Pinoy dads are known to be really good at MATH—as in, merienda, almusal, tanghalian, and hapunan! To celebrate tatay’s love for good food, drink, and more, foodpanda is offering a wide range of deals that will fit your dad’s unique personality. Treat your dad to the celebration he deserves this Father’s Day!
For the “cash na lang” dad
Sometimes our lives get too busy that finding the perfect gift for your dad becomes difficult, so we ask him directly. However, Pinoy dads often say he doesn’t want anything—or at best, he’d want some cash to put into his latest hobby or to beef up his hidden-from-nanay savings fund!
If your papa is like this, foodpanda has the best deal for you. Simply use the code BESTDAD with your food delivery, pick-up, pandamart, and foodpanda shops (min. spend P1499) from June 15 to 17 to enjoy P500 cashback! Again, another two-for-one gift that your makunat dad will definitely love. Just make sure you give dad that P500 you get back in a nice envelope when your mom’s not looking.
For the tagay tatay
Dads deserve to let their hair down every once in a while, with a cold glass of their favorite liquor in hand and enjoying the company of their family and friends. And when he’s slightly buzzed, it’s time to plug in the microphone for his soulful rendition of his favorite song!
To make Father’s Day extra festive, foodpanda has you covered in the libation department. pandamart is having an alcohol sale from June 12 to 16, with up to 50% off on drinks such as Johnny Walker, San Miguel, Heineken, and more. This means that you get more bang for your buck—and your tatay and titos will definitely be impressed with your contribution to the tagay stash.
For the Boy Scout dad
Pinoy dads take their responsibility to protect and provide for their families seriously. This means a lot of thought goes into making sure that he’s prepared for almost every scenario—whether it be bad weather or a bad case of the midnight munchies. You can easily add to your dad’s “just in case” pantry essentials with our Father’s Day deals.
Simply pick out all the items you think dad would need or want and get up to 50% off on groceries and more from pandamart, Robinsons Supermarket, Puregold, Shell Select, and Watsons, among others from June 15 to 17.
For the diskarte dad
Nothing beats a Pinoy dad’s diskarte—he’s creative and clever in raising his family. We’ve laughed at and shared his diskarte on social media, like fixing household items and appliances. Now, let’s step up and make him proud with our own diskarte, using additional vouchers from foodpanda’s bank partners.
Use your UnionBank Credit Card for your food delivery and pick-up orders (min. P650 spend) and get P200 off from June 14 to 16 with code UBMOREDAD. GCash users can use code PANDADDY to get a variety of deals with their foodpanda purchases from June 14 to 20.
Order now at foodpanda using the app or atwww.foodpanda.ph to celebrate dad, papa, and tatay this Father’s Day!
Looking for the perfect way to spend your Independence Day? This week’s movie releases have something for everyone! Whether you’re into animated comedies, thrilling mysteries, or heartwarming dramas, these five new films are sure to captivate. From the emotional journey in “Inside Out 2” to the interconnected stories of “Fruitcake,” the romantic action in “Love You as the World Ends,” the suspenseful twists in “Playtime,” the whimsical adventure in “Skye Hoshi: Anime Girl,” and more, there’s a film for every taste. Don’t forget, some fan favorites are still playing in theaters – catch them before they’re gone! So grab your besties, some popcorn (extra butter, please!), and see the movies hitting theaters near you!
Now, let’s take a sneak peek at what’s premiering this week:
2024 • PG • 1 hr 36 mins ADVENTURE, ANIMATION, COMEDY, DRAMA, FAMILY BUY TICKETS
Get ready to revisit the quirky world inside Riley’s head in Inside Out 2! This highly-anticipated sequel picks up with our favorite personified emotions – Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust – as Riley embarks on the emotional rollercoaster of adolescence. But things are under construction in headquarters! A sudden demolition makes way for something entirely unexpected: new Emotions!
Anxiety joins the crew, and it seems she’s not alone. This influx of new characters throws the established emotional order into disarray, leaving Joy, Sadness, and the gang unsure how to navigate this uncharted territory. Will they be able to adapt and guide Riley through the emotional turmoil of teenage years? This heartwarming and hilarious adventure is perfect for the whole family, reminding us of the importance of embracing all our emotions, new and old.
2024 • R-16 • 1 hr 37 mins COMEDY, DRAMA, MUSIC BUY TICKETS
Craving a movie that captures the essence of life, with all its quirks and complexities? Set in the vibrant heart of Metro Manila, this heartwarming comedy follows the interconnected stories of a diverse groups. As their paths converge on a fateful train ride, we witness a tapestry of life’s highs and lows,woven together with humor and compassion.
From the rising star struggling to make it big to the seasoned musician facing the twilight of his career, Fruitcake explores universal themes of love, loss, and the enduring strength of the human spirit. Featuring a stellar cast including Joshua Garcia, Empoy Marquez, and Jane Ions, this delightful film promises to leave you laughing, crying, and feeling all the warm fuzzies.
If you’re in the mood for something a little more thrilling, then Love You as the World Ends might be your pick. This action-packed horror film follows Hibiki Mimiya, a man haunted by the loss of his beloved Kurumi. Determined to find their daughter Mirai, who has been kidnapped and taken to a supposed haven called Utopia, Hibiki joins forces with a group of survivors on a desperate mission.
But Utopia may not be the paradise it seems. As they navigate a world overrun by terrifying creatures called Golems, Hibiki and his companions must confront not only the monstrous threats outside but also the darkness that lurks within.Starring Ryoma Takeuchi, Fumiya Takahashi, and Mayu Hotta, Love You as the World Ends promises a thrilling blend of romance, action, and horror that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Calling all thrill-seekers! Playtime weaves a suspenseful tale of three women whose lives become unexpectedly intertwined. Influencer Allyson, bride-to-be Roni, and newly single Patricia seem to have nothing in common. But when they all place their trust in the wrong man, they find themselves thrust into a terrifying situation where their very lives hang in the balance.
Forced to rely on each other for survival, these women must overcome their differences and tap into their inner strength. Playtime, starring Xanya Lopez, Coleen Garcia-Crawford, Faye Lorenzo, and Xian Lim will keep you guessing until the very end ,offering a heart-pounding exploration of trust, betrayal, and the power of female solidarity.
Calling all anime fans! Get ready for a fantastical adventure in Skye Hoshi: Anime Girl. When a slacker comic store employee named Atom encounters the impossible, his life takes a wild turn. The anime character Skye Hoshi mysteriously leaps out of her poster and into the real world! Now, it’s up to Atom to help Skye return home before her anime series is destroyed.
This delightful film, featuring Olivia Roldan, Hunter Kohl, and Chris Richards, blends fantasy with humor, creating a fun and imaginative experience for anime enthusiasts and casual viewers alike.
FAN FAVORITES STILL SHOWING
Meanwhile, don’t forget to catch up on some of the movies that are still captivating audiences in theaters. Here’s a list of fan favorites that are still showing in cinemas:
2024 • PG • 2 hrs 24 mins ACTION, ADVENTURE, SCIENCE FICTION GET SHOWTIMES
Get ready to elevate your movie-watching experience! With a diverse lineup of genres hitting theaters this week, there’s definitely a film (or two!) that will pique your interest. Whether you’re in the mood for adrenaline-pumping action, gripping suspense, or heartwarming romance, the selection of new releases and fan favorites currently showing promises something for every movie buff. So don’t miss out—grab your popcorn, round up your crew, and head to your nearest cinema to catch these must-watch films in action!
Feel the creeping horror of the unknown with the extended clip from the film, now available for viewing. Don’t miss out—get your tickets at www.thewatchers.com.ph.
From the mind of M. Night Shyamalan comes “The Watchers,” a horror-thriller that plunges you into a world where unseen entities observe your every move. Written and directed by Ishana Night Shyamalan, this film is based on the novel by A.M. Shine and follows the harrowing journey of Mina, a 28-year-old artist stranded in an untouched forest in western Ireland. Seeking shelter, Mina finds herself trapped with three strangers, stalked by mysterious creatures that watch them every night.
You can’t see them, but they see everything.
“The Watchers” stars Dakota Fanning (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” “Ocean’s Eight”), Georgina Campbell (“Barbarian,” “Suspicion”), Oliver Finnegan (“Creeped Out,” “Outlander”) and Olwen Fouéré (“The Northman,” “The Tourist”). The film is produced by M. Night Shyamalan, Ashwin Rajan and Nimitt Mankad. The executive producers are Jo Homewood and Stephen Dembitzer.
Joining writer/director Shyamalan behind-the-camera are director of photography Eli Arenson (“Lamb,” “Hospitality”), production designer Ferdia Murphy (“Lola,” “Finding You”), editor Job ter Burg (“Benedetta,” “Elle”) and costume design by Frank Gallacher (“Sebastian,” “Aftersun”). The music is by Abel Korzeniowski (“Till,” “The Nun”).
Distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, “The Watchers” is now terrifying audiences in cinemas nationwide.
Join the Conversation Online!
Use the hashtags #TheWatchers and #AreYouWatching to share your experience and join the online community of horror enthusiasts.
Photo & Video Credit: “2024 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.”
Bo’s Coffee, the country’s largest homegrown coffee chain, celebrates Philippine Independence Month with this cheery greeting, encouraging us to wake up to the smell of freshly brewed Philippine Coffee. Founded in June 1996 and now on its 28th year, Bo’s Coffee serves world-class Philippine Coffee Origins single origin beans sourced all over the country, from Atok in Benguet to Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato, staying true to their mission of putting the spotlight on Philippine Coffee.
“We source our coffee beans around the country and work with social enterprise partners. We champion Philippine Coffee of world-class quality, highlighted and served in our locations both locally and globally,” says Rachel Fallarme, Bo’s Coffee’s Senior VP and Chief Operating Officer.
Supporting Local Coffee Communities
Since opening in Cebu City 28 years ago, Bo’s Coffee has supported local coffee farming communities by funding the construction of coffee mills, making the production process more efficient and improving harvest yield.
In September 2023, Bo’s Coffee partnered with The Dream Coffee in establishing a coffee mill in T’Boli, South Cotabato. Operational within just two months by November 2023, the mill, located in Barangay T’Bolok, T’Boli, South Cotabato, has become a pivotal hub for processing coffee from T’Boli, Lake Sebu, and surrounding provinces like Sultan Kudarat.
The Dream Coffee x Bo’s Coffee Mill includes essential components such as a drying house, outdoor drying beds, a processing area, storage facilities, and utility rooms. The coffee mill has led to a 275% surge in production, provided employment for 12 individuals during construction, 28 seasonal coffee processors, and 2 permanent mill workers. For the 2023/2024 harvest season, Dream Coffee collaborated with 50 farmers from 5 communities in T’Boli and 1 in Lake Sebu.
“What I appreciate the most about working with Bo’s Coffee is that they really walk their talk. They don’t just partner with community-focused enterprises to generate surface-level talking points. I’ve seen firsthand that they make these investments, because they want to contribute to felt impact in the lives of Filipino coffee producers,” says Larissa Joson, The Dream Coffee founder.
“We take immense pride in promoting Philippine specialty coffee and remain committed to fostering further development through partnerships with similar projects like the Kalsada x Bo’s Coffee Mill in Sitio Kisbong, Benguet. We look forward to serving the new harvest in our nationwide locations, soon,” Fallarme explains.
“In 2019, Bo’s Coffee and Kalsada agreed to invest in a community processing mill in Sitio Kisbong, Atok, Benguet. The goal was to create a hub where farmers can bring their harvest within their own community, receive payment right away with a fair price, and learn proper processing techniques. Back in 2019, the project increased the average farmers’ income by as much as 48% compared to the old practice of selling to middlemen and traders,” says Tere Domine, co-founder and Country Manager of Kalsada Coffee.
A Celebration of Local Flavors
As part of their Philippine Independence Month celebration, Bo’s Coffee held a Coffee Appreciation event with select members of the media and key online influencers in Cebu where it was founded, focusing on Philippine Coffee Origins through a coffee appreciation and brewing session with its coffee master, Jason Carl Vasquez. “We featured specialty coffee from our social enterprise partners, Kalsada and The Dream Coffee, with Tere Domine and Larissa Joson sampling their coffee beans,” says Laine Vallar, Bo’s Coffee’s Assistant VP and Director of Marketing.
Nationwide, the heritage coffee brand will launch its “Magandang Umaga, Pilipinas” Independence Month campaign, offering limited-time beverages for its anniversary month. Their Frozen Bliss series is a collaboration with another well-loved Filipino brand, Lily’s Peanut Butter. “Our limited-time offer beverages are Iced Peanut Butter Foam Latte and Peanut Butter Mocha Froccino. These beverages combine our bestselling mocha variant with the smooth creaminess of Lily’s Peanut Butter, evoking nostalgic childhood afternoons of peanut butter sandwich snacks with friends and family,” says Vallar.
Bo’s Coffee also has their much-awaited annual Anniversary Caffeine Rush promotion, featuring P100 Medium Froccinos every Friday from 3 to 6 pm, from June 21 to July 19 on selected Froccinos except Mocha and their seasonal Froccinos.
For more information on Bo’s Coffee products, visit www.boscoffee.com and Bo’s Coffee on Facebook, Instagram, and Tiktok.
I love the Indigo Girls. As a kid of 80s and 90s, I grew up to their music and while ‘The Power of Two’ would be their most famous song in the Philippines, it wasn’t my favourite. I found the song so sweet and sentimental in comparison to Emily Saliers other songs, which are more melodically clever and more profound or any of Amy Ray’s more passionate songs. A jukebox musical of their songs sounds like a complete joy (even if I hate jukebox musicals, on principle), added to the fact that the story features a gay love story makes it even more appealing. I was very intrigued by director Tom Gustafson’s ‘Glitter and Doom.’
What I was not expecting was a post-modern musical that plays out more like a queer fantasy than a traditional, conventional movie. My pretentious classic movie leanings made me resist the movie at the start. Every scene feels like a set – the way Gustafson and director of photography Cristian Solano uses the backdrop of Mexico City to make everything feel so magical and dreamy – and even the character designs of his two protagonists feel completely fictional and unreal. Their names, after all, are Glitter and Doom. Glitter (played by an extremely charming Alex Diaz) is a rich kid, flirtatious, and, of all things, wants to go to Paris to clown school. While filming an audition in the streets of their unnamed city, he meets Doom (Alan Cammish). Doom is a budding singer and songwriter, who is trying to audition to play a regular gig at a bar called The Fountain. They bump into each other and there’s an instant attraction. But while the bubbly, optimistic Glitter comes off too strong, Doom quickly builds his walls as a dark cloud seems to be floating over his head.
I was resisting the film at the beginning. ‘Glitter and Doom’ is unapologetically a musical and takes a more atmospheric and thematic approach to storytelling rather than centering the movie with its plot. The love story of Glitter and Doom doesn’t take the normal story beats to develop. They see each other, Glitter hits on Doom, Doom backs away, they sing a song – a mashup of ‘Shed Your Skin’ and ‘Touch Me Fall’ by Indigo Girls – and all of a sudden a understanding is formed. The film, written by Cory Krueckeberg, prefers to make impressions than to hunker down and tell a cohesive story.
Adding to the fantasy, Glitter’s mom (Ming Na Wen) is a high-powered executive, who wants the same for her son. But she used to be a circus performer (which is where Glitter probably gets the fascination to be a clown) and her home is constantly on party mode with hoop dancers and jugglers and members of the queer community. She’s open about her son’s sexuality (such a breath of fresh air) but she seems less enthusiastic about her son wanting to be a clown (understandable). While Doom is constantly surrounded by drag queens and queer people in full regalia. These supporting will suddenly appear when any of the cast members burst out into song (which is often).
It wasn’t until a good 20 minutes when I finally realised the film was taking a post-modern approach to cinema. The film’s structure and style were in conjunction to the non-traditional world of its characters. The moment I accepted the film for what it is rather than what I wanted it to be, I began to see the moments of beauty this film had to offer.
First of all, the new arrangements and mashups of the Indigo Girls songs used in the film is wonderful. It helps that Cammish and Diaz are excellent singers. They are not just singing, but acting through it so it really adds a depth to the songs. Secondly, Cammish is wonderful at portraying the tortured artist, afraid of not realising his dreams of becoming a singer and falling in love. As the songwriter, he gets to do a lot of the singing and he does it perfectly. But the real star here is Diaz, whose Glitter is so free spirited and spritely but there’s a fear that is hidden underneath that Diaz manages to portray in very subtle ways. Glitter is constantly taking videos and often, Diaz has to look straight into the camera and perform a monologue and he manages to do so with all the emotions both external and internal in full view. It requires a nuanced measure of fragility and verve that he articulates with his whole body. It’s a revelatory performance that’s quite difficult to do in a film that is so tonally whimsical.
And while the story flits from its neurotic romance between Glitter and Doom, it’s also about realising your dreams and facing your demons (in this case, it’s also related to both protagonists’ mothers). By not focusing on narrative beats but instead painting impressions of moods and emotionally charged moments, amplified by the gorgeous music of the Indigo Girls, the film manages to creep in and twist on your heartstrings. I was absolutely gob smacked, while watching this movie and falling in love with it, that at some point when Cammish starts singing a new version of the classic Indigo Girls hit ‘Closer to Fine’ (with a interpolation of ‘Everything in Its Own Time’) I just started crying.
There’s a beautiful way by which this film imagines a world where the biggest problems a queer person would have been whether their dreams can come true and if their own fears and demons won’t get in the way of making a sure play at love. It’s a beautifully shot fantasy world that’s tender and sensitive and, sure, it’s easy and it never sweats the hard stuff. But in the landscape of queer cinema, it’s wonderful for a film to just be so unapologetically celebratory of queer lives. As the film leans into its formalist aesthetics, it revels in its fictional tone and just allows the characters to navigate through the darkness of their lives to try and reach that which makes them happy. And for that, on Pride month of all times, is just what is needed.
Get ready for a night of laughter as Atsuko Okatsuka brings her International Full Grown Tour to Manila! The stand-up comedy show is set to take place at Samsung Hall, SM Aura, BGC on July 13, 2024.
Atsuko Okatsuka, known for her fearless and boundary-pushing comedy, is ready to delight Manila audiences with her sharp wit, charisma, and infectious energy. From Los Angeles to Manila, Atsuko’s unique brand of humor guarantees an unforgettable evening of entertainment.
In her International Full Grown Tour, spanning across Asia with legs in Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and now Manila, promises a night of laughter and fun that audiences won’t want to miss.
Due to popular demand and the success of her sold-out first show, we have added a new show on the same day at 6 PM. This additional show will allow more fans to experience Atsuko’s dynamic stand-up comedy performance live.
The Samsung Hall at SM Aura, BGC, offers the perfect setting for Atsuko’s comedy spectacle. With its convenient and central location, Samsung Hall provides the ultimate venue for comedy enthusiasts in Manila.
Tickets for Atsuko Okatsuka’s International Full Grown Tour in Manila at 8 PM are sold out, while tickets for the 6:00 PM show are now available for purchase online at www.InsigniaPresents.com or at any SM Tickets branches nationwide.
For more information and ticket inquiries, please contact Emma at emma@insigniapresents.com.
A bigger, brighter, and bolder second season of the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ National Theatre Live (CCP NTL) is set to delight its devoted Filipino audiences with a new lineup of world-class stage plays filmed live from Britain’s most exciting stages.
After a successful first season boasting waves of support from theater enthusiasts, playwrights, artists, and the broader public, the CCP National Theatre Live forges on to provide yet another exceptional ‘live’ performance experience with the best of what British theatre has to offer in more cinemas near you.
Through the partnership of the CCP with National Theatre Live and Ayala Malls, the second season of CCP NTL will premiere at Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati, Vertis North in Quezon City, and at the Ayala Center in Cebu from June 25, 2024 to May 27, 2025.
Award-winning plays Vanya, Dear England, The Motive and Cue, and Nye will grace the big screens in the Philippines.
Crowd favorites Fleabag, King Lear, Frankenstein, and Hamlet from the past season will make their comeback.
Hopes, dreams, and regrets are thrust into sharp focus in Vanya, a one-man adaptation premiering on June 25 at the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati. Exploring the complexities of human emotion, Andrew Scott brings multiple characters to life in Chekhov’s Uncle masterpiece, filmed live in West End, London.
Returning on June 25 at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu is Fleabag, a rip-roaring look at some sort of woman living her sort of life. Written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge and directed by Vicky Jones, Fleabag may seem oversexed, emotionally unfiltered and self-obsessed, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. With family and friendships under strain and a guinea pig café struggling to keep afloat, Fleabag suddenly finds herself with nothing to lose. The hilarious, award-winning play that inspired the BBC’s hit TV series with the same title was filmed live on stage in London’s West End in 2019.
On July 30, James Graham’s Dear England arrives at the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati. With the worst track record for penalties in the world, Gareth Southgate knows he needs to open his mind and face up to the years of hurt, to take the team and country back to the promised land.
The contemporary retelling of Shakespeare’s tender, violent, moving and shocking play King Lear will be re-screened on July 30 at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu. Considered by many to be the greatest tragedy ever written, King Lear sees two aging fathers – one a King and another, his courtier – reject the children who truly love them. Their blindness unleashes a tornado of pitiless ambition and treachery, as family and state are plunged into a violent power struggle with bitter ends. The play is directed by Jonathan Munby and stars Sir Ian McKellen.
In Jack Thorne’s The Motive and Cue, audiences are offered a glimpse into the politics of a rehearsal room and the relationship between art and celebrity. Coming to Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati on August 27, Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, will play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theater collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.
Theater lovers and moviegoers at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu will have the chance to see Vanya on August 27.
Directed by Academy Award-winner Danny Boyle, with adaptation by Nick Dear, Frankenstein will return to the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati on September 24. The thrilling, deeply disturbing Mary Shelley classic combines scientific responsibility, parental neglect, cognitive development and the nature of good and evil. Child-like in his innocence but grotesque in form, Frankenstein’s bewildered creature is cast out into a hostile universe by his horror-struck maker. Meeting with cruelty wherever he goes, the increasingly desperate and vengeful Creature determines to track down his creator and strike a terrifying deal.
Captured live on stage in 2011, the sold-out production stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, alternating between the roles of Victor Frankenstein and his creation. For September 24, Miller will be playing as the Creature.
The Motive and Cue will be shown at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu on September 24.
Come October 30, Fleabag will return to the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati for the third time. Frankenstein, this time with Benedict Cumberbatch as the Creature, will premiere at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu on same day.
Witness Nye’s mind-bending life journey on November 26 at the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati.
In Tim Price’s opus, Aneurin “Nye” Bevan confronted death in the eye, as he recollects his deepest memories from his childhood to mining underground, and his fights with Churchill.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the title role of yet another great Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet, premiering on November 26, at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu. As the country arms itself for war, a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralyzed by the task ahead, Hamlet rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state. The play is directed by Lyndsey Turner.
Closing the 2024 CCP NTL’s lineup, Hamlet will return to the Ayala Malls Cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati on December 17. Dear England will premiere on the same day at Ayala Vertis North and Ayala Center Cebu.
Witness the magic of London National Theatre through CCP National Theatre Live. First launched in June 2009, the National Theater Live is a groundbreaking project to broadcast the best of British theatre live from the London stage to cinemas across the United Kingdom, around the world, and now in the Philippine shore.
Digitally filmed in high-definition quality, the NTL films their plays in front of live theater audiences, but optimized for the big screen and made accessible to theater fans across the globe.
All screenings will be at 6:00pm, exclusively at Ayala Malls cinemas in Greenbelt, Makati, Vertis North in Quezon City, and at the Ayala Center in Cebu. Regular ticket price is at ₱300.00 in Makati and Cebu, and ₱350 in Vertis North, while special ticket price for students is at ₱150.00.
This new season also brings exciting bundles and subscriptions for dedicated NTL fans. Audiences in groups can avail the Barkada Pass for ₱1200 which includes five tickets at the price of four, while students can avail the Barkada Pass Student bundle at ₱600. Subscriptions for the full season cost ₱2500 and ₱1500 for the half season, allowing audiences 30% and 20% discounts respectively.
To get the latest updates on CCP National Theatre Live, follow the official CCP social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.
Independence Day (Araw ng Kalayaan) is a celebration of historical and modern heroes who have fought for Filipinos’ freedom. As we welcome the annual holiday, Ortigas Malls has prepared a series of events and activities that highlight our history and colorful culture.
On June 12, GH Mall, Tiendesitas, and Estancia will kick off their Independence Day celebrations in exciting ways, and shoppers shouldn’t miss them:
Greenhills
Starting at 10am, GH Mall will hold a Pagtaas ng Watawat (flag-raising ceremony) at the East Wing Atrium of GH Mall. A Marching Band will also energize shoppers at 12pm.
From 3pm to 6pm, there will be an entertaining and educational Likhang Sining at Kalayaan presentation by the Tanghalang Tula, Kundiman at Katutubong Sayaw. This wonderful display of talent will highlight our beloved Filipino culture through different facets of art.
Shoppers can also marvel at the extraordinary Philippine flag display at GH Mall made out of 1,400 origami flowers courtesy of Origami Philippines. The origami flowers symbolize the enduring bonds and deep-rooted friendships that define Filipino culture. Feel free to take photos in front of the display and share it on social media!
Tiendesitas
Known for being a home of local goods and handicrafts, Tiendesitas is celebrating Independence Day with a whole day of musical performances. Start the day off with a heart-thumping Marching Band performance at Level 1, Food Village from 10am to 11:30am. Musika’t Kalayaan at Level 2, Food Village will delight shoppers with Filipino tunes from 3pm to 9pm.
Estancia
Estancia Mall will also showcase local music for its Independence Day celebration. From 10am to 7pm, shoppers can sing and dance to their favorite P-pop songs at the P-Pop Music Fest:
Hiraya at 2/F East Wing. They can also catch the Independence Day Marching Band performance on the ground floor of the East Wing from 11am to 12pm.
If you’re looking to spend your Independence Day at Ortigas Malls, be sure to catch these fun and patriotic celebrations. Be sure to sign up for the Ortigas Community Card via the Ortigas Malls app to get first dibs on amazing deals, discounts, and perks.
For more information and updates on Ortigas Malls’ events be sure to like and visit their official Facebook pages: Greenhills Mall, Estancia Mall, and Tiendesitas.
Ongoing at Robinsons Manila and Robinson Magnolia, The Manila Film Festival is a showcase of student short films side-by-side by the short films of young, established filmmakers all working around the theme “Manila in Me.” These 12 short films create a tapestry that highlights the dynamic energy of the city of Manila and is a promise of the kind of movies that we will be seeing in the future as these are the filmmakers of the future.
The films of Set B
Set B opens with the short film ‘May at Nila’ by Sigrid Bernardo. This two-hander is heavily reliant on dialogue, and luckily for Bernardo, Elora Jaducana Espano and Veronica Reyes are up to par in being arresting throughout the film’s short run time. But it has a tendency to dawdle and extend. Bernardo’s ‘May at Nila’ explores the hiddenness of same sex relationships in the oppressive era of World War II. The two women discuss their past and present and try to reconcile their revolutionary activities with their own forbidden love. A lot of the film’s narrative potential is delivered in dialogue and this concept feels more suited to a full-length. It deserves breadth and for Bernardo to make use of her cinematic eye to truly situate the oppression of these women in the larger world rather than the tiny space of film’s singular location where the meat of the story happens.
What follows is ‘threefor100,’ which is an irreverent film of different kinds of unusual love stories all set in an ukay-ukay. Written and directed by Cedrick Labadia, the film is gutsy and bold and has a wonderful concept, but it doesn’t quite gather all of its dispirited elements together to tell a whole cohesive story. There’s Nida (Thea Marabut), who works at the ukay-ukay but seems distracted. Dino (Jayson Alcazar) is in love with her as is the fish that can only speak through a radio but she’s in love with a mannequin. Her boss, Aling Chichay (Carla Zarcal) is always at her case, but she’s stuck in love with the ghost of her husband. It’s a crazy bag of stories that should paint a world of irreverent love but fails to justify these love stories or even highlight what is so wonderful about them. The concept is there but as individual pieces, they all have to comment on each other which Labadia isn’t able to accomplish just yet. It’s almost there but not there yet.
Neither does the ‘The Ballad of a Blind Man’ by Charlie Vitug quite land its story about a young woman who is oppressed and held back by her almost blind father. There’s a scripted feel to the way the narrative unfolds, including some rather sentimental cinematic choices that keeps ‘The Ballad of a Blind Man’ from elevating itself from its tired genre. The film is more keen on trying to establish its tone that it forgets to establish the emotional weight of the story: the oppression and the protagonists conflict with her relationship with her father.
Adrian Renz Espino, the writer and director of ‘Ditas Pinamalas,’ on the other hand, goes way too far into whimsy that it never feels grounded enough to land its joke. Ditas (Gillian Vicencio) is an unlucky woman who finds her luck turning when she starts to wear the underwear of her late grandmother. Espino seems more focused towards his off-beat humor rather than making any real strong exploration about fortune and destiny. It could have been forgivable if it landed its jokes but there’s a self-consciousness in the delivery of the scenes that gives away the humor. It tries to hard that it doesn’t quite stick.
My favourite among all the student films, though, is ‘Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo’ by Miko Biong. A wonderful film that juxtaposes the innocence of youth versus the looming destruction of capitalism. It tells the story of Kulas and Gabo (played excellently by Don Rishmond Cerbito and Arkin Torres), who live on the outskirts of the city and their land is about to be taken and developed for gentrification. It’s taken from their perspective and how a simple children’s game can be a metaphor about the ways by which the systems of the world has taken from ordinary people. Biong, with Director of Photography Kinno Toogue do an amazing job at establishing this community. With editors Renjiro Bayani and Janelle Basalo, the camera not only shows us the world that needs to be preserved but the innocence that makes this world so ideal. It’s a simple film but with larger ramification just outside the screen, just outside what these kids are able to comprehend. It’s wonderfully directed and shows incredible restraint.
Capping off Set B is Pepe Diokno’s ‘Lumang Tugtugin’ with screenplay by Guelan Varela-Luarca. This incredibly directed piece is about Angela (Therese Malvar), who returns home to take care of her grandmother (Lui Manansala) while dealing with her family’s past horrors that finds itself ingrained within the walls of the house. It’s a genre piece that bends style and form. It’s a psychological thriller but it is also a domestic drama. But Diokno, along with director of photography Tristan Salas and editor Ike Veneracion, create a dazzling tapestry using techniques of horror to help build the film’s growing tension until its reaches its climax that involves a terrific play of the mise-en-scene that made the whole audience (and myself) applaud with admiration. The film alludes to the past horrors of the house and manages to execute its revelation in such an amazing cinematic way that leaves you breathless. It’s a show stopping ending that reminds you that Pepe Diokno is one of the most exciting young directors working today.
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My Rating:
The Manila Film Fest 2024 is happening now at Robinson’s Movieworld – Manila and Robinson’s Movieworld – Magnolia (Limited Screening) until June 11! Check showtimes and buy tickets here.
Despite the lush Irish forests as its backdrop and a rather cinematic bunker in the middle of the woods as the setting of this horror film, ‘The Watchers‘ quickly loses any of its mystery and appeal because of first-time feature film director and screenwriter Ishana Night Shyamalan’s inability to wrestle with the film’s massive lore. Based on the book by A. M. Shine, ‘The Watchers’ prefers to keep things hidden; allowing the dread to stem from what we don’t know. This only last for as long as the fear is constant, the characters we’re following are engaging, and the film points out to something bigger.
But that’s not what happens here in the film.
‘The Watchers’ is about an American, Mina (played by Dakota Fanning), who is living in Ireland and running from her past. When her boss at the pet store she works in asks her to drive to another city to deliver an expensive bird to the zoo, then she finds herself lost in an enchanted forest where she cannot find her way out. There she discovers what is called “The Coop.” It is a bunker in the middle of the forest where she is taken in by its current inhabitants – Madeline (Olwen Fouere), Ciara (Georgina Campbell), and Daniel (Oliver Finnegan) – and they tell her the rules to survive because out in the woods, when the sun goes down, the Watchers come and they will kill her if she’s not in the bunker by sundown.
All the elements are there to create an engaging story. Who are the watchers and what are they? There are rules to stay alive and, of course, Mina tries to break them because she refuses to be stuck there like everybody else. As some rules are broken, the four are put into danger. How will they get out? What do the watchers want? The list goes on.
But the moment the initial curiosity has set in, the film takes on a very by-the-numbers pace that slows everything down. While the rules are explained and while Mina tries to break them to find her way out, there’s no real sense of danger that sticks. Mina’s backstory is kept hidden from us until halfway through the movie, so we don’t feel that connected to her. It doesn’t help that Fanning, as good an actress as she is, is asked to be guarded and reserved. She’s put a distance between her and everybody in the film so she’s not the kind of lead character an audience can easily warm up to.
Madeline plays out as the older, wise woman character-trope, whose backstory I figured out quite quickly as the answers to the questions start pouring out by the third quarter of the film. Ciara and Daniel are functional but don’t have much to do to make you feel for them in any real way.
What makes the film even less scary is that all the important answers to the questions the film inevitably sets up by its premise is answered through a huge info dump in the third quarter of the movie. They learn the lore of the watchers in one big go that the already languid, tepid pace of the film is even stunted further. And regardless of how you feel about the revelation, without the mystery, the narrative starts to fall flat. What else is there to do now?
I can imagine what this narrative might be like in the form of a book. When you’re reading this story in the comfort of your home and taking the pace that you want, the story can work. The prose can cover up the variety of new information that happens near the end of the story. But for a film, as you near the end, you want the film to go faster to start moving towards its climax but instead ‘The Watchers’ ends up slowing down further to explain.
This has always been the problem of what some people call ‘the mystery box’ narrative. This is the trouble Ishana Night Shyamalan is struggling with in this film.
Once the big struggle is done, the film enters its resolution and then another twist is revealed (like father like daughter, because, yes, she is the daughter of M. Night Shyamalan). It is a twist I saw coming the moment the big info dump has occurred and the sad part is, at the film’s final conflict, it is once again done via dialogue. ‘The Watchers’ starts well with an interesting premise, but it does not keep up with all its elements as the film unfolds. If anything, this is a streaming movie for a dead weekend.
My Rating:
The Watchers is now showing! Check showtimes and buy tickets here.
