Netflix's Pacific Rim: The Black Expands The Franchise's Lore in Intriguing Ways

Kaijus, mechas, anime-style action and Idris Elba. That was what made “PACIFIC RIM” the 2013 creature feature directed by Guillermo del Toro, so much fun to watch. And also Idris Elba. Mmmmm, yes ... Red Dot Diva has to mention him twice.

Five years later, the sequel “PACIFIC RIM: UPRISING” did not fare so well. It was missing the magic touch of Guillermo del Toro and screenwriter Travis Beacham. Despite the loud action sequences, the story was flat and souless. Thankfully, Netflix's new anime series “PACIFIC RIM: THE BLACK” sets things right for the franchise.

The anime series is set in Australia, where various kaiju have taken over the continent. After a terrible battle with a bunch of kaijus five years ago, the jaeger pilot parents of siblings Taylor and Hayley decided to leave them and a few other children at a remote natural sanctuary near an abandoned base of operations. They then went off with their jaeger Hunter Vertigo looking for help, with a promise to return. Since that day, the Pan Pacific Defense Corp, who are in charge of the Jaegers, had implemented an initiative called "The Black". What exactly that is, no one really knows.

The Marksman Is Standard Liam Neeson Fare, But Slower

Veteran star Liam Neeson has done a Hayao Miyakazi, that is, publicly announce that they plan to "retire", and then come back doing the thing they do best. Now in his late 60s, Neeson is back starring as a lead in an action-thriller called “THE MARKSMAN”. The movie opened at local theatres a few days ago on 25 February.

Living in his ranch at the Arizona-Mexico border, Vietnam war veteran Jim Hanson (Liam Neeson) is leading a lonely life together with his trusty pet dog. He has just lost his wife to cancer, and he is about to lose his property to the bank too. He passes by his days with melancholy, downing a regular bottle of whisky, and saving his livestock from coyotes - thanks to his skills as a marksman. From time to time, Hanson would notify the border patrol whenever he spots illegal immigrants pass by his land.

Superman & Lois Series Is Ready To Soar on 24 February 2021, Warner TV Asia

It's time to go up, up and away on 24 February 2021 with the premiere of “Superman & Lois”. The brand new series, which will telecast exclusively on Warner TV at 9 PM on the same day as the U.S., is the latest spin off from the Arrowverse. For those who are new to the Arrowverse, the term refers to a shared universe of several TV series consisting of story arcs of several DC Comics' characters like Green Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Batwoman, just to name a few.

About a decade has passed since a series about Superman was last aired on TV. This was a long running series called “Smallville” starring Tom Welling as Clark Kent, which was well loved by many Superman fans.

Tyler Hoechlin (who was in “Teen Wolf” prior to entering the Arrowverse) has taken over the mantle as Superman. Elizabeth Tulloch reprises her role as famous journalist Lois Lane. Instead of the usual villain of the week format, the 90-minute premiere episode of “Superman & Lois” gives a fresh spin of the Superman lore by focusing on the married life of Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Like most working parents, they are busy juggling their careers while raising the teenage sons Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin). Meanwhile, there is the question of whether the boys will inherit any of their father's Kryptonian superpowers and complicate matters even further.

Join in the Hijinks of Tom & Jerry Movie, Premieres 11 February 2021

Believe it or not. The classic cat-and-mouse chase in the guise of Tom and Jerry is still going on after 80 years!

This year, the duo continue with their trademark cartoony violence in a full-length, mixed live action and animation movie entitled TOM & JERRY. This is the characters' first theatrical release, with actors Chloë Grace Moretz, Michael Pena, Ken Jeong, Rob Delany and Colin Jost joining in the real world set. The movie is directed by Tim Story and produced by Chris DeFaria. TOM & JERRY will be opening at local theatres on 11 February.

Our favourite nimble and mischievous mouse Jerry has taken residence at a swanky New York City hotel, and has been spotted by guest, causing a massive mouse hunt to begin. Kayla (Chloë Grace Moretz), one of the hotel's employees, decided to hire a cat to solve the problem. And guess who that hapless cat turns out to be? Tom is reunited with his frenemy and their long-standing feud starts up again.

However, Tom and Jerry find out that someone else is conspiring against them as well as Kayla, and the three decide to team up together.

Zack Snyder's Justice League To Premiere 18 March 2021 on HBO GO (Asia)

Mention the name Zack Snyder and you will find mostly fans from both ends of the spectrums - those who are in rapturous worship of his works or those who bristle with snarky derision. He's the ultimate controversial hot button for any geek conversation concerning DC superhero movies.

Zack Snyder was working on the movie JUSTICE LEAGUE since 2016. Before he had the change to edit and finalise the film, Snyder left the production in 2017. His daughter had died by suicide, and he wanted to spend time with his family. Joss Whedon, well known for being the creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and the first two Avengers' movies, took over. The movie version released in the same year was a weird combination of Snyder's original take and Whedon's more colourful style. Not surprisingly, with an uneven tone given to the characters and the script, the movie did not turn out to be the box office hit that Warner Bros. had hoped.

Ardent fans of Snyder began calling for an original cut of JUSTICE LEAGUE, insisting that such a version exists. They flooded social media with the hashtag #releasetheSyndercut soon after the movie's release and continued promoting the grassroots campaign for years. Finally, on the date of JUSTICE LEAGUE'S 2nd anniversary, the fans efforts gained more traction when actors like Gal Gadot and Ben Afflect added their voices to the chorus. Synder also began posting more stills from the alternate cut.

The studio finally gave in despite pundits estimating that it would cost gazillions to produce this version. In May 2020, WarnerMedia announced that the infamous “Snyder Cut” will premiere on HBO's streaming services in the following year. The extended version of the movie would be about 4 hours long.

The Star Wars Identities Exhibition at ArtScience Museum Is A Rare Delight

The Star Wars Identities Exhibition, which will open for the public this Saturday (30 January) at the ArtScience Museum (ASM), is something not to be missed!

The show was supposed to open last year, but then the coronavirus arrived, and Red Dot Island promptly went into a 2-month Circuit Breaker. For many months after, businesses and individuals were following strict safety protocols to help keep everyone healthy.

Despite the long wait, ASM and their partners Pico Pro, X3 Productions and Lucasfilm Ltd, the owner of the show's 200+ original Star Wars movie artefacts, have managed to produce a wonderful exhibition that will delight the franchise's fans - both long-timers as well as newbies.

Through several displays of props, concept artwork, sculpts, costumes and character profiles, Star Wars Identities is structured as an interactive personal journey for fans to learn how an identity is shaped in a lifetime.

Red Dot Diva managed to get a sneak peak of the exhibition, totally geeking out like an Ewok at a raucous forest rave. To keep some of the show's surprises and reveals more exciting for the visitors, she will only list down a few key highlights that you should look out for!

Ubisoft and Lucasfilm Games Collaborate To Develop A New Open-World Star Wars Game

This week, Ubisoft announced a piece of exciting news for gamers and Star Wars fans.

The video game company, home of popular games like Assassin's Creed, Raving Rabids and the Tom Clancy series, is collaborating with Lucasfilm to develop a new story-driven open-world Star Wars game. Ubisoft's critically-acclaimed AAA studio Massive Entertainment will be working to bring their latest technology like the Snowdrop engine, to deliver an epic adventure in the beloved galaxy far far away.

“The vast Star Wars lore is an incredible source of inspiration for our teams,” said Yves Guillemot, co-founder and CEO of Ubisoft. “This is the beginning of a long-term collaboration with Disney and Lucasfilm Games, and we are pleased to be working hand-in-hand to build upon the incredible legacy of Lucasfilm to create a game that we know Star Wars fans will love.”