Ultimate Marvel versus Capcom III Roster

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Stoichiometry

Now Playing: Beer Pressure by Municipal Waste

I just finished watching The Big Bang Theory's season 4 and although I may still personally consider season 3 being the best of all (so far), this season simply has a different element to it.


The first time I saw this sitcom on Jack TV, I instantly got hooked to it. Okay, I admit that I primarilly watched it because of Kaley Cuoco. I first saw her on a B-Film (by the way, she's also from the Nickelodeon bunch) and when I saw this sitcom with her as a lead, I literally watched it because of her. As it seemed, there was really more to it than a gorgeous blonde chick. No rocket science really. You get 3 geeks plus 1 hot chick multiplied by clever skits and script and... Voila! You got one hell of a series (all hail Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady!). Also, this series can give you serious gas laughing out, and is really... really a great way of picking up a few brain cereals.

For the past 3 seasons, Leonard Hofstadter (Johnny Galecki), Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), Raj Koothrappali (Kunal Nayyar), Howard Wolowitz (Simon Helberg) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) have been providing viewers with a few good laughs but I must say that what made this season great are key additions in the form of Amy Farrah Fowler (Mayim Bialik) and Bernadette Rostenkowski (Melissa Rauch). These 2 gals pretty much made the formula complete and equal. In the past seasons, they tried mixing it up by placing a few characters every once in a while (such as Leslie Winkle, the guy with the comic shop, Will Weaton etc.) but this 2 gals are a perfect fit.

Amy Farrah Fowler's character is the perfect fit for Sheldon... a female Sheldon, if I may. This sexually oppressed Neurobiologist has stirred it up and at times, superseded his male counterparts. The past few seasons, Sheldon Cooper have been carrying the heavy payload of punchlines and the other three guys just simply fed off it. But now, you can see the writers actually isolating a few skits for Amy and Sheldon only.

Now, Bernadette's character may have been placed to give an emphasis on Howard's character, which may probably have been an intentional approach from the writer's perspective. Howard's perverted and childish mindset is one of the show's effective characters (my favorite character, by the way) and Bernie's timid and demure attitude is a great match. Also, I can't help but find her character... or at least Melissa Rauch's portrayal a bit sexy; in a geeky kind of way I guess.

I must say, I really didn't like the idea of adding the "Priya-Leonard-Penny" triad as far as the season is concerned, but I guess that's up for season 5 to salvage and for those that follows the geek-meets-hot-chick situation.

It's great to see sitcoms like this still standing out in the middle of the number of drama series America's been airing with the likes of Dexter, CSI, NCIS, Law and Order, and those vampire b*^&#|# series.


Sunday, July 24, 2011

Smart's Ultimate All Star Weekend

Now playing: Monkey Wrench by Foo Fighters

Yesterday, I arrived at Araneta Center,Cubao around 15 minutes before 12 noon and met my friend near The Big Dome's Yellow Gate entrance. We're going to watch Smart's Ultimate All-Star weekend. NBA's selected Superstars will be playing in an exhibition game against our hometown ball-cagers; the PBA All-Star Team and Smart Gilas Team. By the time we got inside, the place was already jam-packed. I decided not to bring a camera 'cause I'm sure I'm not gonna get any good shots at all (considering that I only have a consumer cam and our location). Contrary to popular belief, when sitting in the Gen Ad section, you really won't see the players in an ant-like size like what others say. Trust me.

These are the line-ups for the Ultimate All Star Weekend:

NBA All-Stars:
PG Derek Fisher (Los Angeles Lakers)
PG Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets)
PG Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
PG/SG Tyreke Evans (Sacramento Kings)
SG/SF James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder)
SF Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers)
SF/PF Derrick Williams (under Minnesota Timberwolves' draft rights)
SF/PF Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder)
C Jevale McGee (Washington Wizards)

PBA All-Stars:
SG James Yap (B-Meg Llamados)
SF/PF Marc Pingris (B-Meg Llamados)
SG Marc Caguioa (Brgy. Ginebra Gin Kings)
SF JC Intal (Brgy. Ginebra Gin Kings)
SF/PF Arwind Santos (Petron Blaze Boosters)
C Rabeh Al-Hussaini (Petron Blaze Boosters)
PG Alex Cabagnot (Petron Blaze Boosters)
PG/SG Ryan Reyes (Talk N' Text Tropang Texters)
PG Jason Castro (Talk N' Text Tropang Texters)
SG Larry Fonacier (Talk N' Text Tropang Texters)
C Sonny Thoss (Alaska Aces)
PG LA Tenorio (Alaska Aces)
PG Sol Mercado (Meralco Bolts)
SG/SF Gary David (Powerade Tigers)
PG/SG/SF Gabe Norwood (Rain or Shine Elasto-Painters)
SF Danny Siegel (Air 21)

Smart Gilas:
PG Andy Barroca
PF Aldrech Ramos
PG J.V. Casio
SG Dylan Ababou
PF Japeth Aguilar
C Greg Slaughter (DNP)
SF Mac Baracael
C Marcus Douthit
C Jason Ballesteros
SF Chris Lutz
SF Marcio Lassiter
PF Kelly Williams
PG 16 Jimmy Alapag
SG Chris Tiu
C Asi Taulava
SG Dondon Hontiveros

The first guy to come out of the dugout from NBA's roster was Derek Fisher. As soon as he stepped in the hardwood, The Big Dome just went nuts. Then, the other superstars followed. Tip-off started (if I'm not mistaken) past 2 pm and from that point, it was all pure fun and amazement.

NBA didn't fail to showcase some of their stuff while on-court. I must admit, I don't like Kobe Bryant as a player at all but I must say that he's spectacular and definitely amazing (there, I said it!). His shake and bake post moves ending in a Jordanesque fade away jump shot is off the charts. I mean, it's just art and sheer athleticism combined. The Black Mumba also rewinded back to time as he displayed flashes of his dunks.

Young big guns like Jevale McGee and Derrick Williams showed Filipino fans how to rock the rim. Now, I'm telling you McGee is having a great time tearing down The Big Dome's rim flushing in a number of dunks from Alley-Oops, follow-ups all the way to those one handed jams. Derrick Williams also didn't fail as he joined the wrecking crew. One of the highlights of the game was his baseline cut for a cradled reverse lay-up.

Chris Paul, Tyreke Evans and Derek Fisher schooled our local Point Guards (not to sound condescending, but they really did) on how you break those ankles and dish out the dimes. In fact, I remember this one time that Tyreke Evans literally had Arwind Santos on his ass after a crossover move during their game against the PBA All-Stars. Chris Paul gnawed Smart Gilas with his defense and even had a slight tie-up with Smart Gilas' Barocca.

Now, whenever jersey number 1 holds the ball, the crowd unites shouting "MVP". Derrick Rose didnt' really spent that much time on the court but a few isolation plays was given to him to dance with his defender and was able to contribute for a few buckets. He missed 2 free throws after being thrown off his focus when the fans started shouting MVP again.

The tandem of Kevin Durant and James Harden for me, made the difference. NBA's Western Conference Finalists displayed a wide barrage of offensive skills from slashing down the lane ending to a devastating tomahawk or sleek layup, three point and 2-point catapults. Indeed, Smart Gilas feared the beard and the Durantula of OKC.

Our very own Smart Gilas Team also showed competitive guts that caught the other team off guard. Before I bought the tickets, my buddy suggested that we watch the Smart Gilas game today against the NBA All-Stars instead of yesterday's game against PBA. Now I know why.

They may seem young overall but Rajko Toroman's team was no pushover. They kept the game close and even brought down the lead of the NBA All-Stars to as low as 7 points. By the 3:48 mark of the game, NBA's side was forced to call a time out with their lead down to 10 and that's when they really got serious. Although we can say that they really never exerted that much of an effort compared to how they compete in the regular season, you can say that Smart Gilas cracked some nerve off the opposing team and got them to play serious ball on the last 3 minutes of the game. JV Casio and Don-Don Hontiveros led the way for the Smart Gilas team with their outside sniping. A few contributions from Chris Lutz and Marcio Lassiter was also essential for the offensive game of the home team. It's great that Gilas showed competitiveness even if this is simply an exhibition game. They displayed a few offensive and defensive set-ups to test its effectiveness against opponents with this caliber.

Overall, Smart Gilas really did a good job against the NBA All-Stars compared to the PBA All-Stars. If you've seen the July 23rd game, it just seemed like our professional basketball players from the PBA were left in awe and disbelief that they're playing against their idols. All through out the game, the opposing team literally threw lob passes for alley-oops and just pretty much made the hardwood a personal launch pad. No defensive and offensive intensity and set-ups most of the game. For me, it was disappointing considering that these are our professional athletes.

Gilas can look on some things to probably help them out as far as their effectiveness in an international level is concerned. First, Marcus Douthit lack intensity and aggressiveness in the first half. Instead of going for a dunk or even a simple lay-up after being fed the ball off a pick and roll play, he opts to just go for a pull up J or a looper. That is if he actually has the chance to catch the ball on the slide off the pick and roll. Next, I noticed that after the ball goes on top of the double high-post with Casio or Tiu, it ends up always on a three point shot on top of the key. Yeah, at times it goes in but running the same play for 48 minutes against the likes of Kobe Bryant or Chris Paul which are top-notch on-ball defenders, you need to mix it up a little. No pop or even a roll from the high-post picks and the remaining 2 guys gets stock in the corner 3 point line and forgot motion offense. Just my 2 cents though.

Manny Pacquiao also graced the game, coming in at the start of the second half. The Smart All-Stars even called a timeout to ask the champ to go to their huddle to meet the stars. Chris Paul toyed with Manny by jokingly asking the people's champ to have a go at it. At the end of the game, the NBA All-Stars asked Manny to take pictures with them and sign almost everything that they're wearing. Imagine that... talking about "big time".

Now, at first, it really never was a biggie if I was seated in the Gen Ad section but when the NBA players gave away their jerseys and shoes to the crowd, that's when I felt bad. Damn. Hehe.

Overall, it was a rare experience that I can tell my grandkids in the future. Being part of this is really overwhelming. The mood inside The Big Dome for four hours really was phenomenal.



Wednesday, July 20, 2011

The Great Wall of China calls it quits


Yao Ming announced his retirement today in his homeland in Shanghai, China at the age of 30. The 7 foot 6 center of the Houston Rockets decided to end his career due to an injury on his left foot. Yao broke his left foot in a playoff game against the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2008-2009 season, and underwent complex surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2009-10 season.

"I had to leave the court since I suffered a stress fracture in my left foot for the third time at the end of last year. My past six months were an agonizing wait. I had been thinking (about my future) over and over. Today I am announcing a personal decision, ending my career as a basketball player and officially retire. But one door is closing and another one is opening." the towering pride of China said during the press conference.

Yao's dominance and effect on the game cannot be measured by the stats he delivered on the court alone but by the sheer influence he had on the game in a global perspective. He acted inadvertently as an ambassador for the game by his character, sportsmanship and love for the game. He symbolized the growth of basketball as a global game. He also put Asia on the map as far as basketball is concerned. Possibly, it will be a long time before another Asian graces the hardwoods of the NBA same as Yao Ming did.

Yao Ming started his basketball career as an Asian basketball superstar for the Chinese national team. He was eventually picked by the Houston Rockets as 1st overall in the 2002 NBA Draft. The 8-time Chinese All-Star played eight seasons in the NBA, but missed 250 regular-season games over the past six years. Yao Ming averaged 19.0 points per game, 1.9 blocks per game, 52 percent from the field, and 9.2 rebounds.

I hope that the Rocketrs raises Yao's number 11 jersey in the rafters of Toyota Center and someday, be honored into the Basketball Hall of Fame.


Stats source: NBA.com


Why watch these...

Now playing: Englishman in New York by Sting



Rashomon

I made it a point to watch at least watch one Akira Kurosawa film for the week. As a movie fan, you really need to see at least one classic from this guy.

Rashomon (1950) is a story of 3 men: a woodcutter,a monk and a commoner, that was stranded in the shelters of the fallen Rashomon gate due to heavy rainfall. They talked about a crime committed by a bandit named Tajomaru and accounts what happened when the court summoned those involved in the story to give their testimonies and give their version of the "truth" behind the crime. The movie really doesn't have a defined ending as their account of the story was cut off by a crying infant behind the Rashomon gate. The 3 men argued when the commoner tried to steal the kimono and jewelry that came with the baby. The story ended with the woodcutter taking the baby with him when the rain stopped.

Aside from the symbolic representation and the artistic execution of the film, this film also gained popularity by being the first film in the 1950s (or at least in that era) to get a direct shot at the sun without over-exposing the film.

The film pretty much makes the viewer its jury and have you decide on your own version of truth which makes it overrated and subjective. Also, if you've already seen this film, what's up with the samurai's wife? Right? Is she supposed to be beautiful?!! She actually gave me the creeps when I was watching this film. I don't know if that's how a hot Japanese chick should be in their days. Anyways, just a thought I want to express.

Why watch this? Akira Kurosawa is a genius. The shots, scenes, story. This is a great start if you want to dig deep into his filmography.

* * *

Last House on the Left (1972)

The original 1972 version of The Last House on the Left for me is one of Wes Craven's masterpiece before the Scream series, The Hills Have Eyes and Freddy Kreuger surfaced. By the way, he also created Wishmaster (bad move for him).

This is the story of 2 girls that went to the city to watch a concert. Mari and Phyllis tried to score pot but ended up bumping to 4 criminals (a psychopath, a killer, a rapist and a drunkard) that escaped out of prison. This is where their nightmares started as these criminals forced them to do awful things against their will. The fugitives decided to leave the state but ended up in the middle of the road due to a busted car engine. Little did they know that they were actually near where Mari lives. They took the girls to the woods to hide away and this gave Phyllis the chance to let Mari escape (knowing that Mari is near her home) by making a run for it and acting as a bait. This led to 3 of the fugitives chasing Phyllis and eventually killing her. Mari was able to escape but was shot by one of the criminals. After this, the 4 criminals tried to find a place to stay and ended up staying in Mari's house where they are welcomed by Mari's parents. Mari's parents eventually found out that these guys were responsible for their daughter's ordeal. They planned to kill and torture these criminals. The movie ended with Mari's mother and father successfully killing 3 of the criminals just before the police arrived.

Now, this film was controversial in the 1970s as it showed a few sensitive and taboo scenes. A number of scenes were deleted by local film reviewing committees due to the illicit sex scenes. In fact, based on research, it's hard to find an original full length copy of the film. Some recent DVD releases may include some of the scenes, but not all. One of the scenes removed from some copies was the complete forced lesbo action of Mari and Phyllis when they were taken to the woods.

One flaw I've seen this film (personal opinion) is the continuity and transition. There were some scenes that really didn't make sense as far as bridging it to the next scene is concerned. For example, from the time Mari was shot dead after being raped at the swamp to how the 4 fugitives ended up in Mari's house. I don't know if I've seen a f@#&$d up cut of the movie or if that's the real flow of scenes but it really doesn't patch it up well. Also, I really don't get the soundtrack! There were some scenes that the BGM really didn't fit the mold. I get the hippie-psychedelic folk songs but there were some that was really off. In fact, there were times that the BGM destroyed the mood of the scene (hear and see if for yourself).

Why watch this? I'm not a big Wes Craven fan but if you are, you must not miss this. Also, he's gutsy enough to pull this off in the 1970s. Back then, this is possibly one of the most disturbing films. Lastly, Sandra Cassel is one hot hippie. haha.

* * *

Funny People

Funny People is a story of George Simmons, a famous comedian/actor. His focus and intentions in life changes when he learns that he has leukemia. While doing an act in a bar he crossed paths with an aspiring comedian and writer in Ira Wright. George offered Ira to be his writer and personal assistant. As Ira worked day to day with George, he becomes immersed with the lifestyle George has. It became an eye opener to Ira that George really has own personal issues amidst the A rank lifestyle he's in. He eventually ended up as a confidant of George. As the story goes on, George finds out that he has a chance of recovering from his present condition. However, this good news disrupts his intent to fix one of the messed up things he's done in the past.

Jude Appatow's formula of placing 2 top-of-the-food chain comedians of this time plus substantial scriptwriting gave him a good comedy/drama. He used a good mix of dark, blue and cringe comedy, as well as word play but not to the point where the serious stuff gets overpowered. Playing with witty punchlines and scenes but getting it back on track as far as plot is concerned. You can always count on Adam Sandler and Seth Rogen to deliver. Good supporting cast also with Jonah Hill, Eric Bana, Jason Schwartzman and Leslie Mann (which is usually seen in Adam Sandler films).

It 's also a great way to show what issues writers and comedians face each day both with work and their personal life. Behind the camera, these are your real wit-busting geniuses giving you that laugh.

(Sample punchline from the film)

George Simmons: So, Ira Wright? That's not your real name. You're hiding some Judaism.
Ira Wright: I don't think I can hide that. My face is circumcised.

Why watch this? If you've already seen this film, I'm not sure if you noticed it but this film actually plays for 146 minutes (more than 2 hours). Doesn't seem like it right? Great stuff. If you haven't seen this film yet, then that's the reason why you should watch this. Not a drag, good script and witty punchlines.

* * *

In the Realm of the Senses

If you don't appreciate erotic films at all then please refrain from watching this movie. I've seen a number of erotic films and so far, this one is off the charts if we're going to talk about the urge of the flesh. The first 10 minutes of the film engages right away with nudity, sex related topics or carnal acts. From that point forward, it's a highway to adulterated sex escapade.

In the Realm of the Senses is a film directed by Nagisa Oshima. The story revolves around Sada Abe, a prostitute turned maid in a local inn. She fell in love with the master of the house named Kichizo Ishida. Ishida senses the attraction Sada had towards him. This led to a love affair between Sada and Ishida. What was once a sense of attraction and fixation suddenly turned into obsession as Sada got jealous to Ishida's wife and threatens him not to make love with his wife. They also tried torturing each other while making love to heighten-up the pleasure. The story ends with Sada asking Ishida to have sex with her even though he's already weakened (due to incessant love making). Ishida then fell asleep and as Sada was trying to stimulate him, she suddenly severs Ishida's penis and wrote in blood "Sada Kichi the two of us forever" on his chest.

Now, this movie really pushed me on the edge. I can estimate that at least 60% of the film is actually fornication. In fact, I got fed up with the sex scenes that I already found it a bit lousy. It even got me to take a coffee break while watching the film. It even made me flinch on some of the scenes, which rarely happens whenever I watch movies with the likes of this or even porn (at some points, I can consider porn winning on the "entertainment" criteria). I'm no expert when it comes to the never ending argument about what is still considered "artistic" or what goes beyond that. For me, it's as simple as this: If it pushes me off to my threshold, then there's something wrong with it.

In fairness to the film though, there are mentionable positive points. It introduces Sadomasochism to the viewer which is a taboo for most of us. Sadomasochism and other hedonistic acts in the film is related to Psychology (hail Mr. Freud!).This film also made me wonder if a man can physically stand to non-stop fornication as shown in this film (it made me do a little research of my own).

Why watch this? If Sodom and Gommorah still stands tall and proud, and they had their own Academy Awards, this one probably goes down in history. Seriously, I can't say that you should watch this if this is not your cup of tea. If you're conservative then don't go for this film. If you're looking for something that takes you to your edge, controversial and different then this is a fai...a goo.. well, I can't think of a proper word to describe it. Just try it if you're interested (which is how I bumped into this film).

* * *


Monday, July 18, 2011

Candice


Now Playing: Shapeshifter by Taken By Cars

Last May, I was able to snag a new bass guitar. I sold my Ibanez GSR 395 and used the money to by a new bass guitar. I sold my Ibanez 5 string bass guitar (named Fabiola) because I felt like I was not getting that "organic" sound that I'm looking for on the said bass guitar plus I really cannot go on plug-and-play mode with that bass guitar. It's either I use my Sansamp Tech 21 Bass Driver with it to get the tone I need or be lucky enough to play in a bar with a high end bass amplifier.

Originally, I was gunning for a Squier Deluxe Jazz Bass (black) with an active electronic input that was sold on philmusic.com. However, before I got the chance to make an arrangement with the guy selling the beauty, it was already sold to someone from Cavite.

After not being able to close the deal for the Squier Jazz Bass, I was on the look out to buy a new bass guitar and I saw an online post of a Peavey Patriot being sold. It was a killer and has a relic look into it. It was not really sought after in the forums so it bought me time to do a little research before closing the deal. It seems that this is Peavey's version of an Ernie Ball MusicMan. This is one of the phased-out models on Peavey's roster of bass guitars and if I'm not mistaken, its production year was around late or mid 80's. I loved the relic touch on it so I closed the deal and got the bass guitar for around 8,500 Php.

When I fist got a hold of it, the first thing that I noticed is the width of the neck which is made out of maple. It's a little thick compared to the bass guitars that I've held. It has an ash body with a natural finish. It had a few scratches with it that gave it that relic look. 21 frets that had a few smudges with it. It also had a black pickguard and chrome knobs and bridge. The nut was pretty decent although the sustain of the notes really weren't that good when I was testing it. Probably, it's been a while since it had a good set-up. The thing that caught my attention is the Super Ferrite bridge pick up. When I played the bass guitar, it had that "twangy", warm sound with a mid punch, nearly the same tone (or so I thought on my initial test) that you can hear on the bassline of the Jackson 5 classic ABC 123. I guess the tone of the bass can also be attributed to the specialized pick up Peavey used in this bass guitar. I felt that the tone knob was really not responding but really never made a difference as far as the sound of the Patriot is concerned but it's really not a big deal for me. I also love the look of the Peavey headstock. It's exactly what I was looking for so I closed the deal.




I was supposed to have it set-up by one of the luthiers in Manila but his shop was already closed when I arrived there so I ended up entrusting it to a guy referred by a friend. I requested this guy to restring the bass guitar with a Snarling Dogs gauge 45 string and set-up the entire thing including intonation, neck adjustment and electronic check up. When I got it, I was not really impressed with what he's done. It has a high action which made the tension from the machine heads all the way to the bridge a bit tight. Although I played a bass guitar with the same set-up, I'm more comfortable with a low action set-up which made the strings a bit free and loose. In fairness to him though there were no buzzes along the frets and he also mentioned that the potentiometer for the Tone needs replacement. The last touch was replacing the chrome Volume and Tone knobs with a black knob to hide it on top of the pickguard. Anyways, it was fair enough for me to test it.

I ran it through a few rehearsals in the studio and played it in Ten 02 with Traces of War. I was satisfied with its sound since it never lost that warm tone with a mid punch to it. In fact,it sounded so good (based on where I was on the stage)that there was no need for me to use my Sansamp Bass Driver. I also tried using this on rehearsal with Driver Under the Influence which is one of my project bands that plays indie-pop.

In all, this is my rating for my Peavey Patriot:
Cosmetics: 8/10
Electronics: 8/10
Sound Quality: 9/10
Features: 8/10

To sum it up, Candice is a great bang for the buck considering the price. I also love the relic look. For me, the only downside of this baby will be the width of the neck. I think I'll be playing with this gal for a long time.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Deeper.. Deeper...(Audition)

For the past few days, I've been downloading a number of movies that I've been itching to watch. Anything that flashes through my mind that's either recommended by a friend, something that I've read off an article or review, just via random pick or by cross-referencing some movies and the genre its under, finding a few gold nuggets in the process.

I really love obscured films. In fact, back in the days when I was still an avid customer of one of the leading video rental companies here in the Philippines and when VHS and VCD's reign the market, I never failed to rent at least 3 types of movies depending on my own selection/criteria: (1) either I pick a recently released movie or something new off their selection (2), a slasher/horror or comedy flick (3) and either obscured films (the ones that you can see at the back of the row of the genre selection) or at least something from the rated selection (well, I don't need to lie on that one, right?). There's something about renting or buying a CD. You really don't know what to expect. It's like buying a pair of boxers and not knowing what it felt until you actually wore them.

I don't know if this film can be considered as obscured but when I say Japanese horror films, first thing that comes to a person's mind would probably be Ring. However, I must say that in my own opinion, you can watch Ring, Ring Zero, Ring 2 and Spiral (if you haven't seen them all, please do if you love the film) and one movie can match the scare off these 4 films: Audition.

Audition first caught my eye when I was buying DVD's in Quiapo. I never really picked it up because I had a few movies in mind back then but I was told by a friend that Audition is for keeps.

Originally released in 1999, Audition is directed by Takashi Miike and starring Ryo Ishibashi and Eihi Shiina. It was from a novel by Ryu Murakami of the same title. It's a story of a guy named Shigeharu Aoyama played by Ryo Ishibashi who is in a personal mission to re-marry as requested by her son years after his wife died due to an illness. The title was taken from the idea of Aoyama's friend and colleague which is a film producer to hold a mock-audition for a slot in a film on who'll get the lead actress role. The audition's real agenda is for Aoyama to pick a girl from those that auditioned so that he can ask her out on a date. He had his eyes on a mysterious lady named Yamazaki Asami (played by Eihi Shiina). Eventually, Aoyama got the courage to ask her out and as he tries to get to know Asami, he'll learn that there's more to the lady than what caught his eye.



This officially is one of my favorite slasher/horror films of all time. In fact, this is the only horror flick that actually messed with me. After watching this flick, I actually had a dream that included one of the torture scenes in this film (what a wuss). FYI: I watch horror/slasher/gore films either late night or when I'm alone. It's not a bravado thing or whatever. I just believe that it's best to get the feel out of what you're watching. Comedy is to laughter same as Horror is to scare. Right?

Well, one thing that I loved about this film is the mood. It seems that Asian horror flicks set the trend for those gloomy and often natural BGM (as evident in Ring) compared to it's western counterparts that uses shrieks and screams and cliche BGMs. It's a good thing to use the natural feel of the scene to scare the hell out of you. Like for example, the entire scene in Ring before Sadako came out and up until she caught Ryoji's mesmerized to death eye. Now, imagine that with a BGM ala Wes Craven using contemporary rock music. In fact, if you'll think of it, classics like The Night of the Living Dead, The Shinning and others have the same minimalist approach. The highlight of the film are the sadistic acts done by Asami but compared to other films, the torture scenes in this film are few. Most of it is at the end part.

To sum it up, I recommend that you watch this movie if you're into slasher/horror films. This one sits up at my personal top 10. I really think that Eihi Shiina's portrayal of the character carried this one. Not that her acting was superb but her overall aura gives her that demure and deadly vibe to it.

I also recommend you watch this Korean thriller/slasher film titled I Saw the Devil. Despite the fact that Korean pop culture raided our local TV stations' time slots and almost blew the brains out of everyone by playing their songs rampantly, this is a great movie to break that nasty cycle they plagued us with.

If you have nothing to do, give these films a shot!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Civil War

Before you read this, you may think that I'm some sort of a geek or nerd or whatever... if that's the case, then thanks in advance. I really don't mind.

I am a sucker for pretty much that has anything to do with Marvel Comics (well, just don't go with the capitalistic-let's-place-a-pretty-boy-and-girl-so-that-people-will-watch-this movie renditions). For instance, if I'm in a mall, you can have my absolute guarantee that I'll pass by a local comic book stand, bookstore and check the latest Marvel Episodes. Not that I'm a die hard comic book collector (oops, there goes my credibility I guess). In fact, the closest thing that I had as far as being a comic book collector is concerned is when me and my brother had a few episodes of the Amazing and Spectacular Spiderman when we were around 6 to 10 years old I think. I really don't know what happened but we lost the copies and when we moved from Quezon City to Bulacan, we can't find the comic books (probably my old man burned them and thought they're just some stupid comic books). I must admit, back then, it's hard to really collect comic books due to financial factors and resources.

It all started when my cousin influenced us with the Marvel Universe. We'd spend the summer at their house and he has this wide collection of Marvel Cards (it's pretty much the same as your NBA cards) that has the character's stats (i.e: strength, agility, speed etc.), profile, and a little background. Then we watched animated films and my cousin back then started collecting comic books of his own. I got amazed with the art work and at the same time the intricate story lines. Since then, I tried reading and did a little research of some of the characters. I tried checking out DC but in all honesty, I really think some of their characters are cheesy (sorry if you're a Detective Comics fan. hehe).

Now, with these facts stated, I find it blasphemous for me to read the Civil War series 5 years after its original release year which is 2006. Prior to this, the last Marvel Comics series that I was able to read was the Onslaught Series (which is a classic by the way).

For those reading this article that doesn't have any idea about this geeky topic, you might be asking "what the hell is he talking about?" Well, why don't you open up another tab or window, go to wikipedia and search "Civil War Marvel" and that should lead you to the right article. Hehe.

Well, Civil War is a series that's written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven and runs through a number of Marvel characters' stroryline. It basically is about an incident in Stamford, Connecticut where in the New Warriors were in the process of catching the mutant villain Nitro while taping it for their reality show. On the process of catching Nitro, he uses his mutant powers and exploded in a wide radius that caused a massive explosion. This led to the death of a number of humans (including kids), which eventually paved the way for the US Senate and Congress to pass the Superhuman Registration Act. This mandates and obliges all mutants and super-powered, masked humans to register for United States (if they are a citizen) and have them under the government. This way, they would pretty much be the same as every other people with their identities exposed and will be accountable for each action that they do. Eventually, those that opposes the law and declines to register are considered criminals. In the process this creates a faction for both the pro-registration led by Iron Man and the anti-registration led by the infamous Captain America. Each faction gathers cohorts for their respective beliefs which led to a number of encounters along the way. The pro-registration team also used super-villains (provided that they're already registered) to hunt down other unregistered mutants, including heroes. Some of the prominent super villains that worked in favor of the Civil War is Bullseye and Venom that joined the Thunderbolts.

The Superhuman Registration Act also entitles the government to assign super heroes to be assigned and be legit forces of the state. The 50 state initiative is one of the plans tied to the Superhuman Registration Act designating each state their own "Superteam". This also shows a wide variety of team ups of your favorite super heroes (i.e: near the end of the Civil War, Fantastic Four's Invisible Woman and Mr. Fantastic will go on a brief hiatus to work on their relationship and will be replaced by The Black Panther and Storm.)

Civil War can also be considered as a metaphor or a representation of what happened to the United States' Bush administration -- the conspiracy theory and the controversies surrounding it. The series ends in a tragic unfortunate event that may also imbue a moral message for those that walk the land of the free and the home of the brave.

It seems that the Marvel Universe is already piled up with lots of heroes and villains that they have created a number of series that involves a number of mutants dying or being tagged MIA such as the Onslaught and House of M series. Come to think of it, it also serves as a bridge for the continuity of the Marvel Universe. We don't expect Spiderman to go web-swinging when he reaches 40 right? It's a great way to build a legacy and give birth to new ideas. I also see it as a good bridge to create awareness for the new generation of comic book readers via the use of the storylines (specially those in the USA).

The next series I'm eyeing on will be Kingdom Come from Detective Comics (I know, I know. It's not bad giving it a shot.) or Amory Wars which is where the concept of the band Coheed and Cambria came from.


God help me I can't think of a title

Now Playing: Surrender by Skychurch

It's been a while since I actually last posted something to this blog. I started The Pit back in 2009 hoping to hook up a sideline for extra bucks for an online job (ODesk)... just doodling aroung a couple of ideas I have at that time. I somehow forgot to update this piece of shit and now, I have enough effort in me to write. Since I am literally a bum for 2 months (and counting), why not make something useful out of it aside from playing basketball in the morning, reading E Comics and online manga, doing household chores, being the best couch potato in the entire Mainland (Bulacan), watching movies and playing bass guitar.

Well, where I should start? I think it's great if I start off with writing some few insights about some of the movies that I've downloaded online (thanks to the man who invented Torrent or any other source of online piracy! hell yeah for you!). These are the movies that I've been itching to watch in the past few years but never really had the chance to. Some movies that I'm sure will be interesting who ever spends time reading about this piece of crap called The Pit.