Hottah-Hottah!

HOT. Gosh-darned freakin' HOT.

I went out of the climate-controlled confines of the office to get lunch. Inevitably my Cubao-bought rubber shoes took me on a round trip of Makati. I went over to the demilitarized zone (AKA Makati Cinema Square) and ate lunch at KFC. It was crowded and HOT and I ordered spaghetti with HOTshots and a chicken burger. The ice-cold Pepsi was like nectar from Olympus as it went down my throat. Too bad it went like fuel for SUVs; By the time I finished my food I only had a gulp and a half left in the tumbler. For some reason I didn't get another shot when my throat was still begging for MORE cold stuff.
Went down to the place where the bootlegs were sold and found it mostly deserted. Probably there were recent raids. Still, I found several sellers and one guy was even setting up the DVDs when I was about to leave. Alas, while there were newly-burned copies of Charlie's Angels Full Throttle, I ignored them. I was looking for The Real Cancun. Oh well.

HOT. DAMN HOT. I was sweating like an ice cold softdrink bottle but without the ice or the cold. When I exited the Square I found out it had rained, and everything was wet.

A while ago it was Dry and HOT. Now it was Wet and HOT. The loosed steam from the baked asphalt, now hit with rainwater, radiated heat in waves.
I hopped onto a jeep BACK across the world to Glorietta. Looked around at Park Square and honestly got tempted into getting a copy of Sex Drive with Maui Taylor and Katya Santos. Hey, the story seemed interesting. Heh.
Passed by Datablitz and saw that two anticipated expansion sets for two popular PC games were available; Neverwinter Nights: Shadows of Unrelentide and Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne.

Walked back into Glorietta and bought a copy of the latest Electronic Gaming Monthly. Sure, I get all my videogaming information from the net, but as I always say, you can't bring the PC into the loo. Mags have their uses.
For my last stop I went by 2Rats anime and checked for new stuff. Interestingly enough they have VCDs of the first and second seasons of Alias, episodes of Smallville and other odds and ends. With Oh! My Goddess the Movie playing I looked at their lists and saw... nothing of interest. Oh well. Back to base then.

Finally got back to the cool interior of the office, the comfort of my workstation and the comfiness of the chair. Just have to spend a couple more hours here and then it's off to the comic shop for the weekly bloodletting. Unless the stocks are delayed, that is. Whatever.

Whew. Need a drink. I really need a drink.

Tired.

And it's only the beginning of the week. Not a good sign.
Didn't go to work on Monday because of a bad back. Today, I shuffled to the office, did some chores and then had dinner at Sushi Mart in Megamall with Vin, and then later Carl and Cams. Vin and I finally met Charles of Shadows of a Stalker in person. Took home a box of my new favorite donuts. Mmmm.

Tomorrow will hopefully be more cheery, with new comics and stocks coming in. Expecting the latest Official Xbox Magazine and some other odds and ends.

Which Matrix character am I?

EH? The Hell..?!


You are Trinity, from "The Matrix."
Strong, beautiful- you epitomize the ultimate
heroine.


What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Ninja Scroll TV series, Part Deux


A new adventure for invincible Kibagami Jubei, and more super ninjas to kill.

If you want it hard enough, anything is possible.

Without knowing if I was searching in vain or not, I went to Greenhills today looking particularly for VCDs or DVDs of the much-awaited Ninja Scroll TV Series, or Jubei Ninpucho: Chapter of the Dragon Treasure Ball. It was only when I searched for and found the last anime shop on my list did my effort bear fruit. I came away with VCDs of episode 1-2 and 5-6 (If all goes well, I will get episodes 3-4 and 7-8 tomorrow). I also brought home a large number of episodes of the pretty boy action series, Getbackers.
Anyway, I have watched the first two NS episodes, and I have to say that I am satisfied. Predictably, the TV series does not reach the lofty heights of the original film, given that it's a TV series which cuts down any violence, sex and high-quality animation. As it was though, the NS TV series is quite exceptionally well-animated, with nice colors and a somewhat unusual and interesting visual style. Animations of the fight scenes are fluid and nicely-done, if short since the fights between Jubei and the various mutant ninja he encounters are pretty short. The series also features a totally original voice cast, who do their roles predictably well (Japanese voices are always very expressive and expertly performed).


Fans of the original Ninja Scroll film should recognize the return of the 'view of a fight from behind a window grill' shot.

The series takes place after the film, apparently, and sees our man Jubei Kibagami- rogue mercenary swordsman and ninja extraordinaire- getting involved again in the battles between two factions of super-powered ninja weirdos. Now, when I say weirdos, I mean WEIRDOS. In the first episode we see a masked beastman ninja, an old ninja with a spider stuck to his face who can shoot out webbing, a laughing (Ki-ki-ki...) freak who rides around on a giant parasol (pretty cool, actually), a naked woman who can unleash hordes of lamprey-like creatures from her body and a GIANT TRANSFORMING CAR ninja. In episode two we are introduced to a sexy cat-girl ninja, a slow and ponderous tower of skulls-headed ninja and a burrowing beast ninja. I'm having the time of my life! Heh.
Unfortunately, despite the cool and whacked-out designs, the enemies are quite mortal and easily dispatched- perhaps too easily. Jubei has gained a new skill since the original movie, the power to slash at enemies from afar by drawing his sword from his scabbard at high speed, causing the very wind to cut at his targets. This makes fights pretty short but bloody sweet. I just wished the cat girl lasted a bit longer though...


From L-R: Cat girl ninja Nekome is fast and furious. The Skull Tower ninja is cross between a mummy and a Russian doll, while the girl with the exotic hair has powers over plants.

The main point of the story seems to be centered on a young girl named Shigure and a mysterious little bauble that Jubei gets a hold of early on. The ninja clans clashing include a sect called the Hirukoshu and the Kimonshu (the latter apparently being the same sect to which the Eight Devils from the movie belonged to). Jubei takes on the quest to see that the bauble gets reunited with the girl, and so the fight goes on. More bloody fights and strange ninja are expected aplenty before this 13-episode series ends.
For a TV series, Ninja Scroll TV has quite a high body count and a lot of blood flowing. The story is completely new (though there are references to the original and a recurring character in Dakuan the monk) which may disappoint some, but any fan of the movie will surely enjoy seeing the unusual villain designs and the sight of Jubei kicking butt again. With just the first two episodes, I am bloody satisfied. Heh.

Waiting for December...


Drool.

At about three hours or so, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is supposedly the best of the epic trilogy, and probably the last BIG movie to arrive this year, or the first in 2004. I expect HUGE battle scenes, and of course changes to the original books and the early animated versions with a probably manifestation of Sauron, a different fate for Saruman the White from the books, and more. This is going to be AWESOME.

Ninja Scroll TV series

When you think of ninja in history, you think of Japanese guys dressed all in black pajamas, those funny toed-socks (tabi) and masks. They bounce around and throw flash and smoke bombs and do crazy flips. In the Capcom Streetfighter games, ninja are deadly kunai (dagger) and shuriken (throwing star) throwing fighters who wear baggy pants, cloth wraps and compete in world fighting competitions. In my Angel Ace manga, ninja are sexy killer babes who wear skimpy bikinis. Well, we were all wrong. Dead wrong. Well, at least according to Ninja Scroll.

In the world of Yoshiaki Kawajiri's Ninja Scroll, ninja means weirdo. Or mutant. Or monster. In the classic 1993 anime movie, we saw the Eight Devils of Kimon, eight ninja who ranged from a giant who can transform into a rock-skinned behemoth to an effeminate assassin who uses silken cords to strangle and electrocute people. Or there was that weirdo who looked like Quasimodo with a beehive in place of a hump on his back. Weird stuff. Well, the new Ninja Scroll TV series (Jubei Ninpucho: Chapter of the Dragon Treasure Ball) has even freakier villains to throw at you.
Yep, in Ninja Scroll, ninjas are alien-like beings who often take on beastly or animalistic aspects. Or have inexplicably cybernetic implants and prosthesis. Or have powers of magic or over nature. And they wear everything from armor to robes to skimpy thongs and even less (for the ladies). Now THESE are ninja. Heh.

The Ninja Scroll TV series started airing in Japan's WOWOW channel some time ago, and will run for 13 episodes. The story is set after the original movie, and will feature the same hero, Jubei Kibagami the wandering invincible masterless ninja warrior. Aside from Jubei the sly, shriveled monk/government spy Dakuan will also appear, but sadly (but not surprisingly) the departed Kagero will not be making an appearance.
The story concerns a powerful icon known as the Dragon Orb, and how two powerful and deadly ninja clans are vying for possession of it. One of these clans is supposedly the Kimon Clan, whose scions were Jubei's opponents in the movie.
So far I haven't yet gotten my grubby paws on the episodes, but I have seen the official Japanese website and the various designs for the characters. Let me say right now that the various monster ninja that will appear in many of the episodes (many of the episodes feature at least one to three ninja weirdos introduced) are wild and stay quite close to the over-the-top baddies from the movie. We're talking things like a GIANT TRANSFORMING CAR ninja, a WILD CAT GIRL ninja, a ONE-EYED CYBORG ninja, a SPIDER MUMMY ninja and MORE. Whew.

As for the sex and violence, we probably can't expect the same magnitude as the movie, but suffice to say that the blood will flow when Jubei meets his victims- er, enemies, in battle. Ninja Scroll TV series should appeal greatly to fans of samurai/ninja films, action anime and of course, fans of the movie. I'll be giving this a proper review when I get hold of DVDs or VCDs. Soon, soon...

New King of Donuts Krowned

I love donuts. Donuts rock. There's a popular story here in my ad agency where an award-winning creative agency suddenly got mediocre after their favorite donut shop closed down. So, donuts are creative inspirations too.

Anyway, there are two major donut shops in the Metro; Dunkin Donuts and Mister Donut. Dunkin Donuts will always have my good favor thanks to their yummy donuts (which are never too sweet but taste just right) and savoury fare which include delicious bunwiches and croissant sandwiches. These make great merienda or breakfast fare.
Mister Donut has always been around (Remember that ditty, 'Hey Mister that's a donut...') but many of their do's are pale imitations of DD's versions, especially their gaudy cake donuts.
Well, that's all turned around with the recent introduction of their Kreamy Krowns line. These donuts are cake-quality delicious pastries, topped with icing and having just the right amount of sweetness, crusty dough, and chewy goodness. Donuts par excellence! Variants include karamel krown, bavarian, chocolate, candy sprinkled and more.
As far as I know, Mister Donut has enjoyed brisk sales since they released the new line, spruced up their outlets and released a TV commerical. Hope the Kreamy Krowns stay for a while. My sweet tooth's aching for more. Heh.

Got to remember to take home another box in case the one I got yesterday's been devoured by the folks. They're that damn good.

Bloodletting and a new Gonzo anime

After a night of eating siopao and curry pork, I queued up for the weekly ritual of bloodletting at Comic Quest. I went away with only two items… though they were pretty heavy items (both literally and for price): the latest issues of Newtype USA and Previews. The Newtype issue as ever comes with a free DVD with some anime previews, and tons of features and goodies like an X poster and a Full Metal Panic Chidori Kanami pull-out and postcards of SCRYed.

The articles inside include an in-depth look at Gainax (makers of Evangelion) and a first peek at images from the live-action Evangelion film being worked on by WETA Workshop (the special FX house of Peter Jackson for the Lord of the Rings films). All the images were illustrations by WETA’s talented artists, notably a look at Sohryu Asuka Langley's red plug suit design, a view of submerged cityscapes, the Eva docking bays and the insides of NERV headquarters. Cool and very close to the anime’s imagery. I am actually thinking that this live-action Eva movie might not be such a bad thing after all. We’ll see…

Tonight I am looking forward to getting my hands on VCDs of Last Exile, the latest anime series from Gonzo (Blue Submarine No. 6, Gatekeepers, Vandread) that Vin was able to find a source for. The story is still unclear, but LE is set in a world currently being wracked by a war between two great fleets and armies. In the midst of these mammoth conflicts, a young pilot named Lavi and her co-pilot ply the unfriendly skies as couriers. What lies in their future and the future of their world? The animation of LE is impressive, with truly majestic air fleets and imagery that is reminiscent of Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, World War I naval, army and air battles, and the distinct quality of Gonzo for mixing traditional with CG animation. This looks special. Truly special indeed. Want those VCDs. Gotta get them all!

Battle Royale 2: A Royale Disappointment?

I have to say that I am a total fan of the late Kinji Fukasaku's Battle Royale. It was a glorious heroic sacrifice/ black humor / action film, mixing an absurd but compelling premise with superb direction, writing and imagery. FYI, BR was all about a nightmarish future Japan where the generation-gap conflict has reached a terrible level. Every year, high school students are sent off to an island where each one is strapped on with an explosive necklace. In three days, the students must kill each other until only one remains, or ALL of them die.
What made the original BR so great was the character interactions of the young students; cliques and seemingly in-control gangs of friends became free-for-all gunfights, lone geeks became cold killers, crushes killed crushes, evil bitches became evil killer bitches and more. Wonderful! It was also a kick figuring out who would survive to the end. The premise and the seemingly hopeless scenario pointed to a bleak end which was part of the movie's gripping pace.
And so, when I heard that BR was going to have a sequel, I was ecstatic. However, the second film seems to have had a jinx on it, primarily from the death of the original director. Mr. Fukasaku's son, Kenta, took over the chair, and the sequel, Battle Royale 2: Requiem, will be hitting Japanese theaters soon.

Unfortunately, I have read a report from Ain't It Cool News that a reliable source who has watched a sneak preview has given a pretty negative review. Given the lofty quality of the first film, I am not totally surprised, but I am disappointed. I still want to see the film for myself.
Anyway, Battle Royale 2 supposedly continues the story from the original. Shuya Nanahara, the survivor from the first movie, has become the leader of a terrorist group known as Wild Seven. After a particularly terrible act of destruction, Shuya's band gets targetted for liquidation. The government sends in a class of armed high school students from the BR Program to take Wild Seven out. Then, the government sends in the real army to finish anyone left standing. Will there be any survivors this time? Will the movie itself survive?

According to the reviewer, the film's use of drama and whimpering, crying kids is now tiresome, and characters are no longer as interesting as in the first film; everyone is a victim and the action and bloodshed comes out as cheezy, with a big scene seeming to be a rip-off of from Saving Private Ryan. There also seems to be an unhealthy amount of political agenda and philosophical gobbledy-goo. Yipe.

Whatever. Still need to see it for myself anyway... You can check out the BR2 article here.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle


The angels are back in a rock 'em, sock 'em sequel!

For a moment there, I thought I wasn't going to make it. There was a bit of a wrinkle at work which had me on my toes for a while. Thankfully though, just past 6:30 PM I was on a bus, and then the MRT, to Megamall for the premiere showing of Full Throttle. Having learned our lesson from the Hulk premiere, we trooped up to the cinema floor right after seven for the 7:30 show. Unfortunately we had to wait quite a bit in line and then at our seats... but at least this time we were together and we HAD seats. Too bad Carl wasn't able to come, and Vin missed part of the show. Well, we spent at least a half hour listening to commercials (including one for a contact lens brand that had wrong grammar), eating salty popcorn and guzzling down root beer from my Full Throttle tumbler.
Thankfully, there was no program, no giving away of crappy prizes, or inane deejays with fake English accents. The national anthem rolled, and we were into the trailers, and into the movie.

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a sequel to the original Charlie's Angels movie starring Drew Barrymore as spunky bad girl Dylan (who is also the movie's producer), Cameron Diaz as the ditzy genius Natalie and Lucy Liu as the brainy ultracompetent Alex. The three of them are the present Charlie's Angels, a team of superhumanly-strong, agile and talented female investigators/martial artists/secret agents working for a mysterious, never-seen billionaire.
This time around, the Angels are on a mission involving the theft of two titanium rings which contain encrypted data of a very sensitive nature. Aided by a new Bosley (a liaison officer between them and Charlie) played by comedian Bernie Mac, the Angels go on a whirlwind of infiltration, recovery, surveillance and protection missions which involve a murderous Irish mobster named Seamus, (who has ties to Dylan's past), crooked law enforcers, various criminal families and a former Angel named Madison Lee (played to the steamy hilt by the bikini-clad goddess herself, Miss Demi Moore).
The first Charlie's Angels movie was an over-the-top action movie that really didn't take itself too seriously. The martial arts action was cartoony but unabashedly fun, and the girls' skills and talents (you could almost call them POWERS) were so ultracompetent it was almost silly. In Full Throttle however, everything gets REVVED up to eleven.
That pretty much means that the movie walks (no, cartwheels is a better word) a fine line between total madcap humor and a thinly-veiled self-parody. There are lots of homages, notably a hilarious bow to the hit TV series CSI, Flashdance, Terminator 2, Michael Bay films and tons more. The girls' dialogue (which is quite silly but inexplicably enjoyable) is now more overtly comedic, fast and furious, and the action is even more over the top. Aside from your usual martial arts battles with brutish thugs there are motorcycle assassinations, sexy surfboarding, steamy dance numbers, classic tunes, countless fetish outfits, totally unexpected cameos and some quite vicious babefights.

What makes it all work is the fever-pitch pace that the action and setpieces roar on, with few but well-placed pauses and breathers (which I used to effect since I unwisely had two full tumblers of soda). While the first movie kinda slowed in between the pivotal fight and action scenes, Full Throttle throws action, snappy dialogue, lots of hit-and-miss jokes, sexual innuendo, fan service and more action at you so fast you just have to gasp, hang on and enjoy the ride. Of course, Oscar performances aren't really being looked for in this film, but I have to say the frenetic energy of the cast is pretty infectious and they do seem to be having fun. Have to give special mention to Justin Theroux's Seamus (he looks like a bad-ass, pumped-up Jim Carrey!) as Dylan's seemingly unkillable and evil former flame, Crispin Glover's recurring Thin Man assassin (one of the favorites from the first film) and Demi Moore's bad-ass Fallen Angel End Boss character.

Any flaws? Well, one thing I have to say is that the print of the film shown seemed kinda off and blurry (not really THAT bad, but noticeable). Another thing is that the Angels often have not-too-telegenic angles; despite this, you just have to love how the three leads just give their performances their all. The only other iffy thing is how steamy some of the sequences are, which kinda make me squirm in the same vein as some racy anime do when I watch them WITH other people...

But in effect, that IS what Full Throttle is; a live-action anime movie and a sign that the Charlie's Angels crew has gotten a lot more comfortable in the Hong Kong cheezy kung-fu genre that they are tapping into. Which pretty much results in a loud, crass, funny, silly and thoroughly enjoyable laugh and kick a minute movie.

Watch it! And bring your friends!

Want this on DVD. And hope there are deleted scenes with Demi Moore in that bikini... Heh...

Some Extras:

This just in... Look for cameos by Carrie Fisher and an original Angel.

Useless Trivia: One of Demi Moore's goons is played by a guy named Charles Townsend. (Heh) Extreme sports stars Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael, Carey Hart and real-life OIympic gymnastic coach Bela Karolyl appear as themselves in the movie.

Rage of Angels

Tonight, if all goes well, the gang will be watching the premiere of the new Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. This sequel reunites the three female leads from the first babefest; Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz. Bill Murray has ditched the production, so the role of Bosley has been filled up by comedian Bernie Mac. Also returning are Matt LeBlanc as Lucy Liu's love interest and Crispin Glover, who will apparently reprise his role as 'The Thin Man', the seemingly mute and deadly hitman/enforcer from the first film. Oh, and of course, last but not least is the exceedingly gorgeous Demi Moore, who takes the lead baddie role of Madison, a Fallen Angel.
With luck, tonight will be a night of extreme stunts, martial arts wirework and CG magic, lots of explosions and a bikini-clad Ms. Moore. Yummy. Heh-heh.

Damn Good Eggs

I had to come in early today because I needed to have some concepts approved by my boss, who's leaving for a whole day meeting. Had to wake up early and hitch with my sister to work. Yawn. Anyway, one of the pleasures of going to work early is breakfast at McDonald's. Yep, the hamburgers may taste bland compared to other local burger chains, but McDo's breakfast chow is TOPS. My total favorite is their Big Breakfast meal, which consists of course of a savoury sausage patty, a couple of soft muffins and fluffy, soft, mild-flavored scrambled eggs... which are bar none the best scrambled eggs I know. Mmmmm. Heh.

Another Grudge

The first Juon (Translated as "The Grudge") was a VERY creepy Japanese horror film in the vein of Ringu that we posted about months ago. Juon was about a haunted house with several really spine-chilling and freaky sights, and watching the first movie's trailer made my office reverberate with screams from the women who saw it. Heh.
Anyway, Juon is destined for a Hollywood remake like Ringu. But while that's still in the making, the sequel, Juon 2, is set to hit Japan this August. It looks like the spirits are back... Click here to see the new creepy trailer...

The Future of Harry Potter (Possible Spoiler)

After the seven or so years at Hogwarts, will the saga of The Boy Who Lived end? Not so, it seems. There will be a series of books chronicling Harry's years after he graduates as a full-fledged wizard and faces his lifelong-nemesis, Voldemort.

Spoiler!

The books will focus on an older Harry returning to Hogwarts as a teacher for the Defense Against Dark Arts, and on the various lives and interactions of his class, which consists of various interesting personalities and characters. The tone of this sequel series will be lighter and more comedic than the original books. According to sources, the series will be entitled, Welcome Back, Potter.

End of Spoiler.
...

Moving on... Moving on...

International Heroes


"Mahbuhay! My name is Angel Ace and I'm from the Fiesta Islands known as THE PHILIPPINES!"

A webpage called International Heroes was brought to my attention by Carl over the weekend. It's a database-style webpage which is putting together comic book characters and titles from all over the world. Aside from the US and Canada, the countries featured include India, China, Australia, Japan, Italy, France, The UK and more. It looks pretty new and recent, but since it includes my very own Angel Ace, I can't complain. Heh. Anyway, if you wanna see what kind of superheroes the Aussies or the Indians have, go and visit the site here.

Imprisoned



Instead of continuing my paladin's adventures in Baldur's Gate II, inking comic book pages or ogling bikini-clad babes lolling around at a poolside, I spent the day locked up in the cold silence of the Sanctum, reading Harry Potter: The Prisoner of Azkaban. I have to say, this third book in the series is so far the best; I've read the first book and watched the second movie (which is pretty close to the second book, I've heard).
I literally could not put it down as I read the gripping storyline chronicling Mr. Potter's third year of adventures at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. New characters like the sinisterly-named Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, an intense, well-paced storyline mixing suspense, revelations about Harry's past and a great ending made this a thoroughly enjoyable read. Gasp... does this make me a Potterhead? Well, I won't be replacing my manga projects with Harry Potter fanfics anytime soon, at least. Heh. Anyway, I will probably be lurking around bookstores within the week for a copy of the next book, Goblet of Fire. Which means I will be probably getting myself a copy of Order of the Pheonix very soon...

Expecto Patronum!

Potty Training

I don't consider myself a Harry Potter fan, though I did attempt to get the books a year or two ago. I bought and read the first one, then bought the second one, which was promptly borrowed by a friend but never returned. I have seen the movies though (Not horrible, not incredible but good) and the general consensus is that the second volume of the Potter series isn't too hot. Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire are supposed to be a lot better, and with the excitement over the release of the latest book, Order of the Pheonix, I am intrigued. I am actually considering getting myself the Potter library en masse, so I don't feel out of the loop when the Potties (Vin and Gig, I think) start talking about the latest Hogwarts Hullaballoo.

If I have cash left over after my Greenhills forays, we'll see...

Weekend Odds and Ends and an Odd Ending...

Watched the last two episodes of the Charlie's Angels animated shorts online. The whole series is really pretty comical and ridiculously over the top and Saturday cartoon-simple... imagine my surprise to realize that instead of being just based on the movies, the cartoons are an actual, literal prequel to the movie. Yep, the last episode of the Animated Angels ends hanging with a 'To Be Continued in Theaters Everywhere' message. Those crappy cartoons are actually directly linked to the Full Throttle movie! This does not bode well... is the movie as cartoony as the prequel?! AAGH!

Anyway, I was also able to finish the requirement for our group's little writing workshop. I can enter the weekend with the prospect of inking pages for Angel Ace, starting the "Buffy" project, getting some much-needed oversleeping and a trip to Greenhills. Still intend to keep spending down though. I've actually collected a huge pile of comics that have as yet gone unread: Marvel's The Ultimate Avengers 1st TPB and all the 2nd story arc issues, about ten or so issues of Elektra, the latest Blade of the Immortal, the 3-issue New X-Men 'Murder at the Mansion' story, The Thundercats Return limited series, Powers: Supergroup TPB, the first two issues of Demonslayer: An Eye for an Eye and the first Chobits Graphic Novel. Whew! Gotta start reading these goodies soon... If I can tear myself away from Baldur's Gate II, that is...

At long last, a Food Post

Had a late lunch at The Green Tomato, the resident pasta place here at the office. They ran out of my favorite Sausage Special (you get a pasta dish of your choice with a BIG German sausage on the side), so I opted for the Pizza combo. I ordered my usual Bolognese, and was pleased to get it with Heaps of meat sauce. YUM. It was so savoury and filling that I just had to stroll over to the nearby Favorito ice cream stand and get some dessert. Strawberry. Mmmm.

Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn

I rediscovered this RPG gaming gem and reinstalled it onto my new HD recently. Ever since I have been playing it nightly, sallying forth in various quests and battles to find my destiny in the AD&D world of the Forgotten Realms. Haven't finished this actually, and I am really set on finally completing the game and then moving onto the expansion set, Throne of Bhaal, afterwards. I have to say BG2 is probably the closest to being the perfect D&D party-type non-anime based RPG game there is. Playing this game is bliss. And a bane to my comic book projects' completion... Argh...

Hulk Smashed!

Ang Lee's Hulk is the latest Marvel Comics' movie adaptation, and I had the displeasure of watching it with the gang (sans Dean and Gig, who opted to enjoy each other and family instead). From the get-go I really don't care about the title, the comic or the character. This film interpretation by the acclaimed director of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon doesn't help my dislike any.
The Hulk as a character is slow and ponderous, big and bulky, but capable of awesome action and destruction when angered. That pretty much sums up this movie. It's SLOW-paced to the extreme. While other Marvel movies can't wait to get their 'power origin' plot points over and done with, Hulk wallows in agonizingly LONG, brooding, quiet and utterly BORING build-ups and establishing scenes that never do pay off. The script takes tons of liberties with the source material's simpler and less baggage-filled start to the Hulk's rampage, heaping on a dark, sinister father figure named David Banner (Nick Nolte, whose scratchy voice grates immensely) who is the source of all of his son's torment later in life. Bruce (played blankly by Eric Bana) gets a new name and life as a scientist and boyfriend to gorgeous Betty Ross (played by a Demi Moore-esque Jennifer Connelly, she of the incredible bangs). Unfortunately, thanks to a lab accident with gamma rays, Bruce's hidden assets are unleashed in the form of a green giant (no, not Shrek) whose immense strength gives way to some impressive but ultimately bloodless destruction. Of course, monsters attract the military, led by a driven General Ross (Sam Elliot). Lots of carnage ensues.

The good points in Hulk are things I thought would be liabilities; the CG is excellent and much improved over footage in earlier trailers. The action is vicious, kinetic and true to the comics, with sights of the green goliath jumping miles in a single bound, battling tanks and helicopters, and failing to bust out of his purple pants. However, these sporadic moments of glorious violence can only be reached after seemingly endless amounts of overlong drama, a repressed-memory mystery that is ultimately underwhelming, and a plot that never seems to come together well enough.
The boring pace is exacerbated profusely by the truly ridiculous "comic book" style transitions, and the penchant for the screen to break up into 'split screens' to emulate comics. There's a reason why this works in graphic novels, and why movies should NOT do it. IT SUCKS. It looks stupid, and hurts the eyes. And the gimmick just doesn't jive in such a plodding movie.
Not even the presence of The Absorbing Man as an end villain can save this one. Without a doubt my least favored of all the recent Marvel Movies. Boring.

Oh, and Hulk also probably has the most blatant Stan Lee cameo so far. So blatant it's sickening. Oh well. Gimme X3. Anything. Please.

Post-Birthday Splurge

Well, not really. I've been treating people out all weekend that I thought I'd spend some money on myself. Got some trashy R-rated DVDs at Greenhills (which I rediscovered), plus the Warlands: Age of Ice TPB at Comic Quest. Vinnie also gave me a couple of comics including a Spyboy issue (Thanks, Vinnie!). I think though that my self-gifting includes the new Hard Drive and memory upgrade for my PC. Nowhere near as extravagant as a new gaming console (and with no new consoles in sight, I won't be spending any big amounts soon).
It's been an exhausting weekend. Gotta savour the last day and take a rest today. Work starts again in the week. Oh well. Another year lies before us. More jobs, more comics, more life. What else can we ask for? Heh.

Snippets on The Two Towers Extended Edition DVD...

As with the first Extended LOTR DVD Set, The next extra-long version of the sequel The Two Towers will have new stuff that threshes out the story even more. This time, there will be 43 minutes of new footage added (compared to Fellowship's 30 or so). The new scenes will include a lengthy scene where Gondorian captain Faramir discovers the body of his brother Boromir (Sean Bean returns!), and a flashback which shows the brothers' complex relationship between themselves and their father, Lord Denethor (the steward of Gondor). Apparently, these scenes were intended for showing first in The Return of the King before.
Other scenes include the events that led to Theodred's death, more Ents, a scene involving some bad cooking by Eowyn (Yipe) and an Ent draught that makes Merry and Pippin grow a little taller.

Sounds great. The extended dvd set of The Two Towers is set for release along the same time as The Return of the King hits theaters at the end of the year. The regular theatrical cut DVD of TTT will hit stores in August. THis is gonna be good. Heh.

MORE GIRLS! MORE! MORE!


Introducing the Beach Blossoms!


Tomboy Ray shows off her beach babe body.

Meet my latest characters! They're the Beach Blossoms, a beach volleyball team that has a penchant for getting into weird, often dangerous mysteries. And they're the heroines of another story I am currently working on for ANOTHER manga anthology. The four are, from left to right, Sporty Amazon Jo, smart and sassy Claire, Cute ditz Gwen and silent loner Ray. I'm going to be working on the script for this over the weekend. Stay tuned for this DOAX-inspired story in the weeks ahead...

DAMN. I'm getting old.

On this very day, an infant named Marco Antonio de Guzman Dimaano was brought into the world. It's been quite some time since then. Whoa.

What am I today? Am I all that I can be? Nope. Nowhere close, but then again, who is? I've got some talent. A circle of friends I value and who value me. A family I'd be a part of even into Kingdom Come. A good job. Freedom. A new 80 Gig Hard Drive. Heh.
Life could always be better, but I am glad to be here. And I hope to be here for at least 30 years more. At least. Damn. Will Blogs be still here in 30 years? Far out.

I'll be spending the day (which is a special non-working holiday) at home, with the family, and with college friends. On Saturday I'll be with the Comic Quest gang for some good eats and chit-chat till the wee hours of the morning. I've already gifted myself with my PC upgrades, but if I have some money left over after all the wining and dining, I think a trip to Greenhills is in order. Heh.

Bloodletting

Got myself the latest issue of Blade of the Immortal (one of my few really regular titles) and a one-shot Noble Causes: Extended Family. The latter one intrigued me with the art... but since Dean and Nikki like it, the story must be good as well. Kept myself from getting the latest How to Draw a Manga Girl's Life and the latest PSM (Playstation Magazine); though I may get the mag eventually. Got a script for another comic project I will be illustrating; it's a Buffy-type story. Gotta start finding references for Goth girls...

Buy Only Original...

From some snippets I gathered elsewhere...

Someone who bought the original Animatrix DVD (Region 3, probably) commented that the special feature on anime with Japanese dialogue did NOT have subtitles. However, the bootleg dvd HAS subtitles.

Another friend bought the original Animatrix VCD, and was aghast to find part of it DEFECTIVE and unplayable.

The bootleg versions though, play perfectly.

Ironic, isn't it...

DOAXXX-posed!


See the DOA girls in a whole new way...

It's finally happened. Not a hoax, not a joke. A nude version of the sexy, best-selling Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball exists and is starting to surface in some Asian countries. This game, known as DOAXXX, is a cracked version of DOAX which includes a fully operational nude patch, a money cheat which sets the prices of almost all the purchasable items in the game to about 1 Zack (Dollar) each, and the ability to view the various 'Gravure' movies (animations of the girls posing or lounging around the beach) in slow motion (of course, while nude).
This disc is, obviously, not supported or distributed at all by DOA's creators and publishers, Tecmo of Japan. In fact, the company has repeatedly sent out statements that they would pursue any such attempt to sell or distribute any such material that violates their product to the full extent of the law. Well, the nude cheat is here; anyone with a modded Xbox in Asia can probably get their hands on it if they know where to look. US and European gamers are on their own for now...

Heh. Ten years ago, we didn't care about nude codes (Pac Man and Mario aren't too hot in the buff), but these days... Wooh. You just gotta love these hackers and crackers. Heh.

Casting pebbles down a deep well...

... that's what it was like as I was installing programs last night on my new HD. I installed Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, Neverwinter Nights, Age of Mythology and Macromedia Freehand. After all that, I still had over 65 Gigabytes of space unused. More... MORE... (Agent Smith voice). Maybe I should install Baldur's Gate 2, Icewind Dale 2 and Starcraft while I'm at it. Heh-heh...
I'm going out for lunch in a while, and on the way I should look for a copy of Adobe Photoshop and additional RAM to boost up my present 128MB to 256 or more. Gotta have brains to go with the brawn, of course.

BELOW Expectations

Yesterday, after me and my friend Pot came home from Greenhills (where I bought my new Hard Drive and NO ANIME or GAMES), we plopped into the Sanctum to chill. As I was backing up all my data and files, he looked over my DVD library for stuff to watch. He eventually settled on Below, which was supposedly a very scary ghost movie set in a submarine during World War II. I hadn't watched the film yet, even though I had bought the DVD at least two months ago. Heh. That's why I like having guests in the Sanctum... they get me to watch and play stuff I usually don't have the initiative to. Weird, eh?
Anyway, in between watching my CD burner scorch away, we watched Below. Almost immediately Pot (who is something of a War movie buff) pointed out tons of inconsistencies in the production; like well-lit, wide corridors, push-button controls and a modern-looking console on what was supposed to be a World War II submarine. And a definite absence of any feeling of the crampness and claustrophobic atmosphere in such a setting. That pretty much killed the film for him, but we kept on watching it.
The film is also guilty of the horror/suspense film cop-out strategy of using shock tactics to jolt and scare- you know the type; establish a feeling of dread, then let it subside, then while your audience is inhaling again something HAPPENS or someone JUMPS OUT or APPEARS. This made us start a couple of times, but eventually it became so predictable we actually could tell when a "scare" was coming.

As for the story itself, when we finally found out what the hell was going on, it underwhelmed us. Below is strictly TV movie material. As for the cast, I can't remember any of them; except that the one female looked kinda like Saffron Burrows and had an english accent, which I find quite sexy. And Pot pointed out one of the guys was from Felicity. Whatever. From the reviews I had read, Below was supposed to be a cool, scary and atmospheric thriller and ghost story. Apart from some creepy moments at the start and some chilling but funny touches, this is a below par scary movie. Anyway, the saddest part is that after we turned off the DVD player, we saw that we had just missed seeing the MTV Spring Break Special. We gave up an hour or so of gorgeous bikini babes for a bad horror movie. Now THAT is scary. Sigh.

Around the World in 80 Gigabytes

I've succeeded in quashing the pop-up problem via a sweeping, long-term investment and solution. Over the weekend I decided to finally get a new Hard Drive for disk space, replacing my two or so-year old 10G HD with a brand-spanking new 80G Monster. NOW I can stretch! No more need to uninstall and reinstall programs since I've got space to burn and more. Last night my brother helped me put in the new HD, and early into this morning I was installing staple programs and data like crazy. I've been living with the cramped 10G's for all this time, the prospect of having so much room now floors me. Wanna install games like Diablo 2, Age of Empires, Age of Mythology and Neverwinter Nights just to have them there. Just because I CAN. Sad, right? Heh.
Anyway, it will probably take a day or two to make my new HD comfy, and this time I am taking precautions and extra security to prevent the resurgence of the POP-UP Menace. Then it's back to making art and comics and blogging like there's no tomorrow... The funny thing is, I was thinking of buying a mountain bike or something... some things just work out different from how we see them early on. But I'm not complaining. This is bliss.

POP-UP WAR ongoing...

Fricking pop-ups are as irritating and as persistent as those ants in my scanner months and months ago. I asked my more net-savvy friends Dean and Jason, and they told me that I probably downloaded some devilish thing that has exposed me to these NIGHTMARES from the net. Anyway, I have downloaded Ad-Aware to get rid of any spyware in my system. It has not totally taken out the problem, but I have eliminated quite a lot of scummy stuff in my registry, and it seems to have slowed the crisis to the point that I can now surf at least. DAMN pop-ups. DAMN you all to HELL!!!!

ATTACK OF THE POP-UPS

DAAAAMMMNNN!!!!

Today I started surfing to find my business being totally interrupted and disrupted by a couple of totally EVIL pop-ups. These things appear, resist being closed and then replicate themselves again and again!! GOD DAMN THESE THINGS!!! One pop-up is from FRICKING BONZI BUDDY, a stupid-looking ape/gorilla thing that is trying to force me to make it my browser buddy. The other crapper is a window wanting me to apply for work in CANADA. It is an advertising pop-up by the CANADIAN NATURALIZATION and IMMIGRATION service and it is FUCKING UP my surfing! I DON'T WANNA GO TO SARS CANADA!!!

MY GOD this isINFURIATING!!! My computer keeps crashing and all kinds of HELL is happening because of these PRICKS!!!!

Can someone tell me what is going ON?!

Evil sequel

The sequel to the game-based survival action movie Resident Evil is still lurching along like a brain-hungry zombie. Milla Jovovich returns (hopefully still naked except for a white lab coat) as Alice, the heroine from the first film. Joining her will be some characters from the actual RE game, in particular original RE femme fatale Jill Valentine. What is surprising is that the 'Master of Unlocking' will be a central character in the story. Just who will play as Miss Valentine is still under wraps; rumor has it that Famke Jansen (Jean Grey from X2) and Allyson Hannigan (Buffy's Willow) are in the running. According to news reports, two more RE game characters will also appear, though details are yet scarce- the names Chris Redfield and Albert Wesker (RE's original game hero and villain, respectively) are being thrown around. Looks like they're really linking both the film and the game this time around.
Anyway with the first movie being a relatively decent adaptation of the game and a pretty good action flick (having a near-naked Milla doesn't hurt either) I am actually excited at the prospect of this follow up. We expect Resident Evil: Apocalypse (formerly Resident Evil: Nemesis) to infect theaters by the end of the year or next year.

Hainaku Cover Art


Alpha and KC: Cover Girls!

Here's the artwork I made that will be seeing print as the cover for the third issue of Hainaku!, a local manga anthology published by Psicom Publishing.
KC Strange, Occult Investigator is written by Nikki Alfar, art by yours truly. In this second outing, spunky KC takes on a baffling case involving lycanthropes, posh society clubs and waking up in compromising situations.
Game Girl stars a beautiful female android/computer program who can transform into any of a hundred and one videogame heroines. She's named Alpha and she's a hundred femme fatales in one. The fun starts when you turn her ON. Game Girl was created and written by yours truly, with art by Honoel Ibardolaza.

Look for these babes on magazine stands, bookstores and your favorite comic shops in the next few weeks.

Winning Streak

During the closing hours of the day, I suddenly had a cool winning streak of nice things. First, an uncomfortable situation at the office has apparently been resolved. Second, an artwork I made has been approved for use in an upcoming comic anthology! And finally, when I checked my bank account, a certain amount that was debitted by mistake was apparently re-credited to me! WOW!
I thought that the good stuff might suddenly end so I decided to call it a day. Wouldn't you know it? My winning streak DID end... the new comics stocks at Comic Quest scheduled for today were delayed till tomorrow. Oh well, you can't win them all... Anyway, I took home several issues of Ultimate Avengers, since the art and action really impressed me. Why didn't I see this before? Hey, my luck's picking up again...

IT'S A RAID!

Yesterday I went over to one of the demilitarized zones where you can get pirated dvds and stuff. I was looking over titles in one stand, seeing with delight several Asian films like the Korean Nowhere to Run, the Japanese Samurai III (with Toshiro Mifune) and the recent Hong Kong release Double Vision. I selected several copies to purchase; The Animatrix, Double Vision and Nowhere to Run. I was in the process of looking at The Returner (an Asian Matrix-ish sci-fi film) when suddenly the sellers began packing up their stuff in a rush. Apparently a raid was imminent, so they were hightailing it out of there. Anyway, instead of taking the discs I had, the seller told me to hang onto them. Not wanting to get caught in some bust, I walked away for a bit, trying not to look too conspicuous with three dvds under my arm without a bag.
When I eventually got back after buying some blank CDRs (both to get a plastic bag and because I really needed CDRs) the sellers were nowhere around. Oh well. Time to go.
For the record, I am fully prepared to pay the sellers when I get back there and they recognize me... I remember Dean telling a similar event that happened to him or a friend of his in Hong Kong. Wow. That stuff really happens. Heh.

X-Play Xposed!

Just when I had resigned myself to going back to the NOW Channel for my TV gaming fixes, Tech TV’s X-Play, the ‘super-charged’ update of the channel's now defunct Extended Play, finally debuted on my cable service. Fortunately, the show retains pretty much all the stuff I loved from before. It’s still all about reviews, news and previews of the hottest games. Resident gaming geek and funny man Adam Sessler is still on board as the host and the ratings still come on a scale of 1 to 5.
The new stuff comes in the form of better production values, though that probably is more for the show’s cast instead of to the viewers. Apparently the show has finally proven it’s worth to deserve a proper set (instead of just shooting segments on location at various arcades) complete with a camera crew. Instead of just appearing in bookend segments, Sessler and his new co-host (the pretty Morgan Webb from another Tech TV show, The Screensavers) show up in between segments with some spiels and ripostes- it’s the first show so the gags fall flat often, but nothing horrible. Heh. There was also a funny segment showing Sessler joining a SWAT Training/war game session with the makers of the Rainbow Six games.
Anyway, it seems that there are fewer game reviews but they are longer and more in-depth; and they don’t seem to hold back much with their comments. Tao Feng for the Xbox got an average score and quite a lot of scathing comments and pretty funny comparisons to Chinese fast food and liquor (all true… I believe the review having the game myself).

With X-Play still ongoing and shows coming everyday, I am back to being happy as a clam with gaming news on TV. It’s about time too… those Extended Play re-runs were really getting on my nerves.

Game Girl by HAI!


Alpha can transform into any female videogame heroine.


Jace Pixel is the lucky gamer geek who becomes her 'controller'.


Crash and D-Lete are Game Girl's baddies. Who are they working for?

The debut of Game Girl will be appearing as part of the next issue of HAINAKU, a local manga anthology from Psicom Publishing. Art by Honoel Ibardolaza, story by yours truly. Look for it in comic shops and bookstores soon!

So that's how it feels...

... to see something you wrote brought to life by a talented artist. I finally experienced this when I saw the finished pages of Game Girl by Homanga artist Honoel Ibardolaza. Honoel's detailed manga art style is funny, cute and entertaining, with wonderful panelling and expressions. I'll be posting samples of Honoel's wonderful rendition of Game Girl as soon as I can upload some images to my server (probably late tonight).
Game Girl is about the adventures of Alpha, a beautiful electronic life form/android who has gained the power of a hundred and one female videogame characters. The fun starts when you turn her ON. Heh.
Like KC Strange: Strange Bedfellows, the first-ever appearance of Alpha AKA Game Girl will be appearing as a 12-page story in the upcoming issue of HAINAKU, from Psicom Publishing. Stay tuned for that. WOOHOO!

This is great. Maybe I should just concentrate on writing and leave the art chores to other people... heh-heh... Nah.

KC Strange: CASE CLOSED


KC Strange: Strange Bedfellows is ready for publication.

It took me the whole day, and despite a thoroughly uncooperative mouse, a persistent funky smell from the ceiling, having to go without airconditioning, a hundred and one tempting DVDs (including a pirate copy of The Animatrix my brother let me borrow), comics and games and an extremely inviting bed, I was able to FINISH finally the KC Strange story. I am pretty happy since I was able to give the thing the whole shading and rendering treatment I gave ISAW At Iba Pa's Sampaguita Girl a year or two ago, which was the last FAST BREAK comic project I embarked on. I guess I still have it. Heh.
Still have a 5-page thing to do for this same publication though, but the main objective has been done. WOOHOO! This calls for a celebration. I'll have lunch somewhere neat later.

KC Strange: Strange Bedfellows is a 12-page story written by Nikki Alfar, art by yours truly. In it, titular heroine and occult investigator KC takes on a case involving shapeshifters, shifty social clubs and waking up in extremely compromising situations. This story is slated to come out in HAINAKU, a manga comics anthology by Psicom Publishing (Textmen). Look for it in the weeks or so to come!

Quitting Cold Turkey

In order to finish some comic projects and obligations, save money and raise funds for Angel Ace Next's release, I am resolving to... to... to cut down on expenses. AAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!

This means, starting tomorrow and for the next several paydays, no Greenhills forays. No DVD or gaming splurges. No more expensive, frivolous impulse buying (But... doesn't that negate the principles of this blog?!). I'll keep expenses to a minimum; though I do have to make exceptions for CQ bloodletting, particularly the upcoming Animatrix DVD and that Powers: Supergroup TPB I wanted last night but couldn't get because the darn ATM machines were on the fritz (and debitted money without giving me the cash, at that!).
If I can save up most of my money for the next few weeks, I can have the funds to publish Angel Ace Next, as well as the finished pages themselves to publish. Can't lose in that arrangement, right? Sigh. This is going to be tough. Maybe I should tie myself to the mast like Ulysses in Homer's Odyssey when he passed by the sirens. Except the sanctum has no mast. DAMN. Gotta get a mast.

Discovering Meridian

I finally got to read the travel-sized trade paperback of Meridian from Crossgen comics. I bought the thing weeks and weeks ago, and I only now got an opportunity to actually look inside. Funny that it happened in a taxi in heavy traffic. Heh.
Anyway, the story of young Sephie in her world of treacherous uncles, floating islands and ships and powerful sigils bears many elements similar to another favorite of mine, Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaa (flying craft, flying heroine, semi-midieval setting, political intrigue). The character of Sephie herself reminds me of my own character, Angel Ace, in that she is very innocent but daring, brave and capable, and possessed of awesome powers she doesn't fully understand. Ilahn on the other hand is a good villain, not entirely evil but very, very dangerous. I have to say that the rest of the cast is still of no consequence at this point, and I can only recall Jad, Sephie's boyfriend, among the multitude of Meridian rebels.
As for the art, it's quite rough and unspectacular at the start, though progressively getting better. I've seen later issues so I know the comic will indeed look awesome eventually. I find it kinda comforting that even these high-profile titles go through awkward growing pains. Heh.

Nice story. Should pick up succeeding trades when they appear. Should always have good fuel to power my own creative fires.

Death and Taxis

I got up late today, and so in order to get to the office earlier (and to get there more comfortably) I rode a taxi. BIG mistake. Nay, let me rephrase... costly mistake. Thanks to the fricking traffic, the meter racked about a hundred pesos just getting me to EDSA. That's less than halfway. AAAARRRGHHH!!!
Well to lessen the injury I got off at Santolan near Camp Crame and decided to go the rest of the way on a far cheaper bus. I was late enough as it is... better to not be poorer than I needed to be. Before I got on my next ride I had a little light meal of some squid balls and gulaman... which unfortunately is nowhere near as delicious as my usual fare at the Farmer's Plaza MRT terminal. Oh well. Anyway, I have good stuff to show later tonight at Comic Quest, where I expect some blood to be spilled as the new comics will hopefully arrive (Eh, VIN?). Grey day like yesterday, minus biting rain. I like it. Heh.

Grey Day

It's a stormy, rainy, gray-cloaked Wednesday. I got up at 7AM and since there are things to do at the office I had to resist the urge to just cover up and sleep because it is STILL raining cats and dogs outside. Luckily I was able to hitch a ride with my sister to work, so I was spared the inconvenience of riding a full MRT or bus through pouring rain. On the way it was all the same; heavy rain and gusts of wind. On the radio, a very late announcement by Malacanang came informing all that government employees did not have work today on account of the storm- cold comfort to the thousands already in transit or at the office.
As for me and the throngs of privately-employed workers, work is dictated by load and by supervisor; basically for us, as long as you have something that demands your attention, unless the apocalypse is occuring outside your window... you have to work. Heh. Well, actually it's not that bad but just the same I envy government people. Oh well.
Hopefully after my obligations here I can slink away back home as soon as I can. Of course I will probably pass by Comic Quest later, if only to submit my pages for our group's little comic book project. Didn't see anything particularly inviting in the week's comics to shed blood for. Just want to go home and sleep... and get warm. Warm. That sounds good...

Coming Storm...

No, I'm not talking about the present conflargation in our atmosphere. I actually like the damp, cool air; the pitter-patter and steady swish of rain; the cloudy curtain of grey... I'm talking about the stuff at work I have to catch up on tomorrow. Work goes on despite the storm and the fact that the office sent the staff home early in the afternoon. Have to get in early tomorrow to finish some copy sheets and jobs that have to be presented tomorrow. Sigh.

The Return of the Cat 2 Resolved (I Smell A Rat!)

After bearing a night of dead air, I finally was able to inform my mom about the stink in the ceiling. Luckily we found someone who could go up into our roof and see what's stinking. It turned out to be a big, dead RAT. Funny that cats and rats smell pretty much the same, though fortunately for me this time around, it hadn't yet reached the charnal proportions of last year's feline fetidness. After the man took out the rat, he scrubbed the spot with cleanser. On my end, I opened the windows, had the fan on full blast and lighted several sticks and cones of incense. BEGONE, Foul spirits... BEGONE!!!
Next I'll have to have my sheets and pillowcases changed. And maybe take a bath later. I'm just glad it's over... for now...

The Return of the Cat (Or, Stink of Dead Cat 2)

No, I am NOT talking about the latest Miyazaki animated feature of the same name... though I wish I was. Longtime readers of SRM will probably remember The Stink of Dead Cat that once permeated my room from the ceiling. To refresh all our memories, last year, a big old cat crawled inside my house's roof and just DIED near my room. The result? After a while the STUPID cat's body began to rot, and the smell slithered down into my sanctum. GAAAAHHH!!!
Well, that telltale stink is back. This happened after a few nights of scuffling sounds from the ceiling. Without a doubt the noise was made by cats; now WHY is there a stink again? Did some old cat crawl up and die there again? Why the HELL are these stupid beasts making my ceiling a graveyard??? It's insane! Are they drawn by the smell of that first dead cat? Is there something I don't know? Is my ceiling an ancient cat tribe's burial ground? BAH!
Now I have to convince my mom (who has no sense of smell) to get someone to climb up and remove the fricking corpse. And hopefully bar up the entrance. Damn, there it is again. GOD that reeks. Tomorrow can't come soon enough...

DVD Picks

There are a couple of cool DVDs I want to pick up soon. One is The Animatrix, the compilation of anime short films based on the universe of The Matrix movies. There will be about 9 episodes at 10 or so minutes each, ranging from the Noir-ish Detective Story to the samurai swordfighting Program to the CG eye candy-rich Matrix Reloaded prequel, Final Flight of the Osiris. Special features on the DVD include commentaries, a 'Making of' feature and a History of Anime documentary.
The other disc I am intrigued in is Double Vision, a HK film starring HK actor Tony Leung and US character actor David Morse (who came out in films like The Green Mile and The Rock). Leung plays a burned-out detective who is investigating a series of baffling (supernaturally-laced) deaths; Morse plays the FBI profiler brought in to assist the investigation. Their probing soon puts them in collision course with a fanatical cult worshipping immortality and... demons. Can you say, creepy? Anyway, Double Vision was one of the films hyped on AXN (like So Close, Hero and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and I really want to see it.

Soon, very soon. The Animatrix should be available in June, while Double Vision should be on racks in a few days. Swell!

DeliveRAGE.

I am a veteran at having food delivered. I have to be, or I'd probably starve to death since I hate cooking and get these heavy cravings sometimes. The best food for takeout is pizza, IMO, though sometimes you want something else for variety. Well, recently on Sundays my mom would just order food since she's not in the mood to cook. Recently we've been trying the new delivery services of Jollibee and McDonald's near Katipunan.
Well, I have to say they SUCK.
Jollibee has the annoying penchant for taping the styrofoam packages so tightly and clumsily, you will need to have a cutter handy if you want to eat anytime soon after getting your food. Plus, you'll have to get used to the taste of scotch tape glue with your chow. AARGH!!! And I have to say that these restaurants seem to employ their most incompetent people on the phones. Jollibee Katipunan has consistently gotten orders wrong, with some items missing and undelivered. Often, we just shrug that off, but last night's order from McDonald's Katipunan really got me MAD.
My mom gave the order on the phone, and even repeated the order twice. We waited, and when the delivery finally came, we were missing one sandwich. MY SANDWICH.
Well, we called back and the fricking manager had the gall to say that we had to order the minimum order of 150 pesos if they were going to send another rider to our house. THEY WERE AT FAULT BECAUSE THEIR MORON OF A PHONE OPERATOR DIDN'T TAKE OUR ORDER CORRECTLY!!! AAAARRRGHH!

Now here is the worst part; my mom asked them to reconsider. The manager replied that they would 'call back' if they decided they could send a rider. No call came back for at least ten minutes.

I was steaming angry. I was hungry. An EVIL combination. I went on the phone and gave the degenerates my piece of mind. SO WHETHER I EAT OR GO HUNGRY IS DICTATED BY SOME SCHMUCK AT A FAST FOOD JOINT? DAMN!!!!

Well, whether it was for my threatening rant to report their ludicrous service or a matter of course, they eventually sent a rider with my sandwich, and I finally had my meal (after checking the sandwich for any foreign material, of course). Well, that was the first and LAST time we order from that crappy McDonald's branch at Katipunan. Until I find out they FIRE those IDIOTS from the staff. WIPE THEM OUT. ALL OF THEM. BAAAAHHHH!!!

We should have just ordered pizza. Pizza is nice.

Perfection is...

... a Dencio's feast of hot, crunchy and savoury sisig, wonderfully hot and sour sinigang na baboy, sinful crispy pata and enough garlic rice to accompany it all down to your palates in a satisfying melange. This the gang experienced at The Fort over the weekend thanks to our friend, Dino, who celebrated his Nth birthday. Thanks, Dino!

Staked through the Art


Nice character art, not-so-nice game.

I picked up a copy of Stake for the Xbox yesterday. The game is by Taiwanese company Gameness and Metro 3D, and looks on the surface like a Power Stone-type fighter; four players (human and/or CPU) are thrown into a multi-area arena loaded with traps, bombs and special items and the one to score the most kills wins at the end of a time limit wins. The storyline is pretty simple; The Stake Tournament invites the craziest fighters to battle their way for a cash reward. The character lineup has your staples; good-looking buff male fighters, a tomboyish buff female fighter, a conservatively-dressed female cutie, a half-naked hot babe, an old man, a hulking brute and a knight.
However, aside from having the same gameplay mechanics and several similar character designs, Stake is about as similar to Power Stone as Homo Habilis is to Homo Sapiens.
The graphics are clean, with nice hi-res characters and large stages with good detail and multiple levels. However, even with real-time lighting and nice shadow effects, the game hardly uses the Xbox's power to any great effect. If the characters looked half as good as DOA3, this game would work on looks alone, but as it is I've seen better Dreamcast games. Animation is limited, though kinda smooth; specials lack the flash you'd expect and are limited.
Sounds are horribly weak; limited and repetitive voices, droning music. Muting the TV helps though.
As for gameplay... ARGH. Attacking someone is a losing proposition, since it's pretty pointless to chase enemies (they move too fast). If you wait for them, they usually get the drop on you. For some reason, I can hit an enemy ten times and they hit me once, I die. EH? Combos seem to be non-existent, and moves extremely limited. The arenas are too big, and it is entirely possible for CPU characters to just get lost and stranded in one part of the arena. There are only two modes of play (single and multiplayer) and a USELESS Watch mode. Split screen play during multiplayer makes the view smaller, which is crappy. The camera is ludicrously limited; you can zoom in or out and elevate or lower the view, but you can't rotate around your character, which is WEIRD and makes gameplay even more frustrating.
I played this game and I couldn't progress at all. Can't tell if there are any bonuses or unlockables. The only good things in this game are the character art, which has a nice Capcom anime-ish style, the sexy gypsy/fortune teller Barty Beart (and her revealing alternate costumes) and the clean but unspectacular graphics. Everything else pretty much... SUCKS.

Keep away from this one if you value gameplay. Let me rephrase; If you want your game playable, keep away. This game is a big miSTAKE. Heh-heh.

Anime: Kiddy Grade


GOTT agent Eclair is cute, lively, sexy and awesomely powerful.

Despite the weird name, this new series from Gonzo Animation (Blue Submarine No. 6, Vandread, Hellsing) is not about kids or adventures in grade school. It is a futuristic action/drama series akin in many ways to the classic Dirty Pair, in that it's main characters are two lovely young (or at least young-looking) cybord babes working for a galactic peace organization. Taking the helm in the series are Eclair and Lumiere (how cute!), two agents of GOTT, or the Galactic Organization for Trade and Tariffs. GOTT is basically the 'good guys', doing everything from settling peace treaties to escorting VIPs from planet to planet.
Eclair is a sexy cyborg who apparently has been re-set (meaning rebuilt since she's been killed in action several times before) so many times that she acts like a young girl (despite having a very mature physique). Despite this, she's probably one of the most powerful members of GOTT's ES Section (a special powers division), given superior fighting skills and powers. Lumiere on the other hand is a silver-gray haired little girl who has the ability to hack into any system at will, for a multitude of effects.
As GOTT agents, Lumiere and Eclair basically head into dangerous missions independently, letting their super powers and GOTT's superior technology and resources do the talking. Along with the slick action and mecha, there's tons of cute girl images and quite a bit of fan service to spice things up. And of course, since it IS a Gonzo work, it resembles past series like Vandread and Samurai Girl in art style.
Though it looks cute and light with the bright colors and child-like characters, Kiddy Grade is apparently a very serious series, and it gets pretty dark as the series moves along. I am quite intrigued at this, given an intriguing article in the latest Newtype. Have to see what the fuss is all about. Anyway, as the latest Gonzo anime, I think I will enjoy this one. Recommended to mecha fans and enthusiasts of cute girls along with big guns, big mecha, fast starships and lots of hi-quality animation.

INCONCEIVABLE!!! Part Deux

I've already ranted about the DAMNABLE Dungeons and Dragons movie. Well, it seems that a great evil still lives within that thing since a SECOND movie in that series is being planned. GAH! The movie is apparently being dragged forward by Courtney Solomon, the same guy who made the first (it failed miserably due to horrible acting, a moronic script and bad production values) who coincidentally hasn't made another film since that one (resting on our laurels, aren't we?). Somehow, he managed to get producer Joel Silver to put this evil plot back in motion. Perhaps he used a Charm Person spell?
Anyway, no word if any of the incompetent cast and characters from the original are returning. I say, burn ALL the ties to the original and get a decent script from any of the hundreds of great novels, worlds, heroes and legends from the D&D franchise. Or at LEAST get something from a good game module. Anything is better than the troll crap goblin vomit orc shit that was the original D&D film. I have seen stains on toilet paper that made more sense than the script of that hellish first movie. BAAAHHH!!!!!

Haah. Rant over. Moving on.

Too much Spaghetti.

Yesterday, I had a Spaghetti Bolognese dish for lunch at The Green Tomato in my office's cafeteria.

Last night, I had Spaghetti Bolognese at Salsa Rossa.

Today, I just had lunch at home. It was mom's spaghetti with meat sauce. In other words, Spaghetti Bolognese.

Yesss....

Gotta getah a-something else-ah before-ah I-ah start-ah feeling I gotta join-ah the Mafia.

Missing Anime

I haven't been able to devote enough time to anime lately. The past couple of weeks have seen me go to Greenhills and walk away with nary a single VCD or DVD of any new stuff. The last series I was able to watch a bit was the girlyboy action comedy Getbackers, which stars a couple of super-powered pretty-boy repo men and their many equally super-powered rivals and allies. I was able to catch a couple of the closing episodes of Groove Adventure Rave on AXN, but unfortunately I think I missed seeing the final episode (thus I may be forced to buy the VCDs to see what happened at the end).

The sad part is, I've got a ton of anime just waiting for my attention back in the Sanctum. Got to give it time. But given that I have so many art and comic requirements, I won't be able to do that very soon. It just simply won't do to draw AND watch subtitled anime. It's impossible.

Oh well. Then again, maybe I am just waiting for that next Big Thing in anime. Or the next Inu Yasha DVD collection. Whatever.

Animated Angels 2

The second episode of the Charlie's Angels 'prequel' online cartoon is now available for download. As before, the animation isn't groundbreaking (apparently all the great anime artists and producers went with the Wachowskis) but I have to admit, there's lots of action and the leggy heroines have a penchant for sexy fetish outfits (a feature from the actual movie), so it's quite interesting to look at, at least. I am thinking that while Animated Angels won't see a DVD release like The Animatrix, the 6-part cartoon should be a nice, no-brainer extra for the Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle DVD later.
You can download the 2nd episode of Charlie's Angels: Animated Adventures here.

Inconceivable!!!

According to some sources on the web, there will be a live-action Evangelion feature in the near future! This project will be a collaboration of Gainax (the anime production house responsible for the original series), ADV Films (the US distributor) and, get this, Peter Jackson's WETA Workshop (which made a name for itself with a recent fantasy movie trilogy of some repute).

On another anime/game to movie tidbit, a SECOND Street Fighter movie is in the works, reportedly starring
Jean-Claude "I'm gonna keeck Bison's ahss" Van Damme and Dolph "You will lose" Lundgren. Another name identified with this sequel is Australian actress Holly Valance. No word yet if this new film will be in any way connected with the first live-action Streetfighter movie (which starred Van Damme and the late, great Raul Julia).

Anyway, no word on release dates for both projects. Evangelion is a critically-acclaimed anime about giant mecha called Evas and the pre-teen pilots that guide them into battle. It is as much about psychological drama, personal intrigue, X-files-esque conspiracies, generation gap conflicts and religious symbolisms as it is about giant robots battling alien monsters.
Streetfighter is based on the classic Capcom videogame series about an international cast of battling martial artists and the various evil plots they get involved in.

My Gosh. We'll keep everyone warned... I mean, posted... on any updates on these disturbing subjects...

Mummies and Matrices

What happened to the heavy-handed Matrix sequel is something that happens often in Hollywood movies. A relatively unambitious film which happens to strike a chord of excellence whether in theme or execution gets big returns or reviews. The resulting sequel becomes infused with a bigger budget, more ambitious plans and storylines that often involve epic proportions, more eye candy and fan service, and tons of hype. Such is the need for sequels to go beyond the tiny borders established by the earlier film. Unfortunately though, the flavor and elements that made the first so great are lost in the next film.

Remember The Mummy? It was a relatively quiet and understated film that started off as a remake of the old monster title. However, it took the original premise and gave it a shot in the arm. Not so much a horror movie, it was part scary movie, part pulp-action, part period film, part comedy. It had thrills and chills, a wonderful cast of characters, great special effects, rivetting action and an original take on the mummy story. It remains to this day one of my favorite films.
However, then came the sequel. Bigger budget, bigger cast, bigger story... which translates to tons of CG that looks like CG, heavy-handed large-scale battles, an Egyptian catfight with Japanese sai (EH? Okay, I enjoyed the skimpy outfits but SAI? EH?), an over-abundance of villain characters, a hokey airship and... The ROCK! The Mummy Returns was loud, corny and pretty crappy compared to the original. Though most of the blame I think goes to the WWE, which apparently bought the whole kit and caboodle as a star vehicle for Dwayne Johnson. And I won't even mention the awful 'third' part of the Mummy Triad (not a trilogy), which is horrid beyond words (despite having Kelly Hu... who gratifyingly was able to leap from that into X2).

Sigh. I still regard The Matrix as one of my fave films, despite Reloaded. I really hope that Revolutions somehow redeems the trilogy. This November I hope it's not another Scorpion King. AAARRGHH... mentioned it...

Recovery Period

Yesterday I didn't go to work since I spent pretty much all of Sunday and a good part of Monday morning working on an AVP (Audio Visual Presentation) for a client. The whole job was passed to me just last week; with little time to come up with a feasible but presentable concept, the necessity to accommodate an additional requirement in the same time, with no budget to speak of and having to deal with an inexperienced and barely adequate production house. Wonderful!
Of course this is on top of the fact that I was then forced to watch Matrix: Reloaded a third time, spend money to feed myself and infuse coffee into my veins. Grrr. Anyway, I got back my time by having a vacation of sorts, percolating at home and trying to ink pages and draw, play an odd session of Neverwinter Nights and watch anime.
Little pleasures, but with the madness that is imposed on you, they're vital to keeping your sanity. Ah.

Well, back to work.

X-Play!!!!!

YES!!! TechTV on my cable service is FINALLY going to show their new X-Play gaming show soon. No more endless replays of the now-defunct Extended Play. Thanks be... THANKS BE!!!!

Matrix Reloaded Top Tens (SPOILERS!)

Having watched Matrix: Reloaded a THIRD time since I was stuck in Greenbelt having to kill time while waiting for a work-related thing (ON A DAMN SUNDAY!!!!), I am now compelled (insert Smith impression here) to make a couple of Reloaded Top 10 lists...

Top Ten Coolest Things in Reloaded

1. The Freeway Chase. Big, loud, exciting, long and thrilling. Morpheus and Trinity get to shine as they race to keep the Keymaker from the hands of the Merovingian's evil Twin henchmen and Agents. Lots of cool fighting, car wrecks, jumps and leaps, motorcycles and guns aplenty.
2. The Twins. These dreadlocked albino nasties have the moves, the power to phase and the attitude to make them distinct in a movie full of generic thugs and evil programs. Coolest moment: When they say the line: "We are getting aggravated. Yes, we are." Heh.
3. The Merovingian. He's French. He's foppish. He's evil. He's funny! Yeah, I thought that whole dialogue with the Why's and the cake thing were all hi-faluting gobbledy-goo, but he leaves a good impression. He'll probably be coming back to stir up more trouble in revolutions...
4. The Burly Brawl. Yes, it was long and had a bad resolution, but it was fun seeing all those Smiths. Actually it made me think of some pretty funny things; Like it was kind of the 'Attack of the Dead Poets' Society'. I pictured a school bus full of Smiths driving in. All those Hugo Weavings scrambling into the area looked like kids in a playground. Heh-heh. Fun.
5. Neo's Flight Powers. I can't remember the last time I saw flying done this coolly, this nicely. It's so smooth and fast it makes the power of flight (which I believe is one of the coolest super powers you can have) really awesome.
6. Neo's new black costume. Damn he looks cool in those threads. Nothing like a bad-ass kung-fu priest to strike the Fear of The One into evil programs everywhere. Remember how Luke Skywalker looked uber-cool in his black outfit back in Return of the Jedi? Neo's outfit is many times cooler.
7. Zion Battlesuits. Wanna see those things kick Sentinel ass in Revolutions.
8. The New Agents. Upgraded baddies Thompson and company are a lot meaner and imposing than Jones and Brown in the first.
9. Persephone. It's Monica Bellucci. With no bra. Nuff said.
10. The Revolutions Trailer at the end of the credits. Worth the wait. Cool as hell. Almost worth agonizing through the Rave again just to see it.

Top 10 WORST things about Reloaded.

1. The RAVE. Boring, long and seemingly out of place. This encompasses Morpheus' bad speech, imagery of The Flinststones and Fraggle Rock, Bob Marley clones and an uninteresting Neo-Trinity sex scene.
2. Trinity. WHY does Carrie-Ann Moss look so old in so many of her shots?! When a Trinity-spoof in a Heineken beer ad looks TEN times cooler than the actual character in Reloaded, something is very, very wrong. The Matrix's number one girl seems to have lost her edge, going from super-sleek to shiny but frumpy.
3. The Mansion Fight with the Merovingian's goons. At this point, I actually got tired of kung-fu fighting. And I love kung-fu fighting. Too long, generic and uninteresting opponents, too many jumping up and down and slow-mos.
4. The Burly Brawl ending. Pointless and unsatisfying.
5. The Zion Interlude. Too long, boring and reminded me of Episode One...
6. The Architect's Exposition. Hi-faluting jargon that is a poor climax after the wonderful Freeway chase.
7. The Kid- Almost as irritating as Jar Jar Binks. Almost...
8. A Heart-gripping ending. Okay, it had to happen, but did it had to have to be done so badly?
9. Too many Smith puns about his cloning powers.
10. The RAVE. Yes, It's that bad.

Heheheheheh....

Ninja Freakshow

I splurged and got a dvd of the Japanese movie Kunoichi Lady (Ninja Lady) at Greenhills yesterday. The film stars Yuko Minamura, who has also starred in a large number of other Japanese samurai/ninja fantasy films. It's about seven ninja women who seek revenge against an evil lord and his sorcerous minions. Aiding the women is the legendary swordsman, Jubei Yagyu.
The film features lots of bloody swordfights, hammy Japanese acting, pretty Japanese girls, quite a bit of nudity and dramatic death scenes and drama as only the Japanese can do. B-movie all the way... and not the kind of film I expected to see (when ninja girls start radiating magic out of their breasts, I can't take the film seriously). Haven't found a ninja girl film yet that isn't hentai (LA Blue Girl) or live-action sex-fantasy (THIS movie). I'm beginning to think the perfect ninja girl film doesn't exist (unless Capcom does an anime featuring Ibuki from Streetfighter or something). I'd hate to say I wasted my money on this, but I think I did. Sigh.

Matrix Repeated

Last night, the gang trooped to Greenhills Theater Mall for our first (and last) viewing of Reloaded as a group. We watched the Last Full Show and got nice reserved seats. Some of us came in looking simply for eye-candy (Hi Carl!), which suited them perfectly. Some of course, were utterly horrified by the film (Hi, Dean!).
I came in for my second viewing of the film, and went away with several things. I finally got to see the Matrix: Revolutions trailer at the end of the credits, I finally was able to understand the Secret of the One more or less.

I still found that Reloaded suffers still from a glaringly boring first third (ALL of the Zion sequences are BAD. Morpheus' speech, the 'Rave', the talk with the councillor, Link and his wife, etc.). The fights go on too long (never thought I'd say that), much of the writing is just masturbatory (writers went wild thinking their stuff is hot shit) and again, the movie's climax comes long before the end of the movie, leading to a boring lull and a horrible exposition section at the end. Oh well.

The Revolutions trailer looks nice, and it all just convinces me that Matrix is probably better as a manga. Maybe someone should do that... have a great manga artist adapt the trilogy into printed form. It would probably ROCK as a comic; far better than as a film.

Movie Review: The Matrix Reloaded


Milli Vanilli returns from the dead in Reloaded.

Some spoilers but no plot-specific stuff. Basically, if you’ve seen the trailers, you shouldn’t be worried.

I seemed to have lucked out today; our department went out on a ‘creative excursion’ to watch the hottest movie of the season… The Matrix: Reloaded. Unfortunately, thanks to some delays and traffic, we missed out on a few minutes at the front of the movie (which warrants that I see this flick again) and the supposed Matrix: Revolutions trailer at the end of the credits. Oh well.
Reloaded is set some time after the end of the original film; Neo, Morpheus and Trinity are still fighting the good fight both in the real world and in the make-believe world of the Matrix to protect the last remaining free human city of Zion. We finally get to see this human stronghold (WOW!) and see the bigger picture of the struggle which was just talked about but never seen in the first film.
At the end of the original, Neo (Keanu Reeves) becomes The One, a human who has heightened perceptions within the Matrix, allowing him to bend it to his will. This pretty much translates to him being able to fly (making Reeves look like a black-garbed Superman), fight on a level above the more powerful Agents and other computer programs and beings in the Matrix, and do other… stuff. Despite gaining his incredible powers and able to kick Agent butt pretty much at will, Neo isn’t perfect and the fact that everyone else on his side is still mortal and perishable makes the battle just as costly as before. It doesn’t make any matters easier when the opposition they face ups the ante as well. Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) returns, seemingly from the dead, with an ability that will make you see double and then some. Then there are the rogue programs; vastly more powerful computer beings that are as deadly or even deadlier than the ever-present and even tougher Agents. This pretty much just translates to a bunch of martial artists- which convinces me that at it’s heart, without all the psycho and technobabble, Matrix is just a kung-fu flick. Heh.

Anyway, the battle for Zion’s survival gets revved to high gear when a threat of invasion is detected. Of course, Morpheus believes the solution lies in Neo and the mysterious prophecy. They believe that the true weakness of the machines lies inside the Matrix… contrary to the belief of other Zion elements that want a more direct, physical defense for the city. This politicking and adding of various characters, council meetings and a ridiculously long RAVE sequence are baggage which for me just bogged the action and pace of the story down. Get on with it already!
Once Neo and gang get sent on a path, it’s a race against time and evil programs to find the answers, or Zion and the human race is doomed. Predictably, along the way there are action sequences aplenty, culminating in an awesome chase and battle along a crowded freeway.

That’s the movie. Oh, and it doesn’t end conclusively, since this IS the middle of a trilogy… but unlike The Two Towers which let you pause and breathe for the next film, Reloaded will have you screaming “NEXT MOVIE, NOW!!!!”.

Which brings me to the nitty-gritty. Did I love it? Or are those many disappointed reviews on the Net in the right?

First of all, the film has incredible visuals. I mean, you go into a movie like this with that pretty much a sure thing.
YES, the characters still look cool. DAMN I want to be able to wear something like Neo’s long black costume. He looks cool and moves cool. Yeah, Keanu Reeves isn’t the most perfect actor in the world but he’s awesome as Neo. Not invincible, but I actually like that they still have martial arts since turning this into a Dragonball/Psychic Powers/Akira thing would probably turn Matrix into something like Dark City… which is NOT a good thing. Yeah, it’s weird to see him fly but it’s also darn awesome; Matrix so far bags the best-looking flying sequences; I want my Angel Ace to fly like him. Woooh.

Trinity kicks butt still, but while she sees more action here than in the first film, her bad assedness isn’t as great, which is sad since Neo kicks butt so effortlessly and Morpheus gets to look good a lot in Reloaded. And I have to say that while Carrie-Anne Moss is damn sexy, she’s not the most beautiful woman in the world (with competition like Monica Bellucci's Persephone I would indeed be worried if I was Trinity), and she looks even worse with blood and stuff all over her…

Jada Pinkett-Smith’s Niobe and the cannon-fodder Zion fighters… Guess I have to play the videogame before I care for them…

Agent Smith is back, and I love it. Smith gives the villainy of The Matrix a face (and a voice) which is cool. The Merovingian and everyone else on his gang don’t hold a candle to Smith. Without a doubt, the most fun segment in Reloaded has to be that BIG BRAWL between Neo and an escalating horde of Smith clones. However, after the fiftieth or so clone appears, I suddenly began expecting them all to start dancing in a synchronized production number. The choreography just seemed to look… choreographed. All those suits... all those identical faces, no blood or bruises... surreal. It would have looked funny set to Keystone Kops music, I think. Heh.

Bullet Time, zippy cuts, slow-mos… still here. Nothing terribly new.

The Twins. Cool, scary and challenging. Like most every cool henchmen, they don’t really stay too long onscreen but they will probably be the first action figures kids want.

Zion… in some ways awesome, with cool touches and stuff… in some ways laughable. Some segments reminded me of those HORRIBLE Flintstones movies. That RAVE thing just went too long… Just a vehicle to make the Neo-Trinity love scene more sensuous…

LOTS of stuff to nitpick about, to talk about… lots of stuff I liked and disliked… but in the end what I disliked was…
The pacing was erratic, jumping from martial arts fight to boring lull to Matrix to real world and back and again. The first third of the movie is abysmally slow, with council meetings and ultimately useless infighting/feuds to give the conflict a real-world factor.

Then there are the confusing and heavy technobabble and psychoblahs which will overwhelm you the first time. When the revelation finally comes, don’t be surprised to suddenly say…

SO THAT’S THE SECRET OF THE MATRIX!!!

And then say…

Um… I didn't get it.

Yep, I missed whatever it was. Flew over my head. I consider myself pretty sharp and I enjoyed the stuff from The Oracle and other science gobbledy-goo the film threw at me… but when The Colonel , er I mean, The Architect started talking… Ah… What the?

Have to watch it again to listen to it again. Well, whatever the secret of The Matrix was, bottom line is, it was bad and the result is another movie to wait for in November. Heh.

Ultimately, Reloaded’s erratic pace has all the best action finishing long before the actual end, and then saddling the audience with high-faluting dialogue that only tech geeks will fathom the first time around. And THEN it ends at a cliffhanger. AAAAAAHHHHHHGGGHHH!!!

Yep, I was disappointed. Disappointed that the story has as many flaws and holes and iffy parts as there are bullet holes in the movie.
Fortunately though, they are still offset by the movie’s undeniable COOL factor, tons of very fun action sequences and the fact that given the quality of the first film (which Reloaded ultimately fails to surpass, I think), I’m in for the long haul. Yep, I’ve taken the red pill and have no choice but to watch Revolutions. And Reloaded again. And maybe again. DARN!

The Matrix Reloaded

This is THE hot movie of this season. Proof of this is the fact that several major theaters have already been booked solid in advance from opening day (TODAY!) till the weekend. Thankfully, I will be watching this much-anticipated sequel later this afternoon at the Power Plant mall with most of my department (we're treating it as a kind of creative excursion. That's the ticket!).
I'll be putting up a review (with proper spoiler warnings, if needed) as soon as possible. Heh.

Pickpocket in my dreams!!!

Yep, it's true. Early this morning I had a dream that I was in some sidestreet in Cubao, outside some store. I felt a tugging at my side and I caught this kid on a bike trying to lift my phone from its holder. I collared the kid but eventually let him go.
Then I woke up. Hmmm.
Well, aside from that failed phone theft (the real one, not this dream), I've been pickpocketed once before; I lost my wallet, with some cash, IDs and cards. Once that happens to you, I think you get paranoid. But I didn't think I'd even be careful in my dreams. Weird.