advance preview - summer is here!

UPDATE (BEBAS SPOILER) : TOLONG TUNGGU CREDIT ABIS. KALAU TAK ADA PERUNTUKAN MASA ATAU ENGGAN MENUNGGU, SILA KE CINELEISURE DAMANSARA. SANA ADA PENJIMATAN MASA. EXTRA SCENE MASA ENDING DIBAWA KE DEPAN SEBELUM KREDIT TAMAT. ADA YANG HEBAT MENANTI. PAWAGAM LAIN, SILA SABAR MENANTI. SEKALI LAGI DIINGAT, SPOILER YANG BEST.

The gauntlet in the big summer blockbuster battle has been thrown. And It's red, iron and has a repulsor ray embedded in the palm. All the hype surrounding the Iron Avenger's big screen premiere was well founded, because Jon Favreau's directions is one sweet ride that sets the bar high for competitor's box office success—jetboots into the outer atmosphere high. Iron Man is as rock solid a superhero movie as the impenetrable armor that encases its hero. It has the action, excitement and intelligence to leave little to nothing for longtime Iron Man fans and first-timers alike to complain about. Iron Man is a 'can't miss' upgrade to the superhero genre that only Tony Stark could deliver and sets a new standard for movies based on Marvel's mightiest.

Press-screen IRON MAN: It's been a while since I last got invited.

As with any superhero movie, there are several treats for fans of the Iron Man comic. The introduction of S.H.I.E.L.D. is a bit telegraphed, but nevertheless got a nice response from the screening audience who is aware of it. Colonel James Rhodes, played by Terence Howard, has a line that will resonate with Iron Man readers, and pretty much no one else --- it is a great line, though (part Deux anyone?). And what Marvel film would be complete without a cameo from Stan Lee? One of his finest appearance.

Unlike some other superhero movies, though, the dialogue is vibrant and believable for most of the film, likely a result of the constant and participatory script revisions that took place on set according to my referentials via internet and WIZARD. Many of Downey's best lines are already famous ("I prefer the weapon you only need to fire once” ...Aheh!), but there are a few others that have some punch. Stark's statement that his company has 'become comfortable with a system of zero accountability' echoes real-world headlines about Blackwater and Haliburton (sila semak fakta militari ini di wiki secara sendiri-sendiri). While on a lighter note, we have a villain shouting at his beleaguered top scientist that “Tony Stark was able to build this in a cave! With scraps!”. Where the dialogue fails, predictably, is in the final showdown, when the Big Bad BALD Iron Monger taunts Iron Man by explaining why his suit is so much better, why Stark has no hope of winning, etc., etc., etc.

John Favreau, a filmmaker whose previous credits include directing "Made,” “Elf,” “Zathura,” and writing the screenplay of "Swingers" has created in Iron Man a successful blend of indie wit and blockbuster action. With exactly the right cast, a strong team of writers, and top-notch special effects which serve the story rather than simple spectacle, Iron Man is a shiny golden example of how to do a superhero movie.

The film works on several levels: as a traditional summer blockbuster (there's plenty of action, cool effects, etc.) that fulfills all the standard requirements while at the same time telling a human story of a very complicated hero in a complicated world and smartly uses the War on Terror and America's own war machine as a backdrop. Favreau also manages to stay true to the key story arcs that made Iron Man into the Marvel legend that he is, while laying the foundation for a sequel (or two) — both the seeds for Mandarin and War Machine have been planted; Marvel and Paramount would be insane not to greenlight both. Immediately

P/S: When the Spider-Man movie came out in 2002, I remember thinking: well, I'm really glad this happened. It was fun, it was obvious the film would be big but it seemed flawed; less in terms of organic web shooters than camp 1960s dialogue. But I was happy that the movie was made and that it proved as strong as it was, because that meant comic fans could count on more big screen versions of our favorite characters. And now, six years later, I find myself thanking the original Spider-Man because it has led us to Iron Man, which is exactly what a superhero movie should be.

KRISIS DC, KRISIS TERAKHIR (?)

UPDATE:
It hits at the end of the month, and DC Comics has provided us with our first look at the trade dress of Final Crisis #1 as designed by acclaimed graphic designer; Chip Kidd.

Kalau MARVEL tengah ligat dan rancak dengan SECRET INVASION anjuran makhluk penakluk Skrull, apa pula yang berlangsung sekitar dunia DC ? Jawapan tertera pada gambaran-gambaran ini.

aktivista.

Sejak saya nekad dan iktiqad diri ingin mengisi ruang yang ada sepanjang April untuk merehatkan jiwa-fikiran sambil mencari buahan ilham serta inspirasi yang segar (mungkin juga sudah lama tidak punya kelapangan itu), saya telah setakat ini bertemu kira-kira beberapa perkara yang saya mahukan. Dambaan saya tentang idea-idea yang melata di sekitar ceruk dan lubuk dunia ini tampak keberhasilan serta berguna dalam pencarian lewat ini. Keakraban di sekeliling banyak sekali menyumbang pendapat (terima kasih sahabat dan taulan semua). Keadaan dan perlakuan di sekitar juga ranum menyalur isi-isi karya yang bakal ditulis. Saya panjatkan rasa syukur saya pada Robbul Jalil dan alam kurnia-ciptaanya. Nampaknya jelas betul dan terbukti nyata 'DIA' ada dimana-mana.

Baru-baru ini saya diberi kesempatan dan ruang untuk mengamati dua buah filem yang difikirkan hebat dan padat pada sudut penceritaannya, pengolahannya dan 'kejujurannya'

...lanjutannya disini

I AM NOW OFFICIALLY AND LEGALLY FAIZALMUKHTAR.COM

This is what I said to myself today immediately before noon.

...don't punish yourself if your output is less than what you had planned. Life is full of beautiful inconveniences that keep us from achieving our short-term goals. Remind yourself that you can make up for your deficit tomorrow and turn off the computer for the night. Writing + Thinking for writing is a wonderful, yet sometimes, very hard thing to do. Often it is very easy to not "make the time" to write and nobody is going to motivate you. You have to motivate yourself(most of the time). It is an extraordinarily rewarding pursuit. Yet sometimes it can be extremely challenging as well. It is just putting words down on paper and you have been doing this since the age of four(?). So don’t worry about anything and just write. The only way to get good at it, as with anything else, is to actually do it.

+ MaliQue.Ibrahim is back

Semangat Noir di hari Isnin.

Comic craftsman turned movie maker Frank Miller unveiled some imagery from his adaptation of Will Eisner's iconic character THE SPIRIT.

Dare I say... " BAPAK, CUN SIOT! "

Mr. Will Eisner - creator of The Spirit and one of the medium’s most brilliant and influential creators and a sort of guiding beacon for those who try to create superbly crafted comics even to this day. Kira macam Yoda la dia ni dalam industri komik kat US nun...

The Spirit is a masked crime-fighter, created in 1940, who starred in a newspaper comic-book insert. His namesake, weekly series is considered one of the comic-art medium's most significant works, with Eisner creating or popularizing many of the styles, techniques, and storytelling conventions used by comics professionals decades later.

Tan Eng Huat's Next Project / GHOST RIDER

Witness the upcoming sneak previews art from our homegrown Malaysian Marvelites, Mr. Tan Eng Huat after his Silver Surfer: In Thy Name mini-series run.

BEGINNING in GHOST RIDER #24

GHOST RIDER #24 Page 14

GHOST RIDER #24 Page 15

GHOST RIDER #25 Page 11

GHOST RIDER #24 Page 22

Art by Tan Eng Huat. © All rights reserved.

HIDDEN LINK disini

For the chosen one(s).

We know what we saw.

• Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur - Wednesday, 16th April 2008 - 2.00pm to 5.30pm - KL SENTRAL

Apa jadi hari tu di HILTON KL SENTRAL // sila tunggu untuk laporan lanjut.

Lucasfilm Animation Singapore Jedi Masters Class Tour : Gambar curi. Link pun curi.

Yo Joe! Updates. And Hulk.

UPDATE : Artist Drew Struzan for the upcoming HELLBOY 2: THE GOLDEN ARMY.

Film Logo from 2008 American International Toy Fair

This is Snake Eyes

\

... he is played by that dude, Ray Park. Sweetness!

Scarlett. Rachel Nichols (P2, "Alias") as Shana 'Scarlett' O'Hara.

So, what's the premise for the G.Is this time on the silver screen. Check this out: Ten years in the future, the G.I. Joe team battles the evil Cobra Organization, run by a Scottish arms dealer. The story takes place across the Arctic, Paris, Moscow, Washington, D.C., Australia and the Sahara. The team will be based in the Pit, while it was indicated Cobra Island will appear. In terms of characterization, the focus will be on Scarlett and the Baroness's romantic lives. HAH!

The film also acts as an origin story for many of the characters. Stephen Sommers said, "For people who know nothing about it, it'll make sense. And to people who love this stuff, it'll show where they all came from."

The Incredible Hulk OFFICIAL Final Theatrical Poster. Opening in theaters on June 13. Directed by Louis Leterrier, the action-thriller stars Edward Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth, Tim Blake Nelson, Ty Burrell and William Hurt.

S e l a m a t P u l a n g S a h a b a t .

Al-Fatihah buat Alif Syazwan yang pulang ke Rahmatullah semalam. Semoga roh dan jasadnya dikurniakan kerahmatan dan segala ibadah dan isi pahalanya beroleh keberkatan.

Amin.

Balada di tengah hari.

Sekali lagi berada di tengah-tengah ruang kelompok intelektualisme. Kali ini bukan untuk memberi ujaran dan syarahan tapi sekadar melihat-melihat peristiwa. Tergerak untuk menulis kerana rasa terhutang pada ramai orang. Tambahan lagi semalam, ada banyak cerita untuk disampaikan serta dikongsikan bersama.

Musyawarah itu perlu terutamanya dengan insan-insani yang punya 'karamah' tinggi tentang hidup. Terima kasih aku buat semua yang memahami dan juga; mengetahui. Aku selesa dan bersedia untuk ujian kali ini - sekali lagi - seterusnya.

Semangat dan pedoman kalian jadikan tangkal azimat dan mantera sakti. Agar kita sama-sama mendapat kekuatan itu.

Kun FayaKun

The Insanity Begins : Principal Filming kicked-off!

After weeks of final preparation, months of planning and years of dreaming(and nightmares), the intrepid crew of Goat Films has already steeping into actual production. Talents are ready, crew are revved up and now comes the time when we turn the story into a tangible, hopefully memorable; 'form'.

Had an interesting period of bickering, constant creative debates, calm resolution, pointless arguments, constructive discussions and everything else in between these last few months. It has been an immensely interesting time for Goat Films and I can say with frightening certainty that it is something that Goat Films are willing to go through again and again.

However, finally the time has come into action!

( In other words: principal filming starts last weekend. )

Despite the heavy thunderstorm, Goat Films managed to execute a swift shoot on the first day of shooting. Here are some stillshots (kudos to Director of Photography, Mr Wan Chun Hung and his awesome Sony EX1 Cinealta full HD 1080p camera). All photos are a copyright of The Goat Films

[ An independent film is in production ]

Adiwira is here.

COMING THIS 2008

Aku dan Konsepsi sebuah Hizib

" ...dalam makrifat ada makna. Maksud yang paling jelas merenung kita. Kelihatan dengan mata kasar. Hanya syukur dapat memberitahu. "

Eksistensi Allah Robbul-Jalil merupakan salah satu keperluan mendasar intelektualisme manusia dari dulu hingga kini. Perkara ini telah merangsangkan pemikiran manusia lebih dari kemahuan mereka akan hal-hal selainnya. Begitu banyak corak serta ragam konsep teologi disusun untuk memuaskan kehendak manusia akan hal yang bersifat transcendental ini. Baik yang berpandukan wahyu mahupun konsep yang berangkat dari alam pemikiran rasional manusia.

Dalam perkembangannya, penyusunan corak konsep teologi ini kemudian menciptakan polarisasi umat manusia menjadi dua golongan besar yang sama sekali berbeza; teologis dan filsuf. Kedua golongan ini memiliki perbezaan yang khas. Teologis adalah mereka yang berusaha menyelidiki isu-isu ketuhanan melalui wahyu, sementara filsuf adalah mereka-mereka yang sanggup berusaha menjawab persoalan ketuhanan dalam penalaran rasional.

Namun - meskipun yang begitu, bukan tidak ada corak lain dalam teologi yang kemudian menandakan dinamiknya perkembangan intelektual manusia.

Justeru, buku Paling Unggul dan Maha Hebat di alam ini; Al-Quran Nul-Karim bukan sahaja kitab yang bicara soal ketuhanan dan keEsaannya semata. Dalam banyak ayatnya, Tuhan juga hadir bersama fenomena kesemestaan. Ertinya, Tuhan difahami dengan membaca seluruh pertanda alam. Ketuhanan terpancar dari potensi ilahiah semua makhluknya. Di sini, sebagai penafsir, manusia dianugerahi kemampuan menalar dan merenung untuk menyingkap alam esoteris Al-Quran. Alam yang tidak habis-habis ditimba samudera maknanya, tidak juga berbatas meskipun dijelajah seluruh ayatnya.

Biarpun secara empiris, Al-Quran kini menjadi panduan keberagamaan umat Islam, namun secara hakiki, kitab suci ini membawa misi yang universal. Al-Quran ditujukan bagi rahmat semua umat dan dalam keseluruhan dimensi waktu. Sayangnya, universalisasi tersebut kini masih sebatasan potensi sahaja. Umat hari ini belum mampu sepenuhnya menerjemahkannya dalam gagasan dan aksi nyata.

Sesungguhnya, rata-rata masyarakat telah melupakan atau bahkan tidak mahu tahu tentang nilai-nilai dan esensi ajaran Islam itu sendiri. Mereka hanya melihat sebelah mata saja tentang ajaran Islam. Hal ini tentunya akan sangat berpengaruh besar terhadap dunia esoteris (dalam batin) mereka. Selain itu, juga kepada dunia eksoteris (luar batin) mereka. Kerana pada hakikatnya, Islam adalah agama yang mengajarkan ketaatan, kepatuhan, dan sikap pasrah penuh pada sang Khalik di satu sisi. Di sisi yang lain, sebenarnya Islam sangat mengahargai manusia. Jadi, sebenarnya Islam mengajarkan pada kita untuk menjadi seorang sufi, berhubungan langsung dengan Tuhan (secara vertikal), tapi juga tidak melupakan bahawa mereka adalah makhluk dunia yang harus hidup dan berinteraksi dengan sesama (horizontal).

Jadi beginilah,

Seorang penyair seringkali perlu dan harus bersusah-payah menemukan sebuah kata untuk sebongkah imaginasinya. Sedangkan, seorang sufi seringkali tidak tahu bagaimana hadir serangkaian kata-kata indah mengalir begitu saja dari bibirnya untuk sehamparan realiti. Mungkin itu bezanya seseorang yang bekerja dengan imaginasi dan seorang yang menyatu dengan realiti sebenar.

Buat sahabat, semalam dan esok. Harap kita semua bersabar dan redha dengan ujian dan dugaan Tuhan. Setiap yang berlaku serta satu-satu kejadian itu punya sebab dan ada berisi sesuatu. Moga kita semua beroleh sesuatu akan 'sesuatu' itu. Kita semua punya ikhtiar dan tekad.

KAJI SELIDIK SECRET INVASION : KULIAH #1

SPOILER WARNING!

THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS

After months of build-up and anticipation, Marvel Comic's SECRET INVASION #1 is finally in here. I got my first copy today. The kickoff issue to the long awaited event has answered some burning questions, but also left fans with a whole set of new ones.

PAGE 2

Here we get our first glimpse at one of the mysterious architects behind the Skrull Invasion of Earth.

PAGE 6

On the last panel of this page, the expression on the face of Dum Dum Dugan, who will be revealed as a Skrull later in this issue, is our first hint that something may not be right with the veteran S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.

PAGES 11-12

Cloak makes sort of a walk-on appearance here to teleport the New Avengers to the top of Avengers tower. Readers may recall Cloak was a background character in your last Marvel event story, “House of M”

PAGES 15-16

The New Avengers’ very first adventure took them to the Savage Land, and it was there they got their very first inklings that something was wrong with S.H.I.E.L.D. and other elements of the Marvel Universe (pegi bukak baik NEW AVENGERS isu 1 untuk sapa-sapa yang tak ingat). Now on these two pages the team has come full circle. They’re back in the Savage Land to confront the forces of those they believe responsible for S.H.I.E.L.D.’s corruption. The domed building they encounter upon landing is the citadel of the Savage Land Mutates and the fact it’s a burning wreck indicates something sinister has gone down recently.

PAGE 20

On the second-to-last panel of this page, the Skrull doppelganger of Dugan reveals himself and utters the mysterious phrase, “He loves You”, which will be uttered by all the Skrull doppelgangers in this issue as they attack their targets.

PAGE 22

The Skrull agent impersonating Tony Stark’s faithful butler, Jarvis, starts a domino effect by attacking Tony Stark’s armor and all his technology with an
alien virus.

PAGE 27

On this page, Marvel Boy, who in the past has often come across as a brash hot head seems strangely calm.

PAGE 30

Readers will notice the Skrull here, transformed into the Invisible Woman in the lobby of the Baxter Building. This seems to indicate, unlike some of the other Skrull agents revealed in this issue, the Invisible Woman impersonator has only recently gotten into place and the real Sue Richards has not been missing for very long.

That’s exactly true... for the time being.

PAGE 33

It’s only the current occupants of the Baxter Building who are in danger of being swallowed by the opened Negative Zone portal. TE-BA-BO !

PAGES 35 - 36

This double-page spread of the current Avengers confronting what appears to be ‘70s incarnations of various Marvel characters is bound to spark some debate.

NI MUKA SURAT YANG BIKIN AKU PALING HIGH SEKALI! GILER! GILERR!!! GIILLERRR!!!!

PAGE 40

Here the Skrull agent impersonating Hank Pym outs himself and blasts Reed Richards with an energy weapon which seems to turn him into a stretched out pile of goop and then utters, “He even loves you”. This is bound to leave some readers wondering if Reed Richards is worth more to the Skrull invaders dead or alive?

---

UPDATE: I picked up on something that had changed in the final publication of Secret Invasion #1. Originally, they included a look at the last page of Secret Invasion #1 which included a four panel sequence that showed the Hank Skrull infiltrator touching the forehead of the Elektra Skrull. Except, the published panel didn't include that moment.

Have a look at the following image for the before/after comparison.

Writer Brian Bendis meant to see what the true reasons for the change are. Is this a Skrull conspiracy or something a bit less sinister?

He made some tweaks to the scenes at various stages including rearranging a couple of scenes at the end for maximum effect. Originally, the armada page was going to be the final page, but they all decided Hank and Reed should be. That beat with Elektra Skrull at the end became confusing and unnecessary at that point. It could be read as something other than what it is, so they left it on 'the cutting room floor.' But it was still attached to the preview copy that went out. Basically everyone thought he was done picking, but I wasn't.

Bersambung dalam SECRET INVASION #2 bulan hadapan... MUAHAHAHA!!!