TheChris92

Oh yeah, baby. I am old school. I always buy my music as physical copies. Respect!

Even without the Restoration Mod I still felt KOTOR 2 was superior to its predecessor in every way. Just like how people overreact over the slightest little bug in Obsidian games and say they are ****, people also overreact over the quality of BioWare's old titles. KOTOR 1 was a retread of A New Hope, essentially, basically same story but with different characters, and most of the companions weren't overly likeable with the exceptions of Canderous & Jolee Bindo. KOTOR 2 improved upon the gameplay, and introduced the influence system which was a neat little feature, not perfect but neat, advanced classes and it didn't have a blimey level cap like KOTOR1. Finally, I found the story to be unique in terms of Star Wars with various shades of grey instead of the traditional good vs evil. The characters all felt compelling to a degree. So to sum up -- I agree with the OP.

But you don't have a solid grasp on her character. Wow, okay - Well yeah, I admit I did not read the books or finish the first game, because it bored me to tears when I played it the first time. Having said that I did play the second one - judging from that game alone, she's a ****e character. And I don't really care what she's like in anything else that came before, because it doesn't change the fact of what she's like in Witcher 2. Sorry that we don't agree, it happens a lot with me.

I actually like the second game a lot -- Especially the combat, except for the contrived potion system, where the game supposedly think the player has the power of clairvoyance to predict whenever combat is gonna start. Because only a true gentlemen drinks potions before battle, regardless of knowing when it's gonna happen. What I didn't like too was most of the female characters, but beyond that I liked characters like Roche, Iorveth, Letho and so on.

Hence why I said "beyond 'he might know something about stuff'" Obviously he'd do it to clear his name too. It wouldn't have been a big deal for me to bring it up if the game didn't try too hard for me to care about her ass. Now one can bring up the books and it would mean precisely as much given the games obviously go in a different direction. In the end it's still an RPG and thus the choice is left to the player. I've already said my piece about Triss' insignificance in the second game, beyond being a nice ass to save, and how she annoys me to no end so let's leave it at that.

A rather weak excuse if you ask me. Feels more like it was done for convenience sake to actually give Geralt a motive to keep searching for the Kingslayer beyond "He might know something about stuff". That & the intimacy obviously plays its part in the process of indirectly encouraging the player to care about Triss' character in Witcher 2. But perhaps I'm overcompensating since I haven't played it for a year now but I remember her character well enough for me to care as little about her as possible.

Uh..did you play W1? She was pulling his ass outta trouble right and left. She also aided him in W2 before Letho nabbed her. And we're talking about Letho here, not some two bit mercenary. Shani was the least proactive of all the female characters I can think of, so you have a strange definition of damsel in distress. At first I got bored with the game too quick because of the slow-paced combat, overly complicated interface, and boring MMO-inspired fetch quests. Currently playing it now and it's actually fianlly getting interesting -- My judgement was based on the second game, where she is most definitely a damsel in distress. You spend the entire game trying to rescue her and she offers as about as much assistance to the plot as any of the random number generators, aka. NPCs do. I could not hit that button to 'not save her' in the last chapter fast enough. And I'd say your definition of what makes a great character based on being able to shoot lightning out of ones ass to be rather questionable. I consider this, based on only having played the first game. Triss is reliant on Geralt having to save her most of the time, there's even one stupid sequence where Roche has to carry her useless ass through a battlefield. She comes off as being nothing more than another trollop Geralt can stick his nob in, which I suppose speaks for most of the females in the Witcher but let's not go there. Now before you start lecturing me about the books or whatever happens in Witcher 1 I'll say that my judgement is based solely how her character was in Witcher 2, which is not Witcher 1, so I don't really care because it is irrelevant. And no I'm not saying Shani is a perfect character. In fact, someone above mentioned Kreia and she'll be close to what I consider a perfect female character. Shani is a lesser of many evils. She has her own dreams & goals, comes off as being independent, and not too reliant on Geralt to tell her what to do with herself or even reaching her dreams.

Triss was about as interesting as a blocked toilet is to a plumber -- She's more of an expert of getting her ass kidnapped throughout all of Witcher 2, than actually being a mage -- She's a glorified damsel in distress whom Geralt can put his nob in. Not to mention her voice actress sucks a rusty fire hydrant and I downright dislike everything about her personality. Don't even get me started on the other mages or witches or whatever they are -- Ves was okay I suppose but to me Shani was the only female character that actually felt like a independent strong woman, not adhering to bad-ass action girl stereotypes or fragile flower, sardonic tease, and humourless austerity. Heck, she's not perfect but she's the best among a questionable selection of tripe.

My post wasn't referring to you specifically, but part of what you said was related to the same rather jarring counter-arguments people have brought up in the past so I just shared my thoughts on that. So how about that Cullen romance, eh?

On a completely different note, related to the game even -- Cullen is now a confirmed romance. Whoopti-****ing-Goldberg. I suppose it didn't need to end with Garrus & Tali in Mass Effect. But at the very least, he was one the most likeable characters from the shower that was Dragon Age 2.

Gonna throw my 2 cents into the whole discussion about video games sexualizing women -- One notion I really can't fathom, whenever someone brings this topic up is how 'men are sexualized to the same degree" as women. But if we take the argument that video games are designed mainly by men and for men, even though that in itself would be a generalization of gaming industry as a whole -- Wouldn't that beckon the question -- Why would they need to sexualize men if their main target audience are male hetero-sexual teens? Who would it cater to? I think it isn't as much about sexualizing as it is making them look tough to appeal to power fantasies, which is completely different. I doubt Solid Snake was designed in mind for a female audience as it hardly seems like they were the target audience for Hideo Kojima with Metal Gear Solid. What people complain about is the focus on selling sex and titillation through the advertising and gameplay itself. Nathan Drake isn't spontaneously losing his shirt so the camera can lovingly focus on his abs. Kratos doesn't have to strut around a pole mimicking 'Singing in the Rain' ala Bayonetta to use his moves, Male commander Shepard doesn't get random camera shots of his ass during cutscenes like Miranda, Master Chief isn't stuck into a skintight bodysuit for no reason other than to show off how good looking he may be, Ryu Hyabusa isn't jumping around in Ninja Gaiden with a lovingly rendered crotch bulge that shakes as he moves, hell men don't have an entire genre of games (ecchi) that are designed solely to sexualize them for female players enjoyment. Conclusion -- Sex sells. I feel like i should probably thumbnail this little link here. Whether you like the whole self-congratulating stick of Jim Sterling or not, he does make some valid points.

I really want Shani to return in this game - She's the only female character crafted by CD Projekt I actually like.

Must be the whole "ism" thing.

The ironic thing is that game developers can't seem to grasp an accurate portrayal of your average gamer either, without resorting to stereotypes -- Heck in GTA V there is the son of Michael and then there's that one bloke from inFamous Second Son. You'd think if any medium wanted to avoid insulting stereotypes of videogamers it would be videogames, but there he is! In his big glasses and spots, and longing for the day he finally moves past pubescent bum-fluff so he can finally grow his first neckbeard.

I do like how with the direction they took from ME1 to ME2, where it's totally okay to wander on foreign planets in nothing but skimpy outfits or casuals clothes, without any internal repercussions or need for a suit to grant oxygen. Or the rather handwaved explanation of how the galaxy's heat-based weapon system suddenly spontaneously combusted to pave way for bullet accustomed weaponry.

Quite a lot of references to Naked Lunch. Vintage Cronenberg/David Lynch in places. Making it partly comedy was a clever move. I liked it. Not meant to be fully 'understood' I think. Didn't like the ending much, but how do you wrap up something like that anyway. Vintage Cronenberg - As in Videodrome? Because Videodrome certainly holds up on the '****ed-up'.

The English certainly seem to like it a lot - I will say that it is the most impressive produced series this small country has produced alongside 'Borgen' -- I found Borgen more intriguing though. Looking forward to 1867.

Right, like I mentioned in my review above, the lesbian fad becomes more of a vehicle for Adele's development & maturation as a person. I'm gonna check out the other one soon to give a stronger impression on how they hold to each other.

I couldn't find it on Netflix. How does it compare with When Night is Falling? Haven't seen that one actually so I'll let you know as soon as I do. Will add it on my 'to-watch' list -- I take your post as a recommendation on your part I've gained access to the American Netflix where I found the film listed.

La vie d'Adéle I've heard plenty of praise and controversy thrown at this movie while browsing local film forums and websites, I regularly roam, and thus felt compelled to check it out after discovering it on Netflix. I'm starting to have a thing for unique romantic dramas, and international films alike, or at least ones that approach the genre with a twist. In this case being the main focus of a lesbian relationship, which there aren't that many of to my knowledge at least. But the overarching plot isn't as much about that as it is about young love & self-realization, which I imagine anyone can strongly relate. The film starts out, in a Dardenne Brothers sort of fashion, handheld as "follow one character up close" spirit. Our main character Adele is fifteen years old, and she happens to fancy girls more than guys. The film progress with a steady pace. We're with Adele when she talks with her ​​friends, and we are with her ​​when she spends time with her boyfriend, a guy. He's not exactly what she's looking for and thus she decides to dumb him -- One thing leads to another as she figures her fascinations leans more towards girls, when fantasizing about a punky blue-haired art student (Lea Seydoux as Emma) glimpsed on the street. After Plucking up the courage to visit a lesbian bar in town, Adele meets Emma and the pair begin a passionate, sensual affair. In the beginning, the lesbian relationship develops itself into a theme, but it disappears quickly out of the movie, which then shifts its focus to Adele's maturation - from her first love to the painful fracturing truth of relationships and beyond. It leaps ahead a few years after the beginning of the affair. We now find Adele working as a primary school teacher and living with Emma, who's still seeking success in the art world. However, various tensions are bubbling under the surface of their relationship, eventually leading to a devastating break-up. Intriguingly, the script refuses to submit to clichés one might expect – This is what made me appreciate the film more. It was its honesty towards the harsher reality of relationships. There are no compromises here, there's no coming-out scene and no dramatic family conflict (though there is both an uncomfortable playground confrontation sequence and an awkward first kiss with a female schoolfriend). This lack of clichéd distractions allows the film to focus on the raw honesty of the central relationship itself, in ways that I believe will resonate deeply with anyone who's ever been in love. It manages to adhere to all audiences and doesn't make a big deal out of its subject matter. Adele's situation can easily be related to anybody regardless of one's sexual orientation. A brand slice-of-life chaotic loose roller-coaster. A commendable act on the maker's part for certain. The sex scenes which are present in the movie are the source of controversy, as they are blunt and uncompromising. But there is a sense of warmth and real intimacy, in no small part due to how authentic the two actresses make them feel, as if they were having a go at it for real. The film Integrates the sex scenes - all long and very explicit - into the plot and the description of the characters -- to a realistic degree I'd argue. Explicit sex in cinema always arouses suspicion, whether the director has speculated on the sensational. One would simply have to look at the marketing of Lars Von Trier's Nymphomanic. In La vie d'Adéle, they serve as an integral part of the story, and the film would not have been the same without them. Moving on to something else I wanna talk about and point out -- First of all, anything mentioned above obviously wouldn't have turned out as great as it did weren't it for the acting. Adele Exarchopoulos delivers an extraordinary performance that is utterly mesmerising to watch, her every thought and emotion clearly visible on her achingly expressive face. She carries a wide range of expressions on her illustrious face, as the beautiful cinematography captures her every move. The chemistry with Lea Seydoux and the intensity of their passion is powerfully conveyed within the film's lengthy, visceral sex scenes (the exhausting central sequence is around six minutes long), which, as established earlier, are never exploitative. The direction assures a thrilling and satisfying character study -- Lastly, the script samples together a tough ride filled with the agony and ecstasy of first love, as well as the devastating pain of heartbreak and the film remains utterly gripping throughout its entire three hour running time.

<3

He also doesn't die in Ronin either - He just gets 'sent away' and never appears for the rest of the movie. That's new! x)

It's not 'surreal' in the same manner as David Lynch, Darren Aronofsky's "Pi" or anything made by Terry Gilliam. It's more along the lines of semi chaotic I'd say. As for Stranger Than Fiction. It's on my list of to-watch films.

Mr. Nobody One of the problems that usually occur, when writing about films that stands out from the crowd is that they tend to lack concepts to explain them properly. How genre film almost by definition interferes with the already well-defined patterns - and thus is easier to explain - as are the few movies that are not simple to capture, often difficult to describe. But you know what? That's why I love them. The kind of intense drama that asks something from the audience is something I commend with utmost respect. Mr Nobody is such a movie, it too feels like something that could have been weaved together by Charlie Kaufmann & Spike Jonze's zany-minds as the movie sometime wanna be science-fiction, romantic drama, then a philosophical playground and even a social commentary on humanity. There aren't exactly many movies, involving future "Blade Runner"-worlds mixed with divorce, depression, forbidden romances and space missions, but the whole show blends nonetheless merrily together here. In retrospect it's really neither of these things and yet it's all of them. A red herring that drives the different stories together is love. It's love that puts the boy into a impossible decision, the decision of whether or not to go live with his father or mother & the choice between 3 women to spend the rest of his life with. The main character Nemo Nobody played masterly by Jared Leto, in most of his incarnations, functions as a sort of unreliable narrator as we originally envision him as a declining old man and apparently the last 'mortal man' on an unfamiliar futuristic Earth, where the secret to immortality has been found -- It's completely absurd but it doesn't matter because in fact, it's irrelevant to the story the film wants to tell but it functions as a subtle vessel for it to unravel. Relaying his story to a nosey journalist, Nemo tries to convince how it is like to be 'mortal' to love, to age and to die. It feels like less like he's trying to convince a stranger to his world, and more like he's trying to convince himself. As the plot unravels one will find how its perplexing flow is scattered into several different tales, all of them being Nemo's life as how they would be had his child-self made the corresponding choice. Instead of following either the one or the other way, the film, however, takes a surprising jolt turn by telling both stories and by further dividing them up each time the protagonist finds himself within a new outcome. They occur particularly in the form of encounter with the opposite sex, the three different mentioned women, whom each leads to its very different result. The plot being the driving point here I gotta say that its meaning can be interpreted on many levels as much as David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. On some, Mr Nobody functions less as a enigma to be solved, and more like a relatively straightforward, yet fascinating account of the world's decor. I do remember hearing about how as children we are relatively explorers & philosophers, constantly questioning the functions of how the world is shaped but as we age we come to accept our daily routines and do less exercise thinking on "Why is it the way the it is?", which is perhaps a question worth asking. This is also where I'll take the opportunity to talk about The Butterfly Effect and how it 'affects' the movie because it most certainly does as the movie is so keen to remind. The theory, in short, determines of how a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a great wind to occur a week later -- Putting it simply, a small choice can lead to a greater outcome. Without spoiling too much -- The way I suppose the plot is to be understood is that only 1 of the many realities are real and it functions more or less as a struggle to finding the right one. The plot bases itself on choice affecting outcome and thus one can take that to heart as they watch it. As a massive hint the movie provides many throughout the many stories as to which one would seem like the most natural to he who makes the choice. This, however, is but one of many interpretations as to how the movie could be put together for it make coherent sense. It's where the Butterfly effect comes into play. It elaborates on the weight of choice and how sometimes even one choice can only alter an outcome slightly and some may carry something larger than that. That's all I can say without reaching into spoiler territory. Outside of its un-chronological plot, Mr. Nobody also presents some of the best cinematography I've seen in a while. It looks wonderful and sometimes it even downright scares and surprises me with the rather absurd sequences between each scene, examples like Nemo waking up from the pickles he's been placed in and how it subtlety blends it all the different 'realities' together. Another thing that is worth praising is Jared Leto's performance -- While his music is nothing to be excited about his acting, however, is a very different story. We are presented with a ton of stories where some develop wistfully touching, while others are tragic and exhausting. Whether you do or do not get that special someone, it may well in both cases turn out to have negative consequences in different ways. To create a character, where both are the same and yet very different, is a bit of a challenge for an actor, but in Jared Leto, director Dormael has found a man who proves worthy of the job, and he provides a cohesion all over the place, which means that you do not get lost despite the variety of plotlines Overall, there's not much more I can say other than the actors who portrayed a young 15-year old Nemo & his girlfriend Anna were both superb and deserves as much recognition as their already Star-made colleagues in the film. Mr. Nobody are many things but one it may have in common with films like Eternal Sunshine or Fight Club, is its surreal approach to how the world is shaped. Its child-like curiosity is welcome and its point well made.