More than meets the eye

My thirst for Transformers merchandize has been satisfied recently, thanks to Dessagirl's Dakki business. I was just dropping by her cubicle a couple of days back when I saw the Dakki catalog on her table with "Transformers" boldly written on the cover. Mesmerized, I flipped it open and before I knew it, I had already placed my order for two shirts and a pillow for Jo-Lo. I notified a colleague who simply loves Transformers and not surprisingly, he placed orders for himself and his kids too. Our orders arrived this morning. Yipee!

Hmmm... I'll wear this Autobot shirt when I feel good, and the Decepticon shirt when I feel bad... some more colleagues ran off to Dessagirl to order when they saw the shirt. hehe

Men and their toys. hehe

The last time I have seen creative interest on a movie displayed so widely was Star Wars. And now here's Transformers of the 80s generation with the movie bringing it to new audiences.

I have seen at least 4 forwarded e-mail messages with a Transformers theme to it. Here are some of them:

This is supposed to be an animated gif. Try downloading the image and see if it works on your viewer.

Another e-mail was about a jeepney transforming into Bumblejeep! Still another is about a list of transforming actors and actresses. Here's a snapshot:

Want the e-mail in its entirety? Give me your address and I'll forward it to you. :-)

Oh yes, about the movie. To tell you frankly, I was a bit disappointed with it. Anticipation ran high, and we watched it on its first day of screening. I was expecting the storyline to be somewhat aligned with the cartoons, which will appeal to the 80s generation who knew the Transformers that way. But it turned out to be totally different. The storyline, the characters, they way they looked, etc.

I had a second opportunity to watch it again when we had an event with a film showing at the end of the seminar. Between entertaining the customers and dozing off at the lobby, I managed to watch the action scenes and at that time I began to appreciate the movie. It was actually cool when they had the battle scene in the city. So if somebody will treat me to the movie, I'll watch it again and perhaps gain a better appreciation of it. So who's treat is it?

The toys, though, which features the original transformers line, is now at 30% off! Hmmm... I just need to save a little in my next salary for that Bumblebee....

Transformers the Movie 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD Review

The movie poster

How I came to own this Special Edition DVD is one of life's pleasant surprises. A Marketing firm from the US came across my blog and wrote me asking if I would be interested in doing a review of the 20th Anniversary Transformers DVD. Do I ever! So a DVD was sent over to me. [Actually, I nearly failed to receive a copy because one was sent to me last year (2006 was the 20th anniversary) but not having received their package after about 3 months, they decided to send me another. Whew! Post office people... where's the first DVD!?!]

Anyways, that weekend I watched the movie in both widescreen and full screen versions including the special feature where snippets of trivia are displayed while the movie is playing (called easter eggs). And then I watched the bonus features. Is it obvious that I was hyped when I got hold of the DVD? I hope not. haha.

First off, the packaging is cool. The front design was a "holographic" (I don't know how to call it) photo. View it from an angle and you see Optimus Prime and allies; from another angle you see Rodimus Prime and friends. See the difference between the cover below and the one at the left? The cover is actually a small poster you can display anwhere else. Nice bonus item.

It is essentially, a representation of what the movie is all about: a transition from Gen 1 to the new characters.

The restoration done on the movie is awesome. The colors are brilliant, the picture sharp. It's like seeing the movie in a new light, versus the VHS copy (which I have, but I suspect molds have gotten to it already). The death of Optimus Prime is still as heartbreaking today as it was when my younger self first saw this movie.

“…one day, an Autobot shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the matrix to light our darkest hour.” - Optimus Prime

It was Transformers that broke the unwritten rule that nobody dies in American cartoons. Or is it a reflection of its Japanese heritage, where death is not uncommon in anime? At any rate, its effect on the 80s generation is recounted a number of times in this DVD. Many kids cried in the cinemas, others left without finishing the movie, the publisher got a barrage of complaints and letters of outrage from kids and parents alike. It was indeed a very daring move for the famous Transformers series at that time.

I learned later on in the bonus section that this public reaction affected the way the G.I. Joe movie ended, where a leading character was also supposed to die.

Speaking of the bonus section... it's a treasure trove for Transformers enthusiasts on facts, interview, and fun trivia. It was, for example, interesting t0 learn that Mr. Orson Welles (the voice behind Unicron) died a few months after he lent his voice to the movie. His role as a planet-eating planet was ultimately going to be his last role for the movies before moving on. Another interesting trivia I learned was that G.I. Joe and Transformers, two of the high-ranking cartoons at that time, shared talents. For example, StarScream and Cobra Commander of G.I. Joe had the same voice actor. An episode aired only in Japan also showed a transition of sorts from the TV series to the movie, something that was never aired on American soil, but is now included in the DVD.

Lots, lots more to discover in the bonus section, including toy commercials and TV spots for the movie.

The advertisements for the toys really brought back a lot of childhood memories. Saturday Fun Machine would not be complete without the American kids playing with these action figures and it would make you really, really want to own one.

Overall, the Transformers 20th Anniversary DVD is a must-have for Transformers enthusiasts, for people from the 80s, for toy collectors, for kids today who appreciate their cartoon history, for those who will watch the Michael Bay film starting today, for those who want to own a piece of animation history, for the kid at heart. It's one adventurous ride!



Get your DVD from Amazon.com
Movie poster photo credit: Soundtrack Collector

Transform, and roll out!

If you were a kid of the 80s, then you would know that the word "transformers" means a lot more than those metallic boxes that enable your 110v appliances to operate in our predominantly 220v environment. More than just a cartoon show (or anime, if you will), Transformers fueled the imagination of an entire generation.

Like many, I got hooked into Transformers mania. Though our family did not have the budget for the expensive merchandize, we managed to occasionally borrow action figures from friends, along with the catalog or box art that we would meticulously copy onto bond paper. We actually got so good at drawing these that we could draw them without the aid of the original material. We'd return these toys to their rightful owners, only to have them back again after a couple of days. These toys were really something. Most of them were of die-cast metal, and the details are outstanding (unlike today's plastic counterparts).

These toys were so influencial on me that I managed to buy some of these in the late 90s via eBay. They were indeed more expensive and have been elevated to collector's item status, but it was like regaining part of my happy history, and the cost didn't matter. I got, for example, Grimlock as my first purchase at a little over 100 US dollars, complete with box and manuals. I was able to add some more to my collection within a couple of years. Other priorities have since taken its course, but my cherished collection is still with me.

My humble collection

Last weekend, I was unaware that there was a Transformers event at EDSA Shangri-La until friend Emil SMSed me about it. I thought I would never be able to see the exhibit, but finally made it at 5:30PM.

The displays were incredible! Loads of toys in glass cases! There are indeed serious collectors out there! It was also heartening to learn that one of the artists for the Comics version of the Transformers is a Filipino, with some of his works displayed there. Argh, I forgot to take photos of the covers.

I frantically searched around for Emil and was in trying to call him when a guy cosplaying as Optimus Prime strode past. There he was with sidekick Bumblebee!

It was a really wistful moment, like I was back in the 80s, with the added touch of flat screen TVs showing the trailer of the upcoming movie, and new toy merchandize.

What?! No shirt for sale? And no discount on the toys? Oh well, at least the show was for free.

6 Wierd Things About Me

I have been busy last weekend; we had our annual SportsFest. I was part of the organizing committee (and so is Dessagirl and Fisherpau). This year is different because Chu, who once officiated the streetball tournament, has moved on to greener sands este pastures. And so I became part of the streetball committee. Which is really strange because the last time I became actively involved with basketball was in my second year at work (1996) when I played basketball with my officemates.

Which brings me to today's post. This is in reply to Gibb's long-overdue tag on "6 wierd things about me".

1. I don't play basketball. Sure, I know the rules and how it is played and watch too but it never really stuck. I preferred going to the library and be with books than go to the basketball court when I was a kid. I can say that if I kept at it, I can also play well. It's ironic then that it was one of my highest grades back in college (around 93). I prefer tennis (which I have not also played for quite a while now).

2. I have hematophobia, the fear of blood. When I see blood, my knees get weak, I get cold palms, I hear a ringing sound that drowns out all other sounds. I detest our weekly physical exam when they get blood samples. Now here's the irony: I love dinuguan.

3. I read newspapers from back to front. I thought I was the only one doing this when I chanced upon another blogger who said the same thing in her wierd list.

4. I have no sense of direction. We go to a place for the third and fourth time but I still can't remember how to go there by myself.

5. I keep the extra tissue from restaurants and fastfood shops. After eating and I have unused tissue or table napkin, I bring it home with me. Sayang. I can use it for something else like cleaning tables and things gathering dust. However, after some time I have lots of these things around that I end up throwing them away just the same. And then I bring home some again.

6. No matter how many times my wife and friends bring it to my attention, I still like spelling "wierd" as "wierd".

Ok, now to pass on this tag. If you are born in the month of September and you currently have colds, then you're tagged!

***

On other news... a promotions company from the US sent me a copy of The Transformers the Movie 20th Anniversary DVD to review and blog about it! What a thrill! Have you guys watched this? I'm sure you have. It's where Optimus Prime dies. Has it been 20 years already? Wow...


I'm not really a fan of The Transformers... I've just watched the movie twice yesterday, and all the bonus features... plus I have Transformers toys which I will feature after my DVD review... yeah, I'm not really a big fan.

Oh, joy! Uhhh... is that me? I've gained weight!