NO one doubted “The Dark Knight” was going to be a blockbuster, particularly since it’s the last movie of the late Heath Ledger and buzz has been building around his portrayal of The Joker. But I don’t think anyone really expected it to be this huge, as it posted $158.4 million in its opening weekend to break the previous North American box office opening record.

Fittingly enough, DC’s Batman beat rival Marvel’s franchise comic book character Spider-Man (but I’m still a big Spider-Man fan), as the previous record holder was “Spider-Man 3″ with $151.1 million.

Check out this video report from Access Hollywood.

Yup, Hollywood is definitely benefiting from comic book characters with all the comic book movies that have been coming out in the past few years. By the way, if you loved the graphic novel like I did (and who doesn’t heh), I’m sure you also can’t wait for the “Watchmen” movie. If you haven’t seen the “Watchmen” trailer yet, you can check it out here.

By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

AFTER several nostalgic attempts to bring back old actors as the characters that made them superstars (think Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone), here comes Harrison Ford out to reclaim his title as the eponymous Indiana Jones with a new movie, still armed with his trademark bullwhip, revolver and indomitable fedora.

His latest adventure, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” is largely George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s remake of the same good old fashioned 80s-era action-adventure to satisfy the cravings of a nostalgic thirtysomething crowd and see if the same moviemaking formula of the early 80s would work with a new audience.

This review may contain some spoilers, so stop reading if you don’t want the movie spoiled for you.

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By Relly Carpio
INQUIRER.net

THE NEXT Open Gaming Meet has been set on May 10, Saturday at the airconditioned cabana on the rooftop of Residencia 8888 at Pearl Drive,
Ortigas Center.

“We usually hold the OGM on the first Saturday of the month, but to give a breather to us, since we had the last one on the third week of April, we’re holding it a week later,” said Victor Cabazor, one of the organizers.

“The OGM is an informal gathering of tabletop games enthusiasts from various groups to try out new games and/or play favorite games, be
it boardgames, miniature war games, RPGs (role-playing games), card games, or board wargames, with friends, new or old,” Cabazor added.

An entrance fee of P50 will be charged to help the organizers with the rental of the cabana. Simply inform the front desk upon arrival that you are
going “to the tournament at the penthouse” to gain entry to the building.

By Alex Villafania
INQUIRER.net

LIKE previous movies based on Marvel comic book characters, the first film about a particular Marvel superhero is an origin story. The goal is to come out with a film that mostly stays true to the comic book version to satisfy longtime fans, while also appealing to a new audience unfamiliar with the source material. This is a formula that has been wildly successful for some Marvel films (i.e. “Spider-Man” and “X-Men”), though some have been less than spectacular (i.e. “The Punisher” and “Daredevil”).

“Iron Man,” Marvel Studios’ latest comics-to-Hollywood production and also its first self-financed film, follows the same formula, and thankfully this is a movie that will satisfy fans without melting the brains of the uninitiated. Marvel Studios tapped the directorial services of Jon Favreau, who made sure that the audience will care about the characters even without having read the comic books. It helps that the talented Robert Downey Jr. plays the role of fictional playboy billionaire industrialist Tony Stark and his alter ego Iron Man.

This review will of course contain spoilers, so those who would like to watch the movie without knowing anything about the plot should stop reading. The movie starts with Stark, whose company designs state-of-the art weapons for the US military, being kidnapped by a group of terrorists in Afghanistan. In a flashback, we learn that Stark is in Afghanistan to demonstrate his company’s latest weapon, the Jericho missile system. The terrorists now want to force Stark to create a Jericho missile for them, using parts from Stark Industries weapons that they have gathered.

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THE HERO from Hell is back in action. Check out this “”Hellboy II: The Golden Army” courtesy of Solar-UIP Philippines.

Did you love the first movie? And are you looking forward to this sequel? And have you read the Hellboy graphic novels and books?

I’ve got to admit that I’m relatively new to the world of Hellboy, after enjoying the first movie, and have just begun saving up for the graphic novels. So let me know which ones you’d recommend.