algroth

Looks quite good, clearly a riff on the whole "melodrama of the unknown woman" subgenre. DDL will probably be spectacular as usual. It does give off a bit of a Merchant Ivory feel though.

Definite improvement, and I like it a lot. Nice work!

Still got them in this film. :D

R.I.P. Martin Eric Ain

I was fine with the Peugeot branding. I actually liked that one could recognize these elements about the Blade Runner setting, I like the way they play with brands throughout as well as other urban/pop culture elements that further associate this future with our world as well as making it feel more lived-in and possessing a history of its own. To me the nods to Peugeot was no different than the nods to Elvis and Sinatra later in Vegas, they felt quite cohesive with the rest of this setting. Also quite curious are the few "Made in CCCP" labels that you can read on holograms.

Alright, so, I haven't gone through the whole thread (not that long, I know), nor have I read the Glassdoor reviews, but on the topic at hand, as someone who's worked in the audiovisual medium for a few years now, ranging from webseries and YouTube miscellanea all the way to Oscar-winning features (well... one), I've been through a number of productions that were essentially turned into a nightmare because the directors bought into the myth that art is better the harder the way is to getting there, and so they tried to make everyone's life an absolute hell for no reason other than trying to replicate these same myths. By these I mean, for example, the stories about Stanley Kubrick requiring 75 takes of their actors in The Shining, or Tarkovsky burning the original masters of Stalker so as to re-do it by venturing into a highly radioactive location and shooting there, or Herzog's and Coppola's many stories through the filming of Fitzcarraldo and Apocalypse Now respectively. This is bull****. These films were great not because the directors behaved like **** or put themselves and their crew in danger, and yet I see nowadays a lot of young filmmakers (mostly young anyhow) who feel they have to deliberately create an awful environment for their work to reach greatness. To make a great film, ambition is necessary, effort is necessary, pressure is necessary... These are all good things, but none of these require the work environment to be absolutely toxic or for the director to behave like absolute scum. Under high-pressure situations there will always be moments where you'll clash with one another but by and large one should attempt to diminish and resolve conflict, not to outright create it. In short, ambition may require you to be an **** sometimes, but don't be an **** for the sake of being one. Sorry, just a little rant on the matter.

Well, the term barbarian implies the human being in question is uncivilized or primitive, and was how the Greeks designated people of non-Greek culture (who they largely saw as inferior, culturally at least). It doesn't necessarily mean barbarians are stupid but it sort of came to existence as a derogatory term that implied them being all of this. Yes, but Conan is the archetype fantasy barbarian--sword&sorcery, all that. What I'm curious about is why the fantasy barbarians that came after Conan are all a bunch of thick-headed idiots when Conan demonstrably was not. If I were to venture a guess, I reckon it is because of an amalgamation of terms and uses. Also, for example, in Spanish "bárbaro" can still be used as a synonym to "brute", which also alludes to lack of education, primitiveness and so on. Doesn't help that the barbarian even in sword & sorcery is often designed from a visual perspective as a fairly primitive and brutish kind of warrior.

In Spanish we have a similar expression - "más vale pájaro en mano que cien volando" (a bird in hand is worth more than a hundred flying)... I don't really think it applies to this case though because there simply wasn't a need for a Deionarra-type character, and it's even better to have none than to have a very poor attempt at it. I don't even think they are that much alike either. Yes, both are ultimately doomed by their love for the protagonist, but the way their demise plays out and the kind of characters they are are very apart from one another. For starters, Iovara is a martyr, and her death is in service of an ideology that she thus corroborates as true. Deionarra is a victim of manipulation through and through, she sacrifices herself for a man she wasn't able to see for his real (present) self. The former speaks of another strength to the character, the latter of a weakness. Iovara is far too perfect and idealized throughout, she is a caring, selfless leader and voiceperson of truth whose only flaw is to trust an agent too much; Deionarra, on the other hand, may be the bearer of truth given her role as an oracle, but her actual character is far more flawed - her vision comes at the cost of blindness to the present, and even as you talk to her in her ghost-like form you manipulate her into seeing you as the lover she imagined you as ("Deionarra, I am in danger..." and so on). One aspect that I really like about Deionarra is that her blindness to the present suggests that the Nameless One she may have loved was a future him, not realizing that the future self would be radically different to the practical incarnation. Iovara is nowhere near this complex or flawed, and whereas Deionarra's prophecies only hint at a possible future and destiny ("you shall meet enemies three, but none more dangerous than yourself in your full glory" and so on), this is all in stark contrast to Iovara's far more concrete, factual revelations which leave absolutely no room for multiple interpretations. Whereas Deionarra foreshadows, Iovara outright explains, and does so things that had no apparent precedent throughout the game and which would also work far better had they been left up to the player's conclusions.

Well, the term barbarian implies the human being in question is uncivilized or primitive, and was how the Greeks designated people of non-Greek culture (who they largely saw as inferior, culturally at least). It doesn't necessarily mean barbarians are stupid but it sort of came to existence as a derogatory term that implied them being all of this.

I like this idea but unfortunately it's inconceivable.

I love out of context quotes. FTFY

I don't doubt it, it's just not an attitude I ever understood.

I hope I won't have to endure too much Metallica in the actual series.

I generally don't talk to anyone (regardless of their sex) on the street unless I'm asking for help, or there is something to collectively comment on that is external to both participants. Like a dog holding up traffic or something. Seems to be pretty general social practice. I think day to day there isn't much reason to impose yourself out of the blue on a stranger. In my visits to the US I was surprised at how often this practice was broken/ignored. In DC at least, people seemed uncannily open to initiating conversation with any stranger on the street.

By the way, thanks for the suggestions so far! I'll check these out. If any more come to mind, feel free to post them!

For what it's worth, I've seen Her with her and she enjoyed the film more than I did. I found the indie melancholy a little too on the nose, which is certainly true of my experience with Life Is Strange too. Also suggests that she'll probably enjoy a soft sci-fi setting well enough as well.

I'm all for killing dogs in film. If we aren't squeamish about human beings perishing then why should we be about any other animal? It's not like they're getting hurt in real life (unless they are, in which case the attitude is unacceptable).

I was just about to post that. Selling the idea that pairing newbies against experts to force them to buy upgrades actually enhances player experience, haha. What a bunch of twats.

I like it.

Agreed with Iovara, I thought she was the weakest element in the game personally. What I wrote about her in my review: (For context, my full review: https://glitchwave.com/game/pillars-of-eternity/review/algroth_89/89145720/ ) Definitely agree with Lady Webb too, though she came across as a more charismatic character all the same.

Certainly intentional, and going the way Logan, Legion and Deadpool have of trying to merge the superhero genre with elements or aesthetics from other genres. It just feels a lot more pedestrian and formulaic from the trailer than these three did, however.

Well, at least it's something that can be easily remedied. I'm also pretty slow on watching TV shows so I still haven't seen The Wire. Whoever hasn't seen The Wire needs to stop wasting their time on whatever other inferior shows they are watching and start with The Wire right now. It literally is the best television ever created. The only bad thing I can say about it is that no other show afterwards will ever compare. I still can't believe why Breaking Bad rates higher at imdb (well actually I can, it's because of people downvoting The Wire even though they've never even seen it, just so their favorite BB would rate higher). I thought BB was fun for sure, but The Wire is on a whole other level. It's reality disguised as fiction. It's an indepth social analysis of the struggle between the individual and the system. It's absolutely essential for anyone with half a brain. Not sure where the Breaking Bad tangent comes from, but as far as I'm concerned that's well within the finest shows I've seen. To just say it's "fun" is to miss the point about it entirely as a Bataille-inspired study on the human compulsion towards self-destruction. It's absolutely deserving of any praise it receives. I'll get around to The Wire eventually, I'm just slow at watching series in general.