About Me
I just watched this film and I just have to make a review.
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
A key phrase of what this review is all about. This film had the same problem with Transformers 2, it was filled with action almost nonstop. I hate those sort of plots because it's not intelligent; almost undermining the audience that only senseless violence would interest them. No, this visually breathtaking film wasn't filled with bloody violence. It's Tintin, of course it wasn't! It's kid friendly. What bothered me was the action that happens almost every 5 minutes! At a moment, they're escaping from being held hostage on a ship and then they're flying under thunderous clouds after the next 5 to 6 minutes.
Now, I was deeply impressed with the animation. Using motion capture technology, the animation of this film was just breathtaking! I kept saying "wow" while watching it. The settings were so impressive and the texture, like the sea, was just so real! I love the fact that they literally realize the styles of the original comic by giving them realistic skin textures. It was almost seeing cartoons being brought to life! But be that as it may, they over did it. Yes, the visuals were terrific but that doesn't mean the story should be ignored. Even with motion capture, somehow, not much emotions were shown by the characters. Character developments were executed poorly and I hated Haddock. The jokes were also, most at the time, forced; silly and quick slapstick is not funny. It almost felt like they were just showing off with the visual effects; having unnecessary buildings falling apart and exploding ships.
After reading a few reviews and comprehending the idea that this film was generally accepted, I had some second thoughts about The Adventures of Tintin. But then again, most of the reasons why most like it was because of the director's trademark style. Stephen Spielberg's Indiana Jones is one of his most beloved films and that film's style could been seen in Tintin. It was a breath of fresh air to that treasure seeking adventure story. I did not grew up watching Indiana Jones but should I condemn it? I don't think so. But should I be hypocritical just to agree with the majority? No. So, judging this film based on what I saw, know and like, it needs more work with the script. Tintin is a reporter who's hungry for amazing stories and I want to see more of that. I want to see that concept to be emphasized more. The comic was also popular for it's variety of genres. So, I don't want to see another treasure hunting plot for the sequel. Try fantasy or conspiracies...anything besides treasure hunting.
The guidelines:
1/5: Pathetic/ Wasting time/ Disrespectful or any other insults you could think of :)
2/5: Boring/ Cliche'.3/5: A good film to past the time/ Could of been better.
4/5: An awesome and inspiring movie.
5/5: Ever green/ An instant classic/ Inspiring/ Epic/ Genius.
The addition of 0.5 is somewhat an extra to films that I think that could go to the next level of the ratings. Did that made any sense? :/
In conclusion, this film fails to explain to me exactly what Tintin is all about. I didn't grew up watching Tintin either. It's just stressful to see this visually impressive film to be ruined by it's poor story. The actions were just too much. But I'm glad to know that it was generally well received though. The efforts for the animation should be applaud.
So, I give this movie a 2.5/5. The extra 0.5 is due the amazing animation.
It's an honor to start this year's movie reviews with a local film; especially with this one.
While Merong Mahawangsa and Cicakman are good films because they're a leap forward for Malaysian films in terms of special effects, this one is in terms of writing.
Yes, it is the awesome series adapted film, Juvana!
First of, I would like to highlight that I'm a fan of Crime Dramas and it will have a huge effect in this review. Crime films, the good ones, highlights the hardships of criminals. It doesn't highlights the explosive actions. I'm not fond of those straight forward action flicks.
I would like compare this film with another local Crime film that has been a sensation in this country, which is KL Gangsters, in order to emphasize my point. I hate KL Gangsters. The actions didn't impress me nor did the script. I don't think criminals from the bad side of neighborhood would have any knowledge of martial arts, specifically Muay Thai. At least, not all of them! The dialogue--oh my god, the dialogue! It was just so bad and disgusting! "Lu jangan kencing sama wa!" (You don't pee on me) Seriously?! I understand that it was a portrayal of what Malaysians gangsters really sound like but with all honesty, put some vocabulary and intelligence in it for god's sake. Crime Dramas often highlight smart men with greed or just bad history not idiots with money! (You can see now how much the genre effects the review) Lastly, it is very stereotypical. The 'gangsters' are smoking almost all the freaking time!
So, with that being said. I would gladly state that Juvana is nothing like that. It is a pleasure to finally watch a good local film in a long while. It avoids the painful habit of local writers playing it safe by writing cliche' plots. This film had it's own ambition of selling itself for the sake of the story and not money. Even films like Merong and Cicakman still dare not to try something new and bold with the script; as if the phrase "We're playing it safe with the script" is pasted on the freaking poster.
For the acting, I can't complain anything. They did a splendid job. It's funny how Sharnaaz is praised for his performance as Lan Todak; the antagonist of the story. Don't get me wrong, he did a good job but, to me, the character was too forced. This is not something you'd point your finger to the actors. No, this is the writer's responsibility. Again, good Crime Drama films center real men with real problem; having a psychopath with not much decent background story ruins the realism in the genre. Lan Todak, although gruesome, doesn't fit much if you're trying to make a good crime drama. But hey, this genre isn't exactly a huge hit with the general audience and I understand if they're trying to reach to everyone as an audience. And personally, I am not digging Adlin Aman Ramlie being ignored for his performance! Dude, I was excited when I heard he was in this flick! He's a good actor and plus, I just knew he'd be perfect for this role. Him being the disciplinary guy (I don't know the name of the occupation) was just bad ass. With his face, I just knew he's going to be a huge pain for shouting at the juvenile delinquents. But instead he was a tough lover; teaches the delinquents with some hard labor which was still good.
Another aspect of the film I'd like to highlight is the action. Sometimes, it's not the choreographed action but a simple trigger that could make a memorable scene. That's one of the best traits of Crime Dramas. In this film, it is choreographed in a way that's not much of a martial arts flick. It still relied on typical fight scenes. It didn't did it's best to make that one awesome and shocking murder scene. It did had one scene but it wasn't strong enough.
Alhamdulillah, I finally get to see this film. It's hard to convince my pals to watch this. I ended up watching The Last Stand and Hansel and Gretel which aren't very good. Juvana may not be as good as Bunohan (A film that is really good) but it's definitely a good start for 2013's local film scene. Before I give my rating, here's the guidelines with the numbers:
1/5: Pathetic/ Wasting time/ Disrespectful or any other insults you could think of :)
2/5: Boring/ Cliche'.3/5: A good film to past the time/ Could of been better.
4/5: An awesome and inspiring movie.
5/5: Ever green/ An instant classic/ Inspiring/ Epic/ Genius.
The addition of 0.5 is somewhat an extra to films that I think that could go to the next level of the ratings. Did that made any sense? :/
So, this film earns a 3/5 for a good film; a local film that actually has that theater worthy vibe for it's ambitious story.
Salam and have a nice day everybody!
I'm on my semester break! So, this means more time for this blog! I'll have more time for more personal artworks too and while I get that started, here are the artworks from my second semester!
And I'll start with a work I did for my Computer graphics class. This was the second task, an exercise that required the students to create an add by using Photoshop. I skipped the first task because it was boring; cropping and pasting 2 to 3 given pictures together. At the time, I was obsessed with Assassin's Creed III and so I decided to create an add for the Animus. It was inspired by their Multiplayer add that was seemingly released by Abstergo (Which was very creative to me). The picture looks pixelated because I didn't set the size right.
I'm not going to show every artwork I did for this subject instead just the ones that I like. This next one is an important one as it's one of two assignments that would gave us a lot of marks.
The task required a calendar of a month. We could pick any month of any year and I chose this year's January because my birthday is on January. Admittedly, this was a last minute work but in a way, it also wasn't. Around the first two months of the semester, I always wanted to make a miniature effect with Photoshop but I kept forgetting and I was busy with assignments. This task was given as the final assignment of the subject by the way and seeing that I have this extra picture, I figured why shouldn't I just make a miniature effect? It was 2 nights away from submission and with the curiosity of making a miniature effect in mind, the above calendar was made.
I often love watching movie posters that are cool and creative. A few of last year's movie posters that I love was, of course, The Dark Knight Rises and the surprisingly good Looper. The Avengers was just too common for me. But it wasn't until I found Kupy Wrestling Wallpapers.Com that interest me to make one. The site offers loads of awesome wrestling wallpapers made by fans. The designs weren't only good but also a major boost of popularity for WWE. What better and cheaper way of hyping this year's Wrestlemania by releasing fan made posters? ( I'm really excited right now by the way, The Road to Wrestlemania has just begun!) So, this next one is not exactly a poster but, still, it involves photo manipulation which is what you need to make a poster.
This was the second last assignment for this subject. I needed to use only original photos--well, sort of. The administration of the subject wasn't really sorted well. At first it was only original photos then it was original photos for 80 to 90 percent; it goes on and on. Not to mention the constant hardware malfunctions; wasting half and hour of my time. Thank god, this subject was awesome because of the very fun assignments.
In my old post, it was more about my feeling's shift from bad to good regarding my new experiences as a design student ( The First Serious Step ). Now, I have to say that I have a better appreciation for friends. That appreciation isn't reflected in any of my works. It's just that I faced a few of friendship problems; from being ignore by those whom I dear most to being helped by newly made friends. This include helps from friends for my assignments. So, I guess I have to write it down here and thank them in this post.
And I'll start with a work I did for my Computer graphics class. This was the second task, an exercise that required the students to create an add by using Photoshop. I skipped the first task because it was boring; cropping and pasting 2 to 3 given pictures together. At the time, I was obsessed with Assassin's Creed III and so I decided to create an add for the Animus. It was inspired by their Multiplayer add that was seemingly released by Abstergo (Which was very creative to me). The picture looks pixelated because I didn't set the size right.
I'm not going to show every artwork I did for this subject instead just the ones that I like. This next one is an important one as it's one of two assignments that would gave us a lot of marks.
The task required a calendar of a month. We could pick any month of any year and I chose this year's January because my birthday is on January. Admittedly, this was a last minute work but in a way, it also wasn't. Around the first two months of the semester, I always wanted to make a miniature effect with Photoshop but I kept forgetting and I was busy with assignments. This task was given as the final assignment of the subject by the way and seeing that I have this extra picture, I figured why shouldn't I just make a miniature effect? It was 2 nights away from submission and with the curiosity of making a miniature effect in mind, the above calendar was made.
I often love watching movie posters that are cool and creative. A few of last year's movie posters that I love was, of course, The Dark Knight Rises and the surprisingly good Looper. The Avengers was just too common for me. But it wasn't until I found Kupy Wrestling Wallpapers.Com that interest me to make one. The site offers loads of awesome wrestling wallpapers made by fans. The designs weren't only good but also a major boost of popularity for WWE. What better and cheaper way of hyping this year's Wrestlemania by releasing fan made posters? ( I'm really excited right now by the way, The Road to Wrestlemania has just begun!) So, this next one is not exactly a poster but, still, it involves photo manipulation which is what you need to make a poster.
This was the second last assignment for this subject. I needed to use only original photos--well, sort of. The administration of the subject wasn't really sorted well. At first it was only original photos then it was original photos for 80 to 90 percent; it goes on and on. Not to mention the constant hardware malfunctions; wasting half and hour of my time. Thank god, this subject was awesome because of the very fun assignments.
This was certainly my favorite from the subject. Of course, I still have a lot to learn when it comes to photo manipulation.
Next is photography.
No matter how hard I try to calm myself, this subject still pressures me like crazy. The 'creativity' is so demanding. Sure, it is creativity that is emphasized on and on with this subject but after awhile, I realize that it's taste. It's confusing and frustrating to hear a praise last week and a dissatisfaction today with the same picture. I prefer to tell my stories through moving pictures and although I respect the ideology of photography, I still respectfully prefer moving pictures--or at least with some text like comic books. This subject is a must by the way. Be that as it may, I did enjoy some of the pictures I took. Bare in mind that I'm not good with taking pictures.
Of course, I took loads of pictures and I chose only 6 to submit. Above are examples of my favorite extra pictures. The task was to take pictures of our figurines. I saved money by using the ones I already have.
There were two assignments and this next one regards lights and movements.
This wasn't accepted but I do like it.
This wasn't accepted too but, still, I like it. This is suppose to be shadow but for some reason, it wasn't accepted. I saw a few creative ways of taking a picture of shadows from friends and even those weren't accepted. Where's the creativity? Where's the freedom? Instead this picture was accepted:
Really? -_-
Well, whatever. As long as the semester is over and I can finally relax; away from this subject's pressure. Besides, there's loads of other very self satisfying works and especially the last one that I'm going to show you.
And before I get to the next and final subject, here are some of the pictures I submitted:
This was very satisfying because it took me three freaking times to take this picture; the travelling to locations and carrying the props were just exhausting.
This wasn't accepted but I still love it and I'm going to show it! =3
And I'll end this part of the post with this picture; reflection. I found a cracked small mirror around my hostel. It was just perfect because it wasn't too cracked. When I took the pic, I didn't want my room to be visible as the background of the reflection and so I tried a few things. I tried using a cloth with some patterns in it but it didn't work. Then I used a minecraft helmet that my roommate made. The patterns were just perfect. So, with so much satisfaction, I consulted with some amount of confidence and what do you know...it wasn't accepted. I really love this picture and during the submission day, I gave this picture anyway. It was accepted. I, of course, was so happy at the time but after thinking it through a few hours after submission, I was sort of confused and ticked off a bit. So much for creativity and individualism.
And now, for the main event! My last post regarding my University's artworks ended with cartoon characters. It was my first time coloring my drawings digitally. This semester's most satisfying artwork is a video! Alhamdulillah, I finally get to translate my ideas into a video =')
I have to thank my friends for helping me making this video. This was an assignment for Creative Studies. We were required to create an artwork with the topic of multimedia and the theme could be whatever we please. Seeing this opportunity, I just had to make a video. I gathered my team and we took around 3 weeks to finish it.
Here are the links to some of my friend's sites who helped me making this video:
Main Actor: Ahmad Izzat. He has a small business of selling football jerseys and if you're interested, here's the link: Jersey Bro
Supporting Actor: Afiq Akmal. Unlike me, he does videos as a hobby and, of course, he's good at it. Check out his channel! RFScene
Here are some poster for the video.
Of course, I made posters for it! Now that I know how to use Photoshop, I just couldn't resist! =P
I had trouble taking pictures at night so this one turned out bad due to that.
As you can see, the tile is Friction. It's a simple straight forward assassination story. Yes, again it was influence by Assassin's Creed but I wouldn't say that game was the only inspiration for the idea. I often get obsessed with certain things and recently I'm deeply fascinated on how the video game market works. One particular thing about video games that it require a good story. It's amazing how important a story is for a video game and as well for the fans. Mass Effect 3, an action science fiction game, was critically bashed by consumers for it's unsatisfying ending. I'm a fan of Assassin's Creed due it's story and with this Mass Effect 3 phenomenon bearing in mind, I couldn't resist making Literature in Video Games as my theme for this project. Other games such as Max Payne 3 and Hitman Absolution also gave me some ideas of how I'd picture the story.
Without further ado, here is the video!
To conclude, I'm thankful that I was able to finish all of these artworks. Alhamdulillah, all of it was done my way with help from pals. I hope all of you enjoyed this post.
Salam and may the rest of your days be blessed!
I did a post about my list of shows and stuffs I look forward to every year.
The lists and a new assassin.
And I realized that there's no local shows. Why is that? Maybe it's because the Malaysian film industry is filled with slapstick comedy-horror and love flicks or maybe I'm just a jerk who doesn't appreciate his own country. Lupa daratan.
But I'm not going to write a complaint in this post--no--I'm going to write about a show that I do look forward to every year; to embrace what Malaysian artists has to offer. Seniman.
Comedy is one of the best selling genres in Malaysia. Heck, when in doubt of trying to a new genre (Superhero, for instance), comedy is always the safest move they'll make. Most of the comedy films are slapstick and I'm not fond of shallow jokes and constant hitting. But I do like the comedy of what 'Maharaja Lawak Mega' has to offer. It was a reality show that started out as an audition for--well, I would like to say newcomers but most of the contestants are people who had no experience in stand up; trying to turn their life around. It later evolved into a competition for local titans in the industry. Imagine a show where Adam Sandler, Lonely Island, Damon Wayans, Jim Carey, Robin Williams and Rob Schneider had to compete one another. It's not actually a stand up show. It's more to a stage show.
When I heard this show came out, I was intrigued by the idea. Sure, to some, it is a rip of The Last Comic Standing but it's still awesome to me. The idea of having popular comedians competing is certainty entertaining and a bit different than The Last Comic Standing. I hate that show. Tak Lawak langsung!
The lists and a new assassin.
And I realized that there's no local shows. Why is that? Maybe it's because the Malaysian film industry is filled with slapstick comedy-horror and love flicks or maybe I'm just a jerk who doesn't appreciate his own country. Lupa daratan.
But I'm not going to write a complaint in this post--no--I'm going to write about a show that I do look forward to every year; to embrace what Malaysian artists has to offer. Seniman.
Comedy is one of the best selling genres in Malaysia. Heck, when in doubt of trying to a new genre (Superhero, for instance), comedy is always the safest move they'll make. Most of the comedy films are slapstick and I'm not fond of shallow jokes and constant hitting. But I do like the comedy of what 'Maharaja Lawak Mega' has to offer. It was a reality show that started out as an audition for--well, I would like to say newcomers but most of the contestants are people who had no experience in stand up; trying to turn their life around. It later evolved into a competition for local titans in the industry. Imagine a show where Adam Sandler, Lonely Island, Damon Wayans, Jim Carey, Robin Williams and Rob Schneider had to compete one another. It's not actually a stand up show. It's more to a stage show.
When I heard this show came out, I was intrigued by the idea. Sure, to some, it is a rip of The Last Comic Standing but it's still awesome to me. The idea of having popular comedians competing is certainty entertaining and a bit different than The Last Comic Standing. I hate that show. Tak Lawak langsung!
What I love about the show
What else could it be? Of course, it reflects Malaysian culture! Something that I can always relate and laugh about. Watching this show somehow brings a nostalgic feeling to me. I don't often watch local shows at home but that habit goes away when I visit my hometown. I guess watching local shows together with cousins has somehow became a nostalgic routine.
The concerning flaws
Even though the show has evolved with a better gimmick and more experienced comedians. It still has some very concerning flaws. It's not some mistake or writing issues that varies according to the taste of the viewers. The flaws could end the series very soon and I don't want that to happen!
It doesn't lives up to it's name
The word Mega and the hype of having the industry's titans battling it out with each other should produce a very satisfying show from every contestant. Sadly, only two to three groups are really funny (Most of the contestants are in a group). Doesn't that sounds disappointing to you? To make the disappointment even bigger, the show also has comedians from Indonesia and Singapore (The amount of actual funny performances are just so limited, I even forgot about the whole International competition thing). I admire the fact that they let the seniors of our industry to perform. The move seems like a way of respecting them while trying to get the more older viewer's attention. Sadly for them, most of the audience are young and their old school jokes aren't just working out with them. They need to be up to date with the latest trends. It's a must because even I'm having a hard time of laughing at their jokes. It's hard to make people laugh, I know, but at least I'm writing a few possible pointers that you could think about in order to improve. First, a more casual and more to the typical habits of Malaysian society has to be emphasize more. Like the old shows during the late 90's, their posture, timing and a combination of a half formal, half casual dialogue is still present in their performances. Second, it is most definitely the interaction with the crowd. Groups like Jozan has a very good relationship with the crowd. As an audience, I can almost feel like I know them both, Johan and Zizan. With better interaction, it will produce inside jokes. What is an inside joke? When something funny happens between friends and family, only a few will understand. It makes a better joke and bond.
The memorable traits
To some, my comments about the show might be too harsh. Well, I don't care because the amount of the positive side is more then the negative. What this show offers to me, films like The Dark Knight Rises or video games such as Assassin's Creed couldn't, is the family bond. I can share the laughter and enthusiasm with my cousins and siblings. I don' know, it's just a personal thing for me. I prefer to keep my passion for films to myself at often times.
Laughing together beats laughing alone
I just find it much easier and better to laugh at jokes, specifically Malaysian jokes, that are performed in front of a live audience. It's the sincere laugh (and not some prerecorded and unrealistic laugh) and the lively atmosphere that make it more jolly and fun. Perhaps, it's a matter of taste but I just find it hard to laugh at their prerecorded shows even if Jozan is in the show. But I do like to watch it because of the light story (I don't laugh though...not much).
Spin Offs
The phenomenon of this competition gave birth to Super Spontan! I love that show! Live comedy shows has become a favorite for Malaysian viewers and it should stay that way. The difference between Maharaja Lawak Mega and Super Spontan is that Super Spontan is an unscripted show. They have to come up with jokes on the spot and thankfully, most of the contestants are funny! That is something what Maharaja Lawak Mega should be producing. It's not exactly a spin off but most of the contestants are the same people from Maharaja lawak Mega. Karoot Komedia is also another show that I think it was inspired by Maharaja Lawak.
Opportunities/ Cultural phenomenon
Well, the show didn't only inspired some new reality shows. It also made it to theater, films and TV shows. Contestants like Zizan and Nabil had been in many films. Jozan and Boboi (Afdlin Shauki and Harun Salim Bachik at the time) had made a theater show at Istana Budaya. Quite an achievement if you ask me.
An example of their performance but this was at Istana Budaya though.
So, by the end of this post, you could say that there's two local shows that I look forward to every year; both Super Spontan and Maharaja Lawak Mega.
This show sort of gave a boost to Yasmin Hani's popularity.
I prefer this logo though because it is much simpler.
This show sort of gave a boost to Yasmin Hani's popularity.
And this is my last post for 2012. Wow! How time flies by very fast huh? Has it already been a year for this blog? I don't know. I didn't bother keeping track. From silly sketches to my artworks for my studies, the posts I did has been very much satisfying in terms of writing. I get to write loads of stuffs regarding my thoughts and tastes in the entertainment world. And writing about a local favorite for my last post of 2012 is definitely, to me, the best way to end it; considering how little I write about any local films. Thank you for those who reads this and any other post I did.
Hoping and praying for better days,
Salam and may your 2013 be splendid!
I've been watching and catching up with Kamen Rider and eventually became an instant fan! Of course I was aware with the franchise since I was a kid but as I get older, I assumed that it was just another silly kid's show that my adult-self cannot tolerate or like. During my semester break, after finishing my list of thing to do, I was bored and so I decided to watch Kamen Rider Fourze. It was the latest at the time and I was really curious about the silly rocket shaped helmet design. Surprisingly, the show was really good. It wasn't the kiddish action that Power Rangers (Current ones) or Super Sentai had to offer. It was a balanced between decent kid-friendly theme and superb creativity! But it wasn't enough for me, I heard that past Rider shows were more matured and so I decided to watch Kamen Rider Kabuto! A Rider that I've always loved the design when I was a kid; the horns and bright red armor were just a major win to me.
Sadly, during its run in 2006, I wasn't able to bear the slow paced show; being a kid and all. Of course I only expected action =P I was a kid.
But after watching the series now, I loved it more and more with each episode watched; telling myself "I used to hate this?!". Now let's not get all to geeky over it. I have to admit, it's not all that awesome. I dislike the very constant convenient arrivals or run ins of characters; arriving in the scene just in time to save the day or for the sake of the plot. That bugged me a bit.
Besides the superb design, mature theme, awesome action and gimmick, it has to be the idea of the show itself; of what it means to me as an adult watching my childhood show. The idea of me watching Kamen Rider Kabuto now is like what most comic book fans felt when they watched The Avengers live action film. It's a dream come true. Why? It's because I assumed that shows like Pokemon, Power Rangers, Digimon and so on would never be rebooted in a more mature way. Sure, we all like to love Pokemon again but as we get older, some of us might grown to be annoyed by it due to it's kiddish plot....but hey, it's for kids! It was always meant for kids which is why seeing these shows in a more mature manner would be unlikely to happen. It was almost like watching The Dark Knight; finally seeing a better or more mature Batman that previous incarnations like Batman and Robin failed to do.
And since this is a post to highlight my quick sketches, here's a practice sketch for an assignment of mine:
Salam and have a good day, everybody!
The other day, I went to a talk by various ex-students of my university. They gave us students some tips on how to survive in our studies and in the industry. One of the tips was that we have to make an online portfolio. It made me think to myself; I already had a blog but I don't post a lot of my own artworks. So, this is a birth of the 'Artworks' label! Just in case if you just wanna see more of my own sketches. I am also deciding to now draw for every post I make, even if it's a review. I'll try to do so if I have the time, Insya Allah. At the very least, I'll post un-inked sketches for reviews.
This is also an update for the 'Experimental Characters ' posts. The point of this is just to share the expanding ideas that I have.
I often write characters who are righteous and underdogs. So, this time, inspired by Kamen Rider Decade and Ben 10, I would like to explore the idea of having the most powerful weapon in the world!
The Decade Driver (Belt) enables the user to turn into past Kamen Riders; each with their own powers like time traveling and monster tamers. In the Kamen Rider story/universe, it's obviously a freaking powerful weapon. It seems like nobody can defeat this guy. Be that as it may, Riders after Decade has had a similar multiple combo-themed weapons which would match up well with Decade.
The infinity gems of the Marvel Universe is one of the powerful weapons but I chose to include this one because it seemed more interesting. Each gems has their own powers that involves time travelling and even alters reality! The user above is Thanos, a villain and perhaps the next villain for second Avengers movie!
I remember a time where I loved this character but after awhile, I realized that this kid is just a brat. The omnitrix has a similar function to Kamen Rider Decade but gimmick-wise, Decade wins for a long shot! But I admire the effort of this show's writers where they try to make each alien has a quick back story such as meeting the same species of certain aliens that Ben transforms into.
Now, here's my idea! I decided to go with an armor.
Like powerful beings (Superman and Dr. Manhattan), characters with powerful weapons tend to get stale easily because there's not much to write about. Due to their enormous capability, it's hard to add some drama; considering that it would only take minutes to defeat villains. And even if a villain who's as powerful as the hero is added, it would create a one dimensional rivalry of who's the strongest; this story gets old quickly if not written wisely. But hey, that's the fun of it! To see how your ideas go even if it's considered boring. Sadly, I haven't sketched a full body concept but I did had the time to draw a basic helmet design; a so called 'trademark' look of the helmet.
I went to a gallery and as I was still brainstorming a look for the helmet, I saw this painting. I hope you noticed that with each face, there's an outer line and so I figured, maybe I could design a helmet out of it. I wanted to somehow portray the Malay essence presented within the painting in the helmet design. Obviously, I still have a long way to go.
POWERS
In the story, mutants exist...bla bla bla (The old super powered beings plot). A professor found a stone that could amplify the mutation of mankind but at a dangerous rate when in physical contact. So, using his wits, he created an armor that could harness the stone's power. How high could it amplify human mutation is not known but with the armor, only 10 % of it is used. Now in this universe of mine, I prefer for the characters to not have God-like powers. So, weather controls and reality manipulation is a no, no. And even if there is a mutant with Magnetism powers, he can't actually levitate 5 tanks at the same time without decent training. But with the armor, it is possible. The armor is not actually a very powerful weapon in general but a powerful weapon in the universe.
And for the sake of making this post longer, here's a Malaysian tokusatsu show!
Not sure if it's still airing though.
So, if you have any ideas...please, do share!
Yet again, I am busy and so, my time for this blog would be limited. Thus, I won't be posting much original artworks of mine...again but in the mean time, I'll post some other personally interesting stuffs to me.
I'm fond of making lists for things to do or movies to see. I made a mental list of what to do for my semester break and Alhamdulillah, I manage to do them all. It ranges from series marathon to recycling for extra cash and it was fun while it lasted. Personally, the final mission was the best of them all when I get to see most of my childhood friends. They say that in time, you and your childhood friends will grow apart and until that time comes, I'm going to try my best to see them all when I have the chance.
But for this post, I'm focusing more on my must see/buy lists; movies, live shows or albums that I want to buy or watch. The name 'must see/buy' isn't the best words for a list, quite honestly, but I'll try to find it soon.
First on the list is always the annual WWE WRETLEMANIA! It was the 28th installment of the classic wrestling pay-per-view. I would try my best to not miss this as I would buy every DVD since 2006. Wrestlemania 22 was my first Wrestlemania and the most memorable match was when Rey Mysterio won his first World title in a triple threat match between Kurt Angle and Randy Orton. It was a truly an inspiring victory not only is it because of Rey's underdog background but also it was a win for the recently deceased wrestler at the time, Eddie Guerrero. You see, Wrestlemania to wwe fans are like the world cup for soccer fans. It is the event that all fanatics has been waiting for every year or so (4 to 5 years for the World Cup...I'm not a huge soccer fan by the way). And this year's event didn't disappoint as it at least had one very memorable match and that was The Undertaker vs Triple H.
Okay, this isn't a full post about Wrestlemania 28 and so I'll try not to overly write about my fandom for it. But just for the record, the best match, despite the promotional poster, was a hell in a cell match between Undertaker and Triple H (With Shawn Micheals as the guess referee). The action and the drama was just overwhelmingly good and the tagline, 'End of an era', was a major boost for the hype of the match.
Movies are always a must on my list and this years' looks very awesome with the presence of The Dark Knight Rises and the comic book dream movie, Avengers. Fortunately, I already wrote a review for this and thus saving my time for not having to write a longer post.
Be sure to read it! Movie reviews: The Avengers
I'm fond of making lists for things to do or movies to see. I made a mental list of what to do for my semester break and Alhamdulillah, I manage to do them all. It ranges from series marathon to recycling for extra cash and it was fun while it lasted. Personally, the final mission was the best of them all when I get to see most of my childhood friends. They say that in time, you and your childhood friends will grow apart and until that time comes, I'm going to try my best to see them all when I have the chance.
But for this post, I'm focusing more on my must see/buy lists; movies, live shows or albums that I want to buy or watch. The name 'must see/buy' isn't the best words for a list, quite honestly, but I'll try to find it soon.
THE 2012 LIST, NUMBER ONE
First on the list is always the annual WWE WRETLEMANIA! It was the 28th installment of the classic wrestling pay-per-view. I would try my best to not miss this as I would buy every DVD since 2006. Wrestlemania 22 was my first Wrestlemania and the most memorable match was when Rey Mysterio won his first World title in a triple threat match between Kurt Angle and Randy Orton. It was a truly an inspiring victory not only is it because of Rey's underdog background but also it was a win for the recently deceased wrestler at the time, Eddie Guerrero. You see, Wrestlemania to wwe fans are like the world cup for soccer fans. It is the event that all fanatics has been waiting for every year or so (4 to 5 years for the World Cup...I'm not a huge soccer fan by the way). And this year's event didn't disappoint as it at least had one very memorable match and that was The Undertaker vs Triple H.
Okay, this isn't a full post about Wrestlemania 28 and so I'll try not to overly write about my fandom for it. But just for the record, the best match, despite the promotional poster, was a hell in a cell match between Undertaker and Triple H (With Shawn Micheals as the guess referee). The action and the drama was just overwhelmingly good and the tagline, 'End of an era', was a major boost for the hype of the match.
NUMBER TWO
Movies are always a must on my list and this years' looks very awesome with the presence of The Dark Knight Rises and the comic book dream movie, Avengers. Fortunately, I already wrote a review for this and thus saving my time for not having to write a longer post.
Be sure to read it! Movie reviews: The Avengers
NUMBER THREE
Soon after The Avengers, DC's Dark Knight came to theaters and same goes with this film, I already wrote a review on it. I love this poster by the way! Bane was definitely a wise choice for the next villain. Despite the yearns for The Riddler, the fans still accepted Bane as he was. Movie reviews: The Dark Knight Rises and Looper
I still prefer Batman over The Avengers by the way =P
NUMBER FOUR
After The Dark Knight, it was suppose to be a video game but I only heard the news for a new Mumford and Sons album in the middle of this year (The list is usually prepared by the end of the year before until the first 2 months of the current year). Babel came out earlier than the video game so I guess I have to write about this first. Now, I don't buy a lot of album; only musicians who I'm truly passionate for deserve my attention due to my limited money. Buying this album had some risks though because I've already heard most of the songs in it online. Thankfully, the songs online were live performances and studio recorded ones are always a major win for me. Even with my passion for this awesome band, I didn't want to waste my money. I really wanted to make the album last long. Alhamdulillah, it was money well bloody spent!
And to make you readers understand how much I love this band, just listen to them:
FINALE AND NUMBER FIVE
And on October 30th, Assassin's Creed III will make it's way to stores. I'm confident, like most fans are, that what everybody expects is the breathtaking story.
I've been focusing too much with my studies, Batman, Avengers and even Kamen Rider :P
...I almost forgot my passion for Assassin's Creed! It will be releasing soon and I'm not that hyped! What's wrong with me! Haha!
And F.Y.I, this is also a post to hype the upcoming game.
I'm not that much of a fanatic when it comes to gameplay and I assume that, probably, most readers would assume an explanation of it when one is writing about a video game. Sorry guys, I'm not good at explaining technical stuffs and so, the video above might give you the explanation or at least, an idea of what the game would be like. I'm here to write about the extraordinary story. Jump to the site and you'll also learn about the Naval Battles in the game!
What amazes me is that the games tells the story of two protagonist, Desmond Miles and the new assassin, Connor Kenway. While most promotional videos and posters highlights the new assassin, I am excited for Desmond Miles because it is the story that drives the franchise. It is also said that this game will mark the end of Desmond's story.
But what I want most for this installment is a good villain! Frankly, in my opinion, previous main antagonist in the franchise such as Cesare Borgia wasn't very good. A good story deserves an epic adversary. You need to highlight a villain if you want to make them awesome; to build hype for their battle. Like Bane in The Dark Knight Rises, he was advertised pretty well and people started to like him before the movie actually came out. I notice that this franchise doesn't really highlights that and even when you play the game, the villains weren't epic enough. Only Cesare was highlighted when AC: Brotherhood came out and he's as good as it gets which is not enough to me. But there is a solution and I'm sure most true Assassin fans has notice this:
Daniel Cross
He had his own comic book series thus to me, it is an awesome way to promote an antagonist. The comic was a prequel before the events of the game itself, the assassins were heavily beaten by the Templars due to their undercover agent, Daniel Cross himself. He is a traitor to the assassins brotherhood because he himself is a descendant of an assassin in 19th century Russia, Nikolai Orelov. Because of him, many of the modern assassins were killed; leaving the remained to scatter across the globe.
We've seen classical Assassins assassinating men in robes. I think it's about time to see modern assassins to be highlighted in a epic one on one battle; finally adding an original, interesting and well promoted antagonist would really make Desmond's story an epic finale.
That's all for this hype and I really hope Assassin's Creed III, the last on my 2012 list, won't be a let down. Here's hoping for better days, Salam everybody!
