By Wendell Gaa “Inside Out 2” which is currently the highest grossing film internationally this summer is one of those few films which, in my view, outshines its brilliant predecessor. The original “Inside Out” from 2015 was no doubt one of the most innovative movies in the history of animated cinema and it is one […]
By Cristina DC Pastor The parade weaved the crowd together, one organization after another: The nurses with the Knights of Rizal with the indigenous dancers with the provincial floats with the teachers with the pageant beauties in their flashy tiaras and so on, their magnificent colors blending into the lingering line of marchers. It was […]
By Cristina DC Pastor “Granny Prostitutes” – titled “Lola Magdalena” in the Philippines – is the story of five maturing sex workers who live together in an old ‘bahay sa tisa,’ inherited by Bela (played Liza Lorena) from her deceased paramour. The semi-retired prostitutes also include Dalena (played by Gloria Diaz), Luningning (Pia Moran), Corazon […]
This year’s New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF), from July 12–22, features more than 90 new and classic titles from China, South Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Mongolia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and beyond, with nine world premieres, 12 international premieres, and 38 North American premieres. The Philippines will be represented by the […]
By Marissa Bañez I like my screen time. I like watching movies, shows, clips, reels, etc. on TV, my computer, my phone. Escapism at its finest, except when I find myself asking, “What did that person say?” I usually rewind to see if I could hear or understand better. Unfortunately, all too often, I still […]
Renowned Filipino composer and percussionist Susie Ibarra previewed her latest work in progress—Sky Islands, a musical tribute to our rich and fragile ecosystems inspired by the distinct rainforest habitats of Luzon, Philippines. Sky Islands combines the creation of new gong metal sculptures, which create a physical floating garden series of sounds, with a musical score to float the composition […]
By Tricia Capistrano “Sus ginoo!” Jon Jon Briones exclaims in Hadestown, where he plays Hermes, the messenger god. I had heard that Briones was in the Broadway musical along with his daughter, Isa Briones, who plays Eurydice, and expected impassioned songs from the father and daughter. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the more senior […]
By Cristina DC Pastor Michael Reyes became a dance instructor through a stroke of luck. Sixteen years ago, he used to frequent a local haunt (Bistro Filipino in South Ozone Park at the time) with his friends Jun Cloma and Allan Matamis when the general manager (Will Reyes Jr.) invited him to join his dancing […]
By Allen Gaborro In 1872, in what was pre-revolutionary Philippines, an atmosphere of intrepidness, nationalism, and self-awakening descended on Filipinos as three Roman Catholic priests were unjustly put to death by the Spanish colonial authorities. The trinity of priests (Mariano Gómes, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora), were garroted—after what was widely believed to be a […]