all-powerful, but just not that interesting (sort of like your average Marvel Cinematic Universe villain).  Kratos wasn't that interesting either, but Luke was an amazing antagonist in Percy Jackson, and he didn't have an equivalent in Heroes of Olympus.  In general it felt sort of "big summer blockbuster": "bigger" and flashier than PJatO but not as much heart to it, or even as much tension.  The stakes were ostensibly higher but they didn't feel higher: no equivalent to Bianca Di Angelo, in Heroes of Olympus, either, that I remember, House of Hades felt like a "Tartarus Walking Tour", again, ostensibly really dangerous and dramatic, but it sure doesn't cost the characters anything at the end of the day, and the ending is just a bit too neat and all-around happy for everyone, for a series that makes such a big deal about how heroes don't often get happy endings.  

So, yeah.  I didn't hate the Heroes of Olympus: they were decent "popcorn" reading, some good humor, some likable characters, a bit of a crash course in classical mythology... but while PJatO is perhaps my favorite Young Adult series that I've read, Heroes of Olympus is "just okay".  

---

Also, similar in some ways, I really didn't care for Ready Player One.  I had fun while reading it, but the more I thought about it afterwards, the less I liked it.  The plot ends up being predictable: it feels "seat of your pants, you don't know what's going to happen next" while you're reading it, but you get to the end and look back and it just did the most predictable and stereotypical thing it could have done at basically every opportunity.  I kept expecting some big plot twist or reveal, but the big twist for me was that there wasn't one.  

And all the 80's nostalgia stuff just didn't do anything for me.  Yes, I really like the movie WarGames, but I'm not sure that having several scenes of that movie in this book really added anything to my enjoyment of the book.  It's not like the author has anything interesting to say about WarGames or the idea of nostalgia in general (despite ample opportunity): it's just in there because the author likes that stuff.

Similarly, there's a bunch of social issues that are there, not because the author has anything particularly interesting to say about them, but they're just sort of there, like he had a quota of social issues to raise, spend 30 seconds on, then never address again: 

Despite being the core of the premise, the book doesn't have anything interesting to say about environmentalism, or extreme escapism, or virtual reality, in general.  (Are the book's world's problems being exacerbated because everyone's just playing on the internet?  You could argue that from the book, but the book itself sure doesn't care to think about that)  The main character explains directly to the readers that he thinks religion is "crem dung".  Why?  I don't know, it's never brought up again.  They wanted to address homosexuality, racism, obesity, and sexism, I guess, but didn't want to write four different characters to do it, so they put a gay, black, female obese character (in a book that otherwise has no known minorities or homosexuals and the only other female is the love interest). They have a single "racism/sexism/homophobia is bad m'kay" scene, then it never comes up again.

It just feels like the author was ticking boxes.  "Remind the readers that racism is bad. Check. Inform readers that pollution is bad.  Check.  Big evil corporation. Check. Giant robot fight scene.  Check.  It was the ultimate popcorn read: some fun action, but absolutely no depth to it.  So I guess the movie will probably be good?

 

Edited August 11, 2017 by Retsam

[Draginon he/him]

@Retsam I agree. Heroes of Olympus was fun but wasn't as 'tragic' as the first series. I think with Gsia the point was that she's only dangerous when she's fully awake and they had to keep her sleeping to save everyone, otherwise she would've done worse than Kronos did. On the Nico is gay thing, I think it was supposed to be guessed in the books before Blood but was just handled badly. If I hadn't accidentally spoiled myself on that I probably wouldn't have guessed until it was outright said. But it was just as bad having the creepy kid be the gay quota for the series. Overall it seems like he's trying to replicate the winning formula from the first series but missing the mark just enough with the whole agenda checklist he's doing. It's fine to include if it makes sense with something that came from the original myths, like the environmentalist message with Grover gelling with Satyrs being nature spirits.