Video : Iron Man Anime Trailer

Oh~ Iron Man~! Anime~! Cool~!
This will be far more better than the previous animated feature (which I haven't watch yet)...

Don't care if this will be based on a comic story or not, it is just damn cool~!

Review - Dragonball Evolution

So, second of unemployment, I watched the second movie in my "Must Watch" list for 2009- the Hollywood made Dragonball Evolution, based on the manga series Dragonball by Akira Toriyama.

Well, since the announcement of this production and throughout the process, the leaked pictures, the official trailers and stuff, this movie has been the central attention of all anime and DB fans. While most Watchmen fans got excited when they see the pictures how faithful the director frame the shoot for Watchmen movie, fans of DB was shocked and sigh at every new Dragonball Evolution brought us. Reason being, like the Hollywood Godzilla, this is almost DINO - Dragonball In Name Only.

Goku, the naive amnesia Saiyan fighter in the original manga and anime, is now a stereotypical Hollywood teen movie's teenager. He is now a cliche "The One" with very powerful skill but never allowed to show of and being the laughing stalk of other common stereotypical rich high school kids. Well, put it this way, his profile more like Goten or his descendant in one of a TV special production. Goten, at the very end of the manga is a rather spoiled brat along with Trunks, while the descendant in the TV special is constantly bullied by his schoolmate and have his potential unlocked at the very end with the help of his granny and his friends.

The hard-to-make-friend-Goku

Is it so hard to write a lead who the main interest is to fight and get better in fighting? Who the only interest other than fighting is eating? Who is not romantic and does not even know what marriage is (and in early teenage years doesn't even know how to differentiate girls from guys). Screw you Hollywood!!!

If Roshi really looks like him, he won't be a pervert, he'll be a pimp.

Granpa Gohan, annoyingly still alive, and is not killed by the Oozaru Goku. One of the interesting sub plot in the original manga is the revealing of the truth behind Granpa Gohan's death. Muten Roshi, played by Chow Yun-Fatt, although a fun performance and to a certain extend rather close to the original, is ruin by half-hearted character design. The symbolic of Roshi, the Turtle Hermit is that he is old, damn old and have live for damn bloody long. At least give him some white hair so that we know this is the guy that trained Granpa Gohan before.

The cast of Dragon's Balls and Bulma Briefless...I mean Yamcha and Bulma

Yamcha looks like a porn actor, which the look is never important, since in porn the camera will either focus on the action and the expression of the female actor. Bulma, the source of eye candy and "fan service" in the manga is played by a bithcy looking girl with a bithcy performance. Hey, she's the daughter of the super large corporation's owner, she can be spoiled, but not like a whore like bitch. Worst part is, being the sexiest and hottest character in the manga, this movie Bulma show even less skin then Chi-chi. And Chi-chi, who is more memorable as the traditional mother, is now the hottest in the movie. This probably is the only nice thing to watch in the movie.

I used to hate Chi-chi in the manga, after she became a mother, but who can hate this?

Piccolo...sigh sigh sigh. Where's the tentacles, and the pointy ears? This is just a guy in a green mask (remember The Mask?)and a black body suit. The prominent characteristic of a Nameck is the ability to stretch all his limbs and this is never presented. But the portrayal is majestic enough to have the Evil Lord feel. Despite the lousy character design again, this Piccolo is actually add some depth to the original character. If there will be a sequel, I hope the same guy will play him again and hopefully Lord Kami will be written in.

Lucky the sword is only in promo poster, he still fights unarmed in the movie.

Actionwise, this is till not hyper kinetic enough. I was expecting at least something like the end fight in Matrix Revolution, if not something better. But still, action rather not so elaborated and we won't get the kick like we used to when watching the anime or playing the game. I miss the atmosphere when the characters are charging their Ki and all the debris starting to floating around, and in a flash they dash towards each other, exchanging super fast blow and one gets an upper hand, delivers a heavy blow sending the opponent speeding towards the rocky mountain, hit through it and everything gets dusty....The atomic boom like disaster we saw in the trailer is not the outcome of a fight, but just a pre-cog vision, boring and disappointing.

No, this is not the outcome of Goku and Piccolo exchanging Ki blast, this is a quasi T2 Apocalypsepre-cog vision.

Overall this is a fun popcorn movie to watch. We'll find a lot of cliche in it, but cliche works on popcorn movie, especially when tonnes of effects and action take place. The fact that it is a Dragonball movie will give you a mindset that this take place not in this world, so we need no reason for whatever technology or geography or scientific issue presented in this movie. But being a Dragonball movie, it will also effect you acceptance to this movie, where we tend to compare.

While the manga Goku learn Kamehameha naturally, this Goku needs sex as encouragement.

A word of advice, to enjoy this movie, take it as a alternate universe for Dragonball, or a special movie where Goku get reincarnated into another universe thanks to Pilaf making a wish using the Dark Dragonball again. Just do not expect it to be a true translation (not even a little) from manga to film, you will end up crying in the theater. Alternate universe, this is how I enjoyed this film.

Trailer: Dragonball: Evolution (2009)

This is the trailer for the upcoming live action movie this year...

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm rather worried. The last Hollywood remake of a super famous Japanese franchise - Godzilla is nothing like Godzilla, but at least its trailer didn't tell us that the original big guy is not there.

But this...well, Old Gohan is alive! Where's Roshi's turtle shell, shade and facial hair? And he does not look like a pervert! Goku going to college? Bulma like a bitch? They have Yamcha but no Krillin, the strongest human being on Earth (Goku is a Saiyan, btw)?

Oh! Please, don't mess up with Piccolo. If there is no Vegeta around, don't bother to let Goku goes Super Saiyan.

I'm really afraid, but let us hope that the dude making the trailer is doing a bad job. Maybe the movie will turn out OK.

Now, for me, the original anime really captures the essence of Dragon Ball Z, except for those long pan shot used to drag the scene / running time (so that they can have more episodes). If the live action failed, maybe they should consider doing something like the intro in Budokai Tenkaichi 3 game, but with better rendering of the character; imagine them with tiny details like hair, fabric, texture like the Pixars film but still maintaining the hyper kinetic action of DBZ. If not, I will still enjoy watching 3D polygon with cell shade coloring....

This, is very cool, very Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 game intro

Review, A Brief One: Batman: Gotham Knight

Well, I'm very much into Western comic lately, especially DC's (even previously I thought I prefer Marvel), especially Batman. That is because he is human, and the super aspect of this superhero is super rich and super intelligent. He is not some alien from out of space that allergic to a certain rock or mineral.

And so, I collected Batman Begin, and shortly after watching The Dark Knight, I collected all 4 80s and 90s Batman film along with the special feature. So, it is just predictable that even I am officially broke now, I still force myself to get the direct-to-DVD video of Batman: Gotham Knight. Who is not tempted with the trailer?

If The Animatrix is a companion of The Matrix Trilogy, in which the Animatrix explore the origin of the Matrix, what happen in between the first and second film, the back story of certain minor character as well as some other "everyday" event that take place in the Matrix universe i.e. people get liberated, so system error in certain area of the matrix and how the program fabricated it, a routine life in a ship etc, then Batman: Gotham Knight is slightly different.

It act only to bridge Batman Begin to The Dark Knight. While it never tell us the rise of Harvey Dent or the arrival of Joker, but is do tell how is the life after Batman Begin. The life refers to both Bruce Wayne/Batman plus his associated and the people of Gotham.

How Batman's life as crime fighter after saving Gotham from Ra's al Ghul? What is the people's reaction? In the people's point of view, what is Batman? What does the police feel? Do all of them feel that Gotham need Batman like Gordon does? The underworld leader in The Dark Knight mention Batman plays by the rule but Joker doesn't, so how and what is the rule? There are many many more question. Not all answered, but at least some is fulfilled in this DVD.

The Animatrix for Matrix did use back the voice talent from the film like Keanu's for Neo etc, but since Batman has a very strong animated series that has an iconic voice talent for the role, why bother to ask Bale to voice it? Better use back Kevin Conroy whose voice people will automatically associated with when they see an animated version of Batman.

There are six stories in total with six different animation and story telling styles. Despite the difference, all stories are connected, and has anime feel in it. Maybe that is because, except for the writing or story part, most of the production crew and studios are anime production studio, and all six directors for the anime are Asian, Japanese the most with one perhaps is Korean.

Trailer - 風雲決

Damn, never heard that someone is making this, but it is said that the movie will be released in July 2008?! Think we can only get the DVD here, if lucky. But the voice talents ma....like they casted it terbalik. I think Richie sounds more suit a big guy like Cloud, and Nicholas better to voice Wind...but it is the other way round in this anime.

Well, before the sequel to Stormriders out next year,
Now, behold:
風雲決
StormRiders - Clash of the Evils

MUST SEE: Bird's Preference

As an act of gratitude for Albert's comment for the previous entry, this is for him.

Bird prefer cartoon version of Batman:

Batman Intro



But for Spidey, and Superman, live-action is his choice:

SUPERMAN TRAILER


The Amazing Spider-Man


Enjoy~!!!!!

Trailer - Batman: Gotham Knight

Gotta get this!!! Somesort of tie in or companian DVD for The Dark Knight, pretty much the same concept like The Animatrix for The Matrix Trilogy.

Behold Batman: Gotham Knight

Review: Kung Fu Panda

When I first heard that Jackie Chan is working on a animation movie about a kungfu panda. I was not at all interested. Jackie Chan + Hollywood = Nightmare rubbish. Watching him in a English speaking is already painful, now have to just listen to his English...lucky God gives Malaysian theatre subtitles~!

When I heard that Jack Black is the main cast. Things get slightly better. But, a slow, lazy bamboo chewing creature with kungfu? How idiotic Hollywood studio can be?

It is until the trailer came out that I started to thing hey...this might be interesting. The panda really looks kind of like Jack Black. They have Dustin Hoffman as Shifu, Jackie Chan have around 5 speaking lines (thank God), they even have Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu.

Now Angelina Jolie is suppose to be one of the coolest and sexiest actress but thing is apart from Lara Croft, I hard remember if she has any other more memorable role. Sad thing is I never watch a whole Tomb Raider movie. I remember that she was in Alexander, but that is one of those bad money wasting (maybe to escape tax) historical epic I ever let my eyeballs view. Not a good movie to relay with any actor.

Lucy Liu is of course, the must have Hollywood Chinese representative in a features set in China.

Of course Randall, the voice for Oogway the Turtle is one of the most well-known Hollywood Chinese regular that gives us numerous stereotype role.

Plot:

Plot wise, it is the same old stories. A zero to hero, underdog (or underpanda) stories. Something that you can find back in the late 70s and 80s starring Summo Hung. Fat guy doesn't know kung fu, fat guy wants to learn kungfu, master dislike fat guy, master later change is mind, master found a way to train fat guy, usual compulsory training sequence then final battle. Hardly any surprise at all. The good thing is the writer does not focus in to try bring us some new story, they used a cliche one, but spend more time and effort making the jokes and funny stuff. So as a viewer, we have no need to follow too closely on the plot, making logic whatever. Just sit down and enjoy the joke and laugh...wahahahahaha (you should hear the one laughing beside me).

Then as a Hollywood production, a lot of plot device will be typical Hollywood. The ultimate power always associated with Dragon; bizarre training ground most likely inspired by Five Venom, even the idea of Furious Five similar to the Venoms and also the father character that never understand his child's dream but able to inspire them at last minute. The no secret recipe secret recipe concept is too guessable, but it is almost a must in kungfu or action genre, in order to make kungfu more spiritual and Zen like.

For those who is familiar with the classics Kungfu movies, regardless the Shaw Brothers productions or the later Jackie Chan, Summo Hung action comedy, you will enjoy looking at how the classic scenes have been re-imagined using computer animation and cartoon characters. The training sequent, the "try-to-get-back-your-stuff-from-me" game + training between master and student, the battle on the dinning table and also the master's acknowledgement of the student's skill when he excitedly spar with the student.

Characterization:

Still, nothing new.

As usual, the lead will be a loser at first, with some not so cool talent, like making noodle.

There will also be a rival, in this case Tigress.
The old one who always ask people to believe.

The not so old one with a dark past that never believe until the old one dies.

Some other character than eventually make Friend with the loser.

The pure evil character with a sympathetic history.

Most of the voice actor done a decent job, Jackie as usual speaks in a quasi-Klingon style English. Each character adopts the personality that the public as accosted it with the actor or actress.

Jack Black - talk better than do, Jolie so cool, Hoffman full of experience, Jackie better don't talk...I think you get the idea. I like Hoffman's character. At the beginning it is almost like the high rank monk in Jet Li's film Shaolin Monastery that is so worried about the fate or the problem cause by the runaways and the government. Something that most people hate, but at the second half, when he realized the whole situation, and starting to like panda, you'll find it is getting more and more adorable. Shifu has the most depth and dimension in terms of characterization in this film. And they wouldn't possibly have done it without the acting of an actor like Hoffman.

Look:

Well, GCI cartoon. It will be an eye candy. The coolest part will be the 2D dream sequence at the beginning. If the just do that for a feature length movie, it will sure cooler than The Matrix.

Overall, this is a nice film. No matter you watch with your date, family or even you kaki bola. It is still enjoyable. Just don't bring any babies with you, unless you feed in some wine before watching.


As an animation film, nice.

As a Kungfu film, considered authentic.

As a film, successful.

Review: Death Note (Anime)

I love Death Note the manga, I like the movies (including L: Change The World) and I also enjoy the anime version.

So far, I find that the anime is one of the most faithful adaptation of manga. Maybe it is because Death Note has a heavy and complicated plot. The anime production company will not able to cope with inconsistency if they attempt to change too much. There is also a possibility that the production of the anime starts after the end of the manga series, but I'm just too lazy to find out.

L

I bought the DVDs a couple of months before and enjoy watching them for quite sometime. But I stopped in the middle. Right before the episode where L will be killed, I stopped. I plan to proceed, but I never really like the idea of L being killed, and be replace by Near the annoying kid. Near is never as charismatic as L, and sometimes I think Mello is much cooler. You maybe not know but initially, Near's end design was meant for Mello and vice versa. Somehow the manga production editor or crew get it mixed up. But this is not important now.

Near

Mello

Another reason may be because I think the best plan that Light has come out with is over. My favourite plan is the whole "reject the ownership, work with L and reclaimed back Death Note". This is just awesome. Light can precisely predict how he without the memory of Death Note will react, think and achieve. This cannot be done if one is not confident about his own ability.

One of the best part about the anime is, it save me a lot of time reading the monologues in the original manga. They somehow manage to condensed the monologue parts for the sake of pacing. The anime also use a lot of CGI graphic but with cell shade type coloring (most of the anime is starting do this). This usually is used on objects like vehicles, buildings and that those speeding car, car crash, helicopter stunt scene can be made more realistic and close to the book.

Unlike other manga based anime, Death Note's does not has any filler episode. Compare to action manga like Dragon Ball, Naruto, Bleach etc. The whole action scene in a volume length of manga when converted into anime, maybe can only last for half and episode.That is because in action manga, most time is spend on fight, and the plot never really advance very fast. Sometimes the anime production will overtake the manga. So before they get the new story from the original, they have no choice but to put in some filler episode. Get Naruto on some mundane mission, create a new enemy for the Shinigamis etc. But for a plot based manga like Death Note, one volume can be made up to maximum three episode.

I personally really like the first opening track for the series, and the mise-en-scene they used in the "MV". The second one is nice, but the impact is less than the first. It is more like to let the viewers know which arc we are getting to and what new character is coming.



When will I proceed the viewing? No idea. I can hardly accept it when L was killed in the manga, don't feel quite like it watching him dead in the anime. I like the way he died in the movie better. It is very sentimental and emotional; highlighting the relation between L and Watari.

L...sigh...

*You may already know, Gelus in the anime is voiced by the actor who plays L in the movie.