If you’re looking for a spooktacular Halloween event to sink your fangs into, the gates of Villain Ville: The Sorcerer’s Lair at Alabang Town Center open from October 31 to November 3, 2024, to welcome children and adults alike for a fun celebration. Take your coven with you and check every Halloween activity off your bucket list: the frightfully extravagant, the delightfully funny, and the irresistibly cute!
Journey through the Eternal Forest and marvel at the bewitching displays that make the most awesome photo backgrounds. Keep your eyes peeled for shadows and scoundrels along the way.
It’s a wicked wonderland out there so make sure you pick up a potion at the Murky Mixtures area. Craft your gooey concoction and watch as it bubbles and glows to add a dash of mischief to your Halloween adventure!
Step into a world of neon magic as artists transform your look with a Glowing Face Art that illuminates in the Crystal Cavern. Whether you’re going for eerie or enchanting, this makeover will surely elevate your costume and make you stand out.
Head to the Magical Mess Hall for some coloring fun. There’s also a mirror on the wall where the fairest of them all can strike a pose.
Don’t forget to grab your Cauldron of Secrets, brimming with sweet treats, fun activity sheets, and a few more surprises.
To participate, register your kids aged 4 to 13 from October 28 to November 2, 2024, with a minimum single receipt of P2,000. Each pass grants entry to Villain Ville: The Sorcerer’s Lair for one child and one adult, including access to all activities and a loot bag. Activities will run in six time slots daily from October 31 to November 2, 2024, starting at 12:30 PM and continuing until 8:00 PM.
If you’re just looking to snap some photos, you can redeem a pass with a minimum single receipt of P500. Villain Ville: The Sorcerer’s Lair will be at the Activity Center from October 31 to November 2, 2024.
Don’t miss out on this spellbinding experience! Hop on your broomstick and fly over to Alabang Town Center this Halloween for a day full of magic and mischief.
After 25 years, the beloved Norwegian pop duo M2M is reuniting for their first-ever headlining tour, and it kicks off in Asia. MANILA will be on May 1, 2025 at the Araneta Coliseum. Tickets will go on-sale on Saturday, October 26 at 12PM via TicketNet.com.ph and TicketNet outlets nationwide. Presented by Wilbros Live.
Marit Larsen and Marion Ravn, who shot to international fame in the early 2000s, are returning to the stage to celebrate their legacy.
“It was never a question of where we’d start our tour if we ever reunited – Asia was always the first choice. Some of our best memories are from there.” says Marion Ravn.
2025 marks the 25th anniversary of M2M’s best-selling album «Shades of Purple”, and the fans of the duo have continued to listen to their music and begged for a reunion for a long time. Following their split in 2002, both Marit Larsen and Marion Ravn pursued successful solo careers, but the duo never performed together again – until now.
On September 22nd (twenty-five after nine) Marit and Marion’s followers were sent into a frenzy when M2M posted a video of themselves singing a snippet of their most-streamed hit, “The Day You Went Away“. The clip went viral, racking up millions of views within hours, as fans flooded the comments with tour requests. And now, it’s finally happening.
“The Better Endings Tour” is the beginning of a new chapter for M2M, and it brings them back to Asia. Despite spending nearly a decade together, travelling all over the world and selling over 12 million albums worldwide, M2M never embarked on their own headlining tour.
“We’re finally getting to do what we always dreamed of. “I can’t wait to get back on stage playing music with Marit again”, says Marion.
“Making “Shades of Purple” changed our lives forever, and playing these songs together again, in the same room, while rediscovering both our music and our friendship at the same time, is a particular kind of magic. It feels powerful, like a celebration, Marit says.
“Let’s give this story a better ending. The ending it deserves. We truly can’t wait to see you (again).”
Follow @WilbrosLive on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok.
From the opening scene of ‘Outside,’ writer/director Carlo Ledesma already lays the groundwork for his approach to the zombie genre. A beat-up van carrying four dirty, exhausted passengers pass through an empty highway flanked by sugarcane fields tells us everything that we need to know: the zombie apocalypse has already started, and this family is on the run. The film begins and they’ve already witnessed and experienced things. What exactly? While some of these events are spoken about much later on in the film, Ledesma expertly weaves in what the audience already knows about zombies to let our imagination do the work. It’s only from the cast’s performances that informs us how intense it all is. Sid Lucero, Beauty Gonzales, Marco Masa, and Aiden Tyler Patdu play the family and as we see them arrive at an old hacienda, we know what they’ve been through must have been hell.
And from here, this is what makes ‘Outside’ so refreshing. Ledesma knows the audience have expectations and continues to subvert it at every turn. You are expecting a zombie hoard but instead, he hits you with a complex domestic drama turned thriller all set in the backdrop of a zombie movie. Because while there are zombies, they are not the scariest thing in the film. For the pillars of this family – Sid Lucero’s Francis and Beauty Gonzales’ Iris – are not in good terms and their children, Masa’s Joshua and Patdu’s Lucas, are bearing the brunt of it.
Set in a broken-down hacienda somewhere in Negros Occidental, Ledesma uses the beautiful architecture of the house amidst the grand expanse of the sugarcane fields surrounding the mansion as a battleground for a broken family. Francis and Iris’ marriage is falling apart, and it unfortunately happens during a zombie outbreak. Tensions are high and moving back into Francis’ ancestral home reignites horrible memories of his traumatic youth with an abusive father.
The film unfolds slowly, establishing the deep hurts that have been embedded in each character, for even the children are not spared from the backlash of all of this emotional turmoil. Francis is trying to keep his family together while Iris is just looking for a place to feel safe and as the constant presence of zombies continue to complicate the already-tense situation, every emotion is amplified and pushes the characters to their limit.
‘Outside’ goes beyond the zombie genre and manages to intersect and weave in various plots – the domestic drama, psychological horror, and zombie movie – into one narrative. For those expecting a high-paced thriller, you might be disappointed (though there is one exceptional action-packed sequence at the start of the second act that is exquisitely choreographed and executed) as the film is more interested in developing and building up its characters.
Sid Lucero and Beauty Gonzales are wonderful at holding this whole film together. The film centers around the two of them and their battle of wills. Lucero handles Francis’ breakdown with all the layers that it requires so that it never feels like a caricature or some easy psychotic episode. He works on every individual dimension of his character’s burden: protecting his family, dealing with his trauma, reconciling with his wife, losing control, redefining the home he never wanted to return to. Gonzales, on the other hand, is a woman struggling against her lack of options. How does she get away from her husband with her kids when he has the key to the van, a gun, and a strong desire to keep everyone together. I was surprised by how this film was able to communicate how trapped some women must feel inside a broken marriage. While the zombies have taken multiple metaphors over the course of half a century or more since their appearance in the medium of cinema, this was the first time I saw the zombies as a metaphor for all the external forces that keep women in a failing marriage.
While I feel that the film could use a simpler plot – there are scenes that are there where I feel they only serve to offer new choices for Francis and Iris – what I love about ‘Outside’ is that it never goes out of its way to scare you. It is so confident that the dramatic situation is already tension-filled and frightening that it doesn’t go overboard in the filmmaking to scare you. No inorganic jump scares or overbearing music or crazy camera angles. It’s just clean, beautiful filmmaking that’s focused on character development that’s pushing the story forward. The fact that the film is well-acted, and the elements are fit for horror is just icing on the cake.
My Rating:
Outside is now streaming on Netflix! Click here to watch it now.
I don’t remember much from the first movie, ‘Smile,’ except its dramatic ending confrontation where the demon finally reveals itself and I thought the imagery of that was quite gruesome and original. But I don’t remember much about the story or the main character and what happened to the demon after the film. Luckily, the sequel, ‘Smile 2’ takes none of that story and just presents the demon and how it is victimizing new characters.
Unfortunately, this means that writer/director Parker Finn must establish his new protagonist and the world that she lives in and how the demon fits in all of this. Going over my review of the first film, I commented that Finn has an issue with drawing out scenes and overextending his moments and storytelling and he’s still at it. The film is a little over two hours and it gets exhausting. Finn has a good sense for creating tension with his camera but as a storyteller, he is constantly trying to scare you and after a while, we forget the story, we can’t invest in the characters, and we are just preparing for the scares.
Naomi Scott stars in Paramount Pictures Presents A Temple Hill Production A Parker Finn FIlm “SMILE 2”
In the sequel, the demon finds its way to haunt Skye Riley (Naomi Scott), a pop star who just got back from serious car accident. At the top of her game, she succumbed to the lure of drugs, and she is attempting a redemption tour, trying to stay sober while the death of her boyfriend who perished during the same car accident is still fresh in her mind. She has a new album and is preparing a tour and it’s the worst time ever for someone to be making a comeback but there is pressure from her management, who is also her mother (Rosemarie DeWitt).
Lukas Gage stars in Paramount Pictures Presents A Temple Hill Production A Parker Finn FIlm “SMILE 2”
So now Skye must rehearse, make appearances, fit for costumes, and psych herself up for her concert in just ten days while the demon begins to plant delusions in her head. What follows is a slow descent into madness for Skye and because the film never really takes the time to humanize her, it’s hard to be on her side and root for her to survive.
Naomi Scott does not have the most expressive face, and it creates a resistance to trying to connect with her. She comes off as cold and unfeeling and it may be part of the character but it’s a performance that doesn’t help us want to be on her side. When she’s performing as Skye – singing and dancing – you can see that she’s made for it, and she’s prepared. She looks amazing. But it’s a horror film. I have to root for her, and I don’t. Later on, when the hauntings escalate, she begins to really express her fear and frustrations; she really works double time to show us she’s going mad. It’s a committed portrayal but she needed a softer approach early on and that is a point against the film.
What Finn creates are some gruesome and twisted imagery, playing off Skye’s own hurts and insecurities. He brings in the pain and the trauma from the car accident for some really strong visuals that can elicit horror. He also isn’t’ afraid to get silly, with a choreographed tableau that is equal parts frightening and funny. He keeps pushing and pushing for Skye to lose her mind and hoping that we’d all have fun seeing her break and at some point, I felt that the film may have gone far away from where it is set up to be, but it manages to turn back and deliver the ending that was needed for a film like this.
In the landscape of horror, ‘Smile 2’ has some vivid imagery that may find longevity as a meme but outside of its thrills in the cinema, it might just get lost in the shuffle of all the other horror films coming out this October for the month of Halloween. It’s a fun watch with a date or your barkada but it’s not something you need to rush to see.
My Rating:
Smile 2 is now showing! Check showtimes and buy tickets here.
ABS-CBN Films and GMA Pictures are set to captivate North American audiences with their latest romantic drama, Hello, Love, Again. Following the record-breaking success of Hello, Love, Goodbye, this highly anticipated sequel, directed by Cathy Garcia-Sampana, will hit theaters across the U.S. and Canada on November 15th, thanks to distribution partner Abramorama.
This milestone event will mark the widest-ever North American release of a Filipino film, showcasing the phenomenal talents of Kathryn Bernardo and Alden Richards as they reprise their iconic roles as Joy and Ethan.
A Long-Awaited Reunion
Five years have passed since Joy (Kathryn Bernardo) made the heart-wrenching decision to leave Ethan (Alden Richards) and her life in Hong Kong behind to follow her dreams in Canada. Now, Hello, Love, Again picks up as these two characters cross paths once more in Canada, where they must navigate the changes that time, distance, and personal growth have brought into their lives.
Under the direction of Cathy Garcia-Sampana, the film delves deeper into the complexities of love, identity, and cultural pride, making this reunion more than just a romance—it’s a reflection on how love endures and evolves.
Speaking on the North American release, Kriz Gazmen, ABS-CBN Films Head, shared his excitement: “We’re thrilled to be working with Abramorama in sharing Hello, Love, Again with US and Canadian audiences and showcasing the amazing performances from Kathryn and Alden. Hello, Love, Again has a unique opportunity to connect with a wide range of audiences through its themes of cultural pride, love, and personal growth. This is the homecoming audiences deserve, and there is real excitement around how Joy and Ethan choose to end their epic story.”
Abramorama’s Enthusiasm for the Film
Abramorama, a leader in film distribution, is just as excited to introduce Hello, Love, Again to a broader audience. Evan Saxon, President and Head of International Distribution at Abramorama, expressed his enthusiasm: “Our team is ecstatic to collaborate with ABS-CBN Films and share Hello, Love, Again with audiences in North America. This is the perfect opportunity for our cinema partners to bring in multi-cultural audiences as the exhibition community continues to look for a more diverse slate of films for their consumers. We look forward to seeing the peer-to-peer marketing as fans post on socials how much they truly enjoy Hello, Love, Again.”
A Milestone in Filipino Cinema
The success of Hello, Love, Again marks the latest achievement in a series of collaborations between ABS-CBN Films’ Star Cinema and GMA Pictures. This partnership is part of a broader initiative to strengthen content creation in the Philippines and share local stories with the world.
ABS-CBN Films’ Star Cinema is known for producing Rewind, the highest-grossing Filipino movie of all time, which garnered nearly $17 million at the global box office.
With the North American release of Hello, Love, Again, Filipino cinema is set to reach new heights, offering a heartfelt narrative of love, personal growth, and cultural pride that audiences across the globe will surely embrace.
Don’t miss the chance to experience Joy and Ethan’s epic journey on the big screen! Hello, Love, Again arrives in North American theaters on November 15th.
Naoko Yamada’s latest animated gem, The Colors Within, brings to life the touching story of three young teens, each with their own unique struggles and dreams. Totsuko, Kimi, and Rui form an unexpected bond through the power of music and shared experiences in a small seaside town. This whimsical film explores the beauty of human connection, the struggles of youth, and the vibrant colors within each of us. Mark your calendars for its release in Philippine cinemas on October 23!
Meet the Dynamic Trio
Totsuko: Seeing the World Through Color Totsuko has a special gift: she sees people as colors. This ability has been with her since childhood, making the world around her a kaleidoscope of hues. Each person radiates a unique color, and it’s through these shades that she finds beauty and comfort. Her life takes a colorful turn when she meets Kimi and Rui, whose bright, personal shades add new dimensions to her world.
Kimi: The Dropout with a Secret Though Kimi attends the same private school as Totsuko, she harbors a secret. She’s actually dropped out, hiding her reality from her grandmother by working in a local bookstore. Struggling with guilt and loneliness, Kimi’s world is gray until she forms a close-knit friendship with Totsuko and Rui. Together, their music becomes an outlet for the emotions she’s kept hidden, bringing a vibrant light back into her life.
Rui: The Aspiring Musician Rui hails from across the island, visiting the town occasionally and keeping his true passion—music—hidden from his family. Pressured to continue the family tradition of running a hospital, Rui feels trapped in a life that isn’t his own. However, through his chance encounter with Totsuko and Kimi, he finds the courage to embrace his love for music and discovers the freedom to express his true self.
A Journey of Friendship, Music, and Self-Discovery
The trio’s shared journey of growth is underscored by their love for music, which becomes the binding force between them. As they form a band, their unique talents and emotions come together to create something truly magical. Through Totsuko’s colorful perspective, Kimi’s search for belonging, and Rui’s musical dreams, The Colors Within paints a poignant picture of the highs and lows of teenage life.
A Must-See on the Big Screen
The Colors Within is more than just an animated film; it’s an emotional and visual masterpiece. Directed by Naoko Yamada, known for her work on K-On! and A Silent Voice, the film beautifully captures the tender moments of youth, with stunning animation and an evocative soundtrack that will leave audiences moved and inspired. With Akari Takaishi, Sayu Suzukawa, and Taisei Kido lending their voices to the lead characters, this is a film not to be missed.
Catch The Colors Within in Philippine cinemas on October 23! Follow Encore Films PH on Facebook and @encorefilmsph on Instagram for the latest updates and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
About the The Colors Within
The Colors Within follows three students—Totsuko, Kimi, and Rui—who find solace and joy in one another despite the challenges they face. With Totsuko’s ability to see others’ emotions as colors, Kimi’s secret struggle with dropping out of school, and Rui’s desire to pursue music despite family expectations, the film is a heartfelt exploration of identity and friendship. Directed by Naoko Yamada and distributed by Warner Bros., this visually stunning film opens on October 23 in Philippine cinemas.
Director Kelly Marcel sees “Venom: The Last Dance” as many things, but above all, it’s a love story. As the final chapter in the Venom trilogy, Marcel closes off the saga with a touch of humor and introspection. “The Venom trilogy is a classic rom-com, really,” Marcel says, laughing. “Eddie Brock and Venom meet in the first film. In Venom: Let There Be Carnage, they’ve got the seven year itch and they break up. Now, as we conclude their story, they have finally learned to live with each other, they’ve finally reached symbiosis, but will they be able to stay together?”
Taking the Director’s Chair
For Marcel, “Venom: The Last Dance” is more than just the final installment—it’s her directorial debut in the series. While she’s been heavily involved in the previous two films as co-writer, executive producer (Venom), and producer (Venom: Let There Be Carnage), this time she’s the one calling the shots. She’s excited to bring her vision of Venom and Eddie’s relationship to life, especially alongside her longtime collaborator, Tom Hardy.
Hardy, who plays both Eddie and Venom, also co-wrote the screenplay with Marcel. “Tom and I have a really good language with each other,” Marcel says. “He understands my writing, and I know how to build characters for him that he enjoys playing. For The Last Dance, we spent a week in a hotel in London just bashing out the story from morning ’til morning. Tom and I agreed that this movie needs to be the biggest, most amped up Venom of them all, and we’re lucky the studio trusts us to make it in the way that we see it and feel it.”
Eddie and Venom: An Evolving Relationship
Beyond the action and chaos, what drives Venom: The Last Dance is the evolution of Eddie and Venom’s relationship. Marcel notes that Eddie, initially self-absorbed and career-driven, has undergone significant growth since the first film. “Eddie Brock is a pretty selfish guy when you first meet him in Venom,” says Marcel. “He destroys his relationship by lying to his fiancée and ending her career. He’s a journalist who enjoys his own face and fame, and Venom completely destroys all of that and strips him down to his basic self. In Venom: The Last Dance, Eddie is older and wiser, and he’s learned so much more patience and tolerance. He’s learned how to really love someone.”
By the time we reach Venom: The Last Dance, both Eddie and Venom have matured. This symbiotic bond is at the heart of the final film, pushing both characters to their limits emotionally.
Listening to the Fans
While crafting Venom: The Last Dance, Marcel and Hardy paid close attention to what fans loved about the previous films. “We’re very inspired by the comics, and we wanted to listen to the fans and see where they want this story to go next,” Marcel says. “But we knew that we were going to be concluding this trilogy, and we wanted to make it emotional. We wanted to take Venom and Eddie’s relationship to the next level.”
This blend of fan service and character depth is what Marcel hopes will resonate with audiences. As she wraps up the saga, she’s grateful for the opportunity to explore new dynamics and elevate the story to a fitting conclusion.
About Venom: The Last Dance
In Venom: The Last Dance, Tom Hardy reprises his role as Eddie Brock and Venom, two beings locked in a complex yet hilarious relationship. Hunted by both their worlds and with nowhere left to run, Eddie and Venom face their toughest challenge yet—a decision that will ultimately bring their story to a heart-stopping conclusion.
Starring Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple, Rhys Ifans, Peggy Lu, Alanna Ubach, and Stephen Graham, Venom: The Last Dance is directed by Kelly Marcel from a screenplay by Marcel herself, based on a story by Hardy and Marcel. The film is produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, Amy Pascal, Kelly Marcel, Tom Hardy, and Hutch Parker.
Don’t Miss Venom’s Last Dance
Prepare for a thrilling, emotional conclusion to the Venom saga. Venom: The Last Dance hits Philippine cinemas on October 23. Distributed by Columbia Pictures, the local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Follow the conversation using #Venom and tag @columbiapicph on social media. Tickets are available now, so grab yours early and don’t miss out! Visit your local cinema’s ticketing site to reserve your seats today.
Ready to add some excitement to your midweek plans? This week’s movie lineup features a thrilling selection of new releases, perfect for a movie night or weekend escape! Horror fans can brace themselves for Smile 2 and Azrael, while action-packed thrillers like Crosspoint and Balota offer edge-of-your-seat entertainment. Drama enthusiasts can immerse themselves in Guilty Pleasure and The Apprentice, while documentary lovers will be moved by Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story. K-pop followers can also catch Taeyong: TY Track in Cinemas. Which one will you see first? Don’t miss out—tag your movie squad, grab that extra-buttered popcorn, and enjoy the films hitting theaters near you!
Now, let’s take a sneak peek at what’s premiering this week:
2024 • R-18 • 2 hrs 7 mins HORROR, MYSTERY GET SHOWTIMES
Horror fans are in for a treat with the much-anticipated release of Smile 2. In this gripping sequel, global pop sensation Skye Riley (Naomi Scott) is gearing up for her world tour when she begins to experience terrifying and inexplicable events. As the horrors intensify, Skye is forced to confront her dark past while juggling the pressures of fame.
With intense performances from Kyle Gallner and Rosemarie DeWitt, Smile 2 offers a mix of mystery, psychological horror, and pulse-pounding suspense that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you enjoyed the first Smile, this sequel is a must-see!
2024 • R-16 • 1 hr 22 mins ACTION, HORROR, THRILLER GET SHOWTIMES
If you’re looking for a post-apocalyptic thriller with a mix of action and horror, Azrael is here to deliver. The story follows Azrael (Samara Weaving), a young woman hunted by a cult of mute zealots who plan to sacrifice her to appease an ancient evil. After escaping imprisonment, Azrael fights for her survival in a dangerous wilderness while plotting her revenge against her captors.
With breathtaking action sequences and a gritty atmosphere, Azrael combines high-stakes action with horror elements that will leave audiences gripping their seats. Samara Weaving shines in her role, delivering a performance full of raw intensity.
Set against the backdrop of a small-town election, Balota brings gripping drama with a touch of political tension. When a land-grabbing tycoon and a former actor-turned-politician face off for the mayoral seat, things take a violent turn. Emmy (Marian Rivera), a local teacher, finds herself caught in the middle and fleeing into the wilderness with the last ballot box and the only copy of the election result.
With suspense building from start to finish, Balota explores the themes of corruption, power, and the fight for truth in a system that often feels rigged. The film’s tight pacing and strong performances make it an unforgettable drama.
2024 • PG • 1 hr 40 mins ACTION, DRAMA, THRILLER GET SHOWTIMES
In Crosspoint, we meet Manuel (Carlo Aquino), an illegal Filipino entertainer living in Japan, and Shigeru (Takehiro Hira), a businessman facing bankruptcy. After learning the whereabouts of a notorious serial killer, the two men hatch a plan to capture him in exchange for a large bounty.
This action-packed thriller blends drama, tension, and unpredictable twists, taking audiences on a thrilling ride as the two unlikely allies face both danger and personal demons. Crosspoint delivers gritty action and nail-biting suspense, with stellar performances from Carlo Aquino and Takehiro Hira.
2024 • R-13 • 1 hr 59 mins DRAMA, ROMANCE GET SHOWTIMES
In the romantic drama Guilty Pleasure, we follow the intertwined lives of three ambitious lawyers, each struggling with complex personal relationships while climbing the corporate ladder. With love, betrayal, and ambition at the heart of the story, this film offers an emotional exploration of the messy realities of balancing work and personal life.
Starring Lovi Poe, JM de Guzman, and Jameson Blake, Guilty Pleasure is a thought-provoking drama that examines the sacrifices and consequences of chasing success, all while navigating the unpredictable currents of romance.
For those in the mood for something heartwarming and inspiring, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a must-watch documentary. Chronicling the life of actor Christopher Reeve, who rose to fame as Superman in the 1970s, this film delves into his career, the tragic horse-riding accident that left him paralyzed, and his subsequent advocacy for spinal cord injury research.
With interviews from Reeve’s family and close friends, this documentary captures the resilience and determination of a man who became a real-life hero after portraying one on screen. It’s an emotional journey that reminds us of the power of hope and perseverance.
2024 • PG • 1 hr 36 mins DOCUMENTARY, MUSIC GET SHOWTIMES
K-pop fans are in for a treat with Taeyong: TY Track In Cinemas, a documentary that gives an exclusive look at NCT’s TAEYONG during his first solo concert, ‘TY TRACK.’ Featuring behind-the-scenes footage, stunning performances, and heartfelt stories, this film is a cinematic experience that showcases the immense talent and creativity of one of K-pop’s most iconic artists.
From dazzling choreography to intimate backstage moments, Taeyong: TY Track In Cinemas is a must-see for fans who want to feel connected to TAEYONG’s musical journey.
2024 • R-16 • 2 hrs 2 mins DRAMA, HISTORY GET SHOWTIMES
In The Apprentice, we follow the early years of Donald Trump’s rise to power under the mentorship of Roy Cohn, a ruthless attorney who helped shape Trump into the figure he is today. Set in 1970s New York, the film offers a gripping look at ambition, power, and the darker side of success.
Sebastian Stan delivers a standout performance as the young Trump, while Jeremy Strong shines as the manipulative Cohn. The Apprentice provides an intriguing look at how power can be wielded—and the price one pays for chasing it.
FAN FAVORITES STILL SHOWING
Meanwhile, don’t forget to catch up on some of the movies that are still playing in cinemas – catch them before they’re gone! Here’s a list of fan favorites that are still showing in cinemas:
2024 • PG • 1 hr 43 mins ACTION, ADVENTURE, ANIMATION, FAMILY, SCIENCE FICTION GET SHOWTIMES
This week’s movies offer a little bit of everything—from heart-stopping action to thought-provoking dramas and inspiring real-life stories. Whether you’re in the mood for a concert experience with Taeyong: TY Track In Cinemas, a political thriller with Crosspoint, or an in-depth look at the life of a Hollywood icon with Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, there’s plenty to explore on the big screen. Which film will you be watching first? Grab your popcorn and get ready for an exciting week at the movies!
I’m a musical theater puritan, growing up and raised on Stephen Sondheim, Maury Yeston, Kander & Ebb, and Lerner and Lowe. Later on, I discovered Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. So, I’m not the kind of guy who truly enjoys a jukebox musical, much less new musicals that stray so far away from what I am used to. I didn’t like the thought of ‘Hamilton’ until I finally got to see it and it completely changed my mind. So, I find it funny that I was against coming in to watch the musical ‘Six’ because of its usage of pop music as its aesthetic and motif; but I was – once again! – made to eat my own words and when I saw the show and realised how amazing it is.
SIX UK Tour 2023 | Pamela Raith Photography
The 2017 musical by Lucy Moss and Toby Marlow reimagines the six wives of Henry VIII – Catherine of Aragon, Ann Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Ann of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr – as an all-girl pop group, who are in a concert and decide to hold a competition to decide who would be the group’s main vocalist. The winner will be determined by who suffered the most under Henry VIII.
The whole show takes on a full pop concert aesthetic. The backdrop is a dynamic LED light board that plays off on the songs. The band, called “Ladies in Waiting” are on stage with the performers and also part of the show in their own nuanced way. The bright, structured costumes are a mix of 70s Eurythmics and Devo inspired outfits with added touches of Victorian-era designs. And the five actresses come out, singing their hearts out and calling out to the audience, in our case “Hello, Manila,” as if they were straight out of a tour (which they are).
SIX UK Tour 2023 | Pamela Raith Photography
The opening song, “Ex-Wives” got me afraid, and proved my point about how pop songs aren’t fit for musical theater. The song is in the narrative mode and tries to establish the characters and the setting in a pop song and it sort of comes off clunky and verbose. Musically, it feels all over the place and it made me feel smug and petty.
In-between, the actresses are doing an amazing job at bringing these characters to life. The women are feisty, filled to the brim with personality, and are all leads in their own way. To prove they suffered the most, they each get a song – a monologue, if you will – to explain the hardships they endured, and this is when my feelings about the show shifted.
Pamela Raith Photography
Each individual song, after the opening, tells a story about the sort of oppressive world women have to live through each day. There’s sexism, unfair beauty standards, and oppression of all sorts that somehow work so well in each individual story. The songs, when focused on just one person’s story works so well and each wife has their own distinct musical style that was purposefully inspired by an existing pop star (according to some online articles).
Pamela Raith Photography
The touring cast is insanely talented, and they take each song and just knock it out of the ballpark. Billie Kerr plays Catherine of Aragon and I love how she never hid her thick Scottish accent while playing the English queen who hailed from Spain. It creates a layer of artifice that fits so well to the show and adds another layer of humor that just fits perfectly. Yna Tresvalles plays Ann Boleyn, and she is so full of charm and spunk. In my opinion, her character has the funniest lines, and she keeps it going throughout the whole show. Jane Seymour, the only woman who King Henry VIII supposedly loved, is played by Liberty Stottor, who gets to sing the emotional power ballad. Her soaring vocals creates a truly emotional moment that helps break the hilarity of the first two songs. Hannah Victoria kills it as Ann of Cleves, whose song is ready for the Top 40 supremacy. Lizzie Emery channels Britney Spears as she portrays the provocative Katherine Howard, whose song is more an acting piece than a vocal piece and Emery sells the story of sexual exploitation so convincingly that it brings you back into the story (the way Jane Seymour’s song does). Finally, Eloise Lord nails Catherine Parr and has the unenviable position to play the character that turns the show around. Her incredible vocals turn her R&B flavoured song into a showstopper.
Pamela Raith Photography
I had to mention all the six actresses because they were all phenomenal. ‘Six’ is pretty much a monologue play that is sung-through and despite it’s silly pop-concert conceit, manages to really bring to light the sort of challenges women continue to face every day. They use the stories of the six wives but told with modern touches – lingo and jargon, dating apps, and the like – to show that the way the patriarchy has objectified women hasn’t much change in 500 years.
Pamela Raith Photography
Except for the first song, which I’m not a fan of, the rest of the songs fit perfectly as both narrative exploration of character as well as rousing pop songs that will get you clapping to the beat. It’s such a fun show that I was taken completely by surprise and fell immediately in love with the musical. In fact, I don’t want to listen to the album on a streaming site because I want to remember how it sounded with this touring cast in my head. I wish I could see it again and I wish more women get to see it for its message of reclaiming your identity from the patriarchy.
My Rating:
SIX the Musical is currently running for a strictly limited engagement at The Theatre at Solaire until October 20. For more updates and exclusive peeks behind the royal curtains, keep your eyes on gmg-productions.com and follow @gmg.productions. This October, the queens of “SIX” aren’t just rewriting history—they’re making it.
There’s a magic, a spontaneity, that live theater offers that movies can never really capture. I love both, dearly, but while the power of film as a storytelling technique is how it uses the camera to capture the essence and truth about life and the human experience – the camera (and editing) being able to come close to the subject, distend time, connect images together – theater allows us to see it in front of us in real time. The narrative is unfolding right there, on the stage, and if one is so bold (and one should never) you could get up and touch it. It’s that presence, what cultural theorist Walter Benjamin would call art’s “aura,” that makes the theatrical experience like no other.
This aura is pushed beyond its limits in the masterpiece play ‘Request Program’ (or ‘Request Concert,’ depending on the translation), a 1973 play by Fran Xavier Kroetz. It’s a roughly 70+ minute play with absolutely no dialogue. Just one person coming home after what seems like a long day and we witness their evening activities before going to bed. No dialogue whatsoever except the character switching the radio on, giving us a clue to what lies underneath.
At the Samsung Performing Arts Theatre in Circuit, Makati, a revival of the play with distinctly Filipino touches has been reimagined as ‘Request sa Radyo’. The production stars both Lea Salonga and Dolly De Leon, who perform separate shows just an hour apart. It is produced by an incredible team, including theater director Bobby Garcia and stage and costume designer Clint Ramos, a 6-time Tony Award nominee and recipient of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design.
Bobby Garcia
At the Samsung Performing Arts Theatre in Circuit, Makati, a revival of the play with distinctly Filipino touches has been reimagined as ‘Request sa Radyo’. The production stars both Lea Salonga and Dolly De Leon, who perform separate shows just an hour apart. It is produced by an incredible team, including theater director Bobby Garcia and stage and costume designer Clint Ramos, a 6-time Tony Award nominee and recipient of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design.
Clint Ramos
Theater, sometimes called Drama (as in “to dramatize” a story), usually follows an event, a complication or a struggle that can be enjoyable to watch or even disturbing, with the idea of evoking thought and emotion. It’s why we go to the theater or the movies: this never ending need to consume stories and to make it what we will. What separates ‘Request sa Radyo’ apart from almost all of the theater productions you’ve seen is that it asks us to observe and experience the mundane, the ordinary.
Photo courtesy of Sandro Paredes
The character simply enters her home – in this iteration, it’s a flat in New York, the character in hospital scrubs, either a doctor or a nurse, most probably a nurse – and settles in for the night. She cooks dinner – she actually prepares rice – and microwaves leftovers from the refrigerator. She washes a stain on her blouse while listening to the radio. Once in a while, she stares out into space. She eats her dinner. She cleans up. She does some art while listening to a radio station that markets specifically to Filipinos in America, playing mostly Tagalog songs and subtly creating the play’s narrative thrust.
Photo courtesy of Sandro Paredes
In the hands of Lea Salonga, a multi-awarded theater luminary, the role takes on weight and meaning. You’re expecting her to sing at any moment, but she enters with heavy steps and not an ounce of glamour or sophistication on her. The silence is deafening and, oftentimes, as she’s waiting for the rice to cook, she stares out into space and there’s nothing there to fill up the empty space except the songs from the radio. Salonga’s character is so striking from how numb she seems to be. It felt like this was a performance for film, surprisingly, like you want to come in close to look straight into her eyes. I was seated far away, and I was fascinated by the absence of drama.
Until that unsurprising ending note, which you can feel is coming, but you aren’t quite sure why or how you know.
Photo courtesy of Sandro Paredes
‘Request sa Radyo’ is a brilliant piece of theater and that is demanding and thought-provoking. Garcia and Ramos create a space – an actual living space – where Salonga can cook and clean and be as ordinary as she can be and it builds such a strange rapport with the audience. I can’t even help it, but I found myself saying things like ‘Lea washes dishes differently than me’ or ‘I’d switch off some of the lights’ and finding myself connecting with the character in some form or another.
Despite the lack of dialogue, the role is so difficult because, despite the fact that four hundred people are watching her, Lea Salonga has to go through her character’s evening routine as if no one is watching her. It’s an acting exercise that is a true test of one’s skill and talent: to be completely un-self-conscious and to be completely ordinary and mundane for 70+ minutes.
‘Request sa Radyo’ is a meditation on loneliness and longing. The art of theater and even movies is about voyeurism, but this amplifies it and highlights it where the play asks you to really just watch someone be without any real promise for a story. There is, though, if you look hard enough; and the experience is so riveting.
My Rating:
Request sa Radyo is currently running for a strictly limited engagement at the Samsung Performing Arts Theatre in Circuit, Makati until October 20. For exclusive updates, including ticket sale releases, visit TicketWorld.
