The Avengers, IMAX Experience

     The Avengers movie just unveiled earlier in IMAX format at the SM Malls.  The SM North, SM Southmall and also SM Cebu are the lucky locations which are able to show the movie to the many anticipating fans of it, it actually had a premier ealier at 12:01am of April 25th.  Unfortunately, SM MOA is unable to show the said movie because it's incompatible with the said format used to film the movie.

     Nevertheless, I know most of you guys will still go ahead and try to watch it in any format as long as it's in the movie theater.  I am very excited as well to see it tomorrow with my Angel and hopefully be able to watch it again in IMAX format! ^_^

The Avengers, casting call...

     When I watched the Iron Man movie, I was surprised to see Nick Fury recruiting Tony Stark to join The Avengers, I even got more excited when I saw him being recruited again in The Incredible Hulk movie, the one where Edward Norton was still playing the role of The Hulk.  So there I was able to conclude that the movie about The Avengers is up and coming, and surely each movie about the characters came out... and in the ending of movie had some cameo of the next character who will be up next.  I might say it really gave the fans of The Avengers the thrills as most of us eagerly awaited for them to merge as one in a movie.  Here, I'll give you a bit of info of how the characters had the thoughts of being involved in the said box office movie of the year!

     Leading the cast are Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Tom Hiddleston, with Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.  Every team has a go-to guy when the chips are down and “The Avengers” is no different as they turn to billionaire, industrialist playboy Tony Stark aka Iron Man. One of the cornerstones and fan favorite of the Marvel Universe, the first two installments of the “Iron Man” franchise, starring Robert Downey Jr. have grossed a combined 1.2 billion at the worldwide box office.
     “Robert is a tour de force as Tony Stark and he injects that confidence and sense of humor that brought to life and defined the character in the best way possible in both ‘Iron Man’ films,” says producer Kevin Feige. “We wanted to give Robert scenes with all the characters as we knew it would be a lot of fun to watch Tony’s interaction with Captain America, Thor and The Hulk. When Robert walks on the screen, the audiences embrace him in a very big and palpable
way; he really is a powerhouse for us and the film.”
     Downey shares, “Tony initially thinks forming the team is ridiculous, but being Tony Stark, he is more open to the realm of possibilities that exist in the world of ‘The Avengers.’ Tony already had hints of it from Nick Fury who has been stringing him along for a while about becoming part of a larger universe.”

     One Avenger who is suffering a little heartbreak is Captain America, played by Chris Evans. Frozen in a block of ice since 1945, Captain America awakes from the deep freeze to find a world he knows nothing about and where all of his friends and comrades have passed away.
     “It’s not just that Captain America wakes up in a whole new world; it’s the fact that he has to deal with the emotions of finding out that everybody he knows is dead,” says Chris Evans. “Every single person he called brother on a battlefield is gone and the world around him is a different place. It’s more fast-paced and impersonal because new technologies have put barriers between people. In the ’40s there was much more of a direct and honest sincerity in the way people behaved and I think human interaction helps breed manners. Waking up in modern day is just an extremely different way of life that Steve Rogers now has to get used to.”
     “Starring as Captain America was scary and exhilarating at the same time,” says Evans. “’Thor’ had already opened and done very well and so I kept thinking Captain America better open and do well because I don’t want to be the weak link of the ‘The Avengers.’ Luckily the film did well and it was an amazing feeling to see kids’ faces light up when they saw me in the costume. It really was a completely new experience for me, for which I am very grateful. ”

     For Ruffalo, his friend and colleague Robert Downey Jr. was the inspiration he needed to take on the role. “’The Avengers”’ isn’t the type film that I’ve done in the past or that I am usually invited to do,” laughs Ruffalo. “I was a little nervous about it because when Joss Whedon and I first met about the role there wasn’t a script. I thought a lot about Iron Man. I thought about what Robert Downey Jr. did with that part—he is one of my hero actors. I really loved what Robert did; he reinvented the genre. It made me feel like I could fit into that world with whatever it is I do. I had one meeting with Joss, who I liked instantly, so between him and Robert I was in.”
     “What appealed to both Joss and I about the character is that he would have a common man sort of feel to him and possess this world-weary charm,” says Ruffalo. “We also agreed he should have a sense of humor about his situation. Based on the last incarnation of The Incredible Hulk, there was the promise that Banner may actually have a little control over the Behemoth. We wanted him to be fun and interesting as Banner and awesome as Hulk.”

     Another newly christened franchise in the Marvel Universe is “Thor.” The film kicked off the summer of 2011 with a bang when it opened #1 at the box with $65.7 million and went on to gross $446 million worldwide. In “The Avengers” Chris Hemsworth reprises his title role as the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor.

     Hemsworth explains why family issues force Thor to return to Earth in “The Avengers”: “Thor has conveniently come back to earth briefly because Odin summons dark powers from the universe and it’s very costly,” explains Hemsworth. “He’s come back to retrieve Loki (Tom Hiddleston), who’s running madness on Earth and causing a lot of chaos. He also has some questions of his own he wants answered like, ‘How did this happen and where did I and my brother go wrong?’”

     The actor continues, “In ‘Thor’ my character learned a whole lot about humility and gained a new respect for humans because they were able to help him discover who he needed to become in order to earn his powers back. I also think he feels very protective of humans now because of his relationship with Jane. Joining The Avengers team is also tricky because he has a personal investment in that his brother Loki is the one who’s causing the chaos and he fears that the others may just want to kill him instead of just stopping him and taking away his powers.”

     Playing Hawkeye is two-time Academy Award® nominated actor Jeremy Renner who says playing a character in the Marvel Universe who is human and grounded in reality was an attractive element that intrigued him.
     “Producer Kevin Feige showed me images of Hawkeye from ‘The Ultimates’ and they were very cool, but what I liked more then anything was the idea that he’s a human being with a high skill set who is a bit of a rogue agent. I’ve played a few snipers before and there’s a really interesting mentality that comes along with being a sharp shooter, so I thought it was a pretty fun character to play.”

     Helping Nick Fury keep The Avengers on point for their mission is Natasha aka Black Widow. Reprising her role from “Iron Man 2,” Scarlett Johansson was happy to slip back into the sexy suit of her character’s alter ego Black Widow.
     “To be honest, I really didn’t know what the future would hold for the Black Widow after ‘Iron Man 2,’” informs Johansson. “I didn’t know how the fans would respond, but to be a part of the Marvel Universe and playing such a dynamic, ass-kicking character is pretty exciting. The first time you saw this character in ‘Iron Man 2,’ you didn’t get to learn much about her because she’s a bit of a slippery fish. She still has many different faces she puts on and, to this day, she still is divisive in that way. In this film, audiences will get to see more of her history and kind of shady past, which to me is very exciting because the darker part of the character was always very appealing to me.”
     Black Window sets off to find Bruce Banner, played by Mark Ruffalo, who has gone off the grid in order to stay away from anything that can bring stress and conflict into his life.

     The director of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement Logistics Division) and the person trying to
convince Tony Stark to join “The Avengers” team is Nick Fury played by Samuel L. Jackson.
     For Jackson, having Nick Fury front and center in “The Avengers” was a welcomed change to the many cameo roles in the other Marvel franchises leading up to this film. “It’s great to be the guy who is the organizer of The Avengers team,” says Jackson. “He’s the guy who has the raison-d’être that kind of understands the threat and has to get them to understand the nature of the threat; that we’re a lot stronger together than they are individually. Using Coulson in a manipulative way to get them to do what he needs them to do is not above Nick’s character. He does kind of fudge the truth a bit to get them to take the bait and join in, and eventually they all do.”

     With the casting process completed, producer Kevin Feige reflects upon his deeply talented cast and his desire to keep their characters grounded in authenticity. “The great thing about the Marvel Universe is that it takes place in the real world; it’s not a fictitious Metropolis,” explains Feige. “A big part of this equation is having a team that can deliver that right balance of emotion so that audiences can connect to the human element of the story. We have been rewarded for making those slightly against-the-grain choices in finding the right actor for the job, whether they’ve ever been in these types of films or not. When I think about the cast in this film from top to bottom, I still get giddy with excitement because they all are fantastic artists who understand what we need in terms of performance and all bring their own unique sensibilities that elevate each of their roles.”

(“Marvel’s The Avengers” will assemble in the Philippines on April 25 2012. The film is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures.)

The Avengers, Character Infos

     The only talk of the town today, the opening of the Avengers movie!!!  Yes, I am one of the nerdy boys before who was a fanatic of the characters and still am proud to say I still am.  In case you are about to watch or already have watched the movie which came out earlier than expected, was supposed to be shown worldwide on May 4, here's a small info the characters who are in the box office movie of the year!  This definitely would surpass all the top movie that came out this year, and most probably would be the number movie of 2012!

THE HULK aka Bruce Banner. After a gamma radiation experiment went awry, mild-mannered scientist Dr. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) found himself with a peculiar condition. When angered or provoked, he would transform into the uncontrollable, green-skinned monster known as the Hulk. Now, fearful of the damage that the Hulk could inflict, Dr. Banner chooses to live a discreet life in remote parts of the world, working to cure the sick and help the poor while
trying to elude those who would take advantage of his ability to change into the enormous, green menace. When a mounting threat calls for Banner’s specialized scientific expertise, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury recruits him, knowing full well that the incredible strength of Banner’s alter ego, the Hulk, would be an asset to The Avengers.
             

HAWKEYE aka Clint Barton. One of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most elite agents, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner), code-named Hawkeye, is the greatest living marksman on Earth. Armed with his weapon of choice, the recurve bow, Hawkeye fires his arsenal of custom augmented arrows, specialized for any number of specific situations, with perfect
precision. With the potential for global catastrophe on the horizon, he employs his amazing combat skills to fight along side The Avengers.

IRON MAN aka Tony Stark. On top of being an eccentric genius, a billionaire, a playboy and a philanthropist, Tony Stark
(Robert Downey Jr.) is also the armored super hero known as Iron Man.  Fresh off of defeating enemies the world over, Stark reluctantly agreed to serve as a consultant to S.H.I.E.L.D. Now, with a global crisis on the horizon and the fate of the world in the balance, Stark must again power up his Iron Man armor to save the world, and become a full-fledged member of The Avengers.

NICK FURY aka Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. As the legendary Director of the international peacekeeping organization, S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury is humanity's first line of defense against the world’s biggest threats. When S.H.I.E.L.D. becomes aware of an evil that threatens global safety, Fury assembles the planet's most powerful beings and forms The Avengers.

CAPTAIN AMERICA aka Steve Rogers. After a top secret Super-Soldier program transformed frail Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) into the powerful and heroic Captain America, his amazing WWII exploits made him a living legend. Steve saved New York City and turned the tide of the war, but crashed into the Arctic during his final mission. Awakening in the modern day, Steve learned that he had spent decades frozen in the icy tundra. Now, Steve Rogers finds himself alone in a modern world that he hardly recognizes. When Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), director of the international peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D., calls on Rogers to help save the world again, he quickly suits up as Captain America, taking up his iconic shield and bringing his strength, leadership and no-nonsense attitude to The Avengers.

BLACK WIDOW aka Natasha Romanoff. S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), is one of the world’s greatest spies and quite possibly the world’s most skilled assassin. Armed with an extensive arsenal of specialized weapons like widow stings and cluster bombs, as well as a vast repertoire of martial arts skills, Romanoff’s unique talents make her one of director Fury’s top agents and an integral part in assembling The Avengers.

THOR aka The God of Thunder. An arrogant prince from the distant land of Asgard, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was banished to Earth after his irresponsible behavior threatened his homeland. While in exile on Earth, Thor learned humility and helped to save his new friends from a destructive threat sent by his brother Loki. In the process, Thor redeemed himself in the eyes of his father, Odin, the King of Asgard. After being welcomed back to Asgard as a hero, Thor must now return to Earth once again to prevent a cosmic-level catastrophe. With Mjolnir in his hand, a legendary hammer with immense power, the mighty warrior soon finds himself drawn into an unlikely alliance with The Avengers, lending his power to their cause against his wayward brother, Loki.

LOKI. After his bid to overthrow the throne of Asgard was thwarted by his brother Thor, the evil Loki (Tom Hiddleston) retreated to lands unknown to plot his revenge. Not just against his brother, but against Earth, whose inhabitants Thor now protects. Loki, now returns with a nefarious plot to conquer Earth and will stop at nothing to see his vision realized. When his misuse of power threatens the entire planet, it may take more than The Avengers to stop him.

     Special thanks to Jay for giving me the opportunity to blog about them! ^_^

The Avengers... Tumblers ^_^

     I recently found out that the gas station I always go to were selling the Avengers tumblers for just P60 each.  So since I was going up north and needed to fill my gas tank, I decided to buy them as well.  And here they are!

The Hulk aka Dr Bruce Banner

Iron Man aka Tony Stark

Thor, The God Of Thunder

Captain America aka Steve Rogers

     Unfortunately, my nephew found the tumblers in my car... I gave him earlier my extra Thor tumbler.  So he kindly told me "Tito, akin nalang yung tumbler ni Iron Man, Captain America at Hulk.  Iwan ko nalang sayo yung Thor since meron na ako..."  Haiz... Good thing he allowed me to take the pictures first.  Bought these from two separate Petron gas stations since the first one only had Hulk and Thor.  Hopefully, I would still be able to buy the others...

The Lucky One

     The Lucky One is a movie based on the novel written by Nicholas Spark, the same author famous for the books he wrote which became novels as well like The Notebook and Dear John.  The movie stars Zac Efron as Logan, an ex-marine who travels to Louisiana in search of a woman in a picture he found during the war who he believes saved him and wants to thank her for doing so.  Without any name or any clue where to start.  He finds the light house from the picture of the woman and eventually finds Beth, starred by Taylor Schilling.

     Unfortunately, he had a hard time saying the words thank you fast enough because Beth simply talks so much that he ended applying for a job in the place Beth was handling, a home that nurtures dogs.  Good thing Logan takes care of a dog as well, Zeus, his beloved German Shepherd that he eventually gets the job care off Beth's grand mother Ellie starred by Blythe Danner.  It was a good thing that Logan needed the job to take him away from the hunting dreams he had because of the war, the place and taking care of the dogs also enable him eventually to be a bit at peace with the struggles he is facing from the trauma he had from the war.

     I really like how the movie showed how tragic a war is and also how lucky most people are who are being defended by their loved ones.  The scenery shots from the film was amazing as well, most of which was incorporated because of the long walks Logan enjoys.  Yes, he walked most of the time, if not all the time in the film.  The comedic acts was also brilliant because it was like a ice breaker to the some what calm scenes of the movie.  The love scenes were the ones most people were looking forward to, and I believe they were shot beautifully.  All in all, it is a very nice movie to watch with your loved one.  A movie which would make you realize how much you are lucky to have found your luck.

     The Lucky One is still showing in your nearest theaters and is currently still in the top 5 of IMDB's box office chart.

Battleship

     I remember playing Battleship during class when I was still in high school, me and my friend would bring out a piece of paper and then draw our "ships" and try to sink each one out by using our ballpens.  But the Battleship board game was far from the one we were playing.  It looked a lot like this:

     In this board game, you set up your ships in a board which has coordinates, you and your enemy have the boards on opposite directions and you try to guess the coordinates to place your bombs so you can sink the ships of your friend.  The one to ship all the enemy's ship wins.

     So in this movie, Alex Hopper (Taylor Kitsch) celebrates his birthday with his ever dearest brother Stone (Alexander Skarsgård) and tries to impress a girl he saw who suddenly came in the bar named Samantha (Brooklyn Decker).  With the said "impression" he went so far that he was tazed by the police, and his brother had to take control of his young and care free brother by enlisting him to the navy.  Days go by, and with Alex's wits, he was able to get a good position in the navy, and as well as win the hearth of Samantha who coincidentally is the daughter of Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson).  As the movie progresses, they try to enjoy the friendship games with the Japanese fleet and perform a Naval war games exercise.  Until a unsuspecting pack of asteroids suddenly lands nearby, they find themselves suddenly placed in a much more realistic war game with the aliens.

     I really liked how the movie was able to incorporate the board game in the movie itself.  How the Japanese thought the Americans how to use the bouys in case the radar is ineffective to trace their enemies.  The thrill and excitement it brought to the watchers was really amazing.  Also the tickets given to us during the premiere was also very unique. ^_^

     Catch the movie Battleship at your nearest theaters.  You'll definitely have a fun and action filled night!

Wrath Of The Titans

     Perseus (Sam Worthington) now enjoys his simple life living as a fisherman with his son Helius.  Since the world has stopped praying to the Gods, Zeus (Liam Neeson) power continues to deteriorate and with that the power that protects and strengthens the prison holding the Titans in danger.  And with that, the probable escape of Zeus, Poseidon's (Danny Huston) and Hades (Ralph Fiennes) father Kronos will be unleashed.

     Zeus tells this to Perseus, his favorite son who is a demi-god and famous for slaying the Kraken, but he declines right away since he just wish to live peacefully with his son.  Zeus warned him about the things that would come his way thru Perseus' dream as he later he realized that it is easy to say no, but it is hard to neglect your destiny.  He then saves his village from an attack from one of the Chimeras, and there decided that he needs to leave his son after receiving an advice from Poseidon that Zeus had been imprisoned by Hades and Ares (Edgar Ramirez).  He then decides to speak to his old friend Queen Andromeda (Rosamund Pike) with the help of Pegasus.  There he finds Poseidon's son who then helps him find Hephaestus (Bill Nighy), the God of Blacksmith and also the one who built the prison Tartarus. the great prison labyrinth holding Kronos and Zeus.  And their adventure begins as they face different tasks along the way in order for them to save Zeus and mankind.

     I really liked the visualizations in this movie better than the first one.  How it showed how powerful the Titans are, and also how it also showed that even though men are different from gods, they both cannot exist without help from the other.  I've always liked reading about Greek mythology and always liked watching films about it.  So I really liked how the characters were depicted in the movie, all except for Hephaestus.  I always pictured him to be much like the Hunchback of Notredame, powerful body but grotesque features.  Also he is said to have weak legs, so I really didn't pictured him to be played by Bill Nighy.  But all in all, the movie was amazing from beginning to end.  You'd enjoy it so much you'd forget about how long the movie is since you focused so much in the screen instead of your watch ^_^

The Hunger Games

     I always was curious what the books about Hunger Games was all about.  But for some reason, I still haven't bought the books.  Now I think the movie made me want to read the books.  And that is how good the movie was, so good that the film currently holds the record for the third best opening weekend box office sales of any movie ($152.2 million), which is really great for a movie who actually really had a low budget and wasn't really thinking of making the other two books into movies, it's a non-sequel movie.  I believe they finally changed their mind after findinf out how the world reacted to the first film.

     The Hunger Games is based on the novel by written by Suzanne Collins telling the life of Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) who belonged to the 12th district.  The nummber of the district is based on how low your district is from the Capitol.  Because of the past wars that erupted from the rebellions made by the districts, the Capitol imposed a law that every year, 2 representatives from each district, one boy and one girl, would participate in a game of life and death which they call "The Hunger Games".  In this game, the representatives would be placed in a forest where they need to survive and also kill the others until only one is left.

     The movie had great visuals in terms of how different the lifestyle is in each district.  It also had a group of "not so popular" actors/actresses mixed with well known stars like Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland and Lenny Kravitz.  Each one played their part well in terms of how the story went own.  But since the movie's target was from age 13 and above, they had to tone down the killing parts.  Overall, I really liked how the movie went, it was really engaging and made me feel how it is to be in such a fearsome environment.  I also liked how Lenny Kravitz played his part, he really carried his character well that you'd understand how Katniss would feel being alone and sent to kill.  The Hunger Games is one of the best movies I've seen so far this year, can't wait for the next one ^_^

Spyder-charge your Summer

     Spyder, one of the leading sports outfitter here in the Philippines, recently launched the event named "Spyder-charge your Summer".  It was a week long event held at the ground floor of Filinvest Mall in Alabang, Muntinlupa which mostly showcased the different items they showcased that would help the different adventurers to be equipped safely as they enjoy summer.

     I don't know much about their products, but only knew them being one that sells cheap but beautiful sports glasses (this fact I knew a long time ago since my office mate sells some of their items).  Anyway, at the said event, I found out that they not only produce glasses but actually also makes helmets for bikers.  I always thought that motorbike helmets were very expensive hearing from motorbike enthusiasts such as my friends from my village, so I got surprised that Spyder was selling them for a very cheap price (usually 3k-4k).  Plus they looked pretty awesome as well.  From there, I came to understand that they are a good replacement for Oakley items.  ^_^

     The event started with some dancers performing their skills while wearing Spyder helmets.  Must be pretty tiring since some of them had moist in their helms.  Hosted by DJ's Joshua and Danielle, the event gave away prize money and also a trip for two to Boracay for the bloggers who posted their best blogs regarding the said event.  After which, the greatest thing was introduced to us, the "Spyder-assist program"

     The Spyder Assist card can be purchased for a cheap amount of P150 after you bought any of Spyder's Bike helmet.  The program was introduced to us by Judah Paolo alongside President and CEO Lal of Roshan Commercial Corporation, the distributor of Spyder helmets in the Philippines.  The card insures that you get up to 100k in terms of personal accident insurance and even lost of life.  It also would give you an opportunity to get a discount, or even a replacement of your helmet in cases of damage.  The is the first time ever for an insurance to cover a biker in the Philippines so the minute I found about, I shared it to every biker I knew from my work to my friends.  To know more about it, just go the website www.teamspyder.com/spyderassist.  You'd definitely be happy to know there is a company such as Spyder who's there to help and protect you.