Movie and TV Show Rules - Updated April 20th, 2010

[SecondTalon]

1. Gay, Homosexual, Faggot, and other terms I'm neglecting to mention aren't appropriate descriptions. Such terms will be changed to whatever word happens to pop in my head at the time, regardless of how grammatically correct the new word is. Like aardvark, or phlegm. If I'm feeling nice. I may just delete the whole thing, regardless of any other content.

2A - No links to copyrighted materials. It's on the internet for free. We know. If we cared enough, we'd find it ourselves. Don't try and be clever or coy about it, just don't do it.
2B - No asking for copyrighted materials to be posted or sent. This includes asking for invites to member-only file sharing sites. I don't want to see an invite-swapping thread here.

3. Watch the flamebaiting/Disguised Postcount +1. Don't just say "X Show is terrible" or "X Movie is the best ever!". Elaborate. The only thing more annoying than a post saying "X sucks" in the middle of a giant thread discussing it's merits is a giant thread of nothing but "Oh me yarm I love it!" with no other content.


4. Spoiler Your Plot Elements. Unless the title of the thread has the word Spoilers in it, I fully expect you to use the spoiler tags to hide plot elements. When in doubt, if it happens in the last half of the movie/show, spoiler it. Let's take Star Wars:The Empire Strikes Back for example. Talking about the funny green man who's actually a Jedi Master should really be in a spoiler. Mentioning that whiny-brat gets better at magical abilities is kinda a given, so it's okay to talk about that. The events on Cloud City should pretty much all be spoiled, especially the bits about you-know-who being whiny-brat's father, and Cool-Smugger getting all frozen for shipping.

On the outside chance you don't know how to spoil anything.. you type the word spoiler in between brackets [] followed by the text you want hidden, followed by /spoiler in brackets []

Code: Select all

[spoiler]This is a spoiler of something important[/spoiler]

becomes

Spoiler:

This is a spoiler of something important

If you see something breaking this rule, report it and please tell me what's needing to be spoiled. Using the Star Wars example again - if a post said "...finding out that Darth Vader was really Anakin Skywalker and Luke's Father made me say WHOA! And Leia's his sister! What the hell!" - then in the comments field, add in something like "Post mentions Vader's children. All of that should be in spoilers". I say that because I'm not necessarily familiar with the particular program/movie being discussed, so it's completely possible that I'll have no idea that Vader's children are something that should be dropped like a ton of bricks on the viewer at an emotional climax, not casually ruined in a messageboard post.

*NEW* 6. Don't Break Moff's Law. This is Moff's Law. The shorter version is - Don't ever say "Why are you analyzing it so much? Just turn your brain off for a while, don't think about it, just enjoy it for the popcorn fluff that it is."

Don't say that because 1. fuck you, and 2. don't tell people how to enjoy things.

7. Don't Be A Dick. High Culture is a pretty relaxed, free place. I like it like that. A certain amount of banter is to be expected and I'm fine with that. Calling a particular person an idiot... I'd really rather you didn't, and should someone call you an idiot, I'd prefer that you not respond in kind, but generally speaking if it's just a post or two, I'm going to let it slide. We're all relaxed, happy friends here, and I want it to stay that way.

That said, I will not tolerate insulting entire groups of people. I won't tolerate continued insults and belittlement. I won't tolerate constant jackassery...which is fairly ill-defined, I know. I suppose that if a thread is going along fine, someone enters the thread and says something, and an argument breaks out... well, okay. Heated posts for a little bit are one thing. Two pages of arguing are something else. There's a line in there somewhere and like pornography, I can't define it but I know it when I see it.

I have been given the tools to deal with this in a more effective manner, and as I'd much rather spend my moderating time merging like posts and deleting spam rather than being a playground chaperone, I plan on using this tool when I deem it necessary.

This tool doesn't remove you from Gaming, or Food, or Comics. It removes you from High Culture. So, yes, if you're being a jackass in Books it doesn't matter how much you've contributed to Movies - you're gone. I'm tired of dealing with it.

This is your warning.

[Chai Kovsky]

What's the spoiler policy? How far back in a TV show must we spoiler, if at all?

[Jack Saladin]

Always and forever unless its in a thread that explicitly warns for spoilers in the title.

Don't make spoiler threads for obscure shows either, if there's not an audience for a spoiler thread and a later watch thread (like there is with, say, Heroes), just stick with the one and keep things in spoiler tags.

[SecondTalon]

What Saladin said.

[HiFranc]

How does the spoiler rule apply to the "Things you remember watching but can't remember the name of" thread? It seems that things are spoilers are given freely because those bits of plot are usually the things people remember the most.

[The Mighty Thesaurus]

Use spoiler tags for the film's title.
Edit: I am not a mod, so don't think this is an official proclamation or anything. This is merely one user telling another user what they believe to be the courteous action.

[SecondTalon]

How does the spoiler rule apply to the "Things you remember watching but can't remember the name of" thread? It seems that things are spoilers are given freely because those bits of plot are usually the things people remember the most.

Technically it should, but goddamn would it be annoying to figure anything out. So don't worry about it, not there at least. Now, if there's something really messed up or "shocking" you remember

So it was this space movie, and it started with a battle in the snow but later followed one guy to a swamp, the bad guys were wearing all white armor except for their leader who was in black, anyway I remember the main bad guy and the hero guy had a fight with laser swords and

Spoiler:

it turns out the bad guy is the hero's dad

and the whole thing ended on a down note and I want to watch it again and see if there was a sequel or something*

then do your best, I guess. But most of the time if you can't remember that much about the thing, you probably won't remember was was revealed in a shocking way and what was common knowledge.



*If I have to tell you the name of this film, you.. I mean.... how.... what?

[CorruptUser]

Not sure if this belongs in the rules thread but IDK where else to put it. Can I/you/we make a new thread for superhero movies, so they don't clutter up the rest of the forum?

What I mean by that is a "DC vs Marvel: Ultimate Showdown of Epic Destiny" thread for all the various movies that come out, so we can keep the thread when a new superhero movie comes out every 4 months but in the same universe. Or maybe one for DC movies, and one for Marvel, since they are separate universes.

[Thesh]

Cluttering the forum? Every single thread that was posted in this year is still on page one.

[plytho]

And I count four superhero threads on the first page. Those aren't quite bulk numbers. Or do you want to talk about a bunch of new movies without starting a thread for each?

[CorruptUser]

Mostly just wondering if I should make a new Wonder Woman thread or just comment in another thread already here. But yeah, I guess it's kind of a moot point.

[SecondTalon]

Much like in video games, when a new one comes out it gets it's own thread, but if it becomes a discussion on the series as a whole, it gets mashed together if it seems reasonable.

So yes, WW would get it's own thread and also how am I just now noticing this to reply to it?