In Review: Captain America: The First Avenger

The Gist

While Captain America: The First Avenger may be seen as nothing more than a mood-setter for the 2012 The Avengers film, it has cemented the idea that Marvel movies are worth your every penny.

The Good

• A typical Marvel film, balancing humor, grit, drama, and the Marvel heroic feel
• A well-done throwback to the 40s; entertaining take on Captain America's backstory
• An excellent introductory movie to the Avengers; leaves a lot of questions

The Bad

• dry script; can be dragging at some points
• too American feel
• stale villain

Synopsis

During the 1940s, a frail, young, idealistic, and patriotic Steve Rogers (a thinned down version of Chris Evans at first) enthusiastically enlists himself for the war. Sadly his enthusiasm can only get him so far as the physical checkup, his frailty and wench-like physique always sends him to the potato peelers, watching over his fellow men head to the war hesitantly. But just like with any fairy tales, Rogers has his own fairy godmother--er father--in this one in the form of Dr. Erskine (Stanley Tucci), developer of a physiology-enhancing Super Soldier Serum, who happened to be at the Stark Expo where Rogers was having his last try to enlist himself. Seeing how determined and a good man Rogers is, Erskine asked him to be part of the Super Soldier program to which he agrees. At first ridiculed by his peers, Rogers remained determined to stick to his job, passing several tests of character, which eventually earned Col. Chester Philips (Tommy Lee Jones) decision to have Rogers be the first person to undergo the super soldier program. Else where, the Nazi (particularly its HYDRA branch) lead by Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving) sees that this cannot happen and hatches on a plan to stop the Super Soldier Program. On the day of the serum transfusion, Dr. Erskine was killed and the Super Soldier was shelved with Rogers becoming nothing than an emblem of the American pride and a source of America's entertainment--being deemed too valuable to be sent to the war. Finally feeling like a dancing monkey in the face of his comrades, Rogers disobeys orders and chases his destiny and in the process uncovers a threat darker than the Nazi.

Star-Spangled Marvel

One can concur that as time go by on, Marvel movies share a familiar quality of having some grit and wit--all the while having good character development and personal drama that makes it relatable. This is not a bad thing as most Marvel movies have followed on (though all failed) the formula set by the first Iron Man film--though most pale in comparison. Captain America does not differ much from these modern set of Marvel movies--except that it had a 40s comic book feel. Swashbuckling was omnipresent for half of the movie and much of the focus on character development is lent to the heroes, with the villains becoming nothing but mere instruments to make the heroes more heroic. In a sense, it is a movie that is very much intended for a World War II audience. Had this been shown during that time, there will be tears on the audience. Nonetheless, audience of the present will still enjoy, but may get bored in the process, especially the French who deride the American way. Captain America, need not be said, is very American in every way.

Too Late the Villain

What can be said of the acting in this film? Pleasant, mostly. Though lacking in some departments. Evans did not display a broad range, which is excusable given that Captain America, even on the comic books does not make plenty of funny. Such is the case that there was a time that Captain America managed to chuck in a joke in the middle of a fight that made Spider-Man elated enough to jeer that "Oy! Cap made a funny." Evans' acting can be said as spot-on, given that Cap is like that in the books, but how I wish they made him less comic book canon and more relatable--though the latter might be the case with the Avengers movie as that is set in present time. Tommy Lee Jones's Col. Philips made perhaps the wittiest remarks in the film while staying in character. But if you are wishing for this film to be a witty humor-fest like Thor or the original Iron Man, you are riding a horse to the village Frustration, city of Disappointment.

One thing I was feeling lacking in this film was that the villain didn't feel too involved in the movie--and it felt confused, for me at least, whether Captain America was winning the war because he was defeating the HYDRA or the Nazi as apparently, the war was against the Nazi with HYDRA having cut its affiliation with the Nazi after successfully harnessing the power of the Tesseract (that glowing blue cube from times of yore) and that the public is not aware of HYDRA. Still, Cap battled HYDRA forces, but the public was rejoicing with every news about the defeat of the Nazis. Nonetheless, The Red Skull felt like such a background character, being relegated to working behind the scenes often while his henchmen get killed.

I wouldn't completely blame the director for not focusing on The Red Skull though. The Red Skull has seen better days as one of Marvel's prime villains and that have gone with the Cold War with the Soviets. The Red Skull may not have been interesting enough to focus attention on, thus it might have been wise that he was skipped to give Evans more airtime. Sad thing is that Captain America doesn't have that many interesting villains in his comic book run--which endangers future Cap movies, but Iron Man has far less, and how Favreau managed to make Obadiah Stane a very menacing villain, Johnston couldn't make of the Red Skull. The Red Skull's involvement in the film is just so oversimplified he felt like the Saturday morning cartoon villains who kept plotting only to get their plans beaten by the heroes again and again. At best, he is forgettable, with the mantle of villainy mainly laid on the Nazis.

Though this fault might have to be for the better in the end as Captain America's backstory is convoluted, really, if you go to wikipedia and look him up, it would be plenty of read--with three Captain Americas taking the guise during the early runs before Rogers retires the character by the end of World War II only to be revived around the mid 60s. Johnston simplified the storyline and made it easily digestible for modern audience. Kids, though, might only enjoy the fight scenes--which has, in my opinion, middling CGI. I suggest you skip the 3D and watch it on a cheaper 2D theatre with good sounds.

Romance on the film was surprisingly thin compared to other Marvel movies--particularly Thor, with the movie being strictly conservative. If anything, the ending of the 1940s plot really saves the film for those who got bored in some parts. The dialogue between Captain America and Peggy Carter is a tearjerker and highlights the budding romance in the film all the while establishing the empathic question of how will the Captain feel after he awakens 70 years in the present where his life has passed him completely--and it was successful in that aspect. It does not make you ask for more Captain America, but it just makes you wonder, how will this all work with the Avengers, and I think this is the absolute goal of the movie: set the mood for the 2012 Avengers film.

Though with a few compromises, Captain America is a movie one ought not to miss, especially that teaser in the end.

A passing mark of 3.75/5.

Below is the teaser for the Avengers as shown after the credits of Captain America. Credits to my friend JP for taking this.

Make Photoshop Faster

TheNextWeb has posted a simple tip on how to make Photoshop work faster for you. I'm not going to rewrite the tip here, but for those curious, click here. I've tried it out myself on my Photoshop, and well, it did work a bit faster, particularly when you are zooming in and out of your work. But my work is like more than 150 layers so it must have something to do with the number of layers. Still, if you're curious, try it out on your PS and drop us a comment on how it went for 

Tips are again found here.

In Review: Ang Babae sa Septic Tank

The Gist

This Cinemalaya's blockbuster film and Best Film awardee, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank also won a lot of laughs from the audience thanks to actress Eugene Domingo's treatment of her character. The downside to this indie film being the poor sound quality and the overly long treatment of some parts which ended up dragging salvaged mostly by the wit and humor of the script.

The Good

• good casting
• extremely humorous script

The Bad

• dilly-dallied around too much on some parts
• poor sound quality (maybe because of the theatre where it was shown)

Synopsis

Director Rainier (Kean Cipriano), Producer Bingbong, and Production Assistant Jocelyn set out to make a gritty, realistic, award-winning independent film about a woman who, out of poverty, decides to sell one of her seven children to a pedophile. Along the course of the movie, they met with an arrogant director with gaps in his knowledge, the actress who they want to play Mila the lead role of their movie, Eugene Domingo (who plays herself), and a bunch of hooligans that brings them back to the reality of the movie they chose to make.

The Long Wait

Chris Martinez, writer, worked with Eugene Domingo on 2009's hit comedy, Kimmy Dora, so it is not suprising to see Eugene Domingo on this Independent film. The choice was logical and good, and any other actress would have made the script less funny. That is not to say that the others did not do well. In fact, it wouldn't be until almost an hour to the film until Eugene Domingo surfaces with actual dialogues and they did well to make the audience laugh. Although given that one knows that Eugene Domingo is part of the film (possibly thought of as the lead), it felt like such a long wait before she finally appears and does dialogue.

Mixed Bag

Ang Babae sa Septic Tank is a film within a film with most of the story going about characters debating the proper treatment for the film-within-the-film entitled "Walang-Wala" (Empty-handed, With Nothing, Destitute, or Dirt-Poor in English). The film starts with dreary scenes--the proper vision for the film-within-a-film. Then goes on with different treatments for the film-within-the-film for most of the film. This dilly-dallying about the treatments for the film provides the audience an insight on the hardships of the filmmakers whose only goal is to tell the story. As it goes on, the film tells that directors are often under the mercy of their producers, actors, and other financiers desires for the film as well as the dangers related to filmmaking based on the topic the director and the producer wanted to tackle.

Dragging parts aside, the movie is funny but can improve on some parts. As I have stated earlier in this review, a re-dubbing should be done to improve the sound quality of the film. There are times when the audience goes on a raucous and you are left to reading the subtitles to understand what is being said by the actors. Also, perhaps a better film ad blurb would suffice to set the audience's expectations as some may not be prepared to watch a film this lengthy (relatively) with their perceived main character appearing for dialogue near the end of the film.

Since this film will have a wide cinema release come this August 3, 2011, I doubt it the weaker portions of the film would be fixed. I also hope that the poor sound quality has something to do with the theatre where it was shown and not the because of the equipment they used, though I feel it has something to do with the latter--which can be resolved by redubbing--for which there might not be enough time.

My verdict:

A passing and recommended mark of 4/5.

Why Switch to Android?

If you're a typical Blackberry or Symbian user, this article would be helpful as both are burning platforms already. If you're an iPhone user, get lost--there's just no talking sense to you. Kidding. This article will discuss why you should consider moving to Android if you haven't tried it yet. As with most OS out there it has its strengths and weaknesses. If you, like me, are OK with those and find that this is the OS for you, then by all means, I invite you to dive into Android. Below are some of the reasons why you should make the move to Android:

1. Customizability
No other OS in the market right now is capable of the customizations and flexibility that Android is offering. What do I mean by this? Simple, you can make your phone look and feel as you please--with a little reading and sometimes help from the mighty geeks of XDA forums. You can change the wallpapers, replace the messaging app with one that can go with a theme, install games, get themes for your browser. Basically, just about endless skinning to make your phone YOU. You can also place shortcuts to apps and mini app interfaces called "widgets" which you can interact with to do simple tasks like getting your latest tweets, checking the temperature, or getting news feeds. Compare this to an iPhone where the most you can do is change the phone's wallpaper and group your apps together.

These customizations also allow you to easily access data and function. This, I will discuss further later.

2. Choice
Android really wishes you options. And with it your favorite manufacturer. Ranging from an uber expensive HTC Sensation to the very cheap but well-spec'd ZTE Skate, there is no running out of options for every budget class in Android.

3. One-click Access to Data
In an iPhone, you need three taps to turn on/off the wifi, Android can do it with one tap if you've placed a wifi toggle widget on your homescreen (in Samsung phones, the wifi toggle is omnipresent when you pull down the notification bar). You also don't need to open your twitter app to read tweets if you've placed a twitter widget on your homescreen. Similarly, you can hold the power button to turn on your data connection with a tap from the menu that will pop. All these require more than 1 tap on other devices, and that's not even half of the things you can do faster with android. There's voice to text and text to voice, a comprehensive notification system that make accessing missed calls and messages unintrusive, a pattern unlock system (which is harder to guess and easier to unlock by swiping as compared to numpad locks), and even swipe message input (ex. Swype, Slide It).

4. Value For Money
As of this writing, the best Android phone--the Samsung Galaxy S II--is priced at PHP 29,990 or approximately $697.00 for the 16GB model. The iPhone 4 is priced at around $720.00 for 16GB and $860.00 for the 32GB model. Given that the Samsung Galaxy S II offers unbeaten hardware and software features (8MP camera, 1080p video recording, Super Amoled Plus screen, dual-core CPU, 1GB RAM), Android feels like a bargain at this competition. Then you also have your cheaper droids who can do good jobs as well.

5. Future-Proof
Over 550K (as of this writing) Android devices get activated daily. That number is more than any other smartphone platform out there, simply Android has too many manufacturers and has become popular over time. If you compare it to BB OS, the fledgling WebOS and Windows Phone 7, and the dying Symbian and MeeGo, Android seem to be the star student (along with iOS) whose future seem bright amid accusations of plagiarism and cheating (patent infringement suits from Apple). Support for this OS will be healthy for years to come, that's what it means. Hardware innovations (dual-core processors) also appear first on Android than on any other smartphone OS.

6. Carrier-friendly
In the USA, the iPhone 4 is only carried by AT&T with the 4G version on Verizon. Here in the Philippines, iPhone is carried only by Globe so SMART and Sun subscribers have to make do with the moe expensive unlocked iPhones sold as much as $1093.00 or PHP 47,000.00 for the 32GB version. If you are one to stick to carrier offerings, then Android is more suitable for you.

7. Battery-replacable
Sounds silly, but one's inability to open the back of his phone and pull out the battery can be crucial for decision-making. Why? For one, you can always buy spare batteries to replace the one you have when it finishes up. For another, when an iPhone hangs, the only way to restart it is to wait for it to restart. When Android hangs, one can simply take off the battery and resume with life.

8. Expandable memory
Sure, 32GB of memory is more than enough, but with SD cards getting cheaper by the day, One can simply opt to buy memory cards to save money. Right now, a 16GB SD card is on its way to the market. For most Samsung devices, 16GB of ROM is available and expandable with a memory card. Sure sounds like a treat.

9. Larger  displays
Yes, Android has 4.2 and even 4.5 inches wide displays, while iOS contents itself with 3.5. Bigger displays, more enjoyment on media consumption. Nuff said.

Be aware, however, that there are still some issues that plague Android:

*Lags
 It's no secret that Android lags / stutters from time to time. If your phone is on Gingerbread, dear, you haven't seen the worst. I've been to Donut, Eclair, and Froyo, and I must say that Android has gone a long way and has been more and more polished. Apps over time also improved and less lags are experienced now, though if you merely use your phone for texting, email, and calling, some internet, video, and music, basic stuff, lags are rarely experienced.

Some users may find that when you have your phone in Auto-rotate, it becomes slower. This is sadly something that I have not seen any improvement on, though I have barely found any reason to turn auto-rotate on my phone, possibly because of my phone's big screen and the swype text input. Android is originally made for portrait operation, which possibly explains why this is far from being as fluid as the iPhone's.

*Short Battery Life
In my 8 months of owning two different Android phones, I can say that Android is power hungry. For some reason, it is impossible to make it through 24 hours with a single charge even when all you do is call and text. This has been a recognized weakness by Google and they have been working on it slowly building over this weakness with each iteration of the OS.

*App incompatibility
Some apps in the market just won't work on some phones. For instance, you can't expect to effectively use Skype video calling on your Xperia Arc when it does not have a front facing camera, though you can use the rear. Some apps are also are prohibited from installing on lower OS versions due to some function / library missing in that OS version. Some won't operate right due to screen resolution, and some won't have a proper display due to the graphic chip of choice your manufacturer chose. In essence, this is called Fragmentation. Google is slowly managing this problem and is expected to resolve or ease fragmentation with the next iteration (Ice Cream Sandwich 4.0)

There you have it. Some of the desirable and some noteworthy weaknesses of Android. Ready to swithc yet?

Skype Does Not Work on Android (Editorial)

Let's admit it, Skype ain't lovin' us Android folks. For the time Android has become a pretty stable operating system, they still couldn't manage to bring Skype to offer functionalities that work on the iPhone well enough. To add insult to the injury, the Skype app on some Android models not only malfunction, they also devour battery, and some even report that Skype make their phone lag to hell.

Well, that bites. Android is definitely one of the major smartphone OS's of the present day, even becoming more important than RIM's Blackberry OS last year and even beating iOS this year. But given that, why are they not focusing enough on Android? Just a few days ago a Skype update rolled out and enabled video functionality to Gingerbread-sporting Droids, or more specifically, 4 Droids: The Xperia Neo, Xperia Pro, HTC Desire S, and the Nexus S. Seriously, Skypey? 4 handsets? Two of which not yet even available on the US and Asia.

So why is Skype not yet Android-ready? Why does it suck so much? Here are some explanations.

1. The Buyout
Here's some conspiracy theory for you. MicroSoft buys Skype and we all know how MicroSoft has its own interest to protect in the Smartphone OS race, namely the sprightly chic Windows Phone 7 that is still a rare OS to come by. By holding back developments on the Android port, Android experience is disrupted and userbase growth is somewhat turned against the OS. But this is highly unlikely for 1: MicroSoft hates Apple, too, but Skype in iOS does not suck, and 2.) Skype has its own business model that it wants to protect. The boss might be Gates, but Skype must be able to turn in profit through the services they provide lest, they get sold again.

2. Android is not ready for Skype
How many underpowered Android models is there out lurking? These little pungkins will not be able to run Skype sufficiently without hampering usual operations of things. And of course, even if your phone is well-powered, like say XPERIA Arc, but lacks the front-facing camera, then Skype video chat is out of the question. We doubt you'd like to use the rear camera to chat with your girl friend at LA, while you face your phone to your mirror and look at her from there (but hey that might work). Maybe it's time to face the music and just sing, Android might not be ready for Skype, that or

3. Skype is not ready for Android
I mean come on, how many iPhone models do they really need to work with 4 at most (iPhone 2g, 3g, 3gs, 4), while Android has a plethora of handset models to choose from. Then there are the different front camera resolutions for each, the screen size, the processor speed and RAM to work with. It ain't exactly a walk in the park to make it work for all, if not most, Android handsets.

4. There is just no money in Android to justify the effort
Android users are often stereotyped as cheapskates, that statement plus the fact that Android was made with the "free stuff" philosophy in mind among other things just results in a report that there is no money in the Android Market. Sadly, this is the case. And Skype might not feel that it will make money int he premium services it offers in the Android Market. At the end of the day, it still money that makes a company working for its customers, if no money comes in, they cannot do business, and Android, being unprofitable, might be set aside as one of its lesser priorities.

 

What do you think? Why is Skype is still not fit for Android?

Top 7 #4: Our Android App Pick for Jul 2011

When Android first started, apps weren't that many and people complained how sluggish it is compared to, say, iOS. While it is still a bit behind iOS in terms of overall polish, Android is still very usable and intuitive, and the app library has also grown to include some of the great apps that helped keep the iPhone's and iPod Touch's popularity. These days, apps make or break you, and in Android's case, the expanding library just makes it. Now we can say, "Angry Birds, that's so 2010," and move on to playing other games or scrap Seesmic in favor of a dosen other Twitter client. So without further ado, here is our recommended list of apps for you to check if you are an Android owner.


1. Cut The Rope
This one's new, highly anticipated, and long overdue (though not as long overdue as Plants Vs Zombies): ZeptoLab has just released Cut The Rope's Android port first via GetJar.com (which means it's free) then a paid version to the Android Market. While iOS users may scoff at the idea that Cut The Rope has just got to Android, this move only proves that developers are embracing Android more and more. The premise of the game is simple, you picked up a candy-loving monster on your doorstep and you need to feed it candy by cutting ropes attached to the candy. There is no difference at all between Android and iOS's Cut The Rope, except that Android users get theirs free (via GetJar).

Requires Android 2.1 up, analytic mind
Free on GetJar, 0.99 USD on the Android Market



2. Go SMS Pro
This one ups Android's usability by a notch. Go SMS Pro is an messaging app replacement for Android. Go SMS Pro offers functionalities like scheduled messaging, private folders, folders, inbox and conversation screen theming, iPhone emoji use, and contact blacklisting. You can switch from three modes: simple--which basically is just like your stock sms app, pro (all extended features like themes and emoji), or custom to get additional features at a faster speed compared to pro. What makes Go SMS Pro is the very polished user interface and fluid usability, all while dishing great features.
Requires Android 1.6 up
Free on the Android Market



3. imo.im
These days, users have one too many online accounts, that or they have friends on different instant messengers, as downloading all the clients for your say 4 different instant messengers seems like a losing proposition, you feel the need to use just one app to communicate with everyone on the loop. And there's imo.im for that. imo.im supports the most popular instant messaging services like YM, Skype, MSN, Facebook, and even MySpace chat for good measure. How great is that? And what's more, you don't need to create an account to use imo.im (compare with meebo). This is ideal for people who find Skype and YM Android ports as cumbersome and resource-hungry.

Requires Android 2.1 up, lots of online love
Free on the Android Market



4. aDownloader
Ideal for people on the go with powerful data plans yet can't catch last night's episode of True Blood. aDownloader's selling point is that it downloads files via peer to peer sharing. While the user interface ain't that great yet, it sure works like a charm able to download files like it does on a computer. Caveat though is that some phones might experience slowing down while aDownloader is at work. But what gives, where else have you seen a phone with a torrent client? Also to note from the developer is its YouTube video downloader (which has been taken off the market long ago but is still available for download from the developers' page).
Requires Android 1.6, SD card, and fast internet connection
Free on the Android Market with an alternate version with native torrent search available at android-a.com



5. Go Launcher EX
When I first got to Android, the first launcher I've tried using was Launcher Pro and stuck to it for a long time. Over time, Launcher Pro remained relatively unchanged with several key features missing on the free version. It also suffered from severe lack of customizability, though it was usable and one of the fastest launchers around. Taking cues from Launcher Pro and ADW Launcher, Go Launcher rises to be one of the most flexible, fastest, and most customizable launcher available in the market, with all features free! The only thing you pay for with Go Launcher EX are the premium themes which you can do without. They have even made a documentation on how to make a theme of your own.

Requires Android 2.0 up, will to change your homescreen
Free on the Android Market



6. Visidon Applock
Afraid your mom / friend picks up your phone and sees your porn stash? How about your number one picking up your phone and sees number two just sms'd that she can't make it later for some "fun and games?" If you say aye to all that, then we might just have the app for you. Visidon App lock is an app that blocks unauthorized access to your apps such as your Messaging Apps, Gallery, Market, and Video Player apps for starters, but what sets Visidon aside and propels it to awesome is that it uses your facial features to unlock these apps. And, as with most android apps, it's free. Just pose and say cheese to take pictures of your face so your phone will recognize you when you need to unlock these apps. Unfortunately, this app needs a front facing camera to work.

Requires Android 2.3 and up, a front-facing camera, and your pretty face
Free on the Android Market



7. WidgetLocker Lockscreen
Admit it, Android lockscreens are boring if not downright corny and anti-climactic to Android's 1-click access to every information philosophy. Someone saw this and thought that perhaps things need to change. At a price. WidgetLocker is a paid Android app that allows you to customize your Lockscreen so that you can actually place widgets and app shortcuts on your lockscreen. Nifty, eh? Not only that, you can also download custom designed unlock sliders that suit your taste. Say you want HTC Sense's unlock slider on your Samsung Galaxy S 2, they have it here? How about iPhone's unlock slide on your HTC Evo to make it really similar to an iPhone but with a bigger screen? Sure, it may not be able to grant you three wishes, but WidgetLocker lockscreen prettifies your lockscreen or makes it really usable (like say a music player widget on your lockscreen for starters).

Requires Android 2.1, some dough to buy the app
1.99 USD on the Android Market

Any app you'd like to suggest or feel we missed? Special Thanks to Mark Bolinao who has suggested a lot of these apps.