RIP – Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

This is such a sad news. Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, died of cardiac arrest this day. Just when I thought he’s making a comeback.

Forget about the craziness and the “skin conditions”, there is no shadow of a doubt that Michael Jackson has changed our lives in one way or another. From his ABC song with the Jackson 5, to the haunting Thriller, the breakthrough video music of Black and White, and his love songs such as I Just Can’t Stop Loving You and She’s Out Of My Life.. he changed lives from all the corners of the world. Just ask Justin Timberlake.

For my generation, this is like being a witness to Elvis Presley’s career… only better.

Wow! I can’t believe he’s gone.

Goodbye, Michael Jackson. Rest In Peace.

• Michael Jackson dies in LA hospital (Yahoo! News)
• Singer Michael Jackson dies in Los Angeles aged 50 (Telegraph)
• ‘King of Pop’ Michael Jackson Is Dead at 50 (Wall Street Journal)

Something good from the Transformers 2

Some of my friends are telling me that they like the Transformers2 ROTF. And that I was wrong with my recent review.

Yes, it’s better than the first movie AND IS STILL a very entertaining movie. But if you’re a Transformer fan, this is just plain insulting.

But there’s always a silver lining to every clouds like the ROTF. One good thing that comes out of this is the soundtrack.

Just like the first one, the ROTF soundtrack features Linkin Park’s “New Divide” (it sounds like their TF1 song though) and Green Day’s “21 Guns” (now that’s better).

If I’m not wrong, they kinda played this in the background about 3 times.

This alone will prove my point.

Transformers 2 Notable Moments (Spoiler)

Transformers 2

I can’t say it enough, but thanks to Power98FM, I was one of the few lucky sonnamagun to see TF2 – ROTF here in Singapore.

And I just want to share with you all some of the things that I found good/bad about the movie. Ok.. of to the first one..

The Poster (Bad)
Ok, doesn’t that poster remind you of this 1999 hit?

Look familiar?

Runtime (Bad)
If you have bladder problems, then better go to the loo before watching TF2.. twice.

Twas approximately 180mins. That’s like 2 movies. Ok. If you’re saying that you want every cent’s worth of your money for the movie, then  stick through the whole review so that I can tell you why 180mins of movie just ain’t right for you.

In fact, this movie can be condensed to 5mins and still get your money’s worth.

Opening (Great)
The movie opening sequence is really great! It makes you wonder how much effort Michael Bay and the rest of the crew has put together to deliver that opening salvo.

The story begins with a bit of a flashback in history.. then zaps us to today in China where there’s a cover op of the NEST (Autobot-Human alliance) in ridding the earth of Decepticon threats.

In the first movie, we were left to wonder what ever happened to the rest of the Decepticons. If so, then this will be answered by the opening sequence.

The Bots were in pursuit of them. Not just the old ones, but new Cons who came late to the aid of Megatron.

Although this movie (like the first one) is really meant to be watched in big screens or else you’ll get cross-eyed trying to figure out what’s happening.

Plot (Good)
Well, it’s not that great.. but it’s not that bad either. Although this movie is about the Transformers, the human factor is still important  to make these Cybertronians revolve around it.

Like the movie tagline, it’s all about revenge. Someone from way back called The Fallen (who was once a Prime) was obsessed with power. Only to be defeated by the other Primes.

Now the Fallen can only be defeated by a Prime. Ergo, in the movie as Optimus Prime is the last of the noble Primes, was (as he always do in the comics and cartoons), dies.

Yes, there goes one of the spoilers.

Optimus died to make way for the Fallen’s return.

So, the Bots and the humans have to bring him back to life. Problem is, Sam Witwicky is having a “Peter Parker” syndrome. You know.. ordinary kid with extraordinary destiny. On top of this, he and Mikaela are separated by distance when Sam went to college.

If I were Bay, I’d stop from these two main plots. The problem is, there’s just too much plots and sub-plots. There’s vengeance, there’s redemption, there’s funny sidekicks, there’s parents craziness, there’s global war. Too many things to concentrate on. And that doesn’t even cover Soundwave.

So it’s just too much for me. It’s not that bad. It’s still entertaining. But it’s just too much.

Optimus Prime (Great)
Besides dying (again), Optimus Prime probably delivered his baddest ass performance. In this movie, he was jumping from planes, bridges, shooting Cons bigger than him (because Cons are suppose to be bigger than Bots).

Bad ass as in Optimus Prime just took down this huge unicycle Decepticon and asked what they’re up to. The dude didn’t say anything but a threat that the Fallen is coming. The Prime shoots him in the face.

Then there’s the forest sequence where Prime man-handled Megatron, Starscream, and Blackout. Even ripping off Starscream’s arm to use as a whip. Now that’s just mean.

Plus.. when Prime delivers lines such as “Of course we will leave if that is what you want us to.. but what if you are wrongggggg.” Kudos to Peter Cullen on that.

Megatron (Good)
As usual, Megatron doesn’t talk too much. But in this movie, you can see Megatron’s details and facial expressions that makes him a lot scary than in the cartoons. Hugo “Agent Smith” Weaving doesn’t sound like the OG Gary Chalk. But close enough to make you remember that Agent Smith is the evil behind the Matrix.

But the Megatron you’ll see in this movie is more tamed than the first one. Why? Because he defers to the supreme rule of the Fallen. Kinda like Darth Vader to the Emperor. He’s more of a servant doing his master’s biddings.

The Fallen (Bad)
Bad.. and that’s not in a good way. It really doesn’t make a difference if he was there or not.

Bumblebee (Good)
Ey, the Bee here is better than the first one. I just don’t know why he lost his voice again. He’s still Sam’s guardian, plus he acted like a mini-Prime just like how the comics depicts him. Like a second-in-command Bot. I like the fact that he ripped Ravage’s spine (there you go, another spoiler).

Jetfire (Bad)
Like the Fallen, but not as bad. He’s a bit instrumental.. somehow.

Devastator (Good)
Cool! Just how many are the Cons that forms the movie Devastator. Six? Can’t really figure from the movie. But he’s like one monster robot with the balls to back it up (there you go, another spoiler).

But I’m hoping that they’ll make a leader class toy of this Con.

Megan Fox (Bad)
Can’t blame her. Fox’s main role in the movie is as an eye candy.

Remember how I told you that TF2 can be condensed into a good 5minute movie trailer?  Four minutes of that clip would be Fox running in the dessert in slow motion. The other 30 seconds would be Fox straddling her bike and changing clothes. The other 30 seconds? Prime dying.

Shia LaBeouf (Great)
LaBeouf used to be that talkative kid in Constantine. But I believe that he performed very well in this movie.

Not a lot of the usual “no no no no no no no no” lines. But you should see him scream like a girl. Hahahaha.

More Robots (Bad)
It’s not a bad idea to have more of everything in sequels. More budget, more action, more planes, more tanks, more guns, but.. there’s a but in this.

Having more robots that moves fast and are barely recognizable is really bad. In one hand, you’ll be thinking, this is cool. On the other, you’ll be asking yourself if that robot is an autobot or a decepticon or is it a lamp post?

Easter Eggs (Great)
There are new things in the TF2 and one of them is a knock against Terminators. You remember a clip in the recent Terminator Salvation where there’s a big robot that resembled a transformers? Well in TF2, they hit back. There’s a robot that transforms into a human. Something like a Pretender. But this Pretender is waaaaaayyyy hotttt than the T3.

Overall (Good)
Like I said, the TF2 is not a bad movie. It still want to make you see the next one.

Katrina Halili Scandals.. Qué horror!

Kho-Halili Sex Scandal

I don’t know what to say about this latest scandal. A scandal that involves Dr. Hayden Kho and Katrina Halili doing the nasty. (If you’re looking to download it don’t bother. It’s crappy).

But apparently, this scandal has shook the whole Philippines. The showbiz people are crying for justice. The Catholic church is symphatizing. People are aghast with the doctor’s immorality.

The worst part of this is.. (brace yourself).. apparently this scandal is the top priority of the Philippine Senate.

Sen. Ramon Revilla Jr said Hayden Kho is a maniac.. a predator.

The police are making surprise checks in internet cafes.

Just when everybody in the Philippines is looking to find justice for Kho’s victims.. everyone who had their say on this issue has shot their popularity way up there. For? For the sake of __(just fill in the blank)___.

I guess the whole of the Philippines can sleep soundly in the night knowing that the evil such as Hayden Kho doesn’t escape justice.

Tax money well spent.

Spideh-Mah

This is why living in Japan is not cheap. Even Spider-Man have to like friggin’ own a robot to fight off evil-doers.

In the American movie of the Spider-Man, Parker doesn’t even own a car. So if you’re the Japanese Spider-Man, you have an additional baggage to worry about. How to hide your secret identity as the web crawling crusader.. and where the hell do you park your giant-ass robot.

I guess some folks didn’t think this through.

And for pete-sake.. there’s an “R” and “N” sound in Spider-Man.

Star Wars Wedding

Not so long ago.. in a country not far away..

Hmm... okay..

WOW! This is just so.. wow. I have no words to explain this. Creative.. yup. Fun.. yup. Memorable.. yup. Nerdy.. yup.

At least, the stormtrooper bridal gown is nice. Check out some more pics here. Oh.. and congratulations, Tiger and Issa. Goodluck. May the force be with you.

Wolverine Rejects

Wolverine (Hugh Jackman)

It wasn’t that long ago when Clint Eastwood’s name was in the mix when casting the part of Wolverine for the X-Men movie.  And now that Hugh Jackman pretty much locked-in the role of Logan in the 4 X-Men movies (and those in the future), here are some of those Wolverines who didn’t made the cut.

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood – probably because he was too old for the part. Good fit for the role of anti-hero though (Dirty Harry). He does look like Jackman.

The rest of the crop falls short from here.

Stitch-like Wolverine

Car-Antenna-Clawed Wolverine

Wu Beh Lin

Princess Wolfie

Top-Gone Logan

There’s more from here. Check them out, especially Hebrew Wolverine.

G.I. Joe Resolute – Webisodes

G.I. Joe Resolute

By now, the G.I. Joe Resolute webisodes should be available in YouTube. As if Warren Ellis, Resolute’s writter, is telling us that the Joes that we’ve known from the 80’s has grown up and ready to take things seriously. But that doesn’t go to say that the Resolute animated series doesn’t have flaws. Being a cartoon meant for kids, the G.I. Joe Resolute still have some work to do.

With this, let me point out all the cool stuff and not-so-cool stuff about the Resolute.

• People (meaning everyone) can be killed
  Unlike the 80s, the Resolute shows that characters can be killed. Yeah, that serious. Just under 2 minutes in the first webisode, Bazooka appeared as a dead man because a saboteur got into the USS FLAGG and killed the security chief (who is, Bazooka). And then, Cobra Commander goes to show that his new weapon of mass destruction is capable of killing 10 million of Moscow’s population.
• Cobra Commander is ruthless
  Yes, Cobra Commander shows that he is tired of being a coward and can get his own hands dirty. He told the Cobra Troopers how he sent a dire message before by killing Major Bludd in front of them. And he is no longer tolerant of incompetent people. This was proven when he slashed his own Viper’s throat.
• Cool uniforms
  The Joes use to have just one (max of 2) uniforms to wear in the series. Some even wore ridiculous uniforms (like Bazooka). Now, the Joes are able to wear functional uniforms. Gung-Ho use to look like from the Village People. Nowadays, he’s wearing a shirt. Snake Eyes uniform is more for stealth ala Metal Gear rather than a friggin ninja with a knight’s visor.
• Origins explained
  Mostly about Storm Shadow and Snake Eyes. It showed why Storm Shadow hates Snake Eyes. Also why Snake Eyes couldn’t speak (Zartan shot him in the face).
• The Love Triangle
  A hint of Duke-Scarlett-Snake Eyes love triangle.
• Scarlett kicks ass
  In the 80s series, it showed that Scarlett is mostly about counter-intelligence to Baroness. The resolute shows how Scarlett can move like Trinity in the Matrix.
• Keeping true to the comics
  Cobra Commander having his secret base in Springfield, MA. Wonder why? Because in the comics, that’s where the commander did his ops.
• Machine Guns and Snipers
  Just the sound of the machine guns blazing and the silent shot of a sniper (with blood effects) is enough to make you wonder if this series is R-Rated.
• Dial Tone is a girl
  Just like how they made Boomer to a girl in Battlestar Galactica, Ellis made Dial Tone to a girl instead of the original mustached communication trooper.
• Roadblock is gun-crazy
  In one scene, Roadblock surprised a bunch of Cobra Troopers from behind and without a warning, sprayed them with his machine gun while he was smiling.

I think there’s more to the list here. But now, let’s just go through on the things that I find weird.

• Shipwreck still has Polly
  In one episode, all the Joes were called for a meeting and one of them was Shipwreck. To my surprise, he still has his trusted parrot Polly on his shoulders. So stereotypical of them.
• Gunfires are color-coded
  Maybe this is intentional so that we know which is which in shootouts. But still, Joes’ gunshots are red while Cobras’ are blue.
• Baroness and Destro
  This two lovebirds are supposedly ruthless. For starters, I thought they were when the Baroness was threatening into killing their hostages one at a time. But then, she started to tell Destro that they don’t get alone time that often so each of them started to flirt around until the Joes were able to rescue the hostages without any of them getting killed. The Joes even got to slip away from them without the two even knowing.
• Too much accessories
  Duke and Flint have too much accessories on their uniform. Flint has too much paddings on his arms and Duke is wearing a gun magazine holder (like a bike messenger bag) on his chest even though they’re pretty useless.
• Duke is weak
  He’s suppose to be the best among them. But Scarlett was able to outdo him in Siberia.
• Zartan’s glaring eyes
  Is he suppose to be a robot?
• Too many missiles
  When the Cobra troopers were able to shootdown the C-4 plane carrying the Joes, they shoot them again with about 10 missiles but not even one hit that dead bird. What I know is that when someone locks a target for their missile to hit, one is enough to blast it to kingdomcome.
• Cause and effect
  Okay. Say 10 million Russians are killed in the HAARP’s first strike. How come only the Joes are acting on it?
  
• The Ending
  OK, 2 things here. Number 1, when the computer prompted Duke that he doesn’t have access to the system, how the hell was he able to have access to select a new target for the HAARP2? Number 2, why oh why did the commander allow himself to be locked in his bomb shelter with no other escape exits?

Well, the new G.I. Joe Resolute animation seems to be a breakthrough in Joes’ history. Hope they keep it up.

And if there’s one thing that they should improve on, they should definitely make their toylines better.

Congratulations, Dennis Kweh!

Mission Accomplished!

Going through a 200Km adventure around Singapore in a motorized wheelchair to raise SG$200,000 in helping people with cerebral palsy is no laughing matter nor an easy one. It never is and never will be. But just ask Dennis Kweh about it and all he’ll be able to say is that he was able to do that in 3 days.

Well done, Mr Dennis Kweh! I admire such courage and perseverance. It’s been a blast following the lead of a modern day hero.

To you and to your team, congratulations and God bless!

Please continue your support to Dennis and his cause. Find out more from a200.sg

Photos by Sebastian Song

G.I. Joe Resolute – Promo Vid

This should blow your mind!

Hope Cartoon Network Asia airs it soon!