Reasons to Pick Up Loki: Agent of Asgard

Loki: Agent of Asgard was surprisingly good. Here are several reasons why you really should pick up this book written by Al Ewing and Lee Garbett. Also spoilers here.

Here we go.

1. Loki Owns Thor

If you feel like Thor deserved some righteous smackdown in last year's Thor: The Dark World then you'll get your satisfaction knowning that Loki skewers Thor (not the way you're thinking) with a mythical sword.

2. One Direction-y Beefcake Moment

I have no idea what the hell Loki's singing but he does cement the idea that Hawkeye put forth later in the issue, that this version of Loki looks like a mix between Tom Hiddleston and a reject from One Direction.

3. Loki's Missions are Unseeming

This first issue set the tone for the book while under the direction of Al Ewing (who's really hitting all the high notes with this and Mighty Avengers). The missions might not seem much but it's very intricate. I really hope this becomes a constant on the book.

4.The All-Mothers Are Playing a Different Game

So yeah, we already know that the teenage Loki we're seeing is a new guy, so why are the All-Mothers bringing back the old, evil Loki back in the fold? Also, he looks horrendous too.You have to admit this'll really pique your curiosity.

There's a lot of other brilliant moments in this book but I have to stop lest I post the entire book. Just believe me when I say that this book truly delivers.

Loki Valentines Day Gift Tags

Ladies love Tom Hiddleston as Loki more than Thor himself. That's a given already and we cannot argue about that. So here are some truly inspired Valentines' Day gift tags/ greeting cards from the Asgardian god of mischief himself.

Check out the other Loki related Valentines' Day greetings!

From the Fanboy SEO, advance Happy Valentines Day dear readers and followers.

Top 10 Movies for 2013

Since 2013 is about to end and as we welcome 2014, I decided to give you MY top 10 movies for 2013 (in no particular order mind you). This of course wouldn't be possible if not for our friends from 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Warner Bros. Pictures, Solar Entertainment and new additions like Captive Cinema, CrystalSky and Axinitte Digicinema. 

10. Gravity 

Nothing can be more compelling than humanity overcoming anything being thrown at them including space debris and burning space shuttles. Add to that some stellar acting from Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and Alfonso Cuaron just paved his way to an Oscar.

9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 

The continued saga of Thorin Oakenshield together with the rest of his dwarf company and Bilbo Baggins continues and it's being shown in magnificent HFR IMAX 3D. Great adaptation and butchering of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic kids book and great way to give the ladies another fellow to swoon over in the form of Thranduil. 

8. Captain Phillips 

The only 'realistic' movie in my list. Captain Phillips is all about humanity in the face of adversity. It's a play on morals and decisions and compassion and it's got Tom Hanks in it playing the titular Captain Phillips. You'll also be amazed at the military tactics and precision that is the US Coast Guard and Navy Seals.

7. This is the End 

This one's on my list for all the sheer hilarity and dirtiness of the characters particular James Franco. I hated that they were pushing too much of the bromosexuality but that's all forgiven the moment you see the Backstreet Boys dancing in heaven to the tune of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)".

6. Thor: The Dark World

Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston return for another serving of Asgardian goodness. There's so many things to love about this sequel. More humor and more Hiddleston however are the top reasons. And they got the ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston to play the bad guy Malekith the Accursed too.

5. Iron Man 3

Never have I ever thought that Tony Stark could actually be twice as good as the Iron Man armor. Shane Black delivers a really good and solid Iron Man movie focusing equally on the massive array of Iron Man armor as well as the man inside the shell. Robert Downey Jr. truly rocked this performance. Great cast too and despite the debacle of The Mandarin, it's still a good movie to watch.

4. Man of Steel

Director Zack Snyder shows us a radically different Superman in Man of Steel. This man really punches hard and even breaks necks (literally!). The world is different and the acting was OK. Henry Cavill also shows us why he was born to play the role of Clark Kent/ Kal El/ Superman. It sucks though that there's very little chemistry between him and Lois Lane Amy Adams. Still, a pretty great movie. It's like Dragonball Z only with DC's main hero in it.

3. Frozen

A DISNEY MOVIE THAT WILL MAKE YOU SING?!?! How long has it been since that were the case. usually it's just there to make us cry but it hasn't made us sing and hum. Frozen does that and delivers a wonderful story that's loosely based on the legend of "The Ice Queen". It's a love story but it's not played out entirely like that and while the main pull might be a love angle between Christoph and Anna, it's really the sisterly love between Elsa and Anna that gets the main spotlight. Massive props too for the addition of Olaf who's quickly become a favorite character of mine.

2. Mama / The Conjuring

Can't figure which of the two I liked best so I'm chucking them as a special two-in-one deal. Guillermo Del Toro has Jessica Chastain playing a reluctant surrogate mother/ aunt whose kids brought along the diabolical 'Mama'. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson on the other hand are real life paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren. Both movies are scary and both have some sense of royalty among other horror movies that came out this year. 

1. Pacific Rim 

Giant fighting robots? Check! Giant monsters called Kaiju? Check! Two brooding and awesome pilots? Check! 3D monster-robot fights?! Check! Fuck the intricacies of the story and just watch this like 5 year old boy and you will surely enjoy this film. Nuff Said!

So there we go. Here's to more movies for 2014 and many more reviews! 

THOR: THE DARK WORLD Spoiler Review

So this is it, the real spoiler-heavy review for THOR: THE DARK WORLD. Took me long enough but here it is.

Compared to the first THOR movie, the second had so much meat. Again I refer to it as meat not the whole package. But's lets go back to that later.

Malekith The Accursed here was under-utilized. I mean here we have a powerful enemy for Thor and Asgard with technology that made the feared Asgardians look like chumps and we rarely get to see them do anything other than infiltrate Asgard, threaten Natalie Portman's character Jane Foster and kill Rene Russo's Frigga. That's it for them. It would have been better if they get raided throughout the Asgard scenes seeing that Malekith's got a lot of Dark Elf fodder at his beck and call.

Underused is also how I would describe the Warrior's Three and Lady Sif. They all have their cool moments somewhere in the film but it's really not enough. These aren't you average foot soldiers after all; these are the most trusted advisers for the future king of Asgard. Amongst them four, I really felt bad for Hogun the Grim who was practically written out of the story. The moment the battle was won in his world, he stayed behind and then towards the end, we see a glimpse of him; just a glimpse.

The love triangle between Lady Sif, Thor and Jane Foster was also non-existent. That's one of the things I was looking forward to in this Alan Taylor-helmed film yet it never resurfaced. We're only relegated to a few dirty looks and that was it.

Kurse was cool here. I loved how he transformed from Angrim to Kurse. Those scenes also could lead to future Agent of SHIELD territory but really, that's a long shot. What's definite is that monster that got left behind in London during the 'big' battle scene between Thor and Malekith and the rest of the Dark Elves. Coulson, Ward and the rest of our team would have their hands full that's for sure.

With regards to the special Avengers cameo here - It's Captain America.

This happens after Thor busts out Loki from his cell and Loki keeps on transforming to annoy his brother. One of the transformations that he undergoes through is as Chris Evans' in his Captain America costume from The Avengers. It's short, sweet and totally caught me off guard. Good one Marvel Studios.

Like what I've said in the non-spoilery version, I loved how the filmmakers gave Asgard. What was once an empty and dull civilization is suddenly full of life with actual people and with actual soldiers to boot. Kudos to Alan Taylor for his experience in directing episodes of Game of Thrones, at least this doesn't look like a ghost town. And they actually have MRIs and Gun turrets in Asgard too.

The two post credit trailers were up there in my list. Benicio Del Toro as The Collector was very interesting, almost Mugatu-ish. Still pretty and it also gives us more insights with regards to what the INFINITY GEMS will look like in the MCU. The dialogue was just.... wow. It does open the world of hurt for the good guys as it's implied that The Collector too is after the gems. Also wow again for making both the Tesseract (re: Cosmic Cube) and the Aether are both the gems. 

The second post-credit scene was OK. I mean it doesn't change anything other than having Thor at the ready for Avengers: Age of Ultron. That and that scary looking monster that got stranded in Midgard following the transdimensional fight between Thor and Malekith. 

Fuck I almost forgot that Marvel wasn't quiet about showing us Surtur's fiery realm in the climax. That alone is a huge easter egg if fan clamor/rumor is to be trusted. Surture and the fire giants, here we come! 

Finally, the ending was great. I read somewhere that the trilogy for the big three always wanted to emulate the formula for the Star Wars trilogy. THOR: THE DARK WORLD definitely hit the right chords if it wanted to become the EMPIRE STRIKES BACK for the film franchise. Oh and if you're asking me how I saw that ending, I'd say Loki got Odin trapped somewhere in a deep, dark recess of the dungeons. Somewhere only he knows or everybody's forgotten. Heck he could've forced Odin to tell him the location of this dungeon. 

THOR: THE DARK WORLD did not have a mission statement so it's really hard to gauge it on anything other than the previous movie. It does open new doors for both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the TV-verse spearheaded by the Agents of SHIELD series. 

THOR: THE DARK WORLD is still showing in all cinemas nationwide! 

Marvel Avengers Alliance Spec Ops 14 - The Dark World

Another new SPEC OPS for Playdom's MARVEL AVENGERS ALLIANCE this time focusing on the film THOR: THE DARK WORLD. 

Two great things about this is that first the character players get to unlock is Stacker Pentecost himself, Heimdall or the MCU version at least played by Idris Elba. The collection-based character is the Tom Hiddleston Loki.

See the Light - 1 of 25
Dark Times
HINT: Aid the Asgardians by defeating Dark Elves. Dark Elves can be found in Mission 1: Our Darkest Day
Defeat 10 Dark Elves

See the Light - 2 of 25
To Arms!
HINT: Leaping Slash is Sif's second ability. Dragonfang is Valkyrie's second ability. They are Team-Ups in Spec Op 14 Mission 1: Our Darkest Day
Use Sif’s Leaping Slash 4 Times
Use Valkyrie’s Dragonfang 4 Times

See the Light - 3 of 25
Thunderer
HINT: Hammer Throw is Thor's first ability. Thor is a Team-Up in Spec Op 14 Mission 1: Our Darkest Day
Use Thor’s Hammer Throw 5 Times

See the Light - 4 of 25
Weapon of the Ancients
HINT: Destroyer is the Boss of Mission 1: Our Darkest Day
Defeat the Destroyer

See the Light - 5 of 25
Behemoth
HINT: Fight Kurse either on your own map or on your friends' maps for free. Kurse respawns every 72 hours.
Complete a Battle with Kurse

See the Light - 6 of 25
Face Off
HINT: Research the Dark Elf Mask to complete this task.
Research the Dark Elf Mask in the Lab

See the Light - 7 of 25
Unmasked
HINT: Equip and Use 5 Dark Elf Masks to break the illusions of 5 Dark Elves. Dark Elves can be found in Mission 1: Our Darkest Day
Use 5 Dark Elf Masks to break the illusions used by 5 Dark Elves

See the Light - 8 of 25
Versus
HINT: Compete in PVP to test your skills against other players. Hint: Practice matches count as battles.
Fight 5 PVP Battles

See the Light - 9 of 25
A Giant Problem
HINT: Jotuns can be found in Mission 2: Guiding Light
Defeat 10 Jotuns

See the Light - 10 of 25
Mission Accomplished
HINT: Complete missions to add points to your cumulative score. Achieve a high enough score to earn a new Mastery Star!
Get 2 Stars of Mastery in Mission 1

See the Light - 11 of 25
Gone Clubbing
HINT: Research the Stone Golem Club to complete this task.
Create the Stone Golem Club in the Lab

See the Light - 12 of 25
Blunt Instrument
HINT: Equip and use the Stone Mace
Equip the Stone Golem Club
Use the Stone Golem Club in Combat

See the Light - 13 of 25
Sight Beyond Sight
HINT: Heimdall is a Team-Up in Missions 2 and 3
Use Heimdall’s Vigilance 2 times
Use Heimdall’s Uru Blade 3 times
Use Heimdall’s Gjallarhorn 2 times

See the Light - 14 of 25
Son of Secrets
HINT: Collect lockboxes to unlock Loki as a playable hero. They can be earned from fighting Kurse or lockbox sidequests.
Collect 5 Mischievous Lockboxes

See the Light - 15 of 25
Some Enchanted Evening
HINT: Enchantress is the Boss of Mission 2: Guiding Light
Defeat Enchantress
See the Light - 16 of 25
Lab Practical
HINT: Research the Eclipse to complete this task.
Create the Eclipse in the Lab

See the Light - 17 of 25
Dark Side of the Moon
HINT: Equip and use the Eclipse
Equip the Eclipse
Use the Eclipse in Combat

See the Light - 18 of 25
Mission Accomplished
HINT: Complete missions to add points to your cumulative score. Achieve a high enough score to earn a new Mastery Star!
Get 2 Stars of Mastery in Mission 2

See the Light - 19 of 25
Hoarder
HINT: Unstable Isotope-8 can be found in normal combat, as well as rewards from deploys and boss fights. You can also get some from your friends!
Collect 20 Unstable Iso-8

See the Light - 20 of 25
Trickster
HINT: Fog of Chaos is Loki's second ability. Loki is a Team-Up in Missions 2 and 3
Use Loki's Fog of Chaos 2 Times

See the Light - 21 of 25
Grim Strength
HINT: Fight Kurse either on your own map or on your friends' maps for free. Kurse respawns every 72 hours.
Fight Kurse 3 Times

See the Light - 22 of 25
Field Trip
HINT: Yellow portals to Svartalfheim can be found in Mission 3: A Fool's Redemption
Complete 4 Combats in Svartalfheim

See the Light - 23 of 25
The Accursed
HINT: Malekith is the Boss of Mission 3: A Fool's Redemption
Defeat Malekith

See the Light - 24 of 25
Mission Accomplished
HINT: Complete missions to add points to your cumulative score. Achieve a high enough score to earn a new Mastery Star!
Complete 3 Stars of Mastery in all Spec Op 14 Missions

See the Light - 25 of 25
Darkness Falls
HINT: Malekith is an Epic Boss in Mission 2: Guiding Light. HINT: Participate in Deploys as soon as they appear.
Defeat Malekith

Noteworthy here are the required characters needed to unlock the EPIC BOSS:

She-Hulk, Mockingbird and Valkyrie.

THOR: THE DARK WORLD Review NON SPOILER

Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston and the rest of the heroes and villains of the Asgard have returned for a second serving of action and adventure in Marvel Studios' THOR: THE DARK WORLD. 

Conforming with what's 'proper' this is non-spoilery. 

Like the last movie, I'm still pretty much impressed with the star power. Natalie Portman, Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Rene Russo, Idris Elba and Kat Dennings just to name a few are all great actors. Newcomers Zachary Levi (Chuck) and Christopher Eccleston (Dr. Who, G.I.Joe Rise of Cobra) are totally exceptional in their roles as Fandral the Dashing and Malekith the Accursed. But while the star power was good, some stars just didn't float enough. Natalie Portman and Hemsworth's romance was dry; Hiddleston's Loki was written to actually make him look like the real star of the movie. The Warriors Three and Lady Sif (Jamie Alexander) all get even shorter screen times. Finally, Hopkins as Odin was a little tired and uninspired. 

Visuals were great. It's a facelift from the last Thor movie. This is a world where people actually live in. Given that the film is directed by Game of Thrones' director Alan Taylor, it's pretty obvious that he knows how to do these kinds of things. I totally loved the feel for Asgard here. The fighting is intense which again perpetuates the word 'Hammer Time'. 

One of the greater things about THOR: THE DARK WORLD is the smarter, funnier script. Some times they obviously try to seem funny and it's 50/50. Some are just comedy gold especially the lighter scenes between the brothers Thor & Loki. 

Speaking of Loki and Thor, the cameos in this film just blew me out of the room. To avoid even sending you to spoiler territory, let's just leave it at that. 

THOR: THE DARK WORLD was never clear with it's role in the general scheme of things within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was simply a movie that was created to make more money for Marvel and create additional tension for this beautiful and savage world that Marvel created. That's my minor annoyance here but that's something I can live with. The action after all is fun and wicked and it certainly gave me more reason to forgive the movie. In fact the moment the Kronan stoneman appeared and Thor literally crumbles the damned thing, every critical thought about the film was chucked out the window. 

Fun Fact: The Stoneman was an easter egg and a reference to the first appearance of Thor, which was in JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY # 1. This was the issue where Donald Blake finds the cane that transforms into Mjolnir

Final pieces of advice, the 3D works well but it's not really going to ruin anything if you don't see it in 3D or IMAX.

VERDICT: B(-) Big in action, dull in romance, great in comedy and fanservice through and through.

Special thanks to:

Also major thanks to Walt Disney Pictures Philippines

Guardians of the Galaxy Banner Spotted

I've got newfound respect for the Facebook group Marvel Cinematic Universe as they have been giving out some pretty neat info. 

A friend pointed out to me that this group was where he found out the identity of that surprise guest-star in THOR: THE DARK WORLD and now they've shared this little bit of promotional material for GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

This was plastered in the cinema where THOR 2 premiered in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Nothing really to go by but it's a pretty sweet connection especially if you've seen the post-credits scene from the Chris Hemsworth starrer.

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Hot Toys Thor: The Dark World Thor Preview

Hot Toys can't cash in too much on Thor but they've done the next best thing, preview two new figures at the same time.

The next highly anticipated Marvel Studios film this year – Thor: The Dark World is soon hitting the theatres. Following the events of The Avengers, Thor returns to the big screen and sets upon a journey to confront a new enemy that even Odin and Asgard cannot withstand.

To celebrate the launch of this epic sequel of Thor, Hot Toys is proud to present the new 1/6th scale Thor Collectible Figure. The movie-accurate collectible is specially crafted based on the image of Chris Hemsworth as Thor in the movie, featuring the newly developed head sculpt, muscular body, highly detailed costume, weapon and accessories.























Mind you this is the standard armor for the Thunder god, there's another 1/6 scale figure preview waiting in the wings!!!

Also this head sculpt is spot on with the likeness of Thor actor Chris Hemsworth. In fact, I daresay that it's actually better than what we've seen from The Avengers Thor figure.

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