James Rolfe / James D. Rolfe / Angry Video Game Nerd (AVGN) / Rex Viper and Cinemassacre / Screenwave - Now with not much grieving about a 41-year old man still making videos on YouTube. We're the balls on the dick.

[p1138]

didn't realize they were that early on youtube i thought they got their start with their patreon in 2014. like i know about the star wars docs but i also assumed those came out in like 2013.

Nah, they go way back. Their first hour long thing was what, 2009? I don't even think it was star wars either(pretty sure it was star trek). And technically they were a "thing" before that doing their home movie type stuff.

The difference is that RLM looks miles ahead of every other youtube channel(or wherever shit was posted before that like on screwattack or whatever) because they actually understood how to do shit, grow and adapt to trends, actually updating their equipment over time, not spending every dime of their income on retarded shit, getting a studio to film in, etc.

11 years ago these guys had a warehouse, had sets, had proper lighting, etc.

But back in 2013... AVGN still filming at home, I think nostalgia critic had finally gotten a warehouse to film in but it was shit? Most of the channel awesome idiots were still filming in their bedrooms and shit(some still do) as that was years before the change the channel mess. The only other comparable group I can think of to RLM would be... RT? But they went hyper-commercial, exploded into a mess of bullshit, and basically wasted a decade. Jontron has a studio but only craps out a video maybe every 3 months?

 

[Get the rope Macaulay!]

Jontron has a studio but only craps out a video maybe every 3 months?

thats the weirdest part to me, like is he doing a bunch of work that no one knows about and the channels just more of a fun sidegig? the amount of employees Jon has in those videos plus to afford studio space in NYC means they have to be doing at minimum a million in revenue to justify it, TAFS has a similar set up and uploads way more frequently.

The difference is that RLM looks miles ahead of every other youtube channel(or wherever shit was posted before that like on screwattack or whatever) because they actually understood how to do shit, grow and adapt to trends, actually updating their equipment over time, not spending every dime of their income on retarded shit,

as much as people whine about them it is odd how much quality goes into their shit. i remember some film school grad in A/V talking in 2013 about how much of an advantage it still was knowing how to use your equipment or having the bare minimum ability to speak clearly and confidently on stuff. Like he became the #1 bitcoin podcaster in the world for a few months just as a bar bet to show how bad most e-celeb stuff was quality wise at the time, especially in more niche communities.

the RLM movies are complete dogshit and makes Kickassia look like the godfather (especially space cop) but they know just enough about construction and basic production quality to make sets for whatever fun idea they have. You're right about them being able to follow trends too. They really are the only e-celebs from the last 15 years to be able to adapt and change with the times, from those stupid "funny videos" of the late 2000s to non-gimmicky film reviews in the 2010s to gameshow content you can cut up for tiktok in the 2020s.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

 

[VeePeeN]

The problem is that youtube is now a business, and that means creativity gets pushed out to chase yesterday's fad. You have no idea how many retarded zoomers are out there who, honest to God, think producing their version of the bland content will make them rich.

Yea, I'm well aware, being a father to a zoomer. Thankfully, she's grown enough now that she also mocks some of the youtubers she once enjoyed.

The fucked up thing about YouTube tho, is it's not just a business, because businesses have only one goal - turn more profit than the year before - and afaik, Google has never managed to pull that off.

 

[demicolon]

If Google is spending investor money then they don't have to care about profit, I think?

 

[TATE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODE!!]

Nah, they go way back. Their first hour long thing was what, 2009? I don't even think it was star wars either(pretty sure it was star trek). And technically they were a "thing" before that doing their home movie type stuff.

It helps RLM that they are (where?) a real video production company that worked on things from weddings to children's entertainment.


For all the shit Space Cop gets, I do enjoy its behind the scenes stuff and their commentary to it.

 

[p1138]

It helps RLM that they are (where?) a real video production company that worked on things from weddings to children's entertainment.
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For all the shit Space Cop gets, I do enjoy its behind the scenes stuff and their commentary to it.

Yeah I've mentioned them doing actual production before. A massive difference between what AVGN did, and Space Cop, is that RLM knew exactly what they were doing with Space Cop and didn't pretend it was anything other than what it turned out to be. Rolfe on the other hand, pretend his movie was some big production when it was really just as shit if not moreso than Space Cop because it wasn't simply incompetent on a set production or acting level, it was incompetent from a writing standpoint, cinematography, effects, etc. but Rolfe pretended it wasn't. Space Cop was done by people who were fully aware of what they were doing.

 

[Kela de Thaym]

James is probably one of the very few "old guard" of YouTube that's a genuinely decent fucking dude, kinda mad how literally everyone around him has self destructed yet he's just living a normal ass humble life. That dragon video he made also made me genuinely tear up which takes a LOT to do.

Honestly, I think a lot of the hate for James as a person is kinda overblown. Aside from not retiring when he should have (after the movie flopped), I honestly can't think of a single reason to hate or loathe the guy himself. The people around him at Screenwave, sure, but not James.

At worst, he's just bland, inoffensive, and cringe with his Rex Viper(?) midlife crisis band. Even then, compared to where a lot of his contemporaries are nowadays, that's not too shabby.

 

[modern horrors]

Space Cop was done by people who were fully aware of what they were doing.

Fully aware that if they actually tried to make a good movie they'd open themselves to the same criticism they dished out regularly. Fuck that, just handwave all complaints with "but it's shit on purpose!". Hack frauds.

 

[TATE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODE!!]

I'm in the rare camp that enjoys Space Cop because it's pretty much what I expected: a glorified HitB skit with their friends, nothing more, nothing less.

(Len Kabasinski stepping in as Rich's body double for a fight scene gets me everytime.)

I'm not excusing the quality of the movie because I doubt they intended to make a shit film on purpose, but compared to other youtuber vanity projects it's at least a cozy thing if you like the personalities.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

Fully aware that if they actually tried to make a good movie they'd open themselves to the same criticism they dished out regularly.

IDK, I thought Feeding Frenzy was decent

Of course I'm sure most zoomers are not even aware of anything RLM did before BOTW at this point

 

[TATE MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOODE!!]

IDK, I thought Feeding Frenzy was decent

Of course I'm sure most zoomers are not even aware of anything RLM did before BOTW at this point

Where's Deathlist is the greatest film ever made.

 

[PointOfNoReturnPoint]

Has the AVGN ever really had a controversy about anything? Not just complaints about this or that in a video but anything really negative? I swear I remember Matei posting his dick on a reddit page.

 

[Gutpuke]

Has the AVGN ever really had a controversy about anything? Not just complaints about this or that in a video but anything really negative? I swear I remember Matei posting his dick on a reddit page.

Retards on twitter tried turning his disinterest in the 2016 Ghostbusters into a massive scandal but it went nowhere.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

Where's Deathlist is the greatest film ever made.

The Recovered is better

jk I still haven't seen The Recovered

Seriously, imagine if James even got one "real" horror film out.

 

[Pissmaster]

Retards on twitter tried turning his disinterest in the 2016 Ghostbusters into a massive scandal but it went nowhere.

Yeah, he didn't follow up on any of their braying and a handful of people called him a genius for just not engaging, which added no fuel to the fire.

But he's just a boomer who never interacts with people online without a middleman like Mike.

 

[xXx: State of the Union]

But he's just a boomer who never interacts with people online without a middleman like Mike.

I'd say this is in fact genius, but its probably more of an idiot savant thing like in Rainman.

 

[Sicko Hunter]

Honestly, I think a lot of the hate for James as a person is kinda overblown. Aside from not retiring when he should have (after the movie flopped), I honestly can't think of a single reason to hate or loathe the guy himself. The people around him at Screenwave, sure, but not James.

It's 1000% overblown. The worst thing you can say about James is he lost passion for playing the AVGN character yet continues the series. The people with James derangement syndrome you see on /r/thecinemassacretruth calling him a fraud because it was Mike who was more of a retro gamer then James (GASP) have some weird parasocial relationship with him like they saw him as a friend and when he stopped making good videos he betrayed them or something.

 

[Pissmaster]

It's 1000% overblown. The worst thing you can say about James is he lost passion for playing the AVGN character yet continues the series. The people with James derangement syndrome you see on /r/thecinemassacretruth calling him a fraud because it was Mike who was more of a retro gamer then James (GASP) have some weird parasocial relationship with him like they saw him as a friend and when he stopped making good videos he betrayed them or something.

Well, he did let his ego get the better of him, which led to the worst movie I've ever seen, and ended the golden age of The Nerd. That's worth some mockery.

That's about it, though. He is a harmless dumbass with enough talent to make a show that turned out to be enrapturing, and happened to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right friends. It is fun to make fun of him for his truly autistic methods of shooting the show, but I don't wish any harm upon the guy.

 

[PointOfNoReturnPoint]

Retards on twitter tried turning his disinterest in the 2016 Ghostbusters into a massive scandal but it went nowhere.

He didn't support our mindset WE ARE BETRAYED...what fuckin losers. But if that is the only "scandal" that he is ever in he really went through the angry gamer era of youtube without a scratch.

Well, he did let his ego get the better of him, which led to the worst movie I've ever seen, and ended the golden age of The Nerd. That's worth some mockery.

Might not have been the greatest movie ever but you do have to give em credit that he did start out shooting thing's in his bedroom then lead it into a whole production movie. Man really got up and accomplished his dreams and didn't make any excuses. Getting Culken himself to show up for the home alone movies was genuinely mind-blowing when I saw it so it isn't that he didn't try he just simply explored the character IMO.