Swingers and Clerks were DVD/cult hits after their theatrical runs ended

Yes. Stroll is a bad driver and only has a seat because Daddy bought him an F1 team for his birthday.

Which I find extremely odd, since some traditionally masculine activities are nature oriented. Hunting, fishing, outdoorsy stuff in general. It wasn't that long ago that (environmental) conservation was a huge component of those activities to ensure continued access for people to those activities. Maybe it still is but I certainly don't get that impression as strongly anymore.

Disney built its entire empire on existing/public domain stories. Cinderella, Little Mermaid, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, Robin Hood. The list goes on. Hell even Aladdin is largely located from Middle Eastern fairy tales.

The fact that they're relying on existing IP now is nothing new. It's who they've always been. It's just that they had to buy it since it wasn't already in the public domain.

What I don't understand is how Microsoft has/has Watson which was able to answer questions well enough to go on Jeopardy and dominate. And now, more than a decade later these LLMs absolutely suck at it.

It makes me wonder if Watson was nothing more than a Mechanical Turk because what is out there now seems like a huge step backwards.

30s

What's wrong with Men in Tights?

You might be right, and maybe the reference to old Hollywood was more subtle and went over my head.

I think the big difference with Tropic Thunder is that the IDEA of black face is very explicitly the joke. Robert Downey Jr's character and the idea of black face is what is being made fun of.

You might be right that it's a commentary on Westerns, and it went over my head, and maybe because it was made when it was you didn't have to be as explicit with the target of the joke it was just more subtle. The scene certainly doesn't feel hateful, but it's definitely odd to watch today. But given how explicitly the movie is making fun of racists and racism I'm certainly willing to give it some benefit of the doubt.

Huh. TIL.

Though the actual argument for why you couldn't make Blazing Saddles now is the the entire genre it's lampooning is dead.

The humor is pretty much still fine and flies, other than Mel playing a Native American, but even that is still kinda-maybe-sorta-okayish-maybe? since Mel's character isn't the butt of the joke, but other than that brief scene I can't recall anything that watching now makes me cringe.

I will not stand for this! Rankine will be the standard! It will confuse and infuriate everyone equally. Truly the fairest of outcomes.