1. I finally got the ultraportable laptop that I’ve been drooling over for some time now, the HP Mini-note (HP 2133). I’ve been saving up for this sweet piece of gadget for some time now, but I got an unexpected boost out of my parent’s short-lived misery: the death of their hand-me-down PC that they got from my brother.
Now, while the usual solution to their dilemma is a simple sentence: “May, pahiram ng computer mo saglit,” it doesn’t work that way in our family. We’re very territorial when it comes to our own property, especially me, and my parents popping into my room from time to time to get their daily intertube dose just wouldn’t cut it.
The actual solution: “May, bilhin namin ang PC pati ang LCD monitor.” The total price for my quad-core set-up, including my widescreen monitor, was just enough to net me an HP Mini-note loaded with Vista Basic.
And gah, Vista. This is actually my first time with the latest iteration of the Windows operating system, and after one full day of using it I can safely say that it’s annoying; the way Vista always asks for my permission every time I uninstall bloatware makes me want to cram a full Windows XP installer into my flashdrive. However, I’m still willing to spend a little more time with the unwieldy OS and see if I can tinker it to my liking. I’m currently trying out Vista’s ReadyBoost using the Apacer 2GB flashdrive the guys at the MoA HP store threw in as freebie.
The HP Mini-note most certainly serves the purpose of its intended market: students. Barring the slow boot times, this small laptop is ideal for typing notes during sombre lectures with its quiet cooling fans. Despite its ultraportable dimensions, HP managed to squeeze in a normal sized keyboard (sans the numerical pad, of course), making typing on the HP Mini-note a ho-hum experience compared to the finger tinikling of the Asus Eee PC and its tiny keys.
There’s a drawback to the normal-sized keyboard – the touchpad is small, and the left and right click keys are placed at the sides. It takes fingers with the flexibility of a gymnast to navigate comfortably using the proprietary touchpad; if you’re planning to play flash games on this thing (or in my case, Ragnarok Online), you’d be better off getting a cheap optical mouse from CD-R King.
All in all, its not a bad replacement for my gaming PC, whose gaming functions are, sadly, neglected.
2. I tried renewing my SM Advantage Prestige card yesterday. My request was rejected, with the customer service rep telling me that I wasn’t able to fulfill the 300,000 peso purchase requirement within the last two years. So the reason why I I got a Prestige card in the first place was that I was able to spend 300,000 pesos two years before, I said. She answered yes.
I then wondered how the hell I was able to spend that much money in the course of two years, and how I got such an accumulated amount in the first place. Damn. 300,000 pesos: three or four Sony Vaio laptops. A big monitor, several cellphone units…gah.
._.
See the leaked trailers here.
Him: Oh, Mai-Mai!
Him: Did you see the trailer for Dragon Ball?
Me: noap
Me: not yet. Good?
Him: http://www.thedragonballmovies.com/dragonball-movie/dragonball-movie-trailer/
Him: It’s pretty interesting
Me: in a good or bad way? D:
Him: Good way XD
Me: I’m mixed up
Me: it looks like a good action flick, but its not…Dragonball D:
Him: Dragonball is like…myah.
Me: I feel like I’m watching Forbidden Kingdom 2
Him: People throwing other people through mountains
Me: and off color jokes
Him: Or punching people through buildings
Me: and Goku is supposed to be a single-minded character who fights because its fun
Me: I’m seeing the Forbidden Kingdom protagonist slapped with Goku’s name on him
Me: “I don’t want to fight”
Me: … D:
Him: D:
Him: yeah, that was a bit facepalmy there.
Me: maybe they shouldn’t have named this Dragonball
Me: but Bulma is cute
Me: X3
Him: Yeah, a bit.
Him: Master Roshi, though…
Him: he doesn’t look like a perverted old man
Me: maybe if we judge the movie without taking into context the “source” material (which they obviously didn’t take much from, except the names and the collect-em-all premise), this movie will turn out to be good
Me: but its supposed to be a Dragonball movie, dammit.
Him: Yeah.
Him: Well, you have to also consider that Speed Racer is almost the same way.
Me: you have to take into account that the directors of Speed Racer the movie at least made an EFFORT to reflect its source material. I don’t see any of it in here
Him: Although yeah, DB movie pretty much shits on the source material
Him: There’s also the deal about them insisting that the uniforms and the hairstyles remain
Him: Which is really unnecessary
Me: for DBZ?
Him: Somebody obviously didn’t figure out the appeal of Dragon Ball
Him: Yeah, for DBZ
Me: er no. The hairstyles will translate really poorly XD
Him: I mean really, who walks around with spiked hair
Him: I know! XD
Him: It’s like “We NEED to make our movie identifiable to the main source. What should we make visible?”
Him: “The hairstyles and karate uniforms?”
Him: “FUND IT”
Him: What happened to the overblown fights and ki beam battles and off-color panty jokes?
Me: they were counting on the hairstyles and clothing to make the movie identifiable as a LOL DRAGONBALL MOVIE
Me: because they know they can’t do squat about capturing what the anime/manga series was all about.
Him: Yeah.
Him: Blargh. Still, it’s a must-watch. XD
Me: *sad face*
Him: You don’t wanna watch it?
Me: well of course I’ll watch it. its like not being able to turn away from a scene of a car crash
Me: …and you’ll pay for my tickets anyway yes? X3 so no loss of mine. Fuu fuu.
Him: Yeah, yeah, I’ll pay for ’em tickets XD
Me: hahahaha
Him: You pay for the popcorn though. XD
Me: D:< you sucketh. No plain flavored popcorn, plz.
1. The Dark Knight movie impressions
To set the record straight: I never liked superhero flicks. No, really. Not because I badly want to “go against the grain” or however you want to call it, I just don’t. My days with superheroes ended when my brother’s stash of comicbooks – comicbooks that I surreptitiously sneak out of his room whenever he’s out – suddenly disappeared along with my childhood and my then-fascination with spandex-clad people.
With that said, I was surprised when I found myself clamoring for more superhero movies – of the same caliber, of course – after watching the Dark Knight. The question is IF I can see more superhero movies that can even be compared to Christian Bale’s (*swoon swoon*) reprisal of the Caped Crusader. Everytime I remember The Fantastic Four movie, though, my faith in Hollywood wanes.
Back to the movie. The Dark Knight, first and foremost, transcends being just a good superhero movie into a feature that focuses on the psyche of the people of Gotham City as a collective whole, including its heroes and villains. In fact, it is the people who pushes Batman’s hand when he decides to pass on his mantle as the pallbearer of justice to the “White Knight,” Harvey Dent.
But of course, not even the thousands of citizens of Gotham City can take the limelight out of Heath Ledger’s Joker. You know that he’s certainly something after seeing him perform the “Disappearing Pencil” trick.
This is one Joker that many people will no doubt use as a benchmark against the future portrayals of Joker. You won’t find a clean-cut or a theatrical Joker in THIS movie. No, what you get is a brilliant criminal whose cold logic is the complete parallel of Batman’s own. Ledger’s Joker is not insane – he’s just a highly efficient criminal with a Glasgow smile who wouldn’t let trivial things such as loyalty get in the way of his goals, and you can see that in the genius applied in the bank heist at the beginning of the movie.
And we go to Harvey Dent. Ah, Harvey. In the first half of the movie I sat back in my seat, relaxed at the thought that there’s at least one predictable character in the movie, aside from the fact that he’s going to be transformed as Two-face in the end.
I was glad to be proven wrong. What I didn’t expect was for me to actually like Aaron Eckhart’s Harvey Dent – a powerful district attorney who’s as straight as a rod in many ways than one. One his shoulders lay what could be one of the biggest responsibilities for a city of Gotham City: bring hope to the people that yes, there is law. And yes, crime DOES pay, and there’s someone incorruptible at the helm, always watching out for them.
Dent is supposed that person, and who better to champion him than Batman himself?
Unfortunately, Dent’s portrayal becomes a bit forced in the later parts of the movie, starting at the cause of his transformation as Two-face. Not sudden or unexplained, of course, but just a tad forced.
But in the end, what impressed me the most in the movie aren’t the main characters, but the supporting ones. Yes, I’m looking at Alfred the Butler, Lucius Fox, and even Rachel – Rachel, who didn’t seem to change despite being portrayed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and not Katie Holmes. They’re not the usual supporting home team who hands Batman his utility belt, pats his fanny and lets him go on his way. No – they’re people with actual needs, opinions, and reasons why they help Batman. Fox is the best example – he still feels compelled to help Batman even if doing so goes against his morals.
Speaking of morals, I somehow feel that Joker’s social experiment between the Gotham citizens and the prisoners, though impressive in its own right, was a bit stilted. Not trite, but it’s as cheesy and as out of place as a heartwarming Hallmark scene in a movie that’s all about mindfuckery and shooting people’s brains out because they don’t serve their purpose anymore.
Despite being an exceptional film, it’s just a bit sad that the tagline of The Dark Knight movie poster, “Welcome to a world without rules,” does not give the movie justice. It sounds awfully like something that should be pasted onto another poster with a random muscled, topless guy holding a machine gun in one hand and a chainsaw in the other. It’s taken from the Joker, that one person in the movie who is criminal simply because he is not bound to any rules, literally, but that doesn’t capture one of the greater thesis of the film, which is summed up nicely by Dent (in words and in action): that those who wield power either die as heroes or live long enough to become villains.
I’m not going to expound even further about the plot of the movie – I wouldn’t take the pleasure away from you – but yeah. Go see the movie. The Dark Knight is so brilliant, I have already forgiven Bale’s horrible raspy voice as the Batman. It’s that good.
I read that The Dark Knight was optimized for IMAX, so if you have the dough (which I and my partner didn’t when we watched yesterday), splurge on those IMAX tickets and wear those stupid glasses. It’s way better than watching a girl hallucinate after smelling dino egg fart.
2. WHERE THE HELL IS SQUIRTLE?
I’m not talking about my pet, Squirtle (apologies to those who thought I was referring to my pet – some contacted me in YM when I had “WHERE THE HELL IS SQUIRTLE?” as my status message). My pet is happily swimman in his container, and chillin on his platform everyday under the sun to dry his shell and get his tan. I’m talking about his namesake, the Pokemon.
I really don’t watch Pokemon. I don’t have anything to do with Pokemon. I only watched a few episodes when it was first aired in GMA 7 (heralded with Billy Joe Crawford’s GAR opening theme), I couldn’t be bothered with the card games and even the DS games (no, Rio, please don’t hurt me. I didn’t say the game was bad! D: )
But when I saw Squirtle waddle about as one of Red’s Pokemon in Super Smash Brothers Brawl, I was in love. No, it wasn’t because Squirtle was a half-tartol, half…squirrel (?), but because of how Squirt was portrayed in the game: look at him wag his tail! Look at him do cartwheels in the air! Look at him surf….BLARGH. THE EPITOME OF CUTENESSSBLARGHAHGAHAHGAH
D:
Anyway, ever since I saw him in Brawl I started looking for anything Squirtle. So far, I found…nothing. No posters, no figures, no plushies, no NOTHING.
Was Squirtle retconned? His fellow starting Pokemon Charmander and Bulba/Venus/Whateversaur are still around. SO WHAR?
T_____T
HELP ME FIND SQUIRTLE. PL0X.
Space Invaders Extreme (Taito, Square Enix) Nintendo DS, Sony PSP
What is it: Everyone in their twenties or thirties who managed to grow up with arcade games will no doubt be familiar with Ye Olde Space Invaders. In this game, players try to destroy waves upon waves of pixel aliens bent on invading the Earth with the use of a laser cannon that can be moved horizontally and shoot tiny but potent rounds.
Created to commemorate the game’s 30th anniversary, the revamped Space Invaders Extreme for both the DS and PSP is practically the same game as the 1970’s original – shoot aliens, save the world – but the similarity ends to a certain degree. The aliens and the space cannon still look their pixellated best and the enemies are still animated with only two frames, but the gameplay has been improved immensely with the addition of bonus stages, new ammunition, and new roster of alien invaders.
Is it worth it: Space Invaders Extreme is indeed worth your time, effort, and money (if applicable), and we’re really tempted to answer this question with a simple and succinct “Yes.” If the all the nostalgia and mindless pew-pew-pew brand of fun isn’t enough to pull you in, let’s just say that all the new things in this Space Invaders remake is enough reason why you should give this game your attention.
Let’s start from the very moment you boot up the game. You’ll be greeted with the Square Enix logo if you play the US version of the game, but don’t be alarmed; you won’t see your favorite childhood game get raped by an unwelcome abundance of zippers, belts and emo kid pilots with gravity-defying hairstyles.
Once you jump into the meat of the game, you’ll find that it’s still the same Space Invaders we know and love – until you notice the new additions such as the new weapons, new aliens, and new gameplay rules. Shooting four identically-colored enemies in a row will net you a special weapon that corresponds to the color of the aliens you shoot down: blue enemies will get you a powerful laser beam, red will let you get your hands on bombs, green will broaden your shots while certain white enemies will grant you temporary shields.
You may remember the special UFOs that flit at the top of the screen from time to time in the original game. They’re back, and instead of just giving bonus points these special ships either give you access to bonus stages that will let you go on a Fever Time if the stage’s conditions are met or blast with lasers of their own, among others.
What could be the most noticeable of all is the trippy overall interface and sounds that manage to give Space Invaders its much-needed space-y look and feel beyond its basic premise of defeating space invaders. The in-game soundtrack will most certainly appeal to fans of electronica, and similar to Q Entertainment’s Lumines, every sound effect (shooting, hitting enemies) contributes to the overall rhythm of the music.
Engrossing, addictive, pleasing to the eyes and ears, Space Invader Extreme gives justice to the original game’s 30-year-old fanbase.
What makes it toilet-compatible: Space Invaders Extreme, like all good pick-up-and-play titles, can be played on a whim and immediately shut down without any major consequences. Each stage is short enough to be completed during your bonding with Mr. Toilet, but if you have to pause or turn off the game to clean up you don’t have to worry about your game save, as Space Invaders Extreme performs an auto-save between stages.
Shooting down waves upon waves of twitching aliens is a very welcome activity while doing your duties on the throne, giving you an added air of importance as you realize that not only are you the momentary king of the toilet, you are also an accomplished pilot that dumps a variety of missiles both real and virtual.
Filed under: review
I’m glad I’ve regained my brain cells right now, because now I’m able to write my own impressions on the Wachowski Brothers’ take on the Speed Racer movie. I think my head got jarred watching the film yesterday, and you know what? I liked it.
It’s highly apparent in the first few minutes of the film that yes, the Speed Racer film isn’t anything like you’ve seen before.
But before we delve into that, let’s get into the source material first. The original Speed Racer anime is a 60’s anime, and as expected from a 60’s anime you’re going to get funky colors, strange futuristic vehicles, fly-away hair and ultra-cheesy acting.
These elements got carried over to the movie. Heck, even the annoying monkey.
Yeah, they even go so far as to recreate certain recurring scenes in the animeNot surprisingly, several movie critics didn’t like the movie. They were no doubt nauseated by the speed effects, they were put off by the neo-sixties theme of the film, they were annoyed with the anime-flavored acting – you’d be extremely stupid to expect deep, profound plot here – heck, the film even has cheesy sparkling hearts appear on screen in the appropriate moments.
Yes, the film having its horde of haters is to be expected, because the Speed Racer film is, undoubtedly, a faithful live-action recreation of what anime is. And when I say faithful, I do mean faithful. Character costumes, hairdo, the attempt to carry over the cartoony pastel colors in the anime (and it worked)…everything. It’s practically the anime itself, skinned with Real Life(tm).
I can go on and on, but he already did the honors (see fanboy review below), so I won’t. I’ll have to echo my beloved’s words though, when he said that the Speed Racer movie is practically a love letter to fans of the original anime and even sixties-era anime in general.
And like love letters addressed to specific persons, other people (who aren’t meant to read the letter) wouldn’t comprehend its contents.
My beloved and I managed to watch the Wachowski Brothers’ Speed Racer movie adaptation earlier this afternoon, and needless to say we got blown away enough to decide that YES, this movie deserves a review. A good one. I’m too brain-addled to write a coherent one, though, since I’m still foaming at the mouth after seeing all that orgasmic motion sickness-inducing racing scenes.
So I’m going to give the reviewer’s helm to this post’s guest author, mai husbando.
His words are in blue font.
This, my friends, is my Speed Racer face. More importantly, my Speed Racer movie face. Yes, that movie by the Wachowski brothers, that live-action full-feature film on celluloid recently unleashed on the world theatre. Through lots of cajoling, coaxing, bribing and even a few sexual favors here and there, I managed to convince my significant other to give it a shot. She’s not as much of a fan of the series as I am – she’s a bit more into Dragonball Z, and has been happily stewing in a cesspool of terror and dread about its the upcoming live action movie – but she finally relented, if not to just kill time before this year’s Pyro Olympics showing.
Of course, as awestruck as I was about the trailer, as well as the concept that the Wachowski Brothers spin on the series’ idea of racing – i.e. TOTALLY CRAZY CORKSCREW TWISTING ROLLER COASTER ON STEROIDS tracks – I went into the theatre expecting something really cringe-worthy and campy. After all, there’s a reason adaptations suck, and that’s because of the directors choosing to go all Hollywood on an IP’s ass. Explosions! Special effects! HOLY FUCKING CRAP A LOVE INTEREST! AMERICAN SAVE THE DAY! (see Hitman Codename 37 movie, Hulk, Forbidden FUCKING Kingdoms, Batman FUCKING Begins, THE FUCKING TRANSFORMERS).
I was pleasantly surprised.
No, strike that. My face was melted right off.
It was that awesome. From start to finish, Speed Racer is a blast. There’s the usual origin story here, but it’s done in a way that it’s kept in the middle of the action, rather than us looking our watches and waiting for the awesome to start. The racing bits, undoubtedly the most awesome parts of the movie, are very nicely spread throughout, so there’s definitely not going to be a part you just forward to if you get a copy of its DVD. It’s spread in a way that you feel that the entire movie is a treat in itself. Sure, the scenes that aren’t quite as exciting as the race bits may not really be your cup of tea – the dialogue is a just a tad on the kitschy side, with a bare amount of cheese to make everything have that anime-ish taste to it – but they do tie up the story pretty well, and is a nice change of pace from the heart-pounding, edge-of-your-seat racing scenes. The comic relief, which consists of a kid and a monkey, actually do pretty good.
The acting and dialogue, while playing second fiddle to the action bits themselves, is actually pretty solid. I mean, they’re certainly not acting out the most complex of human emotions, but they do the job in convincing the viewer that THIS guy is Speed Racer, Christina Ricci is the hot and massively fuckable Trixie, and John Goodman as the MOTHERFUCKING POPS. John Goodman is especially good in his role as the MOTHERFUCKING POPS, coming off as a great father figure not only to Rex but to Speed himself. He also fucks up a ninja – strike that, a NONja – all by himself.
The one thing I didn’t like is the main villain. Too talky. In fact, a large part of the middle of the movie is pretty much him just talking, as if he likes to hear himself jabber on. But since this is a Wachowski movie, it’s pretty much expected.
As for the racing scenes themselves – well, suffice to say you will NEVER see anything like it ever again. Just like what they say about No More Heroes for the Wii or Super Mario Galaxy, the scenes where Speed Racer is in a car and driving the very awesome Mach 5 (6 in the latter part) will repeatedly rape your face with awesome. I’m not going to spoil anything, because that would be criminal, but let’s just say that you get to see Speed Racer AND the Mach 5 in the way the anime portrayed him as. Yes, from the blue shirt to the red tie thing. I don’t fucking know what that’s called, but I’m going to wear one from now on.
If you’re a fan of Speed Racer, watch it. If you’re a fan of good movies, watch it. If you’ve ever felt that movie adaptations of ANYTHING is simply a cash-in on a popular IP and only an invitation to get your childhood raped, watch it. This is how a movie adaptation is supposed to be made. One made by actual fans of the goddamn IP, not something you cash on and THEN insert your own goddamn material into it (ARE YOU READING THIS, MICHAEL BAY, YOU FUCKING ASSHAT?) And no, it doesn’t have Shia fucking LeBouf in it, so you’ll be spared from his witty one-liners and cunty self.
Enjoy it – this is a love letter from someone rich enough and creative enough to do a cherished IP justice. Here’s hoping that Dragonball Z (e/n: it’s actually based on the original Dragonball and not Z, but who the fuck cares right? Will still suck either way) turns out the same way, for my wife’s sanity’s sake.
Spoken like a true fanboy. Not that I blame him. Just…just fuck awesome.
Dreaming of Dancing Burritos 