u/rrlzsrnc

[Spoiler Alerts]

I think there were a few things wrong with the movie- so i actually walked out an hour early. It was late anyway, though i wasn't tired. I saw it in an IMAX even, the so called Laser Imax. Even before i went, when I had some higher expectations because my counsellor friend told me i would like it-- i still called it- the theater experience "platos cave"- going to watch projected shadows on the screen in a dark room.

So here's why my review is different and deeper- I couldn't care less about the race or ethnicity or trans-status of the actors as casted, nor even about historicity and faithfulness to the original poem. It is NOT about everything virtually every other critical reviewer yammers about but their EMOTIONAL PRESENCE and ACTING ABILITY. I can best explain by counter example- or loaded questioning.

Where are the likes of people Brian Cox, Eric Bana? Where is Sean Bean who played Ulixes in Troy of 2004 - which would have been good casting. Where are these type of guys, or even Russel Crowe or Mel Gibson or Joaquin Phoenix, or the guy who played Priam?

No one had precense, or even emotional continence. They had to externalize every thought and feeling they had the whole time. They had the 'tough guy' Menalaus- a fall from Brendan Gleeson's troy rendition- and had him get into a petty argument at the dinner banquet, a battle of wills or of seething resentment with his wife Helen and having him justify in front of guests why he did what he did. If the story (myth) indicates there's argument or criticism of characters, they can do it better, more wtih less. I actually just saw Devil Wears Prada for this first time this year, flying over the ocean, and started watching the 2026 sequel. My excuse and justification for bringing that up is that Ann Hathaway features in there like she plays Penelope- one of the better characters in Odyssey but mostly for lack of competition- though she is alright but in Devil Wears Prada she and Streep are great- they show continence- they do [much] more with [much] less. They are not infantile- in fact they are super-adult. Not to knock NY or elite professionals there- that is a tough world but one might expect a movie about Troy and the Odyssey to be the stronger tougher one- that but i guess it might be a mass appeal and accessibility thing- but then why has culture changed to necessitate this when movies of the last 100 years have even taught us how to be stable- look at Brando's Godfather or whatnot-- and look at the flack Sonny gets for 'expressing what he thinks' to Sollazo with a mere question of curiosity. I'm just trying to bring a small amount flack into the current era. This

There is no one like the man who played Priam, let alone Todd Armstrong or Michael Gwynn, who played Jason and Hermes respectively in Jason and the Argonauts from 63

Related - there's a lot of moralizing, self righteusness and then constant caving by the main characters- take Circe who turns the guys into swine. Such moralizing followed by apologizing- the recurring pattern- another modern western anachronism. I get that this may be for modern western accessibility so that people can identify with it but I don't know what changed, and it means they lose me- this viewer. Even before i went i felt like it was a chore- because i thought i should make time to see it in the famous IMAX (btw i'm only in my 40s- not a boomer) and I did get a little excited as it got closer to showing but i feel like movies are largely a joke- film is a joke or has not much of value to provide me- not in theater anyway. There are sometimes good things and maybe this is a function of changes both in me and in the industry but the industry has fallen i'm sure. It has fallen and when the bow breaks the cradle will fall. Makers of men; creators of leaders.. Sorry i got carried away by Al Pacinos speech in scent of a woman.

I'm not demanding perfection or what we had before but the casting is just emo and the scripting has everyone apologizing for everything always or justifying, and the others moralizing and presenting as wise when they don't prove that fact to me, to the viewer.  

Another little thing that bothered me or that i noticed. It is not a movie that tries to draw you into its world by earning it- they had chances and it was high budget and great locations- but to force its world onto you, through noises, sounds, shakes etc- what i get just living where i live in a multifamily with construction around me. that is a fair approach but it has to earn it a little at least and not follow up with emotionality and sentimentality where i feel stabbed in the back. In contrast to trying to force itself into your mind with mindless 'action' sequences that do little for engaging me, and i don't expect it to be as extreme(ly amazing) as Jason and the Argonauts- I loved the scene that was very very short near the beginning where they showed the boat sailing westerward into the setting sun. That was beautiful and they showed it twice but briefly before they cut scened it to odysseus and penelope talking, emoting in bed. They could have lingered a bit longer- or a lot longer- especially since sailing is the vast majority of what they have to do. I'm actually reading a book on the birth of the athenian navy.

If you can summarize this review, tldr

1. I get that he tries to make it accessible but its over the top if i am to judge and if i am to not judge, it loses me- and i only went on recommendation from a trusted female friend, and so be it

2. Where is the Brian Cox like figure, Eric Bana, Priam and the like? Ya pin prick one of these current guys and they crumble. they guilt trip too. I didn't talk about that. Psychologists and sociologists would have a field day with this but NOBODY reviews things like this. They just talk politics and culture wars. They miss the bigger picture. "Has the whole world gone crazy? Am I the only one who ___"--- channeling Walter from the Big Lebowski now.

Verdict: overaccessibility killed. too much of a good thing is not a good thing. Μηδὲν ἄγαν - "Nothing in Excess"

Android / AT&t keep blasting me with notifications I'm not interested in getting. I'm not interested in being reachable or reminded that someone tried to reach me.

They blurred out all these categories. I thought Android was supposed to be the phone you can control. I'm irate and I'm getting tired of systems trying to coerce me and invade my personal space my sovereignty my mind. this is a big deal to me and might compel me to research rooting my phone or getting an independent phone. I'm open to any advice. I want control and another thing there's so much settings overload good lord. They also flood you with options as well as limiting them

I have this. i have only ever done it on my head and only when my hair is long. most of my life i had short hair. my culture midwest thought it looked unmanly to have long hair. i grew my hair out in california in my early 20s and had a bout of that once- the first time ever. i was vegan at the time. now i'm nothing like that- no special diet besides trying to avoid junk. much of the time i was vegan i didn' have this - it was a brief period. someone ii worked at the farmers market with noticed it

then years later i grew my hair long- post covid long. i used covid as an opportunity

in the last 3 years i had it happen a couple times. i arrested it before it got too long by getting my hair cut shorter at which time i lost the urge

now i have it again. my hair is longer than ever so i held out longer and i have been under more sustained tension than ever through my work load and other loads but i resolved some of that other stuff for good- getting permanently rid of some heavy liability (real estate). i'm consolidating my debt now (not consolidating, paying down. i'm on a paying down protocol). i also don't like the city and culture i'm part of and mean to move- to somewhere more grounded, down to earth, reciprocal. i now know (believe strongly) that environment is one of the strongest factors in my life and one of the biggest inhbiitors despite my best personal efforts so that's background load

I'm going on vacation much deferred much needed in just a few days. i got things over the line and plan to completely shave my head- not down to skin but about as low and buzz so as to make it even.

it will also help keep my head cool this summer. this has been also kind of a virtue. it has taught me about compulsion and people are not always in control, and tension, and accumulated load, and letting go of concern for appearance- in my case. i am lucky to be able to afford this

I have only ever had it under tension and only with long hair and only on the head. other people have it permanently and generally and other body parts?

I'm in Minnesota. I'm trying to leave but i'm bonded down by a property I'm trying to sell.

I am almost from here but I don't fit in here culturally which is why I want to leave. It manifests in little things across domains, which I won't get into but negotiation wise i am selling a position in a contract for deed- good terms, 4% interest only for 23 more years- which I got into with someone else. On paper the property is a little underwater but not much -- it will soon catch up and at a 3% or even 2% discount rate, in 23 years it's going to be well above water. Cheap debt. The property is a little work

But here's my question. I think i'm a good communicator, a flexible guy. I listed it (FSBO) high ball at a 165k buyout price (plus loan assumption). That's about what I put into it. I know I will not get that back. I will take a loss, but i will be free, but a few people have said that's high. I keep saying I am very flexible. One person who got my info at a local investors meeting- who I don't think I met, contacted me later. he ended up swearing- not at me but saying those words, after he looked at the financials. Then I said, let me konw what works for you. He said I don't want to tell you my price because I don't want to offend you. I said no it's ok just let me know. No response. You just did offend me bud

And I know there are tire kickers everywhere and so on but another young over self assured grad with his gf in his profile (a total mn type) asked me some questions with no intention of buying and then mocked me and expressed his opinion on the value and called me old man or whatever so i reported him (which I don't do much-- but i also bit my tongue and didn't get into it with him)

I've had a few showings.

Anyway I lowered it to 120. i'm willing to give it away for much less and I'll probably lower it more but

My philosophy of negotiation- both aligning with my gut sense as well as some books, is start high ball and go down. that way they think they win, etc and anyway all you have to do is find one buyer at a price in 100, if you have patience. I'm not financially desperate to sell but I yearn to be out of here- before winter. Same with books on dating- i read stuff that aligned with who I naturally am- be yourself, be courageous, be flirty some and rapport some direct etc. whatever, i tried all things and nothing worked but then it worked, or rather just being myself worked in Austin texas so well, while down there, and in other parts of the world.

So my thoughts are that just as MN creatures are different in other ways, they negotiate different, so the books AND PRINCIPLES are invalid. Principles often depend on the given assumptions of a place or the context, which people see as ground background reality. Do I get a second on this?

My thinking is that they see a listed price and think they can't flex from that or that the seller won't flex from that for them. They see that as "reality". I think they see norms as reality to a high degree, in general. Every culture has norms. In every culture for work and socializing you have to put on a persona at times but most people I think take it off when they leave that situation. I think they keep it on. In jungian terms I don't think they at all expolore their shadow. their persona is fused to them. they see norms (and sticker price) as reality- and then if they see me asking what I am they mock me or are afraid to give a lower price. They'd rather peace out than see if I'd part with it for 70 or even less- which I very well might. It's their loss but it's my loss too. I'll be honest I don't respect the culture and it is humilitating to me to have to conform (and lower the price as listed even if i'd lower it in negoiation). It seems like they're converting me to their style or is humiliating but i can always do that as time goes by but say someone writes a book-- on negotiation and he's world class and wise-- that doesn't mean what he says will apply here or everywhere. I've travelled the world in earlier decades and this place is an island. they say high trust society but only in narrow coerced funneled channels. thou shall not deviate. i don't mind the poliics. left and right i can enjoy life in any regime but socially, psychologically culturally this is redder than texas in terms of openness and tolerance of deviation

so what are your thoughts? It's a catch 22 for me and I think i'm seeing something accurate but I don't sell things much or have much occasion to negotiate. My best relations here have been from people out of state. I have local friends here- good ones but they are just more cardboard after so many years.