Nostalgic Review: Ultraman (1966)

Today was a pretty good day to hang out with great peeps and friends and peeps I haven't seen in a while. It inspired me to make this entry, simply because of the fact that after having dinner and hanging out at my place, we managed to sample the very first episode of one of Japan's timeless creations and contributions to popculture and the world. More on that fact later, but let's go back a bit to how I stumbled upon... THIS.

My last trip to Hong Kong bore unexpected fruit in the form of getting the entire Ultraman TV show in original DVD. In my wanderings around one of the shopping capitals of Asia, I chanced upon a great deal that almost took the life out of me: A 4-disc collection of the entire 1966 run, released by Mill Creek Entertainment and featuring an English Dub track next to the original Japanese one for all 39 episodes (the English Dub being done by the same people behind the classic Speed Racer anime series). Now, I couldn't pass this opportunity up, and a day before leaving HK, I made it a priority to pick up the set and bring it home to my personal collection, with the high hopes of actually sitting down for a day or more to watch the entire series until the very end.

Suffice to say, I'm feeling a good mix of happiness and silliness for actually taking up this endeavor, ESPECIALLY after seeing the pilot episode "Ultra Operation #1" only a few hours ago as of this writing. Why? Well, before getting to that, a brief summary of said episode and what Ultraman is should be in order.

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

When the first Sherlock Holmes movie strode into theaters back in holiday season 2009, I was blown away and mesmerized by the sheer brilliance and excellent performances given by its stalwart cast, notably Hollywood icons Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law, who portray the titular character Sherlock Holmes and his colleague Dr. John Watson, respectively. In the same vein that Batman Begins and Casino Royale recreated the sagas of The Dark Knight and James Bond, this flick totally gave us a new and wacky interpretation of Mr. Holmes, and his methods are quite eccentric and comedic in nature that it proved to be a good choice by director Guy Ritchie to cast RDJ as the genius sleuth and detective, with the latter riding out his newly acquired fandom thanks to his unprecedented role of Tony Stark in 2008's Iron Man.

I've seen the movie twice to count, once in Hong Kong this past December (making it both films in the series I've seen in HK) and the other this past Thursday for the special advance local premiere, courtesy and thanks to Jay Gonzales and the people of Warner Bros. Philippines. It may be a few weeks late after its initial release in the US, but rest assured, if you're a fan of Guy Ritchie and RDJ's interpretation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's seminal fictitious work, you may want to give this a shot, as it opened this week as of this writing in theaters locally. With that said, here's my review of Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows!

Hello Year of the Dragon!

First of all, I'd like to wish you all a Happy New Year! It's my first entry of 2012 here back in the blog, and it's been one heck of a holiday season indeed! I'm sure many of us are itching to start the year right and get our wishlists done, but I'm still reeling from my recent trip to Hong Kong, which suffice to say was more awesome than I could have predicted.

Aside from the expected shopping and walking, I got to bask in more new sights and sounds with family and friends. One particular noteworthy mention in the hike trip to the "Dragon's Back" last Thursday, and I have my old friend Kenneth to thank for that trip. A train + bus + 2 hour plus hike to take in a majestic view of Hong Kong high atop a breezy mountain view is quite the sight to talk about, and I'll always remember it as a good experience. That, coupled with partying with good friends at Lau Kwai Fong the next day, was just epic, and I couldn't think of a better way to cap off 2011 and, coincidentally, gear up for the year of the Dragon!

With that said, I look forward to a new year and new adventures, and I'm grateful to family, friends, and everyone who has made my life more interesting each day. Hello 2012, and just bring it!;)