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those screen shots are amazing.

Glad you like it CV.... such a great production.

Music and design. The countryside and swamps are inspired by slavic images and music as this:
Some of my favorites from the game. The entire soundtrack is good (35 official, up to around a 100 in the game) and is used skillfully throughout- which is a rare thing indeed for movies, let alone games:

The First two screenshots of the coming expansion (1Q or 2Q 2016) "Blood and Wine"
What is supposed to come are the third city (albeit small from what is shown here), vineyards, mountains and mountain passes. A 20 hour story.
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SNs:
Witcher 3 is winning GOTY awards and this one from Gamespot is agreeable:
Quote
1. Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
2015 was no stranger to impactful games. As the months passed, we snuck through Angolan jungles and the Afghan desert. We honed our skills in frantic vehicle-based soccer arenas. We survived the irradiated wastes of post-nuclear Boston. And we confronted the horrors of a mysterious Victorian nightmare.
But none of these experiences left as much of a lasting impact as that of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The expansive setting was a character in itself, and its inhabitants felt nuanced and real. From the swamps of Crookback Bog, to the grimy alleys of Novigrad, to the frozen islands of Skellige, our journey through the Northern Kingdoms set the stage for one of video games' most engrossing epics.
We explored political turmoil, civil war, supernatural elements, and a vibrant wilderness with creatures both beautiful and grotesque. This was a world that seemed to breathe on its own, and carry on without us, indifferent to our motivations as the witcher Geralt. We may have been powerful, but we were still only one person. We weren't without our allies, though. We had the cunning Yennefer, the wise Vesemir, the two-faced Dijkstra. And of course, we had Ciri. She was one of the most convincing characters to emerge from 2015, and in the end, The Witcher 3 was about Geralt's fatherly relationship with her. That we could see her grow, and watch her make choices of her own, lent an emotional thread to the entire experience. CD Projekt Red created vibrant characters that responded to our actions, and in doing so, added emotional weight to every choice we made.
This rang true in The Witcher 3's myriad side quests as well. Here we had vivid supporting characters and subversive plot threads rivalling those of the main story. Many RPGs encourage quest completion with new gear or experience gains. The Witcher 3’s quests, on the other hand, were compelling through the sheer force of their writing alone. The content on The Witcher 3’s periphery told some of the most immersive stories not just in 2015, but in any RPG to date.
Because in The Witcher 3, every detail in its landscape builds toward an immersive, convincing world full of exciting quests, where your actions can have real consequences. It was a year of numerous detailed worlds, but after all is said and done, and we look back on 2015, it was The Witcher 3's that truly felt alive.

My thoughts on Star Wars: I'd give it a 4 out of 5.
It's a good entertainment (flows (often rushes, in fact) smoothly from scene to scene). I think its directorial style is very modernist/safe (this movie could have been made by those inter-changable superhero directors)- takes few risks (hence its allegiance to the basic and proven frame of ANH) which causes it appear kind of derivative but at the same time no serious problems. JJ Abrams has always been a TV series style director to me. This style is generally weaker on world crafting (compared to say, Ridley Scott or Spielburg films) and focuses on giving the characters more face-time. A major drawback was how the contrivances and homages were non-stop and far fetched & dictated the course of events. Yes, fate is guiding but there are limits to this (Indiana Jones trilogy did well in managing boundaries) but this movie crosses the line quite frequently.
-The plot is a series of contrivances which conflict regularly with the laws of probability. Does History really repeat itself, and if it does, will it do so in this fashion?
- Overall I find the new cast serviceable but not memorable. I'm indifferent. A consequence of this is that I can't think of a single scene that was particularly memorable or excellently acted. This is very much Rey's story (the change to a female lead is new and welcome). The actress that carried her has skill but her writing was not particularly interesting.
-the stormtroopers/first order are less intimidating than in the originals because the menacing presence of Darth Vader no-longer overshadows them. Now they remind me of Monty Python Nazi skits. The institution of the "First Order" could have used more development/exploration.
-Instead of "perfect ultimate badass" we have Kim Jung-un. The risky- and novel- thing was to use a petulant young man (who looks like a 1990s Goth- Marylin Manson) with serious mental issues as the leader. While this is novel (good for generating smirks), it is underwhelming and detracts from the seriousness of the "First Order" and moves it closer to Monty Python Nazi camp. He does not-ever- appear like a competent leader, remotely plausible to hold his role nor is the charisma anywhere near Darth Vader.
- I did not like the use of the throwback actors. The throwback actors could been made a lot more legendary, and kept at arms distance (the reality was far more mundane than the mythos). Too much Han Solo/Chewie and other oldies that are way past their prime. Eg. Hamil is a good example of what worked, although his part should been extended.
Further, I grew up seeing the star wars trilogy many times and am pretty familiar with sci-fi comic book tropes so considerable magic probably went over my head. I am slanted towards the new and the innovative, or improved iterations. So a bit more cynically I can see Disney's consulting hand potentially over this in shaping the construction of the film. They have the knack for merchandising and marketing to the broadest audience possible, which influenced creative choices. This movie is doing very well, and has served its purpose.
other thoughts:
-The boring and irrelevant sci-fi political babble in the prequels has been removed in favor of a brisk, pace of action.
-The character of Finn appears to be a disguised "Star Wars Fanboy" who fortuitously drops into events. rather than an actual essential person in the narrative. He functions as comic relief, stimulates energy, and acts as a human relation/reflection of the audience. Is it not every Star Wars Fanboy/girl's dream to be dropped into space opera events themselves and accompany a pretty/handsome interest?
-My guess is that the relentless homaging to the past is likely to be tuned down in later installments now that it's served its purpose.

"Until Dawn" is top shelf fun. It's an 8 hour interactive horror movie with very good motion capture, structure, and acting. It uses a lot of horror movie tropes while at the same time, being completely aware and subverting them with surprise choices. It doesn't take itself too seriously yet escalates the situation with every passing hour with a good use of ever-increasing tension and stakes.






Anne Hathaway's original get up.

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Wowsa! Nice GIF's.

What is the source for those gifs? ![]()
I kinda like that mask, wasn't too fond of what they ultimately went for in the movie.

^^^
I have no idea. I found them by accident. My guess is dvd extras?
She looks prettier of course but she also looks like a halloween costume.
I find it quite interesting that this 'Wonder woman' comic's depiction looks a great deal like Hilary Rhoda in her teenage years/early 20s:
I definitely have some photos from my Hilary Rhoda review that are very similar. She's even wearing the same type of white dress.

The Witcher has a comic book too
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Yes, I have searched online for it last month. I think they are largely based on the novels or the events of Witcher 2.
I checked out the Mad Max game here. Like the comics/art book, It adds some lore to Fury Road. Most of it is alright but tepid. My conclusion is that the movie had most of the interesting imagery out of the concepts publicaly available. So, it's not as rich as a franchise as I thought so far. Miller committed to 2 more films and is doing an unrelated project in-between. It's likely to be a long ways off.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MIeCcwZmCM
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love these two. Devon has gorgeous shoulders.


I've been checking out the Assassin's creed stories. It's not only fun but also educational- there are so many conventions from historical fiction here. There are nearly a dozen Assassin's Creeds (I've done only 4 so far and barely remember AS:1 and AS:2) so I'm a long ways off from finishing. But #4, really hits the spot. This is the black swan of the series as it's really about the pirates rather than the assassins. The edited story (definitely familiar tropes for those who know about pirates eg. Black Beard, Anne Bonny, etc):
The best "Shakespearean" deaths (a standard for the franchise) that I've found so far:
I am currently watching the Assassin's Creed 3 story and will continue with the King Washington expansion:
It looks like there are three "waves" with the assassin's creed games. The first couple of games (named and numbered) are related. The second wave is a trilogy with 2 expansions (AS: III, AS: IV, AS: Rogue).
The third wave is ongoing, and it features AS: Unity, AS: Syndicate so far.
There are also spin off Assassin Creeds that are loosely related to the core 'waves'.

The actor that did Haytham did a terrific job. His intonation reminds me of Ralph Fiennes:
one of my favorite scenes: climax at 4:10
Beggar's opera:

"
The Beggar's Opera premiered at the Lincoln's Inn Fields Theatre on 29 January 1728[2] and ran for 62 consecutive performances, the longest run in theatre history up to that time (after 146 performances of Robert Cambert's "Pomone" in Paris in 1671).[3] The work became Gay's greatest success and has been played ever since; it has been called "the most popular play of the eighteenth century."[4] In 1920, The Beggar's Opera began an astonishing revival run of 1,463 performances at the Lyric Theatre in Hammersmith, London, which was one of the longest runs in history for any piece of musical theatre at that time.[5]
The piece satirised Italian opera, which had become popular in London. According to The New York Times: "Gay wrote the work more as an anti-opera than an opera, one of its attractions to its 18th-century London public being its lampooning of the Italian opera style and the English public's fascination with it."[6][7] Instead of the grand music and themes of opera, the work uses familiar tunes and characters that were ordinary people. Some of the songs were by opera composers like Handel, but only the most popular of these were used. The audience could hum along with the music and identify with the characters. The story satirised politics, poverty and injustice, focusing on the theme of corruption at all levels of society.
"

The Charles Lee voice actor did a great job. What a scene! :
Movie version of protagonist stories: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCv9RAVhNMnTk9L4FiR2nruw
I've doing AS: Syndicate now: interesting depiction of Karl Marx's union protests

Dark Souls 3- from Miyazaki, the same director as the amazing "Bloodborne":
The White Whale, love this one:
music:


soothing tunes:

This poem rings so true, and sometime near the end of 2015 I understood more than ever what it is to "live and die a hundred times" but in a totally different circumstance. After that insight I felt 'reborn'...albeit in a small way.
"Through a Glass, Darkly"
General George S. Patton, Jr.
Through the travail of the ages,
Midst the pomp and toil of war,
I have fought and strove and perished
Countless times upon this star.
So as through a glass, and darkly
The age long strife I see
Where I fought in many guises,
Many names, but always me.

Far Cry Primal: Caveman simulator: This is a novel concept that's probably more interesting to play than to watch.
It involves hunting, gathering for supplies, building a small village, and a rivalry with two antagonist tribes. The caveman can tame about a dozen different wild animals and use them as support (literally a hunting dog type relationship) or as a "horse". As for the tribes, one resembles the most primitive form of Aztec while the others are Neanderthal/Cro-Magnum type men that live in the cold. There are many extinct animals and floral featured as well.
Gaming is filled with FPS type mechanics. This has them too, but the primary weapons are limited to the Club, bow & arrow, and a javelin/spear type weapon.
Fightingcowboy's youtube channel. Highly recommended:
https://www.youtube.com/user/fightincowboy713/playlists
For about half a year I've been using his content to 'audit' some of the best games ever. There are reasons why he's better than any other youtuber I've seen so far:
-IRL he's a network engineer and his walkthroughs show the same organization. He frequently plays the game at the hardest difficulty and beats them smoothly & quickly. He also prepares sometimes before his uploads. He is also very clear in articulating his intents/actions.
-he's genuinely interested in the games he plays and he uploads a lot of content every weekday.
-he has a dry sense of humor, comforting voice, and a Penns. accent and doesn't "try hard". It makes his videos easy to listen to.

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