Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a mind blowing epic must see 3D action film

I caught the first 3D IMAX public screening of Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon on Tuesday night and I was blown away. The whole movie is 2 hours 35 mins long - you guys better pee first before watching it - but it's very well paced. The story is well written, directing excellent and even the acting was good. Yes, the new girl that replaces Megan Fox, can indeed act! The finale of the movie lasts one whole hour and it contains some of the best 3D action scenes that you will ever see in the cinema. It's fucking orgasmic! It's Michael Bay at his best!

As a 3D movie, is it better than Avatar? Nope but it comes close. Is it the best of the three Transformers movies? Hell yeah! Is it the best movie this year? Yes, in my opinion, it is better than X-Men: First Class which was my number one before Transformers 3 came out. Transformers: Dark of the Moon gets 9 stars out of 10 from me. Go watch it!



Here are other reviews of Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

Sujeet from Moviez Adda: An experience of a life-time, the movie is exceptionally well made, the visuals are simply mind-boggling, the 3D is eye-popping, the story is very intelligent, the treatment is perfect.

Drew from HitfFx: If you're considering sitting this out for a 2D version, don't. Really. This is a meticulously designed 3D experience, and Bay impresses often and in a real-world setting that makes this more surreal than "Avatar" in many ways.

Andrew from Salon: Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon is a momentous achievement and it will make untold amounts of money and you should see it even though it's hateful and empty and preaches the worst kind of reactionary violence without even really meaning it.

Jay from MovieWeb: Overall Transformers 3 is as fine and beautiful as a spectacle as it comes and it sets down and destroys the majority of the Summer blockbusters setting the limits down and making it near impossible for any other film to step in the ring with it.

Ted from Seattle Times:  A plot element that's nearly as important to "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" as its mega-machine battle between evil Decepticons and benevolent Autobots is the movie's offensive to gain back control of 3-D. Both struggles fare pretty well based on genuinely impressive technical feats and the adequately engaging story this unapologetic explosion of summer escapism delivers on its (literal) blockbusting road to box-office bonanza.

A.O. Scott from New York Times: Dark of the Moon is one of the few recent 3-D movies that justify the upcharge. Mr. Bay clearly enjoys playing with the format, which is also to say that he takes it seriously. A lot of glass and metal comes flying at your head, and you feel surrounded, plunged into a universe governed by new and strange laws of physics.

Amy from SF Gate: Dark of the Moon is even longer, even louder, even more ridiculous, fries even more synapses, includes roughly 87,531 more explosions, and was filmed in glorious 3-D. And nope, I'm not using "glorious" sarcastically. The effects are sensational; I've never had such fun watching humans get tossed around like bean sprouts.

Nick from The Gamer Access: The last 20-25 minutes of Transformers: Dark of the Moon contains one of the best endings to an action film in a long time! Without spoiling the action-packed conclusion to the trilogy, let me just say that all supporters and followers of Transformers since its birth in 1984 will not be disappointed.

Gary from News Tribune:  The battle scenes are bigger, louder, and more intense than anything you have seen before on screen. It was like "Blackhawk Down" with robots. This is something that Michael Bay just knows how to do right!

Chris from Twin Cities: The action in "Dark of the Moon" is clear and it doesn't feel like an assault because it's broken up with humor, a smidge of romance and even a little mystery. In other words, this is exactly what a summer movie should be.

S.T. from Esquire: Dark of the Moon is legitimately stunning to watch, logistically outrageous at nearly every step — watch for the guys in wingsuits, for starters — and nothing short of a success for a director who's lived in the shadow of short-sightedness for a decade now.

Graham from Birmingham Post: "These stunning, groundbreaking 3D sequences just have to be seen and could have made Dark of the Moon the greatest summer blockbuster action experience in the 20 years since Cameron’s Terminator 2."

Previously: Transformers 3 opens in Singapore tonight midnight!

Transformers 3 opens in Singapore tonight midnight!

I'm super excited! I'll be catching the opening show of the 3D IMAX version of Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon at Lido IMAX tonight. I promise myself not to scream in the cinema after screaming fanatically during the previous two Transformers movie. Can't help it. I'm a Transformers fanboy. I also considered wearing a Bumblebee helmet for tonight's screening. Everyone has been telling me that I should. Ok. Maybe I will. Maybe I will not. But one thing is for sure, I can't fucking wait to watch the movie in IMAX 3D and be blown away.



I'll post a review tomorrow. Bumblebee! Optimus! I'm coming!

Update: Watch all Transformers 3 videos on R3LOAD Network. Direct links to all the videos here.
Update: Picture of me and Optimus Prime taken before the screening.
Update: My review is out. Transformers 3 is a mind blowing epic 3D action film!

Previously:
Ignore the film critics. Go watch Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen!
Singapore Gala Premiere of Transformers

Watch Transformers: Dark of the Moon videos on R3LOAD.net

You can watch all the exciting Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon videos on R3LOAD Network: The Sound of Transformers 3, Transformers 3 Reviews, Transformers 3 London Premiere, 9 minutes of Transformers 3, Transformers 3 Premiere at Moscow with Linkin Park, Michael Bay and Steven Spielberg in Transformers Hall of Fame, Linkin Park's Iridiscent Transformers music video, Birdmen of Transformers 3, Transformers 3 3D Trailer, My Secret Weapon scene in Transformers 3, Michael Bay and James Cameron talks about the use of 3D in Transformers 3 and Linkin Park talk about their involvement in Transformers. Enjoy!

Phew! Near Earth Asteroid 2011MD narrowly misses Earth

So we just had a near miss! Asteroid 2011 MD flew past Earth on Monday, June 27th. At closest approach, the space rock the size of a large garbage truck, was only 12,000 kilometers above Earth's surface. Watch this cool video of the asteroid zipping across the night sky. It shows the asteroid's change of brightness.

NYT dissects a frame from Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

Transformers Dark of the Moon director Michael Bay and his visual effects supervisor Scott Farrar, explained to the New York Times what went into this shot of Decepticon Shockwave wrecking havoc on the Chicago cityscape while several parachutists are jumping from buildings.

Transformers Dark of the Moon trailers compared to actual behind the scenes photos

Jeffrey Marshall aka Pixel Rally compares footage from the official Transformers Dark of The Moon trailers with photos he took during filming in Chicago and images from Google Street View and Google Earth. He has lots more Behind The Scenes pics here. Amazing stuff!

Giant Millenium Falcon Bean Bag looks so comfy

This gorgeous Millenium Falcon Bean Bag is the result of a collaboration between Spanish design firm Woouf and Adidas for the Adidas Pro Area which was inspired by Star Wars. I want one!

(Thanks Ryan555)

Toy and Miniature Sewing Machine Museum Collection

The world's only public toy and miniature sewing machine museum collection is now for sale on eBay. This collection consists of over 350 toy and miniature machines of a wide variety of brands and models spanning over 100 years of miniature sewing machine history.

Dude eats lots of instant ramen and reviews them on his blog

The Ramen Eater has been reviewing instant ramen noodles since 2002: "There is a scale I use from 0.0 to 5.0 stars. 0.0 is bottom of the barrel. Tastes literally like crap. Foul smelling, tasting and even producing a gag like reflex. 5.0 stars is perfection." He's at ramen number 439 now.

The World's Worst Records

Darryl W Bullock writes about his blog The World's Worst Records: "Over the years I've collected hundreds of 7", EPs LPs, CDs and, more recently, MP3s of these crimes against music. The internet has been an incredible boon, littered with obscurities, oddities and downright awful sounds and it's my intention over the coming weeks, months or years to post some of those tunes."

Save the eggs with the Angry Birds Card Game

Based on the popular iPhone game, the Angry Birds Card Game is brought to you by the people behind Uno. Be the first person to strategically knock out the object cards with your bird cards. Then shoot the die to topple the golden eggs and win.

(Thanks John)

Space Invaders watch is the ultimate in geek luxury

Swiss luxury watch company RJ-Romain Jerome pays tribute to late-20th century pop culture by launching a double limited-edition of Space Invaders watches. The watches, designed like generational totems, each come with a dedicated backplate made of Moon Silver, a silver alloy with an extremely low oxidisation rate incorporating moon rocks!

Superheroes as Flags

Can you ID all these Superhero Flags created by graphic designer Fabian Gonzalez? There's Batman, Superman, Hulk, Captain America, Thor Wolverine, Iron Man, Quicksilver, Flash, Green Lantern and many more.

(Thanks Vince)

Watch 9 mins of Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon

Awesome 9 minutes long combined chronological footage of all the trailers, TV spots and clips from Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I've been watching this over and over and over again. Can't wait for the opening. I'll be watching it on IMAX 3D! Watch the Transformers 3 world premiere here held in Moscow.

My Little Pony goes hardcore, becomes a fighting game

Finally, a fight the ponies game! The game is called My Little Pony: Fighting is Magic and it is currently in development. From the game's FAQ: "The game contains old-school cartoon slapstick, but doesn’t go further than that. You won’t see any kind of blood or gore (sorry, Cupcakes fans!)."

Inspirational Skittles Brand Book

According to the brightly coloured, rainbow fantastic and a little crazy Skittles Brand Book, the average Skittles consumer is 12 to 17 years old, owns an exotic pet like an iguana, wishes he/she could fly, and dreams of someday being a rock star, astronaut or knight. You've just got to love Skittles!

Low Budget X-Men Cyclops and Magneto

Thanks to Rafael Bastos, you can now be Cyclops and Magneto without spending a bomb like they do for the X-Men movies. Low budget, baby! Part of 365, Rafael's Flickr personal challenge where he comes up with one idea every day so he can explore creativity and experimentalism.

Surprise! Surprise! Pixar-Styled Ghostbusters is not by Pixar

Italian graphic artist and big Ghostbusters fan, Fabrizio Fioretti works on visual effects for film and TV but recently during his free time, he decided to create CGI versions of the Ghostbusters using 3D and 2D softwares like Maya, Zbrush, Photoshop and Nuke. His images are amazing and you would think that they came from Pixar.

Doctor Who gets the Charlie Brown and Peanuts treatment

Larry draws a mash-up of Doctor Who and Charlie Brown and other characters from the Peanuts: "I imagined after the 11th Doctor was put in the Pandorica, the villains broke out into a little celebratory dance. Apologies to Charles Schulz and the Peanuts characters." I love the Dalek playing the piano!

Media gets Transformers Dark of the Moon Toy Boxes

To celebrate Transformers Dark of the Moon, Hasbro sent out promotional toy boxes to the media. The box looks like Optimus Prime's trailer and comes with Sentinel Prime, Mudflap, Megatron and Sideswipe figures, 3D Optimus Prime movie mask, Bumble Dog-tags and a Dark of the Moon t-shirt!

The Secret Origin of the Transformers

A must read two-part blog post by Jim Shooter about the secret origin of the Transformers (part 1, part 2): "In 1983, a toy company approached Marvel Comics seeking development of a toy property for comics, animation and other entertainment. The toys in question were cars and other vehicles that could be opened and unfolded into robots."

Tetrabox Lamp made from recycled Tetra Brik boxes

The Tetrabox Lamp is a recycled lamp that helps reduce the amount of waste going to landfills. Designed by Malaysian EdChew, it is made from discarded packet drink boxes which are cut into strips. The strips are then folded to form hexagon and pentagon modules. No glue or any kind of adhesive media is used.

Hotel Door Hangers from all over the world

Michael Lebowitz shares with us his late grandfather's hotel door hangers collection: "When my grandfather passed away last year, my family gathered to go through his belongings. He had been in the foreign service and he had filled a whole wall of his study with hotel door hangers from all his travels throughout the world."

Our Blood Stained Roof

Illustrator Ryan Andrews just finished his newest comic, Our Blood Stained Roof. The story starts when a flock of geese fell out of the sky, landed on the roof and stained it with the reddest blood you would ever see. Go read the whole thing online.

(Thanks Johnny Q)

The Toughbook Paintball Challenge Part 2

Here's Part 2 of Toughbook Paintball Challenge. Watch Part 1 here. Popular Singapore bloggers Nadia and Noel attached balloons to their body in a one of a kind paintball challenge featuring the Panasonic Toughbook. Special thanks to the guys at Tag Paintball at Turf City!

Watch the Toughbook Paintball Challenge Part 1 and Part 2 and the Toughbook Race on R3LOAD Network. The Toughbook Race and Paintball Challenge are both directed by yours truly.

R3LOAD Network (pronounced as Reload Network) is a pop and web culture web TV network and viral video agency based in Singapore. With more than 4 million video views since it's founding in September 2010, R3LOAD Network combines original exclusive content with the web's best and most watched videos produced by professional, up-and-coming and amateur producers. R3LOAD Network's original programs include Viral Attack, Viral Daily, Singapore Haunted, Animal All-Stars, Fan Zone and Tattooed.

Booze, booze and more booze at Beerfest Asia 2011

I filmed this at Beerfest Asia 2011 for R3LOAD Network. In the video, Colin, the Brewmaster of Archipelego Brewery talks about the different kinds of beer specifically selected and assembled to showcase the brewery’s breadth and range in Beerfest Asia 2011. Special thanks to Asia Pacific Breweries Singapore.

Solargraphs made from beer and soda cans

The Philippus Lansbergen Observatory in the Netherlands invited members of the general public to make solargraphs using soda and beer cans. A solargraph is a long exposure photograph taken through a pinhole camera that captures the sun's path across the sky.

Flickr Gallery: You spin me right ‘round, baby

Kieta Mall curates this lovely Flickr gallery called You spin me right ‘round, baby: "When I was little, being spun around by my father was my most favorite thing to do! These photos bring back such fond memories. I hope you enjoy this gallery as much as I enjoyed creating it!"

Victorian Steampunk Laptop is now available for order

Steampunk contraptor Richard "Doc" Nagy, creator of the beautiful Victorian Steampunk Laptop is now accepting pre-orders for his famous steampunk laptops. He writes: "These new versions will be better and faster than my original prototype, featuring cutting-edge internal components capable of running any of today's games and other software."

Go retro and turn your iPhone into an 80's brick phone

Now you can be an 80's yuppie thanks to the 80s iPhone Case. Just slip it on to your iPhone and instantly, you'll get the iconic look of an 80’s handset with the hi-tech specs of an iPhone! Besides offering protection against bumps and scratches, the case also works as a vertical or horizontal stand for your handset.

Review of Transformers Dark of the Moon Official Comic

Seibertron.com reviews the official comic book adaptations of Transformers Dark of the Moon: "The first book starts us off in 1969, within NASA headquarters as the first moon landing occurs. They find the original Ark ship, with a host of dead Cybertronians and Sentinel Prime."

(Thanks Mr Big)

Made in China Iron Man impresses office workers and more

Chinese dude spent months building an Iron Man Mark I costume complete with a LED-lit arc reactor and a repulsor arm and then wears it to the office! I bet he must be a popular guy at work. Check out his blog here for all the pics of his kick-ass Iron Man costume. His blog is in Chinese.

(Thanks Geekgod)

Super-Wide-Angle Sardine Can Lomography Camera

La Sardina is a 35mm lomography camera inspired by the humble sardine can. The camera comes complete with a 22mm wide-angle plastic lens, MX switch and rewind knob, 2 simple-to-use focusing settings and bulb setting for long exposures.

(Thanks Joshua)

Photography through 50 stacked UV filters is just insane

Kenny from LensRentals.com had a nice mountain of 50 UV filters after cleaning them and testing the threads by mounting them one in front of the other when his colleagues decided to mount them to a Canon 5D Mk II and a 300 f4 lens to take some pictures. Don't try this unless you want photos full of vignetting and haloing.

Transformers statues made from hundreds of used car parts

Thai artist Anchalee Saengtai created these Transformers statues from hundreds of recycled car and truck parts. The small versions stand just over eight feet tall and weigh more than 1,000 pounds. The larger versions stand a staggering 19 feet tall. These statues were recently acquired by Ripley’s Believe It or Not!

The Toughbook Paintball Challenge

Here's part 1 of Toughbook Paintball Challenge. Previously, Singapore bloggers Nadia and Noel raced down a 50m track with the Panasonic Toughbooks strapped to their feet. This time, they attach balloons to their body in a one of a kind paintball challenge featuring the Panasonic Toughbook. Special thanks to the guys at Tag Paintball at Turf City! Watch The Toughbook Race and the Toughbook Paintball Challenge on R3LOAD Network. Both the Toughbook Race and Paintball Challenge are directed by yours truly.

R3LOAD Network (pronounced as Reload Network) is a pop and web culture web TV network and viral video agency based in Singapore. With more than 4 million video views since it's founding in September 2010, R3LOAD Network combines original exclusive content with the web's best and most watched videos produced by professional, up-and-coming and amateur producers. R3LOAD Network's original programs include Viral Attack, Viral Daily, Singapore Haunted, Animal All-Stars, Fan Zone and Tattooed.

The Promise for IZ Reloaded is a Lego Rap Music Video

Paypal's boyband The Promise did a music video specially for me because I love Lego. I'm confused. I blog about so many stuff but they had to write a song about me liking Lego. LOL. Check it out. Pretty funny. If they release this song, I think it will go all the way to number 1.

BTW, you guys, I.Z. is not pronounced as "I Zee". It's "I Zack". So next time don't call me I Zee ok? Promise?

The Promise is actually a marketing campaign by Paypal to rally all online shoppers towards safer, brighter shopping online.

June 16 2011 Total Lunar Eclipse visible in Singapore

UPDATE: For the December 10 2011 Total Lunar Eclipse, please click here.

Here are the timings for the total lunar eclipse that will happen in the morning of 16 June 2011 for observers in Singapore.

1.24 am: Penumbra eclipse begins. During this phase, you will not notice anything.
2.22 am: Start of umbra eclipse starts. Moon begins to enter the darkest part of Earth's shadow. You will start to see the moon being "eaten up" slowly till only it becomes a slender crescent.
3.22 am - Total Eclipse begins. The moon will now be in total darkness. Expect this eclipse to be very dark and blood red in colour due to the volcanic ash that is polluting the earth's upper atmosphere.
4.12 am - Maximum Eclipse.
5.02 am - Total eclipse ends.
6.02 am - End of umbra eclipse.
7.00 am - Penumbra eclipse ends and a very good morning.

To watch the lunar eclipse live, here are some websites that are webcasting the event:

R3LOAD Network
YouTube
Slooh (Live lunar eclipse webcast sponsored by Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
Astro Viten
Sky Watchers Association of North Bengal
Ustream from Ranau Sabah
SkyLovers
Israeli astronomical association
Astronomie si Societatea Astronomica Andromeda
The Okinawa Times

Update: I'm live tweeting the lunar eclipse: "Who says we can't see eclipse right now in Singapore. We got eclipse alright. Bloody clouds eclipsing the moon." Follow me right now on Twitter.

Update: Live streaming of the lunar eclipse has ended.

Update: Here are 3 photos of the June 16 2011 total lunar eclipse.



The moon just minutes before totality. You can still see direct sunlight hitting the moon's surface at extreme right.



Totality! This is how the moon looks like when it's deep in earth's shadow. It became considerably darker than the normal full moon. It also changed colour to a more coppery red due to the huge amount of volcanic ash and dust that is currently in the earth's upper atmosphere. You can spot a star to the right of the moon.



The eclipsed moon minutes before totality ended. Looks like planet Mars. During totality, you can still spot some of the moon's features like its mare (the dark markings) and its prominent crater Tycho (near the bottom).

Update: The next total lunar eclipse visible in Singapore is on 10 December 2011. The event can also be seen in most parts of Asia.

Update: You can watch videos of the lunar eclipse here.

All the cussing in Pulp Fiction in 3 mins 20 secs

Did you know there are 429 swear words in Pulp Fiction, the 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino? This video has all of them, minus everything else in the movie. 3 mins 20 secs of all the swearing in Pulp Fiction! It's as entertaining as watching the full movie.

Rekindle your interest in astronomy with Stargazing Live

Watch all three episodes of Stargazing Live, the 3 day live television event hosted by scientist and TV presenter Brian Cox and comedian and amateur astronomer Dara Ó Briain. The show featured the partial Solar eclipse of January 4, 2011, a planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Uranus, and the Quadrantid meteor shower.

Lego Moulding Machine Set is replica of Lego making machine

This exclusive Lego Moulding Machine set consists of a replica of the original hand operating injector back from 1949 and a copy of the current moulder that Lego uses today. Both models have working features - they can press the mould together!

(Thanks Wayne)

Animal sculptures made from Louis Vuitton bags

For the launch of Louis Vuitton’s Mon Monogram service for small leather goods, Billie Achilleos made several animal sculptures using materials from Louis Vuitton bags. She writes: "Each animal highlights an element in the design of the products. The Armadillo was to highlight the soft yet durable quality of the leather."

Lego diorama of Miyazaki's anime characters

Hayao Miyazaki's anime characters from his movies such as Spirited Away and Ponyo can be found in this incredible Lego diorama by Iain Heath called Miyazakitopia. He says: "To present my completed collection of Miyazaki based Lego creations, I built a Japanese gadren around them."

Clone Factory starts human cloning in Japan

Danny Choo goes to the Clone Factory to get a clone action figure of himself: "Once all the data is prepared, its time to print out the clone and that's done with the ZPrinter 650. The printer has a tray of plaster where the clone is born. The clones are printed using layers of ink which harden in the plaster." I want my own clone too!

Concept art from Transformers: The Ride leaked

Transformers: The Ride will only open in Universal Studios Singapore in late 2011 but you can take a look at how it will look like thanks to these leaked early concept art. Transformers: The Ride will be based on the Transformers film franchise and will employ 3-D high-definition video and audio-animatronics.

Atomic Bomb Survival Suit

Here's a patent application for an individual survival suit from 1958: "The bomb(s) would go off, and there you would be, standing with your back against the wall, or laying in the gutter pressed against the curb, just another piece of the dead city, another piece of metal waiting to decay."

(via Boing Boing)

Kranium is made from cardboard and protects your head

Bike helmets rarely protect your head. Kranium does! It is an innovative, lightweight outdoor sports activity helmet that aims to revolutionize the helmet market. Its corrugated ribs structure (yes, cardboard!) absorbs 4 times the amount of impact energy when compared to regular cycling helmets.

Godzilla and other cool movie posters by Ron Guyatt

Ron Guyatt is a freelance illustrator from Canada who loves to design posters. He writes about his Godzilla movie poster: "I decided to show rays coming out of the sun to represent Japan from the War which was a reason of blame for the creation of Godzilla along with Nuclear Power." Check out his other movie posters here.

Design-a-Kite Kit helps you make you own kite

Make and design your own kite with the Design-a-Kite kit. It comes with one white nylon kite, spar rods, reel with flying line, paint, paintbrush and detailed instructions to create your one of a kind flying machine. Get creative and go flying!

(Thanks Brian G)