Spider Sense's tingling...

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I was watching Conan early last week when I heard a surprising development with regards to Marvel Comics' Spiderman franchise. Apart from introducing The Amazing Spiderman movie for the silver screen for next year (good marketing move, same thing they did with the comic books), they also introduced Miles Morales -- the new Spiderman, which is mixed with African-American and Latino genes. I checked out right away what the buzz was about.

This idea was introduced by Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso this month but was already in the works and was conceptualized as early as 2008. Miles Morales was created by Marvel and Image Comics mainstay writer Brian Michael Bendis; the brilliant mind behind The House of M series, to name one of his works. As far as the story is concerned, Miles Morales will be replacing Peter Parker after his death in The Ultimate Spiderman Series.

This was an obvious and bold (?) move to raise racial equality, considering that the United States has its first African-American President seated. However, this news definitely raised a lot of reactions and got fans into a web-swinging craze. If you think the shock ends there, think again. There were also concerns about a statement saying that they "may" write the story to where Miles will discover that he is gay. Yep. You read it right. Majority of the fans reacted negatively about this move by Marvel. There were even accounts of some fans protesting in this years' ComiCon in San Diego, CA.

As a Spiderman fan (minus the first 3 films which is OK but not great), I can see where Marvel is coming from. Let's be honest, there's really a need for change... but at the same time, a part of me was appalled by the move. The racial-equality issue is completely understandable. Also, Miles Morales exists in Marvel's Ultimate Universe which is an alternate universe for Marvel characters. For those that's not familiar... it's like a playground for writers to mix up the Marvel Universe and its characters without messing up the main storyline of the real characters. Same concept with a parallel universe for us. So technically, we still have your friendly neighbor Peter Parker roaming the streets and skyscrapers of New York.

Now, for hardcore Spiderman enthusiasts, I can somehow understand why such negative reactions are raised. Spiderman is Marvel's flag-bearer in which they may probably hold sacred. You can also point out that Peter Parker is one of the most popular and loved character ever created in the history of comic books. The mere idea of killing him in story will definitely have a few negative insights. Also, there are heroes that represented racial equality or different races such as Storm, Luke Cage, The Black Panther, Tarantula, Sunspot, Rictor, Strong Guy, Shangchi, Psylocke, Silver Samurai and many others that some fans may feel there's really no need for such change.

However, if you'll think of it... this change is not so bad at all. An African-American/Latino Spiderman actually works. Physically, his African-American lineage may give him that athletic and lean built in which Spiderman actually needs. You can't expect a radioactive spider to change your anatomic structure overnight even in comic books right? Give Miles a break. He exists in Marvel's Ultimate Universe which actually doesn't do Peter Parker any harm. Ben Riley came out in the open as Peter Parker's clone but it's not really a big deal right?

For the franchise itself, I must say that this is also a marketing move to possibly reach out to a different demographic. As they say, bad publicity is still publicity.

I have a different feeling though about the road Bendis is taking as far as Miles Morales' sexual orientation is concerned. If this is true, I must say that for the love of the franchise... I just don't think it fits the mold and is really a bad move. No offense to gay people but Spiderman being gay is not good. As what I said, he is the face of Marvel. That statement alone should speak for itself. I really don't consider the social-equality argument for this one. There are a lot of characters in the Marvel Universe that they can toy around just to make their case with regards to sexual equality but not Spiderman. Anyway, it's not yet printed and in ink so no worries for now and let's hope for divine intervention on this one to have them change their minds if you're with me.

In all, I'll just check and see what Miles Morales brings to the table. After all, it's all about readership. If things won't work out, it'll be pulled out.

Why watch these...

Now Playing: Seventh son of the Seventh son by Iron Maiden

So this is the part where I give a few insights to some films that I've seen that I feel is either overlooked, underrated, obscured, taboo, unheard of or just simply sits at the top of my favorites and my hate lists. I hope that this may somehow give you an additional roster to your nothing-to-do-days movie list.

TRON

You simply can't go wrong with Tron. If you are a science fiction film enthusiast, it's a must-see movie. No excuses. If you've seen Tron:Legacy and have not yet seen the first installment, I don't know what you're thinking. Really.

I remember first seeing Tron with my Uncle and cousin recorded in a betamax cartridge around early 90's and right there and then, I had a notion that the inner nerd inside me was awaken. The visual execution alone was enough to blow my mind considering that this was a film created in the 1980s.

Starred by Jeff Bridges, Tron is a story of a software engineer named Flynn that was warped into the digital world to battle against the Master Control Program and his minions. Inside the digital realm, he meets Ram which is a financial program and Tron, a defense system set-up by Flynn's friend in real life to defeat the Master Control Program to make the digital world free for all programs.

It's simply a groundbreaking film and the visual experience was really fantastic. I remember replicating in Lego pieces the weird space craft (I don't know what they call it) that Flynn rode and used in the film. Of course, there's the Light Cycle which is the old-school (and cooler) version of those cellphone games that we now know as Snake. Steven Lisberger is one hell of a visionary and for Walt Disney to pull this off is risky, which in turn gave them the rewards.

Why watch this? It's a visual masterpiece and given the technology they had back then, it's amazing how they've done this film. Just one of those films that you can't... shouldn't miss out for the love of the genre.

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28 WEEKS LATER

Normal people back from the dead, heavy artillery and firepower, gore and bloodbath, a group of people taken out one by one, enclosed location, nightfall... these are the usual suspects for pumping that adrenaline whenever you see a zombie film. When we thought we saw it all, then came 28 Weeks Later in 2007.

28 Weeks Later is about the spread of the Rage virus after infecting almost the entire populace of London. 28 weeks later, the situation was eventually controlled and civilians were brought back to London to start living normally again with the help of military forces. Don, one of the survivors from the carnage brought by the Rage virus, survived after encountering a number of infected people in the outskirts of London while hiding with his wife and other uninfected citizens. He was able to survive but at the expense of her wife. Don eventually decided to bring his daughter and son to London after being cleared off the Rage virus. His kids decided to go back to their old home in hope that they'll find their mom only to find out that they're about to unlock the gate that held the Rage virus dormant and leads it to its second wave.

28 Weeks Later will really put you at the edge of your seat and brings something new to the table (at least compared to those that came before it). Its fast-paced zombies are really the X-factor for this film that set it apart from other zombie films. Brutal, dynamic, and in-your face action is really the foundation of 28 Weeks Later.

However, I must point out that the premise on how the Rage virus started its second wave is based on one stupid decision after another: Two kids that easily evaded military defense line (let me stress on the "kids" and "military" part); went deep into the suburbs away from the secured perimeter, back to their house and even got close contact to their infected mom. Come on! Am I that harsh or is that just plain stupidity? Pop Quiz: If you learned that your wife is already infected with a virus that turns you into a flesh eating zombie, even if you goddamn miss her out of romantic or sentimental b*llshit, will you take the chance to kiss her and trade salivas? I don't think so.

It's a great pick if you want something to watch something late night but I just need to stress out that flaw (at least on my part).

Why watch this? Zombies that somehow got a heavy dose of steroid before running amok. Best to watch this alone and late at night with 3 cups of coffee on your side.

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MEMENTO

Christopher Nolan surfaced mainstream scene because of the critically acclaimed film Inception and for directing (and steering it in the right track if I may add) the Batman Begins , The Dark Knight and the upcoming Dark Knight Rises. Before these masterpieces, there was Memento.

A short story written by Jonathan Nolan (Chris' brother), Memento is a story of a man that has anterograde amnesia (technical term for not being able to store short term memories) trying to trace back the steps on how and why he ended up killing a guy. The movie opens up in a scene where Leonard (played by Guy Pearce) shoots a guy whom he believes, killed and raped his wife. In order for Leonard to follow the trail he left before his memory refreshes again and to justify his acts, he takes pictures of everyone he meets or anything that may hold vital information to events that took place and writes down details behind printed Polaroid pictures. He also tattoos facts and details on his body to serve as a reminder or a fail-safe option in case he really doesn't have an idea on what to do next.

The movie is a total mind f*cker as it actually took me a repeat view to digest the transition of the story. It has two means to narrate and execute the events: one in reverse order and one in a normal chronological order. The distinction between the two is symbolized by the former in black and white scenes and the latter in color. In the movie, both timelines are interchanged and meets in the ending part of the movie as the scene switches from black and white to colored until the whole scene turns completely colored, which symbolizes the meeting point of both timelines. By the second time I watched the movie, I literally wrote down each scene part and tag it with a "title" to follow the scenes to be able to map out the sequence.

The execution and cinematography also gave it a dark vibe and the characters really didn't gave any hints to what the story was leading to. Definitely leads you to mind-boggling. What's also great is you'll actually ask yourself what's the real story behind Leonard's vengeance. It may leave you to your own conclusion but not the type of movie that has an open ending.

Why watch this? This movie makes you ask questions. It doesn't really give any hint to what the story leads to while you watch it. It makes you not only see it but watch it. If Inception f*cked you up, then be ready to pull your moxie for a second round seeing this one.

Message in a Bottle

Now Playing: Best of You by Foo Fighters

Fact: A person must consume 2 litres of water daily to live healthily. Humans drink an average of 75,000 litres of water throughout their life.

If I was to give a person an option to choose between a glass of water straight from the faucet (municipal water) against a branded bottled water, there would probably be no contest at all. He/She will pick the latter. I'd probably have the same pick too. Of course, that "pure" and "clean" distilled or purified water will surely win a person over that notorious tap water.

But, are we making the right choice?

I saw Tapped a month ago while browsing through a couple of documentaries. It directly aroused my interest as it basically is about a product that I often purchase and patronize. Directed by Stephanie Soechtig and Jason Lindsey, Tapped tackles on the issues that the United States of America faces against the bottled water industry -- from how the water is taken from its natural source and effect on the community, business and political side of things and the health and environmental effect it has.

Now, it may be a documentary tailored for USA but there's no doubt that this is definitely applicable to us considering our colonial mentality and how some of the multi-national titans that we often see and hear each day plays a vital role in this issue. It definitely is something that each of us must be aware of. Out of sight means out of mind. Right? Well, I took the liberty of sharing some cut scenes from the movie (Disclaimer: I don't hold the rights to these videos and is posted to create awareness only).Maybe next time, you'll think twice before grabbing a bottled water.

http://www.tappedthemovie.com/