Saturday, May 7, 2022

Marvel's Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness

Last year's Spider-Man: No Way Home demonstrated to fans the devastating but awesome power of the Multiverse, which could serve as the new direction in future Marvel movies. Following the events of No Way Home, Doctor Strange tries to dig deeper into the Multiverse with the latest addition from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Marvel's Doctor Strange in
The Multiverse of Madness

With Benedict Cumberbatch reprising the role of the titular Marvel superhero, Doctor Strange in The Multiverse of Madness digs deeper into the devastating but awesome possibilities of the Multiverse, some are cool but others are sinister.

Unlike last year's Spider-Man: No Way Home, which is by no means one of the best superhero films in the MCU since Avengers Endgame, The Multiverse of Madness delivers the darkest twists and turns that will leave fans losing their sanity until the end of the film. It's easy to get lost in the movie's dark undertones and there's no way home from this madness. Pun intended.

With a quick blend of action, horror, and adventure, viewers will find The Multiverse of Madness the biggest madhouse Marvel's ever unleashed and it really feels like an inferno from start to finish. It throws moviegoers everything this movie has and the endgame is a dark and explosive Marvel movie that can rock the Spring movie season like an earthquake.

Are you ready to enter The Multiverse of Madness? If so, good luck.

My FH5 Log: Ferrari de Mayo (Part 2)

The Series 7 update in Forza Horizon 5 celebrates Ferrari taking over the entire series playlists in time for Cinco de Mayo celebrations. The next one in the Ferrari de Mayo takeover in FH5 is the Ferrari California T, a minor change version of Ferrari's open-top grand tourer, which is yours to drive after getting enough points in the Series 7 Storm Playlist.


The California T is the minor change version of the Ferrari California open-top grand tourer that was first unveiled at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. This minor change premiered at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show and the previous model's 4.3L V8 engine has been replaced by a smaller but more powerful 3.9L V8 turbo engine with Variable Boost Management that produces 560PS of power and 755Nm of torque while mated to an F1 dual-clutch gearbox. In addition, the California T features SCM3 magnetorheological damping system, F1-Trac traction control, and numerous improvements to make it more enjoyable to drive than the pre-facelifted California.


Gosh, I'm planning to compare this to its successor, the Portofino, but in the meantime, some rich kids on the block wanted to race this future classic in a sprint race. No regrets then. Roll the tape.


It may be a grand tourer but it's still a Ferrari.

Enjoy your new ride!

Friday, May 6, 2022

Driving Music Vol. 112

 


This year's Golden Week in Japan is almost over and motorists are ready to pack their bags and head back home after their GW road trip, be ready to make the trip home arousing with the latest batch of Driving Music to listen to. Enjoy!

1)  See In Myself by Jacob Steele & Sita - from the Mercedes-Benz EQA commercial

2) Promises by Calvin Harris - from the BMW iX3 commercial

3) Hummer (Surkin Remix) by Foals - from the BMW 1-Series Commercial

4) The Letter by Haley Reinhart - from the Skoda Enyaq iV commercial

5) Pedestal by Yugen Blakrok - from the Volkswagen Taigo commercial

6) Walang Kamatayan by Pedro Conception - from the Volkswagen IQ.DRIVE commercial

7) Grand Choral by Georges Delerue - from the Renault Kangoo Van commercial

8) Lady Marmalade by LaBelle - from the Renault Twingo commercial

9) Adagio, Allegro molto by Antonin Dvorak - from the DS Automobiles DS4 commercial

10) The Fall by Rhye - from the TotalEnergies commercial

Driving Music from Leopaul's Blog is the segment that solves every car enthusiast's questions about the title of the song of car commercials...with the risk of MATCHED THIRD PARTY CONTENT on their status. It's your jam. Drive to the Music You Love.

UKRAINE CONFLICT: 5/6/2022

                                             


The latest in the ongoing Ukraine conflict:

COVID-19 SITUATION: 5/6/2022

                                                   

The latest in the ongoing COVID-19 situation:

Let's Do The News! (May 6, 2022)

                                                   

Your daily round-up of today's news:

COMELEC says the decision on the appeals against the Bongbong Marcos cases may be out before the polls.

- Bongbong Marcos urged Filipinos to vote for unity and the country's future on Monday.

- Isko Moreno gets a warm welcome from 15K supporters in rainy Leyte.

- Former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani balks at the January 6 panel testimony without videotape.

- The UK's Conservative Party suffered early losses in local elections.

- A new Ebola case has been confirmed in the Northwest Democratic Republic of Congo.

- The chief of the World Health Organization stressed that access to safe abortions saves lives following a leaked draft ruling indicating the US Supreme Court considering overruling the Roe v. Wade ruling.

- Ferrari created an F8 Tributo-based SP48 Unica one-off.

- Mercedes-AMG and rapper will.i.am collaborated on a one-off car called The Flip.

- Volkswagen Group to launch small electric vehicles running on the MEB Entry platform from 2025.

- Lotus unveiled the Emira GT4 race car.


- Walkinshaw Andretti United made their switch to Ford when the Gen3 era of the Supercars Championship begins next year.

- Netflix's Formula 1: Drive to Survive documentary series was renewed for seasons 5 and 6.

- New Liella! additions have been announced in time before the Love Live! Super Star!! 2nd season premieres this July.

- Amber Heard testifies that Johnny Depp sexually assaulted her.

TTFN.

My GT7 Log: A cup of Cappuccino, you like?

In beverage terms, a cappuccino is a hot beverage consisting of espresso and foamed milk often served with powdered cinnamon and topped with whipped cream. In car terms, the Cappuccino is the name of Suzuki's kei roadster that is smaller than a Mazda Eunos Roadster and one of the ABC kei roadsters that gained popularity in the early Heisei years.


The ancient Suzuki Cappuccino returns in GT7 via Update 1.13 and fans of the franchise are delighted to see this icon back in the game so they can compare it alongside the Honda Beat, another 90s kei roadster that emerged from the early Heisei years. So, what's it all about the Suzuki Cappuccino?


Launched in November 1991, the Suzuki Cappuccino kickstarted the trend of sporty kei cars that was followed by the Mazda Autozam AZ-1 and the Honda Beat. Unlike its mid-engined rivals, the Suzuki Cappuccino is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive roadster that provides near-perfect weight distribution. It uses the same 657cc turbocharged 3-cylinder engine from the Alto Works, generating up to 63HP of power output while mated to a 5-speed manual gearbox. Production of the Cappuccino ended in 1998 with no direct successor but it remained one of the all-time greats and a real collector's item for speedo boys around the globe.


Believe it or not, the Cappuccino appeared in one episode of the Initial D Fourth Stage TV series and it was one of the most formidable cars Takumi and his AE86 Trueno ever faced until his lights-off tactic made the Cappuccino driver in confusion and barely defeated it.

For a tiny little kei roadster that emerged from the early years of the Heisei era, it's rather impressive, judging by its noteworthy credentials as a small-but-terrible sportscar that can out-corner the fat cats on racetracks like classic Minis slipping through Ford muscle cars in touring car races in the past. It's no wonder why speedo boys worldwide are taking a liking to the Suzuki Cappuccino because with such size, it's almost easy to drive.



Speaking of which, to find out just how easy-to-drive the Cappuccino is, I went to the eastern section of Suzuka Circuit to find out if the Cappuccino really is one of the best handling cars in ages. Roll the tape.


After a quick lap with the tiny little Suzuki, the Cappuccino did it in a modest 1:12.547, which is a bit of a beginner's attempt as such but by demonstrating the Cappuccino's handling capabilities, it really is a big deal.


It's a shame Suzuki never made a 21st-century take on this Heisei classic to take on the front-wheel-drive Daihatsu Copen and the Honda S660 but since the S660 is dead now and the Copen is nearing its extinction, it would be too late for Suzuki to join the party. 

Still, despite the signs of the times in the world of motoring, the Suzuki Cappuccino has shown the world that small cars can be as fun to drive like the big ones and it really is one of the all-time greats.

The Cappuccino is available only in Gran Turismo 7's Used Car dealership for a very limited time.