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Wonder Woman and Darna. So last Thursday, we were able to see Wonder Woman at Limketkai Cinemas, @ Cinema 1. Before that, we were greeted by the hymn of POGS. Playing repeatedly so many times in the span of like half-an-hour. I have not written a proper review of Wonder Woman yet on Letterboxd as I get worried that whatever I will say would just be a repeat. I was initially weary about Gal Gadot's casting at first as she was known for the Fast & Furious movies. I had hopes for this movie more than what I can glean from the critics/fans I encounter online. Her performance in the critical miss Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was enough for me to make me see the movie. Good thing, POGS got this fundraising activity for I am currently out of new money from the stint of the summer classes. Have not even tried the new Director's Club and the Megascreen, much less the regular cinemas at the new SM Downtown Premiere. So before that, I readied myself by watching the multiple different Mars Ravelo adaptations. Especially with what Filipinos declare as the counterpart to Wonder Woman, Darna. She is more like an example of Captain Marvel/Shazam than Wonder Woman. It is like Mars Ravelo seem intrigued by this superhero. Captain Barbell is a more explicit version if only because they are both male and the name is too close. Even Kapitan Boom is another Captain Marvel-inspired hero. Tiny Tony on the other hand is a mixture of Ant-Man and the Atom. Dyesebel may or may not count as a hero, as her movies tended to be a love story between her and the human Fredo. The closest thing they did to make her part of a hero ensemble is giving her powers for the 2014 incarnation of the character on TV portrayed by Anne Curtis. She is known as a viable endorser and sometimes acceptable acting but boy does she try to sing. Wonder what future historians or archaeologists will say about our culture whenever they attempt to understand our lives in the late 20th to early 21st century. Just like Wonder Woman, there have been plans by ABS-CBN before to make a shared universe of superheroes. (And that was even before they got the rights of the major heroes like Darna and Captain Barbell. They got Lastikman though.) They sorta have a Darna, but with the original name of Darna however they drastically changed it in a way to make it a different hero. Still got the Captain Marvel vibe though. I don't know if they are pushing through with that now that they have cast the new Darna with the presence of Liza Soberano. It would have been called Isang Lakas, they might have gotten this idea because team-ups are a regular feature of the major comic books in the United States. If they did push through, it may have even came out before Marvel's The Avengers back in 2012. One thing that I notice is the lack of a Batman-type character. The one who is non-powered. I tried all that I can to find copies of the movies online but to no avail for some of the titles. Some are even technically lost, cannot be restored to a better version. Cannot be made to BluRay or something. Such as the first Darna film by Vilma Santos. Sure, there are copies available on VHS, VCDs, whatnot. But restoration need the original or copies of the film negatives or something. This makes me sure about the future I want to take after graduating from college. I read about the various archiving societies. Even plan to visit the Video 48 store. There is just so many activities in the center of the Philippines. I feel like I am just stuck in a promising yet still developing part of the country.

Mars Ravelo and Komiks I readied myself by watching the multiple different Mars Ravelo adaptations. Those with the movies of course. Some did have a daily series (especially the Big Three). The others were relegated to a weekly series under the "Komiks" banner. Darna. Filipinos declare her as the counterpart to Wonder Woman, She is more like an example of Captain Marvel/Shazam than Wonder Woman. It is like Mars Ravelo seem intrigued by this superhero. Has twelve official movies. Vilma Santos is the most popular hero, and was actually the longest one to be Darna. The latest Darna is Liza Soberano. The last cinematic appearance of Darna was by Anjanette Abayari, still the sexiest Darna ever. Three television series, in 1977 with Lorna Tolentino, 2005 with Angel Locsin, 2009 with Marian Rivera. The finale of the 2005 Darna even teased an appearance and possible crossover with Captain Barbell. There still exists an iMDB entry of the failed TV series Captain Barbell Meets Darna. Captain Barbell is a more explicit version if only because they are both male and the name is too close. Earlier incarnations such as the 1964 one with Bob Soler as the titular hero and Dolphy as the alter-ego Tengteng. Followed up by a sequel with a different guy and also a different alter-ego. Again it has canon basis though. This is what fully separates him from Captain Marvel/Shazam/Billy Batson. Then in 1973, Dolphy reprised the role. This is the first time that the same actor played both roles. Then in 1986, Edu Manzano was Captain Barbell, and the alter-ego Teng played by Herbert Bautista. 2003, Bong Revilla, Ogie Alcasid. Incidentally, both of those latter movies have a Darna. The real crossover happened in the former movie. The Darna in the 2003 movie was in a dream sequence by the love interest of the hero. The dream sequence is also notable for the crossover between 3 of the most popular Mars Ravelo superhero creations, along with Lastikman. And then there is the attempt to make a "Smallville" by Richard Gutierrez. At least in the 2006 initial run. By the 2011, it seemed to lighten up but did not please the fans who are familiar with the "inspirations" they have incorporated. Lastikman - Plastic Man. But Plastic Man is not the only stretchy hero in the American comic book industry. There is also Elongated Man (also from DC Comics.) On Marvel's side there is Mr. Fantastic. (Maybe that is why Vic Sotto decided to do the Fantastic Man movie after he did the Lastikman movie. That Fantastic Man also got to have a series on GMA.) Played by Von Serna, Vic Sotto (2003), Mark Bautista (2004), Vhong Navarro (2007). What made me like Lastikman first was the 2003 version, playing the Spider-Man inspired elements just right. Though, it may have not aged well. Gonna revisit it sometime. Spider-Man really inspired a lot of heroes, with the parody-ish Gagamboy also played by Vhong Navarro. Could not really know about the Mark Bautista film as there seems to be no copies online but it is available to rent on Netflix so that is something. Even Kapitan Boom is another Captain Marvel-inspired hero. The hero is played by Jon Avila, and the alter-ego by singer Jay-R Siaboc. It is a comedic weekly series, It seems like this could have been ABS-CBN's replacement for the Captain Barbell character. He's got supersonic hearing. Flight. The basic Superman package it seems. Meets Varga in the finale? Darna did not start out fully as Darna. She was initially Varga. She was reworked by ABS-CBN into a different hero. Vara is an alien princess ghost who finds herself drawn to planet Earth. Gifted with beauty, superpowers and a voluptuous body, she meets a young girl named Olga, and together transform into the hero Varga, where they defeat evil and save the world. Mariel Rodriguez played the alien Vara and the superheroine Varga. Angel Sy portrays Olga. And in this version, whenever they are not united, only Olga sees Vara. So the ties to the Captain Marvel-type is lessened. What could Mars Ravelo thought about that? Met Tiny Tony in the finale. Tiny Tony on the other hand is a mixture of Ant-Man (more Hank Pym than the MCU Scott Lang) and the Atom (more Ray Palmer, though Ryan Choi is also a scientist). A science prodigy with mathematical aptitude, Tony (John Prats) is a nerd who dreams of making a difference in society. Tony is a simple guy who after a freak accident is transformed from a normal person to a tiny superhero. One day he meets an accident which literally causes him to become small. Will Tony ever return to his normal size? Or will he forever be Tiny Tony? He does not meet Dragonna in the finale. Dragonna. It is a story about a teenage girl who discovers that she has pyrokinetic abilities and decided to use this newly found ability for a greater good. She releases this ability every time she loses her temper. She meets Flash Bomba in the finale. Flash Bomba in a sense is what comes close to a Batman type character. And that would have led to a Justice League/Super Friends/Avengers inspired spin-off Isang Lakas. So imagine what I must have felt when I watched The Avengers back in 2012. Unlike the experience of The Avengers, I got a glimpse of the individual stories they had. Practically what I know then about the Marvel lore is that Spider-Man could have been in it. And whatever I saw from Itsjustsomerandomguy's YouTube channel. This did not push through. It was too big and perhaps conflict arose. Dyesebel may or may not count as a hero, as her movies tended to be a love story between her and the human Fredo. First appeared in 1953. Had one TV series, a daily one played by Marian Rivera, who later became Darna. Making her similar to Vilma Santos portraying the same two characters. The most popular version appears to be the Alice Dixson as Dyesebel and Richard Gomez as the love interest version. The closest thing they did to make her part of a hero ensemble is giving her powers for the 2014 incarnation of the character on TV portrayed by Anne Curtis. She is known as a viable endorser and sometimes acceptable acting but boy does she try to sing. She could be their counterpart to Aquaman? Another fun connection for Anne Curtis to the Mars Ravelo lore is that she is rumored to portray the archenemy of Darna, Valentina. So the chances of her reprising the role of Dyesebel might be lessened. Plus, also the fact that she is a Viva artist, and not a Star Magic talent. Some have even expressed that Nadine Lustre is a more acceptable alternative to Liza Soberano as she appears more the conventional Filipina. Also her lookalike Kathryn Bernardo. Wonder what future historians or archaeologists will say about our culture whenever they attempt to understand our lives in the late 20th to early 21st century.

Word of the day is Covfefe. This gaffe by POTUS 45 Donald J. Trump blew up on social media spreading memes about what it may have meant. Some of the funnier memes I have seen were the Citizen Kane inspired one and the Vanilla Ice/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles song. Speaking of gaffe involving the Office of the President but this time in the Philippines, the Presidential Communications team uploaded a propaganda declaring why was it necessary for PDutz to declare Martial Law. It only was captioned "#DefendRepublic." Thoughts I have about it are found in my Twitter timeline. Similarly meme'd. And this also almost came back-to-back with the Mocha Uson declaring the use of a fake photo as denoting symbolism. The nerve of that bitch. Also apparently learned that Captain Underpants, the latest DreamWorks animated movie did not release here in the Philippines. There were very many big movies that have come and will come. There is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's Baywatch, the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie and the Wonder Woman movie. Segue again, as I may have discussed on social media, instead of watching the previous portrayals of Wonder Woman on television and animated movies, I decided to try and see the Darna movies.

Avengers: Infinity War production trailer. 2 years after the announcement of Spider-Man joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe, they released a trailer clip of the production of the culmination of the project that took a decade in the making. Day one started on January 23 this year. This essentially officially confirms that Tom Holland as the age appropriate Peter Parker/Spider-Man is in the third Avengers movie and possibly the fourth one as well. He is Marvel's most popular hero after all. It is shocking to realize that it started with the risk of the then relatively obscure Iron Man. So excited! And not a single new MCU/Marvel-related film has been released yet. I mean Legion got released already for TV and Iron Fist is not until St. Paddy's Day. Logan is not until March and I may write about the X-Men movies here when the date comes closer. Biggest Marvel movie ever yet. Still hoping for a decent Justice League movie. Wish the Netflix Defenders, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Punisher are there. Also Fox has to make a sweet deal to have at least just the Fantastic Four in it and maybe the X-Men or probably just Deadpool maybe. Not entirely sold with the Inhumans though, they are basically X-Men lite. 2017 just seems to be infinitely better than the dumpster fire that was 2016.

The Lego Batman Movie I have written an extremely detailed review of the movie on Letterboxd. Also added additional observations in Twitter. This will add more observations that I have left there. Jenny Slate as Harley Quinn had a better performance than the perfectly casted Margot Robbie from Suicide Squad. Though I may not watch Ninjago later this year but still is excited for the sequel to the Lego Movie. I initially was planning to make a gallery of the best theatrical Batman but instead will feature the best animated experiences of the Caped Crusader so far. I may have written an exhaustive amount about the live action movies and also the DC Animated Universe. Not seeing Gotham anytime soon.

Of being halfway there and being seemingly stuck: Midterms not yet done. The tail end of the cold front affected the schedule. To think that it was not a typhoon and it did much flooding and damage, that we seem not to learn our lesson with Sendong. As such, the coming week is a relatively chill weak. It was the inauguration of Donald Trump as the 45th president of the United States of America. Unfollowed the social media accounts of the administration. Followed the archived profiles and the citizens as well. Not a supporter of Trump clearly since I lean liberal. It looks like Americans will get a taste of how some of us feel under Duterte. Only the Americans can have Trump for possibly a shorter span of time granted he will not be able to serve a second term. It was also the birth anniversary of my maternal grandfather. I did not get to see any movie today. My uncle posted a picture of him when he was younger. He was the only grandfather I have spent time with while I am existing. Similar to my paternal grandfather, I have not reached my maternal grandmother. But I think my sister did. I think the oldest person in the generational family tree I have witnessed though I was young, is one of my great grandmothers. The mother of my paternal grandmother. She is referred to as Lola Lols short for Lola Lola. My only living biological grandparent is called Grandmy. Though I still have a sort of step grandma with Lola Fely. Was waiting half of the day for the haircut session to come. Did not get to see any movies. Not even after going home. Got to download the leaked screener of Silence though. It was my intention to choose to read it for Philosophy of Religion. First heard of it in Letterboxd and wondered about the Japanese symbol and that Martin Scorsese is attached. Gave my photocopied book to my older sister as she seemed intrigued by the response of Andrew Garfield in preparation for the role. This and Hacksaw Ridge shows the religious side of him somewhat. As usual, we went to the anticipated mass and then ate outside. Had fun trying to find accessories for my changing lifestyle. I wish I had not spend that 2000 pesos too hastily. But they left me no other choice. I just wanted the streak to continue. How very selfish of me. Now I am trying to save so that I might buy another external hard drive. At around 1-2 terabytes. Because of that, I will not be able to renew my membership for the Letterboxd community of either the pro or patron.

Happy birthday to the amazing fantastic incredible uncanny spectacular ultimate Stan The Man Lee!

The day we had a double feature of MMFF entries. A reunion of the Tan family. One of the better days this year.

Die Hard best Christmas movie ever! All pics from Die Hard except for Mary Elizabeth Winstead in 10 Cloverfield Lane. She is the heir apparent to John McClane and Ellen Ripley. Die Hard 5 could have been better if they used her more instead of the bland Jai Courtney. Die Hard is a tight movie considering the behind the scenes of it and the sequels could not fully capture it. Maybe except With a Vengeance. But that worked because the director of the first movie returned for it. Bruce Willis was not entirely available and so they were able to develop a lot of the supporting characters including those who died. The first sequel was essentially the same but in an airport and with more Bruce Willis. Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber made it a memorable film. I fully agree that it is not Christmas yet until Hans Gruber fell off the Nakatomi Tower. Was supposed to watch this on Christmas Eve but we arrived home late from the mass. We took pictures in the church. I dreaded taking planned pictures. Doesn't feel too spontaneous and superficial. Anyway, enjoyed it when everybody else in the house was asleep. The perks of having a room alone for yourself. Made Christmas 2016 a lot better though this year has been shitty. I could insert quotes here from the movie but there are just so numerous that are quotable. It had been 3 years since I started this tradition and I intend to keep it just like how most follow watching Home Alone or It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, etc. This and The Nightmare Before Christmas makes my holidays complete. Merry Christmas to one and all, and I am fully aware I am not entirely politically correct.

Completed the filmography of Tom Hanks as an actor. Felt like a major accomplishment which has been actively started last year. I do know he is good as a serious dramatic actor but he is much more a delight as a comedian. I have chosen Big as the poster to join this as it presents a balance of the Tom Hanks I've come to enjoy.

Today marks one year of the coronation of the current Miss Universe. Summed up nicely by the picture attached to this. Steve Harvey just became wildly worldwide popular because of this incident. He announced that Miss Colombia won. It turned out my home girl Pia Wurtzbach (she came from the same city I was born and raised and preferably where I die too.) from the humble Philippine archipelago was the real winner. It came as a shock to us as we found the answer of Miss Colombia lacking. Pia gave an America friendly response though. She joined Bb. Pilipinas three times before actually winning. The first time she was a runner-up to any of the contests that the Binibining Pilipinas has sent representatives to for a rather long time. It was also a historic moment because it took 42 years to follow up the last win by the Philippines. The first two were Gloria Diaz in 1969 and Margie Moran in 1973. It gave a last minute blessing for the entire country before entering the current dumpster fire year of 2016. We also witnessed my parents' renewal of vows for their wedding anniversary. Momentous event as they lasted a quarter of a century seeing each other grow through challenges and difficulties. And also the good times. Did not really have a photo with only the three of us together. So I just chose the picture with my favorite brother/sister. I still would no longer be surprised if news that the state of affairs in the world could get any worse. With Aleppo and the assassination of a diplomat which some compare to the trigger that led to the First World War. Can 2016 please end sooner?

Rushed entry and all that shiznit. Again belated happy birthday to one of my favorite directors Steven Spielberg! Will be waiting for Indy 5 around 2 years from now.

Today is the anniversary of the publication of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. Here are the Disney related adaptations. Also movie marathon time.

#disney #muppets

Commemorating the death anniversary of my paternal grandfather. So we had an intimate get together with the extended family. Speaking of which my paternal relatives are still involved in a rather big case. Which may have led to indirectly to death. So he has not met any of his grandchildren.

This Friday I finally got to see Rogue One! I re-watch all of the other episodes of the saga in preparation though in a mixed order. Did not log them last year on Letterboxd because I thought I had enough time to re-watch. Or so I thought. Was busy watching Rocky/Creed movies. For PE that day, we were very few people to attend. Did not go to Filipino 44 that night. Watched Rogue One in three dimensions. Life never ceases to be amazing.

Retroactive Chick Tract Counterpoint: So I found out my sister had a booklet with a Chick Tract. I have heard about it but I could not believe that some groups legitimately believe and actually peddle it. Attached here is the fact check to that particular tract. Rogue One opened this day in other news.

Karl Marx remains to be very relevant up to this era. A day spent with the people from the Sociology and Anthropology Department.

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