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Wait. You prefer Failsafe to Dr Strangelove? Seriously? Oh dear. Please watch Peter Watkins “The War Game”. Between that and the good doctor, little need be added.

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Dr. Strangelove was great because going past terror into surreal comedy really worked. ("Overcome your existential terror with this one weird trick!")

But, to really appreciate what nuclear brinksmanship would look and feel like, Fail Safe. It was the best-ever film on nuclear war, and I never want to see it again.

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You think that because you haven’t seen Peter Watkins’ mid ‘60’s BBC commissioned The War Game. The BBC was so shaken by it they buried it. Makes Failsafe look like a rom-com.

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author

I’ve seen both. More than once each. The War Game hits hard. So did Testament in the early 80s — little known today, but without showing any gore or destruction, still upset me way more than even Threads.

But as a great film? Failsafe. Hands down. Every time. Those last 30 seconds alone are a masterpiece.

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Failsafe. Because it was more realistic. Strangelove was awesome, but who doesn't love the B58?

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Dr. Strangelove for sure.

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Jun 30, 2022·edited Jun 30, 2022

Right, the RCMP story is entirely about the 'wee problem' of the political appointee wanting more transparency, not the 'large problem' of 13 dead bodies from lack of transparency, and the inquiry into same not getting an explanation.

I just want a journo to sort out three questions for me about this issue.

1) It would surely be wrong for a political appointee to ask public servants to support their party in re-election. Is it actually wrong to ask them to support ongoing or new government *policy*? If the new policy were "photographing RCMP making an arrest is now illegal", would the RCMP steadfastly refuse to support it in their words and actions?

1a) Were the uniformed American police speaking up for gun control in recent weeks out of line? Should they do this on their own decision, giving them a political platform in their uniform, or should they only speak up when OK'd (or demanded) by civilian oversight?

2) Why did this stay secret for two years, until the RCMP were being blowtorched by an inquiry that was filling the news (and has now dropped from the headlines)?

3) What IS the rationale for keeping the weapon-types secret, to further the investigation? And why was this rationale absent in the Coutts confiscation, which resulted in the gun photographs being presented on the news, the same day, with full descriptions on CTV news a day later?

https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/analysis-of-guns-and-ammunition-seized-near-coutts-alta-blockade-1.5782983

I'm not saying that the RCMP guy is the good guy, and the female boss is the bad guy, I'm just annoyed that no journo has asked him these three questions. Also, not that journos (these or others) have "taken a side"; I'm accusing them of falling for the "SQUIRREL!!". Of 11 "nova scotia shooting inquiry" hits on google news, 3 were about the inquiry, 8 about the commissioner.

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founding

The most important commentary in this bit was the Star Trek/Wars shows, obviously....

I lost interest in Trek after JJ Abrams, who turned Trek into a goofy action adventure movie. CBS has continued the slide. They don't understand what made Trek great either.

Its amazing how Disney, arguably the greatest storytelling company in the world, ever, has run Star Wars into the ground. If you just spent $4B for the franchise and had to recoup that money, wouldn't you.....I dunno....plan a coherent storyline for your trilogy? They even had Lucas there as a consultant, ffs.

Oh yeah: the Laurentian Elite might be the equivalent of the Coastal Elite in the US. They were surprised at Trump, and they will be surprised at PP. Media/Academia tends to live in a bubble; no one there has likely ever met a forklift driver or dockhand worker before. I don't like PP much as a candidate, but the evil-twin side of me would like to see him win

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founding

I'm not sure if it was intended but is sounded like you were saying that PP is banking on his supporters being uninformed and unsophisticated.

I agree with Matt about Discovery. They lost me with the new Klingons.

With Starwars, someone should have told the producers that Dark Lords don't cry. Rogue One is The best of the post trilogy movies.

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Happy Canada Day! Have a good break both of you. And don't worry about us, we'll all be fine.

Star Trek SNW is very good! But aren't they supposed to only kill the crew member on the right shortly after they beam down?

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Speak for yourself....I miss them already :)

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You know what the problem with Star Wars fans is? The shows are in competition with their memories of make-believe play with the action figures as a kid. The concept of Luke Skywalker or Obi-wan Kenobi they created in their heads was the work of an 8 year old kid. “The Force Awakens” felt off to me, and I finally figured out that it felt like some make-believe story I would’ve made up with friends, riffing on the movies we’d seen. So, they want heroic Luke pulling a Star Destroyer out of space with the Force, or facing off an entire army of stormtroopers with only his lightsaber. They can’t accept the fact that Luke turned into an adult with real problems - that’s too disappointing, and it undercuts their desire to cling to childhood.

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founding

Its been said before (for Trek and Wars) that the writing is so bad for these shows, it amounts to glorified fan-fic with a bigger budget

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