Avengers: Age of Ultron 2015

Warning: Possible Spoilers

This movie was well made. I don't think any other Avengers movie will top this one. Especially with Iron Man, the Hulk, and Hawkeye leaving and Captain America and Black Widow forming a new team. And Quicksilver dies even before becoming an official member of the team.

I also like the parts where they explore Black Widow's past and give us a glimpse of Hawkeye's family. These two finally are given importance despite being ordinary humans.

The only thing that gave me an issue was the need for manually triggering the floating island's "release switch" by attacking it with a gazillion Ultron droids. Terrorists detonate stuff remotely with a cellphone. Hasn't Ultron heard of wireless technology? Sure, they needed a scene showing the Avengers battling against all odds. But so far, this was the weakest point of the movie for me.

Kudos to James Spader. His voice was immediately recognizable because of his work on the Blacklist. Had some trouble recognizing Vision from Wimbledon.

To me, the reasons for Hulk and Iron Man leaving the team weren't really clear. Well, I guess Hulk doesn't want to hurt Black Widow that's why he chose to leave, while Tony Stark is just tired. Are the actors too expensive to come back for the next Avengers installment. What happens to the team when it loses its brain power? (I guess Vision will be the new geek of the team)

Hulk buster was a treat. And Thanos appears as a bonus in the credits paving the way for the next Avengers installment.

The Messengers 2015

warning: possible spoilers

Initially, you'ld think that this show was about aliens. Kinda like a cross between Roswell and Heroes. But it's more of a battle between Lucifer and individuals gifted with angelic powers. One has the power of super strength. Another can read minds. Still another has the power of healing. And they are all trying to save a woman who was shot seven years ago and is now lying in a coma. Kinda like save the cheerleader - save the world.

Hope people will be interested in what the Bible really says about Satan and the end times. Viewers should compare what is really written in the Bible - like in the book of Revelations - and contrast that with what the writers of this show are peddling. Shows like Exodus: Gods and Kings and even Noah are good if they peak people's interest in God's Word. But be reminded of the distinction. These shows are fantasy - based on actual events. God's Word is truth. So you can believe in the Bible 100%. If shows like these start making people doubt God or His Word, then it might not be very useful or profitable.

There are some Christians who believe we are near that time of Jesus Christ's second coming. Check out this article: http://www.ucg.org/doctrinal-beliefs/seven-prophecies-must-be-fulfilled-jesus-christs-return/

With the special effects available today, shows that showcase what could happen in the end-times are helpful in pointing people to repentance and leading them to Jesus. When we realize that hell - an eternity of torment - is our destination without the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives, shouldn't we stop and re-evaluate our lives? Jesus is the true savior of this world. He is the righteous Judge, coming King and ever living God.

I Believe In Dreams Guitar Chords

Here's my attempt at I Believe In Dreams by  Side A. Enjoy

Stanza Pattern
F Dm7
Bb - Am7 - Gm7 - C7sus - C7
F Dm7
Bb - Am7 - Gm7 - C7sus - C7

Transition to Chorus
DM7
Gm7 - C7sus - C7

Chorus
Bm7 E AM7
Am7 - D7 - G
Gm7 - C7 - F
G - A
Bm7 E AM7
Am7 - D7 - G
Gm7 - C7 - F
Fm7 - Bb7sus - Bb7

Repeat everything at a step lower

Stanza Pattern
Eb - Cm7
G#m - Gm7 - Fm7 - Bb7sus - Bb7

Transition to Chorus
CM7
Fm7 - Bb7sus - Bb7

Chorus
Am7 D GM7
Gm7 - C7 - F
Fm7 - Bb7 - Eb
F - G
Am7 D GM7
Gm7 - C7 - F
Fm7 - Bb7 - Eb
Ebm7 G#m7 G#m7sus G#m7

That I love you portion (fade to end)
F#7 - C#M7 (modify chords as you see fit)
F#7 - C#M7
F#7 - F#m7 - C#M7

Daredevil 2015

Possible spoilers: read at your own risk

While MARVEL has ruled superhero movies, DC has always been king of superhero TV shows with hits like Smallville, Arrow, and The Flash. (Notice how I didn't mention Gotham :p) MARVEL has tried to get into DC's turf with shows like Agents of Shield and Agent Carter, but I don't think these have made that big of an impact. But that's all about to change if they can keep Daredevil the way it has been going so far.

Daredevil is different from the aforementioned superhero shows because it has a seriousness to it. The previous shows I've mentioned all feel cartoony - you're watching a Saturday morning cartoon show. Arrow may have started a bit serious, but as team Arrow was built up, they had to integrate comedy into the show, and that's something I'm hoping to get less of with Daredevil. It's feels like a superhero show crossed with True Detective, and it should stay that way, even if it only lasts a season. I think the producers and creative people behind it are doing an excellent job, and they should not be afraid to continue on this path. Better a show for a season that people say is memorable, than a show that drags for several seasons and becomes forgetful at the end.

I had wished that Gotham was done in this tone. Or Batman, if it were turned into a TV show. But they've turned Gotham into a kiddie show now, so I'd lost hope for that show. How could DC counter? Do they have a character that's dark enough? Maybe go with the story when Superman got old and became the threat to Earth. As for Marvel, there are other dark characters that could follow in the footsteps of this Daredevil show like The Punisher. We live in dark times where justice has to take extreme measures.

This show excellently explores Daredevil's origin. From his father's influence to how he might have come up with the prototype for his weapon - and exploring uses for his heightened senses such as being a natural lie detector. And if the writers are bold enough, maybe they could go further and not go with the red devil suit. The Snake-eyes styled get-up works fine and blends better with the shadows, than a Halloween costume. (But then again - purists might complain, but I distinctively remember a time when Matt Mordoc having a change of costume that wasn't all red - and this could be an alternate reality where he could chose not to wear a silly suit - what if?).

And speaking of another TV series, MARVEL could explore the What If series with the Watchers and explore alternate timelines or universes where their trademark characters' lives are explored. Just wondering. I would love to be part of that gig.

So again, creative guys behind this new show, keep up the good work. And don't turn this into another hero team. DC's already got that formula used up and perhaps a different approach would be better for ratings.

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Thunderbirds Are Go 2015

Warning: possible spoilers

I remember watching this show back when I was young. At first, there was a puppet version - which was very creative. The new show even retains some of the elements of that old puppet version like the palm trees bending to clear the runway for Thunderbird 2. There was also an animated version later on where Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 3 could merge into a single vehicle.

The Thunderbirds are an International Rescue team. Even back then, most of the episodes focused on rescuing people from natural disasters - and less on fighting bad guys. But times have changed and audiences have grown more sophisticated. So there has to be a storyline that spans the season, not just random rescues.

This time, a man bent on world domination (isn't there always one) is wrecking havoc by creating earthquakes all over the globe. This villian turns out to be the uncle of the Thunderbird team's security officer, Cato. There are other characters in this revival that I don't really remember in the old show like the grandma, and the spy with her chauffeur. A vehicle has also been added, called Thunderbird S - just for Cato.

I've always wondered what the numbers meant for the "crates" being carried by Thunderbird 2 - the "Hercules" transport of the team. I guess the numbers stand for the other Thunderbird vehicles but the only one which makes sense to carry would be Thunderbird 4. 1 and 3 and are simply too large - scale wise. 5 is a satellite station. And 2 can't carry itself, can it? Is there an extra Thunderbird 2?

A trick used by shows back then was to reuse the scenes where pilots enter their vehicles. Believe it or not, these parts were shown every episode, just like the show title and show credits, shaving off some minutes from the show's air time. And Thunderbirds wasn't the only show doing this. Voltron, Thundersub, and pretty much most Saturday morning cartoons had some part of the show which was rehashed from old footage. Good for production, but today's audiences might feel cheated or get bored. Even the Simpsons have invested in creating different openings for their audiences for each episode. And some TV shows have cut down their opening titles to 5 seconds of air time.

Still, over-all, I think the remake of this show is quite good. And I hope that we finally have a show that focuses on good values being passed on to the new generation - less about violence and fighting, and more about helping others especially in times of calamity.

Final Fantasy Record Keeper

For people who grew up playing Final Fantasy games on their SNES, Final Fantasy Record Keeper will be a nostalgic experience. I remember when I first played Final Fantasy VI - where characters like Locke, Terra, Celes, Sabin, Edgar, Cyan, Gau, Mog, and Shadow became the topic of conversation among friends. It was this series, in my opinion, that made the FF franchise a gamer brand. And with the recent drought of FF games, perhaps Record Keeper is Square Enix's way of trying to prevent the brand from fading from gamer's minds.

Record Keeper brings back characters from FF IV, V, VI, VII, and X (so far - and although their ads show Squall from FF VIII, I've yet to encounter any characters from that game). Come to think of it, I haven't encountered a FF VI character either. The main character, Tyro, looks like Strago's granddaughter - Merle. He's  a hybrid between a warrior and a mage - which is what makes him special. Other characters are either warriors only or mage only. Aside from him, what I have right now are Cloud and Tifa of FF VII and Tidus and Wakka of FF X. Not really a fan of FF IV, and FF V characters are more of roles (Ranger, Bard, Warrior, etc). Some of these characters will become important in certain stages because of their abilities - for example, a stage in the Shinra building where I'm trying to acquire Sephiroth (yes, the FF VII bad guy) has a boss that can only be hit using range attacks. So Cloud and Tifa - the members of my party which I've been using most of the time, become useless for that stage, and I have to rely on Wakka, the Bard, and the Ranger for offense. The Priest becomes the only FF V character that is staple in my party since it is the only one with mass healing capabilities at the current level I am in. Game play is similar to FF VI - but limited in that you can only have two abilities or spells equipped during any battle. So you have to swap out abilities depending on the battle scenario - which means your party has to die and you'll have to repeat the process with the new abilities to win. From a developer standpoint - this is smart, since it ensures that players will be playing this game for a long time. (As if leveling up multiple characters wasn't enough of repeat playability).

FF Record Keeper is the only free FF game on Google Play. The intro was pretty awesome, but the lack of depth in the story line is uncharacteristic of an FF title. There isn't even a villain - or an explanation for the fading records (or paintings in this case) except maybe, that the gamers are forgetting about the FF titles due to an abundance of other great games out there.

So what will keep this game going? If you love collecting equipment and party members and leveling up characters, then those would be the reasons for you to keep on playing. But mission wise, you save all of the paintings in probably three days of continuous play. (And with most games having stamina as a way of limiting gamer play time - that really says a lot about the length of this game. I remember the 90 plus hours I invested in FF VI - now that was a really long game with all those quests). Square Enix developers should still invest in the story. I think that the stories of the characters were the reasons I wanted to collect them when I was playing FF VI.

Still, if you just want to reminisce and can't afford a PS4 for the latest FF game, then try out Record Keeper. At least you'll get to see Cid and Mog. Kupo!