The Geeky Guide to Nearly Everything

[Technicolor Musings] Whence The White Party Manila Press Kit Came

2013-05-25T12:08:00.000+08:00

Photo from O Bar's 2012 Pride Party

So this week I received a "press kit" for the White Party Manila 2013. And I'm pretty used to receiving various press kits and press releases for various events - it's part and parcel of the blogging experience.

But when I opened up this particular email I was left feeling rather...confused? Bothered? Annoyed? Words fail me.

First, it was pretty much just a press release and not a press kit - there were no other images attached and other promotional material that the organizers expected us bloggers to use. Second, the grammar and sentence construction was just...bad. Like really, really bad.

And while Tobie has already written about this release, I figure that I need to weigh in for my own peace of mind. After all, feedback is a gift in the writing game. And I really feel generous right now.

This is going to be a long blog post. Be prepared.

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[Movies] National Treasure (2004)

2013-05-24T12:08:00.000+08:00

Given the recent brouhaha over Dan Brown's comments about Manila (ridiculous, really), it seems almost ironic that this review for National Treasure is up for today. Let's face it - the National Treasure movie franchise is right in the same vein as Dan Brown's famous novels. After all, we all desire for there to be secrets hidden in plain sight and buried treasure waiting to be found even in these modern times.

It's interesting to me how these movies are yet another product of Jerry Bruckheimer, a name I used to most associate with the CSI TV series. But that's just his small screen work - it seems when it comes to the movie sphere he's more into this big action-adventure pieces. It's not about historical accuracy or anything important like this - this is just about putting on a good show.

I still surprises me how this movie spawned sequels - then again I have to recognize that most folks don't share my opinions of Nicolas Cage. But hey, we all like different things in life.

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[TV] Parks and Recreation: Season 4

2013-05-23T12:08:00.000+08:00

This fourth season of Parks and Recreation is defined by one key event - our dear Leslie Knope running for the position of City Counselor. And while you may think this is a rather small political move for a small town girl like her, but given her overall dreams of pursuing public office, this is a groundbreaking step. This is the story arc where Leslie tries to elevate herself beyond just being a public servant as an employee of the the Pawnee Parks Department and really become an elected official.

And this journey is not one that she takes alone - naturally we have the rest of the crazy gang that make up the Pawnee Parks and Recreation Department. And how their individual quirks, little obsessions and of course their respective relationship stories pan makes for one great season of entertainment.

I've spoken many times about how much I've come to enjoy this show over the years. And while it doesn't quite have that endearing quality that we've seen in its television cousin, The Office, the show still has heart and a lot of great laughs to be enjoyed.

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[Infographics] The Environmental Impact of Physical Games

2013-05-22T20:08:00.000+08:00

Yeah, I'm totally churning out infographics today. Earlier it was about SDCC, now it's about physical copies of games in general - go figure.

It makes sense that a primarily digital distribution driven video game company like Big Fish Games would put together an infographic like this. Presenting the environmental impact of "traditional" retail distribution channels helps stress why there's a lot more value in getting your games online through platforms like Steam or Valve.

So what do you think about the numbers presented?

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[Infographics] SDCC by the Numbers

2013-05-22T12:08:00.000+08:00

The folks at BuyCostumes.com shared this interesting infographic that tries to capture some of the data related to the world-famous San Diego Comic-Con. It was news to me that SDCC is only the third-largest convention of its kind and the graphic has a lot of other interesting factoids for you to go over.

So click the link below to see the full graphic!

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[Comics] Star Trek: Khan - Ruling in Hell

2013-05-21T12:08:00.000+08:00

I'm quite the avid comiXology user and the recent Star Trek sale over the weekend allowed me to purchase copies of a number of IDW's Star Trek titles at a great discount. I've already read a number of their titles because of a prior sale, although I haven't found the time to squeeze in more comic book reviews. But since I'm still working my way through some other novels, it seemed a good time to go back through my comic book queue.

Star Trek: Khan - Ruling in Hell was one of the titles that I picked up over the weekend given, well, Khan. I mean seriously, do I need another reason to pick up a comic book series about the superior intellect that is Khan? Seriously?

And while I was initially worried that the story might turn out to be hokey and weird, the book actually wasn't that bad. If anything, it was a nice little prequel story that tried to tell a unique story but well within the existing Star Trek broadcast canon.

So yeah, as if my being a Trekkie was still a surprise to you folks.

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[Movies] Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

2013-05-20T12:08:00.000+08:00

When J.J. Abram's 2009 reboot of the Star Trek movie franchise came out, I know a lot of us Trekkies (or Trekkers if you prefer) weer surprised with how it came out. And while no movie can please everyone, I think it's safe to say that a lot of us were won over by that movie. Personally, I felt it was a great way to approach a reboot (which is a rare enough statement coming from me) given how Abrams was able to distill the core personalities of the characters and allow them to win out in a completely different environment.

Coming into the sequel, I was hopeful but not entirely sure what to expect. I made sure to do my best to avoid all the different spoilers going around and tried to go into the experience with as little knowledge as possible - no easy feat in this social media age.

Did I like it? Well, I have to admit that I'm a little confused. There's my effort to be an open-minded movie reviewer trying to balance being a bit of a die-hard Trekkie. There's a lot to like about the movie on both fronts, and naturally some opportunities as well.

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[Pink Scene] Know Your Oh Divas - Dee Dee Holliday

2013-05-19T12:08:00.000+08:00

I won't lie to you folks - Tobie and I have a particular fondness for Dee Dee Holliday. She's an amazing performer and a dear friend and she has certainly helped O Bar really take things up a notch with the intensity of her performances.

As we continue with this Know Your Oh Divas series of blog posts, I'm glad that Dee Dee participated in the interviews. She has a LOT of great things to say about life as a drag queen that I'm sure a lot of you will enjoy as much as I did.

I know a lot of you O Bar Ortigas patrons have enjoyed his performances as well. Thus this interview is definitely one you must read. Thus allow me to present an interview with Dee Dee Holliday - and don't forget the double L!

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[Movies] Kate & Leopold (2001)

2013-05-17T12:08:00.000+08:00

When you're home with the family for a weekend, you concede the fact that you will have little to no control over the TV. Instead you clutch your tablet or smartphone to you the whole time as you just ride along with what becomes the "official" family program.

Don't get me wrong - I actually enjoyed Kate & Leopold. But I just wanted to provide some context for why I watched this movie again recently. Normally I could blame my partner Tobie's general love for romantic comedies for such movies appearing in my review queue, but this was a special case.

Kate & Leopold always felt like a reverse version of Somewhere in Time, albeit a lot more comedic. It's a natural reaction given the time travel premise that is central to the overall plot of the movie, I suppose. And to be fair, things work rather well in this regard. The movie has a decent touch of scientific nerdiness woven into the rest of the narrative with all the other bits being taken up by Meg Ryan's expressions and Hugh Jackman acting practically like a Disney prince come to life. Good job.

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[TV] Vikings: Season 1

2013-05-16T12:08:00.000+08:00

I never expected History (the pay-TV channel) to be able to put together a more than decent drama series. I don't think you can fault me given the quality of their programming in recent years, that has leaned more and more on reality television shows more than anything else.

But then Vikings happened in a big way and I don't think any of us who took the time to watch the series will ever forget it. And that's not meant to be a negative statement - this show was quite the rewarding television experience and one that I'm glad that will continue on for another season.

And yes, I certainly have shown a penchant for period stories like this. But I think it's safe to say that my appreciation for the show goes beyond any particular favor for the historical drama fiction genre.The show is a great mix of various genres and styles, thus presenting us with a fairly dramatic plot with great characters and some good action to boot.

So yeah, I really enjoyed the show.

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[Games] Nimble Quest (iOS / Android)

2013-05-15T12:08:00.000+08:00

A lot of us who lived through the early Nokia mobile phone era should be familiar with the classic game, Snake. Yes, the game predates mobile phones, but a lot more of us were exposed to the game since it was one of the default games installed on several generations of phones.

Nimble Quest is directly derived from Snake, but with some interesting twists. And thus the game becomes quite the innovative spin on a classic game concept. At first I didn't expect to enjoy this game so much, but now I've lost a fair amount of my life trying to navigate my little party past various enemies. All the while collecting gems, coins and other heroes.

But I'm getting ahead of myself in this review.

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[Books] Empire State

2013-05-14T12:08:00.000+08:00

When I first signed up for the Angry Robot Army review program, one of the first preview novels that I had reviewed was Adam Christopher's superhero adventure, Seven Wonders. It was certainly an interesting novel plus the addition of a new superhero book was certainly a good thing. There just aren't enough superhero novels out there.

Some time back there was a special sale offer for this book, Empire State, which was Christopher's first novel. Given how much I had enjoyed his other novel plus the fact that he had already written a sequel for this novel, it seemed like a great deal to take advantage of.

I can certainly see how passionate Christopher was about this particular book - it's just something that you sense from the way the book is written. As a debut novel, you'd think that would be a natural assumption. But in this case, I feel he really poured a lot into it. The richness of the setting, the cleverness of the characters and the distinct time-place setting (of sorts) - they all indicate a fair amount of interest and passion that drove the writing of this novel. And that helped me enjoy the book in turn - as I hope the same goes for anyone else who ventures into the world of the Empire State.

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[Movies] End of Watch (2012)

2013-05-13T12:08:00.000+08:00

The "found footage" format of movies has gotten pretty old pretty fast over the years. Sure, it was novel and creative when The Blairwitch Project first came out in 1999. But by now it has been used too many times without true purpose. Worse is when the director breaks the found footage illusion and resorts to flimsy excuses to have better camera angles such as a preponderance of mobile phones - I'm looking at you, Chronicle.

But End of Watch was surprisingly gripping despite (1) involving a lot of "found footage" style content and (2) the director deliberately breaking the found footage illusion with additional footage. It felt almost like an episode of that old reality TV show Cops or something. But despite crossing the line that I defined at the beginning of this review, the movie worked on so many levels. And that says a lot.

This movie have gotten mixed reviews because of its approach and its almost complete lack of a traditional Hollywood plot to follow. But those "deficiencies" are precisely what makes this movie so fascinating and that much more impressive.

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[Pink Scene] Know Your Oh Divas - Nap

2013-05-12T12:08:00.000+08:00

It wasn’t until Tobie started regularly bringing me to O Bar that I learned to appreciate the unique culture of drag queens. More than just trying to dress up as women, drag is many things to different queens ranging from a serious art form to a way to escape into campy comedy.

This is the first in a new series of blog posts featuring the fabulous drag queens of O Bar Ortigas – the Oh Divas! I’ve been enjoying their performances for years now and have been accumulating a ridiculous amount of photos and videos of their antics. So it only made sense to thank things a step further by interviewing these fabulous queens to learn a little more about their perspective on the life of a drag queen.

Our first featured Oh Diva is Nap, whose official drag name is actually Ethel (I totally had no idea). Tobie and I have been enjoying her shows since our O Bar Malate days and she’s still going strong at O Bar Ortigas.

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[Movies] August Rush (2007)

2013-05-10T12:08:00.000+08:00

I was home with the family over the weekend and the discussion of what movie to watch came up. One thing led to another and August Rush became the movie of choice since my folks liked it a lot. And to be fair, it was indeed a rather good movie.

Music has been an interesting angle to address in the telling of stories given it's practically a language of its own. Such is the way of the creative arts of course - each medium becomes a unique way to express oneself. And this movie really wanted to push that angle in terms of having a boy who was trying to live his life by following the music that he hears in his head.

Part of me was rather surprised that this movie was not based on a book or something since the story felt very, well, book-appropriate. So major kudos to the writers for coming up with a movie experience that was so enriching and fulfilling indeed. I can think of a few other musically-including movies that left me feeling the way this one did - something I'll try to get into over the course of this review.

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[TV] Soul Music (1997)

2013-05-09T12:08:00.000+08:00

I'm a big fan of Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels, as indicated by a number of the reviews on this blog. But beyond the books, it's interesting to note that a number of them have been adapted into other media, particularly television mini-series.

It took me a while to track this particular adaptation down given shows from 1997 aren't exactly all that well-preserved in these significantly digital times. But through the wonders of the internet I was able to secure a copy of the entire mini-series for Soul Music, which is one of my favorite Discworld novels.

I guess it goes a long way for me that this is one of the Death-related stories. While the various Discworld novels can be generally enjoyed on their own without having read all the others, the experience is certainly all the better if you have done your homework. And Pratchett has returned to certain character arcs repeatedly over the years, one of the quirkier ones involving the personification of Death and his extended family.

And yes, I know it sounds a little strange for a force of nature like Death does in fact have a family to call his own. But that's all part of the charm of Discworld for you.

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[Toys] Kre-O Star Trek Micro Build Starships - Wave 1

2013-05-08T12:08:00.000+08:00

I've originally got into the Kre-O toyline because of their primary Transformers imprint. It was a fun combination of two things that I love - LEGO-style toys and of course Transformers.

Based on that initial success, Hasbro has been expanding their Kre-O lines with more of their licensed properties including Battleship and G.I. Joe. And now they finally have Star Trek Kre-O sets based on the 2009 reboot Star Trek movie universe and the upcoming sequel.

So yeah, my Trekkie nature won over (especially with the help of my partner, Tobie) and I picked up their four different mini-kits featuring various ships from the first movie. Locally each one will set you back PHP 679.75 at retail prices and they're roughly 30-40 pieces each.

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[Books] Morgawr (The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara Book 3)

2013-05-07T12:08:00.000+08:00

The Shannara books of Terry Brooks were actually my first foray into the world of fantasy novels, for one reason or another. Yes, I read Shannara before I read The Lord of the Rings. And so the books have always held a special place in my heart, and thus my continued efforts to follow the series throughout the years.

In recent years I had only been investing time in the prequel novels that aim to marry the Brooks-created worlds of the Word & Void series with the Shannara books. It's only now that I decided to finally pick things up where I had left off - just before the conclusion of The Voyage of the Jerle Shannara trilogy of books. Don't ask my why I didn't read book 3 right away - it just sort of happened that way.

It was surprisingly easy for me to pick up where I had left off so many years ago. It just goes to show how (1) decently memorable the Shannara books are or (2) just how strong the "pattern" of such books tend to be. Similar to the David Eddings books, I've always felt that Brooks has a tendency to go back to familiar patterns in his stories. The fact that both the Blue Elfstones and the Sword of Shannara continue to survive across the generations of his characters really leans in that direction.

But it doesn't mean that the books aren't fun.

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[Movies] Oblivion (2013)

2013-05-06T12:08:00.000+08:00

I appreciated Tom Cruise as an early actor. Yes, Top Gun was a lot of fun and movies like A Few Good Men were pretty impressive. But in more recent years it feels too much like he's pushing the limits of his range as an action-adventure type of movie star. And yet he keeps plunging back into these roles and it just sorta weirds me out at this point. I mean seriously, the guy is 50 years old. It's really getting a little more than weird at this point.

Oblivion is another of those movies that are really weird action movies draped in a science fiction premise. And I say this given the core story wasn't particularly great or even good. It was just...there. And the rest of the movie involved a lot of Tom Cruise being all action star like as he runs around, shoots at stuff and runs some more.

To be fair, the movie was certainly visually impressive, and thus it carries with it the usual trappings of a summer blockbuster type of contender. But final execution wasn't quite there - and I admit this may be more from my geeky science fiction perspective more than my average movie-goer view.

I'll try to explain more in this review.

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[Pink Scene] IDAHO on May 17

2013-05-05T12:08:00.000+08:00

May 17 is IDAHO - the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia. As the name of the event states, it's a day set aside to mark the importance of fighting discrimination against members of the LGBT community in all of its forms. Given all the discrimination, bullying and even hate crimes that seem to be taking place around the world, we need help now more than ever to create safe spaces for LGBT.

So what can you do to support IDAHO here in the Philippines? Well one of the first steps is to get involved in the IDAHO social media community and be counted among those who want to stand up against discrimination. And you don't need to be LGBT to support IDAHO - the community certainly needs allies of all sorts whenever possible.

You can Like IDAHO Philippines on Facebook or follow @idahoPH on Twitter.

You can also make some time on May 17 to join the rest of IDAHO Philippines in their event, Tagay for IDAHO, which is the Safe Space Project launch in celebration of IDAHO as well.

Start that conversation. Educate your straight and LGBT peers. Create safe spaces for LGBTs in your neighborhood! We have a long way to go in eliminating homophobia and transphobia in the Philippines and the movement begins with you!

[Movies] Calendar Girls (2003)

2013-05-03T12:08:00.000+08:00

I had first heard about the movie Calendar Girls many years ago and the concept alone had me eager to see it. But of course one thing led to another and I just never got around to actually watching this movie until the weekend prior to this one. Life is funny that way.

The core concept behind the movie is quite delightful - the story of "little old ladies" posing for a nude calendar is an inherently humorous notion. But if anything the story is based on real-time events, although there were liberties made with the specific characters involved in the story.

The movie feels a little dated - not as a period piece but in terms of shooting sensibilities. The overall pacing of the movie is a little slower than what we're become accustomed to in recent years. But that in no way takes away from the story - I'm just trying to set your expectations here. After all, this is a British comedy and not an American one, thus the humor is a lot more well thought-out and deliberate and not too heavy on slapstick and such.

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[TV] Beast Wars: Transformers - Season 3

2013-05-02T12:08:00.000+08:00

The first season of Beast Wars: Transformers only hinted at how fun the whole series would be as it danced around whether or not it would become tied to the original G1 stories. The second season cemented its connection to the G1 characters and stories and pushed the limits of where those stories could go.

This third and final season of the series certainly marked a greater sense of maturity in both the stories and the characters as they had to face quite a bit. Not only were the Maximals up against the treacherous Predacons, but there's also the machinations of the mysterious Vok, who appear to have their own series of experiments on what we now know to be prehistoric Earth. And how all those complex pieces come together does make for even more interesting possibilities for the characters.

One of the strengths of the show has always been its keen focus on its characters. What initially began as a cost-saving measure eventually became one of the driving forces behind the show. With a consistently limited cast (one that had even been trimmed down at the end of the first season), there was more time available to include more character-driven tales. And I really enjoyed this part of the show.

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[Transformers] Kre-O Transformers Micro-Changers Combiners Blind Bag Codes (Waves 0-2)

2013-05-01T12:08:00.000+08:00

The Kre-O Transformers Micro-Changers blind bag figures are some of the more fun collectibles on the market today. But as with all blind bag toys, there's a way around the "blind" aspect of things if you study the packaging well enough.

As of April 2013, there have been a total of three waves released in this series - a preview wave and two "official" waves. So here's a quick guide to who is who and which is which for you fellow Kre-O collectors...

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[Comics] Geek Titles of Interest

2013-04-30T12:08:00.000+08:00

I'm at a weird point in my life when I'm not actively following any Marvel or DC Comics. I pretty much quit DC after The New 52 (and yes I tried to give it a decent shot) and Marvel just hasn't really hooked me until the peak of Marvel's cosmic-related titles as penned by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Since then, things just haven't been all that engaging.

Beyond my continued following of the various IDW Transformers comics, I have recently fallen in love with two newer titles with very different flavors. One is the fantasy science fiction comic, Saga, and the other is the alternate history science fiction comic The Manhattan Projects. Both were launched by Image in March 2012 and since then have provided me a rich source of entertainment and enjoyment in the comic book sphere.

One has to be thankful for truly original stories to come along. It's a little harder to discover such titles given most geek circles endlessly discuss the Marvel and DC stories and characters more than anything else. But thankfully these titles have generated a similar degree of interest over time, and thus the reason both Tobie and I have become rather engaged with the books.

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[Movies] Iron Man 3 (2013)

2013-04-29T12:08:00.000+08:00

When a movie reaches its third installment, eyebrows tend to rise as expectations drop. Let's face it - sequel syndrome is rarely kind on movie franchises, but there are times that you get lucky.

When the first few trailers came out for Iron Man 3, I have to admit that I wasn't at all excited. I had definitely enjoyed the first movie and the sequel was still entertaining even if the villains weren't too amazing. But this third movie, well, I was more than just surprised. I was definitely impressed.

What has worked the most for this entire movie franchise all the way to The Avengers movie is Robert Downey, Jr. What started out as a rather amusing casting choice turned into an unforgettable role that I doubt anyone else can truly bring to life the way he has. So it didn't really matter how some of his past adversaries have been a little or even lackluster, this Tony Stark was more than ready to talk his way through (or even out of) every challenge.

And should this become the last Iron Man movie for Robert Downey, Jr., well, it's certainly a good way to cap off his run.

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