Author Topic: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)  (Read 413073 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #75 on: June 14, 2011, 05:26:52 PM »

Offline PosImpos

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12383
  • Tommy Points: 903
  • Rondo = Good
but it got me hard

I don't think this was the choice of words you wanted, Drucci.



Also, I liked the last episode, but was seriously disappointed that they neither showed Tyrion in battle (not such a big deal), nor showed the battle of the Whispering Woods (a much bigger deal).
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #76 on: June 14, 2011, 05:58:31 PM »

Offline Evantime34

  • NCE
  • Ed Macauley
  • ***********
  • Posts: 11942
  • Tommy Points: 764
  • Eagerly Awaiting the Next Fantasy Draft
Sean Bean is the man.  Pure awesomeness.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/43395782/ns/today-entertainment/

I mean first he is at a bar with a Playboy Bunny 30 years younger then him.

Then he does the noble thing and defends her honor only to end up getting punched in the eye and stabbed in the arm with broken glass.

Then he just goes back into the bar like nothing happened without retaliation.


I mean that man is the definition of awesomeness. 

Well the without retaliation thing is a little weird. the way the news story comes off, Bean got into it with a dude and then got punched and stabbed without getting any licks in of his own.

If that was the case, I imagine he was saving face by acting tough.

I know I did something similar in a similar situation, and the fact was 3 dudes had just beat me up, but all I was thinking was "I just lost. CRAP!" and so I told the cops I didn't wanna press charges or go to the hospital and walked it off.
You got in a fight with three dudes? No one is going to win a 3 on 1 fight.
DKC:  Rockets
CB Draft: Memphis Grizz
Players: Klay Thompson, Jabari Parker, Aaron Gordon
Next 3 picks: 4.14, 4.15, 4.19

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #77 on: June 14, 2011, 07:13:29 PM »

Offline CeltsAcumen

  • NCE
  • Jrue Holiday
  • Posts: 331
  • Tommy Points: 33
Truth is this season will most likely be the only solid season.  I unlike some, do not believe this series of novels is very good.  Game of Thrones, the 1st book is excellent, the other 3 are total crap.  Nothing happens, really, nothing happens, most of the novels involve people traversing rivers and that is the exciting part.  3000 pages latter I was so infuriated in wasting a week on this series I swore I would not care one bit about the final 1000 pages.

People compare Martin to Tolkien and that is an insult to Tolkien.  What Martin does in 4000 pages, Tolkien does in a 1000 and with more style, writing ability and story development.   Martin just wastes paper and nothing is ever solved except for and thorough understanding that Martin has some deep emotional problems with his sister.

Martin finally gets around to answer questions posed in the 1st 100 pages of Game of Thrones, but after he has completely bored you to sleep with pages of descriptions about terrible food, banners and uncomfortable sex conversation and then these answers are just a throw in.  Joffrey?  really he was the master planner, Martin?  Ok, if you say so.  Martin has a tendency to talk and talk about lore, food, wine, etc. and then magically answer important questions in a page leaving the reader wondering.

If you haven't started the books, don't, save yourself some time.  I am sure that the Hollywood Screenwriters will have to completely overhaul Storm of Swords and Feast of Crows so that average viewers wont fall asleep halfway through each.

If you want a good read, this series is NOT the answer.  Its crap drama for drama's sake.  Really there is nothing substantial after the first book that would ever make me recommend it to others unless I wanted to torture them.  Read Brooks or Tolkien, they do this type of novel way better.

People who praise these novels are probably the same people who thought "Entourage" is a good show. 

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #78 on: June 14, 2011, 07:46:07 PM »

Offline PosImpos

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12383
  • Tommy Points: 903
  • Rondo = Good
Truth is this season will most likely be the only solid season.  I unlike some, do not believe this series of novels is very good.  Game of Thrones, the 1st book is excellent, the other 3 are total crap.  Nothing happens, really, nothing happens, most of the novels involve people traversing rivers and that is the exciting part.  3000 pages latter I was so infuriated in wasting a week on this series I swore I would not care one bit about the final 1000 pages.

People compare Martin to Tolkien and that is an insult to Tolkien.  What Martin does in 4000 pages, Tolkien does in a 1000 and with more style, writing ability and story development.   Martin just wastes paper and nothing is ever solved except for and thorough understanding that Martin has some deep emotional problems with his sister.

Martin finally gets around to answer questions posed in the 1st 100 pages of Game of Thrones, but after he has completely bored you to sleep with pages of descriptions about terrible food, banners and uncomfortable sex conversation and then these answers are just a throw in.  Joffrey?  really he was the master planner, Martin?  Ok, if you say so.  Martin has a tendency to talk and talk about lore, food, wine, etc. and then magically answer important questions in a page leaving the reader wondering.

If you haven't started the books, don't, save yourself some time.  I am sure that the Hollywood Screenwriters will have to completely overhaul Storm of Swords and Feast of Crows so that average viewers wont fall asleep halfway through each.

If you want a good read, this series is NOT the answer.  Its crap drama for drama's sake.  Really there is nothing substantial after the first book that would ever make me recommend it to others unless I wanted to torture them.  Read Brooks or Tolkien, they do this type of novel way better.

People who praise these novels are probably the same people who thought "Entourage" is a good show. 

First of all -- spoilers, dude.  Not everybody here has read all of the books.

Second, from what I've read so far it seems to me that with A Song of Ice and Fire you can't expect a gigantic epic like Lord of the Rings.  There isn't always a clear good side and bad side, good guys and bad guys.  It's not all about big battles and great journeys.  There's a lot of political intrigue and character development (a lot more than in Lord of the Rings).  There's more slow buildup and less direct payoff, but I don't think that's necessarily a failing, especially since it's clearly deliberate.
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #79 on: June 17, 2011, 09:12:15 PM »

Offline mgent

  • Tiny Archibald
  • *******
  • Posts: 7567
  • Tommy Points: 1962
So the Khaleesi's brother wasn't really a dragon/her brother?

Having not read any of the books it took a lot of brain power to watch the show/remember info revealed in a previous episode.  I had to constantly look up information to get all the names and places and sigils correct in my head.  It made each episode go really slow but all in all I didn't mind my decision to watch the first season before getting started on the books.
Philly:

Anderson Varejao    Tiago Splitter    Matt Bonner
David West    Kenyon Martin    Brad Miller
Andre Iguodala    Josh Childress    Marquis Daniels
Dwyane Wade    Leandro Barbosa
Kirk Hinrich    Toney Douglas   + the legendary Kevin McHale

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #80 on: June 17, 2011, 09:25:26 PM »

Offline Redz

  • Punner
  • Global Moderator
  • Bill Russell
  • ******************************
  • Posts: 30893
  • Tommy Points: 3765
  • Yup
Truth is this season will most likely be the only solid season.  I unlike some, do not believe this series of novels is very good.  Game of Thrones, the 1st book is excellent, the other 3 are total crap.  Nothing happens, really, nothing happens, most of the novels involve people traversing rivers and that is the exciting part.  3000 pages latter I was so infuriated in wasting a week on this series I swore I would not care one bit about the final 1000 pages.

People compare Martin to Tolkien and that is an insult to Tolkien.  What Martin does in 4000 pages, Tolkien does in a 1000 and with more style, writing ability and story development.   Martin just wastes paper and nothing is ever solved except for and thorough understanding that Martin has some deep emotional problems with his sister.

Martin finally gets around to answer questions posed in the 1st 100 pages of Game of Thrones, but after he has completely bored you to sleep with pages of descriptions about terrible food, banners and uncomfortable sex conversation and then these answers are just a throw in.  Joffrey?  really he was the master planner, Martin?  Ok, if you say so.  Martin has a tendency to talk and talk about lore, food, wine, etc. and then magically answer important questions in a page leaving the reader wondering.

If you haven't started the books, don't, save yourself some time.  I am sure that the Hollywood Screenwriters will have to completely overhaul Storm of Swords and Feast of Crows so that average viewers wont fall asleep halfway through each.

If you want a good read, this series is NOT the answer.  Its crap drama for drama's sake.  Really there is nothing substantial after the first book that would ever make me recommend it to others unless I wanted to torture them.  Read Brooks or Tolkien, they do this type of novel way better.

People who praise these novels are probably the same people who thought "Entourage" is a good show. 

well don't I feel shallow now
Yup

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #81 on: June 17, 2011, 09:34:00 PM »

Offline indeedproceed

  • In The Rafters
  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 42583
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  • You ain't the boss of the freakin' bedclothes.
Martins novels are to men as the twilight novels are to women. they're entertaining, addictive, and ultimately facile. but I didn't stop and I will read the next one..because my entertainment is of more importance to me than my pretension

"You've gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy
like that is always lethal." - Evan 'The God' Turner

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #82 on: June 17, 2011, 09:40:33 PM »

Offline Redz

  • Punner
  • Global Moderator
  • Bill Russell
  • ******************************
  • Posts: 30893
  • Tommy Points: 3765
  • Yup
Martins novels are to men as the twilight novels are to women. they're entertaining, addictive, and ultimately facile. but I didn't stop and I will read the next one..because my entertainment is of more importance to me than my pretension

see...it's ok.  I can get my shallow entertainment through Martin's books and my intellectual needs filled by reading IP.

I feel better now.
« Last Edit: June 17, 2011, 10:01:25 PM by Redz »
Yup

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #83 on: June 17, 2011, 11:00:33 PM »

Offline PosImpos

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12383
  • Tommy Points: 903
  • Rondo = Good
So the Khaleesi's brother wasn't really a dragon/her brother?

Having not read any of the books it took a lot of brain power to watch the show/remember info revealed in a previous episode.  I had to constantly look up information to get all the names and places and sigils correct in my head.  It made each episode go really slow but all in all I didn't mind my decision to watch the first season before getting started on the books.

He was truly her brother, but the whole "dragon" thing is supposed to mean that he wasn't really worthy of the title of "blood of the dragon" because he was whiny, sniveling, and ultimately weak.

Martins novels are to men as the twilight novels are to women. they're entertaining, addictive, and ultimately facile. but I didn't stop and I will read the next one..because my entertainment is of more importance to me than my pretension

Eh, I think you're either not giving A Song of Ice and Fire enough credit, or you're giving the Twilight series too much credit.  Twilight is entertaining in its own way, but it's not particularly well written and it's extremely simplistic in the construction of the plot, narrative, and the development of the characters.  It's a trilogy built entirely upon pure, simplistic, excessive emotion.  Certainly part of that is because of the intended audience, but I think it's not fair to place it on the same level as Martin's books.  

I've read the first book and I am about halfway through the second, and though I'll readily admit that it is not much more than escapist entertainment, it is far more intricate and deftly managed than the Twilight series.  There are a great many characters that are interesting in a variety of ways, and for the most part I find them believable -- and not entirely predictable, either.

I guess my point is that I think there's a lot more fodder for contemplation in Martin's books.  Also, I think Martin doesn't go for the quick and easy payoff whenever possible; it's not purely indulgent.  There's not much evidence of that in Twilight.  Which isn't necessarily an indictment of Twilight, but it is an important distinction.
« Last Edit: June 17, 2011, 11:15:58 PM by PosImpos »
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #84 on: June 17, 2011, 11:04:34 PM »

Offline mgent

  • Tiny Archibald
  • *******
  • Posts: 7567
  • Tommy Points: 1962
So the Khaleesi's brother wasn't really a dragon/her brother?

Having not read any of the books it took a lot of brain power to watch the show/remember info revealed in a previous episode.  I had to constantly look up information to get all the names and places and sigils correct in my head.  It made each episode go really slow but all in all I didn't mind my decision to watch the first season before getting started on the books.

He was truly her brother, but the whole "dragon" thing is supposed to mean that he wasn't really worthy of the title of "blood of the dragon" because he was whiny, sniveling, and ultimately weak.
But the chick wasn't hurt by heat.  And she said fire can't kill a dragon.
Philly:

Anderson Varejao    Tiago Splitter    Matt Bonner
David West    Kenyon Martin    Brad Miller
Andre Iguodala    Josh Childress    Marquis Daniels
Dwyane Wade    Leandro Barbosa
Kirk Hinrich    Toney Douglas   + the legendary Kevin McHale

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #85 on: June 17, 2011, 11:10:31 PM »

Offline PosImpos

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12383
  • Tommy Points: 903
  • Rondo = Good
So the Khaleesi's brother wasn't really a dragon/her brother?

Having not read any of the books it took a lot of brain power to watch the show/remember info revealed in a previous episode.  I had to constantly look up information to get all the names and places and sigils correct in my head.  It made each episode go really slow but all in all I didn't mind my decision to watch the first season before getting started on the books.

He was truly her brother, but the whole "dragon" thing is supposed to mean that he wasn't really worthy of the title of "blood of the dragon" because he was whiny, sniveling, and ultimately weak.
But the chick wasn't hurt by heat.  And she said fire can't kill a dragon.

Right.  She's got something weird going on with her in that regard, which isn't entirely explained by that point in the book, either.  However, there is enough background on the Targaryens revealed that it's clear it isn't normal for a Targaryen to be impervious to heat -- at one point there's reference to a Targaryen in the past who killed himself by swallowing a flammable substance in the belief it would allow him to breathe fire.

From what I've read so far it seems that some members of the great houses have a certain affinity with their banner animals (to varying degrees), but none of them is literally that animal, though at times they may seem to exhibit some of the characteristics or have a supernaturally strong connection to them (e.g. impervious to heat / flame, able to command / read the minds of wolves).

Just because somebody does not have that sort of affinity, though, doesn't mean they are actually a true member of that family.
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #86 on: June 17, 2011, 11:28:45 PM »

Offline indeedproceed

  • In The Rafters
  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 42583
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  • You ain't the boss of the freakin' bedclothes.
pos, I was overly simplistic. a song of ice and fire is a life's work, and a good one.

but, at its heart, it's a soap opera for men. an impressive one, sure. it'll make me reconsider other highly regarded fantasy works. but a soap opera for men and teenage boys it remains, it does not hold up to the gold standard of once and future king, or lord of the rings.

"You've gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy
like that is always lethal." - Evan 'The God' Turner

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #87 on: June 17, 2011, 11:52:38 PM »

Offline PosImpos

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12383
  • Tommy Points: 903
  • Rondo = Good
pos, I was overly simplistic. a song of ice and fire is a life's work, and a good one.

but, at its heart, it's a soap opera for men. an impressive one, sure. it'll make me reconsider other highly regarded fantasy works. but a soap opera for men and teenage boys it remains, it does not hold up to the gold standard of once and future king, or lord of the rings.

yeah, but how many fantasy series can say they do that?  Tolkein basically laid the foundation for modern fantasy with LotR.  If any fantasy novel that doesn't acquit itself as a practically canonical source of lore is nothing more than idle entertainment, the prospects for fantasy writers must be pretty bleak.

CeltsAcumen compared A Song of Ice and Fire unfavorably to Wheel of Time; I've read quite a few of the Wheel of Time books, and though it was a while ago, I remember enough to feel that it's pretty weak to claim that Jordan is on higher ground in this debate.
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #88 on: June 18, 2011, 12:00:24 AM »

Offline indeedproceed

  • In The Rafters
  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 42583
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  • You ain't the boss of the freakin' bedclothes.
let me say it like this... if martin were a nba player, he'd be steve nash. different, flawed, but a hof'er

"You've gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy
like that is always lethal." - Evan 'The God' Turner

Re: A Game of Thrones (contains spoilers)
« Reply #89 on: June 18, 2011, 12:57:02 AM »

Offline PosImpos

  • NCE
  • Frank Ramsey
  • ************
  • Posts: 12383
  • Tommy Points: 903
  • Rondo = Good
let me say it like this... if martin were a nba player, he'd be steve nash. different, flawed, but a hof'er

heh, interesting comparison.  yeah, i'm not arguing that his stuff is perfect by any means, but compared to the rest of the stuff out there in the genre, i'd say it's very good
Never forget the Champs of '08, or the gutsy warriors of '10.

"I know you all wanna win, but you gotta do it TOGETHER!"
- Doc Rivers