Roy Tang

Programmer, engineer, scientist, critic, gamer, dreamer, and kid-at-heart.

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Jul 2018

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp Spoiler Free Review!

    • this movie is great; it’s fun and and action-packed and there’s even more Luis than you thought you wanted; go watch it
    • it’s like the first movie, except better and more fun
    • best new character: FBI Agent Jimmy Woo played by Randall Park (sorry Michelle Pfeifer)
    • there are two mid/post-credit scenes. One of them is better than the other
    • I watched in Imax. Some scenes were nice, but it’s probably more of a nice-to-have
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Pwede, but kelangan ng kasama to explain things. Baka ok lang pag tagalized na sa tv
    Posted by under notes at #spoiler-free review #movies #mcu
    Also on: facebook / 1

May 2018

  • Deadpool 2 SPOILER-FREE REVIEW:

    • entertaining enough; kind of a popcorn movie. i kinda liked the first movie better
    • if you watched the first movie, you kinda know what to expect in terms of tone and humor and all
    • dont bring your kids. but if it matters to you, there is significantly less sex in this movie than the first one
    • the plot did go in ways i was not expecting
    • i did not watch in imax, it seemed fine
    • there is a mid credits scene. well, scenes. like five of them strung together
    • there is no end credits scene but there is a… small bonus near the end if you pay attention
    • would i recommend na panoorin ni mama: definitely not
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 0

  • I also watched Snowpiercer. I had this on my backlog for a while and decided to watch because it came up in quiz night. Good movie, kinda weird. My copy didnt have Korean subs, so I had to guess a lot of what that one guy was saying.

    Posted by under notes at #movies
    Also on: twitter facebook / 3

  • I watched Baby Driver. Great movie. Might have been a bit better if I knew sign language. Kind of makes me want to visit that parallel universe where Edgar Wright got to finish Ant-Man. No post-credit scenes.

    Posted by under notes at #movies
    Also on: twitter facebook / 2

  • Spoiler Alert!
    When Game of Thrones entered its sixth season in 2016, it was true spoiler territory for those of us who had read the GRRM books before HBO’s TV adaptation turned the property into a worldwide phenomenon. Due to the author’s glacial writing pace, at this point the TV series went past the point that the novels had reached. Thus nobody – book readers or tv viewers – knew what events would unfold in the story.

    read more (786 words)

    Posted by under post at #Movies #tv #Pop Culture #Tech Life
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Apr 2018

  • Avengers Infinity War Spoiler Free Review:

    • I’m amazed that so little of this movie has been widely spoiled
    • movie was fantastic. the movie somehow managed to do everything it needed to do while not doing disservice to any of the bazillion characters involved.
    • the plot moves quickly. there is no good time to pee.
    • there is one post-credits scene.
    • very happy to have watched in imax
    Posted by under notes at #spoiler-free-review #movies #mcu
    Also on: facebook / 0

Mar 2018

Feb 2018

  • BLACK PANTHER spoiler-free review!

    • it’s a fun, action-filled romp and Wakanda is amazing
    • tchalla was ok, killmonger and nakia were great, shuri was badass
    • some of the actions scenes didnt seem too well-shot/edited, making them hard to follow
    • I realize I’m saying this about a universe where there are talking raccoons and magic hammers, but some of the Wakandan tech push the boundaries of my suspension of disbelief
    • my expectations were probably set a bit too high what with some people saying it’s the best MCU movie since Iron Man or calling it revolutionary or eye-opening
    • off the top of my head I’d say I consider Civil War, Spider-Man Homecoming and Thor Ragnarok better than this one
    • I understand that it’s revolutionary in the sense that it’s a major hollowood motion picture filled with a cast of mostly african descent and that some of the characters are motivated by real world racial issues. But the plot itself was typical for an MCU first movie (maybe I’ve seen too many MCU movies? lol). I dont think it presents the issues it covers under any new or revolutionary context. I guess I kind of went in hoping to be impressed on the level of The Dark Knight or such, but I was disappointed in that regard. It’s a very straightforward movie
    • I didn’t watch in Imax, which I kind of regret, as I can imagine some of the scenes being pretty good
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Possibly, pero baka mahirapan sya intindihin accent ni Chadwick Boseman
    • There’s a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review #mcu
    Also on: twitter twitter twitter twitter facebook / 3

Dec 2017

  • THE LAST JEDI Spoiler-free (promise) review:

    • great movie, but there was this weird draggy part around the middle that they maybe could have done away with
    • my brother whom I watched with says he thinks it was the best Star Wars movie ever. I’m not sure
    • Adam Driver needs to either speak up or work around his accent a bit
    • because we didn’t plan this movie outing so well, we ended up with terrible seats (i.e. very first row, slightly off-center) in the Imax theater. I think the Imax was fine, but being so up close made for some weird angles sometimes and sometimes the 3d didn’t work so well from where we were seated. And medyo nakakapagod sa mata. Never again!
    • walang post-credit scene lol
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 14

Nov 2017

  • JUSTICE LEAGUE Spoiler-Free Review:

    • Movie was OKAY. Started out fine, build-up was good, kind of surprised with what happened in the middle, then a disappointing conclusion
    • Movie was SHORT. IMDB says 120 minutes but my watch told me it was < 2h. Probably could have spent more time putting the team together or setting up the characters or such
    • the movie does pander a lot to comic/DC fans; Batman/Superman themes play in the background when they first appear; References to some other DC characters during the exposition, etc
    • Ugh Steppenwolf so boring and terrible
    • I think Ezra Miller and Gal Gadot were the best here out of the lead roles.
    • A number of fight scenes reminded me of Injustice
    • the best part of this movie was the Black Panther trailer that I somehow hadn’t seen or heard of yet
    • for some reason the other comic book movie that came to mind was X-Men Apocalupse
    • Gary Oldman should play JJJ in the next Spider-Man so that he and JK Simmons will have effectively role-swapped
    • one mid credits scene for fun and one end credits scene as a portent of things that may come later
    • Imax was okay. There was one scene where I instinctively moved my head to avoid an incoming projectile
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: It’s very much a fantasy action movie so probably not.
    • we still get Batman with guns and Superman who threatens to kill
    • no title drop and no Superfriends reference = LAME
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: twitter facebook twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter twitter / 9

Oct 2017

  • THOR RAGNAROK spoiler-free review:

    • a fun, action-packed romp that shakes up the Thor status quo significantly
    • easily the best of the three Thor movies
    • a number plot points are fairly predictable, yet still fun
    • the Marvel formula is generally action mixed with witty banter here and there, and it’s what we get here, although some of the jokes feel like they’re stretched a bit too much
    • some great-looking cinematic scenes here and there. One particular flashback scene looked really great
    • I kind of like how the older franchises need to be some sort of team effort nowadays. Like Civil War, this felt a bit like some kind of mini-Avengers crossover – in space!
    • speaking of space, one of the positive things about this installment is that they didn’t feel the need to tie Thor’s adventures to Earth anymore (not that the movie is 100% Earth-free), and they get to go a bit wild with space and aliens and all that
    • I understand the need to highlight Hulk’s involvement as part of the film’s marketing, but man, it would have been so awesome to just find out right then and there
    • This movie had that Star Wars: Last Jedi trailer I was trying to avoid D:
    • 1 mid-credits scene and 1 post-credits scene
    • I think Imax was good for this movie. The 3d wasn’t too much and it definitely made some scenes pop. The film is a visual delight so I think the larger screen is important too
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Probably not. Maybe I should stop including this section kasi parang same na parati ang answer. Unless for some reason I decide to watch some Tagalog romcom
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 2

Jul 2017

  • Spider-man Homecoming Spoiler-free review:

    • This movie is amazing. Possibly best in all MCU so far. It’s fun, it’s exciting, unexpected things happened. Maybe not watching the trailers helped lol
    • Covers a lot of ground the previous Spider-man movies didn’t. Helped along by not needing to rehash the origin story for the Nth time
    • Lots of great call outs for the comic book fans
    • I was worried about the Vulture, but it was handled very well. Keaton is great here.
    • This movie is tightly coupled to the MCU yo. IDK how they’re going to handle it if Sony breaks it off after the two-movie deal. By they I mean Sony. Obviously MCU can just ignore him forever afterwards.
    • TBH I was also really worried about the MCU coupling and having too much Iron Man in the movie, but it turned out okay. Maybe could have had a little bit less Tony Stark.
    • IMAX? Probably not worth it.
    • there’s a mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene.
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama? Possibly! There’s some shaky cam footage near the start that can be a bit nauseating though
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook twitter / 3

  • Pisay (the movie)
    Last weekend I watched Aureus Solito’s movie Pisay at the UP film center with a couple of friends (both of whom were my Pisay batchmates of course). (Click to view full-size) 4 Jul 2017 1:30amClose For the uninitiated Pisay is the nickname for our beloved _Philippine Science High School. _It’s a system of government-run schools with a special focus on science and math subjects.

    read more (386 words)

    Posted by under post at #Movies #Pop Culture
    Also on: tumblr twitter / 8 / 386 words

Jun 2017

  • Wonder Woman spoiler-free review:

    • First act was best, second act was okay, third act/resolution a bit weak (and really kind of super obvious/predictable)
    • The parallels with the first Captain American movie, especially in the 3rd act, are uncanny
    • great battle/stunt choreography, especially in the first act
    • Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright gave excellent performances
    • Definitely better than Man of Steel/Dawn of Justice
    • Not better than TDK/Logan. Come on people!
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Possibly!
    • Post-credits scenes: None
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 17

May 2017

  • Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2
    First, the spoiler-free summary (spoilers after this part): overall a very entertaining movie to sit down and watch popcorn and to enjoy the jokes and the space battles and the different colored lights and the tiny adorable tree creature GOTG’s humor was one of its strong points and for the 2nd movie, they push the comedy up a notch, perhaps a little too much in some places. Lots of funny gags and one-liners I felt like some of the character/background development stuff was pushed a bit too hard as well the movie’s plot also felt a bit thin and straightforward.

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    Posted by under post at #Movies #Review #Pop Culture
    Also on: tumblr twitter facebook / 2 / 439 words

Mar 2017

  • Scary Movies and Games
    I’m not a fan of scary movies. I don’t appreciate the idea of paying money to get surprised by jump scares or whatever. Back when I was a kid I remember my dad watching a Betamax copy of The Gate back home and me and my younger brother were watching with him and the movie seriously creeped me out. There was this one scene where a demonic eye manifested on the lead kid’s palm and that scene stuck with me for a while.

    read more (326 words)

    Posted by under post at #Movies #Gaming #Pop Culture
    Also on: tumblr twitter / 0 / 326 words

  • Right. I watched Logan yesterday.

    LOGAN Spoiler-Free review:

    • great movie. Best of the Wolverine trilogy, easily
    • the tone is very different from any previous X-men movies. I’d say it’s closer to something like John Wick
    • good send-off for Jackman and Stewart, since this is their last movie in these roles. Stewart finally given more acting to do than just sitting in a chair being bald and pretending to think at you
    • very, very violent and lots of swearing. Don’t bring your kids
    • no, it doesn’t really follow the Old Man Logan comicbook storyline
    • need to listen closely to dialogue to figure out what is implied to have happened to the X-men
    • Post-credits scene: I was told there wasn’t any, and I really had to pee, so I didn’t wait for it -_-
    • Magugustuhan ba ni mama? Probably not!
    • IMAX or not? I did not go IMAX, and I don’t think the movie would have been significantly improved by IMAX or 3d
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 9

Feb 2017

  • Arrival spoiler-free review:

    • first half a bit boring
    • Forrest Whitaker is hard to understand
    • not sure if it was just the cinema I was at, but the audio and the lighting seemed quite bad at some points
    • that being said, the movie was ok. I think it’s comparable to, but not as good as, Interstellar
    • if you watch it with people who don’t pay attention, you’ll have to explain stuff
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 2

Dec 2016

  • Just watched the Kingsglaive Blu-Ray. That exceeded my expectations, and I kinda wanna start playing the game now. (I should probably wrap up Xenoblade Chronicles X first)

    Posted by under notes at #movies
    Also on: facebook / 1

  • ROGUE ONE Spoiler-free review:

    • it’s great. As a Star Wars fan, I was very happy with the movie!
    • K-2SO best droid ever
    • a lot of great shots that really show the scale of things: star destroyers, the death star, etc
    • a fun, great movie to watch, with the tension rising almost throughout the entire movie.
    • You already know how it ends, but the tension is so well-done that you’re worried that history might change!
    • IMAX? The big screen was a plus, but the 3d wasn’t much. IMAX optional.
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama? Probably not, madaming itatanong.
    • Mid/post credits scene: None.
    • R1 > TFA (!)

    (I edited in a bunch more details after the original post)

    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 29

Oct 2016

  • DOCTOR STRANGE Spoiler-free review:

    • Wow. Great visuals and fight-scenes, very trippy. Possibly the best fight scenes in all the MCU movies so far. You might get dizzy with all the things spinning around though
    • Plot is typical of a MCU origin story. Hero’s journey, some light comedy bits, etc.
    • I was expecting them to go a different way with Mordo (if you’ve read the comics you know what I mean), but I’m happy with how things went down
    • Stakes are high, but failure is not final
    • The actors were great; I haven’t seen a lead this good for a role since RDJ’s Tony Stark. Swinton’s Ancient One, Eijofor’s Mordo, and even Wong’s Wong were great
    • Doctor friends: Tell me if the medical parts were BS hohoho
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Probably not. She doesn’t like this kind of thing, and the dizziness thing is bad too
    • IMAX or not? I think the 3d parts weren’t too exaggerated or critical, but the visuals might feel a bit flat and not as impressive if you don’t go IMAX
    • Midcredits scene? Yes
    • Postcredits scene? Yes
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 4

Sep 2016

Aug 2016

  • SUICIDE SQUAD Spoiler-Free Review:

    • a fun, wild ride. Explosions and gunfire and creepy tentacles abound
    • just don’t expect too much from the plot or characterization. There was more than one scene where I was like WHY WOULD THEY DO THAT?
    • I liked the soundtrack
    • very much a Deadshot/Harley movie, other characters not given much back story
    • I still like Ledger’s joker over Leto’s. Leto’s portrayal is like crazy gangster
    • I had no idea who the big bad was going in, so that’s something. Task Force X completely over their heads
    • hard to compare to the other DC movies so far, as it goes in a completely different direction
    • one mid-credits scene, no post-credits
    • magugustuhan ba ni Mama: Probably not. Also, madaming tatanungin
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 1

May 2016

  • Warcraft movie review:

    • if you are not a fan of Warcraft lore, I do not recommend watching it. It’s kind of a generic fantasy movie in that case, nothing too exceptional. Pwede nang cable
    • if you are a fan, go watch it. You know you want to
    • costumes, cgi, fight scenes fairly good. i was worried that the cgi orcs would look weird and out of place, but I actually like how they turned out
    • surprisingly faithful to the original plot of the source material
    • … which leads to a piss-poor ending for anyone just wanting to watch generic fantasy movie, because of what happens to the main characters in the source material
    • a lot of warcraft lore elements are introduced with minimal exposition, which would probably overwhelm a non-fan
    Warcraft movie review: if you are not a fan of Warcraft lore, I do not recommend watching it. It’s kind of a generic fantasy movie in that case, nothing too exceptional. Pwede nang cable if you are a fan, go watch it. You know you want to costumes, cgi, fight scenes fairly good. i was worried that the cgi orcs would look weird and out of place, but I actually like how they turned out surprisingly faithful to the original plot of the source material … which leads to a piss-poor ending for anyone just wanting to watch generic fantasy movie, because of what happens to the main characters in the source material a lot of warcraft lore elements are introduced with minimal exposition, which would probably overwhelm a non-fan
    Posted by under notes at #movies
    Also on: facebook / 9

  • X-Men Apocalypse Review (Spoiler-Free)
    "Everyone knows the third movie is always the worst" -- Jean still too much focus on Jennifer Lawrence/Mystique some great soundtrack choices Quicksilver scene maybe just a tiny bit too long. Tradition of defying the rules of physics continues (I hope someone does the math on how fast he was probably moving) nice 80s wardrobe lol not particularly faithful to the source material plot is all over the place, a lot of WTF moments here and there.

    read more (166 words)

    Posted by under post at #Comics #Movies #Pop Culture #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: twitter / 0 / 166 words

Apr 2016

  • Captain America Civil War spoiler-free review:

    • great fight sequences, start to finish
    • the newcomers were great, airport big fight sequence had a great surprise (and not the one you already saw in the trailer - although you might have already been spoiled if you pay attention to certain toy lines), although I feel like a couple of the characters were pulled in to the conflict in a way that was a bit weak, but it’s still pretty good overall
    • the plot was ok. Justification for the civil war was ok. Some surprises. The villain motivation was slightly mediocre, but that wasn’t really the focus of the movie anyway
    • Martin Freeman’s role felt totally superfluous - it did not seem necessary to cast Martin Freeman
    • the movie kind of ends with the MCU and the Avengers in a weird place, some people might not like it
    • better than: Winter Soldier. The plot kind of develops in the same way but everything is on a much bigger scale now
    • there are two post-credit scenes, one in the middle and one at the very end
    • Imax worth it? Probably. Not very ostentatious use of 3d, but most of the fight sequences have it. You might get dizzy if you’re not used to it
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama? Maybe, but I’d have to keep explaining who these characters are
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 2

Mar 2016

  • Batman vs Superman Dawn of Justice Spoiler-Free Review:

    • (Edit) OK lang panoorin, wag lang magexpect na super ganda ang story. Entertaining naman mga fight scenes :p
    • not a fan of Affleck’s Batman. Too gun-friendly, and he doesn’t really show a Bruce Wayne persona. He’s dark and brooding and grim in and out of the suit
    • Jeremy Irons as Alfred was ok, but he looks like Tony Stark
    • Eisenberg’s Luthor is not the same as any of the previous Luthors. He’s a manic genius, closer perhaps to the Riddler
    • a number of plot details don’t really make any sense. Need to suspend disbelief quite a bit
    • Snyder is too in love with his slow-motion scenes trying to make everything dramatic
    • there are a number of sequences that don’t mesh well together, like Snyder is randomly jumping between scenes that don’t cohere
    • in fact, there are particular scenes that feel like “WTH is this scene for, Snyder is just indulging himself now”
    • it’s like Superman needs to realise that Lois Lane is more trouble than she’s worth
    • yay cameos of future JLers
    • the actual BvS showdown looked great, and went pretty much the way you’d expect
    • Gal Gadot as Diana Prince/Wonder Woman was great
    • I liked the final battle sequence
    • many, many things pointing towards the eventual JL movie
    • IMAX? Probably not worth it. Not too much 3d stuff
    • Post-credits scene: NO. Or so the internet tells me, we didn’t bother to wait
    • I can see why the reviewers kind of ripped the movie apart. They definitely need to work more on tightening up the movies, but overall this was better than Man of Steel I think.
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 4

Feb 2016

  • Here we go, DEADPOOL spoiler-free review:

    • definitely not for kids; violence, sex, nudity, you name it
    • as you’d expect of a Deadpool movie, lots of jokes, one-liners and fourth wall-breaking. It’s a barrel of laughs
    • the plot is mostly straightforward
    • some really nice shots and set pieces
    • lots of references and fan service
    • great supporting cast; hope to see them again in the sequel
    • Colossus and Negasonic Teenage Warhead were great
    • I kind of want to read more Deadpool comics now
    • This movie is better than: Ant-Man (sorry Scott!)
    • Magugustuhan ba ni Mama: NO
    • Post-credit scene: YES
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 0

Dec 2015

  • As is tradition, my spoiler-free review of The Force Awakens:

    • rewatching the original trilogy immediately before this one was well worth it
    • wow a lot of beautiful shots and landscapes, from beginning to end
    • the heart of the true Star Wars fan will skip a beat every time the background music comes up
    • it feels like coming home. A lot of familiar elements, interspersed with the new. A nice way to transition into a new trilogy
    • I often wonder what it must have felt like to watch the original Star Wars: A New Hope in the theaters back then. This is how I imagined it to be
    • Try not to think about the fact that Episode VIII won’t come until 2017 :D
    • quite possibly the best movie of 2015
    • on the ride home I was like: Ten ten tenetenenten tenetenenten tentenenten … (okay, maybe I was like that before the movie too)
    • …
    • …yeah, it was ok :D
    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 0

Oct 2015

  • Things software development projects can learn from “The Martian” (maybe spoilers lol):

    • If you rush things, you might leave something behind that will cost you a lot more later
    • You need to have buffer in your schedule for the inevitable disasters
    • If you have impossible deadlines, limited resources, overworked staff, and decide to skip testing to meet deadlines, don’t expect things to go smoothly
    • If your stuff doesn’t work, see if there’s some Chinese alternative. Or look for some sort of coffee-powered genius to come up with a miracle solution
    • If you make a unpopular decision, your staff might go off on their own and risk their lives trying to complete the mission
    • Problems will occur at almost every step, be prepared to make stuff up as you go along
    • Solve one problem at a time until you get to go home
    Posted by under notes at #software development #movies
    Also on: facebook / 3

Aug 2015

Jul 2015

  • Ant Man spoiler-free review: The first half felt a bit off, with some exposition coming off as forced and the pacing a bit awkward. Things picked up later on and while the plot was not entirely unpredictable there were a number of fun and surprising tangents. Overall a fun and entertaining movie with enough stuff for comic book Marvel fans to enjoy, probably close in quality to the first Iron Man movie, if not better

    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 3

Jun 2015

May 2015

Feb 2015

Nov 2014

  • Interstellar spoiler-free review: Entertaining movie if you have a good suspension of disbelief and accept the science at face value. Some of the science and timelines are questionable (or maybe I missed some details possibly because I was talking Doctor Who with someone at the same time - some things might clear up on rewatch). Most of the black hole and relativity stuff was well-executed though. The twist at the end I could pretty much spot coming a mile away. CASE and TARS are very entertaining; I wouldn’t recommend the movie to my mother, for pretty much the same reasons I wouldn’t recommend Inception. Interstellar might be harder to grasp than Inception overall. Explores themes of relativity and human loneliness. Some surprise actors appeared! Very much a Nolan movie

    Posted by under notes at #movies #spoiler-free-review
    Also on: facebook / 4

Sep 2014

Aug 2014

  • Guardians was a very funny and fun movie, but it’s hard to say best Marvel movie so far, since I really liked Winter Soldier. And as a comic fan, I’m not that fond of how the Nova Corps was portrayed; I guess it’s understandable since they’re not the heroes here. There’s a lot of stuff for comic fans to enjoy though

    Posted by under notes at #movies
    Also on: facebook / 0

Jul 2014

Jun 2014

May 2014

Mar 2014

Feb 2014

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