Godzilla (2014 film)

The king...has returned! Yes, the king of monsters is back on the big screen and this time, it's nothing like what you expected from the past Godzilla movies because the 2014 version of Godzilla promises to be one roar ahead from any other monster movies, especially the ones as seen last year. Made by the same blokes that brought you last year's Pacific Rim, this movie stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston, Richard T. Jones, Juliette Binoche, and Sally Hawkins.

It starts in the year 1999, when a mining operation somewhere in, you guessed it, the Philippines uncovered a prehistoric fossil and an ancient parasite was unleashed in the site, causing havoc and in any case, destroyed a nuclear plant somewhere in Japan. 15 years later, the wrath of Godzilla is on and as the military doing everything they can to save the human population from being devoured or killed by the catastrophic monstrosity that rampaged the world.

The old Godzilla movie, made by Roland Emmerich several years ago, wasn't quite so bad but it feels somewhat lacking in the monster movie department even though this film has some touches by the same man who brought you numerous disaster flicks. It was good but rather disappointing. However, in the 2014 version, director Gareth Edwards really pulled it off very neatly because in the director's point of view, he wanted to give monster movie-goers a new experience to the king of monsters, while retracing its roots from its original Japanese counterparts where the first Godzilla film came in Japan since 1954. Hey, at least it's Godzilla's 60th birthday so it really explains a lot.

This monster movie feels like a disaster movie at the right places and as moviegoers are sitting still, they will simply tremble with fear thanks to the awesome special effects most monster movies would only dream of. If it's fear Godzilla delivers, it's definitely fear that strikes terror to the hearts of viewers to the end.

If there was a drawback, I would say it's the cast that are making it upset for the viewers and even the main character wasn't done a really good job especially the supporting cast. It seems that the fear the king of monster delivers really blown the human cast out of water and it feels more a bit dramatic but lacking in the acting department.

In conclusion, the modern Godzilla really pulled it off neatly in terms of storyline and special effects and I believe that this 2014 version really is a sure fire way to celebrate Godzilla's 60th birthday since the original Japanese film of 1954. If you watched the old one as well as the original Japanese ones, I would say that this is a must-watch for the summer season and you will never regret the fear you've experienced from Godzilla's trademark roar and his atomic breath that burns the hell out of the opposition.

My rating for this flick is a 4 out of 5 so it's a GOOD movie to watch 'till you're fainted.

"You're not you when you're hungry"

On the May 16, 2014 episode of Bubble Gang...

- IKAW AT ANG INA takes on...nonsense advices posted on status updates...

- Bubble Gags exposing secrets...

- The secret's out for his wife because...she didn't received any mail from him!

- Beki Boxing at its churva-ness!

- Several stuff that the doctor fools you are shown...

- Bubble Gang does Snickers by spoofing this commercial as SLICKERS. You're not you when you're hungry. Hungry? Grab a Slickers!

- Istambay, Istambay sa Looban, Masaya ang Pagdating ng Piyestahan, Eto na ang mga kamag-anakan, Simula na naman ang...INUMAN!!!

- More wise words from Tata Lino!

- Why saying repeated words are banned from our society?

- She's resigning because she finds her job not fit well to her tastes.

- This office worker sure knows what he's capable of...

Let's Do The News! (May 16, 2014)

The big scoop today...

- The Disney Princess that started it all comes to life as Disney announced the live-action Cinderella movie based by the classic tale. It's coming to theaters this Spring 2015.

- For the first time, there was the list of high-ranking officials (both former and current) who are involved with Pork Barrel queen Janet Lim Napoles, called the Napolist. In that NAPOLIST, there were 12 senators and 67 congressmen in the official list from the woman allegedly responsible for the Pork Barrel scam. Find out who are those...

- As tensions rise, a Chinese newspaper favored violent steps against Vietnam and Philippines over territorial disputes.

- So...as North Korea continues on their plot to end all humanity, looks like the evil empire's got their hands on their own new warships which raises doubts to sanctioning from this Communist country plotting to destroy Earth.

- BACK FROM HELL; the game that caused players destroyed their smartphones after unsuccessful leaping attempts, known as FLAPPY BIRD, is back with a vengeance and the man behind it said that when Flappy Bird returns this August, it will add a multiplayer feature. Not sure about this...but prepare your smartphone insurance!

- NEXT WEEK ON GRAN TURISMO 6: Volkswagen is preparing their Vision Gran Turismo concept which draws inspiration from the Golf GTi.

- About 104k units of the Nissan Juke crossover have been recalled over problems with the car's timing chain.

- Earlier, there was a massive oil spill in the streets of Los Angeles when a 20-inch pipeline burst and spattered over 10,000 gallons of oil on everything. So far, four people got injured and two people were hospitalized.

- Victorious alums Victoria Justice and Avan Jogia will be featured in an upcoming teen comedy movie called The Outskirts. In this film; Tori and actress Eden Sher were best friends who faced years of bullying from the school's cool kids. Shooting for this film will start this summer.

- With concerns over getting flooded during rainy days, the DPWH began road and drainage works on España Boulevard which is due to complete this July.

TTFN!!!

A 217mph E63 monster

Brabus 850 60 BiTurbo

A couple of days ago, I told that the new E63 AMG, with its S-Model that comes with a more powerful version of the M157 5.5L V8 BiTurbo engine and the 4MATIC four-wheel drive system, proved that it still makes the rounds on the track with the added power and its unquestionable grip but only just. Now, the folks from Brabus knew I was wrong because what they want for the E63 AMG is more power so what did they do to it? They add more power to the teeth to produce their new weapon, the Brabus 850 60 BiTurbo.

What Brabus did is putting too much "male enhancement" stuff on the M157 V8 BiTurbo engine so that now, it has a displacement of 5.9L and with the host of performance enhancements such as big turbos, air intake, gold heat wrapping, and performance exhausts, capable of producing 838HP of power and 848lb-ft of torque.

In E63 S-Model guise, the top speed of the 850 will do about 217mph based on customer options. As for aerodynamics, their new body kit for the E63 is capable to reduce lift at speed and they're made entirely from carbon fiber.

Report: http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1405-brabus-tunes-mercedes-benz-e63-amg-to-838-hp/

San Mig Super Coffee Mixers declared PBA 2014 Champions

After winning Game 4 with a 3-1 lead against the Talk 'N Text Tropang Texters in a best-of-5 match of the PBA 2014 Commissioner's Cup finals, the San Mig Super Coffee Mixers are now the 3-time PBA champions with such win snagged the elusive Grand Slam title.

Game 4 was definitely an intense one as in the first half, the Texters took the lead in a 52-38 score but when the halftime kicks in, the Mixers showed their true grit and in the fourth quarter, ace players Mark Barroca and James Yap throw everything they've got in their one last do-or-die match and in the end, the Mixers won the championship at the score of 100-91. It's official! The Mixers are now the PBA 2014 Champions, making it their third straight title win.

Report: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/sports/05/15/14/san-mig-coffee-wins-pba-commissioners-cup

Image: ABS CBN News

THE iDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL

Now, time now for something big because the first ever PS3-exclusive iM@S game, THE iDOLM@STER ONE FOR ALL, has finally arrived and purists believed that this is really the departure of what iM@S suppose to be since...well, you know, but there's something more about this brand new installment of the iM@S franchise and let's find out what in the world is this game and before you jump into conclusions, this is a worthy one...

Three years ago, when THE iDOLM@STER 2 made its way on the Playstation3 for the very first time, the boffins from Bandai Namco wanted to make the PS3 version more than what they got from the XBOX 360 version so what did they do? They put some stuff that the XBOX 360 didn't have such as PS3-exclusive DLC outfits, songs, and many others...with the subtraction of the one costume that the XBOX 360 version of iM@S 2 had...the Punkish Gothic. I know, I got enraged by that catastrophic decision so much, I wanted to take further provocations until justice is served.

Now, most iM@S purists will surely disappoint upon the arrival of the PS3-exclusive ONE FOR ALL game and will this PS3-exclusive iM@S game will raise the tension to its catastrophic levels so much, I would rather write a letter of complaint about when will the Punkish Gothic come so PS3 owners can salivate it?

For the first time in the franchise, iM@S OFA gives players a chance to produce all 13 765PRO idols from Haruka Amami to Chihaya Kisaragi, from Ami and Mami Futami to Hibiki Ganaha, from Iori Minase to Yayoi Takatsuki. That's right, ladies and gentlemen, the fate of 13 idols from 765 PRODUCTIONS now rests to your hands and it's up to you to change their destiny in their hopes to become the top idol.

ONE FOR ALL is now story-focused, meaning the producer, that's you or me, will risk everything to help the idol overcome their personal difficulties and blossom into artists once and for all. The road of becoming a top idol was not easy because it takes an available resource and funds needed to keep them happy and pumped up from rehearsals, auditions, and from a live studio audience desperate for the idols to sing their face off.

iM@S OFA is still more of a idol-producing simulator game like past installments and like any other iM@S game, you'll spend most of your time boosting your idols to the peak of their career and when it's show time, they're all primed and ready. The possibilities are endless and day by day, week by week, month by month, until the grand finale (in a form of an all-star live), ONE FOR ALL is definitely the iM@S game you would surely want to have.

Just like any other iM@S game in the past, this is still a button-mashing rhythm game and it takes amount of button mashing to score points and later trigger the Burst Charge for bonus points if you want to be a step ahead from the competition. But remember...because it focuses on three types; DANCE, VISUAL, and VOCAL, a healthy balance of these three is strongly recommended if you want a better score because if you mess it up, regardless of difficulty, it's all over and you've ruined their once-in-a-lifetime chance.

Costumes played an important role in the game, whether you bought it in-game or via DLC, and the great thing about ONE FOR ALL is that for the first time, you can mix and match your coordinates just the way you want. Just remember; how you dress them up for the show is all up to you.

At the end of the day; I can greatly assume that you can drop your grave misconducts about this game because ONE FOR ALL is probably one of the fine examples what Bandai Namco can do and for this PS3-exclusive game, I think the idol genre is shaking things up even though it faces a stiff competition.

LIMITED EDITION:
For the ultimate iM@S experience, there's a limited edition 765 PRO NEW PRODUCE BOX, which costs at 11,880 yen plus tax. In this special package, not only you get the game but also a host of goodies suitable for the privileged few such as the main visual box, special drama CD, 13 posters, a pamphlet, a cleaning cloth, a 2014 calendar, and a special product code. Those who pre-ordered received a special code for either iM@S CINDERELLA GIRLS or iM@S Million Live mobile games.

Mercedes-Benz C-Class W205

2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

So, the Mercedes-Benz C-Class has been regenerated for the 2015 model year and for this new-generation C-Class, the medium luxury sedan targeted for the yuppie generation wants to take a shot at its German rivals with its provocative-ish looks, state-of-the-art technology, and its performance that is a class act ahead from the competition...but how good is it, really?

Yeah, how good is it really?

In terms of its looks, the new W205 C-Class looks more of a baby S-Class judging by its headlamps and the taillights. They all look like it came from its S-Class big brother but judging from its identity crisis, it looks rather excellent indeed because it wants to be more of a matured saloon, as matured as someone who recently came out from a rehab. Also, it's now larger than the previous generation as well.

The new model is offered in three lines such as the Exclusive, Avantgarde, and a sporty AMG Line which features an AMG Sport Pack to keep it as precise as a...well, a hedge trimmer perhaps.

What about the interior?

2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class interior

Well, the interior of the new W205 C-Class is getting a bit more like today's Mercedes-Benz models since the SLS AMG judging from its circular air vents which is now becoming a trademark of the Mercedes-Benz design because they want to give it a bit more first-class as experienced from a first-class airliner. What's more catchy in the eye of a tech-savvy driver is an overload of gadgets inside. It also features a new touchpad where you can do the controls with your index finger...like what you do with your smartphone all the time. Pretty soon, all the tech will surely eat your mind if you get spoiled with it. If I'm not driving with it, I would just play around with those but when I'm driving, I need to be all eyes on the road because driving really means big business. You can't procrastinate while taking behind the wheel for some important manners.

Is it safe?

In terms of safety, the new C-Class, like any other saloons, features a wide range of safety features as well as driver-assist systems which takes good use of its radar, stereo camera and ultrasound to tell the driver what should do in various situations on the road ahead. It maybe safe but it can be sorry if you're procrastinating on the road.

Performance?

2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

At launch, the new W205 C-Class is offered with a 1.6L turbo petrol on the C180, 2.0L turbo petrol on the C200, and a 2.2L diesel engine on the C220 BlueTEC. There will be more engines added throughout this year, including a high-performance 3.0L V6 BiTurbo engine developing 333PS of power and 480Nm of torque. Of course, most models will come with either a 6-speed manual or a 7G-TRONIC PLUS gearbox.

Driving Feel?

2015 Mercedes-Benz C-Class

In normal roads, it's quite a precision well served thanks to its multi-link suspension that lets this saloon corners with ease and because it's now wearing its aluminium bodywork, the new C-Class is now more rigid and lighter than the old one but don't even try thinking that it's all work and all play because unfortunately...it's all work and no play because the new model doesn't seem to be as sporty as its rivals. Yep, like I said, it's as matured as someone who recently came out from a rehab so when it comes to obey its orders, the new C-Class is quite a loyal machine...always following the right path of the road without all the fuss. Overall, it's all of a dramatic machine that never bothers to be as sensible as any other machines.

Price?

In terms of pricing, the new C-Class is now priced at 33,558 Euros for the C180 while the C220 BlueTEC costs around 38,675 Euros. It maybe more costly than the 3-Series but the C-Class is all about being a class apart from the competition. It may have a character but it feels like it's just another day in the office.

Photo: Daimler AG