InstaBat Photography #2 - The Sonar Detective

Inspired by the Batsuit's capabilities in Christopher Nolan's epic second installment of the The Dark Knight Trilogy that is "The Dark Knight", I decided to make a shot using this awesome Christmas Ornament for The Dark Knight Rises given to me by my friend and Justice PH teammate Gerard "Superman".

The pose alone is epic enough.

Even with the grainy shot taken with an iTouch, the grainy result gave Batman his distinct "White Eye" look, so I took advantage of that and decided to go with the Sonar theme, hence "The Sonar Detective".

InstaBat Photography #1 - The Brave Guardian

It's April Fools Day today, and beyond the pranks and jokes, I decided to start something old and new again.

In light of my continuos use of Instagram, I've decided to put up an "InstaBat Photography" theme that'll run and go for as long as possible. The theme is quite simple - Using Batman related items, or in this case toys, and shoot them and post at Instagram as necessary to share fandom and joy to fellow Caped Crusader enthusiasts.

And here's Instabat Photography #1 using a Batman - The Brave and The Bold collectible I got in Jollibee a while back. The piece is aptly titled "The Brave Guardian".

More to come soon, and check out more using the hashtag #InstaBatPhotography or my Instagram.

Movie Review: G.I.Joe: Retaliation

As a kid of the 80's, I've been lucky enough to enjoy and appreciate most of the cartoons and TV serials of that time, which have gone on to become legendary shows in popculture history. Two that quickly come to mind as definitive childhood moments of the era are G.I.Joe: A Real American Hero and The Transformers. Both properties belong to Hasbro, and have sold commercially well thanks to its humble beginnings as toys and action figures, later on expanding its reach thanks to the aforementioned animated series and comic book tie-ins released by Marvel. Decades later, these franchises have stood the test of time, evolving into recognizable brand names and even getting their own live action feature films.

While Transformers was the first to get its own movie and inevitably spawn two sequels, The Joes and their mortal enemy Cobra soon followed with their own live action flick - G.I.Joe: The Rise of Cobra. An origin flick serving to establish the franchise for a new generation, the film starred the likes of Channing Tatum as Conrad "Duke" Howser, Dennis Quaid as General Hawk, Lee Byung-hun as Storm Shadow, Joseph Gordon-Levitt as The Doctor/ Cobra Commander, and Ray Park as Snake Eyes. Directed by Mummy director Stephen Sommers, the film was pretty far from the source material, but still managed to entertain and pick up some good numbers to warrant a sequel. Hence, G.I. Joe: Retaliation was given the greenlight, with Jon M. Chu directing it and starring the likes of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Bruce Willis.

Did it succeed and do better than its predecessor? Find out with this review.

UPDATE: Special Thanks again goes to Solar UIP, Paramount Pictures, Hasbro, and ToySoldier OneEighteen for the special advanced screening last March 25th at SM North EDSA IMAX at the RP!!!