How AMAZING "The Amazing Spider-Man" is?

The most-awaited REBOOT of our favorite web-slinger, "SPIDER-MAN", is now being shown all over the globe. Some said it was pretty AMAZING; while others thought it was way too early to have this film to be rebooted.


And since it was a REBOOT, we couldn't REMOVE the fact that it will, and it will be compared to the original film that was shown way back 2002 (Dear Tobey and Kristen... both will be sorely missed... hehe...). But since "Spiderman 4" didn't pushed through, they suddenly decided to have this instead. Well, without further ado, here are some points of comparison between the two blockbuster films:


WARNING: Spoiler Alert!


1.) The Beginning:

2002 Spidey movie started when Peter Parker was already in highschool; he currently stays at his Uncle Ben and Aunt May's house; and he was very much secretly in-love with his childhood crush Mary Jane Watson.


While, 2012 Spidey movie started way back when Peter Parker was still a child; he was with his parents and then left under Uncle Ben and Aunt May's custody; and very much secretly in-love with Gwen Stacy (when he reached highschool).

Verdict: 2012 Spidey has the upper hand since it is much closer with that from the comic book. And, we had a glimpse of Peter's parents as well.


2.) The Transformation:

In 2002, Peter, Mary Jane, Harry and the rest of the class went on a fieldtrip at a genetics laboratory. From there, one of the genetically engineered super spiders got escaped. While Peter was taking pictures of, who else, Mary Jane, he was suddenly bitten by that spider. By the time he went home, he passed out; and, woke up having a clear eye sight, great reflexes, and a more muscular body. He discovered as well that he can climb on walls and has the ability to emit web strings. He also tried to jump from one rooftop to another; and, swing from one building to the other.

In 2012, upon knowing the whereabouts of his father's old friend, Dr. Connors, Peter went to Oscorp and pretended to be an intern. From there, one of the genetically (yes, genetically once again...) modified spiders bit Peter before he left Oscorp. He immediately discovered his extraordinary abilities when he was riding the train on his way home.

Verdict: It's a tie. Peter + Spider Bite + Group of Students + Leading Lady = Spider-Man.

3.) The Uncle:

Uncle Ben was been a casualty for both films. In 2002, Uncle Ben  drove Peter to the public library knowing he needed to make something for school. But instead, Peter was going to a wrestling match to earn money to buy a car that he can brag with Mary Jane. If you're a fan of this film, this is the scene where the famous line, "With great power, comes great responsibility." came from. After the match, Peter was about to go home when he saw a lot of people gathering around. In his surprise, it was his Uncle Ben bleeding from a gunshot.

In 2012, Uncle Ben and Peter had a little confrontation about his father and his disappearance. Peter walkout from home and Uncle Ben  decided to follow him. Peter went to buy something from a convenience store where a thief stole some money from the tills and ran away. While Peter was about to go home, he heard a gunshot and take a look what it was. In his surprise, it was his Uncle Ben bleeding from a gunshot.

Verdict: It's a tie again. Uncle Ben died on both films because of.... Peter! If not for
Peter, he will still be alive. Poor Uncle Ben.

4.) The Best Friend:

Verdict: No doubt - 2002 Spidey wins this since he's with Harry Osborn; and 2012 Spidey isn't. (Better watch out for the sequel, Harry may be there... together with his father, Norman Osborn... )


5.) The Girl:

2002 Spidey is very much in-love with his childhood crush, Mary Jane Watson, played by Kirsten Dunst, who lives just around the neighborhood. Peter could not do anything to get Mary Jane's attention. And because of that, she even ended up being in a relationship with Peter's best friend, Harry. Spidey, I mean Peter, wasn't able to get the girl until the last scene and the sequel. Mary Jane was always been taken captive for all three movies. Again, if you're a fan of the movie, you do remember the scene when Spidey and Mary Jane kissed... while Spidey was hanging upside-down. (Good job, Spidey!)

2012 Spidey has a very big crush with his highschool classmate, Gwen Stacy, played by Emma Stone. Spidey, again I mean Peter, was able to get the girl on the middle part of the film. The cool thing was that Gwen knew that Peter and Spider-Man was the same person. Gwen and Peter also had some kissing scenes but not as great with the 2002 Spidey film. Take note: she's one very tough blondie as well (compared to other leading ladies...).


Verdict: Gwen Stacy wins this round. Well, she's Peter's original love team. And she's blonde (who doesn't love blonde girls, right?) Although, sad to say, she will eventually die (ooopss, spoiler once more..).

6.) The Villain:

2002 Spidey movie had Norman Osborn a.k.a "The Green Goblin", played by Willem Dafoe, as Spidey's main villain. Norman was like a father to Peter even from the beginning. But of course, he needed to be BAD (I mean, really BAD) and transform himself to Spider-Man's enemy. Although he really didn't turned to a real green, scary goblin -- instead, he wore a green, scary goblin helmet! At the end, he was killed by his own glider. This made Harry think it was Spidey who killed his father, and then he turned into... well, that's another movie. Anyway, Dr. Curt Connors has some scenes as well in this film.


2012 Spidey movie had Dr. Curt Connors a.k.a "The Lizard", played by Rhys Ifans, as Spidey's main villain. Dr. Connors was Peter's father's co-worker and friend when he was still alive. But of course, he needed to be BAD (again, really BAD) and transform himself to Spider-Man's enemy. Unlike the Green Goblin, he transformed to a giant lizard. At the end, he didn't die; but he losts his dream right arm. He was placed behind bars and was last found talking with someone in the shadows (oopss... spoiler alert). Anyway, Norman Osborn was not really shown in the film, but he was mentioned a couple of times.

Verdict: It's a tie. Both were good at the beginning. Both became bad at the middle. Both became good once again at the end. Both are... GREEN!


And the last category...


7.) The Hero:

2002 Spidey was played by Tobey Maguire. He indeed has a very splendid portrayal of the hero web-crawler in this film. He did the same on the second film.And he was "ok" in the third film (sorry, the third film was not really that good... just like what others say). Although it's sad to see him go and not be playing Spidey anymore (there was supposed to be a 4th sequel), he will always be remembered.

2012 Spidey was played by Andrew Garfield. Since it was a reboot, there were a lot of expectations on him and on the film. They even think he was so skinny and the suit was indeed not that good (since it seemed to be too tight). But after watching the film, personally, I think he did a really good job. It will be exciting to see him back for the sequel (maybe in 2014).


Verdict: It is indeed very hard to tell who gains the upper hand for this. Maybe after 1 or 2 more films for "The Amazing Spider-Man", we can predict who's better. For now, it will be a tie!




And the winner is...

Final Verdict: 2012 Spidey movie wins at the end (leading by a point). But then again, 2002 Spidey movie, together with its director, actors, and everyone from the film, will never be forgotten. Moving forward, let's wait and watch out for the possible sequel of "The Amazing Spider-Man" (hopefully this 2014) and continue with the guessing game of who will be the next villain.

'Till then, adios!


- Brent "Spidey wanna-be" De Guzman

Another Saw 6 Poster...

That's it... The posters really kept on coming...

I wonder when will the Official Trailer finally comes out..?

SAW 6: Here it comes...

Hmm... look what we got here...

A poster of the upcoming film, "SAW 6"...

It looks kind of dark and creepy this time...

Anyway, try watching the teaser trailer in: http://www.saw6film.com/

Upcoming Movies for 2009...

The following are some of the movies which I really wanted to watch once they are shown in the cinemas. Hope you like them too:

1.) "Sherlock Holmes" - this movie will always be on the top of my list. I've waited so long to be able to watch my favorite fictional character on the big screen. It will be coming out this December so we still need to wait for a while before we see Robert Downey Jr. in a Shelock Holmes outfit.

2.) "Year One" - well, it's Jack Black, so what's not to love? hehe...He's really one of my favorite comedians in Hollywood. Go Jack!

3) "New Moon" - one of the famous book-turned-movie of this generation, they even managed to start shooting this one. Does it mean the next one will also be shown next year? Hmmm...Twilight Saga every year...

4.) "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" - our famous prehistoric gang is back for another funny and exciting adventure; and now they found themselves hanging around with the dinosaurs. Unlike the previous installments, this will be shown in 3-D! Just imagine having a face to face encounter with the T-Rex.

5.) "Public Enemies" - with Johnny Depp and Christian Bale on the cast, this will surely be a great hit. Another detective-robber-hunt story set in 1933-34 when John Dillilnger, played by Depp, became public enemy number one. The question is: will Batman be able to capture Captain Jack Sparrow?

6.) "The Final Destination" - also known as Final Destination 4: 3-D, continues the tradition of gruesome-teenager movie. Premonitions and tragic deaths were the best ingredients of this movie franchise, so watch for it!

7.) "A Christmas Carol" - a book adaptation of Charles Dicken's famous novel. The movie stars funnyman Jim Carrey as Ebenezer Scrooge, a man who needs to change his ways before it's too late. The film was also in 3-D format.

8.) "2012" - another film about the end of the world. It was said that our ancestors already had some warnings for mankind about the upcoming end of everything. But despite of these, man surely ignored what has to be their only way to survive.

9.) "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel" - the chipmunks trio are back to face "The Chipettes" in the $100,000 Battle of the Bands. As expected, this will be another great hit, especially for kids.

10.) 'Saw 6" - the sixth installment of the never-ending story of games and life-learned lessons. Jigsaw's legacy goes on with lots of new twist and turns ready to come out.

-Brent John Nathaniel F. De Guzman

"Jumper" Versus "Push"

It's not unusual for us to compare a lot of things: which is better, or which is worse; either or neither ways. That's why I'm doing the same thing with these two hollywood movies which I'd watched already.

"Jumper" and "Push", in my opinion, share one thing: A guy which possesses extraordinary powers. But what else do they have in common? their differences? Which is better than the other? Or maybe they're just in the same boat? Hmm... Let's see...

THE STORY:


*"Jumper" - A guy named David Rice, played by Hayden Christensen, discovered he has the power to "Jump" from one place to another; or simply, teleport. But due to a lot of personal issues, especially with his family, he decided to lived by himself.

Well, because of his super powers, he used it to rob a bank; and the rest was history. He then discovered that he wasn't the only one who possesses that kind of power.

And, what's worse is that their kind were being hunted by a group named "Paladins", headed by Roland Cox, played by Samuel L. Jackson. David now battles for his life and protect Millie, played by Rachel Bilson, from all the enemies.

*"Push" - Nick Gant, played by Chris Evans, was born with extraordinary powers which is to "Move" or use telekinesis.

He was separated from his father when he was young, that was the time they're were being hunted by what they called "Division", led by Henry Carver. played by Djimon Hounsou.
Nick grew up alone and stayed in Hong Kong.

He then met Cassie, played by Dakota Fanning. which is a second generation "Watcher" or a person who is able to see the future. Together, they need to be the first to find the case that contains the drug which can kill their kind.

VERDICT: I choose "Jumper" for this part. Although "Push" also has a good storyline, it's not that refreshing to watch because of some predictable scenes. It's also quite boring to watch compared with "Jumper".

THE HERO:

*"Jumper" - Hayden Christensen, who was famous from his role as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars, played the role of David - a guy with the power of teleportation. He managed to use and control his powers since he was a teenager.

At the first half of the movie, all he did was to travel from one place to another, not knowing that their kind were already been hunted. But after he met Roland,the leader of "Paladins", his life changed. He now needs to be cautious with everything he does and protect his love ones.


*"Push" - Chris Evans, who was famous from his role as The Human Torch from Fantastic Four, played the role of Nick - a guy with a power of telekinesis. Although he was already a grown up, he still doesn't know how to control his powers properly.

Compared to David, Nick already has a knowledge about his enemies, the group called "Division". His life just started to changed when the Division began looking for a girl and a case, which contains a very dangerous drug.

VERDICT: This goes for "Jumper". Although they're both great actors, the problem was that Nick didn't used much of his power through out the film. His power would be far greater than David's only if he used it to its maximum.

THE BAD GUY:

*"Jumper" - A very great actor Samuel L. Jackson plays the role of Roland Cox, the main antagonist of this film. He is the leader of the "Paladins", a group that hunts down all the living "Jumpers" in the world. It was also said that they've been doing this since the medieval times.

Roland doesn't have any super powers, but their group has the latest technologies to make weapons against the Jumpers. They can even trace the "Jump Scars" and make a portal for them to follow a certain Jumper.



*"Push" - Famous from his performance from the movie "Blood Diamond", Djimon Hounsou plays the role of Henry Carver, the main antagonist of this film. Unlike Roland in "Jumper", Henry Carver possesses super powers which is to control peoples' minds - they called it "Push". He's the leader of what they called the "Division", a group also composed of extraordinary beings

Their group's goal is to make an army, composed of different persons with special abilities, to rule over the world. They tried a lot of experiments just to make their army the strongest of them all. The only problem was that those persons kept on dying after being injected by the drug.

Other than the Division, there were also a group called "Triad". This group was also composed of extraordinary individuals who were also for the hunt of the drug.

VERDICT: I go for "Push" this time. The reason is that the bad guys here all possessed super powers, unlike of those in "Jumper". Some of them were even stronger than the main character of the film.

THE LADY:


*"Jumper" - Rachel Bilson plays the role of Millie Harris, David's love interest. She was just a normal person, without any super powers. Both of them knew each other since they were young and even studied in the same school. But because of an incident, they went to separate ways. Millie grew up in their hometown, while David decided to live alone in the city.

After many years, they crossed paths once again. David took Millie to Rome since it was her childhood dream to be there. But because of that, David just placed her into trouble. Millie is now in between the cat-and-mouse hunt of David and Roland.


*"Push" - Camille Belle plays the role of Kira Hudson, Nick's love interest. Unlike Millie, she possesses extraordinary powers - the ability to "push" other people to do whatever she wanted. It was never shown in the film if Nick and her knew each other when they were still young. They just revealed at the latter part that they've been in a relationship before the current events of the film.

Kira escaped from the hands of the Division after she was injected by the drug which makes persons like her to be stronger. It was now upto Nick or Carver who will ever find her first.

VERDICT: I decided to make it a tie. Both has the looks and a great personality. Although Kira has a slighter egde, since she was the one who killed Carver at the end of the film. Well, she has powers, of course.

THE SIDEKICK/S:

*Jumper" - David really doesn't have a certified sidekick in the film. But he was once helped by another Jumper, Griffin - played by Jamie Bell.

There was a part of the story wherein they agreed to be allies against Roland and the Paladins. But later on in the film, they themselves fought just because David wanted to save Millie.



*"Push" - Nick had a lot of helping hand in this film. First, Cassie - a second generation Watcher, played by Dakota Fanning. She's always with Nick all through out the movie. She's even wiser than him. Other members of the group were Emily (a Sniff - has the ability to know everything by just smelling the object), Hook (a Shifter - has the ability to shape-shift objects), and Pinky (a Shadow - has the ability to hide a person or object from Watchers). They were also helped by Wo Chiang (a Wiper - has the ability to wipe/remove ones memory).

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VERDICT: Obviously, "Push" wins this round. Simple: Nick has a better backup compared to David. Their teamwork even helped them defeat the bad guys.

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THE FINAL VERDICT:

Well, both movies won two rounds and a tie, so it means they really canceled out each other. "Jumper" and "Push" have their own strengths and weaknesses when it comes with the elements of the story.

It is still up to the viewers which they think the better movie than the other. What's important is that we just don't appreciate the movie because of its cool special effects, but of the story itself. A movie with a boring storyline is indeed a boring one to watch.

That's all for now folks!!!

- Brent John Nathaniel F. De Guzman

The "Saw" Franchise

The "Saw" series really made a great impact in the movie industry. As of today, Lionsgate had already released Saw 1 to 4, and just recently, Saw 5. Here's a look back on the previous SAW films:

"SAW" (2004)

The movie began with Dr. Gordon and Adam chained in a very, very dirty abandoned bathroom. After a while they began talking and talking about who they are and if ever they had known each other before. The greatest mystery of course was that who brought them there and for what reason. Then series of events and flashbacks were shown through out the movie. These include the story about Amanda Young, one of the victims of whom they called "Jigsaw". Jigsaw always let someone plays a game of choice, between life and death. Amanda was one of those who had escaped his trap.

Later on, both guys realized that they were victims of Jigsaw and he wanted them to cut off their foot for them to escape. Just like any other suspense/thriller movies, the family of the protagonist were always put in danger. It was indeed the same in this movie. Few minutes before the movie ended, Dr. Gordon was able to cut off his foot and promised Adam to come back with help coming his way. He then crawled on the floor leaving Adam behind. Little that they know was that the body, covered with blood, together with them was the real Jigsaw. He slowly stand up just like a zombie and telling Adam that the key to his chained was indeed with him in the bathtub. Jigsaw went out and said, "GAME OVER!", and slammed the door leaving Adam being electrified.

OVERALL RATING: It wasn't bad, but wasn't great either. The story was quite slow paced. But quite tolerable since it was just the beginning of the series.

HANGING QUESTION: What happened to the crawling Dr. Gordon?

"SAW 2" (2005)

Oh yes...there will be blood. It's a lot more bloody version of the SAW movie, well, compared to the first one. It started with Michael being trapped with a Venus flytrap-like attached to his head. And the only way to escape it was to get the key hidden behind his eyes. Grossed!

Anyway, this movie brought back Amanda Young, the survivor from the first one. It also presented new major character Detective Matthews. He was one of the agents in solving the case of Jigsaw. But later on in the movie, his own son will play Jigsaw's games. Together with other 7 people, including Amanda, they must survived inside an abandoned house before they die due to the virus injected through their veins. Meanwhile, Detective Matthews and the others detected Jigsaw's place. They found out that he was suffering from cancer due to an accident. But this didn't stop Matthews to look for his son.

Persons in the house started to die one by one leaving Amanda, Matthews' son and a big fella fighting for survival. Later on they found out the numbers for the combination of the antidotes' vault was on their nape. Amanda and Daniel run for their lives while Matthews and Jigsaw went on to their location. They ended up at the very, very dirty bathroom from SAW 1, with dead bodies lying on the floor. The struggle continues until the big fella died, finally. Meanwhile, the other agents discovered that the scenes they watched was all recorded, meaning it already happened earlier. Matthews fell to Jigsaw's trap because of his anger. His son was safe all along inside a vault. At the end of the movie, Matthews was chained, he then discovered that Amanda Young was indeed Jigsaw's apprentice.

OVERALL RATING: Definitely better than the first movie. With more victims and exciting storyline of course.

HANGING QUESTION: What will happened to Detective Matthews now that his in Jigsaw's hands?


"SAW 3" (2006)

The third installment of the Saw franchise. Jigsaw is dying and it's Amanda's time to take on his job. One of the agents, Kerry, was also placed in Jigsaw's trap and died. Lynn, a doctor, was kidnapped to play Jigsaw's game: to keep him alive. Another character was involved in the film, Jeff. Jeff needed to pass different tests to reach who ever the person responsible for the death of his son.

Along the way, Jeff met different persons involved in his son's accident. He was to choose whether to save them or leave them behind. While Lynn did everything to keep Jigsaw alive, and at the same time, had some confrontations with Amanda. Amanda then started to be taken over by her emotions and attempted to kill Lynn. But Jigsaw refused her to do it since Lynn had done her job.

Jeff was then able to reached the final stage of his test. Amanda was killed and Lynn was badly hurt. We then found out that Lynn and Jeff were a couple. Jeff and Jigsaw had a conversation about the truth on his son's death. Jigsaw asked Jeff to forgive him. He was forgiven but was killed by Jeff with a razor. Little that he know, his life was connected to Lynn's life, meaning if he dies she dies as well. The movie ends with Lynn having her head blown out and Jeff listening to Jigsaw's tape. He discovered their daughter was hidden in that same building and he will not be able to know where she is.

OVERALL RATING: Saw 3 was again better than the first one. Some details about Jigsaw was also revealed in this movie which made it more interesting.

HANGING QUESTION: What was the content of Amanda's letter?

"SAW 4" (2007)

The movie begins with the autopsy of Jigsaw's body. A tape was recovered in his body and was played by Detective Hoffman, one of Detective Matthew's team members. Jigsaw said that "the game had just begun" and will not end just because he is dead.

The main character of this movie was Detective Rigg, already seen since Saw 2. He still grieves for the death of Detective Kerry and still believed that Matthews was still alive. Later on, he himself became the new player of Jigsaw's games. Every stage challenged him to save the lives of others, or leave them behind and find out where Matthews really is. The movie also presented new characters like Agent Strahm, Agent Perez and Jill, Jigsaw's ex-wife. Jill was interrogated by Strahm suspecting her to be involved with Jigsaw's works.

After a while, Rigg was almost near where Detective Matthews was. Meanwhile, together with him was Detective Hoffman and Art, another victim of Jigsaw's game. He discovered that for them to be saved, the time on the clock must run out first. Later on in the movie, Agent Perez died and Agent Strahm went on to where Jigsaw was. There was only few seconds left when Rigg arrived near the door. He then went through the secured door and activated the device that will crushed Matthews head. Matthews died, same as Art since he was gun fired by Rigg. Rigg then discovered that his real test is not to proceed and try to save a life again. He was also warned earlier not to go through secured doors. It was also revealed that Detective Hoffman was the other accomplice of Jigsaw. Rigg died also died because of gun shot. Earlier on, Strahm met Jeff, who was looking for his daughter. Strahm shot Jeff for self-defense. He was then locked up by Hoffman in the same room where Jigsaw's, Amanda's and Lynn's dead bodies were.

OVERALL RATING: The best part so far, well, for me. Pieces started to put into place. More flashbacks were also shown and the movie was more exciting than ever.

HANGING QUESTION: Was Amanda really dead? What will happened to Agent Strahm after being locked up inside the room?

"SAW 5" (2008)

The movie I've been waiting for, although it was quite a letdown. The movie started with Seth, a criminal, in a pendulum trap. It seems to be one of Jigsaw's trap, but it was unescapable which made it more dangerous. It was later on discovered that he was the ex-boyfriend and murderer of Detective Hoffman's sister.

Going back where it left of, Agent Strahm was still inside the room. He then discovered a secret door and a cassette player. He was told not to proceed or else he will find salvation or death. He ignored it and proceeded. He was then attacked by a man with a pig's mask. Strahm woke up with his head trap inside a glass cube with water. He then performed tracheotomy to save his life. After a while, Hoffman went out the building carrying Jeff's daughter and telling one inspector that no one else made it aside from him. He was shocked to see that Strahm was still alive. Meanwhile, Jill was given a box from Jigsaw telling her that it contains things of grave importance to her, she then left. The movie also presented five other characters playing Jigsaw's game, but are actually not that important in the story.

Agent Strahm continued his investigation for who was Jigsaw's other assistant aside from Amanda. He found proofs that led to Hoffman as the accomplice. He then followed him and arrive at a building. Meanwhile, Agent Erickson also went out to track down where is Strahm and also arrived at that same building. Inside he saw monitors showing the events happened to the other five characters. He tried to call Strahm, and was shocked to found out that Strahm's phone was on the table nearby. He then suspected him to be the accomplice. On the other side, Strahm found a box with broken glass and a player. He was told to get in so that he will still live, but he paused it after hearing someone coming, Detective Hoffman. Strahm then pushed Hoffman inside the box and closed it. The doors then closed and Strahm played the player. The truth was that if he chose not to get in, he will just vanished from this world as the walls ready to crushed him. Strahm died, and Hoffman lived.

OVERALL RATING: It was almost a good movie,but it's too short. It's just like combining some flashbacks and including characters which seems to be extras. Too bad Agent Strahm died at the end.

HANGING QUESTION: What was inside the box which was given to Jill? What will happened now that Agent Strahm was suspected as Jigsaw's apprentice, considering he died at the end of the movie? Is Brit also one of Jigsaw's accomplice in the film?

That's all for now, tune in for more updates about the upcoming "Saw 6" movie...or even more from the Saw franchise...

-Brent John Nathaniel F. De Guzman