Post APCC: Celebrating Geek Culture in a Global Scale

As I was sitting in attendance at this year's Asiapop Comicon's (APCC) Hall N (Netflix) there was something that "Castlevania" showrunner Adi Shankar said that resounded in me. 

Dressed in what was almost 'casual cosplay' with the infamous 'power glove' on his arm, he talks with such passion about a beloved video game resurrected into a medium for a new generation.  

He says: "-this (Castlevania) was the stuff that I got made fun of as a kid. You know what I mean? I couldn't walk around with a power glove when I was 16. I couldn't talk about anime and video games, that wasn't cool and now all of a sudden we live in a world where this is part of the collective culture, this is part of the consciousness and we're talking about a global mythology here, a shared understanding."   

and I know what he means, growing up, I too was made fun of for being a fan of anime, my group of friends ostracized because we weren't like "the cool kids". 

During our school fair we had a booth and sold Anime merchandise (we did for fun and not profit, we hardly made any money) and even held film screenings, (screening rights weren't that strict then). We even cosplayed as some of our favorite characters and this was back when cosplay wasn't even "cool" or acceptable. 

There were no conventions then and the internet was just in its infancy. 

Flash forward to a couple of decades later and we now have one of the biggest pop culture events in Asia, bringing renowned actors, artists and cosplayers, whom we've only admired from a far. And as if these years of consecutive success wasn't enough, APCC ups their game this year by providing exclusive, never before seen content from industry giants like Marvel, Disney and Netflix (Netflix really brought their A game though). With exclusive world trailers for Season 2 of Castlevania as well as the world trailer of Godzilla: City on the Edge of Battle.  

Adi Shankar during the Netflix panel.
(c) PCheng Photography 

As if that wasn't enough, the first episode of the second season of Iron Fist was also premiered to the lucky fans in attendance. 

Adi Shankar says of these exclusive previews: 

"Trailers would drop, new stories would drop - but it would never happen in this part of the world. Alien invasion always happen in New York" he says, proving his point. 

With these worldwide premieres debuting in an event such as Asia Popcomicon, it just goes to show how celebrating Geek Culture is now on a Global Scale. That even our humble city of Manila can experience these exclusive sneak peeks. Going through comments on social media, I even came across one that said the Netflix panel in APCC was a lot better than the world renowned SDCC (San Diego Comicon).  

I think I will never get over how 'being a geek' can now be celebrated in prestigious events such as Asiapop Comicon. You get to meet and/or hang out with friends who share the same passion as you do. May it be through cosplay or through panels, or meeting your favorite comic artists or scoring those coveted merchandise. There is something for everybody and if the evolution of these events in the following years is any indication, I can say that we are in for bigger and better surprises in the years to come. 




***Apologies this write up is a bit delayed, the week after APCC is actually our Little Jedi's first birthday party and we were busy handling last minute preparations. I just hope that next year APCC and Luke's birthday won't be too close.*** 

Movies: Long Live "Godzilla" In “King Of The Monsters” Trailer

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures have just unleashed the first trailer of “Godzilla: King of the Monsters.”  Check it out below and watch the film in Philippine cinemas May 30, 2019.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/DkDBhTFJMVE

Movies: Warner Bros.’ And Legendary’s Monterverse Kicks Into Gear As The Next “Godzilla” Feature Gets Underway

Michael Dougherty helms the film in which stars Kyle Chandler, Vera Farmiga, Millie Bobby Brown,
Ken Watanabe and Zhang Ziyi take on the King of the Monsters…and more!

BURBANK, CA, June 19, 2017 – Following the global success of 2014’s “Godzilla” and this year’s “Kong: Skull Island,” comes the next chapter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ cinematic MonsterVerse: an epic action adventure that pits Godzilla against some of the most popular monsters in pop culture history.

The film, which begins principal photography today, is being directed by Michael Dougherty (“Krampus”), and stars Oscar nominees Vera Farmiga (“The Conjuring” films), and Ken Watanabe (“Inception”) and Sally Hawkins (“Blue Jasmine”), both reprising their “Godzilla” roles; Kyle Chandler (“The Wolf of Wall Street”); Millie Bobby Brown (“Stranger Things”) in her feature film debut; Bradley Whitford (“Get Out”); Thomas Middleditch (HBO’s “Silicon Valley”); Charles Dance (HBO’s “Game of Thrones”); O’Shea Jackson Jr. (“Straight Outta Compton”); Aisha Hinds (“Star Trek Into Darkness”); and Golden Globe nominee Zhang Ziyi (“Memoirs of a Geisha”).

The new story follows the heroic efforts of the crypto-zoological agency Monarch as its members face off against a battery of god-sized monsters, including the mighty Godzilla, who collides with Mothra, Rodan, and his ultimate nemesis, the three-headed King Ghidorah. When these ancient super-species—thought to be mere myths—rise again, they all vie for supremacy, leaving humanity’s very existence hanging in the balance.

Dougherty directs from a script he wrote with Zach Shields. The film is being produced by Mary Parent, Alex Garcia, Brian Rogers and Thomas Tull, with Barry H. Waldman, Zach Shields, Yoshimitsu Banno and Kenji Okuhira serving as executive producers and Alexandra Mendes co-producing for Legendary.

Behind the scenes, Dougherty’s creative team includes director of photography Lawrence Sher, whose past credits include “War Dogs” and “Godzilla,” for which he handled additional photography; production designer Scott Chambliss (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”); editor Roger Barton (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales,” the “Transformers” films); costume designer Louise Migenbach (the “X-Men” and “Hangover” films); and Oscar-winning VFX supervisor Guillaume Rocheron (“Godzilla,” “Ghost in the Shell,” and part of the Oscar-winning team behind “Life of Pi ”).

Filming is taking place mainly in Atlanta, Georgia. A presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, the film is currently scheduled for release in March 2019, and will be distributed in 3D and 2D and in select IMAX theaters by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, except in Japan, where it will be distributed by Toho Co., Ltd.

Movies: JAPAN’S LATEST BOX-OFFICE HIT “GODZILLA: RESURGENCE” OPENS AUGUST 31 IN PHILIPPINES

The king of all monsters is back in “Godzilla: Resurgence” and brings the audience back to Godzilla’s origins as he emerges in modern Japan for the first time. The film is co-directed by Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, and stars Hiroki Hasegawa (“Why Don’t You Play In Hell?”), Satomi Ishihara (“Attack on Titan”), Yutaka Takenouchi (“USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage”).

 Produced by Toho, “Godzilla: Resurgence” as reported by Box Office Mojo, debuted at number one in Japan on its opening weekend earning an impressive $6,122,434 across 441 screens.  The monster movie stomps into action when an unknown accident occurs in modern-day Japan, at Tokyo Bay’s Aqua Line. All of the sudden, a giant creature immediately appears, destroying town after town with its landing reaching the capital.

  “Godzilla: Resurgence” opens August 31 in cinemas from Pioneer Films.  Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUxqEB8ILrM