Tuesday, December 28, 2021
The Witcher Season 2: The Relationships, The Changes, Oh My! *Spoilers* (by Atty)
In December 2019, THE WITCHER TV series premiered on Netflix. The adaptation, based on Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski's book series of the same name, boasts of the brawny and handsome Henry Cavill as the lead character Gerald the Witcher. Fans have been patiently waiting two years for a second season, which was partially delayed due to the pandemic. Season 2 has finally arrived and all episodes are currently available for your bingeing pleasure.
Red Dot Diva's geek gal pal Atty is a huge fan of Henry Cavill. She was lucky enough to win a Netflix contest where a bunch of fans got to meet with the celebrity online. She also managed to get into the official virtual screening party organized by New York Comic Con and Netflix, and watched The Witcher Season 2's first episode together with Henry Cavill and other fans. So, when Atty gives her thoughts about The Witcher's latest season, she gets on point. Check it out below!
Sunday, December 19, 2021
Spider-Man: No Way Home Is A Fun Treat For Spidey Fans Young and Old
Sony Pictures' SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, with the adorable puppyish Tom Holland back as Peter Parker/ Spider-Man, is the best comic book movie of the year. This is not counting ZACK SNYDER'S JUSTICE LEAGUE, which was more of a one-off special event than a blockbuster movie release. SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME is a load of fun, and an absolute treat for Spidey fans of all ages.
The movie continues immediately from SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME'S ending. Just before supervillain Mysterio died, he was able to throw Peter Parker's life into chaos by revealing Spidey's true identity as well as framing him for murder. As The Daily Bugle's relentless journalist J. Jonah Jameson (JK Simmons) and the authorities go after Peter, all whom he loves - Aunt May (Marisa Tomei), his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and bestie Ned (Jacob Batalon) - are bearing the consequences of his newfound notoriety. He naively seeks Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) for help, requesting that the wizard cast a spell to make the world forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Unfortunately, the powerful spell got bungled, and all goes awry.
Wednesday, December 15, 2021
Diva's Interview With Artist Sean Lam - Geungsi Is About Human Emotion and Subconsciousness
After decades of working in various high profile projects overseas like the two-part graphic novel adaption of New York Times bestselling Larry Niven's sci-fi novel RINGWORLD, and the mega 40-page manga IT TAKES A WIZARD by Thomas R. Hart, local artist Sean Lam has been returning back to his roots. His self-published graphic novel GEUNGSI Vol 1: Geungsi in the House was launched recently during the National Library Board's annual Night at the Library event, together with an art exhibition that showcased the creative evolution of the comic.
GEUNGSI (the Cantonese pronunciation of jiangshi, the vampire from Chinese lore) is a horror fantasy tale about Meng, an energetic HK slayer who moves to Singapore, and meets Shaun, a young salaryman. Bad news for Shaun though. He has been turned into a geungsi by a mystery woman named Alice. Can Meng and Shaun be friends? Or will they end up as frenemies and end up fighting the unexpected dangers of the underworld? If you are interested in checking out this new horror comic based in the streets of Singapore, GEUNGSI is already available at several local bookstores, including GnB Comics, Kinokuniya and Basheer Graphics Books.
To find out more about Sean Lam's thought process in creating GEUNGSI, Red Dot Diva got in touch with him for a short interview.
Sunday, December 12, 2021
The Inaugural Singapore Toy Convention (SG ToyCon) Launches 17 - 19 December 2021 At The Visual Arts Centre
From 3 PM on 17 December (Fri), the event is free to attend. Visitors can expect 11 exhibitors at SG ToyCon, who will be launching new releases and a wide ange of collectibles that will appeal to different age groups. Each of the retailers specialize in their own area of collectibles ranging from diecast toy cars, models and miniature figurines. Local comic book creator Sean Lam, in collaboration with The Yurei, will also be bringing his latest horror graphic novel GUENGSI to the convention.
Check out the list of SG ToyCon retailers below:
Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Ultraman Saves The Day At Gardens By The Bay - In Celebration Of 55th Year of Singapore-Japan Diplomatic Relations
A childhood dream came true for many of us with the release of the first episode of a special video by Tsuburaya Productions, where ULTRAMAN makes his heroic appearance in Singapore. There will be 3 episodes, and the short films are part of a collaboration with Singapore Tourism Board (STB) entitled “SingapoReimagine ULTRAMAN”. The virtual campaign celebrates the 55th year of formal Singapore-Japan diplomatic relations (code named SJ55), and is set to run for 1.5 years. Coincidentally, the year 2021 is also the 55th birthday of the beloved Japanese tokusatsu superhero!
Don't miss watching “Power of Singapore Episode 1” on YouTube, which kicks off in typical old school style with a menacing kaiju who is known as Red King (actually, Red Dot Diva thinks it looks quite cute!) stomping the grounds of Gardens By The Bay, basically doing its thing and scaring the bejesus out of people.
Monday, November 29, 2021
Singapore Comic Convention 2021 Guests Include Lee Bermejo, Martin Simmonds and Cheah Sinann
Do you realise, that Singapore Comic Convention (SGCC) starts this Friday, 3 December 2021? For an event that attracted over 50,000 attendees in 2019, this year's event is very low key. There are a few possible reasons for this. The convention has been taken over from Reed Exhibitions Singapore by a new event company called Generation Experience, and the show will run only on a virtual format. Generally, people are getting weary of staring at a screen after more than a year of Zoom and Google meetings. It is just not the same as an in-person gathering where connections and conversations happen in real time. And Red Dot Diva is sure that most of us sorely miss our annual geek huddle.
But still, the show must go on. At least something is happening, right? There have already been a few guests announced for the online panels, so if you are a huge fan of any of them, do remember to register for SGCC. Registration is FREE!!
Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Ghostbusters: Afterlife Oozes Nostalgia But Needs A Fresher Take
Gen X-ers have been getting lots of attention from Hollywood studios these days as popular franchises of the golden era keep coming back to the screen. Star Wars, Star Trek, Scream, Jumanji, He-Man, The Muppets, The Karate Kid, Indiana Jones... you name it, they have it. And if not, they are probably already planning on it. There are the reboots, the re-imaginings, the tributes and the sequels, all in an attempt to drown the ‘forgotten generation’ (of which Red Dot Diva is a proud member), with a flood of nostalgia.
In that aspect, GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE is not short on the feel-good nostalgia, as Jason Reitman, son of “Ghostbusters” director Ivan Reitman, pulled out all the stops to win the hearts of the original fans. The 2016 all-female Ghostbusters remake by Paul Feig created a lot of backlash that consisted of mostly racist and sexist complaints. Red Dot Diva liked the 2016 movie, and it was empowering to watch the cast of wonderful comedians kicking ass as women ghostbusters. Unfortunately, it goes to prove that society is still not ready to accept when a script is gender-flipped.
There are no such thorny issues with GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFE. The sequel is likeable, family friendly and provides a great starting point for new fans of the franchise.