Afternoon with Avatar

My sister and her family came by ysterday, and I brought out episodes of Avatar: The Last Airbender for them to watch. Since they can only catch the mega-popular Nickelodeon series on local cable TV, they haven't watched the last few Season 1 episodes, or ANY of the already released 17 episodes of Season 2. What happened then was an Avatar MARATHON as the kids watched episode after episode after episode. The funny thing was, their dad and even my mom (their grandmother) soon got into watching Avatar as well. It just goes to show that the quality of this show- the great dialogue, superb action, continuing storyline and excellent drama and direction- has universal appeal. There was only one break in the watching- dinner- before the last several episodes available were watched and enjoyed. Thankfully, the newest episode Lake Laogai (episode 37) ends with at least quite a bit of closure. Still, the kids (and their dad) were asking me when the next episode would be available before they left.
It was truly an enjoyable time, and I have to say that I can thank Avatar for a cool bonding experience with my niece and nephews. I'll be counting the days myself to the next new Avatar- two weeks to the next one. Darn it. Well, I can always have an Avatar Marathon again myself, to keep the wait bearable. Barely. Heh.

Wannabee Comic Book Movie

I finally got to watch Ultraviolet, starring Milla Jovovich. Some may be surprised that it took me so long to actually watch the flick, seeing as how it's an anime-styled superbabe-girlpower action flick... something I'd probably want to see as soon as possible. Well, bad reviews made me just push watching the movie back again and again... even with the movie loaded onto my XDAIIi, I still didn't have any time or inclination to watch it. The opportunity and the mood finally came early this week, as I was trapped home by a bad stomach, during the afternoon.

Ultraviolet opens up with a series of comic book covers starring the titular heroine- of course setting the tone for the over-the-top action to be featured in the flick. Set in a futuristic world where fear of disease has resulted in a future of sealed buildings and people wearing masks all the time, Ultraviolet sees the world divided in a war between normal humans and the Hemophages- or 'vampires' thanks to their pointy teeth and enhanced physical powers. The Hemophages were initially made out to be the ultimate warriors, but are eventually marked for extermination. Miss Jovovich plays Violent, an exceptionally-gifted and deadly vampiress and assassin who is out to grab a secret weapon the ruling regime (which incorporates religious/medical and corporate tyranny) is supposedly preparing to finish the war against the Hemophages.

Well, it turns out the 'weapon' is a little boy who seems to awaken deep maternal feelings in the superbitchy warrior, and soon she's fighting to save his life along with trying to bring down the evil government/corporate/pharmaceutical overlord. Along the way she kills lots of enemies. Cross that- she kills armies of enemies, hacking them down in droves. Gas-mask wearing, glass-like body armor-clad thugs fall to Violet's many guns (which are conveniently 'digitized' until needed) or her oddly-oriental katana-ish sword.

With all the action, you'd think that Ultraviolet would be incredibly cool. The movie looks pretty slick, with nice production values, but it ultimately looks kinda... not there. It seems to be lacking a lot, perhaps since the world Violet lives in seems vacuous, impersonal and empty- it's just a large setting for lots of videogame-like fighting, and that's not very deep or too engaging after a while. It's certainly not as visually stimulating as, say, the world of The Fifth Element (another Jovovich-starrer).
It also kinda takes away from the movie that you never feel that Violent will ever be in any danger- despite her actually saying that she doubts her survival at several points in the movie, she plows through hordes and hordes of enemies like a hot knife through lukewarm butter- the enemies are really STOOPID in this movie. The fights themselves aren't particularly well done, or impressive, and it's kinda weird to see jumpsuited, masked generic hitmen running around with katanas like some kind of industrial ninja. On paper, this would be kinda cool- here in a movie, it just feels... iffy.

Everything else... eeeh. The script is blah, the acting bleh, and the storyline really doesn't matter. Maybe that's all irrelevant anyway... Ultraviolet pleases with visuals, and in that it's pretty-looking, shallow but entertaining fun for a while. After Violent kills her, oh, 600th enemy, you just know that the end boss doesn't stand a chance.

Darn... Aeon Flux. Elektra. Ultraviolet. All superbabe movies, all kinda crappy. At least, when I ever think of making a K.I.A. movie, I am well-versed in what it shouldn't be like. Oh well.

X-Holes

I love watching G4TV's X-Play. Really, it's more gag show than actual serious videogaming reviews, but I try to catch it everytime online since Jack TV only has like, four episodes to show all year.

Still, I have to say that hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb get on my bad side a lot- not for any of their scathing reviews of their general anti-anime stance, but for insulting gamers every opportunity they get. And, if I saw that skanky Webb on the street, I'd punch her teeth in for being a hater of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and then shove a katana through her flat chest for being so bitchy against Aeris and Final Fantasy VII.

Assholes.

Anyway, I loved their Scariest Games special. That was pretty funny.

Todos Los Santos

Today is the Philippines' day for the dead- Todos Los Santos or Undas. All over the country, thousands of Filipinos head for cemeteries to spend time with their loved ones who have gone on before them. Years ago, me and my family used to go to Marikina, where we have our dead at Loyola Memorial Park. We'd leave early in the morning since we needed to avoid traffic.
Trips to the cemetery then were like mini-vacations; we'd pack a big tent, lots of food for the day, tables and chairs and other necessities. To kill boredom, decks of cards, board games or books would also be packed along. We'd then spend the whole day from sun-up to sunset before finally calling it a day and packing for home.

That changed quite a bit after we moved to Marikina more than fifteen years ago. Since the cemetery was so close, there was no need to pack stuff, or even bring a tent. We'd just walk the whole way, bringing only the bare essentials- candles, flowers and our prayers. Umbrellas too, since it would either be sunny or rainy.

This year, the cemetery crowds are supposedly aren't as thick, thanks probably mainly to the weird schedule which placed All Saints' Day in the middle of the week, a one-day holiday break. With so short a time, many preferred to celebrate the day at home. Still, many flooded into the cemeteries.
The government as well as private institutions set up services like first aid stations to keep things safe, while the police and military banned gambling, alcohol, deadly weapons and even music from cemeteries to prevent any untoward incidents. Politicians of course didn't miss the opportunity to do a bit of indirect campaigning, via giveaways marked with their names or likenesses. Some things never change.

As the sun went down, so did the rain. In fact, as of this writing, it's raining cats and dogs here in Marikina- sure to be a bit of an annoyance for the people crowding in the cemeteries, or stuck clogged on the road in traffic. I'm just glad to be inside at home, dry and cozy.

Tomorrow, despite being All Souls' Day, it's back to the world of the working and the living. Life goes on.

Digital Hauntings



Thanks to the wonders of cellphones and mobile technology, anyone can keep in touch with anyone anywhere, whether they're at home or at work or on the road. And it seems, thanks to camera-equipped phones, anyone can catch a ghost on video. Photographs and videos of supposed ghosts aren't new- but lately thanks to TV shows like my favorite Ghost Hunters, spirits from the other side are showing off their spooky mugs more than usual.

Even on recent local news and information programs, ghost videos are in the spotlight. The video above is from the local program Sa Pulso, and features quite a few ghost videos. Some seem real, some cheezy, all dubious. But it's still creepy fun to watch.
Another dubious bit of footage appeared on the news tonight- a man took a cellphone video of his wife clearing shrubs from their loved ones' grave, and captured what appears to be the voice of a ghostly child crying out at them. Of course, they didn't hear anything at the time. Again, dubious, though the man doesn't seem the type to hoax it.

I myself have heard a story about some ghostly footage taken by some officemates of mine during a shoot, where a hand appears in frame during one of the takes. When they check it out though, they discover that no one was there at the time. Eerie.

Well, it's really hard to say if it's really possible to capture the supernatural on our cells. Perhaps at the right place, at the right time, if you happen by some creepy place oozing of the unknown, you may be inclined to bring out your cell and start shooting. Then... would you dare to see if your lens captured more than what the naked eye can see?
If I just had more inclination, I'd probably rustle up some buds and jaunt on down to some old hospital or school house with the ol' cell or digital cam. Or maybe down to Balete Drive (though it's already widely believed that the so-called 'White Lady' was just some psychology class experiment) to see what we can catch on cam. Unfortunately, I DON'T have that much free time, so I'll just leave it to the professionals like the TAPS team, or the Spirit Questers. One thing's for sure though... I'll always be intrigued by this stuff. I love getting creeped out. Heh.

Avatar Watch



Season 2 of my favorite animated show is nearing its end- only 4 episodes left, with no Fire Nation invasion in sight. Looks like 'The Drill' was the Flame Country's big card for this season- apparently the climax of 'Book of Earth' will have Aang and company dealing with the evil Earthbenders Long Feng and the Dai Li society. It's a refreshing change from last Season (Book of Water) and once again demonstrates the dynamism of this Nickelodeon show.

Some online tidbits about Avatar have been very interesting, so much so that I'd like to share a few of them.

Despite the death of Mako recently, don't expect the loveable General Iroh to pass away as well. The 'Dragon of the West' has many mysteries to his character, which may be revealed in future episodes. As for his voice, a new voice actor has already taken over- this person was a student and close friend of Mako, and supposedly has impressed the show's producers and creators with how he has captured the character's soul and feel.

Avatar is greatly influenced by many anime shows, including the works of Hayao Miyazaki. The anime Cowboy Bebop also inspired many of the action sequences in Avatar. The character of Toph, the blind earthbender girl, was influenced by the blind martial artist/assassin Sara from the anime Samurai Champloo.

Many, if not all, of the characters may have new hairstyles in Season 3!

Season 3 will finally reveal the many mysteries of the enigmatic Fire Nation, of which so much has been kept secret all this time. Just how the enemy ticks will be a big focus in Season 3, and will surely be another notch in the coolness of Avatar.

Is Aang truly the only Airbender left? That may change in future episodes (the title of the series has already been changed from 'The Last Airbender' to 'The Legend of Aang').

Of course, Season 3 will have the Avatar finally fulfilling his destiny and facing the dreaded Fire Lord. But there has been talk of more seasons beyond Book of Fire. The world of Avatar is so well-crafted, deep and colorful, the possibilities for further adventures are endless. The creators would be mad to end this series at just 3 seasons... fans can only hope that these rumors are true.

Oh, and local gameshops also have the Avatar: The Last Airbender videogame on the shelves already (for Xbox at least). The game's pretty easy so far- it's an action game with some RPG elements, putting you in command of Aang, Katara, Sokka and Haru (the Earthbender guy from 'Imprisoned'). No Toph, which sucks, but perhaps she'll appear in future Avatar games. The game seems more geared towards kids, but fans of the show will probably have fun with it- I know I did, for the hour or so that I played. Not bad, just not spectacular, but good enough.

The next episode in Season 2, Lake Laogai, comes out this weekend. I can't wait. Grab your Avatar fix from better anime shops or from online now. This is truly the best animated show out now. Awesome stuff.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

It's Halloween time once again. This is perhaps the only foreign celebration that Filipinos truly embrace aside from Christmas, since the supernatural is so close to our hearts. It's at this time when ghoulish decorations start adorning both offices and residences everywhere, and TV is now flooded with scary specials and Halloween episodes. I think this is one of the coolest times of the year.

I've been down sick though for the past couple of days, so I'll be probably spending Halloween and All Saint's Day at home in bed. I'll be having myself a Ghost Hunters marathon (got all the episodes downloaded) and watch some scary shows on cable. Or play a couple of rounds on the ol' 360 or PS2. Of course, it's also a time to remember the loved ones who have gone before us into the great unknown.

So keep safe everyone. Creep yourselves out, keep your living loved ones close and have yourselves a Happy Halloween. Trick or treat!

Streetfighter II


Chun Li... Ready for her closeup?

There's a bit of news that there's going to be another Street Fighter live-action movie.

Damn.

...

Ahem. Anyway, according to the bit, Hyde Park Entertainment and Capcom are going to team up for a second film adaptation of the classic fighting videogame for release in 2008. This time though, the story will focus not on Guile (last played by the Muscles from Brussels John-Claude Van Damme), but on female Interpol operative Chun Li. Looks like the producers are taking a cue from Tecmo's DOA movie for having a female protagonist. No details on the story yet... it still remains to be seen if this actually happens. We'll just have to wait and see.

Me? I just want Street Fighter IV. Come on, Capcom. Cough it up.

Say Mo, Seiyuu

I have to admit that in spite of myself being a long-avowed fan of original Japanese voices in anime, that the local dubs of Japanimation is growing on me. At least, I am no longer cringing when I tune on to the local Hero anime channel on cable. It helps that I have grown quite tired of the generic recycled voices on most of Animax's shows (they seem to have like six voice actors for the whole channel), so hearing Hero's vocal talents is refreshing.
My main gripe with local dubs in the past was, for the most part, a general shortage of unique voices and acting; early tagalog dubs were often badly scripted and talents sounded like they were reading instead of actually acting.

Well, these days the lines seem to go much more naturally, and I have to admit that the tagalog or taglish translations of some pretty complex lines in anime like Yu-Gi-Oh and Yakitake Japan have me impressed. Plus, I have even heard at least one local dub that sounds accurate to the original Japanese voice- particularly Son Goku's voice in Saiyuki Reload Gunlock.

Which leads me to believe that a local industry of expert, even famed voice actors for anime translations is not far off, and that's really not a bad thing. But I am still not a fan of the 'star'-dubbed Initial D episodes, though. Heh-heh...

Flying the Friendly Skies



In all the fun, enthusiastic energy and komiks wonder that was the recently-concluded 2nd Komikon, there were two standout moments for me in particular. One was meeting my old college professor Cesar Hernando and one of his students, a guy named Jay who told me that when he was in high school, the first indie comic he read and loved was Angel Ace. Later, I met another guy named Mike (who made an impression as he and his pal were dressed as Lego Men) who revealed he was also a fan of Angel. I then learned that he had been looking for copies of Angel Ace since he lost his copies some time ago when his house burned down.
It's been over ten years since Angel lifted off from the ground, and it's still amazing to know that there are people out there who still await her adventures, still scanning the skies for any copies. Who am I to let them down?

Next Komikon, or perhaps sooner, there will be another Angel Ace comic. And perhaps another after that. And another. Along with the next K.I.A.'s and Kunoichi Boy issues to come. Who knows. The sky's the limit. I've got the inspiration back. Let's see what happens next.

KOMIKON 2006

Lots of komiks, creators and readers on this day of days. This year's Kon had more people, more local komiks, more komikeros, more enthusiasm, more sales and fun till the end of the day. I met cool people aplenty- old friends from Alamat, my ol' college professor, guys from UP Fine Arts (my Alma Mater!), young komikeros, old masters of the komiks and even Angel Ace fans whose love for the Flying Princess still burns to this day. For that, just for that, I have gotten my enthusiasm back to keep Angel flying. To keep ninja girls ninja-fighting. To keep doing comics and komiks. Awesome. Next year, next Kon, I'll have stuff ready.

Here are the pics. I'll be uploading bigger versions on my phlog as soon as I can.



I took home a TON of stuff, including Fresh! from Taga-Ilog, Elmer Damaso, Taga-Canal and their crew, Gerry Alanguilan's Elmer #2, the new TROPA! and Rambol comics from Gilbert Monsanto, a new wave of Alamat xerox-comics including Kadiliman, Artifacts, Ultracops and The Last Datu, stuff from Istrong Repablik and Break Out, stuff from Ariel Atienza, Reno Maniquis and Jamie Bautista's debut issue of Tri-Tech... and that's just the stuff I can remember top of mind. I bought a LOT of stuff, so I'll be looking them over in the next week or so. It's like Christmas, just before Halloween.

Unfortunately, I didn't get copies of Trese since they frickin' SOLD OUT just after lunch. Budj, I'll be waiting for my copies.

Thanks to Ariel Atienza and Artists' Den, and everyone who made this year's Kon a glorious reality.

Seeya all next time, in KOMIKON 2007!!!

One with the Crowd

Today is the 3rd Philippine Komiks Convention, or the Komikon as we have all taken to calling it. It's that time of the year when Indie Komiks Kreators have their time in the sun (both literally and figuratively) to show off their wares to an audience that has come specifically for that reason. Comics pros, comics amateurs, wannabees, fans and more types of people converge at the Bahay Alumni in UP Diliman, ready to buy ashcans and first issues and debuts galore, plus the odd latest installment of their favorite struggling indie title.

Unfortunately this year, the Kon caught me with nothing. Well, nothing that I am singularly responsible for. No Last Angel Ace Story yet. No second K.I.A. book, no sign yet of Hiniranga or any other title. Nope. All of these projects are as yet under development and unripe for showing. It's just that work has been pretty hectic recently, leaving me all but exhausted on weekends and unable to pick up pen or pencil to draw nary a single page. Technically though, I have actually been more productive in the past few months than in all my years of Indie Komickery before- not everyday that you take part in a full-color, 10-issue comic series that will reach perhaps thousands of people... unfortunately, I can't talk about it much, nor is it really something for the regular comic book reader in Metro Manila. Oh well.

On the upside, I am not totally off anything Komicky at the Kon; I do have a pinup that shows up in Fresh!, a brand new comic anthology from the crew of Jon Zamar, Taga-Ilog and Elmer Damaso, as well as a bunch of other cool creators. It is, in fact, a reunion of sorts for the Culture Crash crew, and fans will no doubt be overjoyed to see PASIG and Cat's Trail back (at least for a little bit) in the pages of Fresh! The art looks great, I am interested to read it and overall, Fresh! is the best-looking local production so far I've seen all year.

So I'll be a the Kon later, to buy stuff- Trese and the new releases from the Alamat Crew in particular, and whatever else catches my eye and tweaks my curiosity. I'll be snapping pics and video clips of the event, and hopefully will get to hang out and meet some old and new friends in the Komiks biz.

But most importatntly, I hope to find inspiration and reignite the komik creator in me that has, unfortunately, been lost in the past few months. I want to find the passion that went away. I need to find a new direction and fresh new ideas for new Komiks Kreations.

So, expect stuff and a report from the Kon floor very soon. It should be pretty fun.

NEWSARAMA.COM: Celebrating 120 Years of Komiks in the Philippines

From one of the premier comic book sites online comes this much-appreciated series of articles on Filipino comic book creators, their works and the long tradition of art and komiks history that preceded them. Benjamin Ong interviews the Philippines' grafictionists and visual storytellers to check out Filipino komiks' past, present and future.

Check it all out here. Check back as this series of articles continues- the next installment will be online tomorrow.

Thanks to Benjamin for giving Filipino comics a long-overdue chance to be seen and read.

Magnifico



Today, on a whim, me and a couple of guys from The Salt Mines headed off for lunch at Amici's at Don Bosco. It's this quaint but popular Italian canteen-resto right inside Don Bosco school in Makati. The place at first glance doesn't look too amazing... it kinda reminded me of a more down-to-earth Sbarro's. But one look at the trays of authentic-looking pasta dishes and the lovely, thin pizzas leaving strings of mozzarella as they leave the plate just convinced me that this place was special. It wasn't filled with smiling people for nothing, nor were the many articles and citations framed on the walls or under the glass of the tables for anything but accolades for the wonderful eats.

So we got in line (self-service place) and selected the pasta for the day. I ordered a chunky Montanarra, which was fucilli pasta (the twisty, drill-like pasta) with cheese and white sauce mixed with bell peppers, sausage, pepperoni and olives. It was simply divine, savoury and satisfying... I haven't had Italian food like this before (thanks to my lifetime of Jollibee or McDo spaghetti). We topped it off with a nice sausage pizza, and that was our delicious lunch. Afterwards I had a cup of yummy Gelato as dessert, and it was perfect. I have to love as well the layout of the place- it was a self-service joint, but little things like having ice and big glasses accessible at the side goes a long way to making the dining experience quite enjoyable and comfortable.
Work has been such a storm lately, but thankfully there has been a bit of a pause in the past few days. I look forward to the weekend, but this early it's nice to treat one's self a bit. You can't just run yourself to the core all the time. Little perks go a long way to energize and revitalize your soul. Be it a trip to the spa, a nice swim at the beach or a lovely italian lunch at Amici's. We should do it again sometime. Pronto.

Toe Tagged

My Tagboard's been on the fritz for the past couple of weeks... and so has the boards of other blogs I've checked. Appparently Tag-Board.com is down, and there's no sign of them getting back up. I'll keep the tagboard on for now in the hopes that it will just 'get better'. If a week or two passes without any signs of life, then I'll just take it down and replace it with something else or just scrap any tagging thing altogether.

For now though, if you have anything you want to say, just post a comment under the articles. Don't be shy. But please don't spam, either.

End of Days


The gang's all here.

The Latest... and LAST Mortal Kombat game is here. Mortal Kombat Armageddon is the swan song for the brutal and bloody fighting game... at least, on the current generation of gaming consoles. With MKA, Mortal Kombat guru Ed Boon promises that there will be deaths, there will be changes and a clean slate for the next MK. Well... Ed Boon promises a lot of things.
Mortal Kombat Armageddon certainly looks slick. There's a new opening cinema featuring armies of MK heroes and villains clashing in a savage battle to the death to start off things. The game comes with a massive cast of playables- literally every Mortal Kombat character that has ever appeared is in MKA... from staples like Sub-Zero and Scorpion, to obscure add-ons like Hsu Hsao and Dairou (Who?). Even MK's fearsome boss characters like Shao Khan and Goro are playable right from the start.
Aside from the huge cast, MKA adds in a Kreate-a-Kombatant mode that's easily the most expansive so far in a mainstream fighting game... easily dwarfing the Character Creation mode in Soul Calibur III. With KAK, you can adjust a character's costume, fighting style, special moves and even their ending (text). The options are many and you can surely create a unique fighter to throw into the battle with the regular MK cast or even online.
Also new in MKA is the Kreate-a-Fatality system, a kind of mini-game where you string together little fatality moves in a chain; the more punishment, the bloodier the fatality and the more rewards you get (in the form of Koins you can spend to buy new options in KAK, or unlock extras in the Vault).
Then there's the new Konquest Mode, a beat 'em up adventure where you take the role of a warrior running around the world, beating up cannon fodder and kicking open chests for power-ups and unlockables. It's pretty fun and very similar to MK: Shaolin Monks. Finally, Motor Kombat is a Mario Kart-esque mini driving game with SD Mortal Kombat characters.

All these extras are well and good, and seeing them all on paper makes MKA seem like the total package. Unfortunately, even with all the extras in the world, tons of secrets, a huge cast and the capability to create even more kombatants with the KAK feature, Mortal Kombat Armageddon is shot in the foot by one single thing... the actual fighting system.

It remains a fact that MK's combat is, compared to every other established fighter (from Tekken to DOA to VF to Soul Calibur) is clunky, sluggish and restrictive. It all basically boils down to memorizing specific combinations of buttons and then dialing in these canned combos once you find your opening. There's little room for anything else- you'll just find yourself being pounded by an enemy using the same long combo over and over. Not even the ability to change fighting styles (which is actually reduced in MKA from previous games) or use a weapon improves anything much. The new 'Counter' system (lifted from Dead or Alive) brings to mind the old 'COMBO BREAKER!' moves from the old Killer Instinct games... which hearken back to... the 90s??
All this is exacerbated even more by a general unresponsiveness or lag in the controls. Often you'll press a button just to see your character do nothing but stand there to get flattened or bounced by an enemy combo. Gameplay here is like going through a maze- you can't move as well as you can, restricted as you are by the set paths you are given. If you try, you'll stall and get punished for it. On the bright side, the CPU A.I. has been somewhat tweaked so as not to be obnoxiously frustrating... there is 'balance' now, in a sense. Which is good or we'll probably be seeing lots of MKA discs being thrown out windows.

The clunky fighting takes away a lot from the enjoyment of this game, despite the fun that could be had with the KAK. Which actually makes me realize that in the end, Soul Calibur III and it's Create-a-Character feature is still better than MKA. Perhaps it's knowing that their fighting system sucks is why Midway threw in almost everything AND the kitchen sink into the game, but didn't even bother to include staple fighting modes like Time Attack, Team Battle, Kumite (or an equivalent) along with the regular Story/Arcade mode and VS mode. All the extras in the world can't repair a broken fighting system.

As for the nitty-gritty...

Graphics: Overall, not bad really... the character models are large and detailed. Guys are buff with huge hands and feet and small heads, while women are suitably attractive (if a bit slutty). But this is the same look that MK has had since MK Deadly Alliance, two games ago... and it's pretty dated and old by now. The animation, however, has a stiff feel, particularly with a lot of special moves. The stages and various venues do well to maintain the bleak, scary atmosphere that MK loves.

Sounds: Once again, the MK characters lack any unique voice as many voice samples are used for multiple characters. Unintelligible grunts, cries and yells fill the air. Every male says "UGABAAADDOOO!", while females shriek "YOBADDDOOOBADODEI!" when they do special moves. All of it sounds like chopsocky BS made up by voice actors on the fly... because that's what it is. Music ranges from techno to heavy techno... it's Mortal Kombat.

Gameplay: Well, the extras are nice distractions but would you really buy MKA to play a mini-racing game?

Lasting Appeal: Usually the Story Mode would be a must to play through as you'd want to see the endings of the characters. Unfortunately this is cut down by the fact that each character only has a short text-only ending (with your character doing a kata in the background) that will probably disappoint most gamers expecting a slam bang finale. Plus, most of the endings are cop-outs or just plain crappy. Only the most fanatical will try to unlock all 62 crappy text endings.

The Kreate-a-Kombatant feature has hours and hours of fun in it, and wannabee game designers will spend lots of time unlocking stuff to use for their dream warrior. These hours will surely outlast the actual time they play with their created fighters though... Konquest will be usable only for earning Koins, and once you unlock the good stuff in the Vault, that's it. Motor Kombat will be good for a race or two, and that's it.

Mortal Kombat Armageddon is supposed to signal an end to this series, and I hope they take the chance to kill off everything wrong with it... the fighting system, the aging graphics engine and the far-too-drawn-out story. It's time to throw out everything and start fresh. MK has a lot of ground to cover to catch up to the rest of the fighting game genre... they had better get going.

Final Fantasy XII Preview Redux

I'm about nine hours into Final Fantasy XII, and so far it's been pretty good. Story-wise, it's kinda slow and I haven't yet been blown away by any developments in the plot. I have met most of the game's cast of playables, including Vaan, the ambitious youth who wants to be a Sky Pirate and fight for the freedom of his occupied land of Dalmasca; Balthier is an actual Sky Pirate whom Vaan meets up with a ways into the first real foray, while Fran is his Viera (a rabbit-eared female) companion/sidekick. Finally, there's Basch, the disgraced Dalmascan officer who apparently assassinated the king of Dalmasca near the beginning of the story. A lengthy dungeon romp and then an even lengthier trek through a desert didn't give any big revelations on the story, but it did give me quite a bit of appreciation for the new gameplay mechanics.

Like an MMORPG, FFXII sees you and all your active characters running around in large environments and engaging in combat with foes that are visible right from the start- no more random encounters that pop up out of nowhere, no transitions into 'battle mode'. Since everything happens in pseudo real-time (going into the menu pauses the action, thankfully), the game introduces Gambits into the game so you don't have to micro-manage every action of your party. Basically you can program your characters to do specific things on various situations, ranging from 'Attack nearest foe' to 'Heal any Ally who goes down to less than half of his Health'. It's a pretty efficient system and makes combat quite seamless, so you can literally just sit back and just point your characters in the direction you need to go and little else except pick up the occasional treasure that enemies drop.
On occasion, super-powerful enemies appear, which can KILL your supposedly mighty party if you're not careful. At these points, when regular magic or attacks can't faze the enemy, you can use Mist Quickenings. Similar to Limit Breaks in previous FFs, these spectacular attacks require a full Magic Point bar and some agility with the buttons on your controller. Knowing which button to press and having a bit of timing will allow a character to rack up lots of hits, inflicting TONS of damage on his target. Multiple characters with multiple MQ's working together can chain together humongous amounts of damage. This is of course limited by the need for full magic bars, but if there's a Save Point nearby (touching which replenishes all your HP and MP instantly), you're pretty much invincible. Kinda cheap, but so are the enemies in this game so it's fine. Heh.

So far I'm enjoying the gameplay aspects of FFXII- levelling up, hunting down monsters for bounties, MMO-style and upgrading your skills and abilities on the new License Board mechanic (like FFX's Sphere Grid, but simpler). The story... well, it hasn't picked up yet, but it surely will... once I actually try to push it forward. More on my adventures in Ivalice as it happens.

Piping-hot New Anime

Thanks to the internet, I've been able to dispense almost entirely with visiting local anime shops, plus I can sample piping-hot new titles even before the wide world decides they're hits or misses. Two new titles have so far crossed my path and gotten me interested.


Nginiig! Anime-style.

Ghost Hunt is a perfect title for the coming Halloween season. A Japanese high school student named Mai, whose hobby is to swap ghost stories with her two gal pals, meets a mysterious young man named Shibuya during one of their spook sessions. Later, Mai encounters him again when she passes by a supposedly cursed old school building. Because of an accident she has a hand in causing, Mai ends up working as Shibuya's assistant. It turns out that Shibuya is the manager of a quite famous psychic research institute, and he's investigating the building for supernatural phenomenon. Mai also finds out that the handsome Shibuya is a bit of an arse... but a smart arse, at least.
Soon though, more supernaturally-inclined specialists turn up- a sexy miko (priestess) and an unusually liberal monk, a 19-year old exorcist from Australia (ever wanted to find out what an Aussie sounds like in Japan?), a spirit channeler and one of Mai's schoolmates who claims to be able to see spirits. All have gathered in the cursed school building, yet none seem to believe in each others' abilities. Is the building really haunted? Who's real and who's fake among the charaters? Well, I'll just have to keep watching this title to find out.

Ghost Hunt has nice animation and clean character designs, some funny writing and some cool atmosphere... and pretty cool opening music which kinda reminds me of the old Hardy Boys theme (Darn I'm old...). The different characters are interesting and anime seems to do scary stuff quite well. Looks like I'll be going a-hunting a lot in the weeks ahead.


The latest from GONZO.

Pumpkin Scissors is a very odd name for an anime... and an even odder name for a military unit. But here they both are. Set in a European-like world where an Empire and several rival nations have just come out from a devastating war, this new series from GONZO Animation is all about a special unit of the military, The Pumpkin Scissors, that has been assigned to give relief to victims of the war. Relief in this case means protection from renegade elements of the military that are now operating as bandits throughout the land.

The "Pumpkin Scissors" special platoon is led in the field by the headstrong but fearless Alice Martin, a young lieutenant fresh from the academy. During their first mission, Alice encounters a tall, scarred soldier named Roland. When some bandits with a tank show up, the Pumpkin Scissors team up with the scruffy soldier to save the people of an oppressed village. Roland soon shows that he's not an ordinary soldier- he's an elite Anti-tank Trooper, a fearsome one-man killing machine that deals death with his big-arse gun by the spooky light of his blue night lantern.

The first episode of Pumpkin Scissors had me impressed with some nice character designs and animation, plus some cool, bloody action. I still can't figure out WHY the special corps is named as it is... I guess I'll find out in the next episodes.


Violent mecha action.

Innocent Venus is apparently a 12-episode mini-series, but the quality is obvious even from the first installment. Set in an earth devastated by a series of hurricanes, Innocent Venus sees Japan being the one last superpower after 5 billion people are lost in the deluge. Japan's population becomes segregated into the rich 'Logos' and the poor 'Revenues'. The Logos are kept in power by their army, which is armed with powerful mecha.
One day, a mysterious young girl named Sana is being pursued by the Logos military, accompanied only by two young men- the friendly Jin, and the taciturn Jo- both former members of the Logos' elite special forces, the Phantom corps. Who is Sana, and why is she so important to the rebels and the Logos?
This title promises some hard-hitting action, and the violence gets pretty bloody. The setting is intriguing, and the animation quite excellent. Once again, we'll probably find out about the title's meaning once more episodes show up.

Ask for these anime at your favorite anime shops- these just may be future hits in the making.

A Day of Bad Luck and Good Art



Today is Friday the 13th. To celebrate this particularly infamous day AND a certain female supernatural detective that has been turning heads recently in the local comic book scene, Budjette Tan has put together an online collection of artworks called Exhibit 13. A more varied view of Alexandra Trese and her two sidekicks, The Kambal, you will probably never find. Go there and check out the cool art, including a bigger version of my own rendition of Miss Trese.

Check it all out at Exhibit 13.

Trese is a horror/crime comic created by Budjette Tan and Ka-Jo Baldisimo.

Sweet Victory

The past couple of weeks was a STORM of work... both literally and figuratively.

During the height of the super-typhoon Milenyo, I was in the office working on a pitch. Even after the killer storm had passed leaving Metro Manila temporarily in the Dark Ages, we were still working.

Well, all that work paid off and we WON EVERY FRICKING ACCOUNT WE PITCHED FOR. Four new fricking accounts. WOOHOO!

Of course, with the satisfaction of our jobs well done and the hard work having not been in vain is of course the realization that the real storm is just beginning.

You gotta love advertising.

Oh well. Moving on. Moving on.

Back to Ivalice

I've gotten my hands on a copy of Final Fantasy XII. The latest Final Fantasy is pretty different from past recent installments in the series. Instead of the usual anime-laced sci-fantasy soap operas, we get a more midieval/sci-fi setting charged with political intrigue and machinations aplenty.
In the land of Ivalice, the small kingdom of Dalmasca is in the midst of a war between two great empires. One of the empires, Archadia, advances and takes control of Dalmasca after some drama and the shedding of royal blood. Two years after the Archadian occupation of Dalmasca, various individuals within the kingdom come together in order to free their land and people.

FFXII boasts not only a new graphic style but new gameplay as well. Gone are the random encounters of previous FF's; the game now plays similar to an MMORPG, with your characters running around engaging visible enemies in pseudo realtime/turn-base combat. Other new systems govern levelling up, acquiring spells and skills, and using weapons. It's all new and shiny, and goes with the new graphic style and music (which is more FF Tactics than the RPGs) and some decent english voice acting.

I have to say though that the art style and the characters so far strike me as stiff. The story and overall feel though also reminds me uncomfortably of Star Wars Episode One. You have a tiny kingdom oppressed by a greater force, you have a spunky princess and a would-be young hero... you even have a 'Watto' character! To be fair though, the plot will surely get better as I get into the game more.
Unfortunately, my first two hours or so with the game has me running around doing some errands, which while plot-driven, are pretty bland and boring. I eventually put the game down and went with the more instantly-gratifying ninja action of another new game I have, Tenchu Senran for the Xbox360.

Anyway, it's only a matter of time before I get into FFXII deeper soon enough. Perhaps I'm just getting out of the Oblivion mindset and getting myself back into the Final Fantasy groove. Expect a fuller review then.

300



Here's the official trailer for 300, inspired by the graphic novel by Frank Miller. Depicting the battle of Thermopylae between a small force of Spartans versus the massive might of the Persian Empire. The sights within this short trailer are quite fascinating. Lots of immense battle scenes, intricate costumes and scenery, fantastic costumes and glorious carnage in slow motion.
Brings to mind the Battle of Pelennor Fields, from Return of the King... at least there, the good guys numbered at least 6,000... and they had horses and eventual relief in the form of an undead army. At Thermopylae, there were 300 Spartans against more than a hundred thousand enemy troops (granted, historically there were other Greek troops, but hey, this is the movies). Awesome stuff. Check the trailer out and get ready to pick your jaw up from the floor. This film looks like something to look forward to early next year.

Call me Insidio. Or Doctor Wallflower. Or maybe... Mister Whisper. GRAHAHAHA.

According to this, I'm Evil Lite. Which also may be Evil Might. GRAHAHAHA.

You Are 26% Evil

A bit of evil lurks in your heart, but you hide it well. In some ways, you are the most dangerous kind of evil.

How Evil Are You?

Lips to Ips

After all the talk about storms and shit, how about something funny and silly and gross to lighten the mood?

A couple of weeks ago, I went over one night to the bathroom to brush my teeth. I open the light and go for my toothbrush, which was placed along with my Mom's sticking inside a cup on top of a raised platform area above the toilet. As I drew up my toothbrush, an IPIS or cockroach skittered out of the cup. I recoiled in horror and imagined that the thing may have been all over our dental care stuff, it's dirty antennae probing all over. I told my Mom about this and just resolved to buy another toothbrush.

A couple of days later, I entered the bathroom again to brush my teeth. I looked up and was about to grab my new toothbrush when- I once again recoiled in HORROR. A fricking Ipis was perched right on my toothbrush, on the bristles where you put toothpaste. The creepy little bugger was sitting pretty no doubt sucking in whatever he could from the brush. The raised position of the platform prevented me from squashing the blasted bug, but I shooed it away and then threw away the brush. This had to stop.

This was weird, of course. We were pretty tidy. The bathroom was a bathroom, but it was generally very clean. But for some reason the recent weeks saw roaches frequenting the area where we put our brushes. Perhaps it was a freak chance that I walked in and saw what I did. But now that I knew that roaches were among stuff we put in our mouths, I couldn't just stand and do nothing.
I bought a new brush with a brush head cover, and resolved to NOT put it in the cup any more. I set it aside farther away from the platform, where roaches seemed to have taken to haunting a lot.

A couple of days later, I came in to brush my teeth. I got my brush... and then ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, RECOILED IN HORROR as I saw a roach perched on the lid of the tube of toothpaste!

WHAT THE HELL?!! It was fascinating in a filthy, horrid way though, so instead of shooing the insect away, the first thing I did was grab my digicam and snap the disgusting sight (too bad I erased it, but darn it was gross) and then show my Mom just what I was talking about.

Well, since then we've taken to putting all our toothbrushes and toothpaste in personal containers (fashioned by my Dad from empty dish detergent containers) with lids to keep roaches out. My Mom has also killed a couple of roaches in the area, but we knew it was useless to kill 'em. There will always be roaches there, but at least now we've made sure we won't be french-kissing the buggers everytime we brush.

So... are your toothbrushes in a good, clean place?

The Longest Weekend

Since my last post, a lot of time had passed. I went home and came to a dark house. I had to contend with going to bed soon after taking a bath (water is one luxury we still had despite it all) Friday night. Saturday morning gave no respite, and despite all my instincts screaming for me to run off to some mall and just kill time there, I stayed at home. I stayed and slept several hours... several sweaty hours... until I realized that if I slept all day, I'd be awake all night. So I got up and walked around, read some magazines and comics from the rapidly-rising pile of unread issues. Literally, I was feeling every second tick by, and I could see the sun slowly waning and night unfurling its curtain. Thankfully, a battery-operated radio was available, so as the evening finally came in full I listened to TV Patrol Sabado and news of Milenyo's legacy and the odd murder.

Early evening found me walking outside, shirtless in the dark and sweating (darn, I felt like Rambo), staring up at the unlit lamp posts one moment, and to the lit residences of Quezon City in the distance. One thing though, that I appreciate from the time in the dark, was that I finally saw my first fireflies.

After a hurried dinner of McDonald's, I went back to bed (after a second bath) but couldn't sleep. I looked at my options for entertainment; my PSP, unused for the past week, was down to 10 percent power, so was not usable. DAMN! KEEP IT CHARGED...KEEP IT CHARGED... My Archos 700 was fully charged, but unfortunately had NOTHING in the hard drive that was watchable... KEEP IT FULL, KEEP IT FULL... And so, it fell to my sidekick Pocket PC to kill my boredom. There was still about 50 percent power left, and for a while I was choosing between conserving that power in case the next few days still saw me without a chance to recharge... or using what power I had to watch the latest episodes of Avatar. I chose to live, dammit. But luckily, in the middle of the first episode, my watch was disturbed by a familiar, yet long-missed artificial glow. LIGHT was back. I let out a yell and was jumping up and down. Alive. We're alive again.

Unfortunately, the phone lines are still dead, as is my broadband connection. So I'll be posting from the Salt Mines from now. Still, having electricity for light, PC use, DVDs and gaming is good enough for now. I can live without cable and broadband internet... for a while.

Man, I'm a fricking addict. What can you do.

Juiced

The last couple of days has proven that we only truly realize how valuable something is when we lose it. Electricity, for instance. Countless millions of Filipinos are lacking in this one basic thing right now, and it's enough to drive you nuts. Malls are crowded to overflowing by masses seeking to escape their dark, hot and electricity-lacking homes. Staying and working in the office powered by generators is much preferable than just sitting around slavering in the shadows without anything to do. Electricity powers or supports our senses to enjoy things- from being able to read a book or magazine to powering our television sets, computers and appliances. It's at the center of all the things we do, so it's not surprising that now that it's gone, we're all scurrying like ants left without a scent trail to follow.

I am loathe to leave the office right now to go back to home to the prehistoric cave The Sanctum has become. But what the heck... home is home, and at least you can rest and recollect your thoughts. Perhaps this is better. Perhaps I can learn to meditate on my actions and see where I could have done better, done more. In the end, maybe this was all for the best and I will be a better person for seeing that I am an electricity addict (as are we all), and should work on looking inward instead of outward at the brightness given by electric power.

...

Ah, screw that. I want to frickin' play Xbox360 and surf. PLEASE let there be frickin' electricity back when I go home. PUH-LEEEEEZEE...

Stormswept

I spent the whole day in the office, working and keeping my eyes firmly set on my job. It helped to kill the hours which I had to spend here in the Salt Mines instead of at home. On the bright side, I guess it was better to be in the office and actually be productive. It was also better to be in a place with electricity and a working internet connection, instead of being cooped up in the cold but dark confines of The Sanctum. Nothing's more impotent than a fully-wired electronic entertainment pad without current.
Anyway, it was surreal to just stare out into the storm-swept metropolis, seeing the wind eventually die down to a whisper. However, signs of Milenyo's fury could be seen everywhere. Downed trees and plants were everywhere, and the sight of pedestrians just walking haphazardly this way or that on the streets of Ayala Avenue just showed you that not all was right in the world. We watched the news in the Main Conference Room and through all the various sights of storm-stricken provinces and news of people being displaced and victimized by the weather, there were two things that surfaced to be quite significant over it all. One, that large advertising billboards are pretty much now recognized as public safety menaces during storms seeing as over a dozen of these large commercial signs fell over (and at least one caused the death of a person). The other thing is the annoying and pretty embarrassing way that in each of these billboard-crash sites, there are always these hooligans who swarm over like vultures to grab the scrap metal to sell for a quick buck.

Dinner was a bit of a trick, since the nearby restaurants were almost all crowded with hungry people. Eventually we were able to find a place in Jollibee and satisfy our cravings. The whole atmosphere of the place had this weird, 'calamity-stricken' feel... there were huge gaps of out-of-stock items in the menu, and periodically you'd see attendants drag out these huge bags of take-out or delivery orders (without a doubt bound for some office or call center full of starving people).

It's still blacked out in most residential places- I'll probably try to stay and wait it out until things get more stable. It would be so cool if, when dawn strikes tomorrow, it will find a Metro Manila seemingly unscathed and good as new. Of course, that won't happen.

But life goes on anyway.

Life's a Pitch

The typhoon Milenyo is set to arrive in Metro Manila today, packing winds of up to 130 miles an hour. Since yesterday, it has been announced that all classes in all levels would be cancelled. Flights have been grounded. Work suspended in many offices and workplaces. But darn, I'm here in the office for some reason. Well, the reason was that we have a pitch- which is basically us competing with other agencies for a new account... and we can't just lay down because of some, oh, storm.

So I headed off and got a cab (MRTs tend to suck or totally jam in storms), which thankfully wasn't too hard. As we went on the usual route to Makati, you could see the signs of the Storm's coming. Uprooted trees, downed signs and stripped billboards, and the odd tumbling umbrella (in place of tumbleweeds). Once we got to Makati, the wind seemed even stronger. There were still surprisingly a lot of people clustered in the entrances of buildings, huddled to keep from the rain and the wind.
I got to the taxi drop-off and as I opened the taxi's door, it was immediately flung open by the wind. I jumped off without even bothering to open my useless umbrella. Once inside the building, I saw more signs of the storm's fury- like the statue in the middle of the building's courtyard, tumbled to the ground by the wind. Yikes. Depending on what happens from now on, it'll either be very easy or very hard to get home. Well, what can you do but do work while you're here.

Oh, and the pitch date was postponed. Gah.

Going LIVE

I've had my Xbox360 for several months now, but it was only recently, in fact, only over the weekend, that I was able to experience the most the console has to offer- namely, going online on Xbox Live. For the uninitiated, Xbox Live is Microsoft's exclusive online component for their entertainment consoles (both the original Xbox and Xbox360). All you need is a broadband internet connection, some know-how and bam! You're online.
Xbox Live has quite a few treats- you can go to the Xbox Live Marketplace to download demos of upcoming games, videos and trailers, and even chat or converse with other gamers (whether they're in the country or halfway across the world). Of course, you can also go and compete with other human players in various Xbox Live-enabled games.

While a lot of stuff like demos and videos are free, you WILL need to spend real money to get credits (or Microsoft Points) to get some stuff, like expansions for games (new maps, areas, characters, etc), and to play online with other players. Luckily, despite the fact that the Philippines isn't officially a supported region, Filipinos CAN actually go online on Xbox Live and enjoy their consoles to the fullest. Thanks to Pinoy Xbox, I am now one of these gamers.

It's quite amazing; I have so far downloaded several demos and videos, and even gotten to play some rounds of Dead or Alive 4 against some players in Japan (got my butt kicked though). It's fun and I do see myself using the service from now on, whether I spend to keep subscribed to the Gold Membership or not. Once you go on Live, you can't go back. The future or gaming right there. Awesome stuff.

Not So Final

Most of us Final Fantasy VII fans have probably watched and re-watched Final Fantasy VII Advent Children and gone back to our everyday lives, happy and secure that Cloud Strife has found peace and Aerith is alive and well in the Afterlife. We can finally close the book one this chapter of our videogame lives, right? WRONG. At the recently-held Tokyo Game Show, Sony has revealed a NEW itineration of the popular CG movie.
Called Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Complete, this 'director's cut' version will be released on Sony's new Blu-ray format and have additional scenes. What scenes, you may ask? Well, so far only one has been reported, that of big baddie Sephiroth stabbing Cloud through the chest with his Masamune and hoisting Emo-boy overhead like a gutted fish. Will there be other scenes? There probably will, but I really don't think the story will be significantly different.
Still, completists will probably want to invest in a PS3 or a Blu-ray player to see the next Final Fantasy flick. Articles indicate FFVII ACC will be due out next year. Enough time to save the centavos, I guess.

DOA: Dead or Alive


Fighting and Fanservice.

Okay, I've finally gotten to see what all the fuss has been about. I saw DOA: Dead or Alive in a theater here in Manila, and so far it seems the movie is doing well (a print ad for the film has DOA being "The No.1 Movie in Manila"). That's not surprising since we love beautiful and sexy people here in the Philippines, and the movie has more or less an Asian flavor thanks to the HK director Corey Yuen.

As I've no doubt explained in tons of earlier posts, DOA follows the time-tested, If-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it plot of "Shady organization holds martial arts tournament, attracting various fighters". In this case, the DOA Tournament is set up by the smarmy Victor Donovan (Eric Roberts), who took over from the previous administrator. Of course since this is Eric Roberts, you know something bad is behind all the precedings. Dead or Alive's schtick is the abundance of hot lady competitors in the cast, and the movie wisely focuses on this. Charlie's Angels meets Enter the Dragon, indeed. For the most part, the film version follows the source material closely, save for quite a few liberties with some characters.

Kasumi, for example, is played by Asian model/actress Devon Aoki, whose main facial expression is looking bored out of her head. Whether you accept her as the character or not depends on whether you like the actress or not. Luckily for me, I do find her fetching so what the heck. On the other hand, her slightly aloof manner lends well to her character as some sort of ninja royalty. And her bored look CAN be accepted as 'looking focused' (It worked in Sin City). In terms of action scenes, she does have some nice moves in the film, having the most wire-fu stunts of the girls.

Christie, played by gorgeous Aussie star Holly Valance is the most radically changed from the game. Instead of the cold-blooded assassin from the game, we get a more benign but still deadly femme fatale, but with a more playful side. Otherwise, Miss Valance gets the look down and the feel that this is one dangerous but hot lady.

But the one who really gets her character down is 'My Name is Earl's' Jaime Pressly, who plays Tina Armstrong. The movie version of Tina has the big sister/tough cowboy babe personality without the obnoxious star complex from the game, so she's likeable off the bat. That Miss Pressley has a killer physique makes her even more believable that she can kick your butt.

There are two more main girls- Sarah Carter's Helena Douglas is a simplified version from the game... she isn't French, nor is she an opera singer. But she's hot and classy and plays the role well, acquiting herself well especially in the fight scenes. Finally, Natassia Malthe plays Ayane, Kasumi's rival, and has the dubious pleasure of going through the movie in a purple wig. To be fair, she's quite easy on the eyes and has the vicious glare and cool poses with katanas down pat. It would not have hurt to have given her a bit more screentime.

The rest of the supporting cast do well- real-life wrestler Kevin Nash as Bass and Brian White as Zack are note perfect. Kane Kosugi seems a little young for Hayabusa, but otherwise he's great in his fight scenes. The Matrix's Colin Chou makes a late appearance as Hayate, but he's pretty awesome while he's there. The rest of the DOA character have to make do with little cameos; Bayman and Leon at least have good exposure as Donovan's henchmen, though lose their backgrounds and become mainly villain muscle. Lei Fang and Gen Fu are seen up close in some scenes and share a short fight. Other than that, the rest pass by in flashes that you will miss if you blink. Brad Wong is seen getting smashed by Bayman. Jann-Lee falls to Christie. Eliot is seen briefly in a fight with Hayabusa. Karate kid Hitomi is in the credits but I never see her. It'll be fun to pause through the opening fights on the DVD to see the cameos in full.

Well, after all that, the fighting action makes up most of the movie, with the plot developments happening in between- kinda like cutscenes in the game. It's fast and at the very least- never boring. I only wish that some of the fights were longer. Director Corey Yuen clearly knows what he's doing, borrowing imagery and stunts from some of the best recent martial arts flicks such as Hero, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon and House of Flying Daggers. There's wirework and CG stuff but still you do see that the stars, the girls in particular, put a lot of work to make the fights look good.

Are there any faults? Yeah, quite a few. I really dislike the characters of Maximillian Marsh (Mathew Marsden) and Weatherby (Steve Howey)... both are pretty irritating (Marsh is a smarmy scoundrel who gets by totally with luck while Weatherby is a creepy computer geek) and really, unnecessary to the precedings. Perhaps a way to please the supposed gamer market? Please.
I also dislike the way that the 'Ultimate Weapon' is a pair of skill-enhancing sunglasses that can be removed so easily... why not goggles? They won't fall off. Or how about getting some straps to keep your ace-in-the-hole from falling off your face, Donovan? Oh well.

In the end, the movie's a fun, enjoyable watch. It's not an Oscar wannabee but there's a fun, playful tone to the whole thing that makes it pretty clear that it's not really taking itself too seriously, and that's refreshing. It also certainly doesn't hurt to see so much hot bodies around in the film, though I've read so many reviews seeing this as a negative. It's FUN, people. Turn off the serious brain side and just enjoy the action and the beautiful people.

So, when's the DVD coming out?

Cast 10



The latest issue of Nautilus Comics' Cast is out. Even if you haven't been following this comic about the trials and travails of a group of friends trying to put together a play from issue 1, if you're a local comics enthusiast, this is something to check out. Why? Simply because the art chores for this particular issue are by Arnold Arre, that's why. And if getting this issue initially just for the art gets you interested in the story, then all the better, right?

Cast is available in magazine stands, comic shops and bookstores all over the Metro. Check it out!

Never Say Die

The next and perhaps last entry in the popular Die Hard series of films is coming. As expected, Bruce Willis will reprise his role as John McClane, a New York cop who has a knack for being at the wrong place at the wrong time. He was up against Euro-terrorists/hi-tech crooks in the first one, renegade US military troops in the second and an army of rogue German special forces in the third. What has the fourth film have to offer to McClane? ALIENS. McClane will be riding the space shuttle and battling an evil presence which has taken residence in a newly-opened space station.

Just kidding.

Nope, the only space that Die Hard 4 will be entering will be Cyberspace- McClane will be taking on Internet Terrorists who are out to destroy the United States's electronic superstructure. Of course, while they're classified as hackers, the baddies will no doubt have real-world nasties to throw into McClane's way. Also slated to star with Bruce Willis is Hong Kong beauty Maggie Q., last seen alongside Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible III. Q will play a world-class hacker who will be at odds with McClane.

The 4th Die Hard film will be titled Live Free or Die Hard, and will come out sometime in 2007.

Taxi Heaven

A couple of days ago, I saw this feature about taxi cabs in Japan. Apparently, even there in the Land of the Rising Sun, hard times in the economy are causing people to scrimp a bit. To attract people back to using taxis, several operators have decided to offer additional services aside from the standard 'take me from point A to B' service.

One big new service is the use of prepaid cards for use with taxis. The cards can be used with pay phones to call a cab, and then used to pay for the cab itself. No more hassle about exact change! Boy, would that be a big help here.

Another operator specializes in providing taxi drivers who also function as your personal bodyguard. The police-trained cabbies carry large, powerful stun guns (rifle-shaped tasers) and will escort their fares right to their door. This is supposedly very popular among single women who have to go out in late hours.

But the coup de grace is a special 'Nanny Cabbie' who services senior citizens. Not only will the cabbie drive the people to the mall, he'll also recommend the best places to go, show you around to the sights and make sure everything you need is provided for.

All these services are provided at the same usual taxi fare.

DAMN! That's a first-world nation for you. Here in the good ol' RP, we'd find as many cabbies who would put one over on you as there are good, honest taxi drivers. But them's the breaks I guess. Man, I could use one of those big stun guns...

Like Water for Avatar



My Avatar snippet series continues... you gotta love Youtube.

One of the coolest things about Avatar is that as the series goes along, the characters develop and grow stronger. Katara, the series' lead female heroine starts off as your usual sidekick (along with her brother Sokka) to the main hero, Aang. In many other shows, she'd probably stay that way forever- always a cheerleader or sideline support. But not here in Avatar. An aspiring Waterbender at the start of the series, Katara has little power or skill when we first see her. But towards the end of the first Season, she learns more stuff and DARN... becomes a force to be reckoned with in Season 2. The things she can do with water are simply awesome.

The clip above is from the later Season 1 episode, "The Waterbending Master", and has Katara challenging the somewhat chauvanistic Master Paku to a duel when the latter refuses to teach her since she's a girl. More amazing elemental action that is just a taste of the awesomeness that is Avatar.

X-cessive

I don't know if it was the success of Discovery Channel's Mythbusters (which is on it's 3rd season at least) that spawned the X-testers. This new Discovery Channel show has another pair of Special Effects wizards going around and looking for various supernatural phenomenon. Their goal is to look for evidence of UFOs, ghosts and monsters and then try to replicate the supposed proof- in order to show whether it's possible that the supposed supernatural event is a hoax or not.

It's an interesting premise, I have to say. I love the supernatural and these things just keep me glued to the screen. However, I find the two leads in X-testers to be a bit over the top in terms of humor- or attempted humor. Both guys try so hard to be goofy and funny and hilarious with every single line they say, and it just comes off as annoying. Very annoying. One thing is for sure, the X-testers aren't as good or as interesting as the Mythbusters' Jamie and Adam- I don't even remember their names. All I know is one of them seems to have come from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and the other looks like a thinner, dorkier version of James Cameron. I hope that as the show goes on they just tone down the jokes a bit and act more naturally. Or if that's the way they really are, that they tone down and try practicing being less talky. Heh.

Also a bit much are recent episodes of A Haunting, another Discovery Channel show which re-enacts various encounters of the supernatural experienced in small town America. Where the first episodes were low key haunts which were quite creepy, recent episodes have graduated to encounters with demonic apparitions that seem to have stepped through a Gate to Mordor. And every new episode seems to end with an exorcism now. I know there's a need to dramatize stuff, but come on... a lot of the things shown onscreen are just made to scare the viewer... cheap scares that just seem off for a serious supernatural show based on real-life events.

Still, complaints aside I'm still hooked on these shows. There's not enough good stuff to see on the box, so I'll take what I can. Flaws included. Oh well.

Sweet Nothing

Yesterday, me and my college bud Pot went on our usual post-payday gallivanting in Greenhills. Both of us kinda felt under the weather, but we went on the motions as we did in past trips- going around V-mall, heading towards Theater Mall, milling with the crowds at Bridgeway, then going to our pre-ordained circles in Shoppesville. Still, I wasn't as hyped up on this trip since I didn't really have anything in mind to shop for on this particular week.

When we passed by the Promenade, I saw the Bizu gourmet cafe and suddenly was in the mood for some hot chocolate. Bizu's pretty pricey- in fact, it's downright expensive. But I really just needed a cup of choco- and you don't get is much creamier or richer than at Bizu. So, I prodded Pot in and offered to treat him to the place since it was my craving. The funny thing is, I guess we got a bit of confusion... he ordered the exact cake and cup of hot chocolate I did, while I had intended only getting one cake to split between us. In the end, I ended up paying 800 pesos for a couple of tiny cakes and two cups of hot chocolate. OUCH! You'd think I was on a frickin' date to impress some girl rather than just having a lakwatsa with an old college friend.

Well, to be fair the cakes were rich and lovely, and the chocolate was really rich, thick and creamy... and I think it did both of us good since we were both infused with liquid feelgood after that. I'll just have to make sure to avoid such a thing next time to keep my wallet from hurting. In any case, I got several relatively new Xbox magazines (with DVDs) for cheap so that kinda balanced it out. A short drizzle that followed in the early evening cooled down the stuffy air and that was nice.

What a way to start the week. Heh.

Avatar ROCKS



Avatar: The Last Airbender is my favorite animated show right now, and one of the reasons why is shown in the video above. Since local Nickelodeon still only shows re-runs of like, five or six episodes of Season One: Book of Water, many Filipino viewers don't realize how awesome this show is, and just how more cool it gets in Season Two: Book of Earth. So I just wanted to share this cool video of some Season 2 action.
Well into Season Two, we get introduced to a new member of the main cast, Toph, a 12-year old blind girl who also just happens to be one of the strongest Earthbenders on the planet. The scenes above are from her debut episode and shows some amazing elemental action. Toph just ROCKS. Enjoy!

Genesis

The monumental, iconic Neon Genesis Evangelion is a vital part of my anime history. A true classic, this 26-episode series had it all; everything that is good with anime. Awesome action, a complex plot with sinister conspiracies and gripping mystery, likeable and deep characters and quite a bit of fan service. Unfortunately, I can say that I only truly liked this series from the start to the middle; the ending started killing off characters seemingly without sense and the psychosis that gnawed at each cast members' minds seemed to just eat them into destruction; soon, beloved characters were dying left and right, and everything literally being broken down into a wet mess. The endings of both the actual TV series and the resulting 2 'movies' were inconclusive at best, horrid and messy collision crashes at worst. What the fuck was the point of it all? Was Shinji one spineless jerk-off after all?

Well, the series gets another try in the near future. Apparently the NGE franchise will be revived in two ways- one, of course, is via the still-in-development live-action film (of which I have absolutely no idea of the condition of). The other way, which I just found out about, is through FOUR new feature animated movies.

Of the four, the first two will supposedly re-tell the classic original series, re-using the old footage but with slick editing and perhaps new backgrounds to make all the old stuff look new again.
The last two anime movies will supposedly be all-new, and will give a more decisive and FINAL finale to this title.

So, who will still die or live at the end of the next Evangelion? We'll just have to wait and see.

Pinoy Big Brother

"The Animal", Dave Batista was here in Manila for a few days to promote the upcoming WWE Smackdown Survivor Series Tour in Manila. The big but soft-spoken superstar no doubt captured the hearts of Filipinos with his friendly demeanor and his pride in his motherland, shown by his recent tattoo of the Philippine flag, added alongside the Greek flag tattoo on his left shoulder.
It's really a shame for me that Batista's rise to face had to slow down due to injury months ago; he was really on a roll then and could have, in another world, become a truly memorable WWE Heavyweight Champion (currently, the WWE title holder is King Booker). Still, his fame is strong among fans, and hopefully he'll continue to rise once again in the WWE's power ladder.

I don't think I'll be watching the WWE show in Araneta this October- it's a bit late to get tickets and I really don't have anyone to go there with, but I'm sure it will be a cool show and Batista will be embraced fully by the local wrestling fans. Take care, Big Dave! I'll be watching Jack TV on the meantime as always for my WWE fix.

Hiniranga

After my long Avatar gush, I would like to say that the adventures of Aang is a model or a standard by which I wish to place my new comic concept/idea against. It's called Hiniranga (pronounced "Hinirang-gah"), which is basically and literally, a manga comic based on the Comic Quest gang's shared Filipino-themed fantasy world setting of Hinirang.

To reiterate, Hinirang was created a few years ago by the group (the concept was originally hastily put together by myself and Nikki Alfar during one moment of hectic creativity)- a fantasy world based on Spanish-era Philippines, with mythical indigenous creatures and magic mixing with the local conflict of native Filipinos and tribes against foreign occupational forces. There have been many contributions and attempts to bring Hinirang to life- mostly through prose fiction from the group writers, and through a pretty cool but ultimately doomed website. Comics based in Hinirang were often thought out, but rarely ever materialized, except maybe through an Immacolata webcomic. Aside from that though, nothing yet.

That should be remedied by Hiniranga.

What do I see in Hiniranga? It's not really an anthology, though multiple side stories may be installed, if need be. Basically I want to tackle one adventure in particular. Simple enough- a band of heroes must come together for a cause. This cause must transcend their individual pasts and backgrounds. I am seeing a diverse cast of protagonists- a party of adventurers that kick ass. Almost assuredly in the book will be Immacolata, the super-powered heroine created by Dean Alfar. I am not sure though it the "Fury of Hinirang" will be an actual part of the party, or just an ally/occasional comrade. The rest of the roster is as yet undecided, but shadows of images are already in my mind. A disgraced man of faith. A wealthy scion with a secret. A rebel warrior. An elite Ispancialo soldier. A half-breed. A sorceress. They're there, beckoning, but as yet are awaiting to be formed.

Hiniranga will, obviously have manga-style art and storytelling to keep it updated to the times and because that's how I work. What am I thinking of seeing? I am seeing skirmishes between armored Conquistadores backed by warrior-prayles (friars) engaging with acrobatic, ninja-like Kali-Arnis rebel warriors aided by mangkukulam hexers. I want to see Tikbalang cavalry and flying vintas. I want to see magic cannons and pistolas, walking bahay-kubos and Higantes bashing against the Ispancialo's Great Fortresses. I want to see expeditions into haunted caves, lost barangays and mysterious ruins. AWESOME. I want to see Hinirang as its never been seen before.

Is it possible? Who knows. It's still very early but I want to have stuff ready. At the very least, I may have something ready for the Komik Kon. I'll also want to study the work of artists who are more versed into doing local-themed stuff, like Andong Agimat's Arnold Arre, or perhaps Gerry Alanguilan. I'll also see about getting inputs from the rest of the creators of Hinirang. It'll be interesting to see how far this can go.

It begins here.

More Avatar Gushing

It's been almost a month since the last new Avatar: The Last Airbender installment, and I'm pretty much starved for the next episodes. The Fury of Aang left off with a big cliffhanger and white-out, but hopefully the upcoming Secret of the Fire Nation will fill that void in quite nicely. The story picks up soon after Fury with the Aang Gang heading off to the Earth Kingdom capital of Ba Sing Se, that mysterious place that has recently been glimpsed at through videos of the Avatar exhibit/showing during the recent San Diego Comic Con. Similar to the grandness of Imperial China, Ba Sing Se is almost a character in itself after all the times it has been mentioned or referred to by various characters in the series so far. It will be awesome to see it in motion and how the cast interacts within it's high walls.

Also headed for the capital are the series anti-heroes, exiled Prince Zuko and his uncle, General Iroh (who was voiced by the late Mako). On their separate route to Ba Sing Se, they meet up with a returning character- but is this familiar face a new friend, or enemy?
On top of all this, the evil Fire Nation continues it's relentless attack on the Earth Kingdom, led by the ruthless Princess Azula. This time, they're armed with a terrifying new weapon that may change the course of the war. What is it? Well, we'll just have to wait till next week, September 15, to find out everything about The Secret of the Fire Nation.

Some cool stuff that has been so far revealed online about Avatar- because it IS one of the most popular and acclaiimed animation shows these days, the third season has already been confirmed. This third chapter, perhaps the "Book of Fire", will follow Aang's adventures as Aang faces his destiny and his greatest enemy- the Fire Lord Ozai- with the fate of the world at stake.
A very tantalizing tidbit was mentioned on Newsarama recently that there has been talk of further seasons. Supposedly, any further adventures of Aang will continue after the end of the war with the Fire Nation. As a fan it's just awesome for me to imagine what could be done after, what other characters can be seen, what lands can be explored or stories to be told. Will Aang try to revive his race of Airbenders? What will become of his relationship with Katara? Will he and Zuko ever be friends? Avatar is, in my humble opinion, one of the best animated shows I have ever seen... if it can go on indefinitely, I would be overjoyed. This show just deserves to go on. And on. And on.

Avatar: Secret of the Fire Nation, a 2-part one hour special, will premiere next week on September 15. Once again, too bad local Nickelodeon STILL hasn't gone beyond Season 1 re-runs of Avatar. I recommend several ways to get your hands on this awesome title- buy the US Dvds (A full set of Season 1 is coming), look for it in local anime shops or download the show online via bittorrent. Avatar is worth the effort hunting down, people. It's that great.

Darn. September 15 can't come soon enough.

Retro Animation Action


"Demon Dogs!!!"

One of the coolest cartoon shows I enjoyed during my youth was the Ruby-Spears cartoon Thundarr the Barbarian, an action-packed series set in a bleak future. As mentioned in the show's opener, a rogue comet passes between Earth and the Moon, causing worldwide destruction (of course, since this is a US cartoon, death isn't actually shown though obviously BILLIONS surely died). Centuries later, humans exist alongside mutants and other weird creatures in a new, violent and dangerous pre-historic/midieval world built on the bones of our time. Rising to power in this era are men and women calling themselves Wizards, capable of wielding sorcery, super-science (as per the show's literature) or a combination of both. Typically, these Wizards are evil and oppressive, enslaving any humans or innocent sentient beings unlucky enough to fall into their domains.

Emerging from a Wizard's slave pits is the titular Thundarr, a barbarian warrior who for one reason or another pledges himself to ridding the world of Wizards and protecting the remnants of mankind. Accompanied only by two other allies- the Chewbacca-like Ookla the Mok and the knowledgeable and beautiful Princess Ariel, Thundarr is off to fight for the freedom of mankind. It's unavoidable to mention Thundarr's uber-cool weapon of choice- the Sun Sword, a lightsabre-like weapon which allows Thundarr to kick Wizardly butt. The Sun Sword had one of the most awesome sound effects ever, and it's just a pity that there were never any Thundarr toys back then- I would have loved a Sun Sword toy. Darn.

Thundarr himself was your typical barbarian hero- course, rough and fearless and suitably LOUD. Chewie- I mean, Ookla speaks only in his growly language, so most of the articulate lines are said by the culture-savvy Ariel, who seems pretty well-versed in ancient customs and technology (modern-day stuff to us). A lot of the show's scant humor is taken from the ignorance of the main heroes to stuff we take for granted today. But then, Thundarr isn't a gag show- it's all about heroes battling monsters and magical villains in a post-apocalyptic earth.
Every episode saw Thundarr and friends battle a Wizard-of-the-Week. There is, in my recollection, only one actual recurring villain, the Wizard Gemini, who is actually one of the freakiest character designs in the show (and there were a TON of freaky designs for both characters and monsters in this show). For the most part, the animation of Thundarr were of high quality for the time. Comic fans will note that Thundarr's art and character designs bring to mind the art of comics legend Jack Kirby, and is similar in tone, mood and setting as Kirby's Kamandi, Last Boy on Earth. This is because Kirby DID actually work on the series, taking over with production design on Thundarr after the original artist, Alex Toth, left the project. Comic fans will then notice that the Wizard Gemini has a distinct resemblance to Darkseid, one of Kirby's creations.

Sadly, Thundarr lasted only for about a couple of seasons, with the second season being a bit shorter than the first. There was never really any closure. All we can assume is that Thundarr continues on his Wizardfighting days indefinitely... at least, until the time that he became a King by his own Hand. Perhaps someday, this tale will also be told. Hmm...

I'm glad to be able to find episodes online thanks to Bittorrent, so now I am able to rewatch Thundarr's adventures. Truly a cool relic of my youth that I should store and cherish even in these days of anime and CG-epics. Sometimes, it's just good to kick back and watch something from the good ol' days. Now, if only I could find episodes of Super Seven and Mighty Man and Yukk...

The Next Final Fantasy

It seems like an eternity since the last good Final Fantasy game- Final Fantasy X, as I remember (No, the X-2 spinoff doesn't really count). Since then, we've seen Square-Enix embark on their MMORPG-esque Final Fantasy XI, which is pretty worthless to console solo artists like me. The next true FF, Final Fantasy XII, has seemingly been in development forever, seeing almost cataclysmic changes in designers/producers, delays and re-dos with every update. Well, finally at long last the Japanese version was released in Nippon with flying reviews. The english version is coming and I've read some stuff about the latest FF adventure.

Final Fantasy XII is set in the world of Ivalice, a world gamers familiar with all things Square should know; it's the setting for the classic strategy title, Final Fantasy Tactics. However, this similarity is apparently in name only. You probably won't find much reference to the adventures of Ramza and Delita in this magical/sci-fi world, home to fleets of flying airships and more races of humanoid creatures than a Star Wars cantina. The main story basically deals with a war between the country of Dalmasca and the Empire of Arcadia; Dalmasca's princess, Ashe, marries the prince of a neighboring country in order to forge an alliance. However, when the Empire attacks, the smaller nations' forces are quashed and the princess forced to go into hiding. Eventually, Princess Ashe will meet up with a disparate group of individuals including Vaan, a wannabee Sky Pirate, a disgraced general and more to try and fight for the freedom of their occupied land.

The character designs have that FF-bent... lots of incongruous ruffles and doo-dads all over. However, I have to say that the characters, mainly the human characters, have a blandness which brings to mind... an MMORPG. Gone are the radical designs from previous FF's, replaced by seemingly more generic faces. Perhaps once I actually play the game and get to know these new kids on the block, my impression will prove unfounded. Maybe.
FFXII also features a radically new way of combat, with real-time and strategic elements being melded. No longer will there be random encounters as you will see enemies far-off. There will be new ways to do things like levelling up skills and using summons. Wild stuff for a title that has always been strong with its traditional traits.

Final Fantasy XII seems to be a ways off- it's expected in October. Despite my initial misgivings with character designs, I'm actually quite intrigued wtih the latest FF. Some mags have actually called it the best Final Fantasy yet. We'll see for ourselves when we actually get the game later this year.

Thus Endeth the Hunt



It's a sad day when you find out that an icon is no more, and today qualifies as that kind of day. Steve Irwin, AKA "The Crocodile Hunter", died while diving off the north coast of Australia. The dive was with normally-docile stingrays, but in this instance Irwin was stabbed by a barb through the heart, and he died before paramedics could bring him to the hospital. It's a shocking bit of news to read. Mr. Irwin has always been crazy and a risk-taker on his animal forays, but we've all thought that somehow, someway he'd always come through anything safely, and with a smile. I've been endlessly entertained by his over-the-top enthusiasm to give us humans more understanding for nature's creatures. He will indeed be missed.

Rest in peace, Crocodile Hunter. May impressions of your distinct speech and enthusiasm keep your memory alive for years and years to come.

DOA: Dead or Alive International Trailer



Here's the official trailer for the Dead or Alive movie. The first teaser trailer wasn't well-received by viewers, especially fans of the game. The second however, seems to be doing a good job in making people look at this film a second time and considering that it may not be the crapola everyone is assuming it to be.

Honestly now... it has hot babes, hot martial arts action, hot babes in hot bikinis doing hot martial arts action... HOW CAN IT NOT BE GOOD? Seriously though, the movie looks pretty fun and it doesn't, unlike many past fighting game translations to film, seem to take itself too seriously. Can't wait to see this Ultimate Guilty Pleasure movie. The Aussies and Brits get to see it earlier than most everyone else this September, while the US has to wait till October for their DOA Movie fix. As for us in Asia... who knows. I'll just let DVD bins or Bittorrent be my guide. Heh.

A Passionate Victory



In spite of countless delays and heartbreak and a hundred adventures in between, Siglo: Passion ended up winning Best Comic Book of the Year at the Manila Critics Circle Book Awards. This bit of comics news care of El who attended this year's Book Fair at the World Trade Center in Manila. Congratulations to the many artists, writers and creatives who threw in their talent and effort into this endeavor. This deserves a passionate WOOHOO!

Superman Returns Remakes

Before I left the house today, my parents were watching Superman Returns on dvd. I'll be the first to say that I don't think that Brian Singer exactly got Superman Returns right. But I do admit that the guy had love for the project, and that showed in the end product. Yeah, a bit too much love, but what the heck- it sold and will hopefully bear fruit with better sequels.

It got me thinking though- what if OTHER directors got their hands on the Man of Steel? How would it have turned out differently?

George Lucas
Can you say Prequel? We'd see Krypton at the peak of their civilization. We'd see a young Jor-el, a Knight of Knowledge whose belief in justice and true science eventually puts him at odds with his best friend, the ambitious Lieutenant Zod. There will be crystal sword fights, crystal skating races and a cantina scene with lots of aliens! Oh, we'll get to Kal-el by the, oh, third film. At least, NO KID. Superman, like Jedi, should be celibate. Lex Luthor will continually try to get Superman to turn to... the Dark Side...

Michael Bay
We would have seen a blow-by-blow account of the last day of Krypton, complete with a hundred Kryptonian characters whom we will try to care for but really shouldn't because they all eventually end up as space debris. We'll see hyper-realistic scenes of carnage as those weird crystal buildings collapse into huge, gaping chasms. When we finally get to Superman, expect LOTS of the trademark slow motion walking towards the camera, and lots of glorious pans. Luthor's plot will involve crashing a meteor into the planet! Glorious stuff.

Ang Lee
This three-hour epic will feature two hours solid on young Clark Kent's growth; from his days as an infant and how Ma and Pa Kent developed metal pacifiers and milk bottles to counter his super-teeth, to his early days in elementary school, befriending bullies and going on meaningful trips to the museum. We'll discover the psychology of a superhero is developed through long scenes of gravity and emotion- all before Clark turns 10. Then we'll gloss over the teens and morph into adult Clark and move into martial arts-themed action as Superman leaps (he can't fly, but skim over trees) into action versus his nemesis, Lex Mu Bai, armed with the Green Destiny, a sword forged from Kryptonite!

Peter Jackson
We can look forward to a visual masterpiece, care of WETA Digital. Expect armies of giant robots, fully designed down to their inner circuit boards. Expect Kryptonite to be redesigned ala elven jewelry, and have ten different variants and colors (all of this will be featured in hour-long featurettes on the DVD release). Oh, and aside from Brandon Routh as the Man of Steel's 'face', the actual animations for Superman's movements will be motion-captured and performed by Andy Serkis.

Darn... that Ang Lee treatment actually sounds good... well, at least the last sentence did. What could have been, in another world, in another life. Oh well.

Heroism

During the weekend, the Quest Gang came together to talk about the next Project: Hero release. As with the first issue, PH is an anthology of various original superhero comics, all one-shot stories told in the classic comics style. There are returning titles from the first issue (such as my own Samurai Sis) and all-new stories from both veteran and new creators to the project. After dinner at Peri Peri Chicken (which I loved for the spicy sauce, though I usually like my chicken crispy rather than juicy), the group headed off to UCC Coffee to show off scripts, character designs, artworks and talk about the project. Aside from my own title, I'll be doing the story of another creator, and the concept is very interesting. I hope to do the comic justice.
It's been a long time since we met like this, over a common cause with everyone raring to go, and it was good. The deadline for Project: Hero as well as other stuff I'm working is pretty tight, but somehow I'll find a way to get it all in. Have to. There is no try, only DO. Heh.