Lost Finale: Netflix Brought it Up

Trespasser Review - One arm, no job, no lover. WTF.

Dragon Age: Inquisition has come to an end you guys. Why??? I am so sad and so depressed that I have to wait more than one year until the next Bioware adventure. So how did the Inquisition finish its run? With a bloody bang!!!

First, Trespasser was amazing because it allowed you to say "Goodbye" and have a nice reunion with all your companions. I guess they took cues from The Citadel DLC aka the best DLC ever made. This was very welcome when you know that I spent the last DLCs running around Skyhold to see if I could get a few extra words out of my LI or my favorite party members. Some conversations in Trespasser are more elaborate than others but all in all, I felt really satisfied, especially when there was talk of a wedding with Iron Bull. Alas, it wasn't meant to be.

Cue the last mission ever in DAI history and you have to fight the Qunaris (my favorites!!!sob sob sob) and go through twenty different Eluvians only to find out that the two most interesting characters in this story are, really, definitely, your enemies. When Iron Bull turned against me, I couldn't believe it. I tweeted Freddie Prince Jr, I tweeted Bioware and DAI, I was in distress! I thought it might have been a twist within a twist but no. The Bull had betrayed me and apparently my Inquisitor was the laughing stock of Thedas for being so gullible. Well, Thanks!!! At the end of the day, my Inquisition was disbanded, I had one arm and killed my (awesome) lover. This was clearly not how I wanted to end my run as the mighty Inquisitor. However, was it thrilling, eye widening, surprising and upsetting? You bet it was. I love being that shaken by a video game, it means I cared about the characters and I cared about the story. The fact that the very last scene clearly, like in your face clear, hints at a new Dragon Age taking place somewhere else (excited!!) was very welcome. I got so pumped about this and really can't wait for the next round of Dragon Age awesomeness. Getting to see Solas again and finding out more information about the overarching plot was a great treat, very much setting up the next chapter of this incredibly intricate journey.

I am not going to lie, I did replay Trespasser with my human character who romanced Cullen. The ending was a tiny bit more satisfying on the romance side!!
I have read some reviews that complain about the loot and about the final map but seriously, who cares about the loot at the very end of the game? I don't care. I care much more about getting answers, more lore, closure with my characters. Go play Diablo if you're in this for the loot.

Until Dawn Review - So many twists!

I actually do not want to review this because I feel like anything I will say will be a spoiler for people who have not played it yet. I am going to keep it short and as spoiler free as I can. My message to you: play this game. There is nothing I didn't like about this game, or should I say, experience. This is a totally new and original way of doing storytelling in a video game. Of course, this cinematic, quick time events, choice driven gameplay has been done before. Heavy Rain comes to mind as one of the most relevant comparison here. They also both have a two word name.

Anyway, let's start with the cast. More and more games try to include first class actors in their projects (Kiefer Sutherland, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page...) but rarely have I seen that good of an ensemble cast in a video game. The precise motion capture definitely helped carry through little details like gimmicks and facial expressions. Watching Hayden Panettiere act out Sam's character in the gondola was pretty impressive. The voice over was extraordinary with Brett Dalton being totally in his element, as was Rami Malek.

To be fair, the writing was also stunning and helped make the characters believable and relatable. I usually like to play as one character but because of the intricate story and characters' development, I didn't mind switching back and forth. Mike was probably my favorite character as he can make friends with a little wolf, that was clearly my favorite part of the game. Sony has promoted this game as a "butterfly effect", choice driven game and it truly was. I loved the fact that when making a critical decision, it does tell you that what you just did affected the story. The latter is very cool, especially for a supernatural fan like me. There are twists and turns and shockers and I was never disappointed with the outcome of each little chapter. The publisher and developer did a stunning job at hiding what the story is actually about and only showed us what they wanted us to see. I was truly impressed by that. Until Dawn is obviously a horror story though and I was shitting myself playing it. It was really scary and creepy and all that you want from the genre. I spent about 7 hours on it and I can't wait to replay it and hopefully save more people, but most of all, save the wolf!

By the way, working for Redbox, I can tell you that we exclusively have the prop masks from the game and we are giving them away on Instagram at the end of October! They're super cool for anybody who loved the game:
https://instagram.com/redbox/?hl=en

Dear Fat People - and why I loathe America

First off, let me tell you that I am the most pro American person you will ever meet. I love this country and all that it represents. I love the land, the people and the culture. However, after living here for 1 year, I have noticed a couple of things that make me miss my British fellows a lot.

Americans are way too prude and politically correct. Seriously, take a chill pill. I never thought it would be possible to be offended by so many things. Why so serious? The Joker should seriously pay you a visit you guys. This is blatantly obvious when celebrities say something they think and have to apologize ten times. This is also too obvious in the workplace. I hate it. Coming from London and a very inclusive work environment, I hate the fact that I can't joke around with my coworkers and that I can't ask someone I have known for about 6 months if they are gay. To me, these things are just normal and I want to be able to have an open, honest and deep relationship with people I meet, no mater their sexual orientation, religion or what not. I do not care. I just want to be able to talk about it because if you don't, this is exactly when the problems develop and you end up living in this limbo of "should I, shouldn't I" that is way worse. Talking about my gay coworkers' boyfriend shouldn't be offensive, not to my coworker and not to other people who might be around. Having someone on the phone at work saying that "lesbian and gay kids are the problem in our society", yes, that is offensive (the guy who said that was obese by the way, and lazy and mean). Having an inquisitive conversation about someone you like as a person: not offensive.

Then there is comedy. Banter as I call it. That's also not allowed. I personally do not care. I will joke around and pick on you as much as I can. I will poke fun at your age, your religion, your height, your work. I make jokes and I am sarcastic. Are all these based on stereotypes, first impressions and generalization, of course. Something's funny not because it's abstract and a work of fiction, it's funny because there is an element of truth behind it. I am French. Our stereotype: we're lazy, eat a tone of baguettes and are libertines. All true. All not offensive. There obviously are people who are hard working (not many), some that only have 1 sexual partner in their life (unlikely but ok) and some that do not eat baguette (this is impossible). You can make as much fun of me as you want, I will never take offense, you know why? Because I know who I am and I am not threatened by anything one might say.

Now, I am sure everybody has been debating this "Dear Fat People" video from Nicole Arbour. I have to say, this is one of the funniest thing I have ever seen. Everything she says in this video is true and people who are obese, as she clearly says, not just chubby but obese, and eating more than their body weight at every meal need to be made fun of. This is ridiculous. And before everybody comes jumping at me as they did her, don't start about fucking depression and shit. Some people are not depressed, some are just lazy asses who want to eat whatever they want, are greedy, lazy and stupid, that's just a fact. They just don't give a fuck (pretty sure they're the same people who don't recycle and obviously are not vegan). Now, why is everybody so offended by this video? I do not understand. She's right on every single point and I think that's what people cannot stomach. They know it's true but political correctness and bullshit prevent them from being smart. You should be able to make fun of anything and everyone, especially when they deserve it. People who have fun and joke about things are actually the ones that are the less prejudiced and the more open minded of them all. If I joke about gay people it's because I am that comfortable with it (my mom is a lesbian). We should all embrace that, it would make for a much more open, fun and bearable world! Below, the socially relevant, bullshit breaking, incredibly smart and hilarious Nicole Arbour:

Extant Season 2 premiere - Changes for the better?

I remembered nothing from last season. Well I had a vague idea of what the series was about but I couldn't tell you what happened in the last episode of the first season. I remember Molly has a cute alien kid and a creepy machine that looks like a kid. How long before the latter develops super human strength and goes on a rampage? I don't know. Maybe they will pit one against the other, see what's worse for humanity: alien invasion OR cyberpunk reality? Thank god for "previously on", it put me right back on track. It reminded me how much I love this show. I mean, back in the 90's, we had X-files, we had Roswell. We had The Next Generation. Aliens and space were all the rage. Nowadays, vampires and super heroes have taken center stage. They have tried to revive the genre with survival sci-fi like Falling Skies or Defiance.  They also tried Star Crossed, basically an alien version of Twilight. That didn't go so well. None were actually going back to that golden age of the unknown. They took sci-fi, aliens and the future for granted. Extant has been different. The production value of this show is just off the charts, for starter. Obviously, it stars one of the best actress out there and she makes every episode looks like a multi million dollar movie. Extant is set in the future but it is very recognizable and it could easily be our future. The technology is believable, people are still relatable and you discover the science fiction of it all along with the characters. There is mystery and intrigue. I am hoping the these qualities will remain even though the show seems to be heading in a different direction.

Anyway, I completely forgot that Ethan sacrificed himself to stop the alien kid's "friends and family" to come to Earth. But I think I recall Ethan actually uploading himself everywhere or something Skynety like that. Maybe I shouldn't have watched Terminator before Extant, it totally distorted my view of robots. We start this second season of one of last year's television standout by jumping back to a time when Molly was a star, a hero, and when Ethan was brought back as easily as  he was gone. When you see Molly using virtual reality and saying to Ethan that she misses him, you logically believe that Ethan is ancient history. But he's not. Talking about this "resting" place Molly is in, I have to say, I love the sim she uses where you basically are in a porn next to 10 other people who are probably in a porn too. That's cool.

Before they jump us in the crux of things and explain to us why Molly is in a "home", they reacquaint us with the alien kid. I seriously thought he was going to eat the baby (which would have been fair as he was well annoying) but instead, he makes some magical twinkly animals and we all go "awwwww". He's a sweet alien with awesome babysitting skills. I did find it weird to be looking at Molly in the present time, then jump 6 months back only to jump forward 4 weeks about 2 minutes later. However, I now understand the concept after seeing the whole episode.

There are a lot of things happening in this episode and the first bomb to drop is that John is a cheater. It's interesting that she suspects him of having an affair with Julie only now. She could have sensed something right after coming home but I suppose she was too involved in her own storyline to realize he was acting weird as well. Right when you feel like the conversation is going somewhere, another bomb drops. The government breaks down the door and for some reason, seizes Ethan. This has something to do with security and the army, as usual. There is a common theme exploited here, one that reminds us that a robot can be more compassionate and more humane than human beings. This is very typical of sci-fi, and in all fairness, typical of every story. Should it be robots, aliens, minorities, superheroes, animals, monsters. We love to remind ourselves that evil people will sideline anything or anyone different, even though that difference doesn't affect the subject's capacity for emotion. This is a recurring theme in every story but I thought it was hammered in pretty hard in the first half of this episode. But the latter really doesn't matter, because the third bomb drops: Julie is a bitchass traitor. I was in the middle of processing this information and the fact that her stare was really becoming psychotic when the most Game of Throne scene happened. John gets killed! by his car! It is clearly a murder plot and a cover up, but who gave the order? Has Julie's phone call anything to do with it? When John gets hit by the train and the "6 months later" appears on screen, that's when I understood the relevance of the time jumps in the beginning of the episode.

Just before John dies, he had a conversation with Julie that went like this: "Is this how they convinced you? protecting the country?". I wanted to say: "No, she's just a crazy vindictive bitch!". There was an interesting conspiracy in the 1st season but what they served us in the very first episode of this season is on a whole new level! Finally, we are caught up with the events leading to Molly's state. We find her in a mental institute, which is totally understandable. When her husband died, she got drunk, burnt down her house and, wait for it, attacked Julie with a shovel. That made me laugh a lot, I would have done the exact same thing. This episode reminded me how much I love Halle's character. She has conviction and she's smart. I also feel for her, so bad, I hate it when the viewer knows something along with the character and everybody else thinks the character is crazy, so by association, you feel crazy too. That's really frustrating. That's one of the things I hate in crime dramas or mysteries. It always makes me feel so uncomfortable. Does anybody have that feeling too?

As if there wasn't enough information and twists thrown at us during this first episode, they had to go and add bloody John Winchester to the mix. It made me forget all about the conspiracy and the murder plot and the frustration. I was in heaven, and yes I am objectifying him but damn is that man sexy. I really hope Molly gets to have sex with him, it will make things better. While we're in that dark room with Winchester, for a minute, the atmosphere made me think of Blade Runner. I liked that grittier, less polished side of Extant. I am glad Molly finally found a new ally that seems trustworthy and loyal. The enemy is definitely not clear yet but two things are for sue: Julie is out of her mind and has taken over project crazy pants let's-make-terminators, and the alien kid is now an alien man who has it easy with the ladies. In the end, the premiere of Extant was mind blowing, dropping bombs at every turn and setting the scene for what can only be a thrilling season. Hopefully, the pace will slow down a bit so we can appreciate the storyline and the mystery, and not get used to sensationalism. When a show sticks to the latter, normal episodes seem boring and I do not want that to happen to this great sci-fi piece. I read that the showrunners are dropping entire subplots and are going for a more action-driven vibe. Let's hope they do not over do it.

Terminator Genisys - At least it was better than Jurassic World

I went into Terminator Genisys with no expectations. I have never seen a Terminator movie, I kind of shied away from them as I was a bit too young to appreciate these older movies. I never can stand the pace.

After seeing Jurassic World, I believe even Jupiter Ascending would have looked good to me. First off, the acting was definitely better than in Jurassic World and I did care for the characters I saw on screen. I might have even shed a tiny tear when Sarah had to see Pops blow up near the end.

I knew nothing of the Sarah Connor's story myself so it was a bit confusing at first. I felt like I was watching Inception all over again. I tried to make sense of it all every time they were explaining the different time travels but I gave up half way and just enjoyed the movie for what it was. I was completely missing parts of dialogue and scenes because I was in my own head trying to figure this thing out. I am not sure it completely makes sense, but I was able to put that aside to stay in the moment and take in the action. I am still a little bit frustrated about this aspect of the movie though since I love a good storyline and chronology is one of the thing I look for in a story. I am a sucker for history and I am fascinated by dates. I sometimes pause shows or movies that use flashbacks so that I can think about it, make sense of the timeline and then move forward. The fact that I couldn't make sense of the timeline in Terminator was a little bit annoying but I am now going to search the web for answers and better understand what I just saw.

Sarah Connor's story might have been confusing, but her personality was pretty straight forward. Emilia Clarke is a fabulous actress and I think she did a great job here. She was never off mark but I found that she didn't totally embody the Sarah Connor I was hoping to see. I wanted to see badass. Even though she was somewhat believable, I wanted a more kick ass Sarah Connor. Arnold was great and nailed it though, which I believe he did back in the day too. I thought the younger version of him was phenomenal. Kyle Rees was your typical testosterone jacked army wise ass but he embodied it perfectly and I don't see anything wrong with having characters that stick to a successful recipe. John Connor was not likeable in the slightest, which I am assuming, was the goal. I think I remember watching something, it must have been the trailer, and seeing that John was a machine. I thought that was a bit disappointing to know this piece of information beforehand and I would have loved to have been surprised along with the characters. In this case, they showed a little too much in their promotional material and it ruined the best twist of the movie.

At the end of the day, Terminator is an action flick and at that it completely succeeded. The chasing scenes, the robots shootings, the hiding and pouncing. Everything was well executed and I was entertained by it all. Were they moments I rolled my eyes because it was cheesy or predictable? Of course. But it wasn't as obvious or annoying as it was in Jurassic World. It was well written for an action fare and the one liners hit most of the time. Obviously, it wasn't Avengers quality but I am pretty sure fans of the first movies were pleased with what they saw. Some people in the theater did definitely enjoy it more than I did. They were older, laughing at everything and throwing "oh!" "ah!" every time someone said something on screen. It was hilarious. I guess they were the right audience for it. I found Terminator adequate for an action movie and good entertainment.

Close to the end, something made me jump off my seat though. The hologram. The blue hologram. The blue child hologram. Mass Effect anyone??? I felt like they used the same voice too.