Harry Potter is better than I thought.

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Wintermute_v1legacy

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Is there a popular movie, book or band that everyone has already watched, read or listened to, except you? That was the case with Harry Potter for me. I LOVE movies, I will watch all kinds of shit, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad, but... Harry Potter? Yeah, no thanks. Absolutely everyone I know has seen every single HP movie, and some have read the books too. The only time I tried to watch it (I don't know which one), I walked out of the room because it seemed terrible then.

But recently, I've been trying new things (things I thought I'd never try in my life, like skateboarding) and I had the cheesiest thought. I said to myself that my life could use a little magic, so I borrowed a friend's Harry Potter collection. And... they're not so bad. I'm glad I decided to watch them. I haven't seen them all yet, and maybe because I'll be 30 in a couple of years, the first 2 movies are too childish and cringeworthy for me. But I have to say I'm sorry HP fans, these movies aren't as bad as I thought.

Maybe 10 years from now I'll give My Little Pony a go. For now, though, I'm still unable to see why anyone around my age would watch that.

So, all this to ask: is there a popular movie, TV show, book or band that everyone you know has already watched, read or listened to, except you? Is there a particular reason why you won't touch it?
 

BloatedGuppy

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Feb 3, 2010
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Ooof. The movies are really quite bad, especially the early ones. The books...I don't know if I'd call them great literature, but they really are incredibly charming and very breezy reads. It's easy to see why they were successful. The films though...bleh. I know it's fashionable to hack on film adaptations of popular literature, but I'm of the opinion that films occasionally do a strong job of translating things to a more visual medium. The Potter films, alas, managed to leave almost all of the whimsy and character building that made the books memorable on the cutting room floor, giving us seriously compressed and rather humdrum result. They did a fine job on the casting, though, I'll give them that. Particularly Rickman's Snape, who is arguably more Snape than the actual Snape.

As for your question...not really. I've never been one to evade something because it's popular. Rather, I tend to view popularity as a sign there's something there worth looking into. Naturally this does not always turn out to be the case, but it's no skin off my nose to spend a few minutes looking into something.
 

Little Woodsman

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Despite having been a long time fan of George R. R. Martin's work in/on the Wild Cards series, I have yet
to read/watch Game of Thrones. It's not that I'm avoiding it, I just always seem to have something more
urgent/immediate to do.
I too have not watched the Harry Potter movies, but I've read the books multiple times.
I haven't watched Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit, read LotR once before most people on these forums were born,
and have read the Hobbit many times, most recently about 2 years ago.
 

Aris Khandr

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I swore off of the Harry Potter movies after the third one. They really don't work as movies. Too much stuff happening, not enough time. They kept leaving out things that would come back to be major later. Just rubbed me the wrong way.

As for the question: pretty much everything. Endless hype about something is a huge turn off for me. Even things I would otherwise go out of my way to see. Example: I found myself homeless at the time Finding Nemo came out. By the time I was back on my feet and stable again, it was on DVD for everyone. All of my friends raved about how great it was, but I just didn't have the time to sit down and watch it. By the time I did, I'd been hearing so much about it that I just couldn't bring myself to care. I finally sat down and enjoyed it about two years ago. But overhyping things pretty much kills my intention of trying it. I've just always been that way.

Combine that with my general pop-culture obliviousness, and the result is that I've not read/watched/listened to most of the stuff that people go on about. Pick your favorite movie. If it isn't by Disney, I probably haven't seen it. I only just saw Unbreakable for the first time two nights ago. I've never seen any of those WW2 movies that were huge a few years back, I only saw my first James Bond movie last month, and I saw Top Gun for the first time last year.
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
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Jul 18, 2009
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Back in the day I actively avoided The Sopranos, because it was all the rage and I deemed myself too hip to go along with it.

Then I bought the first season on DVD like 5 years ago, and I loved it. The next three seasons followed suit.
 

Tom_green_day

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The third HP film is pretty boring but the rest are quite good. Quite. Emma Watson is probably still the main draw. Regarding popular books however, I try to read things if they're popular and often find I dislike them. Hunger Games, Game of Thrones. I didn't find these very interesting reads.
 

Johnny Novgorod

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Casual Shinji said:
Back in the day I actively avoided The Sopranos, because it was all the rage and I deemed myself too hip to go along with it.

Then I bought the first season on DVD like 5 years ago, and I loved it. The next three seasons followed suit.
You might say...

You woke up one morning
Got yourself a DVD,
People always said it'd be
The Chosen One.
They said: It's one in a million
You've got to watch it shine,
But you avoided it as a bad sign,
And watched Lost instead.
You woke up one morning
And Lost was suddenly gone,
JJ Abrams never told you
He was dicking all along.

You woke up one morning
The world turned upside down,
Thing's ain't been the same
Since Sopranos walked into town.
It's a one in a million
It's got that shotgun shine. (no shame about it)
Born under a David Chase,
With Gandolfini in his mind.
You woke up one morning
Got yourself a DVD,
Got yourself a DVD,
Got yourself a DVD.

Bam dun-dun-dun, dun-dun, dun DUN.
 

Colour Scientist

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Jul 15, 2009
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Casual Shinji said:
Back in the day I actively avoided The Sopranos, because it was all the rage and I deemed myself too hip to go along with it.

Then I bought the first season on DVD like 5 years ago, and I loved it. The next three seasons followed suit.
You only watched four of the seasons? How did you do that?
That's like only watching three seasons of The Wire.

When I started watching those shows, I binged until I had seen everything and then re-watched.
 

BloatedGuppy

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Feb 3, 2010
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Colour-Scientist said:
You only watched four of the seasons? How did you do that?

That's like only watching three seasons of The Wire.

When I started watching those shows, I binged until I had seen everything and then re-watched.
Yep. Both those shows were watched in one long binge, although both were long enough that said binge took a couple of weeks. HBO used to be so good. I guess it's still alright, but it's a pale shadow of its former self.

BTW I fixed BOTH your typos in that last sentence, because I'm a True and Noble Soul. And I didn't even call attention to them, except in this extremely roundabout and nakedly self-aggrandizing way.
 

Colour Scientist

Troll the Respawn, Jeremy!
Jul 15, 2009
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BloatedGuppy said:
Colour-Scientist said:
You only watched four of the seasons? How did you do that?

That's like only watching three seasons of The Wire.

When I started watching those shows, I binged until I had seen everything and then re-watched.
Yep. Both those shows were watched in one long binge, although both were long enough that said binge took a couple of weeks. HBO used to be so good. I guess it's still alright, but it's a pale shadow of its former self.

BTW I fixed BOTH your typos in that last sentence, because I'm a True and Noble Soul. And I didn't even call attention to them, except in this extremely roundabout and nakedly self-aggrandizing way.
Oh no, you misunderstand, I rather enjoy watching shoes. Particularly those shoes.
After I had watched everything, I then viewed re-watched. It's another show.

[sub]Damn it, autocorrect. You have made a fool of me for the last time![/sub]
 

Jinxzy

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I myself was always against reading romance novels. I always thought it was just girly dribble about cowboys, hunky men, and dream romances. Then while putting some books back at the bookstore I worked at I seen a book that caught my attention. It was sherrilyn kenyon, I didn't know who she was then. I took the book home, read it and feel in love with it. It was dark modern fantasy, with fights and death. When I typed her name the computer to find more of her books I was shocked to find out they were romance novels. That changed my whole idea on the gene, that all romance novels aren't the same and not all totally girly.
 

Treeinthewoods

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May 14, 2010
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I never bothered with watching Sons of Anarchy or Breaking Bad, they never seemed like shows I would get really into. Thanks to Netflix streaming I learned I was gloriously wrong.

Slightly off topic but I WISH I had not started reading the Song of Ice and Fire books. Not because they suck, because they are so awesome I am pissed about now having to wait for the worlds slowest fantasy writer to finish two more books. And he's not even really nearly done with book six yet! Dear God, what if he DIES?! Why won't he think of the children?!

That shit also happened to me with The Dark Tower series, Harry Potter and... the books by Chris Paolini. I think it's the Inheritance Cycle? Yeah, Eragon started the series. I was ultra pissed when I read the third book of that planned trilogy and discovered it became a quadrology.

My new requirement for starting a book series is that the series must be complete before I start book one.
 

BloatedGuppy

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Feb 3, 2010
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Treeinthewoods said:
Slightly off topic but I WISH I had not started reading the Song of Ice and Fire books. Not because they suck, because they are so awesome I am pissed about now having to wait for the worlds slowest fantasy writer to finish two more books. And he's not even really nearly done with book six yet! Dear God, what if he DIES?! Why won't he think of the children?!
Well, the PLAN is for two more. The original plan was for a trilogy. Book One would've ended with the Red Wedding, which occurs halfway through book 3. At the rate he's adding new POV characters and story lines, I wouldn't be surprised if he needed 3-5 more books to finish the story he seems bent on telling.

As much as I get annoyed at the show and the liberties they take with the source material, the fact they're breathing down his neck is pretty much the only hope I have of seeing this series finished in my life time, let alone his.
 

omega 616

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May 1, 2009
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Wintermute said:
Is there a popular movie, book or band that everyone has already watched, read or listened to, except you? That was the case with Harry Potter for me. I LOVE movies, I will watch all kinds of shit, it doesn't matter if it's good or bad, but... Harry Potter? Yeah, no thanks. Absolutely everyone I know has seen every single HP movie, and some have read the books too. The only time I tried to watch it (I don't know which one), I walked out of the room because it seemed terrible then.

But recently, I've been trying new things (things I thought I'd never try in my life, like skateboarding) and I had the cheesiest thought. I said to myself that my life could use a little magic, so I borrowed a friend's Harry Potter collection. And... they're not so bad. I'm glad I decided to watch them. I haven't seen them all yet, and maybe because I'll be 30 in a couple of years, the first 2 movies are too childish and cringeworthy for me. But I have to say I'm sorry HP fans, these movies aren't as bad as I thought.

Maybe 10 years from now I'll give My Little Pony a go. For now, though, I'm still unable to see why anyone around my age would watch that.

So, all this to ask: is there a popular movie, TV show, book or band that everyone you know has already watched, read or listened to, except you? Is there a particular reason why you won't touch it?
Notice how there isn't that much magic used for a series of films about a magic school?

Anyway, Dr. Who. Watch a couple of episodes but my god is that show drivel. There is no suspense at all, will the doc save the world/universe within 2 episodes? Yes. Will any and all plot holes be covered with "sonic screwdriver"? Yes, when will the doc learn to just walk up to the baddies and use his sonic screwdriver on it? It would just solve the problem in about 30 seconds. Is the entire cast interchangeable? Yup
 

Casual Shinji

Should've gone before we left.
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Colour-Scientist said:
Casual Shinji said:
Back in the day I actively avoided The Sopranos, because it was all the rage and I deemed myself too hip to go along with it.

Then I bought the first season on DVD like 5 years ago, and I loved it. The next three seasons followed suit.
You only watched four of the seasons? How did you do that?
That's like only watching three seasons of The Wire.

When I started watching those shows, I binged until I had seen everything and then re-watched.
It was sort of intermingling, with me watching the first four seasons on DVD and occasionally catching later episodes on TV. And also, after a certain point the show got a bit too depressing for me taste. Everyone started to get old and grey and dying of cancer, and I just kind of fell out of it.
 

NoeL

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Well, despite my disdain for pop culture I've recently gotten really into The Block (Aussie members will know what that is). I can't stand the music snippets they play over emotional moments, but I genuinely like the contestants they've chosen.
 

The_Echo

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Wintermute said:
And... they're not so bad. I'm glad I decided to watch them. I haven't seen them all yet, and maybe because I'll be 30 in a couple of years, the first 2 movies are too childish and cringeworthy for me. But I have to say I'm sorry HP fans, these movies aren't as bad as I thought.
Feel free to stop at Book/Movie 4. Beyond that, it's just... it's pointless and bad. You wouldn't realize it until the final book/movie(s), but it really is.

OT: Final Fantasy. Particularly VII. I've played a couple of the spin-off titles, but never actually played a main title Final Fantasy until just recently. Not through any discontent with the franchise, just never really felt like it. I decided to start with VII because I'd already played Crisis Core and Dirge of Cerberus, and watched Advent Children...

It's not as good as so many would have me believe (and Aerith's death far less impactful). But I'm still enjoying it.
 

GonzoGamer

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Yea, I was pleasantly surprised about the HP boo...
oh, the movies? They're okay. Honestly, I couldn't get into them until someone I worked with convinced me to read the books. The books aren't any less formulaic or anything but there's a lot of mystery in them that's just gimmicked out of the movies.
 

Callate

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Only fairly recently got into Battlestar Galactica. It's still hard for me to believe that mainstream television can produce a good science fiction show with any consistency, let alone one based on something fairly cheesy like the original BSG. But after hearing friends hype it for years I started watching it, and by and large I've been pleasantly surprised.

Still haven't read any Stephanie Meyer. Life's too short for prose that purple, especially in service of ideals I would be likely to find disturbing at best.

As far as the Harry Potter movies- they're varied. I personally think they got better after Columbus left, but they still have their ups and downs after that. I do think they did a pretty good job of condensing volume 7, though (though it says something that two movies was still "condensing".)
 

Ratties

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Touch on Firefly for a moment here. Moment finally came, I broke down and watched Firefly because so many people raved on how great it was. It is not finished, I know it got cancelled. Got to say that I thought the whole show was average at best. At some point, I was kind of just shrugging my shoulders because I was not seeing it. Seeing it as a guy who went in, not thinking about the hype. The hype is in the back of my mind, I just watched it as it's own thing. own up to it, it's okay. It's not something I would ever watch again.