I HAZ PS3!! ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED!! XD

Get a PS3.

(Achievement unlocked: January 20, 2010) Yep, I finally own one!! So I’m a PSWii owner now.

I finally own a PS3. Yep, its legit this time. Last time, I just borrowed a PS3 from a good friend of mine. This time, its the real thing. It’s second hand (but still squeaky clean and looks really new), and I got it for a “steal” so to speak. /gg

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looks really classy and good, although I wish it was black though… I like the shiny black PS3. Oh well, atleast it will look good together with my Wii since they’re both light colored.

That’s one goal achieved this year. Onto the next one. XD

Sherlock Holmes Review – part 3 -

As for the film itself, it does a good job in pacing itself nicely without losing too much of the momentum or feeling disjointed. The plot twists are kept minimal at best, and the story itself is pretty much straight-forward, but a very engaging watch nonetheless.

I actually loved the parts where Sherlock engages himself in a fight. Before he actually perform each attack, the film shows just how and where he will actually strike his opponent. It would almost seem as if even in when fighting, Sherlock uses his deductive skills and logic in order to quickly and efficiently subdue his enemies. After the film has shown step by step how he will attack, the scene immediately goes back to the beginning where Holmes will actually perform the moves in a brisk pace that by the time he does it, you can see just how those moves will hurt.

Lastly, I’m also disappointed with the way the series upcoming “greatest villain” was revealed in the film. Let’s just say that Batman Begins did a better job than this film.

CONCLUSION

All in all, Sherlock Holmes starts the year right with a very engaging and entertaining film. Both Holmes & Watson were played wonderfully by Downey & Law. Mark Strong also does Lord Blackwood justice as the film’s main villain, while Rachel McAdams portrayal of Irene Adler is serviceable at best. Injecting just the right balance of action & mystery, Sherlock Holmes is a must-see movie specially for those new to the series.

Sherlock Holmes Review – part 2 -

The movie’s plot has a certain feel that’s similar to “Batman Begins”, where the story sets up the setting, the characters and uses an introduction villain (Ra's al Ghul) that serves to introduce what would be the series’ greatest villain (the Joker). However, this film’s introduction villain, is definitely no cheap push-over. Enter Lord Blackwood.

This English badass is Sherlock Holmes’ main enemy in the film. He leads a group of cultists who aims to create a new world order, using the dark arts and sorcery. This premise sets up an interesting setting of Science VS Magic. Where Sherlock uses the power of Logic, Science and Deductive Reasoning; his enemy uses the power of magic, the dark arts, and sorcery to do his bidding.

Played by Mark Strong, he simply owns the character. His portrayal of the character is smooth, dark and mysterious, that you can’t help but be seduced with his “black aura”. He’s the kind of villain that simply puts him in the same league as our hero, and not under him.

Sadly the same cannot be said of “The Woman” herself; Irene Adler. Portrayed by Rachel McAdams, she’s supposed to be “the woman” who captured the Sherlock’s interest and managed to outsmart him twice in the past. Take note of the word “SUPPOSED TO”… because in this film, she doesn’t even appear to be in the same league as Holmes. Far from it. She’s more or less a cut-out character made to be more of a prop in the background than a character. In fact, this picture nicely sums up what I feel about Rachel McAdams’ portrayal of Irene:

The whole film was simply dominated by Holmes and Watson’s greatness that Adler simply sits behind the back, instead of right beside them. She’s simply outclassed in almost every scene she’s in when Holmes & Watson are around. What’s also a missed opportunity, was developing Holmes & Adler’s relationship. There’s a part in the film where the director was gunning for the feeling of a bittersweet relationship of a love that’s not meant to be, but falls flat on execution. In fact, Eva Green (Vesper Lynd from Casino Royale) would have made a better Irene Adler than Rachel McAdams if only for her charisma and screen presence.

Sherlock Holmes Review – part 1 -

I’ll start off 2010, with my first movie review of the year. And I’m definitely glad of the movie I picked; Sherlock Holmes.

Directed by Guy Ritchie, the same guy who directed the awfully awkward and butchered remake of “Swept Away” starring his then-wife Madonna, you’d think that this film would be half as bad as that one. However, miraculously (or maybe because Madonna’s now out of the picture) Guy Ritchie actually makes this film work!

Starring Robert Downey Jr.(as the titluar protagonist, Sherlock Holmes) is very capable for the role. Now I’m no Sherlock Holmes expert, and I have very little knowledge of the character, but I must say his version of Holmes is very engaging and interesting, and wonderfully played as well. My only quirk is that his still carries some of his “aura” as Tony Stark (Iron Man), and I simply can’t seem to separate him from the character. I only hope that on the sequel, Tony, i mean Robert Downey Jr. should be able to craft a distinct “aura” for Holmes that will separate him from Tony Stark whenever he’s on the screen.

The most drastic and best part of this film, was Dr. Watson’s transformation from a bumbling idiot, into a capable ally worthy to be by Sherlock’s side.

Played by Jude Law, his version of Dr. Watson makes him at even odds with Sherlock Holmes, as his partner. It’s like he’s the brawns of the duo, saving Sherlock Holmes’ ass on more than one occasion. This move not only makes Dr. Watson more badass, but also serves as one of the more better moments in the movie, where he and Sherlock constantly engage in alot of bickering, ranting and just slapping each other silly at times. He and Robert certainly has a great deal of chemistry when they’re together and I love the dynamic between their friendship/partnership.

My “Bucket List” updates & my “04 – 09 Art Journal” – part 2 -

Also, to start the year right, I’ve decided to look as to how much progress I’ve made as an artist. I’ve come across the idea from a friend of mine at work. So from there, I decided to make an “Art Journal” just for me to simply see just how much I’ve improved over the years. And here’s My Art Journal.

I could say I was impressed with what I was able to pull off. In fact what impressed me the most was what other people noticed in my artwork over the years that I personally wasn’t even aware of. It was those little details that are worth it that made me proud of where I am now. And I plan to improve even more, specially now that I have a decent and stable job.

Finally, I’d like to introduce to you Col. SS Hans Landa from the movie “Inglorious Basterds” by Quentin Tarantino. According to Wikipedia, Col. Hans Landa is:

“…is a cruel, ruthless and diabolically intelligent Austro-German SD officer who is nicknamed "the Jew Hunter" in reference to his keen ability to locate Jews hiding throughout France… Landa has a somewhat sophisticated and narcissistic personality. He is a polyglot; very well versed in 4 languages and able to speak fluent English,French and Italian in addition to his native Austro-German…Landa can also be a charming yet salacious (passionate) detective. He displays a witty yet frequently sadistic sense of humour…”

This guys is part of the reason why I loved, Inglorious Basterds. And I definitely would want to be just like him (mostly on his good parts, and a little bit of the bad stuff as well, LOL!) that’s why I wanted to learn Spanish, French, Japanese coz of this guy! He simply is awesome to watch and I would want to one day be just like him.

Hopefully this year would be a great year for me in reaching my dreams…

My “Bucket List” updates & my “04 – 09 Art Journal” – part 1 -

Looks like my little idea caught my friend’s fancy and she also made one of her own: IceGlade's 2010 Checklist

Well as for my very own list, I’ll be updating it abit, and make it like a gamertag/PSN ID. That way I got me a pimped out achievements list of what I accomplished in life. Since they say that life is really just one huge videogame, so why not add achievements system as well like on consoles? XD I’m definitely gonna improve this idea further down the road. With this, I think I’ll just rename this as my “My Life Goals” or something. So here’s how it goes, if its green it means its accomplished, if its a red icon, it means its still not accomplished yet. Anyway here’s my list so far:

To have my own laptop.

(Achievement unlocked: April 14, 2009) I finally own one, its an ASUS 1000H netbook. It’s quite nice really and does the work I wanted it to do.

Screenprotector for my laptop.

I’ll be scouting for one soon. I’d hate to see my laptop’s LCD screen suddenly scratched.

Custom laptop skin.

Customize it’s look by buying a laptop skin. I think I’ll ask my friends to make me a custom decal for my lappie.

Giving my laptop a name.

(Achievement unlocked: January 13, 2010) I finally have a name for my laptop; I’ll just name it under my penname “DioBrando”. I think I’ll consider adding that to my laptop’s skin.

Have my own home

This may take awhile, but atleast I’m on my way to getting there, since now I have a regular job. I just need the money to pay off for it.

Get married with the girl that I love.

This may also take awhile, considering I want to get my own home first before even thinking about marriage.

Make atleast 5 games.

Of course I don’t just want 1 game under my name, but several. But I’ll definitely be creative in designing all of them.

Make my first Facebook game.

You gotta start with one. It doesn’t matter what kind game, as long as it’s on facebook.

Make a fighting game.

I have this concept for a fighting game that I’ve always wanted to do for the longest time. If given a chance, I’d love to develop it for a home console.

Make a RPG game.

I also plan on making an RPG game. I guess I’ll start off with just baby steps, until I get the concept for an RPG I’ve wanted on a decent 3D engine. Also, like my fighting game concept, I’d love to develop it for a home console.

Make a comicbook for Komikon.

I wanted to make a full pledged comicbook to be launched on Komikon.

Create 5 comicbooks/graphic novels.

And I just don’t want to make 1, but atleast 5 comicbooks/graphic novels.

See my works turned into a movie.

Of course, I would also want my works to be successful enough to be adapted into a movie. Being a movie buff that I am, I dream of seeing this one day.

Get myself that heat-transfer printer.

I wanted to also make my own t-shirt designs. Having shirts that have my own custom designs!! Coolness!!

Get a Wacom Tablet.

Inline with my goal in making comics/graphic novels, I need a Wacom tablet to help me in my work. I plan to get one this year.

Get an HDTV.

I wanted to own one because of the crisp clear pictures that will definitely be on this TV if I play games on it.

Get a PS3.

Ofcourse, I’d love to have a PS3 as well, but I definitely think I’ll own one this year. I think I’m almost close to owning one.

Get a desktop PC.

This would also be helpful in my work in making my graphic novel/comicbook.

Learn Spanish.

I want to be able to be fluent in different languages and one of them would be to be fluent in Spanish. Spanish is alot closer to my native tongue so I believe I’d have an easier time to learn this one than other languages.

Learn French.

I want to learn french is because I want to become like Col. SS. Landa (from the movie “Inglorious Basterds”) Besides french as they say is the language of love.

Learn Japanese.

I love anime, and I would love to watch anime in their native tongue, without reading subtitles. Nuff said.

To do bungee jumping.

Hey, I’m a thrill seeking, andrenalin-junkie. So I’d definitely want to do this atleast once in my lifetime…

Get a Transformer toy.

(Achievement unlocked: December 25, 2009) I finally own 2 transfomer toys; Bruticus (Decepticons) & Superion (Autobots). Superion was a gift to me by my GF last christmas, while I bought Bruticus using my money, since it was cheap (I got him for only P800).

Get a Voltron toy.

My ultimate dream ever since I was a kid. Growing up, I’ve always wanted to own a Voltron toy. I used to own one (the Jollibee kids meal version) but one of my nephews kid smashed it to bits when I wasn’t home one day. Lesson learned, get myself a safe cabinet to store and display my collection.

Get a digital camera.

I gave my Polaroid Digital cam to my youngest sister on her birthday, since she needs it more than I do, so I’m gonna buy a new one for myself.

Get a digital camcorder/videocam.

I want to be an amateur film director and atleast try to direct/make short films as a hobby and that’s why I want to invest on a modest videocam that will do just that.

Lose weight and gain some muscle.

I want to be in shape to be able to cosplay atleast, and fit in nicely with new clothes I buy. I’d love to look good for my GF.

Learn boxing/self-defense skills

If there’s anything I learned after being almost killed by a holdaper on my way home, is to atleast learn how to defend yourself when the situation calls for it. Thus I want to be able to learn atleast 1 self-defense skill.

 A bank account with atleast Php50K.

This is for me to be able to have a sort of trust fund or safety fund that I can depend on when there’s things that suddenly didn’t go as planned.

Get a credit card.

This is for me to be able to start up in building a decent credit record, as well as for me to be able to get more things I want to buy easier.

Get a car.

For me to be able to go places. I don’t mind what kind of a car I get, as long as it’s working, durable and reliable when I’m on the road.

Meet Satoru Iwata of Nintendo.

I’d love to sit down and chat with this guy. I want to atleast get to know in person the man behind the success story of Nintendo.

Meet Koji Igarashi of Konami.

Since I’m a Castlevania fan, it’s my dream to talk to this guy and atleast know what he’s upto. I would also share my thoughts on Castlevania and other stuff that I think he missed out on when he was still the director of the series.

Meet Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo.

All who aspire to be videogame designers are in the industry because of this guy. He’s the main reason why the videogame industry is big as it is today, because of his game; Super Mario Bros.

Meet Hideo Kojima of Konami.

As the creator of the Metal Gear series, I would love to sit down and chat with the man. And to atleast tell him how much I appreciate his work and how it affected me as well as a game designer.

Meet Manny Pacquiao.

I have very high regards with this man, and his passion for boxing, as well as his humbleness in admitting that without God, he won’t be where he is today.

Meet Berlin Manalaysay.

One of the reasons why I was inspired to make comics. I’m one of his avid fans back in the day when he was still releasing Combatron back in Funny Komiks. I grew up reading his work, and I would love to have the opportunity to thank him for giving me a hero to look up to when I was younger.

GameHopper’s exclusive Arcade Stick sneak-peek part 1

GameHopper has been around in the Metro for quite awhile, letting players rent games for consoles, being a sort of local-version of US’ own GameFly.  Now GameHopper sets to redefine themselves again by releasing their own line of console accessories for gamers.

I was lucky enough to get a sneak peek of what they’ve been cookin behind the scenes; an exclusive Arcade Stick that’s custom-tailored for hardcore fighting game players out there. The unit I got to try out was a prototype for the PS3, but I’m extremely impressed nonetheless.

Here are some shots of the arcade stick itself.

The arcade stick upclose. Very nice touch really.

And here it is in action, sitting on my friend’s lap.

And here’s a size comparison of the arcade stick with a 360 gamedisc box.