In Support of Piracy


Does the Third Pirates movie sink or swim?

For the past several weeks, I've seen a couple of 'third' chapters of blockbuster franchises, only to find myself disappointed. Spider-Man 3 impressed with fight scenes but horrified with bad writing and a bad ending. Shrek the Third was just not funny or as entertaining as previous entries. And now... here's Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. Does it blow the rest of the pack out of the water, or does it scream "STRIKE THREE" as the third third movie mess?

For starters, I have to remind everyone that At World's End is a continuation of the story started in the previous chapter, Dead Man's Chest. You NEED to have watched and understood Part Two to appreciate the goings-on in Part Three. That said, this kind of thing is common these days in our era of trilogies like The Matrix and The Lord of the Rings. If it's been a while, bring out those DVDs and refresh your pirate lore before heading off to theaters.


ARRR! Beware of SPOILERS, Matey!

With the terrifying Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and his ship, The Flying Dutchman, under his control, Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) of the East India Trading Company is waging a campaign of genocide versus all of the seas' pirates. The opening minutes of AWE is leagues darker than previous films, with scenes of merciless hangings aplenty showing just how high the stakes have risen since the devil-may-care second chapter.

With their way of life and very survival threatened, the resurrected Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) joins Elizabeth Swan (Keira Knightley, Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and the remnants of the Black Pearl's crew to find and rescue Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his own personal hell in Davy Jones' Locker. This takes up the first part of the film, and is in itself an epic quest reminiscent of old fantasy films like the Sindbad movies or Terry Gilliams' Erik the Viking. It's ridiculous but enthralling, mystical and ludicrous and one heck of a ride. As for The Locker itself, it's a place of unique torment, and a peek into the demented mind of one Captain Jack Sparrow- let me tell you... the man is NUTZ. As in, he's got real peanuts growing out of his 'ead! I kid you not.

Anyways, after Jack is finally rescued and resurrected from the briny afterlife (OOH SHOCKER!), the heroes all promptly start scheming and plotting their way on their own agendas, be it to rescue a loved one (Will), to save the pirate race (Barbossa) or to just be able to sleep at night (Elizabeth). There are double-crosses and triple-crosses and here comes the part where people may get confused and lose sense of what's going on.

Here's a hint. ALL of the leads are good guys, more or less. The bad guys are either smarmy redcoats or half-fish monsters. Or bald scarred Chinese pirate lords. So no matter who betrays who, everyone remains, in their own way, true.

While two thirds of this journey is mainly character interaction, drama, deals and double-deals and injections of humor (that's a mite funnier than in DMC), the final hour is all action... a literal wild ride that does not let up until a rip-roaring slow-mo obliteration of one ship- I mean, Cutler Beckett may not be the most formidable or engaging villain in movies, but certainly his demise is truly exceptional. Bottom-line, If you liked or enjoyed the previous two Pirates films, you'll love this. It brings resolutions to all the characters (though a couple I feel were undeserved) and ends all the storylines so far revealed. At almost three hours, it will indeed satisfy you with good exposure from pretty much every character, from Jack Sparrow to the other Jack (the Undead Monkey).

What's Good and What's Bad? Let me start with the Bad.

The one big bad I have to say is this. The movie trailers and promotion all had me expecting this HUGE free-for-all battle between the world's freedom-loving pirates and the massive EITC Armada ranged to annihalate them. Well... it NEVER happens. The final battle is played out between two ships- the ubiquitous Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman. Granted, this ship-to-ship, crew-on-crew battle is simply awesome... but it would have been great to see the many other pirate lords introduced at least get their hands a bit dirty in the struggle, as it IS their survival at stake. Instead, everyone else just sit at the sidelines and cheer at the end once the fighting is all done... which kinda waters down the hurrah afterwards.

Another bad is a wee detail- mainly the fate of James Norrington (Jack Davenport). While the offscreen passing of Weatherby Swan (Jonathan Pryce) is a bit of a shocker given that he was a comic relief character, he at least gets to say a proper goodbye to Elizabeth- and it does serve the purpose of giving Liz reason to hate Beckett and the EITC more. Norrington's death (at the hands of the most unlikely character, to boot(!) just made me feel bad. The guy just never got a nice break, even though he was at heart an honorable and good man who deserved better. While his death had drama and meaning, it would have been nicer to have cut him some slack at the end. I mean, even those two chatty redcoats made it okay! Sigh.

Then there's the love story of Davy Jones and his former love, Calypso- something that seems so intense and deep, but is eventually lost and feeling unfinished. On the other hand, perhaps they were just there to reflect the present love and conflict between Will and Elizabeth.

Finally, the last significant 'bad' for me is Chow Yun Fat's Sao Feng. While Mr. Fat looks awesome bald and scarred, he just didn't have enough of a role to be really too significant. Even sadder, Keith Richards, who appears in shorter screentime, makes far more of an impression as the uber-cool Captain Teague, Jack Sparrow's daddy and Keeper of Pirate Law.

Well that's that. Other bads are just nitpicks.

For the good, then.

With three hours, you just cannot accuse this movie of cutting the fun short. Every character has stuff to do or say, and their little or big parts in the story. Thankfully, everyone is pretty easy to keep track of even with all the double-crosses and shifts from here to there and back again. The cast is in fine form, and it's great to Jack spar with Barbossa (particularly a scene with ever-growing spyglasses which is obviously loaded), and how Will and Elizabeth finally makes us care about their relationship again.

The World of Pirates has grown even more from Dead Man's Chest, and it's just cool. It's cool to find out that there are Pirate Lords, that a couple of our leads are part of this secretive (but not really that organized) cabal. It's cool to see just how much a fantasy world the Pirates Universe really is. And it all comes to life gloriously thanks to Industrial Light and Magic. Every new monster, fabulous setting, explosion and magical transformation is amazing and convincing- this film truly is a treasure trove of amazing sights, and incredibly enough they all seem seamless. You never for one second look at Davy Jones and say, he's CG. You just think he's a real damn Squid-faced Man of the Sea. When rocks become crabs and sail a ship through a desert, you believe it. If you can, watch this on Imax. DAMN that would be awesome. I am SOOOO getting this series on Blu-Ray.

And finally, the best 'Good' for me is that this movie satisfies. Remember the Matrix Revolutions? Remember how after it ended you came out going, 'that was it?' We all went home sad and disappointed at how Neo and Trin died but at least the human race survived and the Colonel will keep his word. Well, not here. The ending is true to the movies. It doesn't pull a Wachowski and go all existencial on us. Jack Sparrow's true heart shines in a great personal sacrifice. The most exciting wedding ever is held. Lives end and change but love conquers in the end. Some journeys definitely end here, but the world that is Pirates of the Caribbean is, like the sea, left open for future exploration. If Jack Sparrow has more tales to tell, I'll be right here waiting to listen.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is now showing in theaters. Get the small soft drink to keep from missing any of this. It's a long, exciting, absurd, goofy, thrilling and ultimately satisfying voyage.

Oh, and one last thing. There is a final epilogue scene AFTER the credits. When I watched, pretty much the ENTIRE audience had left and MISSED it! It's well worth seeing (unlike the 'dog' ending in DMC), so take my word for it. Wait.

Preparing to Set Sail

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End is now showing here in Manila theaters. As much as I want to just go off and watch it the second I quit work, I'm a bit wary of the almost 3-hour running time and the prospect of going home past midnight. In any case, that I'm going to watch this the first chance I get is a given- I've been waiting for this film the first time I saw Jack Sparrow leap into the Kraken's maw. Certainly I've been anticipating AWE more than Shrek 3 and Spider-Man 3, both of which disappointed me. Pirates is, I realize, the Star Wars of our present day. A swashbuckling saga with the rascally pirate in the lead instead of a wussy farm boy. But hopefully, this, the third chapter, won't be another Return of the Jedi.

Despite a lot of negative reviews with guys complaining about how they can't understand what's happening, I am hopeful. It's infuriating when some hack on some site bashes a movie and writes all of one paragraph just saying he couldn't figure out what was going on. IF YOU CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO REVIEW IT. Understand what you're reviewing, 'reviewers'... that's your job. Sheesh. Good thing Harry Knowles at Ain't It Cool gave the movie a good thumbs up and a nice review for a change. So I'm stoked going into this one.

I definitely love the franchise, for the record. I do have my reservations about how the film can meander, but I do appreciate the length of the movies, the extended dialogies and sequences- it just makes it more detailed and, for the lack of a better word, exhaustive. You certainly get enough of each character, from Jack and Will and Elizabeth to Gibbs and Marty and Jack the Undead Monkey. The production and art direction are flawless, and just feels so consistent throughout the first two films. AWE looks to up the ante in a big, big way, with huge setpieces and new locations. The fantasy element is also given a boost, with more creatures from Davy Jones' crew, armies of colorful pirates and intriguing new concepts like the Pirate Lords and the Brethren of the Coast. It all just proves that making an MMORPG based on the Pirates world not a bad idea at all. I love this world, and the third movie looks to show you a lot more of it in this big budget, slam-bang finale.

Expect a review soon as soon as I watch it. I promise, it won't take three hours to read. Mehehe.

The Golden Compass



Here's the first official trailer to The Golden Compass, the first in the series of fantasy novels entitled His Dark Materials by British author Philip Pullman. I haven't read the books, but apparently this is set in a fantastic alternate reality where people have familiars called daemons and magic coexists with technology in a beautiful, Jules Vern-esque world- albeit with dangerous secrets hidden in the trappings. It's all about a girl named Lyra who is entrusted with, well, a Golden Compass which leads her on a dangerous but epic adventure.
There are big names in the cast, including Nicole Kidman as Mrs. Coultier, the movie's glamorous villainess. Also on board are the leads from Casino Royale- Daniel Craig plays Lord Asriel, Lyra's uncle and master adventurer, while Eva Green plays a gorgeous witch queen.

So far the visuals look fantastic and may just be worth the price of admission just for the art direction. Hopefully the story is awesome and the adaptation watchable for the big screen. It's still a ways off- December 2007 is the stated date. Till then, take a gander at the Youtube trailer and let your imagination fly.

Coming in Third



Friday night found me going out with Salt Mine workmate Joey and her hubby Rey to catch the latest Dreamworks CG feature, Shrek the Third at Greenbelt.
Unfortunately, I found this latest Shrek to be the least of the three Big Green Ogre movies released so far. The characters are still loveable, but the gags are just not as funny. At least for me. I don't know... maybe I've just watched too many jokes or seen the trailers too often to get cracked up. On the other hand, the lady next to me was positively bursting at the seams with laughter.

In any case, Shrek the Third isn't horrible, nor is there any cardinal sin committed like Spider-Man 3's Butler Bombshell. It just feels... stale. The new Arthurian add-ons to the cast are okay, but just not as developed as previous additions; they're more plot devices than characters that suddenly come to life like Puss in Boots did in Shrek 2. The movie has a bit too much going on, and the finale... well, the finale just sorta happened and that was that. Nowhere near the manic pace and action-packed hilarity of the Finale in Shrek 2.

If it isn't obvious by now, Shrek the Third comes to me as an inferior film to the previous two Shrek movies, particularly to Shrek 2, in everything but the quality of CG animation. Hopefully Shrek 4 (yes, a fourth film is already underway) will be fresher. Well, as fresh as a stinking Ogre can be.

On to Pirates 3, then.

Starcraft II



It's official. Blizzard debuted a CGI trailer for the long-awaited sequel to it's classic sci-fi RTS in Seoul recently. I'm not the biggest Starcraft fan, but I know a good thing when I see it. So far, here are some facts known about the game...

There will be three factions once more doing battle- Terran, Zerg and Protoss. No new races, unfortunately. The Story Mode will feature appearances by the game's previous important characters, such as Terran hero James Raynor, Protoss commander Zeratul and the Zerg Queen, Kerrigan. The game will be released primarily on PCs and Macs- no console plans yet (Boo). While the game has been in development for quite some time (ever since the completion of Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne), there's still no word of a release date.

Well, Starcraft II is coming... perhaps sooner than anyone may realize. Something to look forward to in gaming in the months ahead. Heh.

Heaven or Hell



There's an epic blockbuster coming later this year... it's an action-packed fantasy adventure starring a female heroine. No, it's not Angelina Jolie or Kate Beckinsale... in fact, unless you're a gamer, you probably won't know much about Heavenly Sword, the next big videogame lurking on the horizon for the Playstation 3.

Set in a brutal fantasy world, Heavenly Sword tells the tale of Naruko, a young woman born under dire circumstances. Her birthday is the same as the day that the god of their world was supposed to come to the world, which is an evil omen. True to that sinister precognition, evil would soon sweep the land in the form of King Bothan, a bloodthirsty monarch backed by a vast army bent on genocide. Obsessed with a relic known as The Heavenly Sword, Bothan is ready to kill anyone and everyone in his way to what he sees is his destiny- to wield this weapon and rule the land as a god himself. Naruko's clan is the one entrusted with the keeping of the sword, and so it is them that receives most of Bothan's tender affection. After her home is invaded and her people enslaved or massacred, Naruko takes up the Heavenly Sword herself, even though she knows full well that doing so will inevitably lead to her own death- since no mere mortal should hold the Heavenly Sword and live. And so, with her life ticking away to oblivion, Naruko sets off on a one-woman war against an overwhelming enemy.


Beauty and strength. Naruko embodies both. And she enjoys long walks on the beach, too.

What sets Heavenly Sword from the rest of the pack is the blinding promise that this game has had from day one. Touted as one of the PS3's true next-gen titles, the game has slipped again and again from release dates, delayed for developmental purposes. Still, images and clips of Naruko laying the Smacketh Down on hordes of enemies, in gloriously hi-res graphics and animation, keeps gamers' mouths watering for Heavenly Sword. The Developers, Ninja Theory, also say that the game will not only be your run-of-the-mill hack-and-slash; they're calling it a cinematic fantasy-action drama, an epic movie players take control of. Adding to this claim is the fact that Lord of the Rings' alum and veteran actor Andy Serkis is on board to direct and act through the game's cinematic cut scenes, via motion-captured animation that strives to capture a character's emotions squarely on the digital personages appearing in the game.


He's no Gollum, but with Andy Serkis behind the evil King Bothan's movements, he's sure to be one meaty villain.

High-impact fighting mechanics and bone-crushingly brutal moves, hi-res and hi-def visuals as well as high-powered performances are all behind Heavenly Sword. I've seen only bits, but it all looks cool. I can only hope that the gameplay, story and content of this much-anticipated title is worth the wait. But at least, with Metal Gear Solid 4 nowhere to be seen, this should tide PS3 gamers for the rest of this year as 2007's big gun. Er, sword.

Boxed In

You'd probably think that after my revelation that the original Xbox is dead, that I wouldn't touch one with a ten foot controller. Well, no, actually- the console is still an excellent gaming platform, with tons of software (as long as I get to them before they disappear totally from store shelves). I got a used but still-in-good-condition Xbox1 from eBay (a local seller). The good thing is it came fully modded, with two controllers and quite a few games (though none that I like) at a very nice price- a brand new Gameboy would be pricier. It also comes with built-in any-region DVD playability so now I have a DVD player that can play my region-coded discs again in The Sanctum. So now I can play DVDs and a host of excellent games that deserve my attention and enjoyment. And now that empty slot in the gaming wall is occupied as well. I guess getting a Wii will have to wait. Heh.

Second Third

After the debacle that was Spider-Man 3, another second sequel is upon us- Shrek the Third is the latest chapter in the blockbuster CG-movie series about a grouchy but loveable green ogre and his life and love in a hilarious fairy tale world. This franchise apparently has no plans of stopping anytime soon- at least a couple of more Shrek movies are already being planned, and a spin-off film starring the Spanish cat, Puss in Boots (Antonio Banderas), has also been mentioned.

The latest film picks up some time after the last movie, and sees Shrek (Michael Myers) having a royal dilemma. The King of Far, Far Away (John Cleese) is dying, and an heir needs to be found. Of course, rather than be saddled with royal duties, Shrek goes on a quest to find another guy to stick in the throne. Meanwhile, Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) makes his move to take the vacant throne, and it's up to Fiona (Cameron Diaz) to rally a gang of fairy-tale princesses (voiced by a gaggle of comediennes from Saturday Night Live) to stage a counter-coup.
With pretty much the whole gang from the previous chapter coming back for the ride as well as some new faces and voices, Shrek the Third looks to continue the winning formula. I'll try to catch this soon, perhaps over the weekend at the latest. I want to be all clear by next week, when the THIRD Third movie hits Manila. Heh.

Ex-Box


X-tinct.

Right now, I'm actually regretting my decision to give away my old Xbox. I mean, when I gave it as a Christmas gift to my nephews, I thought they'd cheer at receiving a whole gaming console. But I remember that they just gave it a cursory 'Thanks' before going back to playing on the PS2. Not that I think they weren't grateful- it's that, I probably would have done better by giving them a new Playstation 2 rather than divest myself of a perfectly good, albeit apparently now DEAD console. Yeah, Microsoft is all focused on their now-gen Xbox360 console, so the older, heavier, blacker and bulkier (but weaker) original Xbox is left out in the cold. How focused? And how DEAD? Well, for starters do you know you cannot buy an Xbox console in any stores now? At least, in Greenhills I could not find a single store that would sell an original Xbox. They're now being phased out, like old model cellphones. Yeah, there are still Xbox games being sold, but the console itself is now extinct, at least here in Metro Manila.

Which is odd, I'd say, considering that there are still Dreamcasts, Super Nes's, Famicoms, Gameboys and PS's being sold. Why is the old Xbox suddenly gone? What happened to all those unsold Xboxes? I can hardly believe that all were sold. Were they sent back to Bill Gates? Or are they lining some warehouse somewhere, along with the Ark of the Covenant? Odd.

Well anyway, I suddenly got an itch at the back of my head, and the itch said, "I want to play Xbox games." These are titles like the Knights of the Old Republic games, Jade Empire and good stuff like the original Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball and the gladiatorial RPG/Strategy game Gladius. And so, I went off to the bin of all bins, eBay, and went hunting for a big black box. I'll be learning whether I win or not in a couple of hours (looks like I'll be winning though). After that, I figure I'll go off and buy every good Xbox disc I can get to build a nice library and have a back-up gaming system to play. When I get that itch. What the heck. I'll be getting the system for cheap. Someday, I'll open a gaming library and museum with all the stuff I have in The Sanctum.

Which just goes to show- never throw anything away (or give away) anything you can possibly miss or use in the future. Regret (and itches) are hard things to live with. Heh.

Getting your Hands Dirty

Today I went off despite my self-proclaimed apathy and jaded views towards our country's politics to cast my vote. Elsewhere in the country, ruthless politicos are having people bribed, terrorized or even killed to get their way. Luckily, here in Metro Manila it's peaceful, and our polling station was just a short walk away from the house. There were police and poll watchers aplenty, and the place was quiet and not at all crowded. In a bit I was done filling up the ballot and afterwards had my finger stained to show that I had done my duty.

Will it make a difference? What the heck. It will or it won't. Like the proverbial motto on Lotto- you can't win if you don't send in a ticket.

Life goes on tomorrow. Let's see what happens next.

The Soul Still Burns



... and this time, it's on the Nintendo Wii. Yep, according to Weekly Famitsu, Soul Calibur will be making an appearance on Mario's turf, though not in the usual way. Instead of a straight-up one-on-one fighter, Soul Calibur Legends, Nintendo's version of Namco's premiere weapons fighter, will be a third-person action adventure, putting players into the armored greaves and boots of Soul Calibur's various heroes, wandering the land presumably in search of the evil sword, Soul Edge. While it has been implied that the game will primarily focus the disgraced knight Siegfried, you will apparently be able to play with other fighters, as wel as several new faces.

It is assumed that Legends will make use of the Wii's unique control system, so players will be waving their Wii remotes and nunchucks around a lot as they hack their way past their opponents. So far there hasn't been much in the ways of screens or vids, but a couple of lovely artworks of Siegfried facing off with a dragon and Ivy battling a horde of mummified undead have been released. Intriguingly cool stuff.

Well, this is a pretty good reason for me to grab a Wii, though what I really want is Soul Calibur IV, whether it be on the PS3 or Xbox360. Hopefully, this little diversion on the Wii soon gives way to the real slashing sequel. More on this as it happens. Woowie!

Avatar Watch

Unfortunately there's still no news about the exact date of the Third Season's debut, but we do have a nice little tidbit. Apparently, a new Avatar game is in the works, this time based on the events of the second season, Book of Earth. In this second videogame, Aang the Avatar and his friends must team up to defend the Greatest City in the Earth Kingdom from a deadly Fire Nation threat. Entitled Avatar: The Burning Earth, this will hopefully improve upon the previous game. All I can say is... Toph had better be present and playable. Heheh.

Anyways, for some nice Avatar tidbits, I highly recommend heading on over to Avatarspirit.net to check out stuff like a three-part interview with Avatar creators Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino that reveals quite a bit of stuff about the series, characters and behind-the-scenes stuff (but of course, nothing about the Third Season's release date).

And so... back to waiting. Darn it.

Third Time's a Harm


Review time means SPOILERS AHEAD, so beware.

After the Ateneo Comics Workshop, Carl, El, Jonas and I headed off to Eastwood City to watch the third and supposedly last installment of Marvel Comics' most successful comic-to-film series. Spider-man 3 just may be the last time we'll see Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst as the leads, and certainly it'll be the last for at least one other cast member.

Spider-man 3 sees New York finally warming up to their friendly neighborhood wall-crawler; everyone in the Big Apple loves ol' Spidey now, which is about time after two movies of kicking villain butt. Peter Parker (Maguire) is soaking it up like a plant does sunshine, and it's probably a first for the loveable loser. There are now only two people who aren't too happy about Spidey taking the limelight- one, of course, is J. Jonah Jameson (played as always to perfection by J.K. Simmons). The other, oddly enough, is Mary Jane Watson (Dunst), Peter's girlfriend who is experiencing a rough road in her own showbiz career.

The third movie seems to be the endgame for stuff that has been brewing for the past couple of films. Here, Harry Osborn (James Franco) finally begins his campaign on the perceived murderer of his dad, taking on the Goblin's arsenal and super-strength treatments to turn into- The 'New' Goblin. Here, everyone FINALLY realizes that Mary Jane sucks on stage. Here, Peter finally decides he wants to live in sickness or in health with MJ. Here as well we have the climax of the Ben Parker arc, as a newly-escaped con named Flint Marko (Thomas Haden Church) is revealed to be the senior Parker's real killer. Complicating things of course is that Marko won't be easy to catch since he's become the all-powerful Imhotep-er, The Sandman- after getting exposed to some radioactive sandblasting.

As if all that wasn't overstuffed enough, we've got an alien symbiote crashing down to earth (and into Peter's life), bonding with him to create a new, power-enhancing black costume at the cost of making him an aggressive arse. Oh, and there's a sleazy sneak bastard named Eddy Brock (Topher Grace) out to snatch Peter's career at the Daily Bugle, and a lovely Gwen Stacy (Bryce Dallas Howard) around to make MJ all jealous and frumpy.

Whew! For the most part, it all comes together in one, big, entertaining... MESS. The movie, while moving along as fast as it can under all that weight, bogs down a lot due to the dragging Peter-MJ romance. I just found watching them to be irritating- MJ is irrationally jealous of Peter's new confidence, which speaks badly of her character- what a stuck up broad! Anyway, they don't talk in the same way MJ did in the 2nd movie, which could have fixed a lot of the trouble they go through here. And then there's that awful 'coercion' thing with Harry Osborn where MJ breaks up with Peter for fear of his life... What the-? Messy, messy, messy. Oh, and having a knockout Gwen Stacy around just made MJ all the more sucky. The love mechanic between the two leads just clamps down on everything, making it all slow down like this was some dramedy or soap. It's a superhero movie, darn it!

Still, all this pales in comparison to the "Butler Ex Machina" that pretty much had me throwing out my hands in exasperation. It takes some butler mouthing off some nonsense about stuff he couldn't possibly know to turn Harry Osborn back?

"Your father died from the blades of his own glider... I had no doubt they were self-inflicted..." (or something like that).

So what... the butler's a CSI or something? I didn't know the Green Goblin had an Alfred Pennyworth on the payroll. The whole plot hinges on this, and it just plain reeks.

Flaws like these (along with iffy stuff like Stan Lee's most obnoxious appearance yet) mar the rest of the movie, but at least there's lots of stuff to keep us entertained. The rest of the cast is in fine form, like the aforementioned JJJ, May Parker and even people like Peter's landlord and his winsome daughter. Then there's Church's Sandman, whose sheer strength of will and love for his daughter makes him a sympathetic anti-hero instead of a straight villain. The revelation at the end about the true circumstances of Ben Parker's death is a welcome end to that pivotal plotline and a nice tie-up to the movie's general theme of revenge and forgiveness. Oh, and there's Venom, whom comic fans have probably been dying for years to see- but will probably be disappointed at the results. He's neat and all, but comes far too late in the movie so he seems like an afterthought, and doesn't stay too long. Oh well.

One thing that the movie does well- in fact, amazingly well- is the action, and Spider-man 3 has far and away the best fight scenes in the series, and perhaps in any superhero movie so far. Great, dizzying stuff that had me at the edge of my seat. The Sandman CG effects are amazing to see- you'll never find another pile of sand that can bring a tear to your eye. It was just a pity all the bad stuff kept me falling off my seat just as often. The movie ends with a sunrise, however with a major character death and everyone onscreen crying... it felt like The Return of the King. A funeral, and a slowdance gave way to the credits, which is an odd, downbeat way of ending this franchise (or at least the trilogy). Once again, a flaw, since I would have liked Spidey to go off into the sunset swinging, rather than slow-dancing to a fadeout.

Once again, a mess with quite a lot of entertaining parts. I hope they make another Spidey. In fact, I'm sure they will, given how much money there is in this character and series. Bury Maguire and Dunst in cash. Just get it done. And learn from your mistakes, okay? No more butlers. That's Batman's schtick. Or something. Feh.

An Empowered Review



Empowered is your below-average, C-list heroine. Her powers stem from her shiny super-suit, a self-repairing tighter-than-skintight number that leaves NOTHING to the imagination. When she dons it, she can shoot 'zaps' from her hands and gains the strength of ten men (or fifteen wimpy men). Unfortunately, Emp's powers decrease drastically when the suit gets damaged. And that happens a lot. Scratch that- it happens pretty regularly. The thing seems to be as substantial as soap suds, so more often than not, any combat encounter Emp gets into almost always ends up with her getting captured and bound up like a victim in some hentai BDSM video. Her super-team, the Superhomeys, only marginally regard her as a member, and one 'comrade', Sistah Spooky, openly hates her guts for some reason. Shamed and humiliated almost every time, one would ask, why the heck does this girl keep trying?

It's simple. Because she's a hero. A C-list heroine, but darn, she's got A+ Spirit, and that's something that the most unlikely people see- namely the gun-toting hired thug named Thugboy (who is coincidentally an exceptionally smart, dashing, good-looking, honorable, insightful and sweet thug) and a deadly ninja assassin named Ninjette. Oh, and then there's a fiery world-ravaging demonlord that Emp manages to trap inside a hi-tech manacle who thereafter spends his time watching DVDs and Cable TV in Emp's living room, while dispensing advice and morale-boosting sayings as only a fearsome devourer of souls can. With enemies like these, who needs friends?

Empowered is the latest work from Adam Warren, formerly known from all those Dark Horse releases of Dirty Pair manga and cult-favorite specials and limited series of Gen 13. This hugely famous 'Ameri-manga' artist/writer is one of my favorite comics creators, and he is at his finest in this one. The book is a collection of short stories featuring the loveable Emp, her closest pals, her teammates and the rest of their new universe of superheroic comedy.

The stories range from really short quips, almost comic strip-short, to some tales that last for almost ten pages or so. On every page there are panels and panels of Warren's incredible uninked art to enjoy, as well as the manic dialogue that has become his trademark. You'd think that this master of black comedy is a sadist at parts, having his poor damsel Emp getting bound up pretty much in every story, crushing shame heaped on her head time after time. But then he turns around and gives her a thuggy Prince Charming and a ninja best friend, so things get balanced out nicely. Maybe. Kinda.
As funny as it is sad, as sexy as it it cute and heartwarming, Emp is a guilty pleasure to read...US-made manga-superhero ecchi with heart. Despite the outward wackiness, Empowered is played quite seriously; there are no fourth wall breakouts or tongue-in-cheek winks to the reader within the actual stories; this isn't parody- it IS a legitimate superhero tale and universe on offer here, just more intimate with a lot of sex (which pretty much keeps it a no-kids title). The characters are immediately likeable and it all just makes you want to see longer, more meaty stories to see more about them. I want to see more Ninjette. Now.

Warren has already mentioned that he's got a lot of Emp's stories in mind, and hopefully with the great response to this first volume, we'll be seeing more of this and soon. It's quality stuff here, so I enjoin all mature comic fans to grab Empowered on sight. This is mucho good stuff.

Do I have to say it twice? I will. Get Empowered. Now!

MINE

My copy of Adam Warren's Empowered arrived today! I had to order it from the other side of the world from Amazon, but it was worth it. Muhahahaha! So... what can I say about it? It's BIG. Not just in thickness (it's about 225 pages)- it's about a third wider/higher than your usual GN from TokyoPop or Viz. Not exactly a pocketbook or a li'l novel. Still, it's nice and thick and comfy. Oh, and still snug like a bug in a rug in it's plastic cover. No, I haven't opened it yet... I'll save the pleasure of reading it over the weekend or something, perhaps even bring it to the weekend's Comic Workshop to show off. Or maybe not. Muhahaha!

Empowered Corrupts. Muhahaha! Empowered Corrupts Empoweredly. MUHAHAHAHA!!!

Things I've noticed after starting to watch Heroes...

I love the comic book-style Chapter Titles.

Hey! It's the guy from Alias! And he's with the girl from Carnivale!

I've gotten the somewhat odd tendency to say out loud "Heroes. Created by Tim Kring." at the start of every episode.

Is it just me or is Claire's power really Healing or actually CHRONIC ACCIDENT PRONENESS?

"Purple Girl" looks just like Donna Cruz. While Nathan looks like a cartoony George Clooney. Mohinder reminds me of Sayid from Lost. Sylar reminds me of an evil Brandon Routh. Peter looks like Little Nicky.

The scene where Nathan really cuts loose made me laugh in amazement.

If I had to choose, I'd want Hiro's power.

Nikki is hot.

After 16 episodes straight, I'm still raring to watch on and on and on. I think I've found my live-action equivalent to Avatar.

Heroism



The pace of life these days is weird. I spend a lot of my time collecting and acquiring stuff, but afterwards have little time to actually enjoy these things immediately. I'm like a pack rat, grabbing stuff when I see it and lugging it off to The Sanctum to be digested later. A couple of years ago, it was VCDs and DVDs, anime, games and movies. Currently, it's still comics and videos downloaded online. However, while piles of stuff get stockpiled, I usually don't get to look at them until a fine layer of dust has already settled on top. It's strange- often I get more enjoyment from anticipating looking at stuff than actually looking at the stuff. An odd variation of the old saying, "it's not the destination but the journey".

Still, I DO get to pause every now and then and look at the acquisitions. And the good thing is, at least with comics, anime and TV series, when I finally do get around to looking at them, I usually have the WHOLE thing to enjoy without having to wait too long for the next chapter or installment. It did well for me with DC's 52, the Bleach anime and Naruto Shippuuden.

And now, Heroes. While this sensational series has been capturing the hearts and minds of both comic book fans and non-believers alike for months already, I've been elsewhere. And now, when I've finally gotten around to watching it- I've got NINETEEN fricking' episodes at my fingers. WOOHOO!

Anyway, I've gotten past the first two episodes and the prognosis is good. The characters are cool, the pacing quick and tight and the plot so far has me hooked. Oh, and Nikki the Schizo-killer Single Mom is DAMN HOT. Heh. Anyways, it's a toss-up whether to draw KAI pages while I'm watching episodes, but both might suffer, so I'll have to alternate. I've got a day and a half of pause for now, so I'll do my best to use every second. Or just play a shitload of Virtua Fighter. Oh well.

The Soap Opera Continues...

Information about the story of Tekken 6 just popped up online, care of SD Tekken.
Apparently Jin Kazama won the last tournament, and thereafter takes over the powerful Mishima Zaibatsu. It seems that the dark side has taken control of the young anti-hero, and he starts using manipulative tactics to grab power all over the world with the Zaibatsu's forces. A world war begins, which saps the strength of the many nations... the Zaibatsu emerges victorious and announces its independence as a superpower. The only one that can stand up against Jin now is G-Corp, the mysterious conglomerate from Tekken 5. A huge bounty is laid on the head of Jin Kazama as the 6th King of Iron Fist Tournament is announced...

On the sub-stories, it seems that Kazuya Mishima is head of G-Corps (at least, from the shadows), and is behind the bounty on his son's head. He's no hero, of course... he's just pissed that someone else is taking over the world. Meanwhile, old man Heihachi, who got booted off the CEO seat, is spoiling for revenge.

Leo, the new fighter who may or may not be a cross-dressing girl, is the child of a famous investigator (father) and a G-Corp Executive (mother). The father went missing, and now mom got murdered. Some sleuthing into the incidents reveals the name Kazuya Mishima. And so Rock Howard- er, Leo, joins the Tekken tournament for some answers...

Zafina, the limber new hottie, is apparently some kind of holy guardian, whose duty has been to protect an ancient royal tomb. The recent carnage all over the world points to a prophecy that the world may end soon, and so Zafina leaves her post to see if Armageddon is indeed just around the corner...

Finally, Yoshimitsu finds out that his sword, which gains power from defeating villains, has a dark side- it may turn him insane. And so, he switches to a new sword which is meant to seal the dark powers of his former weapon.

Whew! Weird stuff... but that's all in line with Tekken. There are tons of other characters yet to be revealed, but all will surely have love, revenge, greed, curiosity and what have you to satisfy in this latest tournament. Can't wait to see this. Arcades will probably see it before 2007 ends... here's to the PS3 game coming in soon afterwards.

The Next Generation

Last Saturday, I hied off to World Chicken along Katipunan to meet up with fellow grafictionists Elbert Or and Carl Vergara for a little Comics Workshop. The participants/organizers of the somewhat impromptu course in comic-making are all freshmen from Ateneo, about seven or so would-be komikeros and manga-kas maybe. I started off the workshop with some talk about the History of Local Comics- you know, from the debut of the first issue of Flashpoint to the time when comics legend Whilce Portacio came and saw the wellspring of talent brimming in Manila in the mid-90s, asking the many disparate comic crews and gangs to lay down their respective individual banners and go under the single name of Alamat Comics.

Funny thing was, all that history just flew over the young 'uns heads- judging from the Scooby Stares I got in return when asking them if they knew who Whilce Portacio was. It was only when I mentioned that he created Bishop and worked on the X-men that they suddenly went 'Aaaaah!'

Anyways, after my florid speech about challenging them to be creative, different and innovative, I gave over the floor to Carl, who immediately launched into a more sobering series of subjects which included publishing your comic, the prospects of self publishing and how to do comics professionally or semi-professionally even if you have no budget (which is usually likely). Afterwards, we had some questions and answers, and wrapped up the session with some rah-rah talk.

One or two kept notes, all were very attentive and interested, and it was fun to see such energetic youths wanting to tackle graphic storytelling even though they weren't Fine Arts students (I think they were in Business Management courses, for the most part). Certainly, El, Carl and I were one in wanting to impress our own enthusiasm and passion for doing comics to the next generation. While I still think I have quite a few more years of still doing comics, we need to plant the seeds whenever we can.

The sessions will most probably continue for the next several Saturdays, and I will most probably keep contributing as long as I am able. It will certainly help my own need to motivate myself, as I embark on my own comics projects after a long period of inactivity. Thankfully, it seems that I'll be quite busy in comics for the near future. Perhaps the youth and energy of the students is rubbing off on me. Heh.

Anyways, the quest to tell stories goes on. Back to the gutters then, peeps. Back into the gutters.

Boy in the Hood



This is a pic of an Executioner, another one of the opposition in Kai: Unkillable. The Executioner itself is an amorphous, black oily mass- somewhat like an octopus- which attaches itself to humans, covering their heads and in effect suffocating them to death. Thereafter, the black hood animates the body via electrical impulses sent through the corpse's brain and nerve endings. The Executioner's possessed body typically gets extreme strength and resistance to damage and injury... the only way to stop it is total destruction of the body or striking the creature off via decapitation. This gruesome being is typically sent in as an infiltrator or assassin, since it is highly intelligent and cunning.

I've more or less mapped out The Enemy in the upcoming Kai book, and what can I say... I like them. The Resident Evil-ish group that's churning out these monstrosities and undead horrors is calling itself Dark Avalon, and I'll be threshing them out further in the near future. I'll also be working on new personalities in the KALI side, so Kai won't be entirely alone in this bloody conflict. Later then...