The Stormtrooper Effect: Upcoming Updates and Annoucements!

After an almost 2 month long hiatus and irregular postings, i'm pretty pleased to say now that my schedule has allowed me to post regularly and update on the several hauls over the last months.

Meanwhile i'd like to give a shout-out of thanks to those who dropped me an email about my absence from updating! And pardon me yet again if i replied late!

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And to update on the few figures that i have managed to squeeze the time to haul in, along with geek-fan-dom projects that i'd be engaged in for the months leading up to Christmas!



Many thanks to Desmond who helped keep a lookout for this figure for me over at CSC and who successfully turned me over to the DARK SIDE through his fantastic review & photography of the figure, which made me cave in and buy it.

Its my first figure from Sideshow and whilst the base body is loose and may not be on par with that of Hot Toys, i will say that aesthetically and visually it seriously is a figure to grace one's shelves for one to even call oneself a Star Wars Fan. And i simply love the way how the armor hangs off realistically from the figure as opposed to Medicom's glueing of armor pieces to the bodysuit.

Furthermore i'm much happier with the hard ABS plastic armor pieces that Sideshow uses as opposed to Medicom's softer PVC material used. And with a reasonable price of SDG$150+, I purchased mine off ebay from a nice dealer at $165, its pretty much a good deal.

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My latest haul as yet, is Hot Toys' John Connor. Its sports its realistic likeness of Christian Bale and Hot Toys doesn't disappoint in terms of quality, nor did they stinge on the amount of accessories, specifically the ammo clips for the M16 and C4 blocks. Every minute detail was realistically captured and i'm very happy with this figure.

Though, i must confess putting on the pouches can be a huge pain in the ***.

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And if you're not yet aware, Green Day, the Grammy award winning, punk rock trio hailing from Oakland, California will be hitting Singapore for a one night only LIVE concert @ the Singapore Indoor Stadium on 14th January 2010.

They're embarking on their 21st Century Breakdown Tour starting since July 2009 and ending in early January 2010.

Being a musically influential band to me since i was young, and the sole inspiration which propelled me to pick up an electric guitar, i can barely grasp and wrap around a word to articulate how pleased I am over the news that they're arriving in Singapore for a concert. Had this news been said out loud as words a few years back, most would have scoffed at the improbability and impossibility however much they'd want it to happen.


And with this once in a lifetime chance, i would never let it slip past me. Purchased 6 tickets on the very day ticket sales opened.



so if you're heading there, i'd see you at PEN A! mosh! mosh! mosh!

tickets are still on sale at prices going at $88, $128 & $148.

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Saving the best for the last, i am currently embarking on a "bucket-list" thing to do before i get too old to do so. One such thing to do on my list was to build myself a Stormtrooper Armor! being an avid fan of Star Wars and the stormtroopers to clonetroopers, it would be a shame to live a life without an armor to call my own.



and so YES, i have ordered a stormtrooper FX armor kit and am awaiting delivery of the item from UK, it has taken months of careful planning and consideration, be it researching on the materials and items needed to the best kit to use and build up from, namely screen accuracy being the subject of nitpicking.

While i do realise that FX armor isn't entirely screen accurate, and more than often is called and dubbed the bubble headed armor, as the helmet sculpt was purely an original design and not casted off ANH or any other actual movie helmet unlike the TE armor, it is the most commonly used armor amongst the member of the 501st Legion, a Star Wars Officially approved costume trooping fan club.

i do know the long laborious and meticulous process which it will be, to build up this armor, but i'm certain that the end result would be something to behold.

The kit will arrive through FED-EX around this weds-fri, and subsequently i'd be covering/blogging the progress of the Stormtrooper Armor on a weekly basis, basically a chronicling of the process of building the stormtrooper armor, i expect there to be hilarious mistakes and ''epic phailz'' moments along the way.

I hope that by covering this project in my blog, it would serve as a guide for others who are interested in this heading down the path of kit/costume building their own stormtrooper in the name of pure GEEKDOM!

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that's all for now, and i will update again on the matter when FEDEX knocks on my door with my package! Meanwhile, i'd be settling the logistics side regarding the tools required, and other materials needed to build the costume, from the mic tips, to the boots, and undersuit.

GI JOE movie review

Caught G.I. Joe the movie on saturday,

I must confess that this film was for me a breath of fresh air compared against the blockbusters of this year. A brief recap on that would be,

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Watchmen: A simple proof of how being completely faithful to its roots didn't quite pay off for the response it got, though i must say i loved that film. It faces the strong dilema of being incomprehensible for people new to the story, and falling short of expectations for the hardcore fans. ( hey, where's the f*ckin' GIANT SQUID we paid to see, zack? )

Terminator Salvation, possibly the biggest crush of expectations for a film which shoulders the reputation and distinction of its predecessors. IMHO the biggest flop for a blockbuster this year. Poor scripting, piss poor graphics. And yes Bale's one dimensional ''intense'' portrait all the way. Rule of thumb? ( don't take a Charlie's Angels' Director )

Transformers: Pure Robot Porn. Whilst the storyline was somewhat non-existent, or nonsensical, ( reviving Jet Fire with the broken shard when Sam COULD'VE used it on Optimus hence spanning the film for an extra hour, and that's just one out of many loopholes ) the visual aesthetics and visual graphics of the film pretty much quenched the inner child. Trnasformers seriously made the impossible possible. Bringing Robots we'd always wanted to see come alive, to life.

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however back to the point, we've not had a balance of great visual aesthetics and a decent storyline with good enough laughs to qualify for a decent blockbuster yet till now...

While i honestly did find some of the graphics to be pretty distinguisable, considering the quality of graphics and level of advancement in technology we've seen so far in the field of graphics, G.I. Joe's director really should try harder...though i will not critize this film based on its graphics for it sure does make up for itself.

Whilst the graphics may not be top notch, the storyline was interesting and coherent even for newcomers to the G.I. Joe franchise, and the director's adaptation of a Hasbro toy line, spanning from toys to comics, all in itself deserved some form of merit.

Casting was pretty suiting, i must say that Lee Byung-Hun as Storm Shadow was good, furthermore his portrayal as the Arch rival and sword brother to Snake Eyes was good, though i would've loved to see more of their brother/rival/ evolution to nemesis backstory...
on another note, storm shadow's murder of his master due to jealous was a pretty cheap shot considering Storm Shadow in the comics was falsely accused of doing so, with the assasin mistaking the master for Snake Eyes, resulting in Storm Shadow's masters' death, causing the rift and animosity towards his sword brother.

I felt too that the change of the Cobra troopers from the Klu Klax Klan hoods to metal skull masks were a nice touch to the modernization of most comic fanfare. However if i could nitpick, i wished that they hadn't changed Cobra Commander's Mask, it being rather iconic to me. Destro was pretty spot on too, and the explanation for the forming of Cobra Troopers and their unwaivering loyalty was pretty well done.

Besides that, one could never talk about G.I Joe without mentioning the Baroness, yes, yes, she sure does give the boys a run for their money. But most importantly, evil never looked so good before.

What intrigued me more than the Snake Eyes/Storm Shadow chemistry was Snake Eyes' suit. It sure does pack up a hell lot of bulk, reminiscent to that of Batman from Batman Begins. And it took me a while to realize that Snake Eyes was wearing a suit, in a sense they didn't quite say if he was wearing a suit, and i was mistaken for a while thinking that the whole rubber outfit he was in was supposedly his muscled body coated in black paint or something, and the fact that he wore a hoodie or some other form of coat over it in scenes at the base whilst his teammates were out of their gear, had me thinking it was his body instead of a suit.

Then again, it would be nice if they dropped the bulk off snake eyes and gave him a lean muscled frame something like that of ryan reynolds...

I particularly loved the introduction to the film where i was pretty much wowed by the sets, the guns, the trucks, and the grand entrance of the JOEs

All in all the film was pretty well balanced out, and for a Toy line thought up by Hasbro to be brought into silver screens with a decent storyline, action and backstory sure is on helluva achievement, and Stephen Sommers sure did deserve every bit of credit for that. Yeah the graphics weren't top notch, yep we had some cheesy lines, ''YO JOE'' every now and then from General Hawk, but hey, what's the film without its cheesy fanboy kid appealing cheer? Though what tickles me to be ridiculous is the whole scottish language to activate the weapons of the Night Raven.

The story does flow well and the humour and mild violence does make it a kid friendly and family approved action blockbuster, whilst some would rate this film down harshly or draw comparisons from The Dark Knight, a "standard bar" for comic book adaptations, videogames, or toys, i say enjoy this film for what it truly is, a well adapted film suitable for fanboy and family alike.

Terminator Salvation: Movie Review Coming Soon

Caught Terminator Salvation yesterday, and will post a review of it by 2am tomorrow, because i'd be geekin' out at forum gallery's transformers launch.

must add that i was a tad dissapointed in the film. strong introduction, weak and flimsy end. been having high hopes of it being the geekdom film of the year.

now i guess Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen will be the fanboy film of the year...

Green Day: 21st Century Breakdown Album Review

Album Cover

Track Listing
CD art
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Originally meant for this post to be up by Friday, 15th May 09' but with unforseen schedule clashes in the teaching schedule @ Marymount Convent Primary, had me scurrying around rearranging timeslots, timetables etc. And now, to the long awaited review of Green Day's highly anticipated Album, also MTV's artist of the month! 21st Century Breakdown.

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For starters, this isn't your regular ''Green Day'' album. It ain't no American Idiot, ain't no Dookie, Kerplunk or anything you've heard before. This is one album where Green Day stretches its repertoire of fast beating good ol' school rock & roll for more melodious tunes and dramatically poetic lyrics.

Yes, expect to be pleasantly surpised or dissapointed fans, as Green Day take a twist with Stadium rockish vocals and mass hand waving sing-a-long styled songs, for example, Last Night On Earth. And for the first time, you will be able to distinctively hear piano intros in these Green Day songs. While not all a bad thing, it is somewhat new approach and most would still be grasping the concept with the change in tune or rather genre as Green Day moves past their American Idiot success.

The album is divided into 3 acts, Heroes and Cons, Charlatans and Saints, Horseshoes and Handgrenades, and follows two antagonists, Gloria and Christian, through the struggles of coping with the ongoing chaos of the world around them which they're living in.

While in my honest opinion, 21st Century Breakdown is a breakaway of Green Day from sounds which they're very distinctively know for, it is a refreshing turn as the lyrics wrench out the most poetic styles as yet seen by Green Day. With a distinctive line that goes

'' Oh dream, America dream.

Can't leave and see from rainstorms 'til dawn.

Oh bleed, America bleed.

Believe what you read from heroes and cons"

Whilst relatively mild in terms of politically fused rock as opposed to American Idiot, it still does contain lines and references to songs they've done before, songs like American Idiot are mildly referenced with respect to the previous president, and working class hero is referred in the song "21st Century Breakdown"...

the more definitve and distinct Green Day sounds are still around, in songs like ¡Viva La Gloria! and East Jesus Nowhere, and Horseshoes and Handgrenades. Fast, raw and punchy. most definitely songs most would be able to relate to.

Diehard Green Day fans would be able to distinct nips and bits of their previous ''experimental sounds'' put into play from their previous band projects like THE NETWORK and THE FOXBORO HOT TUBS. New wave sounds and 60's style recordings before songs seen in those experiment albums can be found in songs such as East Jesus Nowhere (radio background noises etc 60's style intro) seen in Foxoboro hot tubs songs, and in Christian's Inferno by the distorted screaming styles from The Network.

All in all, this album experimental as it may sound, would be a staple for musicians and listeners around and has the lyrical depth for all to sink their teeth into. While it may not be on par as that of American Idiot, it still never fails to deliver the punchline at every end of curtain call. Green Day while they didn't deliver the album we hoped or expected, sure did pitch us one helluvan album to keep us pacified for a long time to come.

in the meantime i'm headthumpin' to horseshoes and handgrenades and lighter waving' over Last night on Earth. 5 years for this album, and i'm sure as hell gonna devour it. Now i wonder how long they'd take for the next album. Another 5?

p.s. this album's 18 songs long....

X-men Origins: Wolverine Movie Review

It seems after such a long time after watching this movie that i'm getting off my ass to write this review for it. To be pretty honest, i watched it the first day it hit cinemas, on the 29th April and to be exact to the nitty ditty details, the first show of the day at 10.30am. And in short a simple reason why i took so long to review this film was because it wasn't really up to my standards and worth my time to review it.

Yes, i said it, you may begin cursing this site, begin a witch-hunt to find me, disembowl my entrails... etc...etc....but hey, my decision still stands.

now, onto the detailed review.

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Despite its ensemble cast and change in director, i must confess that this movie still sports, and carries much of its unfavourable flaws similiar to its predeccessor. The X-men trilogy. In reference to its trilogy counterpart, i would say that the revamp in costumes were fantastic, and the revamp to it to suit the relevance of today is acceptable to fans around the world. An example would be how Iron Man is made into movies and changed slightly to fit into the modern world today *scenario* ...eg viet war where he got the shrapnel accident to middle east conflict etc etc...you know what i mean.

The concept of adaptation of comic books to reflects today's ever changing society is perfectly fine with us fans, though KILLING PROFESSOR X, murdering CYCLOPS is somewhat totally something we fans could never possibily expect or see coming our way when we bought those movie tickets.

and with X-men wolverine Origins, do expect the same *WTF %!&*#$* expressions and jaw dropping exasperation to come from you at the end of the day.

butchering deadpool and turning him to a mouthless, armbladed, laser eye blasting, teleporting mutant sure as hell doesn't cut it with us. and yes, that is the major spoiler for most of you out there. If you are not yet familiar with Deadpool, he is possibly one of the most likeable X-men characters, to me. Being the Mercenary with a mouth, smart assed, self-aware. He is in fact one helluava of a comic character. And with how the scriptwriters and Fox totally reshaping and changing him to weapon XI and embodying powers of all the other mutants that have been captured and or had their dna extracted, eg: cyclops, wolverine, wraith etc..

Fight scene right before good ol' Deadpool gets decapitated.

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Weapon XI is also called by Col. William Stryker as "Deadpool", due to having powers "pooled" from many other mutants killed and/or kidnapped in the film, including Wolverine's healing factor, Cyclops' optic blasts, Deadpool's martial arts ability and Wraith's teleportation ability. He also has retractable blades from his arm capable of killing Wolverine. He's the final antagonist of the film, having been genetically altered to be the ultimate mutant killer. It is mentioned that Weapon XI is the possible product of experiments on Wade Wilson aka Deadpool

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I believe i've ranted enough about FOX and origin's scriptwriter's most crucial flaw which they continue to repeat in their movies, killing beloved characters with no rhyme or reason, and changing them so much we just gape in sheer terror. (and dissapointment after we recover from the tragic butchery)

Now in terms of plot, this story hinges on the brink of oblivion.

Yes they do explain how wolverine got his claws, and nails the century long debate of whether Wolverine originally had bone claws before adamantium implants or not. The introduction of the film with James Howlett/Logan/Wolverine ripping up his claws and supposedly killing his father answers it all.

And apart from the abrupt introduction, the cutscenes where they flash through logan's life in a timeline of wars he's faced since WWI -WWII and then the vietnam war, were very well done. However i must say that this and the scene where team X storms the building in search for adamantium are the only interesting and memorable parts of the film.

That aside, the graphics for most part of the film are pretty obvious and somewhat to the point of over the top ( agent zero's gun slinging moments @ the fortress) and makes it rather phony.

i must say the moment which shone best for me was WADE wilson/ deadpool as he wisecracks off his ass at stryker before taking on an entire room filled with soldiers with just his weapon of choice, the two katanas that make him iconic through all comic books. - " okay, i'm done....people are dead...'' - deadpool

indeed ryan reynold's smart assed wisecracking nature was the best choice as deadpool, however it still saddens many that despite all that, poor direction and vision from a director and scriptwriter killed his character and what that could've been a potentially good movie.

don't blame Ryan if you don't like deadpool, he's the perfect deadpool/wade wilson. his character sucks because it's all FOX's fault.

To commend, one cannot deny that Liev Scriebber shone through this disaster franchise with a complex relationship shared between him and Wolverine. And Liev indeed shone with his chops as an actor and is the ideal victor creed even if he ain't that hairy.


Talk about poor casting....Gambit sure flopped flat with a poor casting choice and wound up more like a pansy more than a roguish and formidable adversary whom you never want to cross. It only was the graphics of the card throwing that help boost his screen presence. otherwise, i can't be bothered about him.



That all aside, whilst we were expecting a story of loss and hatred, and the thirst for revenge ( over silverfox's death ) which drove wolverine to get those fancy claws, (as seen / pushed by the trailers)...this sure as hell isn't the case towards the end, as they reveal everything as a major plot twist which doesn't quite shake or part the ground beneath you , but rather gives you a bitter aftertaste in the mouth making you feel way cheated.

Silverfox not dying, wolverine not particularly shaken up after what should've been a very traumatizing sugical procedure. Talk about action action action and no storyline. This film has so much potential to delve into the animalistic nature of wolverine, the hurt the anger the rage the revenge the betrayal and the trauma thereafter....with so much emotions to work with and platforms to begin from...its a wonder how FOX managed to screw up so badly by missing all these.


All in all, X-MEN origins : Wolverine is a Roar without substance, with certain scenes visually entertaining and some totally over the top unbelievably phony. The storyline lacks in so many places, with moments which could be used to delve into a complex storyline, substituded and ditched for plain mindless over-the-top action...boy FOX, you sure did screw up big this time.

and with the ''origins'' which they push as a name with so much bravado ....seems like an irony to the film which murdered the comics of x-men. ( deadpool is a good example ) by totally changing the origins of characters and throwing it all away for action.

well need i say more? I'm running low on vocabulary to describe this desecration of a fan favourite franchise. out of the stormtrooper effect's rating system.

i rank this film 2 out of 5 stars.

- Largely dissapointing for its continued failure to maintain a storyline. (like its predeccesors
- for butchering deadpool
- too over the top to the point it seems phony graphics
- producers, directors and scriptwriters had so much emotions and directions and faucets of wolverine that they could've potentially explored, which they strangely didn't and shortchanged viewers.

watch it because there's no other action blockbuster yet, or as an appetizer before terminator salvation, or just because you've got too much time or money in your hands.

Haul of the Day: Resident Evil 5 PS3: First Look

With over the top prices that most video gamers on PS3 platform pay, i was pretty much reluctant to get this game. Yes, i am aware of the high praise and fantastic reviews but i just wasn't in the mood to splurge on a video game, with so many 12' inch hot toys preorder and especially when i do not follow up the hype and pre-production enthusiasm till its eventual release.

Normally when i actualy do get video games, i'd read up on its previous titles, series, or backstory, just to build up the excitement etc. Resident Evil 5 was a first where i didn't follow up on the hype and just got it based on interest.

Although i didn't follow up the hype at first, i must say that i was since a kid, interested in Resident Evil ( video games). I still remember fondly the days where i struggle as a child of 7, fumbling the buttons, desperately trying to aim and put a bullet or two into a staggering zombie and fail desperately as more surround me and eventually munched me to death.

i would still recall how i couldn't even open the first door to get out of the alley of the very first scene, first level, first scenario. Pathetic really...but it does etch much memories....of a painful death and terrible nightmares with walking corpses.

Resident evil had and has always been the platform for my interest in a zombie apocalypse though i feel that the RE movies on silver screen, though interesting to watch for the pure zombie-come-to-life makeup , is a flop to its video game origins, hence i never was a fan of it but did watch it just to visualize how fun a zombie apocalyspe could be. ( Alice's godlikeness is retarded really...) hate those gungho over the top movies of late... old school yipee-ki-yayness of Bruce willis in Die hard is believeable as opposed to films nowadays, ultraviolet, RE's alice, and the whole untouchable effect on the main characters.

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Small talk aside, Resident Evil 5 truly satiates my thirst and hunger for a solid ''oh what the f**k he ain't dead YET?'' zombie game. With the next generation graphics of the PS3, though some slight tearing can be visible from time to time in cutscenes, the graphics are otherwise smooth and easy on the eye. Most of all, Sheva Alomar, your skimpy clevage revealing partner who stands by your side. Yes gentlemen, she is hawt!

Whilst the A.I is pretty good considering RE5's shift from a solo horror puzzle solving genre to a coop action, most mainly use their ai partner, Sheva either as a pack mule to carry all the equipment, herbs, and grenades, or as bait as she runs towards hordes blazing to kill them whilst you chill at the back taking cheap pot shots.

Capcom's cheesy and somewhat campy dialogue returns, as expected though it narrates the storyline well.

that'd be all for now, and i'd resume gaming further to bring all you readers a full review sometime in the following week.

till then i'd keep my sights lined down to the humongous zombie with the axe, and Sheva's svelte figure at the corner of my mind...

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i must add, that no thanks to my decision of getting the game, i am now hooked, and most definitely WILL be getting RE5's Hot Toys line, ( Chris Redfield seems to be high on steroids or some form of Marcus Fenix hormone treatments.)

First watching 24 to get hooked to enterbay's jack bauer, now RE5...i'm so gonna be broke, period.

Watchmen: Review

With The Straits Times critically panning the film at just 2/5 stars, and a huge rift amongst viewers alike in terms of opinion. Either you love it, or you hate it.



I present to you without further ado, the first blockbuster review of 2009, Watchmen!

To note, i was not a hardcore comicbook follower of Watchmen, but to gain some background knowledge of what i was about to expect, i did read up the comics on the weeks before the movie, hyping up and to grasp the main essense of the story so as to give a fair review of the movie.

I believe there will be two stands in this review for most people, the movie purists and the comic book purists. You either love it, or hate it. I won't go into the details of the movie because much of the storyboards from the comics are pretty much translated visually into the movie. And the introduction of the movie ( which was pretty long ) kinda summed up much of the prelude, though i must add that nifty as it was for long term fanboys or those familiar with the comic books, it was just visual candy till it was explained slowly to the audience later.

Much of the movies' narration is done by Jackie Earle Haley, who plays Rorschach, in a form of a diary. Whilst his narration and portrayal of Rorschach is good, the narration off the diary to explain the story can somewhat feel odd at times, like random thoughts of a violent vigilante, twisted in his logic by his moral absolutism. While some may find his actions to be the justifiable and ''right'' thing to do, his character actually is the platform for sympathy, despite being the one who stands for right and charging on obivious to certain doom.. '' no even in the face of armageddon. Never Compromise'' He is also by far the only character who gets more character exploration and understanding.

And while this movie may be visually appealing, and despite sticking faithfully to its comic book version, much of the story and backgrounds for other characters were not explored and represented fully, nightowl II, ozymandius etc. whilst the film is peppered with little snippets to explain sufficently to easy movie goes, it fails to deliver for the die hard comic book purists. Hence the ton of dissapointed reviews. Though much of it is made up by its raw graphic violence and action.

Movie purists who want true-to-original movies would love this film, considering it does tell the story faithfully, while comic book purist who expect much more from backstory would be greatly dissapointed.

My rating of it is 4.5/5 stars as i felt it was one of the only few comic book movies that stuck true with its original materials despite lacking aforementioned background stories and proper narration. Sure beats majority of other movies that have been readapted and changed. I believe the major flaw of the movie isn't in the movie, but in the fact that they tried so hard to replicate and stay faithful to the movie in representation, so much so that when certain parts which did not make it on-screen, are heavily and critically panned by fans who expected it deliver much more. But i must say that being a 2 hour film, to explain a 12 series graphic novel, this film sure did its best in bringing out watchmen.

Defiance: Movie Review

Caught the Sneaks for Defiance today,

Freedom begins, with an act of defiance.

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Based on the true story of the Bielsky Partisans, who were Polish Jews who came together for protection when their homeland was invaded by the Germans. The story revolves around the four jewish brothers, Tuvia (Daniel Craig), Zus (Liev Schreiber), Asael (Jamie Bell), Aron (George MacKay), who had managed to escape detention and encampment by the German Army, and instead of going into hiding, went back to rescue fellow Jews and built up a new community in the midst of the jungles to survive WWII.

Asael Bielsky (Jamie Bell)



Daniel Craig, famously know as James Bond, stars as Tuvia Bielsky, Leader and Commander of the bielsky partisans.

' you should've shot the milkman' - Zus Bielsky

Seems like around this timeframe, Hollywood enjoys churning out WW2 movies, with Valkyrie (starring Tom Cruise ) coming up next.

To sum it up, Defiance is indeed a show to catch, its storyline revolving around the survival of the Polish Jews and the struggles of building up a community when all form of law, justice, equality and fairness has broken down. The difficulties and struggles of maintaining leadership and doing what that is right often comes into question in the movie, as Tuvia, struggles between vengeance against the Germans who have pushed the Polish Jews and hunted them like animals, and choosing between protecting his people.

The movie explores to a certain extent the stereotypes of Jewish people, portraying them in this film to be people not to be messed with. It also explores the binding of community and how it is neccessary for survival in every case.

However, the rock hard grittiness of which the film begun with somewhat got lost along the way, but the story still followed along well, ( the revenge of Tuvia, by executing the police commisioner who murdered his family, Zus' revenge killings on villagers who aided germans kill jews. ) before milding down to the building of a community and the nitty gritty details and hardships.

I particularly enjoyed both Daniel and Liev's portrayal of the brothers at conflict between seeking vengeance and rebuilding the lives they've lost. With Daniel Craig's intense wide blue eyes almost in all shots even when he's supposed to be in a concussion. Liev's portrayal of sibling rivally too is something to note for a veteran actor.

All in all, Defiance is indeed a great movie to catch, and with a runtime of 137 minutes, would be worth your time and money.

(damn i wanna do a daniel craig defiance kitbash....anyone knows where to get the parts? )

Hot Toys: 12' inch Dutch ( Arnold Schwarzenegger ) from Predator

Sourced forums from OSW, mediworld etc for these hot items...

what more can i say? Likeness - check, gear - awesome, old school cool - check. Must buy.

Furthermore it seems apparent from the first picture that there's going to be, perhaps, a new muscular body for Dutch. ( correct me if i'm wrong )

Furthermore if they could do an arny governator likeness, i feel they should re-explore their terminator line, and redo the t-800, and give us for christ's sake, TERMINATOR salvation. Dont' leave it to Sideshow please!!!! loose bodies and poor paint jobs, DOH! HOT TOYS please do terminator salvation, it'd make the recession year so much more bearable!

Hotel 626: Cheats, Walkthrough, Spoilers, Guide

Greetings, and welcome, to The Stormtrooper Effect ( If it is your first visit ), due to the large number of one time hits on the previous post on Hotel 626's Walkthrough/Cheats/Spoilers, i realise that it would be a good idea and about time to give an in-depth review of this particular online Viral ''minigame'' crafted by dorritos chips for Halloween. - still somewhat popular at THIS point of time...

I've completed it on halloween itself, but just for references/ screenshots sake and for details i've decided to replay it.

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TO Hotel 626

This time around i've provided a picture plenty review for each stage for any lost hotel guests.

Login page/ welcome screen.
if you encounter this problem, where the site prevents you from entering and playing the game, ( as it opens from 6pm - 6am only ) you could simply bypass this little niche by changing the time of your desktop to somewhere between 6pm -6am..and humho you're on your way to play the game!

a tip of advice before you begin would be to turn up your speakers/headphones and dim your lights as it would greatly aid your gameplay and improve the ambience. * some parts require you to listen closely to the voices.

Changing your computer time would solve this lockout problem.

I. by confronting your fears can you then find the light

You wake up, in the first stage, putting on your shirt and stepping out of the door.

What greets you next would be an empty and somewhat creepy hallway where you would have to enter the door on your right down the hallway. ( right before the black mists grab you). Use your mouse to turn.

stage I is complete.

II. she lives in the darkness show her the light

in this stage, basically use your camera to take the picture of the ghost zipping around in the dark bathroom. You should be able to see the sillihoute of the ghost. Slightly pale figure. And upon clicking your camera, the flash will reveal it to you and also in the process scare it away. ( do remember to dim your lights or the contrast or light reflecting on your screen will make it harder to spot the ghost)

You have 9 tries at this, of which you can only miss once.

missing more than that would cost you the level and you'd have to replay.

III. Just in time

You will exit the bathroom to a door to a stairwell. Enter the second door to the right, THERE are only two doors. Beware of the same black mist from the hotel hallway, as it will push you off the stairs to your death. should you miss the second door or not face the door or fail to click in time.

* the sickening thud still echoes in my head. Same as the first stage, you would require your mouse to navigate/ look, and you'd have to click on the door to open it or it won't count either.

IV. Sing me a Lullaby.

In this stage, you will have to pacify the little ghost child by ''virtually cranking the lullaby musicbox. ( like always you'd just need your mouse) turn your mouse in circles to crank that musicbox, * note that going too fast or too slow would cause this ghost to wake up !!!

there would be an indicator on the screen below the small circle, white being safe and red marking dangerously slow or fast.

Stage V. Continuation.

after ''putting'' the ghost child/ poltergist to sleep, you would have to creep out of this room to the hallway. And the worst part of it? the floorboards CREAK. and you sure as hell dont' wanna wake the poltergist up. Using your mouse, move your cursor left and right ONLY, counterbalancing the ''white dot'' as it moves along the slidebar. eg if its moving to the right, move your cursor left. Try to keep the dot within the central markings. Like before, red marks danger and white, safe.


I've got a trick for this which is to rhythmically estimate and sway my cursor left and right * with respect to the sliding dot of course* and you'd realise it's easier than it really seems at first.
you may not get it at first and panic by sliding your cursor to the extreme left and or right, but its really not neccessary. a gentle touch is all it takes. to & fro =D

VI. helpless?

This stage isn't playable as it just a viewing for cinematic purpose. You'd just be knocked out and dragged by some unknown force through the hallways. and you'd notice ghosts of previous residents at the doorways. Pretty freakily cool.

VII. He knows the way

the name is a dead-giveaway. * most get stuck here *

You will find yourself dragged and dumped into this panic cell, with an old man in a straight-jacket. Rambling, raving and rumbling, this crazy old man is your key to the door. * You'd need to turn up your speakers to hear him*

Throughout the background, you will hear him mumble, for example : hand, horse, candle. or spider, tree, finger

The sequence is random and each try, will yield a different keycode/ voice.

What this old man says actually is the 3-digit key to the lock on the door. you only have 2 tries, and 2 rounds to look at the room. So make them count or the old man will turn on you!

Listen! to him, for example, spider, tree , finger, actually means, 8, 4, 9. respectively. The words he say correspond to the drawings ON THE WALL. as indicated by my screenshot below. Spider with its eight legs marked in red. ( hence the number 8 ) The candles burning flames. The tree's roots marked out in red on the walls. The fingers with one bent, ( hence 9 ).

each retry randomizes what he'd say, which means you wont' get the same keycode if you retry the level. which just ups the difficulty.

The writing on the wall.

Eight legs on the spider, representing the number 8. ( marked red )

VIII. Find yourself a way out

If you have activated your webcam, your picture has already been taken at the start without your knowledge, so LOOK FOR YOUR PICTURE, and click on it. IF not look for a picture of the hallway like the screenshot. To scroll through the line of photos, click on the behind pictures,

Hurry up because someone's coming in and the row of pictures will only speed up if you dont' hurry.

VIIII. Answer, and you'd have answers

a cool cutscene with you not answering the phone, before a booming voice goes off warning you to LISTEN if you want to live.

well, listen to him and follow his instructions to escape the hallway. eg if the voice says left, go left. ( use your mouse as always ) MORE THAN ONE MISTAKE equates to your demise.

X. TIME FOR YOU TO CHECK OUT OF HOTEL 626

And there you have it, you've completed hotel 626, sit back and watch the ending cutscene! I hope you've enjoyed this in-depth review of HOTEL 626, where guess check in and never check out. ( EXCEPT FOR THOSE WHO READ MY REVIEW )

I completed it a long time ago.

My Previous Post on Hotel 626.

Pride and Glory: Movie Review

Released today, this police/crime drama genre is set around the festive season, however if you expect this to be some jolly, sweet and sugar coated story with a happy ending, this isn't what you're looking for.

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Edward Norton stars as Ray Tierney, a New York City police officer who hails from a generation of police officers. His brother, father and his in-law all part of the precinct. Troubled by a case from the past,where he was forced to lie about the truth of events which occurred to protect members of the precinct, Ray ( edward norton ) has since left the task force and worked in the missing person department but is forced to return upon request by his father when four police officers were murdered in cold blood at one crime scene.

And it is in this investigation that he finds that the seeds of corruption were from the very precinct he worked in, linking his brother and in -law to be part of it. And Ray is forced to choose between choosing to protect family, or the values he sworn to keep upon being a police officer.

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From the beginning of the film till its every end, this film screams out the bleak, harsh, cold and cruel gritty feel. Even the families of the main characters which were used as ways to show faucets of each character provided little reprieve from the agony, fear, bleakness that each character was in. And it somewhat gave one the feeling and expectation for a somewhat bleak and or tragic end.

Whilst this film does not base itself on action or fast paced drama, it lies on its character development and conversation between characters to let the audience get to know the big picture and story. However, it also it the flaw of the film as much of the backstory and history of characters can only be seen through what little dialogue given.

While Edward Norton did well to portray a troubled cop trying to choose between family or the values he sought to protect and uphold, Colin Farrell, too did shine in his portrayal of a vicious, vengeful and dangerous corrupt police officer. But still it wasn't enough to hold the film up together in my opinion.

The struggle within the characters' beliefs on the importance of family and values was something that was commendable as this point of view varied with most other of the same genre, though it could have been done in much more depth ( wasn't explored much ), as it was the main emphasis of the whole film.


This movie is worth a watch IF you dig police dramas/ crime dramas. It isn't unwatchable trash neither was it remarkably good either, somewhat floating on the margin. It just somewhat fell below my expectations, which is attributed to its lack of depth and narration to fully feel and delve into the character's world. ( the script almost could pull it off at one point but then they lost it...) - Jimmy's ( Colin Farrell) betrayal scene, Ray's Internal Affairs confession scene, End scene at Jimmy's death. I felt that had they placed more emphasis or narrated it better, this movie could, almost could...get a better rating.


An example of a film of a similiar genre would be street kings, though the acting wasn't particularly good, KEANU'S dead piece of driftwood expression ( sorry ladies ) didn't help either, but the resounding punch in the face and shock came towards the end which showed a pretty good script, and it did help the film move along and gave audiences much afterthought, thanks to its dramatic end. ( i would give street kings a 3.5 out of 5 )


But Pride and Glory fell short of what i expected and hoped for.

i'd give it a 3 out of 5, based on the stormtrooper effect's scale of awesomeness. And it is a miss instead of a Hit for me, as i feel that they could've done this film so much better.

Flipsides
+ the gritty, dark, brooding, feel
+ Colin Farrell ( didn't expect that )
+ Edward Norton's portrayal of his struggle between family and values
- lack of depth to fully flesh the characters to pull audiences into their world
- bleak..bleak...bleak...we start to get the picture. shit just gets worse? anything new?
- police drama with corruption equation , we've seen this before.
- had alot of potential to begin with. director lost the magic halfway into the film.