Papier Macheniacs Goes To War!

World War 1 has exploded on our work table!
A gas mask, a portable oxygen tank, complete with air hoses. FUN!

And it all began with (you guessed it) a paper plate. And, paper cups. And a mad amount of tape.

The straps are made out of folded newspaper.

And then, paper mache'd to authentic image and likeness. If I do say so myself. :P

Painting! We used the Multipurpose Black paint for this one and the coverage was fantastic. It stunk for a while but nothing a little airing out can't fix.

The green lens is standard Yema cellophane wrapper.

The oxygen tank is any kind of can we had our hands on.

Standard black washing machine hose for the breathing tubes.

Just a little finishing touches after that and we're done!

And THAT'S how you go to war! Just make sure the enemy isn't using water guns. Lol! Have fun making your own with paper mache.

Transformers Age of Extinction: FTW and WTF

One word to describe Transformers: Age of Exrinction: LONG.
Personally, the editing didn't do it for me. I'm not a huge fan of storytelling done in chunks. It makes me forget what happened in the other subplot until we get back to it so many minutes later. That's just me. I need a more exciting back-to-back kind of storytelling.

But that intro was totally unfair of me. There ARE undeniable goodies in this movie as well. So allow me to do this properly and lay it down for you in FTWs and WTFs.

FTW!

THE PREMISE IS GOLD! Human dissing the alien robots who have protected their helpless organic asses for 3 movies now. That premise is so realistic, so selfish, so human.

GOOD INVENTOR VS. BAD INVENTOR. Goody-two-shoes Yeager had the biceps, but evil-man-who-grows-a-conscience Joshua had the humour. We like him.

THE ACTION WAS SOLID! I've always liked how these gargantuan robots battle it out in the city. I love how they crush buildings and cars. BAM! BOOM! POW!

BUMBLEBEE'S A TEENAGER. I like the attitude they've given Bumblebee this time around. He was hotheaded, rebellious, cool. He wasn't Witwicky's pet puppy.

GALVATRON! He's Megatron ver. 2. I thought that was awesome. Specially that part where he spewed a one-liner during battle when the humans never programmed him to. In your face, scientists!


WTF!

MEDIEVAL MAKEOVER. Optimus Prime had one. So he'd look better when he lifts the sword. Yeah. But we do like his emotional makeover! He was vengeful when betrayed. Which is again, a very real reaction. Dude, he shot and killed a man! Woot!

ROBOT FACE. The new robots Lockdown, Crosshairs, and Drift have faces. Like real, human, almost expressive faces… in metal. It's creepy. Hound even had a beard, and smoked a cigar. Creepy.

THAT EDITING THING. (please see above)

DINO-DUPED. Okay, this is my biggest beef. The poster, the trailer, the banners gave us the promise of Dinobots. Being as old as the original Transformers animation itself, this is huge for me. So when Grimlock and the gang came in 2 hours into the movie and had only 15 minutes of screen time, I was seriously, SERIOUSLY heartbroken.
And, geez, Prime! You do not ride Grimlock! Metal against metal… UGH! THE CHAFING!

Oh, and there's also the new LONG-LEGGED LEADING LADY who can 'grab my stick' because 'she has the best hands in the business'. Ay caramba! Your choice if she's a FTW or a WTF. Our house is divided.

That said, this is still an entertaining ride and I do recommend you hit it on 3D. It's insane how Transformers: Age of Extinction roadblocked all the cinemas in the metro! So if you miss it, that will be… just weird.

How Do I Love How To Train Your Dragon 2

This movie in one word: Brilliant.
But I may be a bit biased here. I love dragons. Please read my Maleficent entry for proof.

Dreamworks' How To Train Your Dragon 2 takes on a more mature, more emotional note in this sequel. The story was super tight, with the underlying theme of 'Rising against the odds' perfectly played out in David vs Goliath fashion 'til the very end of the film.

There was Hiccup vs. The War.
That's the plot trigger. Hiccup embarks on a peacekeeping talk with a guy named Drago who wears dragon skin as a fashion statement and screams bloody murder to control dragons. Come on! Who would want to chat with a guy like that?! But Hiccup was never one to listen to reason, and so the story goes on.

There was Valka vs. Berk vs. Herself vs. Her Past vs. Bad Dude.
Hiccup's mom has issues. What keeps her going is her life-long mission to protect dragons, which makes her abandon her family in the process. Okay, so now we know what her priorities are. It's like the modern day working mom choosing her career over her loved ones. But, heck, she's the Dragon Master! If I had a job as cool as hers, I'd rock the family tree.

There was Toothless vs. The Alpha.
Have I told you I loved dragons? Toothless just pushed that adoration a hundred knots higher! That part where the minute Night Fury challenged the Alpha Dragon whose like as huge as a couple of Mount Everests was just… just… intense! *swoon… slow clap… sniff*
(Yes, animated films make me more emotional than live action films. Sue me.)

Poignant to death, the film shattered my heart when Toothless accidentally kills Stoick with his laser blast brought on by mind control. Seriously mangled my heart there. Hiccup finally has his family together and then this happens. Aaaah… my poor, poor heart...

But the high point for me was the mutiny of dragons in the end. Nothing rocks my joes quite like a scaly, fiery uprising. And when Toothless was hailed the new Alpha, man, goosebumps! I got more giddy about that sequence than Hiccup being crowned the new Chief of Berk. (I like dragons more than I do humans. Sue me.) 

How To Train Your Dragon 2 is still showing in cinemas. If you have an almost unreasonable adoration for dragons like me, better catch this bit on 3D. Flying, fire-breathing dragons looks awesome in 3D! Yeah.

PS. Personal cringe moment for me: Hiccup looks weird as an adult. Puberty wasn't kind to him. :)

JOLIEFICENT!

There is no denying Angelina Jolie was made for this role. The way she did Disney's iconic dragon sorceress was just beyond awesome. And I'm a huge animated Maleficent fan so that's saying something. I'm also big on villains taking the limelight for a change so this Maleficent back story is much appreciated.

Now, a rundown of the movie's goodies and baddies!

High Points:

1. I like the whole Human vs. Magical Creatures war. Okay, Shrek did that first, but the fight scene here was way cooler.

2. That shrill, blood-curdling scream when Maleficent lost her wings. That sound will stay in my nightmares forever.

3. LOVE THE MENTAL BREAKDOWN! The dramatic transition from good fairy to evil sorceress was beautiful! From Maleficent herself to the landscape eeriefication. 

4. True love does not exist as the plot trigger was harsh but realistic. 

5. In your face, Philip! I'm not big on Prince Charming… ever. So I loved the way he was ditched here. You don't save the day this time, mister. Mwahaha!

6. Wardrobe! Maleficent sported a series of fantabulous capes all throughout the movie. Props to you, stylist!

Ultimate High Points: 

1. GREEN FLAAAME!!!

2. The way Angelina said the curse was EXACTLY the way the animated version said it. "…on her sixteenth buuuth-day!"  The nostalgic hit there was pretty intense!

Low Points:

1. The three fairy godmothers aka the magical world's version of The Three Stooges. I just thought they tried too hard to be funny. Oh well.

2. The real True Love was between Aurora and Maleficent… which we also saw in Frozen's siblings Anna and Elsa. It's not exactly that original as a plot twist, but it did pull heartstrings so I'm letting it slide, somewhat.

3. Aurora is crowned the new queen of the moors? Huh? Say what?

Ultimate Low Point:

1. Maleficent didn't transform into a dragon. DUUUDE! That's the whole magic of Maleficent --her turning into a frikkin badass dragon! AND YOU STOLE IT FROM MEEEE!!! The glorious makeover was given to Maleficent's shape-shifting pet crow. *sniff* 

That said, did we like the movie? I'm giving it 5 super shiny stars. If you're as ancient as I am, it's a brand new take on a sentimental ride. If you're as young as my sons… well, let's just say my 10-year old boy is super crushing on Maleficent right now.

The Magnificent Maleficent. On cinemas. Watch her! 

Papier Macheniacs: TF2 Metal Jaw

The Team Fortress 2 Metal Jaw (also seen on Heavy and Engineer) is one of our easier mask-making projects. First of all, it doesn't require the whole face. The details were simple enough. And the paint job was pretty much a free-for-all.

Our version, naturally, started with a paper plate --folded and taped with a bunch of newspapers and coins. The coins were for the rivets. Genius, huh? :P

The dents and breaks on the surface were fun to make during paper mach stage. The imperfection of this piece brings out a lot of your creativity.

And then, you just let loose on painting it. Miro decided on a post-battle Metal Jaw, hence, the rust and blood stains. The boy really went to town with realism here. Proud mom moment. *sniff*

Make your own paper mache TF2 Metal Jaw. Because… Just because.

The Amazing Spiderman 2: A new fangirl's review

SPOILER SHMOILER!

WE LOVE THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN 2!
I know that sounds pretty weird after writing a not-so-happy review about The Amazing Spiderman 1. But this time around, this all new version of the Spidey franchise floored us. Simply floored us.
The upside?

FIRST PERSON CAM
Gamer perspective! Every web-slinging feat is like riding on Spiderman's back. Sweet!

STUNTS!
Spiderman's moves are just way cooler now. The slow-fast-slow crawling, the crazy-wide leg-spread during leaps, the creativity in web manipulation, the ballerina-esque fight choreography, the jumping over speeding trucks in precise insect-like agility… *slow claps*

SCIENCE!
We're geeks. We totally dig it whenever Spiderman attempts to crack an enemy's code or enhance his web using batteries and what-nots --and then fails. Yuh.

BETTER PARKER
I'm a huge Toby fan. He was the only Peter Parker for me. When Garfield came around, I found him to be too cute and acted too cute to take his place. But then he shed that self-conscious shtick and went down to acting real. Loved how he delivered the jokes in the movie! He's actually funny now!

COOLER HARRY
Not just a pretty boy, this guy has angst. Not just avenging his dead father, he has his own inner demons. And he looks hot in a leather jacket. Good one!

THE GOBLIN DOESN'T WEAR A MASK
Instead, he wears the rotting face of a dying maniac. How. Cool. Is. That?!

GIRLFRIEND DIES
So much like the original Spidey, this lankier Spidey has issues with having a girlfriend, too. How do you solve that dilemma? Kill her off! Now that's realism for you.

COOL ENDING
That last frame where Spiderman catapulted into the air to bonk a good one right on Rhino's metal skull, and then the scene cuts to credits before impact. LOVE THAT!

Okay, okay… calm down. I'm making it sound like it's all perfect. Of course not!
Hello, downside.

ELECTRO
Sorry, I know he's the top bad guy in this story, but he just didn't do it for me. My kids liked him for the sheer electrical KZZT! AND FZZANG!, but for me, he didn't really have a focused evil plot. And you CANNOT be a villain without focus. First, he was pissed because he was being ignored. Second, he wanted to take revenge on the people who stole his plans for the grid. Third, he's just a whacked up job who couldn't deal with the fact that a) Spiderman forgot his name; b) Spiderman had more fans and more New York billboards' screen time, c) Spiderman set him up for a duel.
Dude, if you want to make it bad, find that single reason why you're mad. First lesson in Villainy 101. Look it up.

The Amazing Spiderman 2 is still webbed to cinemas. Sling yourself right over!

Papier Macheniacs: SCP-035 on a Plate

Now serving...

Our latest arts and crafts and creepy: The comedy mask donned by SCP-035 in the videogame SCP Containment Breach! *thunder, lightning, and what-not*

It's your typical theater comedy mask --which we could've easily bought somewhere online. But because we like challenging ourselves in the messiest way possible, we decided to make it by hand and glue and a paper plate. Uh-huh, the lowly paper plate is fast becoming our favorite mask-making ingredient, seriously.

Shaping is the key here. After the first layer of papier mache, we let it dry overnight while taped at the back and wedged in between two heavy objects.

When you're done with the second layer, just paint the mask death white and add lovely details like --oh I don't know-- blood trails maybe. And voila! Instead of scaring people out of their wits in a video game, now you can do it in real life! WOOHOO!
(Yeeeah... our kicks are pretty simple. Lol!)