Final Fantasy Advent Children Released

... in Japan. Yep, the dvd and umd versions of the CG movie sequel to Final Fantasy VII is now widely available. I expect bootlegs and fansubbed-versions to make their way here very soon. Whatever happens though, my own Japanese copy of the dvd is already being shipped to me as I write this (I'll have it in 4-12 days according to the seller).

I'm so hyped for this, and I know a lot of you out there are excited as well. I do know that quite a few of you out there might not have had the pleasure of playing FFVII, and therefore I have to warn you... full enjoyment of Advent Children really is only possible if you played the game. There's so much story, plots, characters and emotion wrapped up in the over 60+ hours of gameplay that a 97-minute movie can barely manifest the richness of FFVII. Much is left to the imagination and the knowledge of the source material to fill up.

All I can recommend to non-FFVII players who want to see AC is to either get a good plot-guide and do your reading, or just grab a copy of the game and start playing. Still, by itself Advent Children is a sight to see. The action and CG quality are worth the price of admission alone. However, the story and revelations, the continuation of what the game left off... for fans, this is priceless.

The next time I write about AC, it will be after I've seen the film myself. Till then, this is the MAD Advent Children report, signing off.

Advent Children Hong Kong

Yeah, we hate the Venetians for being able to watch FFVII Advent Children ahead of the rest of the world. We can now add Hong Kong to the hit list, as the CG movie is now available there, right now. Thanks to HK's liberal trade policies, they can release earlier than Japan (where the laws are more stringent and thus release dates have to be followed to the letter).
Already, spoiler pics and discussions are spreading in various forums. I can't resist taking a look, but then again, how can I even be more spoiled? I just want to see the darn movie already and marvel at the amazing CG, the awesome fight sequences and the pleasure of seeing the Final Fantasy VII cast in living, bigger-than-life motion. Well, I'm expecting my Japanese copy of the film perhaps in a couple of weeks- probably a bootleg will appear soon in local anime shops. Hope, hope!

Superheroes and Fairy Tales

Over the past week and this weekend, I watched two cool flicks; Disney's superhero teen movie Sky High and the dark fantasy-period adventure, The Brothers Grimm.

Sky High stars a cast of new and veteran performers to bring a superhero-filled world to life. The film focuses on Will Stronghold, the teenage son of the world's two greatest superheroes (played by Kurt Russell and Kelly Preston. Aside from dealing with the fact that he secretly has NO POWERS, he has to contend with super bullies, finding his first high school crush and the decidedly negative way that his new alma mater segregates people into 'Heroes' and inferior 'Sidekicks'. A long-thought-dead arch villain's return and quite ingenious plot complicates things even further.

For a Disney movie, this is pretty cool. Some parts seem 'TV-movie'-ish, like some of the CG effects and some stage-play acting, but overall I had fun and there were some neat action effects. That and there's a guy named Warren Peace. Heh. Incredibles-lite... and that's really not a bad thing.

Dean and Nikki were raving about The Brothers Grimm, so I was really excited to watch this. Beforehand, I already wanted to see it thanks to the creepy atmosphere and premise which kinda reminded me of Tim Burton's Sleepy Hollow. Anyway, BG stars Matt Damon and Heath Ledger as the titular siblings- two wandering con artists who poses as supernatural ghostbusters/witchhunters. Their exploits eventually lead them to being drafted by an evil French General (Jonathan Pryce) to investigate the disappearances of some children in a supposed enchanted forest. Some creepy atmosphere, bizarre manifestations of fairy tale conventions and Monica Bellucci as an evil queen make this a winner, as does the hilarious performance of character actor Peter Stormare (he played the Devil in Constantine and every cool Russian in movies, I think) as Italian psycho/torturer Cavaldi. The minuses are that there are some dragging bits, and the film takes its time to get to the meat of the matter. Otherwise, a happy ending to my weekend.

Both these flicks are showing right now. Catch them while you can!

Antsy

The last time I had problems with ants and a piece of tech, it was with my scanner. But that was perhaps a year or two ago. What a bitter campaign that was. Days and days of hard battle, to smoke out the invaders who had been able to gain a foothold inside the equipment, building what seemed to be the startings of a whole goshdarn colony. Ultimately, I lost that war... I got a new scanner to replace the ant-violated one. This time though, it's another story.

This time it's my laptop. My Mac Powerbook G4 15-inch laptop. I came in and found ants crawling in and out of the keys. Why are they doing this now? Perhaps a bit of food got into the keys? Or is it the heat that draws them in? Well, I got some alcohol and gave the Mac a once over... and then repeated blowings into the crevices dislodged some of the buggers. Thankfully, it seems that I detected the threat early... but now, I may have to store my Mac somewhere safer than just on the table. I don't want another war with these six-legged infiltrators, dammit.

Lolligaging

According to Advent Children Net, Square-Enix, the producers of Final Fantasy VII Advent Children, have announced that the recent rumors of a US release are untrue, and while there will conceivably be a limited/collected edition release in the US, nothing has been confirmed or announced. So far, on the official website, FFVII AC has a 'holiday release', which means probably November or December. Or later.

What the heck? I really can't figure out these guys. There's already an Italian version. The Japanese version is coming out in several days. Why delay the english language version for months?

Well, knowing the way things really work, fansubs of Advent Children will be available once the DVDs or UMDs of the Japanese version are released. There will probably be copies here very soon. I for one have ordered the Japanese DVD... I am not waiting any longer than I really have to. Keep your frickin' english dubbed crap. I just want my original Japanese with subtitles.

Hang delays. I want my FFVII yesterday, damn it.

Luxour

First it was Bubble Trubble years ago. Then it was Apeiron. Then recently, Snood and Bejeweled.

Now, the new game craze sweeping the land (well, The Salt Mines at least) is Luxour, a furiously addictive game on the Mac which can be described as Snood but with all the weird heads and characters turned into rolling marbles which roll inevitably through a spiraling path towards a goal which you must try desperately to hold back. Whew.

Anyway, the sound effects of this Egyptian-themed puzzler/strategy game probably makes up a lot of the enjoyment. A lot of the crew can be seen, playing furiously, mouthing expletives for every step the marbles take closer to the end, a cheer for every victorious setback.

I fear to get into this game. I might not get anything done if I do...

INCONCEIVABLE!!!

I was just about to watch the Disney superhero teen-flick Sky High last night, watching through the trailers before the last full show, minding my own business, when something suddenly flashed and before me, flooring me in utter amazement.

There is actually a SECOND Dungeons and Dragons movie.

Yes, you read that right.

You will of course remember the original D&D film (which we've flogged on this blog multiple times in the past), that horrid piece of orc turd trying to pass itself off as high fantasy but only serving to be a tombstone to the genre if not for the appearance of the LOTR Trilogy. Well, we heard rumors before that producer/director Courtney Solomon had succeeded in using a charm spell to rope someone into funding a second film in the series... well, it turned out to be true.

It started off quietly. I saw what seemed to be an old, or at least, low-budget-looking fantasy film trailer before me, with knights and warriors and elves and dragons. I stared at it in confusion, thinking maybe it was the upcoming Bloodrayne film, or maybe something from Europe. But it wasn't... I stared as suddenly I recognized Bruce Payne, aka the evil warrior Damodar from the first movie, appear. DAMODAR??? Didn't he DIE in the first one? He got thrown off a tower. Well, for some reason, Mr. Payne reprises his role in the sequel, but now has gotten rid of the blue lipstick (heh) and has been bumped up to head baddie (since Jeremy Irons turned into dragon feces at the end of the first turd of a film).
Anyway, apparently Mr. Payne is the only cast member to return from the first film... the new heroes are pretty much unknown actors to me. Anyway, the movie is called Dungeons and Dragons: The Elemental Might AKA Dungeons and Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God, and apparently it is a straight-to-video release in the US. But for us Pinoys, we get it in theaters.

The plot is apparently as follows: The country of Izmir is once again under siege, this time from the black sorcerer Damodar (Payne) and his growing army of gruesome creatures. To save the land, four heroes representing strength, intelligence, dexterity and wisdom (what? No Hero of Comeliness?) must come together, form their own army, and use the elemental might to defeat Damodar before he unleashes the terror of a Black Dragon.

Woah. So how did an evil fighter (Damodar) survive a fall from hundreds of feet, and become a master sorcerer? Class change? What happened to the heroes of the first movie? If this is anything like the first film, it'll probably all be explained offscreen.

Anyway, the trailer was actually put together quite well, despite some cheap-looking special effects. I'm actually curious to see it. I want to see if it's actually possible to make a movie worse than the first D&D movie.

Hey, who knows... maybe it'll be good for a laugh. Another dead dragon to flog. MAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Elemental might... phah...

Visionary

After she had her first eye operation last week (her next one is tomorrow), Mom had to wear a weird transparent eye shield over one eye whenever she goes to bed. The thing is, she has to keep her eye dry, hence the cover. So it was that Mom kinda looks like a retired member of the Universal Soldier project. Or, Cyber-Ma! Anyway, it's really cool to hear her remark about how her vision is sooooo much better now. She can, apparently, now totally appreciate watching TV since she never before noticed how COLORFUL the TV screen was. As it turns out, her vision was washed out and getting progressively blurry before- things she just took as a sign of her advancing age.
But now, she's enjoying things and perhaps seeing everything again for the first time. It's wonderful to hear that.

While she was talking to doctors and stuff, she also found out that apparently, my grade of myopic vision can already be treated (my eye grade is pretty high)... So conceivably I can have my eyes operated on myself to get better vision... if and when I can bring together the money for it. The amount isn't impossible- it's about as expensive as a comic book release like K.I.A.- so perhaps maybe next year or so, I'll be seeing stuff in a whole new light as well. We'll see.

For now though, Mom can see well. That's enough.

Back to School


The Mythology Class is back.

The first time I read Arnold Arre’s Mythology Class was years ago, in parts, even before the comic reached the printing presses. Back then, when me and Arn were in college (UP Fine Arts), I’d immediately go “Pa-Xerox! Pa-Xerox! Pa-Xerox!” whenever he came up with a chapter of his incredible, personal comic project. And being the friendly guy that he was, and is, he’d oblige. I still have those Xerox-copies of the original Myth Class somewhere in The Sanctum, locked away under lock and key, with half-aswang, half-kapre guards ever watchful.
Myth Class hooked me at the time initially thanks to the fact that about 95 percent of the characters in the book are based on real people in and around our college (including me, in a very short, very small role…heh). But while I came for the art, I stayed for the story, and never left.
This new, collected Special Edition of Myth Class is a mix; the ‘Lucasisms’, or revisions, are sporadically sprinkled throughout. They range from different treatments of scenes (and some discreet censorings…), to slight modifications of dialogue, to totally new segments that, thankfully, fit in well with doses of humor and levity to the already light banter of the Class. There’s even some updating of technology- originally equipped with audio cassettes, the techie members of the Myth Class are now packing CDs to make with the times. There’s no texting though, strangely enough. Heh.

For the most part, The Mythology Class is a wonderful re-presentation of Arnold’s classic, easily one of the most impressive local works of graphic storytelling in recent times, and even after more than six years I still consider it my favorite among Arnold’s works. Not because of art, but by sheer volume, depth, detail and the spirit that was infused in every page and character.
At more than 350 pages, it’s a lengthy, immersive read, full of fantastic images, witty dialogue, impressive action and a wide-eyed sense of wonder that Arnold always infuses in his comics.

Arnold’s original, self-published run reached a lot of people, but this new, collected release by Anino looks to reach even more. The only bottleneck is the inevitable high price, since it IS a 350-plus page monster of a book… but it’s still cheaper than any foreign graphic novel, and you’re getting a LOT of bang for your buck. Highly recommended to any fans of local pop culture and comic readers in general. Class is in session. Attendance is a MUST!

The Mythology Class tells the story of a band of travelers from antiquity, their epic, endless quest, and the wonderful mish-mash of unique youths they gather to join them in the adventure of a lifetime. Story and art by Arnold Arre, soon to be available in major bookstores and comic shops in Metro Manila.

For more information and a view of more art based on the book, visit the Mythology Class Website.

Reunion


Arnold and Cynthia Arre with MY copy of the Mythology Class Special Collection.

Not a rumor. Not an urban legend. Not a myth. Wait a minute, it is. Ah, whatever. Anyway, have you all been hearing that the Mythology Class comic book by Arnold Arre is being collected into a single, mammoth collection? Well, it's true. Now fans of the cult local independent comic book can rejoice in a remastered, refurbished, rejuvinated Myth Class, complete with new pages of art and even new dimensions into this modern komiks classic. And those long-suffering fanboys who've been asking and searching for in vain for elusive First and Second issues of Myth Class can finally see what they've been missing.

I know. Cause I HAVE A COPY RIGHT IN MY HANDS RIGHT NOW. WOOHOO!!!

Arnold and Cynthia passed by today at The Salt Mines, for a chat and to give me my free sample copy. Oh my! The truly monumental Special Collection clocks in at over 350 pages of story and extras that include colored pinup/past cover art, sketches and artist notes, and some nice odds and ends. Arnold took the time and effort to smoothen out some parts of his original masterpiece, along with some all-new pages and some changes to update the Class for the times (the gang now sports cellphones and CDs).

I expect to dive into the book as soon as I can, to see what has changed and what has remained the same of this comic opus.

Anyway, the LAUNCH of the Myth Class Collection will be on September 16, 2005, evening (6-7ish) at Rockwell. Expect to see Arnold and Cynthia there with a boatload of engkantos- er, enchanted fans. Also, you can check out the New Mythology Class Website that's loaded with new pieces of fan art, including a couple of pieces from me. Yay!

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a Tikbalang to run down. Hoho!

The Mythology Class is released by Anino Publishing. Catch it soon at bookstores and comic book shops everywhere in the metro.

Advent Voices

Just for fun and otaku giddiness, here are some info on the voice actors (Japanese) for Final Fantasy VII Advent Children and info on their previous anime roles. Some interesting stuff.

Cloud Strife, the main man and seemingly eternal imo boy, will be played by Takahiro Sakurai. The actor said in an interview that he really loved FFVII and Cloud in particular, so he was literally floored when he was asked to play the role. His previous anime voice credits include Shun Ukiya from Gatekeepers and Arihiko Inui in Lunar Legend Tsukihime. He's also played a villain, as Kagami Kyouji in Getbackers.

Tifa Lockheart is played by lovely actress Ayumi Itouh, who looks just as pretty as her CG/game counterpart (look for her online). She has been cast in the films All About Lily Chou-Chou and Swallowtail Butterfly.

Yuffie Kisaragi is played by Yumi Kazaku, whose previous anime roles include Aya Mikage from Ayashi no Ceres, and other roles in Full Metal Alchemist, Raxhephon and Initial D.

Aeris Gainsborough is played by none other than Maaya Sakamoto, who's basically a megastar in anime and Japanese music. Her previous roles in anime includes the voice of Hitomi Kanzaki from Escaflowne.

The Wheelchair-bound Man is played by Tohru Okawa, who also voiced Roy Mustang from Full Metal Alchemist. Interestingly enough, Wheelchairman's bodyguard, the red-haired Turk Reno, is voiced by Keiji Fujiwara, who played Mustang's best friend and subordinate Maes Hughes in FMA.

Sephiroth will be given his villainous voice by veteran seiyuu Toshiyuki Morikawa, whose past vocal performances include game characters Kazuya Mishima in Tekken 4 and Heishiro Mitsurugi in Soul Calibur. He also voiced the mega-villain Naraku from the Inu Yasha anime.

For me, the optimal way to watch Advent Children will be with the original Japanese dialogue and subtitles, but that's just me.

I wonder who the english voice actors will be? Speculating on that would make a great topic by itself. Heh.

Advent Reading



In but a couple of weeks, FFVII: Advent Children will be released on DVD and UMD (PSP Format) in Japan. But forget about the Nippon for a bit; if we’re going to be jealous of someone, it should be with the Italians. That’s because the final, 100-minute cut of FF7 AC has already been shown in Venice Italy.

I don’t really mind spoilers, so it was fine for me to read a super-detailed report on the movie, with tons o’ spoilers. And so, without necessarily spoiling details for the rest of us FF7 AC virgins, here are some bits of info.

FF7 AC is Cloud’s show. It’s all about him, his internal conflicts, his ongoing turmoil even after the story in the game. Everyone else is secondary, with most of the cast (including the other FF7 heroes) in roles that are little more than cameos. This is to be expected, as Advent Children originally started out as a 30-minute feature that really just focused on Cloud and little else.
For the most part though, it is apparent from the script that Aeris the Flower Girl will have a huge impact on the story, beyond the simple flashback. Next, Tifa and Vincent will also have good screentime, as will members of Shinra and The Turks.

Bottom line, there are cool moments aplenty for pretty much all the fan favorites.

Expect LOTS of fanservice like signature attacks from the game shown in full CG loveliness. The battle scenes and fights are supposed to be beyond awesome. Well, we’ll just have to see them for ourselves.

The story though is not without flaws- nothing extremely world-changing really happens, and it’s all pretty linear and not unexpected really. However, it should be stressed that you really can’t expect to satisfy everyone; by all indications though, this movie is going to rock. Fans of FFVII should expect to be majorly impressed by perhaps the ultimate in fan service ever. Everyone else who enjoys a good sci-fi fantasy adventure with unparalleled animation, drama and action should be in for a treat.

FFVII: Advent Children takes place a couple of years after the end of the story in the classic Playstation RPG. The heroes and villains of the world of Midgar must now face a new threat together- the deadly disease known as Geostigma, and the dangerous group of Silver-haired Young Men who plan to resurrect the world's most dangerous enemy- Sephiroth. Cloud Strife, fallen hero, must find it in himself to rise up and defend what he values, or die trying.

Damn, I can’t wait to see this movie. NOW. NOW. NOW.

Wild Week

Yet again this week was pretty hectic. And not without a hiccup or two. Well, there's nothing else to do about it but learn from the experience, take it all in stride and move on. All in all though I still count this week as being pretty good, and myself still pretty lucky.
Maybe next week won't be as hectic as this one was, maybe not. I remember a week or two ago, Vin asked me why I was still looking blasted after coming off a hard week of work. It's really not like after a straight run of overtime and finishing a week's worth of Job Orders that your boss will come to you and say, "Marc, you did a great job. Here's a ton of cash. Take a month's off and enjoy yourself!" It's really more to the tune of, "Marc, you did a great job. Here's some more work."

It's not like back in school when you knew when breaks came, and you could look forward to long, long periods of vacation and relaxing. I kinda miss those days, but I'm not the kind of guy who'd like to go back to school. I love working and earning my own money. I like being the master of my ship. I like not having periodical exams. I like not having to answer to some crummy professor who's more bark than real bite. Ooh.

But whatever... I'm still thankful for weekends. Those lovely oasis of calm between these hectic weeks. Without weekends, I surely would go mad. But then again... I'm already MAD aren't I? MAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!

Eye-OK

My mom had her operation today, and it went well. Thanks to everyone who gave in their prayers and well wishes. I'm sure they all helped a lot.

Things they didn't teach in Roman History


Agrippa knows how to handle the ladies.

Another of the PS2 games I've been playing recently is Shadow of Rome by Capcom (hey... Capcom's been putting a lot of games out recently. Where's Streetfighter 4??!). It's loosely based on the history of the Roman Empire. I say loosely because most probably any history professor who watches the stuff happening onscreen will most likely throw up his hands in dismay at how this game pretty much cuts up historical fact with abandon.

But then again, SOR is all about cutting up stuff- particularly people. Well, mostly enemy gladiators, at least. Set in an alternate Rome which is without a doubt greatly influenced by Ridley Scott's Gladiator movie, the game puts you in the leather sandals of two individuals and friends. Agrippa is a centurion who, after finishing a major campaign against the Germanic tribes, finds his world tumbling into a nightmare when his father is accused of assassinating Julius Caesar.
Yeah, Julius Caesar gets assassinated in Shadow of Rome. But taking a big historical flip, in the game the Roman emperor is killed not by a bunch of senators but by apparently a lone assassin in the shadows of a hallway in Caesar's house. Agrippa only learns of his father's plight after he races home. Prior to that, his friend and the game's other playable character Octavianus (who looks all the world like a Roman version of Metal Gear's Raiden) starts his own investigation into the great lord's murder.

About two thirds of the game is all about gory arena fighting- Soon after he comes home, fate throws Agrippa into the role of a gladiator, in order to somehow save his father. You then take command of the burly Roman warrior as he tries to survive waves of deadly fighters, mainly by turning the opposition into tiny bloody chunks with various weapons and tools of death. Suffice to say that SOR is probably one of the goriest and bloodiest games you'll see; decapitations, dismemberments and severing of limbs is pretty commonplace, and you get high scores for the more stylish kills. Ouch. Well, it's all in good fun (?) and desensitized kids will probably get a laugh out of this... for responsible parents though, keep this out of youngsters' hands.
If SOR was just all about fighting, this would be a solid title. But then, a third of the game consists of sneak-and-hide missions with the fey, effete Octavianus as he tries to uncover the conspiracy behind Caesar's murder. You spend several chapters infiltrating mansions and buildings guarded by patrols of careless legionnaires, occasionally conking some poor buster on the head with a pot or choking them unconscious so you can grab their toga. These missions aren't all that bad, though it kinda sucks that if you're ever seen, all it takes is one hit from any enemy to kill you and end the mission- throwing you back to the start of the round. If you know what to do it's all about getting from point A to point B, but still the action just grinds to a bit of a stop when Octavianus answers the curtain.

It's much better to just kick butt with Agrippa, sometimes fighting sexy gladiator babes, most of whom sport thongs and a couple, high heeled shoes which are probably years ahead of their time. It could easily turn into a mindless button masher (which has good points), but there are techniques to master which will turn you from a simple killler to a virtuoso of gore.

Historical blunders aside, Shadow of Rome is a fun, mature action title for the PS2 that those looking for some bloody stress relief would do well to check out. Et tu, Brute?

Superhero Students and Fanservice-laden Car Chases

I just said in a recent post that there seemed to be a shortage of nice films to watch in recent weeks. Well, that may change this week. Just opening today are a couple of fun-looking flicks: Sky High and The Dukes of Hazzard.

Sky High is about a high school for would-be superheroes, and has the cool casting of Kurt Russell as a superheroic dad and Linda 'Wonder Woman' Carter as the school's principal. The main plot is about Kurt's son who is still trying to find his niche either as the next big superhero or as a second-class sidekick. Though this is released by Disney, it looks pretty slick with cool special effects and a storyline that just oozes comic book appeal.

The Dukes of Hazzard is a movie remake of the old 80s TV series about some car-riding outlaw brothers (this time around played by Sean William Scott and Johnny Knoxville), their hot sister in cut-off jeans (this time played by Jessica Simpson, who looks DAMN fine) and their continuing tussles with the local sheriff and his evil boss, Hogg (now played by Burt Reynolds). Lots of car chases, Miss Simpson showing off skin and white trash humor.

Hoho! I'll try to catch Sky High soon. As for the Dukes... maybe the DVD's out already?

Phoneman


The Sony Ericsson W800i.

A friend at The Salt Mines just got herself a spiffy new Sony Ericsson W800i, more popularly known as The Walkman Phone. I got to see it (after grabbing it from her with grasping hands like claws) and it’s pretty neat.

The gadget can’t be any larger than the older, classic T610 but darn, it’s got tons of goodies and functions up the wazoo- a great camera (2 megapixels make for great shots) with video and of course the much-touted musical functions. Unfortunately, while the phone is supposed to play great through earphones, sound through the phone itself isn’t too loud (‘cept when there are rings or text tones… pretty cool) for music. I expect though that, like an I-pod, it would suffice as a pretty decent music source if you plug it into a good sound system. And with about 15 or so hours of playtime, that’s a lot of music to enjoy.

Anyway, the reviews have said that the W800’s good enough as a music player against real, stand-alone mp3 players, and that I can believe. It’s compact, gives you a really nice camera, videocam, gaming device (though the two pre-loaded titles are pretty blah) and music jukebox. And the 512mb Memory Stick (included) is pretty cool.
Still, I’m not budging a centimeter from my lovely O2 Mini (hehe). The screen’s far too small, there’s no OS for me to run my apps and Betaplayer videos, and no phone Java game beats 32-bit Playstation 1 games. HOHO. As for music, I have Windows Media Player and ultra-small WMAs. It was nice to see the new device, and feel a bit of the giddiness of something new. But, well… it’s beneath me.

To anyone else not into smartphones though, the Walkman phone’s highly recommended. Run, don’t walk… to your nearest store for your own.

Interesting Times in the DC Univers

I FINALLY got to read a good-sized chunk of the new comics I’ve been purchasing. The stuff consists of DC Comics, particularly those in the direct OMAC Project and build-up to the Infinite Crisis storyline. Now, Vin and Dean have been raving about this, and I guess I have to agree.

The more dangerous atmosphere of the DC universe these days makes for gripping reads, what with villains coming together to form super-syndicates, heroes learning dirty secrets that lead them to mistrust each other and an army of secret anti-superhuman agents ready to pop up anytime to zap anyone, bad or good. Dangerous times make for great comics.

Though I have to say I’m not totally convinced by some of the story elements- such as the whole issue with (SPOILERS) Dr. Light and the big SIN the JLA members did to him and in the course, Batman. Yeah, it makes it all more human and gritty and raises issues of morality but come on… they’re villains. Expect bad things to happen when you call yourself a baddie. Anyway, I like it, and I guess I’m in for the ride. I’ve been a DC fan ever since the original Crisis (on Infinite Earths), and this new hullabaloo coming for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and their ilk looks to be a humdinger.

Anyway, I don’t want to be the only one out of the loop when the gang starts talking about the latest Infinite Crisis buzz. Heh.

Dead Air

Is it just me, or there just no good movies anywhere right now? I mean, after watching Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Fantastic Four, things just kinda... stopped. There's nothing much to look forward to in the next couple of months, I think. Perhaps everyone is saving their eggs for the holiday season. That's when stuff like King Kong and Chronicles of Narnia come out. Still, they're nowhere in the league of a LOTR or any similar movie event. The only things that tempted me to even consider watching recently was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and The Great Raid. I guess it's just as well... don't have much time to go to a theater these days. Hopefully that, and the fare in cinemas, will change soon. Sigh.

New Challengers


Singer/martial artist Lili joins the Tekken crew.

More info on Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection. The two new playable characters are named Dragunov and Lili. Dragunov is a decidedly evil-looking man in a militaristic uniform who is described as a 'human weapon'. Lili is a singer who uses her dance moves to fight. Meanwhile, aside from the newbies, all of the characters will be getting more costumes and accessories. Now, if we'll be getting bikinis for Nina and Asuka, I'm sold. Heh.


Tekken 5: Dark Resurrection is set for a late 2005 release in Japan arcades. No telling on a home version yet, but we'll just have to see first whether it's worth taking home or not.