This is the place where I put my random thoughts that I like to share with you all. It's also a place where I could post about things that interest me such as movies, TV shows, Games and just anything that's part of the Pop culture that I find necessary to post about.
New trailer for the upcoming straight-to-DVD CG “Non-Milla Jovovich Alice Bullshit“ movie, Resident Evil Degeneration. You can find it here or watch it on Youtube below
It’s 7 years after the incident at the Raccoon City (that’s a year after RE4 and three years before the upcoming RE5).
…at an airport somewhere in the United States, on an ordinary autumn afternoon, a zombie is unleashed. Now, in an airport beginning to fill with the undead, the horrific disaster is about to repeat itself… Claire Redfield, now a member of an NGO supporting victims of bioterrorism and medical disasters, happens to be in the airport while Leon S. Kennedy comes to the site on a mission to take care of the incident.
It’s a RE2 reunion Yay!You have Leon (sadly, the super cheesy one liner action hero version of him from RE4), Claire (looking good) and a G-Virus monster?! (notice the big eye on the monster at the end of the trailer).
Here’s the funny thing; it’s such a coincidence that around the time of RE2, my friend and I made our own fictional Resident Evil 3 story starring Leon, Claire, Sherry, Chris, Jill, Barry, Rebecca and Hunk (basically everyone from the the first two games Hehe) and set it in an airport. The story we came up with was that the T-Virus & the G-Virus spread across the US and their only hope for escape is to go to the airport (now turned into a military controlled evacuation center). However, things went to shit quickly and Chris dies (sacrificing himself to save Claire). In the end, the survivors escaped to Europe by plane, not before fighting a T+G virus Tyrant of course LOL. Oh well, at least when RE3 got released we got the next best thing, Jill’s blue outfit
Resident Evil Degeneration – 18 Oct 2008 (in Japan that is….American release date unknown)
I was watching the show called “The Universe” on the History Channel and they mentioned how Albert Einstein’s “greatest blunder” turned out to be correct. In 1917, he proposed a concept called a Cosmological Constant which is this force that pushes the universe outwards to balance out the force that would make the universe collapse (or something like that I think) thus keeping the universe static/stable. Anyway, his theory was discredited after a discovery by Hubble that proves the universe wasn’t static but expanding. Even Einstein abandoned it and called it his greatest blunder. But little did he know that very same blunder turned out to be one of the possible explanation for the greatest mystery in the universe: the nature of the so called Dark Energy that is not only expanding the Universe but accelerating the process. So Einstein’s blunder wasn’t such a blunder after all.
Let’s put physics aside now because that’s not what I want to talk about. See, while I was watching this documentary and they point out about the Einstein’s blunder story that I mentioned above, I can’t help but think, “you know what, these bunch of scientists with beards, glasses; these guys from Harvard talking about stuff like axion, neutrinos, dark matter and dark energy; all the really cool stuff that Michio Kaku talks about….I bet 50-100 years from now, all of this would be bullshit“
Hundreds of years ago, if I said that the sun is the center of the universe then I would get arrested. Go back in time and say that the continent is floating above molten rocks and I would be called crazy. So next time when you’re reading something from your textbook or seeing something from a documentary, just imagine yourself 50 years from now and laughing at all the scientific theories back in the early 2000s.
“Haha!! OMG Jurassic Park?! The movie with Jeff Goldblum being chased by a prehistoric giant lizard?! Pfft~ We all know that giant birds ruled the world 65 million years ago, not giant lizards”
You might interested in my other post about my crazy random theory on the Universe Here.
I like how they are now adapting these mature graphic novels nowadays (Frank Miller’s Sin City and 300; Alan Moore’s V For Vendetta; the recent Batman movies were influenced by Batman Year One & The Killing Joke by Frank Miller and Alan Moore respectively). Now comes the Watchmen, believed to be the greatest graphic novels of all time by many.
It was originally written by Alan Moore and it’s now being adapted to the big screen by Zack Snyder, the director of 300 (based on Frank Miller’s graphic novel….boy, how many times have I written both Miller’s and Moore’s name already ). Watch the theatrical trailer below on Youtube and there’s also the alternate/extended trailer over here.
A complex, multi-layered mystery adventure, Watchmen is set in an alternate 1985 America in which costumed superheroes are part of the fabric of everyday society, and the “Doomsday Clock” – which charts the USA’s tension with the Soviet Union – is permanently set at five minutes to midnight. When one of his former colleagues is murdered, the washed up but no less determined masked vigilante Rorschach sets out to uncover a plot to kill and discredit all past and present superheroes. As he reconnects with his former crime-fighting legion – a ragtag group of retired superheroes, only one of whom has true powers – Rorschach glimpses a wide-ranging and disturbing conspiracy with links to their shared past and catastrophic consequences for the future. Their mission is to watch over humanity…but who is watching the watchmen?
Saw the movie last night at the Empire Cinema and as promised, I went there wearing my black Superman T-shirt (read here to know the story behind it). Coincidentally, I saw a guy wearing a white shirt (or sweater I think) with the bat logo. Talk about being opposites hehe..which is kinda appropriate because one of the main theme of the movie was duality; not just between Batman and Joker but also between Batman and Dent or Dent and Gordon.
***Warning: Possible Spoilers***
The Dark Knight is not just a Superhero movie, it’s a two and a half hours long epic crime drama that touches on themes like law & order, the price of heroism and what people can do when their comfort zone get disturb. Did I mentioned that this movie is tragic? Things just get worse and worse every minute till the end. Nop Batman doesn’t die at the end but his victory comes with a heavy price. Hell, I think Batman isn’t quite the main character of the movie. The movie is about Gotham City and the efforts of three men (Batman, Jim Gordon and Harvey Dent) in saving it from the Joker, the self proclaimed agent of Chaos.
Let’s talk about the Joker first. I knew that they were going for a darker take on the Joker but one important aspect of the Joker is that he’s funny…well at least he thinks he’s funny and the fact that he thinks it’s funny makes me laugh therefore I find him funny (does that make sense). Funny in a twisted and wrong way, that’s what I like about Joker.
So I was afraid that in this movie, he’s just going to be crazy and evil but not ‘funny’. Well, let’s just say he “put a smile” on my face after his ‘pencil magic trick’. We all went ‘Ooooo!!’ followed immediately with laughs. Other funny moments includes him sliding down the pile of money, Joker cleaning his hands at the hospital and his amusement of getting beaten up by Batman. It was suppose to be an intense scene where Batman sort of crossed the line with his temper and two lives were in danger but I laughed when Joker seemed to enjoy the beat down.
There’s all this posthumous Oscar buzz for Heath Ledger and I think he deserves it. You don’t go “oh it’s Heath Ledger from Brokeback Mountain wearing a makeup“. His movement, his voice and everything changed.
Another highlight character is Harvey Dent played by Aaron Eckhart. Dent is an idealistic and a badass District Attorney who’s determined to clean up the streets of Gotham. Courage and confidence are his greatest strength which even impressed Batman who considered retirement because he saw Dent as Gotham’s new hero or hope. We get to root for Dent which makes his inevitable transformation to Two Face more tragic. I also like the way that Two Face isn’t exactly a villain in this movie which is fine because I never get why he suddenly turned into a mob boss like in the cartoon. I mean I kinda cheered for Two Face when he starts hunting down corrupted cops and mobs (led by Eric Roberts!! ). But he went overboard at the end.
Joker saw Harvey’s descent into madness as his achievement and this reminds me of the Batman comic called the Killing Joke. Remember reading it in the High School library, it’s about the Joker trying test his theory that it only takes one bad day to make someone crazy like him. In that comic, he tried it with Gordon by tying him up and force him to look at pictures of his daughter’s paralyzed and bloodied naked body after being shot by the Joker. Joker failed of course when Batman came to rescue Gordon.
***Highlight to see spoiler***
Harvey Two Face dies at the end. This shocked me because I was so sure that Two Face will be the main villain for the third movie. But I’m fine with his death because, like I said earlier, I’m not a fan of the “ex District Attorney turned Mob Boss” storyline. As for the Joker, it was a good decision to not kill him so that we get more Joker vs Batman storyline but Heath Ledger’s death complicated things. Recasting?? No way.
Btw, this movie is dark and might not be suitable for children. Examples: a villain pointing a gun on a kid in front of his dad or the part where the Joker put a knife into someones mouth while telling a story of how he supposedly got the mouth scar is scary.
The movie also touches on heavy themes like post 9-11 fear culture and how it drives people to break moral codes (Just wait till you see Joker’s big Social experiment involving ferries and bombs). Gordon, Dent and even Batman are bound by moral codes and laws. Joker comes in and tries to push them over their breaking point and exploiting their flaws. Gordon knows that he’s leading a police force that’s mostly corrupted but he needs all available men to fight crime. Batman is a vigilante and not bound by the law but refuses to kill because that would make him just as bad as the criminals. Dent has a bigger problem because he’s a very public figure therefore has to keep up with his image as a promising, charismatic and strong District Attorney. He’s Gotham’s best hope in saving the city, the white knight. But beneath that image is a normal human being with emotions that sometimes overcome logic (his temper and his love for Rachel).
Image or symbol is another theme that plays a big part of the story especially the ending. The most important thing that can save Gotham is a symbol of hope which should be uphold at any cost. By the end of the movie, the characters die, lie and willing to be hated by many in order to keep that symbol/idea of hope alive. At least that’s how I saw it, I don’t know, I’ve only seen it once and I have to watch it again to dig up more.
So yeah, go watch Dark Knight!
Oh, you might also be interested in hearing the Joker theme from the movie. Really freaky and random
The Dark Knight, definitely my most anticipated movie in the last three years, will be out this week!! Planning to catch it tomorrow or anytime this week. And I will be wearing a Black Superman T-Shirt! Why would I want to do that? On my other post, I told you about what happened during the premiere of Batman Begins:
While we were waiting for the cinema to open, I notice that almost everyone was looking at me and giggling. Later I realised that I was wearing a black Superman T-Shirt. LOL So there I was in the premiere of a Batman movie wearing a Superman t-shirt.
So just for fun and for old time sake (and boredom too), I’m going to wear that same Black Superman T-Shirt.
When my brother set up his blog, one of the first movie news he posted was the casting of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Although I was happy that he will be Joker but at that time I was still in a “Ledger’s cool but damn, if only Paul Bettany was Joker!!” camp. Of course I’ve now forgotten about Paul Bettany hehe. It was also around this time that Ledger said McDowell’s character from Clockwork Orange will be the inspiration of his Joker.
It’s also funny reading what was written by my brother at that time:
But don’t expect the usual Joker look with the heavy make up, green hair and purple suit
Well, he does have a green hair and purple suit!! Haha!
I remember there was this viral site where you need to submit your email. With each email submitted, a single pixel of the first Joker picture is revealed. I contributed, my brother contributed and so did everyone around the world. Eventually, the above picture was revealed. When I first saw it, Jigsaw from SAW series came to my mind lol
A teaser trailer was released featuring only the Bat Logo, a dialog between Bruce & Alfred and the first reveal of the Joker’s voice by Ledger. My first reaction to the trailer was “Holy Shit! He nailed the laugh!!”
Fans who attended the Wizard World in Chicago were treated with an exclusive footage from the movie. It wasn’t leaked at the time therefore we only relied on descriptions written by those who were there. Now, that footage has been released and you can watch it below on YouTube.
New Dark Knight trailer attached to the Will Smith movie, ’I Am Legend’ immediately became a hit primarily because it’s the first time we get an idea of Ledger’s version of the Joker. Everyone starts saying catch phrases like “Why So Serious?” “It’s all part of the plan” and “Let’s put a smile on that Face“
Luckily, he completed his work on The Dark Knight. His death created a lot publicity for the movie and his role as the Joker. Some say he had trouble sleeping because he was so physically and psychologically committed to his role as the Joker so he took a lot of pills. But I doubt that his role as the Joker led to his death.
As summer movie season approached, the picture of Joker in a nurse wardrobe got leaked. It was funny and creepy at the same. Later, various posters for the movie were released mostly featuring Batman and Joker. Finally, a new trailer was released shedding more light on the potrayal of Harvey Dent by Aaron Eckhart.
Early reviews poured in and almost all of them were positive. Some have compared it with such movies like Heat (Dark Knight is more of a Crime Drama than a superhero movie), Godfather II and Empire Strikes Back (the latter two are examples of sequels that are infinitely better than their first movies).
***
Here’s a music from the soundtrack called ‘Like A Dog Chasing Cars’ to pump you up. Enjoy!
“How do you become smart and get good grades? What do you do?” I got asked that question by my mom’s friend, whose child isn’t doing well in school, few days ago. I seriously don’t know how to answer that question. I said that you must have a passion for studying But honestly, I only said that just for the sake of having an answer.
Now that question haunted me again days ago when I was invited, along with several of my former classmates and seniors, back to my former secondary school to give advise on the current Sixth Form students who are doing their A levels (Find out more about it here, here and here). I think some of the students that I met are reading this because I gave them my email and they would probably see my blog address besides my nick on MSN Messenger. So I like to say Hi and Welcome! to those you who are reading this.
So I saw an episode of this Sitcom called ‘My Wife and Kids’ starring Damon Wayans. I don’t regularly watch the show but I do enjoy every episodes that I’ve catched. Anyway, the main plot of that episode was about Damon Wayans’ son being forced to learn about parenting (after impregnating his girlfriend) through this weird task involving a baloon as a double for a baby. The secondary plot was about his youngest daughter asking her mom about where do babies come from (the birds and the bees) and she told her about how men puts his ’seeds’ into a girl’s belly. Later on she asked her little boyfriend to put pumpkin seeds into her belly button so she can be pregnant LOL. So clearly the theme of the episode was Sex and that whole episode was like sex education sitcom style.
I found out that someone visited this blog from Kabul, Afghanistan. Wow! When did the Taliban got defeated? 2001 right. So it’s been 7 years now and I’m sure things have improved there….I think….or maybe the media has been ignoring the hardships over there. I remember reading somewhere that Afghanistan has been referred as ‘the forgotten war’ because people (mostly the media) are more interested in Iraq than Afghanistan.
So what was he/she looking for here? Dragon Ball of course. Click to enlarge.
I just found out that Matt Harding of the Where the Hell is Matt series released his new dancing video few weeks ago. For those of you who don’t know, Where the hell is Matt is a series of videos showing him dancing on various landmarks around the world. You can visit his website here.
Here’s the latest one and also the best one yet
I can’t believe he danced at the Demilitarized Zone in Korea LOL
). Watch the theatrical trailer below on Youtube and there’s also the alternate/extended trailer over 
). But he went overboard at the end.
