HBO's The Last Of Us: From Game To TV (by Atty)

HBO's game to TV adaptation series The Last Of Us is a rare beast. The 9-episode live action series is an engrossing odyssey of survival during an apocalypse when humankind is rapidly being infested by a type of cordeyceps fungus.

Just like in the game created by Naughty Dog, the show's viewers follow the journey of a weary man named Joel (Pedro Pascal) and snarky teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they travel to a revolutionary militia group called The Fireflies. Ellie is immune from the fungus' effects, and the Fireflies are supposed to be able to create a vaccine with Ellie's help. While making their way through the ruined landscape of the US, Joel and Ellie fight off dangerous people as well as the infested, also known as clickers.

There have been several attempts to adapt popular game franchises to live action shows, but most of these endeavours never quite hit the mark. Live action adaptations like Resident Evil and The Halo lacked compelling storylines, and were not able to create the sense of urgency or horror you get when you are playing the games. One of the better adaptations is Netflix's The Witcher, which has managed to please most fans - at least for the first season. Fan favourite Henry Cavill's screen presence as main character Geralt of Rivia has helped make the show somewhat bingeworthy.

Happy Batman Day 2022 - Visit the Batcave at XM Studios, Catch The Batman Premiere on HBO and more!

Nana nana nana nana BATMAN!!!! Happy Batman Day, all you geeks!

On 17 September, also known as Batman Day, fans celebrate the World’s Greatest Detective's adventures for over 80 years! And he's still going strong.

So, what are the Batty things you can do with your squad on Red Dot Island for the festivities? Check out the following list of things to do:

Re-Enter Into Westworld - Season 4 Premieres on HBO Asia and HBO Go, 27 June 2022

HBO's dystopian science-fiction series WESTWORLD is one of the most confounding yet intriguing study on human psyche as well as the concepts of consciousness and freewill. The TV series created by husband and wife team Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, expanded on the 1973 film written and directed by Michael Crichton. Michael Crichton is known for his techno-thriller books like The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Disclosure and Prey.

As a local islander, Red Dot Diva found WESTWORLD'S Season 3 an interesting visual experience because her city-state home was transformed as future Los Angeles. Familiar spots like Lasalle College of the Arts, Oasia Hotel Downtown, Marina One, the Atlas Bar and even Pulau Ubin, were featured prominently in several scenes. Red Dot Diva never realised Red Dot Island could look so sleek and cinematic!

In Season 3, the hosts Dolores, Maeve and Bernard are no longer in the theme park. The setting shifts to the real world, mostly in a near-future Los Angeles, with Dolores aiming to start a revolution. In this timeline, humans like a man called Caleb, had to live with specified outcomes and futures determined by an AI called Rehoboam. The story was a mirror of the Delos theme park where the hosts were kept in repetitive narrative loops. In the Season 3 finale, after finding out about Serac, one of the creators of Rehoboam, as well as battling with Maeve, Dolores sacrificed herself for humanity. But not before she chose Caleb to lead the revolution.

There are several unanswered questions after Season 3's ending, like: Is Dolores really dead? Or, how did the revolution led by Caleb play out after the destruction of Rehoboam? What did Bernard find in the Sublime, and how long was he in there? And, what other nefarious deeds have the Man In Black host been up to in the real world? The answers you are seeking for may be revealed in Season 4 of WESTWORLD, which will debut at the same time as the U.S. on Monday, June 27 at 9 AM SGT only on HBO and HBO GO. There will be a same day encore on at 10 PM SGT on HBO.

Attack On Titan Exhibition At Artscience Museum - The Invasion Is Here!

The epic invasion of scary, colossal beings has begun! Starting 19 February 2022, Artscience Museum and collaborator SPACELogic has kicked off the ATTACK ON TITAN: The Exhibition that pays tribute to the best-selling manga's creator Hajime Isayama and the series' amazing 11-year run with Japanese publishing company, Kodansha. The exhibition makes its South-East Asian and overseas debut here, with a few new additions and surprises.

Come along with Red Dot Diva as she walks through the exhibit in this feature, so you can know what to expect. Or, if you are unable to head to Red Dot Island during the exhibition's run, Red Dot Diva hopes that you will be able to live vicariously through this article and photos.

Got your ODM gear ready? Here we go!

Attack On Titan Exhibition Stomps Into ArtScience Museum From 19 February 2022

Attention, troops! Get your ODM gear ready! The Titans will be arriving at ArtScience Museum from 19 February 2022.

ATTACK ON TITAN (Shingeki no Kyojin) is an insanely popular manga series by Japanese creator Hajime Isayama, with over 100 million copies sold in print. During its 11-year run, readers followed the adventures of a young man named Eren Yeager and his close friends Mikasa Ackerman and Armin Alert, in a dystopian world where humanity is threatened by horrifying, man-eating giants.

The manga was adapted to an anime series produced by Wit Studios, except for the last season, which was taken over by MAPPA. The series is currently streaming on Netflix Singapore, and The Final Season: Part 2 recently premiered on 10 January 2022. New episodes are being released weekly, with reports stating that there will be a total of 12 episodes to wrap up the anime series.

Organised by SpaceLogic, the ATTACK ON TITAN: The Exhibition will feature over 180 pieces of Hajime Isayama's works of art, from his early days of the manga series to the present. This will be the exhibition's South-East Asia debut. Here are what visitors and fans of the franchise can expect from the exhibition:

Folklore Season 2 Ups The Scare Factor With More Asian Horror Stories

FOLKLORE Season 1 (2018), HBO Asia's original anthology series consisting of horror stories from Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand, was a success in the international film festival circuit. Award-winning film-maker Eric Khoo is the creator and showrunner of the series, and various episodes were screened in major festivals like Toronto International Film Festival, Tokyo International Film Festival, Geneva International Film Festival, Fantastic Fest (Texas, USA) and Asian World Film Fest (California, USA).

The best thing about FOLKLORE Season 1 was how novel it was. Compared to East Asian lore, South-East Asian stories are rarely known internationally. FOLKLORE managed to lovingly capture the essence of some of South-East Asia's favourite momoks (phantoms/ bogeymen) with a high production values.

There are a couple of stories in the first season that are still visually ingrained in Red Dot Diva's mind. They are POB, the brilliantly filmed black and white Thai ghost story by reknown director Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, and the more traditional and partially socio-political tale of the TOYOL by Malaysian director Ho Yuhang. That just shows how creepy and memorable Asian horror can be compared to the Westernised ones, which tend to over-explain the supernatural.

Well, come 14 November 2021, horror fans can expect more scares as FOLKLORE is set to increase the fear factor for a second season. There will be six new episodes about the human condition when faced with the deeply rooted superstitions and myths in Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Singapore. Each of the stories is helmed by a director from their respective territory, with a special spotlight on two female directors this new season. Famous Japanese popstar Seiko Matsuda makes her directorial debut in the episode about a lonely Japanese idol, and Singaporean director Nicole Midori Woodford unveils the roots of a family trauma.

Star Wars: Visions - Stunning Visuals and Unique Stories In Anime Form

STAR WARS: VISIONS, an anthology of nine anime shorts, is wonderfully creative and goes right into the emotional core of what the Star Wars is all about. Even though it is not canon, the series offers a thrilling alternate universe, while taking you back to the mega franchise's Japanese roots.

Star Wars has always drew ideas heavily from Japanese culture. In interviews, George Lucas mentioned that he is a huge fan of Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa. When you watch Kurosawa's 1958 black and white movie THE HIDDEN FORTRESS side by side with the original 1977 Star Wars movie, you will see the same story beats about a princess, a general, a pair of comedic peasants and the fight against a feudal lord.

Samurai lore and visual traditional Japanese aesthetic, like the ronin, lightsaber, Darth Vader's helmet and kabuki, are also embedded in Star Wars. Even in the sequels, you will find that the Japanese influences remain strong. In THE LAST JEDI, Rian Johnson paid homage to Kurosawa's RASHOMON by portraying the re-telling of young Ben Solo and Luke Skywalker's fateful incident at the training temple in three different versions. Also, Kylo Ren's repaired helmet in the last movie of the Skywalker saga is influenced by kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery.

The anime studios involved with STAR WARS: VISIONS are Kamikaze Douga, Geno Studio (Twin Engine), Studio Colorido (Twin Engine), TRIGGER, Kinema Citrus, Science Saru, and Production I.G. When Red Dot Diva was binge-watching the series, it was evident that the production teams adored the Star Wars franchise, and threw their hearts into it by putting their own unique spin to their animated shorts.

Doom Patrol Season 3 Is Staying Weird And Fun - Now on HBO Go!

One of DC's strangest superhero groups, the DOOM PATROL, is back on HBO with a brand new season.

The first 3 episodes of Season 3 have been released on 23 September on HBO Go, the media company's streaming platform in Asia. There is a lot to unpack as the metahuman misifts consisting of Elasti-Woman aka Rita Farr (April Bowby), Negative Man aka Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), Crazy Jane (Diane Guerrero) and Cyborg aka Victor Stone (Joivan Wade), deal with their personal trauma as well as unexpected strangers who have crossed their paths.

Netflix's Tudum - Catch Your Faves At Virtual Global Fan Event On 26 September 2021

When you follow the ways in how people consume media in the last 3 decades or so, it is also intriguing to see how much Netflix has evolved from a DVD service company, to a streaming platform and later on, as a producer of its own original shows. Its growth and popularity surged when the Covid-19 pandemic struck last year. As in-person conventions and events have mostly halted, most media companies decided to host their fan outreach in the virtual space.

With TUDUM - you know, that iconic Netflix opening intro - Netflix's inaugural virtual fan event on 25 September 2021 (26 September in Asia) will include 145 of the biggest stars and creators of the streamer's over 70 original content. The 3-hour event will feature interactive panels that offer first looks, trailers, exclusives and conversations, specially curated for Netflix's fans from all over the world.

Can't wait for what's in store for the next season of “Stranger Things”? Super curious to see what Zack Snyder's “Army of Thieves”, the prequel to his zombie heist movie “Army Of The Dead”? Or, maybe, you want to catch another glimpse of Henry Cavill in the upcoming season of “The Witcher”. Well, there will be an entire list of celebrities and shows that will feed your hungry eager souls. Check out this page to see if you faves are slated to be at TUDUM.

Gossip Girl Reboot Premieres in Asia on HBO GO, 8 July 2021

Nostalgia seems to be a popular currency these days, with reboots or shows that evoke memories of years past. Such examples include Roswell, Charmed, Cobra Kai, and the Friends Reunion. The latest toss into the pot is GOSSIP GIRL, the 2007 CW teen drama that ran for 6 seasons.

The original GOSSIP GIRL boasted of a cast of gorgeous actors, and the series helped boost the careers of many of them. Lead actor Blake Lively went on the star in movies like The Age of Adaline, The Shallows and A Simple Favour. She is currently married to A-lister and Deadpool himself, Ryan Reynolds. Co-star Leighton Meester married Adam Brody and besides acting, she carved a career as a musician, Broadway actor and social media influencer.

Loki Will Be Back With More Mischief and Mayhem on 9 June 2021, Disney+

Figure that you have time for only one show this week? Then, it has got to be Marvel latest TV series LOKI. The limited series, which consists of 6 episodes, will premiere on 9 June 2021 (Wednesday), exclusively on streaming service Disney+. New episodes will be available on Wednesdays.

Tom Hiddleston and his inescapable charms will return as the once Asgardian baddie, now anti-hero Loki, also known as the God of Mischief and step-brother of Thor (Chris Hemsworth). Marvel fans will remember that the Loki we have grown to love had his neck snapped by Thanos in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. However, in AVENGERS: END GAME, an alternate timeline was created by the Avengers during the Battle of New York, in a bid to undo Thanos' snap. And this quick thinking, still villainous Loki managed to escape, by jumping into a wormhole with the Tesseract.

If the summary still sounds confusing to you, perhaps you will understand it better when Tom Hiddleston gives you a 30-second rundown in the video below:

Calls on Apple TV+ Is A Suspenseful Binge-worthy Audio Drama

Think of binge-worthy shows, and you might never have imagined an audio drama to be one of these. As highly visual creatures, we tend to focus on colours or dramatic action through imagery.

With CALLS, currently available on the streaming service Apple TV+, audiences are transported back to the days of radio drama. In each of the 9 episodes, you feel like an eavesdropper to intimate conversations, and what you hear is even creepier than what might see. Your wild imagination tends to take over, adding to the weird visceral experience of this horror-scifi audio series.

Fede Álvarez, the director of Apple TV+'s English version, employs minimal but highly effective graphics. As the conversations play out, they are accompanied by lines, bubbles or waves depicting the mood of the dialogues. The visual cues also helping the audiences to orient themselves by depicting the connections between the parties involved.

Kelly Marie Tran in Teaser Pic from Hulu's New Horror Anthology Series Monsterland

Fans of Kelly Marie Tran can look forward to her hyperspace jump from the Star Wars universe to a world of horror in Hulu's new anthology series called MONSTERLAND. In fact, you can check out the pic above to see Kelly Marie Tran as Lauren, wearing a wedding gown, from the episode entitled IRON RIVER, MI.

After the disappointing lack of Kelly Marie Tran screen time in the final instalment of Star Wars' Skywalker saga, Red Dot Diva hopes that the lovely actress will get to flex more of her acting skills in this series.

The 8-episode MONSTERLAND is inspired by American horror & dark fantasy writer Nathan Ballingrud's book NORTH AMERICAN LAKE MONSTERS, and is set to premiere on 2 October 2020.

HBO Asia's New Chilling Survival Series The Head Premieres on 12 June 2020

It has been a steamy pot of sweltering heat and humidity in Red Dot Island for the last couple of weeks. That is why Red Dot Diva is looking forward to some visual relief consisting of icy land masses of Antarctica when WarnerMedia's HBO Asia premieres a new thriller called THE HEAD on 12 June at 9 PM (SG Time).

THE HEAD is about a small group of scientists called the Winterers, who are huddled in Polaris VI international polar station in Antarctica during its long freezing winter months. They are there to work on a project crucial to climate change. The team consists of members from different countries, and are led by a respected biologist Arthur Wilde (John Lynch). Then suddenly, during on of these long polar nights, communications from the station stalled, cutting the group off from the outside world.

When summer commander Johan Berg (Alexander Willaume) arrives at the station in spring, finding the team dead or missing. Johan's wife Annika (Laura Bach) is one of those missing, and with the help of apparent lone survivor Maggie (Katherine O'Donnelly), there is an urgency to find out what happened during the last 6 months of winter. Is there a killer on the loose? Or was there something stranger and more sinister that happened?

The Walking Dead Season 10 Part 2, and Kingdom Season 2 Premiere During COVID-19 Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic is unfolding worldwide in real time, two internationally popular TV shows about a zombie apocalypse, are making their return to our screens. They are part 2 of AMC's THE WALKING DEAD Season 10 and Netflix's KINGDOM Season 2.

With news streaming over the social media about people panic buying at supermarkets, hoarding food and essentials as they try to fend themselves from infection, Red Dot Diva thinks that one can pick up a few lessons on what not to do when watching these zombie shows.

Like why the rush for toilet paper? During an apocalypse, Red Dot Diva is going to gun for mineral water. After all, you can barely last 3 days without water. Also, how is anyone going to be able to cook rice, pasta, instant noodles (not talking about Mamee) without water?

Red Dot Diva also feels it is very cathartic to watch fictional characters deal with the aftermath of an outbreak. You can scream at them in frustration from the comfort of your favourite arm chair, or begin to have faith in humanity again, even though the world is going to sh**.


THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 10 Part 2 - started 24 February 2020, Fox TV Asia

The second part of Season 10 of THE WALKING DEAD, a show based on the comic book series by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore, premiered recently on Fox channels in the SEA region on 24 February, same day as the U.S. telecast.

HBO Asia - "Watchmen" Premieres 21 October 2019, Same Time as the U.S. Telecast

“Anybody who has anything to do with any of these shitty Watchmen travesties, even as a member of the audience, will be dragged screaming to hell by their nipples,” ranted writer Alan Moore in an interview that he did with creative arts blog, Inside The Rift last year.

Well, considered Red Dot Diva to be one of those willing to be dragged straight into brim and fire, because she is all set to catch the premiere of HBO's WATCHMEN on Monday, 21 October at 9 AM (SG); 8 AM (THAI/ JKT). The new series by executive producer Damon Lindelof (Lost, The Leftovers), is neither a prequel nor sequel to the brilliant original graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. In fact, Lindelof calls his version a “remix”, and he was also the writer of the pilot episode.

So what does this “remix’ look like? Based on the trailers, the series has mostly new characters, and is set some 30 years after the events in the graphic novel. This is still a time when costumed superheroes have been outlawed, but now, a group of white supremacists have decided to put on masks in the likes to the deceased vigilante anti-hero Rorschach.

HBO Asia's "Folklore" Horror Anthology Set To Give You Sleepless Nights, Premieres 7 Oct, 10 PM

October is the best season for a nice, spine-chilling scarefest, and HBO Asia will be rewarding horror fans with a 6-episode anthology called "Folklore".

Created by award-winning local director Eric Khoo, "Folklore" is a HBO Asia Original series that brings a modern or updated twist to the classic ghoulies and myths that Asians will be familiar with. The team of directors, specially requested by Eric Khoo to be part of the project, spin creepy tales that possess their own home countries' brand of horror.

Each story will be told in the local language that the episode is based on, and will also provide insights of the social issues that exist in that country.

Six episodes will air each Sunday exclusively on HBO (StarHub TV Ch 601), beginning from 7 October, 10 PM. They will also be available on HBO Go and HBO On Demand (StarHub TV Ch 602).

Non-subscribers of HBO will be able to watch the first episode "Folklore: A Mother's Love" via streaming on HBO GO for free, from 10 PM on October 7.




Here are the synopsis of the 6 episodes:

Win a HBO 2018 Calendar to Help you Countdown till Game of Thrones' Final Season Airs in 2019

Lots of things happened in the Season 7 finale of HBO's award-winning series "Game of Thrones".

What is the repercussion of the liaison between Daenrys and Jon Snow? Is Tormund still alive? Will there be a brother vs brother, Drogon vs Viserion showdown? Who will sit on the Iron Throne when the series ends?

Unfortunately, it will be more than a year before fans will get to know the answers. The final and 8th season of "Game of Thrones" will air only in 2019. The actual premiere date has not been announced yet, but Season 8, which consists of 6 episodes, will air on HBO Asia the same time as the U.S. telecast.

The wait seems interminable, so what can fans do in the meantime until Season 8 premieres?

Go to Raffles City and Win Exclusive Oscars Merchandise as HBO Asia Gears Up For Live Telecast of the 88th Academy Awards

Are you one of those rooting for Leonardo diCaprio to finally get his Oscar this year? Or do you usually favour the dark horse of the list, like Bryan Cranston for his lead role in the autobiographical movie "Trumbo"?

Perhaps you aren't so bothered so much about the winners and losers but love to go googly-eyed on the fashion choices made by the celebrities as they walk down that long red carpet.

Celebrities, their guests and entourage are set to descend on Hollywood's glitziest awards event of the year - the 88th Academy Awards (or better known as the Oscars Awards) - tomorrow evening at 28 February U.S.A. time. Comedian Chris Rock is the host for the ceremonies. With the controversy about the lack of diversity plaguing this year's Oscars, Red Dot Diva is most curious to see how many more folks Chris Rock will insult while he's on stage.

If you have already taken leave from work and planned for a Monday morning Oscars watching party, HBO Asia will be bringing to you the award show LIVE from the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood.

Just tune into their cable channel on Starhub at the following times:

- Red Carpet arrivals - 8 AM (repeat telecast 7 PM)
- Award show - 9:30 AM (repeat telecast 8 PM)

International Community to Join in Star Wars Celebration Anaheim via Live Simultcast!

The Star Wars Celebration event is an official Lucasfilm fan festival that will be unfolding in full geek-out proportions, from today through the weekend at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Even right now at Anaheim, hardcore Star Wars fans are already camping out at the venue so that they can be assured to getting through the doors at opening time!

Here are a couple of photos of fans camping out at the convention center. These pics are courtesy of comic creators Tony Fleecs and Yehudi Mercado!

I'm in a big ol' nerd line with my nerd wife. #StarWarsCelebration @ymercado @thepiemaker pic.twitter.com/IdLBJ8pWFY
— TonyFleecs (@TonyFleecs) April 16, 2015

3:30am still in line. There had better be a TON of Jar Jar in this trailer. #StarWars #starwarscelebration2015

A photo posted by Yehudi Mercado (@supermercadocomics) on Apr 16, 2015 at 3:34am PDT