Cool Fan Art Site: Minion Factory

Alright then, let me see if I can remember how this works...

Wow..... two months in the blogosphere wilderness. It feels like being in limbo from movie Inception [2010]. Not only have I been absent from blogosphere, but I've also been neglecting watching movies and even more so TV shows - one of my prime passions in life. So as a way of reigniting the fire, I'll be posting about one the most stellar ways of expressing passion..... FAN ART.

Here we have the site, Minion Factory which is run Phil Postma, and I have to say his work is one the best I've seen. Possibly even THE best. Here is just an example of what's in store when you visit the site. Running with the theme of fandom, I've included his work that combined more than one piece of geekdom... enjoy!!

Getting Excited For 2013

So if the Mayans are to be believed, the world will come to and end this Friday. First thing when I wake on Saturday morning is to tweet "I'm still alive you Mayan suckers!!". Personally I'll be pissed if they got their prediction right as I didn't get to see Django Unchained [2012] (I'm already annoyed it's release date over here is the end of January. Early word around the Internet is it is awesome... this is Tarantino we're talking about if you need reminding). Plus that hoverboard from Back To The Future 2 [1989] which I've been saving my money on since a young age still hasn't been invented. Actually recent events in my life have made me realize the list doesn't stop there. There's still a galaxy of things to do. Here's looking forward to 2013.....

# Personal Life

Wow, its the 19th already and I've only had one post for December? Actually this is because a recent transformation I've made in my personal life has occupied a majority of my time. I've been actively trying to reignite the adventurous spirit of my youth. That spark slowly disappeared a few years ago when I entered the work-force, which meant long hours stuck behind a computer battling the constant threat of cyber-hackers (a career I'm not passionate about... it does impress people though, particularly chicks, especially when they hear my speech of: "I am the country's protector. I secure information. Information is knowledge, and knowledge is power! It is often said modern-era war is not an attack on a country's land or infrastructure but on it's information system. Bla, Bla, Bla". I also get a huge kick when I threaten to hack the email of the person who annoys me.... yeah right, like I'm anywhere that good). It was all work and no play. The only thing that increased was my waistline and weight. It didn't help that my friends lost this spirit even quicker than I did. It's like that quote from The Breakfast Club [1985]: "When you grow up, your heart dies".

So two and a half months ago I started working out again and managed to lose 14kg (30.8 pounds). I feel reinvigorated and like my competitive-soccer playing youth days. I want to do so many things now. The following might sound like a mid-life crisis, but although I'm still way too young for that (wonder if this is a very late coming-of-age instead of early mid-life crisis), I don't want to wait until I'm 40 or 50 to start crossing things off my bucket-list. The change starts now! My mind right now is conjuring-up the image of Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society [1989] saying "Carpe Diem!". Oh, 2013 can't come sooner enough!

Things to do: despite my general fear of heights, I've always wanted to go bungee jumping. I'll be doing that in two weeks time. I want to go sky-diving for real now and not just simulation. Run a marathon, my first in exactly 10 years. I want to do more traveling, there's so many countries to visit (places where iconic scenes from movies were filmed would be a bonus... hey, I forgot about comic-con!). Heck, I haven't even finished exploring my own country. I want to go swimming with the sharks (anyone have any suggestions for a real cool location?). I want to go watch Man Utd play at Old Trafford (how the hell has this not yet happened? It could be my life's biggest regret). Learn new languages. Finally play the guitar. The list is endless. Oh, yeah... change careers too.

The reason for this renewed vigor and inspiration? Like all cliche good stories its a girl. It always is. Hey, if John Lennon fell in the same trap, I'm in good company. Gosh, this post so far has been so cheesy. Isn't this supposed to be a movie blog? So on a more related note....

# 3 Best Movie Trailers For 2013

 I'm fully aware that good trailers doesn't necessarily translate into entertaining movies (see Snow White And The Huntsman [2012] ), but I can't help but get pumped-up to watch these films based on the following 3 trailers:

Iron Man 3. Out May 3rd. I just know Shane Black will deliver.



Evil Dead. Out April 12th. Never a fan of remaking a classic, but this trailer is just so bad-ass!



Man Of Steel. Out June 14th. I picked the teaser trailer (preferred Russel Crowe's voice over Kevin Costner's) here instead of the full version... well, just because I liked it better.



# TV Shows

I really don't get to watch TV show regularly nowadays, but I'm just glad Suits will be returning in January! I'll make time for that. Plus, can't wait to see what happens on The Walking Dead once it returns.

# Looking Back At 2012

Here's compilation videos for the films of 2012. I always enjoy these. The first is Filmography 2012 from my regular favourite Gen I. The second is Cinemageddon 2012 by Christopher Sherwood.





# Blogging

With all these activities I've got in plan, I'm not sure how often I'll be able to blog. Its a shame too because I enjoy blogging and am currently getting around 1,000 to 2,000 daily views. I think that is decent for a blog which doesn't update regularly (3 times in a week... which doesn't happen much... is my current record) and only 16 months old. I'm going to think positively here and hopefully, if I'm having a blast in my personal life, I'll have plenty more inspiration to blog.

Anyways, that's it. Have a happy holidays people!

Review: The Hobbit - An Unexpected Journey [2012]

Background:

Release Date: 13 December 2012 (Malaysia), 14 December 2012 (USA)

Directed By: Peter Jackson

Written By: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens, Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro, JRR Tolkien

Starring: Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, Andy Serkis, Manu Bennet

Duration: 169 minutes

In A Nutshell:

Bilbo Baggins (played by Martin Freeman) is recruited, rather unwillingly at first, by Gandalf The Grey (played by Ian McKellen) to join a quest of reclaiming the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor. What was once a glorious dynasty, it has been conquered long ago by an unstoppable dragon called Smaug. Joining the two on the quest are 13 dwarfs led by the heir to Erebor's throne, Thorin son of Thrain (played by Richard Armitage).

Thumbs Up:

+ Characters and references to future events from The Lord Of The Rings (LOTR) trilogy. Serves as a nice expansion of the universe

+ Battle between stone-giants

+ The elves' dietary choices. Of course they are vegetarians (or at least seem to be)

+ The familiar score from Howard Shore

Thumbs Down:

- Horrifically slow pacing, and clocking-in at 169 minutes makes it extremely tedious

- Seems to lack a bit of focus. Lot's of stories seem to be going on, but nothing really exciting really happens. Some scenes aren't necessary.

- Talking trolls. I don't care if this is how it is in the book, it just seems off to me. Trolls are supposed to be beasts. These not only speak, but they don't even have monstrous voices (even the Uruk-Hais from LOTR had meaner voices).

- Lacking the overall grandiose feeling that an epic needs

The Verdict Is In:
Chronologically, both in terms of the story being told and the date the book was published, The Hobbit proceeds that other Tolkien novel, The Lord Of The Rings. But now I know why the latter was made into a movie first... it has a much, much superior and fascinating story to be told. Granted that this film is still only the first part of a trilogy, so far it just doesn't have that same level of excitement or emotional engagement. We just haven't yet felt that wondrous and exhilarating feeling that we got from our previous journey through Middle-Earth. Niether do we share that emotional burden that Frodo had to endure. As much as I enjoyed the expanded view of this mystical universe, the most excitement I had was whenever a familiar character (Galadriel is as enchanting as ever here... are we sure Cate Blanchett isn't a real elf in disguise?) or background story to the LOTR trilogy was made (finally we know why Gimli hates Elves).

As much as I enjoyed Gandalf revealing the story of the 5 wizards that exists on Middle-Earth (apparently there are a few more color-types for wizards other than grey and white... I feel enlighten) and then actually getting to meet Radagast The Brown himself, I felt that those scenes were among the many that should have been left for the Blu-Ray extras as to prevent this film from feeling overtly bloated and long. Oh yeah, right now I'm not feeling encouraged to know they'll be another two films after this. The pacing was incredibly slow and by the time an exciting action sequence took place, it was hard for me to shift from my (mildly-) bored emotional state. Of course, maybe this is because I'm a geek who bewilderingly enjoyed the LOTR trilogy. Would anyone new to this franchise enjoy this movie? My guess is, if they did, it won't be by much. For those craving for an epic adventure, this resembles more of exploring a local park than a journey through mythical and uncharted territories.
Rating:
6 out of 10

Express Reviews: Life Of Pi, Wreck-It Ralph, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

This past week has been fabulous to me in terms of movie-watching. I got to see three fantastic films and no, none of them involved sparkling vampires against shirtless werewolves. It reminded me that although films come to my shores late during this period, the final quarter of the year always provides plenty of good movies. All three films are excellent and deserve their stand-alone reviews, but since I am lazy and busy, a combined post will have to suffice. As each credit rolled, I got that satisfying feeling of "this is why I love movies (especially at the cinema)". Definitely films that I'll be watching again plenty of times in the future (I might watch the first two below again in the VERY near future).

# Life Of Pi [2012]

Directed By: Ang Lee

Written By: David Magee, Yan Martel

Starring: Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Adil Hussain, Tabu, Ayush Tandon, Rafe Spall

The Story: Pi Patel (played by Irrfan Khan) tells the story to a writer (played by Rafe Spall) about his younger-self (played by Suraj Sharma) that survived a horrific storm and cast out at sea with a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

The Verdict: Eat-your-heart-out Avatar [2009], this easily is the most visually mesmerizing film to date. The CGI animals look 100% authentic and everything just looks stunningly beautiful. Stories about people in isolation are always entertaining and Pi's adventure of being surrounded by nothing but sea along with Richard Parker is extremely captivating. Eat-your-heart-out (multiple by 5) Waterworld [1995]. 

p/s: It seems that Irrfan Khan has been made Hollywood's go-to-guy for Indian roles. It's almost like he's in everything!

Rating: 9 out of 10

# Wreck-It Ralph [2012]

Directed By: Rich Moore

Written By: Phil Johnston, Jennifer Lee, Rich Moore, Jim Reardon

Voiced By: John C. Riley, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk

The Story: Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by John C. Riley) is the bad-guy character in an arcade game which is named after the good guy character, Fix-It Felix Jr. (voiced by Jack McBrayer). Ralph is unhappy and stressed about his mundane life and being under-appreciated. He hijacks a different arcade game, Hero's Duty in an attempt to win a medal and change his life. A series of events leads him to a kart-racing game called Sugar Rush where he meets Venellope (voiced by Sarah Silverman).

The Verdict: Even in a year where animated films has been very entertaining, Wreck-It Ralph emerges high above the rest. I always have my ego to maintain when watching movies and never let my friends see my eyes get misty, but man, it was hard holding them back on this one. Dare I say it, other than The Iron Giant [1999], this is the only non-Pixar animation with a high Pixar feel to it. Heck its even far better than the actual Pixar film released the year, Brave [2012], and I fully enjoyed that too. The ending had a couple of twists that made the story even more dazzling and is one of the many differences to other animations such as The Rise Of The Guardians [2012].

p/s: (1) Hey, I actually played some of the games before, like Tapper via 5" floppy-disk (my younger brother was amazed to hear games were played using that.. he' s never even seen a FD that size). (2) The animated short shown before the film, Paperman [2012] is super-cute and definitely worth coming early to check out.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

# The Perks Of Being A Wallflower [2012]

Directed By: Stephen Chobosky

Written By: Stephen Chobosky

Starring: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Mae Whitman, Nina Dobrev

The Story: A coming-of-age film that focuses on Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) who is an introvert and is been taken under the wing of two seniors, Patrick (played by Ezra Miller) and Sam (played by Emma Watson).

The Verdict: My teenage years in high school was nothing like that of Charlie's, yet the film still managed to be emotionally resonating to me in very high dosages. In lots of ways it left me with the same emotional feeling I had when I first watched Almost Famous [2000]. And in my books, that is very high praise.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Review: Rise Of The Guardians [2012]

Background:

 Release Date: 22 November 2012 (Malaysia), 21 November 2012 (USA)
Directed By: Peter Ramsey

Written By: David Lindsay-Abaire, William Joyce

Voiced By: Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher, Hugh Jackman, Dakota Goyo
Duration: 97 minutes
 In A Nutshell:

For thousands and thousands of years, all the hopes, beliefs, and imagination of the kids from around the world were depended and protected by a group of guardians consisting of: Santa Claus/North (voiced by Alec Baldwin), The Tooth-Fairy (voiced by Isla Fisher), The Sandman, and The Easter Bunny (voiced by Hugh Jackman). When an old enemy in The Boogeyman/Pitch Black returns to bring nightmares and fear to the world, the fates of The Guardians are in jeopardy as children has stopped believing in their (Guardians) existence. The Guardians need to recruit a fifth member to stand a fighting chance. Enter Jack Frost (voiced by Chris Pine).

Thumbs Up:
+ Stunning visuals... I might as well stop listing this for animation, we pretty much expect this already now
+ Initial premise and ensemble of characters is interesting
+ Thrilling action sequence
Thumbs Down:
- The final showdown seems like a cop-out
- In the end, the story went all-to-predictable

 

The Verdict Is In:

Question time: Has there been an animated feature in the past few years where its visuals has been anything short of stunning? I keep going to see them and thinking "this looks beautiful" and now realizing it has become standard issue for animation. Heck even Tim Burton films, which I always feel looks like animation, is visually gorgeous every time out. Something still not quite so common nowadays is the good use of 3D (Toy Story 3's version didn't look too different from its 2D version). Despite seeing the normal format, I have a feeling this film would look absolutely outstanding in 3D as the action sequences are genuinely thrilling and would make good use of the technology.

Moving on, the initial concept and premise of the story alone was interesting enough to get me hooked. What can I say? Ensemble characters always gets me excited (The Avengers [2012] or The Expendables 2 [2012] anyone?) even though this one is based on children's stories. However the longer the film went, the more the sense of predictability sunk in. A few scenes near the end seem like cop-outs to me... the ease of how they overturned adversity (Spoiler Alert: Examples: Frost repairing his staff, showdown with Boogeyman, resurrection of character). It was still overall enjoyable though!

In fact, 2012 has seen a lot of entertaining animated films, and this one is no different. However I do not believe Rise Of The Guardians [2012] will be a memorable one. But then again this might just be The Boogeyman trying to influence me.... score one to the bad guy then!
Rating:

7 out of 10

Parody/Short: Gotham High & Old School Vs New School

Man, I don't remember the last time I've posted on a weekend. It must have been ages ago. But like it really matters because I'm not actually writing anything but just sharing two cool videos I've discovered. Here they are, enjoy!

#Parody: Gotham High

Now, this one is very clever indeed. A trailer made in the high-school comedy format for characters from the Batman films. It even has the smaller and less known roles like Gotham News reporter, Mike Engel (which was played Anthony Michael Hall) and Mayor, Anthony Garcia from The Dark Knight [2008]. The catch to this video is that it uses footage from the real actor's previous films, mainly 10 Things I Hate About You [1999], which is a movie I seriously need to see again. It is told from the perspective of Larisa Oleynik (what ever happened to her?) and try to guess what character she plays in this Batman universe. Some footage like Heath Ledger's Joker and Anne Hathaway's Selina Kyle fits perfectly. The editing and voice-over is top-notch and I almost wish this trailer was true. I guess, with Disney owning Marvel something similar could really happen in the future (I know Batman isn't Marvel...). Made by Movie Trailers.

#Short Film: Old School Vs New School

Made by freddiew, this short film tells the story of the world being invaded by old-school style video game characters. It is left to the new-school video game characters to protect us. Despite being surrounded by hardcore video-gamers in my life, I've never been one myself, so I don't recognize some of the video games in the clip. Still enjoyed it though. Makes me even more anticipated for Wreck-It Ralph [2012] that finally opens in my country in a couple weeks time.

List: 15 Favourite LOTR Characters

The year was 2001 and the Internet was still very much in its infancy. The fact that I don't live in a super-developed nation also meant that technology was a few years behind. Most internet users in Malaysia (where I call home) at that time used dial-up connection. Ah, those were the days. Unlike people these days who can view HD Youtube videos on their mobile phones, this was the time when even viewing a single crappy-resolution photo of an hot actress like Winona Ryder or Alyssa Milano took around 5 minutes to load.

Usually around the 4th minute, your mom or someone would pick-up the phone to call someone and your internet would be disconnected and you had to start all over again. Basically I meant to say that when I was curious about something, I didn't really rush to search about it on the internet like nowadays. In fact, I don't think Google was widely used yet (those who experienced search engines before Google would understand). Yup, it took me a very long paragraph to reach my point, and only half of it too, but bear with me still please ;P .

The FINAL part of my point is (finally!), that those were the days that I would frequently go into the cinema knowing nothing about the movie I was about to see. Add to the fact that I was culturally-ignorant enough not to be aware of the existence of any Tolkien novel, so The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Rings [2001] was a real unknown quantity to me. I though it would be some generic fantasy like... random pick here... The NeverEnding Story [1984] that me and a bunch of friends could enjoy. A month later and we've already seen it for a third time. Seriously! We weren't geeks for nothing. Same story for the other two installments, LOTR: The Two Towers [2002] and LOTR: The Return Of The King [2003] too.

So as the first of the prequel trilogy to the LOTR fanchise, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey [2012] comes out in a few weeks time, here are my 15(-ish) favourite LOTR characters.

******* MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD *******

#15 "Gandalf's Greatest Fear" ~ Balrog Of Morgoth

Played By: n/a
Movies: Fellowship Of The Ring [2001], The Two Towers [2002]

It takes a lot to put the fear of life into someone like Gandalf, and this demonic creature manages to achieve that. That scene at the Bridge Of Khazad-dum  (along with the haunting score) in The Fellowship Of The Ring [2001] is vividly distinguished in my memory.

Selected Quote: Gandalf (to Balrog): "YOU... SHALL NOT... PASS!!!"

#14 "Wiseman Of The Forest" ~ Treebeard

Voiced by: John Rhys-Davies
Movies: The Two Towers [2002], The Return Of The King [2003]

This guy led the battle at Isengard and won. He deserves to be on the list just for that alone.

Selected Quote: "There is no curse in Elvish, Entish, or the tongues of men for this treachery"

#13 "His Grammar Is Worse Than Yoda's" ~ Gollum/Smeagol

Played By: Andy Serkis
Movies: Complete Trilogy

I know this obsessive little creature can be annoying to watch, but no LOTR list would be complete without him. Also, this role paved the way for Andy Serkis to now become Hollywood's motion-capture go-to-guy.

Selected Quote: "My preciouusssss...."

#12 "The Ring-Bearer With Enormous Burden" ~ Frodo Baggins

Played by: Elijah Wood
Movies: Complete Trilogy

Like I mentioned in my overtly-long intro, I didn't know much about the movie beforehand, but I knew I was interested the moment I saw the scene where Frodo and his friends first met (and hid) from the Nazghul. I knew I was in love in the movie when I saw how much burden exuded from Frodo's face and the tense scene when he was carried by Arwen to be chased by all nine Nazghuls.

Selected Quote: "No, Sam. I can't recall the taste of food... nor the sound of water or touch of grass..."

#11 "The White Wizard Of Isengard" ~ Saruman

Played By: Christopher Lee
Movies: Complete Trilogy

Quite simply, I find any wizard in a movie with long hair and beard, to look cool. Especially if he is evil and played brilliantly by Christopher Lee.

Selected Quote: "Against the power of Mordor, there can be no victory"

#10 "Halfling Bromance" ~ Merry & Pippin

Played By: Dominic Monaghan & Billy Boyd
Movies: Complete Trilogy

I know technically they are two separate characters, but I just cannot view them other than a pairing. Pippin is much more of a troublemaker between the duo though.

Selected Quote: Pippin: "But we'll see each other soon. Won't we?" Merry: "I don't know. I don't know what is going to happen"

#9 "Mean, Ugly, And Deadly" ~ Uruk-Hai Leader

Played By: n/a
Movie: The Fellowship Of The Rings [2001]

This is the guy who kills Boromir and nearly takes Aragorn's life too. Suffers an awesome death! If I had watched the movie as a kid, there would be no doubt this guy would be in my Childhood Nightmares List. I also recognize the fact that in most of the fight scenes we can barely recognize this character... because the Uruk-Hai all look the same. Now, that isn't a racial statement because, (a) Uruk-Hai aren't a real race (b) you can barely recognize the Autobots from the Decepticons in fight scenes of the Transformers movies (or most of the Ewoks in Return Of The Jedi [1983] too) and no one says that's racist.....

Selected Quote: n/a

#8 "Soft Yet Lethal" ~ Eowyn

Played By: Miranda Otto
Movies: The Two Towers [2002], The Return Of The King [2003]

Like most female members of Royal Families in the movies, Eowyn is soft and feminine yet tough when needed. She is actually the one who kills the Nazghul Witch-King. How uber-cool is that? Her feelings towards Aragorn are one-way. Thankfully, Arwen (whom Aragorn does fancy) is heavenly beautiful, otherwise we would think Aragorn suffered one too many blows to the head to have rejected Eowyn.

Selected Quote: "The women of this country learned long ago, those without swords can still die upon them. I fear neither death nor pain"

#7 "The Enchanting Elvish Witch" ~ Galadriel

Played By: Cate Blanchett
Movies: Complete Trilogy

"I amar prestar aen. Han methon ne nen. Han methon ne chae.  A han noston ned 'wilith" <---- Yup, I'm hypnotised too!

Selected Quote: ****see Elvish quote above****

#6 "Laser-Sharp Precision" ~ Legolas

Played By: Orlando Bloom
Movies: Complete Trilogy

I would have said that Legolas has an eye of an eagle, but that would be a huge understatement. Orlando Bloom is one of the few that went into the franchise as a relative unknown, and has had a successful career after it.

Selected Quote: "It is not the eastern shore that worries me. A shadow and a threat has been growing in my mind. Something draws near, I can feel it"

#5 "Leader Of The Nazgul" ~ The Nazgul Witch-King

Edited form image taken here

Voiced By: Lawrence Makoare
Movies: Complete Trilogy

The entire Nazgul sends chills down my spine. Just like the Uruk-Hai at #9, you can't really tell them apart, but basically this is the one that fights Eowyn in The Return Of The King [2003].

Selected Quote: "Feast on his flesh!"

#4 "The Most Loyal Of Companions" ~ Samwise Gamgi

Played By: Sean Astin
Movies: Complete Trilogy

Watch the trilogy back and you'll see that Sam, not Frodo, is the true hero of the story. I basically identify Sean Astin only from this franchise and also from The Goonies [1985]. Both his characters are stubbornly-determined, loyal friends, and lead an adventure.

Selected Quote: "I don't think they'll be a return journey Mr. Frodo"

#3 "Dwarfs Are Middle Earth's Greatest Creatures" ~ Gimli

Played By: John Rhys-Davies
Movies: Complete Trilogy

If you listen to him talk, you'd be forgiven to think that dwarfs are Gods and he is their king. But his ego and boasting along with his banter with Legolas are completely hilarious!

Selected Quote: "Its true you don't see many dwarf women. And in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance, that they are often mistaken for dwarf men"

#2 "All Hail The King!" ~Arragon

Played By: Viggo Mortensen
Movies: Complete Trilogy

You just knew Aragorn was made to be a leader of men. And Viggo Mortensen whom initially wasn't cast for the role, was just made to play the King of Gondor.

Selected Quote: "I do not fear death!"

#1 "Eat Your Heart Out Dumbledore!" ~ Gandalf The Grey/White

Played By: Ian McKellen
Movies: Complete Trilogy

Not only is Gandalf the best character, he has the best lines too. How can you not love a wise character who arrives precisely when he means to, gets upgraded from grey to white, sleeps with his eyes open, and says cool things like: "Run Shadowfax! Show us the meaning of haste!"

Selected Quote: "Look to my coming on the first light on the fifth day, at dawn look to the east" <--- we should have trusted him when he said that a wizard is never late or early.