drotto

On 3/12/2024 at 3:07 PM, Bosco685 said:

 

Could it be connected to his Only Fans accounts?

On 3/12/2024 at 8:38 PM, Panda2 said:

@CGC Mike the line “It is possible that some of the claims will be partly dispositioned by re-grading the book and returning it to the customer.” Worries me a bit. Is this to suggest I might get my fake 9.8 book back in a 9.2 slab with a cheque for a couple hundred bucks?  REALLY hoping this isn’t going to be the proposed solution….

Many thanks,
 

Panda2

Sorry, you are going through this.  I unfortunately think this is likely, since it would be the cheapest method for CGC.  Your FMV was $5000 now it is $2500, here is your book and check.  Yeah, saves them $2500.

On 3/11/2024 at 11:52 PM, kimik said:

Went with @Artboy99 to the movie on Friday. While it was a very good film, I liked the pacing and flow of the first film better. This one seemed a bit disjointed at times. 

My only disappointment is that it ended at the point that it did. I am not sure how they are going to cram the next book into one film.

The next book in actual length is less then half of the first book. 

Getting a bump so it always stays up top.

On 3/7/2024 at 12:31 PM, D84 said:

My guess would be Blade, Iron Heart, etc.

Except Ironheart is done and has been for some time (reportedly), unless it is going full WB Batgirl for the tax writeoff.

On 3/5/2024 at 4:22 PM, media_junkie said:

Honestly I am not concerned about "Deadpool and Wolverine", it is the movies/shows they are making that will be coming out after Deadpool 3 that I would have concerns about.

When Iger said that Disney has quietly killed several projects, I wonder how many were connected to the MCU?

On 3/7/2024 at 10:42 AM, mrd160 said:

I wasn't talking about CGC, I was talking about the scammer him/her self

Without the backing of CGC or other grading expert, I am not sure how an individual would be able to prove tampering or that the comic had been manipulated. By maintaining the comic in the case, and these books having valid CGC numbers, the scammer has an arguable case that is was CGC that failed not them, because they will of course deny the tampering. So they will claim it is CGC's liability.

On 3/6/2024 at 7:27 PM, mrd160 said:

I still don’t understand why someone impacted by this wouldn’t go after the person directly civilly and/or criminally. CGC it’s gonna look out for their best interest and the person with these tainted books needs to do the same. PLEASE DO NOT RELY ON ANY CORPORATION EVER TO LOOK OUT FOR THE LITTLE GUY….look out for your self. 

For the time being CGC has bought itself time by promising to make people whole. Bringing a lawsuit at this time against CGC where they have not caused any damage yet (in theory, they are still legally victims here also till proven otherwise) would be difficult to win. Remember this is only like 3 months, a very small amount of time in legal settings. If time goes by and CGC could be precieved as breaking that promise, that case becomes much easier.

https://youtu.be/TTKiU5inXhA?si=jWCpLEMLeWCcPU3N

Some lawsuit updates.  Not great.

On 3/5/2024 at 9:49 PM, WernerVonDoom said:

FYI CGC still has no idea when they are going to refund the people on the 350 list.  It would seem like they would want to process them promptly to avoid headaches (i.e. market changes), but I guess not.

They are waiting for the market to decrease more.

On 3/4/2024 at 10:27 PM, D84 said:

I saw it yesterday. It was visually stunning with amazing sound, but a  adaptation. They changed was too much for my taste, especially when it comes to character motivations.

I'm glad for all of you liked it but it really got on my nerves and you can't pay me to watch it again.

Hell, I liked part one and I don't think I can watch that again because of what was done in part two.

And please can Zendaya's 15 minutes be over? She looked severely constipated through the whole movie, and is just a terrible actress.

If you listen to the director, he claims he is moving Paul the direction that Herbert had originally intended, and later admitted did not come through in the book. The author is on record saying that Dune Messiah was written, in part, to correct some of the themes that failed to come through clearly.  The changes made in the film are therefor meant to align the stories more closely going forward, to Herbert's original intentions.  Chani does seem like the largest departure from the books, and will likely lead to greater changes to that character and plot in the third film.  Certain plot points become much more difficult to pull off. The Alia changes are much easier to reconcile. 

Saw it in IMAX, and it looks spectacular.  The sound it also amazing, so the premium theater is well worth it.

On 12/5/2023 at 8:27 AM, jsilverjanet said:

This is not my point

let me spell it out

marvel is hiring a list actors which in turn increases the budget which means they will either cut costs elsewhere thus creating an inferior product 

they of course cater to dollars. They are in the business of making money. 

Still does not fully explain the Disney budgets.  How did the Marvels cost over $250M, and Dune 2 which also has big stars has an $190 M budget and looks and looks 100 x better. How did Godzilla Minus One cost under $15 M to make?  Yes, made in Japan, yes, no big stars, but puts the effects and production values of Disney movies to shame. The Hollywood system, and more specific the way Disney is making films is broken.  I think it mainly comes back to the scrapbooking method of filming they are using, shooting from partial scripts, constant reshoots, and the resulting rushed deadlines for post production. That wastes a ton of money. Dune's director said he only films when the script is 100% done, pre-production is done in extensive detail, and they shoot what they planned to shoot. Wow , maybe that has something to do with it.

Also getting sick of Pedro Pascal, seems like very uninspired casting. He is a fine actor, but not good enough to explain the number of jobs he is getting

On 3/1/2024 at 11:02 AM, ramithard said:

.......and on a lighter side.....9 modern books received at CGC on 2/23...shipped 2/29 

Still holding onto about 20 books I was considering grading.

On 2/24/2024 at 1:43 PM, Buzzetta said:

 I really liked Oppenheimer.  Nolan is of a dying breed of directors where his name alone sells a movie and it lives up to the hype. 

Nolan might go down as the last great director. 

On 2/24/2024 at 6:30 AM, Bosco685 said:

Deadpool 3 Budget Revealed: It’s Reportedly Mammoth $250 Million

 

Which unfortunately means from a profit standpoint, this movie has a much larger hurdle.  I am also sure the marketing budget has ballooned. 

D1 was 58 million budget and made $782. With a 2.8 multiplier for profit $168 m was in the black

D2 was reported around $110 budget and $785 box office. Now $308 was making money. 

D3 with a $250m budget needs about $700M to make money.  Even if it reaches $1B the profit will still be less then the first two movies.

If this does not illustrate what Disney is doing wrong with their budgets nothing else will, and it proves that Disney is the one guilty of exploding budgets. They are spending so much to make films that the 1B box office almost becomes a necessity to justify the production and marketing costs. Also the performance of the first two films does seem to indicate around a 850 to 900M box office if you consider inflation and if actual ticket sales to remain similar (thr actual ticket sales being a massive issue lately).

Disney really seems all in almost last ditch effort on this film to partially reignite the MCU, and even to use it as a soft reboot if needed. What I fear is this is going to play out more like Guardians 3 where it was viewed as the last in a trilogy, almost a legacy film, rather than a new jumping on point.

On 2/23/2024 at 3:24 PM, The humble Watcher lurking said:

I really think it will do a billion. If I am wrong I am wrong. Love the first 2 DeadPool movies. Well, got to go guys. My girl is dragging me out the door for shopping. Adios bros. Take care dudes. 

My gut says it will fall just short.  Neither of the previous two movies hit $1B, and it is still rated R, which generally hurts box office. Guardians 3 had a lot of hype and goodwill but still performed right in line with the other two films. Remember the MCU tag is becoming a drag not a plus, so this is going to take good word of mouth to even have a shot. My uneducated gut says around $900M.  Still great box office.  Also the production budget is way up on this movie, so the actual profits margins will be lower.

I am conflicted.  I really want to like this, and see lots of promise in the trailer.  I hate that he TVA and multiverse are again at the center of everything.  I am tired of the multiverse.  I also makes me fearful that Disney has too much control of this film, and is cramming in stuff as a desperate way to try and save the MCU. I would prefer if it was just the end to the Deadpool  trilogy similar to what Guardians 3 was. 

On 2/19/2024 at 1:22 PM, grendel013 said:

We take a number of defensive measures, such as imaging all collectibles, testing and upgrading the seals on our holders, releasing new high-security holograms and adding variable QR codes, with more to come. We also go on the offense and aggressively pursue bad actors, big and small, across the globe. We will keep the community informed of all of these developments, and today I’d like to give you an update on our legal efforts

This is from the letter.  I am looking specifically at the line of testing and upgrading the seals on our holders, new holograms, and new variable QR codes.  Has anyone seen evidence of any of these items yet in the wild?  If so can we see some pictures of them?  its all well and good to say these things, show us. I also have a few reactions.

1. Seems like testing new seals is just avoiding the fact you need a better holder.  Is one in development, we all remember how proudly you promoted the Gen 3 case? Not saying I expect it to be done in a month, but it one in the works?

2. In the swapping case scenario, a better hologram means nothing,  unless it is being placed in a way it would be destroyed if the case is opened. 

3. Variable VR codes again mean nothing when swapping a case. It may help with the inside job situation, but that person had access to the label generator.. Only time it could help is if people are outright forging labels at home. 

On 2/6/2024 at 9:27 AM, Stefan_W said:

The specific point is whether the legalese in the filing is unusual. People highlighted the usage of "approximately" as being unusual to them, and to me it seemed normal. 

You can bang whatever drum you like in this thread though - the topic is pretty broad with many dimensions to it. 

Feels typical to me also.  If the investigation is ongoing CGC does not want or give an absolute number in case it needs to be adjusted.  If they gave a concrete number it may make it difficult to submit further evidence.

It is similar to a lawer filling a suit that lists John and Jane Does which are stand ins for other people, who may be added to the case later.  It just leaves the door open. 

On 2/5/2024 at 1:26 PM, MemorezGuy1 said:

Quite interesting item from the New York case:

Makes me wonder how liable these people are to exposure to "fraudulent conveyance" if they are trying to hide or protect their ill gotten gains (assets) inside these new LLCs they created just before or after the lawsuit filing.

If the LLC is formed after the fradulent activity was discovered, it would likely offer no protection. I may be wrong, but an LLC does not protect an individual from litigation if they were the guilty party.  It would protect other partners from another partner acting illegally without their involvement. If it is being used as a method to protect assets, it does not protect assets gained by illegal activity.

From a legal perspective, unfortunately, No. He was specifically being interviewed about swapgate. In regards to that scandal, they do not believe it is an inside job. So the stament is true. 

I am sure he knew about the second scandal, and legal likely said keep your mouth shut. It is a different matter, and it is not public. Legally, you never want to open your company up to additional liability, and disclosing this new case could have done that. So this was Selective omission, because it technically is a separate matter with no bearing on the first one.

It looks awful from a PR standpoint. They either did not consider that or the believed the legal ramifications from early disclosure of this lawsuit were potentially more damaging to CGC.

On 2/2/2024 at 4:12 PM, ExNihilo said:

The solution seems rather simple: all employees are strip searched before and after entering the designated grading/holdering room.  

More realistically, all areas where books are handled have cameras with 24 hr survalience.  An employee taking a book out of those secured areas, aside from being shipped, is means for termination.

On 2/2/2024 at 12:40 PM, comicwiz said:

Assuming that your explanation is in fact what occurred, it would have been wiser for him to answer that is not a question he could respond to given the investigation being an ongoing one, and not all facts or information are available or known at the time the question was posed. It looks worse now given what's taken place, especially because some of the activities divulged in the motion and declarations intermingle with the issues of tampering as a whole. 

I agree 100% but in general lawyers advise clients to never divulge more information then you must, and never reveal anything you are not ready to talk about publically. This case was not public, so I suspect he was told to say nothing of it.

Does not mean that is the right play from the public relations standpoint, when you know it will come out, but from the legal standpoint it is the play they will almost always make. Also, he may not have been at liberty to say anything which may put this litigation at risk. So essentially Matt was under an NDA.