Trapped in an infinity of farewell and nostalgia.

Black Mirror - Life is Strange - Girls Trip
pop culture dailies weekly monthly ...? 019

Well, that was unexpected (not really). I watched a lot but just couldn't find the time and place to cover all of them so here is my first attempt to make up for that:

Black Mirror s04e01 USS Callister [Netflix]

I might be months late but I always look forward to see where they would go with the notion of technology affecting people and vice versa. This first episode of the fourth season really give the concept a run or its money especially with its own meta commentary on the popular science fiction franchise, Star Trek. Using the near-future possibility of virtual reality, they expand upon it with a fully realised universe that users would plug in right into their brains and make them feel like they are actually there. Playing in the world with limitless possibilities is such a wonderful dream to have but putting the power of controlling it in the wrong hands or in the hands that would abuse it to suit his own selfish need for revenge against those who wronged him is a different hell altogether. Whether or not the person's actions justify the sentence given to them would be looked over when the executioner cross the line of humanity himself, no matter if they are actually living, breathing beings or just created artificially to serve his purpose. In the end, the journey from start to finish was such a delight to watch and the ending fits the narrative they are going with for this episode. I wouldn't actually mind if they make another episode in this particular world even though they never actually revisit any specific idea they had covered before.

Life is Strange Before the Storm

Farewell

[Dontnod]

With the second entry into this admittedly surprised hit franchise, I began the journey back into the world of Chloe Price and Maxine Caulfield. P.S. Don't hate on the new protagonists and settings, since I'm sure some of you hate on Max and Chloe before in the first place before you eventually fall in love with them! Play it yourself first before reacting without any playthrough experience. Anyway, the last episode for the time-bending saga is Farewell whereby you actually play (instead of time travel back there) with Max and Chloe in their last moments together as best friends when they are just kids before the forced separation in the time of need for the latter. If you play this episode first before any of the predecessors, you might not get the gravity behind these interactions between two besties during their happiest moments together and then the tragedy and following event that kept them apart for so long. Seeing the natural conversations between them and mutual love emanating from each of them just make me as a fellow fan of Life is Strange series fall in love with them all over again and actually broke down again when the eventual ending comes around. Short but sweet, it is a perfect finale for this chapter in this unique universe and whether or not we will revisit them in the second season so to speak, I just want to give Dontnod a hearty congratulation for conceiving and creating such a world that is full of magic and most importantly heart.

Girls Trip

Not being the target demography for this film does not detract me from watching this film since I heard quite a positive buzz around this all-female African American comedy. Having watched it myself, I can safely say that comedy does not know boundaries of culture and race in this instance! All four main protagonists have such a perfect chemistry with each other as they play different roles and dynamic in their group, having to make a road trip together after being separated for so long and how much life has changed each and one of them. The emotional and personal journey they had to make throughout the film makes me laugh out loud and have my heart strings pulled surprisingly. The balance between comedy and drama is handled expertly as they sometimes go quite over the top yet still somehow believable with their antics especially under the influence. I might even be curious to see how this premise would do with a younger up-and-coming talents and changing the timeline to see them changing from teenagers into adults. Wouldn't that be interesting to see with Zazie Beetz or Issa Rae? 

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Well, that's all folks! Thank you for your time and please do come back for my future posts! :-)