11 O'Clock Comics Episode 218

[RickV]

I'm seeing a lot of "me" and "I".  I get it.  You, RickV, can watch a movie and read a comicbook in a vacuum, regardless of what others said or did before you're able to experience them.

Not everyone has that ability nor wants it.

What is the purpose of this post, outside of stating the obvious? It has been clear from minute one that we disagree, the interest is why and how different people process things.

[monsta]

Because the movie is more than its ending. It comes across that all the value you place in a film is boiled down to how it ends, I can't grasp that at all.

Romantic Comedies (will he/she get the boy/girl) if you know the ending then there is no tension. A Mystery movie....... WITHOUT ANY MYSTERY THERE IS NO MOVIE!  A drama or suspense: No need to worry about the main character if you know the ending. Most movies are linear stories. If you know the ending or the double cross then you can't watch the movie the way the director or author wanted you to. Please try telling a joke backwards and tell me how many laughs you get. Read all your comics backwards. Look up the answer to the crossword before you start. No need to ever watch sports, just watch Sportscenter. Hand someone a wrapped present then tell them what is inside. If you don't care about being engulfed or completely escaping into something, just read the wikipedia entry, spoil it for yourself, and for god's sake don't tell me how it ends, because I'll be angry and you wouldn't like it when I'm angry. 

[Dave Faust]

If you put in two weeks worth of work, would you not expect to be compensated at the end of that cycle? It's all about cultivating a conclusion.

I recently did a Google image search for Breaking Bad t-shirts. One of the images in the search revealed the result of a VERY important scene that occurs in the final episode of season four. Yes, I agree that the season in its entirety was a very valuable and worthwhile experience (By my accounts, BB is one of the best series ever produced.) but the payoff for all of the carefully-laid plot threads had been taken from me. There is no way to estimate how I would have reacted to that very important scene had I no previous knowledge of the payoff. Still, it was a stunner, but it would have been even more so had the emotional impact not been lessened by some ignorant dickhead with rudimentary PhotoShop skills.

That's a goddamn cryin' shame having that scene spoiled.  

[Steve Raker]

Some people don't like to know the ending of things before they see them. That seems like such an easy concept. Why pay 15 dollars to go see movie when you know how it ends? Its not a spiritual journey, its a movie! 

If all the movie has going for it is the ending, then sure, but I don't read books and comics and watch television programs or see movies to get to the ending.  

As my cousin once argued to Tom Breevort, knowing the end of the story does not preclude the enjoyment of the journey. If that were true, there wouldn't be sales of Harry Potter books after the movies by people who've seen them.

I don't seek out or get exposed to many spoilers (I don't frequently frequent 'news before it's news' sites), but when I am exposed, it's no biggie, it usually just makes me excited and want to see/read it sooner!

[David]

What is the purpose of this post, outside of stating the obvious? It has been clear from minute one that we disagree, the interest is why and how different people process things.

My bad.  That post was me saying I'm done.

[leafinsectman (Dan)]

I've been keeping quiet about this cos I fucked up a few days ago and ruined something for someone (sorry). I swear there are no spoilers in the rest of this post

There's a ton of value in seeing something with fresh eyes for the first time. A good story is a good story whether a plot point was spoiled or not, I get that. But the experience is different. The reason why people care about not getting spoiled is because you lose that initial experience with the story when you don't know what's going to happen whereas you can always re-read/re-watch something and experience it the same way you would if you got spoiled.

Let's look at it this way...

Experience A - no spoilers
Experience B - spoilers

You can only have experience A once whereas you can have experience B multiple times. Having something spoiled for you means you don't get to have experience A. Or you experience it in a different (perhaps lesser) way.

Now, there have been one or two times when a major plot point was spoiled for me and I recognise that the experience was totally different than if I didn't get spoiled... and I kinda liked it. One of these is a tv show where I found out that a certain character dies but I didn't know when he was going to die. So for several episodes I keep thinking "shit, is he gonna die now?" And I was on the edge of my seat for several episodes because of that whereas I might've been just "yeah, okay cool" if I didn't know beforehand what was going to happen.*

That's a rare instance though. A lot of spoilers are very specific and you know when something will happen. For the most part, I would rather see something with fresh eyes but that's not always possible.

One thing I do to counter the crappy feeling from getting spoiled is to get my wife to watch it (luckily we mostly have the same tastes in what we watch) and see how she reacts to it. So I'm kinda experiencing things through her eyes. I'm guessing it's a little like when parents don't dig on something but they eventually find a certain fondness for it because their kids love it. For example, I've heard a few people say this about the Fantastic Four movies.

Hi Vince


*I'm guessing this is sometimes why writers will tell you in advance of a character's death. Because they want to give you a slightly different experience. But in those instances, it's their choice to do it. They want you to consume a story that way. Spoilers aren't usually how they'd prefer you to experience a story.

[Bobgar Ornelas]

It's a cook book!
Bruce Willis is a Ghost!
Darth Vader is Luke's daddy!

[leafinsectman (Dan)]

By the way, I can mostly deal with movie/tv/comics spoilers. I try to avoid them but I wouldn't choke someone out if they accidentally spoiled something. Just don't go around spoiling sports shit, I'll fucking CUT YOU!

Imagine if there were life spoilers. Like, how would you like it if I told you when you were gonna die an unpreventable death?

[Jeppe]

Let's look at it this way...

Experience A - no spoilers
Experience B - spoilers

You can only have experience A once whereas you can have experience B multiple times. Having something spoiled for you means you don't get to have experience A. Or you experience it in a different (perhaps lesser) way.

 

[jonny the homicidal drummer]

It's a cook book!
Bruce Willis is a Ghost!
Darth Vader is Luke's daddy!

YOU BASTARD!

[Chris]

Being on the internet and avoiding spoilers is like walking in a cow pasture and avoiding shit.

You just have to understand that every once in a while you're going to step into something.

Don't want to step in it? Stay out of the pasture.

[Farrell]

Spaceballs was funny as a kid. I still like to watch Aliens.

I don't know.

My head hurts.

   My favorite post in this thread by far.

Spoiler:  In a post to come, I'm going to be be sarcastic.

[Farrell]

I recently did a Google image search for Breaking Bad t-shirts. One of the images in the search revealed the result of a VERY important scene that occurs in the final episode of season four. Yes, I agree that the season in its entirety was a very valuable and worthwhile experience (By my accounts, BB is one of the best series ever produced.) but the payoff for all of the carefully-laid plot threads had been taken from me. There is no way to estimate how I would have reacted to that very important scene had I no previous knowledge of the payoff. Still, it was a stunner, but it would have been even more so had the emotional impact not been lessened by some ignorant dickhead with rudimentary PhotoShop skills.

   I'll be sure to avoid doing any such search, then.  Wow.  I've been waiting to see season 4 seemingly for-ever (I don't have cable) and I would HATE to have that happen to me.  My condolences.

RickV, I have a question for ya.  Do you like ice cream?  Pizza?  Think puppies are cute?  I'm just looking for a bit of common ground because, seriously, I think we disagree on every single thing ever.

[monsta]

Just don't go around spoiling sports shit, I'll fucking CUT YOU!

  That should be the tagline under your avatar!!

[RickV]

RickV, I have a question for ya.  Do you like ice cream?  Pizza?  Think puppies are cute?  I'm just looking for a bit of common ground because, seriously, I think we disagree on every single thing ever.

 

I happen to be eating pizza at this very moment.

[Farrell]

I happen to be eating pizza at this very moment.

Yay!