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  • “Bullet Train” Opens at No.1 in Global Box-Office, Arrives in PH Aug 10

    Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Bullet Train also broke the record for the biggest opening for a non-IP studio film since Tenet. With terrific audience reactions around the world and summer holidays in full swing, the film is well positioned for a long ride in cinemas into autumn.

    The UK led all 57 markets with a 5-day total of $3.5M, followed by France with $3.1M. Mexico delivered $3.0M with a Wednesday start, and Australia launched with $2.2M. In the Middle East, Saudi Arabia took in $1.9M, and UAE pulled in $1.3M. Germany bowed at $1.5M while Spain debuted to $1.4M. Taiwan logged $1.3M over 5 days.

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    Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Entertainment Weekly hails Bullet Train as “a manic neon thriller stuffed with cameos and smash-cut chaos, hurtling breathlessly toward its gonzo end,” while Comingsoon.net calls it “the must-see blockbuster of the summer.”

    “A stylish & blood-soaked parade of crowd-pleasing payoffs” is how Screenrant describes Bullet Train, as Mashable proclaims it “a satisfyingly eye-popping and heart-pounding wild ride.”

    London Premiere BP 2
    Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Finally, The Chicago Sun Times raves “Brad Pitt brings all his star power to a high-speed action film that transcends the usual cookie cutter assassin stories” and declares “Bullet Train is one of the best action movies of the year, and it’s also one of the funniest films of 2022.”

    In Bullet Train, Brad Pitt stars as Ladybug, an unlucky assassin determined to do his job peacefully after one too many gigs gone off the rails. Fate, however, may have other plans, as Ladybug’s latest mission puts him on a collision course with lethal adversaries from around the globe—all with connected, yet conflicting, objectives—on the world’s fastest train. The end of the line is just the beginning in this non-stop thrill-ride through modern-day Japan from David Leitch, the director of Deadpool 2.

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    Courtesy of Columbia Pictures

    Joining Pitt in the cast are Joey King, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Brian Tyree Henry, Andrew Koji, Hiroyuki Sanada, Michael Shannon, Benito A Martínez Ocasio, and Sandra Bullock.

    In cinemas across the Philippines August 10, Bullet Train is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with the hashtag #BulletTrainMovie

  • BLACKPINK’s Born Pink World Tour is Coming to Manila in 2023!

    BLACKPINK has just revealed the dates and venues for their Born Pink World Tour, and it includes a stop at Manila on March 25, 2023!

    Their upcoming world tour will begin in Seoul with a 2-night concert from October 15 to 16 this year, followed by their concerts in the US, Europe, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Singapore, and more! Check out their full schedule below:

    BlackPink Concert

    More details about the prices and venue are yet to be revealed. BLACKPINK’s Lisa, Jennie, Rosé, and Jisoo last performed here in the Philippines in 2019.

    The K-pop group’s new single Pink Venom will be released on August 19, ahead of their new album Born Pink slated for a September release.

    For more updates, be sure to follow BLACKPINK on their social media pages on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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    Homestream image from BLACKPINK on Twitter.

  • Avail a PLDT Home WiFi Mesh system online for a chance to win a 65” Samsung Crystal UHD 4K!

    Providing the family with a fast and reliable WiFi connection at home is a must in the digital age. Parents and kids alike need strong internet connectivity for most of their favorite activities online — from streaming and gaming to working and studying. Parents know too well that investing in a high-speed connection from leading internet service provider PLDT Home is key to a happier, better, more productive home.

    PLDT Home WiFi Mesh 5 June Sept 2022 promo banner

    However, due to a few factors including the design of one’s residence, some internet plans are not optimized enough. Homes built with multiple walls and floors can pose a problem when it comes to internet signals reaching all corners. Walls can block WiFi signals, big spaces at home can stretch these signals thin, and too many devices crowding a single WiFi connection can ultimately slow the internet down.

    So, how do you make sure your home connection is maximized? Believe us, it doesn’t have to cost much! Here are some tips and tricks to help you get the speed you and your family need.

    Take a speed test

    First, check if you really are getting the speed you pay for. A simple way to check is by conducting an Ookla Speedtest which measures your upload and download speed accurately. If your connection is fast yet is not reaching all parts of the house, then you’ll need to check your router or the dual-band compatibility of your phone or laptop.

    Ensure that your router is new and updated

    Sometimes the main culprit for a less-than-stellar internet connection is the router itself. The router is a device that provides your home with WiFi. Keeping your router up to date ensures that your hardware is fresh and can maintain your internet connection, as older devices are more prone to breaking down. A new router will not only improve your connection, but it can also help improve the security of your connections, especially if you are thinking of building a smart home. Try calling your service provider if you’re due for a router change.

    Reset your router

    Sometimes, the simplest solutions are the most effective. “Did you try turning it off and on again?” applies to almost all electronics and appliances — including your router. Resetting your router can solve intermittent signals and boost your speed.

    Think about where you place your router

    Is your router placed optimally in your home? Router placement is key to the strength of its signal. Ensure that your router is placed in a high, open space with limited obstructions to get better speeds. Don’t place your routers on the ground as WiFi signals travel horizontally and may not reach every nook and cranny. If you have a multi-level home, try putting the router on a higher floor while ensuring that it’s not placed near dense, signal-interfering materials like brick or concrete.

    Get a WiFi Mesh system

    Have you done everything above but you still don’t have the speed you need? At this point, maybe it’s time to get your own WiFi Mesh system, or a set of devices that can provide uniform speeds in all corners of the home no matter how far they are from the main router.

    Think of it as a relay game. The main router, which should be installed in a clear spot, connects to a series of mesh devices that in turn connect to your devices. Unlike routers, mesh devices share the same network and password, which altogether allows the transfer of files between gadgets, screen mirroring from your mobile phones and laptops to TVs, and top download and upload speeds even when other family members are online at the same time — streaming their favorite shows, working, attending classes, playing games, or doing video calls. In short, with a WiFi mesh system, every member of the family can do all things imagined and more.

    PLDT Home, the country’s fastest fixed network as awarded by Ookla, offers the best WiFi Mesh devices to maximize your home broadband plan. Installing a mesh pair from PLDT Home gets rid of dead spots no matter the area of the home and enables family members to upload and download seamlessly and all at once.

    If you are a new or existing PLDT Home subscriber, get a WiFi mesh add-on for as low as P99/month on top of your existing plan and immediately experience the fastest whole-home connections from PLDT Home.

    PLDT Home WiFi Mesh 5 June Sept 2022 promo

    Buy a WiFi mesh system from PLDT Home and get a chance to win a smart TV!

    Here’s another win-win for PLDT Home subscribers: From June 1 to September 30, those who purchase PLDT Home WiFi Mesh units get a chance to win a 65″ Samsung Crystal UHD TV (AU7000). One subscriber wins the grand prize each month until the last day of the promo period.

    To be eligible, subscribers must buy at least two (2) pieces of Tenda Nova MW6, TP Link Deco M4, or TP Link Deco M5. The winners’ names will be posted on PLDT Home’s website.

    Do better at home and in life with PLDT Home’s WiFi Mesh system amplifying your home internet while leading you closer to the smart TV of your dreams.

    To join the promo, visit www.pldthome.com/wifimeshsystem.

  • Award-Winning Documentaries to Close This Year’s Cinemalaya 18

    Delikado by Karl Malakunas, and We Don’t Dance For Nothing by Stefanos Tai are the documentary films chosen to close the 18th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. The films will be screened at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater) on August 13, at 3:30 pm, and 7:00 pm, respectively.

    After making rounds in film festivals abroad, Delikado will have its Philippine premiere as one of the closing films of Cinemalaya 2022.  Telling a narrative beyond the paradisiacal image of Palawan, Karl Malakunas delved into the plight of environmental crusaders as they faced corporations and the government to protect the ‘last ecological frontier’ of the Philippines.

    Malakunas, a journalist turned filmmaker, placed the spotlight on Atty. Robert “Bobby” Chan, Nieves Rosento, and Efren “Tata” Balladeres as they risk their lives tracking down illegal loggers, to raise awareness about the pressing social and environmental issues in Palawan.

    Delikado garnered awards abroad namely the Sustainable Future Award at the Sydney Film Festival 2022, and Special Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature from the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival.  According to Luciana Tellez-Chavez from Humans Right Watch, “Delikado is an important and powerful film. The tension is palpable throughout… but so is the incredible courage of the environmental defenders portrayed.”

    A brief Q&A follows the screening for a conversation with Malakunas.

    We Don’t Dance For Nothing by Stefanos Tai, captures the contrast of being trapped and being free through a ‘photo-montage’ as it follows the story of Filipina Domestic Workers in the midst of rallies in Hong Kong while tackling LGBTQ+ themes, issues of Workers’ Rights, and Hong Kong’s changing political landscape.

    Miles Sible, a Filipina performer in Hong Kong, plays the role of H – a young domestic worker who plans to run away for the sake of love.  Tai ensured genuine representation by casting Filipino performers in this documentary film.

    DOXA Documentary Festival in Vancouver regarded We Don’t Dance For Nothing with the sole HonorableMention last May 2022.

    The 18th Cinemalaya opened at the CCP on August 5. Awarding ceremonies are set on August 14 at the Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo (CCP Main Theater). 

    For more information, visit the CCP and Cinemalaya websites. Follow the CCP and Cinemalaya official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • ‘Riding the Waves: 15 Years of Cinemalaya’ and More Books to Be Launched During the Film Festival

    Six books by icons and experts on Philippine cinema will be launched during the ongoing 18th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

    On August 8 at 4:00 pm, a back-to-back launch of Nick Deocampo’s book Alternative Cinema: The Unchronicled History of Alternative Cinema in the Philippines and Philippine Cinema 1897-2020 by Gaspar Vibal and Dennis Villegas will be held at the Cinemalaya Tent.

    Alternative Cinema is a collection of ethnography and history of alternative cinema in the Philippines.  It also seeks to reveal the “hidden side” of Philippine cinema.  The book took 40 years to create, utilizing Deocampo’s notes, notebooks, and diaries.

    Deocampo is an award-winning Filipino filmmaker, film historian, University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) professor, and advocate for film literacy.  Since 1982, Deocampo has written on alternative films in the country which started while he was in Paris shortly after graduating from the UP.

    Philippine Cinema 1897-2020 received the Best Book on Art in the 39th National Book Awards.  The book was written by Gaspar A. Vidal of the University of the Philippines Diliman and Dennis A. Villegas of the Far Eastern University, and edited by Teddy Co.

    Co is the founder of Cinema Rehiyon and was the chairman of the Cinema Committee the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).  

    On August 9 at 4:00 pm, the launching of the books Mga Screenplay ni Ricky Lee Volume 1: Brutal, Moral, Karnal and Mga Screenplay ni Ricky Lee Volume 2: Himala, Cain at Abel, Salome by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Ricardo “Ricky” Lee will be held at the Third Floor CCP Hallway.

    Lee, a Filipino screenwriter, journalist, novelist, and playwright, collaborated with fellow National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Marilou Diaz-Abaya on the screenplays of Brutal, Moral, and Karnal.  The first volume contains the complete scripts of the three films with precursory articles on their developments.  

    For the second volume Mga Screenplay ni Ricky Lee (Volume 2): Himala, Cain at Abel, Salome, Lee included the three screenplays of the films which were directed by Ishmael Bernal, Lino Brocka, and Laurice Guillen respectively.  Bernal and Brocka are both National Artists for Film and Broadcast Arts.

    The University of Santo Tomas Publishing House published the two book volumes of Lee.

    On August 11 at 4:00 pm, Ang Daigdig ng mga Api: Remembering a Lost Film (a collaboration between Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. and Dik Trofeo) and Riding the Waves: 15 Years of Cinemalaya edited by Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr. will be launched at the Cinemalaya Lounge by Latitude at the Third Floor of the CCP Main Gallery.

    del Mundo is a writer who recreated the multi-award winning film Ang Daigdig ng mga Api in book form.  He collaborated on the book with Dik Trofeo, the film’s assistant director, who contributed anecdotes and black-and-white pictures from behind the scenes.  Dick Baldovino is another photo contributor to the book’s images.

    Riding the Waves: 15 Years of Cinemalaya will have its onsite relaunch after last year’s online launch.  It contains a vibrant tapestry of narratives that portray through words and images the first 15 years of the festival’s existence through the contributors’ unique vantage points.

    World-renowned artists and cultural figures who contributed articles in Riding The Waves include Doreen Yu, Lito B. Zulueta, Jose Javier Reyes, Marjorie Evasco, Clodualdo del Mundo, Jr., Bayani San Diego, Jr., Philip Cheah, Max Tessier, Ben Suzuki, Jessica Zafra, Michael Kho Lim, and Chris B. Millado.

    For more details, check out the CCP and Cinemalaya websites.  Follow the CCP and Cinemalaya official social media accounts in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

  • “The Invitation”, Horror Told From a Female Perspective

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    The Invitation gave Thompson the chance to work in the horror genre which was irresistible. “I grew up on horror, on thrillers. They are sacred to me,” she says. “I always wanted to make a horror movie told from a female perspective.”  

    Thompson made her feature writer-directorial debut with The Light of the Moon, which won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film at SXSW. The film holds a 97% Rotten Tomatoes score, with critics calling it “harrowingly effective” (Variety), “honest and complex” (The Hollywood Reporter), and Film Inquiry stated that “for any filmmaker this would be an unmitigated triumph, but for a first-time filmmaker this is revelatory.”

    The Invitation centers on Evie (Emmanuel), a struggling artist in New York.  After the death of her mother and having no other known relatives, Evie takes a DNA test…and discovers a long-lost cousin she never knew she had. Invited by her newfound family to a lavish wedding in the English countryside, she’s at first seduced by the sexy aristocrat host but is soon thrust into a nightmare of survival as she uncovers twisted secrets in her family’s history and the disturbing intentions behind their generosity.

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    Thompson says her favorite and most challenging scene was the rehearsal dinner, where the true motivations of the hosts are revealed. “It starts off as a beautiful, sumptuous ball, and then halfway through, the penny drops. In that sense, it was like making two scenes in one: the beauty is covering a nightmare boiling under the surface,” Thompson explains. “All of the decadent food is actually rotting and melting and dripping, the incredible chandelier is actually made of antlers and skulls. Among the characters, there’s so much to capture: Evie’s emotion, as she’s realizing the true horror of what’s happening to her, so many looks from the guests, so many nuanced beats. It was a three-day shoot to get it all – so that was the hardest scene but also the most rewarding one, because I think it’s one of the best scenes in the film.”

    “It begins as a masked ball, beautiful and decadent and transformative,” says producer Emile Gladstone. “Evie walks in, beautiful, wearing her red dress and her gorgeous mask, and she is sitting next to a man who she’s recently fallen in love with.  She’s never felt more at home or surrounded by family with a solid man in her life.  And then, halfway through the dinner, it all turns. And what’s beautiful turns nightmarish.”  

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    In cinemas across the Philippines August 24, The Invitation is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with the hashtag #InvitationMovie

  • Film Facts: 5 Things to Know About ‘Bullet Train’ Starring Brad Pitt

    The new action film Bullet Train starring Brad Pitt is heading to Philippine cinemas this week!

    Bullet Train follows Pitt’s Ladybug, an unlucky assassin waiting to catch a break and finish his job in peace. However, he soon finds himself inside the world’s fastest train where he gets on a collision course with other assassins whose missions are not unrelated to his.

    Watch the trailer for Bullet Train below:

    Excited to see Bullet Train on the big screen? On this list, we’ve rounded up some interesting facts that you might want to know about the new film!

    1. Brad Pitt’s former stunt double is directing.

    This is not the first time that director David Leitch and Brad Pitt worked together. In fact, Leitch used to be the actor’s stunt double in films such as Fight Club, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Troy, and more.

    “It was a little funny to me, watching Brad play a stuntman in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” shared Leitch. “I can tell you that the relationship between actor and stuntman that was part of that movie is real. You develop a close and collaborative relationship. We went in different directions for a while, but fate wasn’t done with us, and I’m so glad it’s brought us back together.”

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    Photo: Columbia Pictures

    2. It is based on a Japanese novel.

    The film is based on the book Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka published in 2010, with its English-translated version published just last year. Another popular title from Isaka is Three Assassins, which like its predecessor, follows intertwining stories between quirky hired killers.

    Bullet Train
    Photo: Goodreads website

    3. Lady Gaga was supposed to play Maria Beetle.

    It was Lady Gaga who was set to play Ladybug’s mysterious handler. However, due to scheduling conflicts with Lady Gaga starring in Ridley Scott’s House of Gucci, the actress had to turn down the role.

    “It really all came down to her schedule with the Ridley Scott film, House Of Gucci,” director Leitch told Entertainment Weekly. “There were short discussions and then, this isn’t going to work because she was preparing for the Ridley movie. They shot right before us and overlapped with us and it really didn’t work.”

    House of Gucci Lady Gaga
    Photo: House of Gucci on Twitter

    4. One of the assassins pulls their inspiration from Thomas the Tank Engine.

    Brian Tyree Henry who plays Lemon– the partner-in-crime of Aaron Taylor-Johnson’s Tangerine– shared that he had shaped his character in the film with Thomas the Tank Engine in mind.

    ““He knows how to tell his marks based on certain characteristics of Thomas The Tank Engine,” Henry told Empire in an interview. “He can tell if there’s somebody that’s reliable, something that needs to be killed right away, or somebody that is actually up to little schemes.”

    Lemon and Thomas
    Photos: ‘Bullet Train’ trailer and ‘Thomas & Friends’ on Twitter

    5. ‘Bullet Train’ got Brad Pitt into another film.

    Before Bullet Train, Brad Pitt also appeared in this year’s The Lost City headlined by Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum. According to The Lost City directors Aaron and Adam Nee, they didn’t expect to have Pitt on board, but thanks to Bullock and Bullet Train (and the hairdresser), the actor was happy to join!

    “Brad Pitt’s name came up early for this. But the role isn’t a cameo, he’s in a good chunk of the movie. We were like, ‘We’re never going to get Brad Pitt to do this,’” said Adam in an interview with Total Film. “And then Sandy did Bullet Train [with Pitt], she was pitching him the role and she and Brad share a hairdresser, Janine [Thompson]. Janine was saying to Brad, ‘How would you do your hair if you played this part? What would you do about this?’ It felt like she just started getting him excited about it. And it then suddenly became real – and we were sitting on a Zoom, and talking to him about the movie. Before we knew it, he was in the jungle.”

    The Lost City
    Photo: ‘The Lost City’ trailer

    Bullet Train opens in cinemas nationwide this Wednesday, August 10, 2022. Book your seats in advance and buy your tickets here.

  • Lady Gaga is Harley Quinn in Musical Sequel ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’

    Joker is really setting itself apart from DC’s superhero movies, with its sequel reportedly set to be a musical!

    After his grounded take on Gotham’s most infamous villain, director Todd Phillips has revealed its sequel title to be Joker: Folie à Deux, and now Lady Gaga has revealed her participation in the film. Lady Gaga has posted a brief promotional clip for the movie which shows her silhouette with Phoenix dancing to the tune of Irving Berlin’s “Cheek to Cheek.”

    While the clip does not outright reveal Lady Gaga’s role as Harley Quinn, we see in her silhouette the iconic heart tattoo that Quinn often has on her face. Watch the clip below:

    Back in June, The Hollywood Reporter announced that the actress was in talks to be in the film, alongside the claim that the sequel was to be a musical. The title, Folie à Deux refers to a delusional disorder where two people share similar delusional beliefs and sometimes, hallucinations. Fittingly in the world of Batman, Harley Quinn is known for her twisted romantic relationship with the Joker.

    In 2019, the Joker film found success at the box office after telling an original origin story for the pop culture icon. It follows Arthur Fleck, a failing comedian who suffers from a mental disorder that forces him into fits of uncontrollable laughter. As society neglects and torments Fleck, he spirals into madness pushing him to become the violent Joker. The film garnered 11 nominations at the Oscars in 2020, and won Phoenix the Best Actor Award, and Hildur Guðnadóttir the Best Original Score.

    Joker: Folie à Deux is set for a US release on October 4, 2024. More details about the film including its official synopsis and the other cast members, are yet to be revealed.

  • Cebu Pacific Unveils GR8 8.8 Seat Sale

    Cebu Pacific (CEB), the Philippines’ leading airline, unveils its special seat sale for both domestic and international destinations.

    From August 8 to 10, 2022, the airline is giving everyJuan the chance to plan out their dream trip for as low as PHP8 one-way base fare. Travel period for this seat sale is from September 1, 2022, until February 28, 2023. 

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    “We continue to see a resurgence in tourism as people have become more confident to travel amidst our new normal. As we want to keep stimulating travel, both in and out the Philippines, we are pleased to offer another hard-to-miss promo that will enable everyJuan to save up on fares as they plan trips ahead,” says Cebu Pacific Corporate Communications director Carmina Romero. 

    Whether passengers would like to rediscover their favorite beach destinations like Boracay, Bohol, Siargao, Palawan, and Cebu; or enjoy the must-try food culture in Pampanga and Negros, travelers can enjoy the best of the Philippines without breaking the bank.

    Likewise, those who plan to finally fly abroad can finally do so as more destinations have eased travel restrictions. Whether you feel like going on a cultural immersion in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Vietnam; or on a food trip in Bangkok, Korea, and Singapore – all this is now possible and made affordable through CEB’s lowest fares.

    The airline currently operates 88% of its pre-pandemic systemwide capacity. To date, CEB flies to a total of 34 domestic and 18 international destinations. It continues to implement a multi-layered approach to safety, while it operates with a 100% fully vaccinated crew, 95% of whom have been boosted – all to ensure every Juan flies safely and conveniently on Cebu Pacific.

  • Jordan Peele Rewrites “Nope” Script for Fil-Am Puerto Rican Actor Brandon Perea

    At the Nope world premiere, Brandon Perea received rave reviews for his performance as one of the film’s leads, describing him as a breakthrough star and an unexpected scene stealer for his role as Angel Torres, an angsty employee of retail store Fry’s Electronics. 

    Nope is Jordan’s latest horror thriller that impressively debuted with $44 million on top of the box-office when it opened in the US (July).  Considered to be a must-see in cinemas for its spectacle, Nope is about to open in cinemas outside of US and will take the audience in for a ride into the unknown as siblings OJ (Kaluuya) and Emerald (Palmer) inherit their father’s legendary horse ranch.  As OJ and Emerald start noticing unexplained phenomena on their vast ranch, they soon start to plot attempts to capture the mystery on camera and enlist the expert help of Fry’s Electronics store employee Angel Torres (Perea).  Together, the trio step right into the eye of an irreversible storm with no path guiding them back, further ratcheting the stakes to terrifying consequences.

    Perea Kaluuya Palmer in NOPE
    Brandon Perea, Kaluuya, Palmer in NOPE

    Perea, who’s also known for his roles in Netflix’s The OA and the movie American Insurrection is thrilled with the opportunity to play Angel Torres in Nope. His character is crucial to the film’s lore on aliens and the unexplained as an electronics retail store employee who assists OJ and Emerald with installing surveillance equipment at their ranch and gets drawn into their quest for documenting the unexplained phenomenon they’ve encountered. Beneath Angel’s bleach-blonde veneer of post-punk angst and box-store malaise lies a heartbroken young man who is still hopeful and will become an unlikely, but exceedingly valuable ally to OJ and Emerald.

    “Angel’s our tech expert, and something of a comic-relief character,” Jordan Peele says. “Angel is a diehard Ancient Aliens fan.  Angel also often the one pointing out how batshit crazy the whole situation is. But he also gets quite willingly tangled up in this insane mission.”

    Kaluuya Perea Palmer in NOPE
    Kaluuya, Perea, Palmer in NOPE

    Brandon Perea’s role was not exactly how Peele originally envisioned it when he wrote the screenplay, but the young actor clearly made an impression. “Jordan said, ‘You brought something so different to the table that I had to meet you, but you’re really different than what I wrote for the script. If I were to put you in this movie, I’ll have to rewrite my entire movie,’” Perea recalls. “And I was like, ‘Yeah, that sounds tough. I guess that’s probably not going to happen.’ And he’s like, ‘So that’s what I’m going to do — I’m going to rewrite my movie. You got the part!’ I just busted out in tears crying.”  

    In a bit of serendipity, playing an employee of the famed Fry’s Electronics, which closed its doors in 2021, also brought back some good memories for the actor. “I remember reading the script and seeing that Angel works at Fry’s Electronics and I wigged out because my brothers and I used to go to the Fry’s in Chicago when we were growing up,” Perea says. “It was just a crazy full-circle moment for me.”  

    Nope opens in Philippine cinemas on August 17 from Universal Pictures.  Rated R-13 by the local censors board.