Forza Horizon 3: The Jungle Belle

Although this car says "GT R", this is not what this car seems because if you look closely, the GT R in question is not the Nissan GT-R, but rather a Mercedes-AMG GT R.

Yes. This is the one I was referring to. The high-powered version of the Mercedes-AMG GT sports coupe has arrived in Forza Horizon 3 via the Logitech G Car Pack. With that, players can take the beast from the Green Hell for a spin round the Land Down Under anyway they want.

Before taking this powered-up version of the AMG GT for a drive, what's it all about the AMG GT R? With the success of the the Mercedes-AMG GT, the latest flagship sports coupe that replaces the wondrous SLS AMG, the engineers decided to push this car a little further by injecting all their motorsport experiences into this car to create the AMG GT R. 

While this is basically a road-going version of the AMG GT3 racing machine, this new version features an upgraded 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine producing 585HP of power as well as an upgraded suspension, new aerodynamics and the intelligent lightweight construction to deliver a race-honed feel on the road and on the track. 

Using the infamous Nurburgring as the benchmark to develop this car, the AMG GT R comes with an exclusive "AMG green hell magno" exterior color that reminds customers that this car was developed at the Nurburgring. It even comes with a special kind of active aerodynamics profile, which is concealed almost invisibly in the underbody in the front of the engine. When in RACE mode and going on 80kph, it automatically moves downward by about 40mm and changes the airflow considerably. With its track-honed dynamics, improved V8 engine, and its clever aerodynamics, the AMG GT R sets the standards for the AMG range and its capabilities are very impossible to ignore.

Spending an hour with this car is a clear reminder why I am tempted by the beast from the Nurburgring and the way the AMG GT R performs is like the Rumble in the Jungle. With that "green hell magno" color, the muscular tone of its V8 engine which isn't so bad for a turbocharged engine (although skeptical, I presume), and its clever aerodynamics that sticks to the road like butter, I had to say that I'm impressed with AMG's latest creation. By turning the AMG GT into a primal predator on a primeval scale, its dynamic character is unique and special in each and other way, although further concentration is very much needed because the next time you're trying to catch up with this car against other muscular machines, the only way to get them is through the corners. That's it. And if you're lucky, you'll be able to slip in like a thief in a night.

Speaking of Rumble in the Jungle, the AMG GT R's ready for its shooting schedule with me, demonstrating its Nurburgring-honed talents in the Land Down Under. However, there are script rewrites occurred for some numerous reasons...

From beast of the Green Hell into a "jungle belle", feels like someone has leapt from the tree for no reason and if anyone see this one with Aikatsu Stars' Yuzu Nikaido on the exterior paint, chances are this beast has turned into a beauty...who leapt from the tree at the school grounds. I am having such a braincrash every time an idol girl is plastered on a car of my choosing, if you know what I mean? Anyway, no time to talk about it because the AMG GT R ready to show the world how it does against other AMG owners playing as background extras. So, are you ready?

3...2...1...action!

It maybe a difficult task to follow but it's good to know that I finally understand how the AMG GT R works during a meeting with other AMG machines all over Australia and while this is insanely a German sportscar with dynamic behavior, its handling and aerodynamics will give a clear reminder that this Nurburgring-engineered machine can do more than just lap times. It's just about having fun as a sportscar made for the discerning few and I have to give Mercedes-AMG a brave thanks.

Bubble Gang - December 23, 2016 #BGChristmas

In the December 23, 2016 episode of Bubble Gang...

- Suhol gags

- A confrontation of a rogue doctor who kills anyone with laughter!

- Christmas Patok Tak-tiks are examined.

- A vendor who sells fireworks that are claimed to be "safe".

- Real-world Facebook are examined.

- The punishment for ugliness reached its verdict.

- A different kind of pain relief.

- James Wang in jail

- Basa-basa-pik!

The Grand Tour - Episode 6

The Grand Tour Episode 6

Fords are the main topic on the sixth episode of Amazon's original car show, The Grand Tour.

In this episode, following the announcement that Ford will sell the latest Mustang to right hand drive markets, including the United Kingdom, Richard Hammond was excited enough to take the first RHD Mustang on British roads. However, his joyride with the RHD Mustang was interrupted by Jeremy Clarkson and his Ford Focus RS. In here, they've undergone series of arguments until a clear winner was decided, courtesy of The American.

Meanwhile, James May celebrates five decades of Ford's Le Mans win by chronicling the events that led up to this very motorsport milestone from Ford. Then, Kimi Raikkonen was the latest casualty of the Celebrity Braincrash segment and then, some car-related Christmas merchandises are featured.

What to see at the 2016 MMFF?

2016 Metro Manila Film Festival entries

Sunday, December 25, 2016, is officially Christmas Day, but it's also the start of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival where the best Filipino movies are shown only in theaters up until the 7th of January, 2017. For this year, all of the eight films selected by the movie have almost no gimmicks, no show-offs, and best of all, no non-sense because out of the eight films, there are some films that generated quite a buzz in the global stage.

So, what to see at this year's Metro Manila Film Festival?

• Ang Babae sa Septic Tank 2: #ForeverIsNotEnough - The sequel to the 2011 indie film shown at the Cinemalaya stars comedienne Eugene Domingo, Kean Cipriano, and Jericho Rosales. This sequel is a satirical take on the mainstream film industry so you can expect lots and lots of references.
• Die Beautiful - Winner of the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival, this film stars Eat Bulaga presenter Paolo Ballesteros as a transgender who dies in a beauty pageant and her final wish is to "die beautiful" and become a celebrity for every evening of her wake.
• Kabisera - Starring the legendary Nora Aunor, Ricky Davao, and Jason Abalos, this film is based on real events that happens in Batangas, revolving a close-knit family that copes up with violent crimes and extrajudicial killings, sociopolitical issues that the country is facing right now.
• Oro - This suspenseful film stars Irma Adlawan, Joem Bascon, and Mercedes Cabral and its about a people in a small mining community that encounters trouble when an armed group claiming to be environmentalists made them miserable and ruled with an iron fist.
• Saving Sally - This film took 12 years to finish it and now it's finally ready to be shown at the Metro Manila Film Festival. Starring Enzo Marcos and Rhian Ramos, this live-action/cartoon hybrid film is packed with love, monsters, and gadgets, in the eyes of a comic book artists falling in love with his best friend Sally.
• Seklusyon - Set in the 1940s, this film directed by Erik Matti is about a ritual of seclusion where new priests in training confine themselves in a retreat and left to confront their inner demons and the arrival of a nun and a child.
• Sunday Beauty Queen - This is the only documentary flick in this year's festival that premiered at this year's Busan International Film Festival. It highlights on the life and times of Filipina OFWs working by any day, became beauty queens by Sundays.
• Vince & Kath & James - Joshua Garcia, Julia Barretto, and Ronnie Alonte played their titular roles in this teen flick based on an online "textserye" series that went viral.

The 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival will begin on Christmas Day 2016 up until the 7th of January, 2017. Who will be the best among the rest?

Let's Do The News! (December 23, 2016)

- Tropical depression Nock-Ten intensified into a typhoon early yesterday, and was forecast to enter the Philippine area of responsibility as Tropical Storm Nina late last night or early today. As of 4PM yesterday, PAGASA spotted the storm at about 1,320km east of northern Mindanao, moving west-northwest at a speed of 23kph.

- President Rodrigo Duterte wants to amend the provisions in the 1987 Constitution that check a president's power to declare and implement martial law. The chief executive noted that he cannot proceed on declaring martial law in case of war or invasion as such authority is subject to review by Congress and Supreme Court.

- Manila city mayor Joseph Estrada is currently in a hospital for pneumonia, according to his son Senator JV Ejercito during a radio interview. Ejercito said that Estrada was brought to the hospital two nights ago, adding that the 79-year-old former president was pale and had a hard time breathing when he was brought in.

- The House Intelligence Committee study only raises suspicion of links between former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and Russian spies. The panel said in its newly declassified report that Snowden "has had, and continues to have, contract with Russian intelligence services."

- A top Democrat of the House Intelligence Committee's CIA oversight panel warned that President-elect Donald Trump's disparagement of American intelligence agencies is going to prompt even more leaks on sensitive subjects like Russia's alleged hacking of the US electoral process.

- Audi is set to unveil a Q8 concept SUV at next month's NAIAS in Detroit, Michigan. It will serve as a preview of Audi's flagship full-size SUV that slots above the Q7.

- Bandai Namco's Tekken Revolution free-to-play game for the Playstation3 wil end its services this March 2017.

- The first theatrical trailer for the upcoming Biohazard Vendetta 3D animated film is here and this is where the movie's storyline is told regarding Leon and Chris race against time to fight against the terrorist unleashing an attack on New York City.

TTFN!!!

Assassin's Creed (2016 film)

Assassin's Creed (2016 film)

Since its launch in 2007, the Assassin's Creed franchise rewrites the pages of history from the Holy Land to the Industrial Revolution with the legendary war between Assassins and Templars that have changed history forever. Now, for some unknown reasons, a movie adaptation of the hit video game franchise has arrived and this one is pretty much different to the Assassin's Creed we are familiar with.

Starring Michael Fassbender, and Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard, this Assassin's Creed film centers on the tale of Callum Lynch, who was imprisoned inside the mysterious facility in the present day and thanks to the Animus-a device that allows users to explore genetic memories buried within their DNA, Callum's bloodline traces back to his ancestor named Aguilar, an Assassin in 15th Century Spain. By taking advantage of his newly found bloodline as well as his intelligence and combat skills as an Assassin, Callum must stop at nothing to rewrite history to suppress against the Templar forces of today.

This film is vaguely original compared to the video games it based upon and while it promises fans the same exhilarating feel that fans get from the games, it's kinda hard to imagine why, by surprise, this movie adaptation made like a thief in a night. In fact, it's very as shadowy as what an Assassin should be. Sadly, you don't get the gore and some violent stuff that the games delivered. In fact, it's just tad regular for a movie version of a hit video game franchise. While this is a good movie to watch for the holidays, its lack of strong violence is what doesn't really pleases about this Assassin's Creed movie and because it's vaguely original, there are some questions that need to be answered why.

My rating: 2.7 out of 5.

Let's Do The News! (December 22, 2016)

- President Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law the 3.35 trillion peso budget for fiscal year 2017 as he vowed to ensure that state funds would benefit the poor and vulnerable sectors. In his speech, Duterte said the 2017 national budget is the "embodiment of Filipinos' clamor for change." He said the first ever budget of his administration would be "pro-people, pro-investment, pro-growth, and pro-development."

- Former police Chief Superintendent Wally Sombero returned the two million pesos, which is part of the alleged fifty million peso bribe money from Chinese casino mogul Jack Lam to the Ombudsman. Sobero also filed before the Ombudsman a supplemental complaint affidavit to his case against Immigration Deputy Commissioners Al Argosino and Michael Robles.

- US President-elect Donald Trump has met heads of aircraft makers as he seeks to cut costs of a next generation stealth fighter and a new presidential aircraft. He met up with the CEO of Lockheed Martin about the F-35 program and with the CEO of Boeing, the maker of Air Force One.

- A cargo plane has crashed in eastern Colombia, killing five crew members. The country's aviation authorities say the domestic airplane went down in Puerto Carreno near the Venezuela border on Tuesday. The plane had been heading to an airport in Bogota, carrying six crew members onboard. One of them is injured but rescued.

- German police are searching for a 24-year-old Tunisian male suspect of involvement in the Berlin truck attack on Monday. German investigative authorities on Wednesday released a mug shot of Anis Amri. They say the found an ID document bearing his name inside the truck. The are offering a reward of up to 100,000 euros for information leading to his arrest.

- Nissan and Mitsubishi are joining forces to launch their new SUV on the year 2019.

- See professional driver Tanner Foust driving different kinds of cars in an ode to Quantum Leap.

- There's now a Miki Hoshii figma unveiled and ready to take pre-orders starting at 5,833 Yen plus tax. This figma dons the Million Dreams outfit as seen in not just on the PS3 version of THE IDOLM@STER 2 but also as the cover outfit of The IDOLM@STER Million Live mobile game. Anyway, this figma's ready for pre-order, deliveries will start this June.

figma Miki Hoshii

- Or in the Lovelive side, the third Nendoroid based on the Aqours heroes from Love Live! Sunshine!!, Riko Sakurauchi, has unveiled. Finished in the Aozora Jumping Heart costume, it's available to order starting at 3,241 Yen plus tax and deliveries will commence this June. More to come soon for the Aqours heroes!

Nendoroid Riko Sakurauchi

TTFN!!!