#VERYWANG: A supernatural kind of love

What if angels walk among us today? How are they supposed to look like?

In a movie called Fallen, Australian director Scott Hicks depicts angels as gorgeous beings: they are tall, sexy, blue-eyed and golden-haired. Think of the English actor Jeremy Irvine only with blonde locks and translucent wings that appeared only twice in the movie.

Superheroes clash in most anticipated movie of the year #BatmanVSuperman

Two of the most iconic superheroes in the D.C. universe face off in the sequel to Man of Steel movie where Henry Cavill as Superman is pitted against Metropolis’ black caped crusader played by Ben Affleck.

Aptly titled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the action adventure movie, which will premiere on March 26, promises an action-packed feature as two of the world’s biggest superheroes clash on the big screen for the first time in history. Directed by Zack Snyder, the film centers on Batman and Superman being at war with one another putting mankind in greater danger than it’s ever known before.

The Smart chopper will treat lucky Smart subscribers to an aireal tour of the metro

Gearing up for the release of this epic action adventure, Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) and Warner Bros. Pictures joined forces to give Filipinos an experience inspired by the lifestyles of iconic heroes Batman and Superman.

By registering to Big Bytes 50, Smart’s biggest mobile Internet offer yet, subscribers all over the country can get a chance to live like Heroes in all-expense-paid trips to Japan and Hong Kong, win premium items and special passes to the much awaited film.

The Batman experience gives the winner an exciting driving experience through the streets of Tokyo with a professional guide, and a luxurious seven-course meal at the Tokyo Skytree, Japan’s tallest tower that offers a stunning 360-degree view of the city. On the other hand, the Superman experience takes the winner to an adrenaline-pumping jetpack flight and an exhilarating Superman-style Sky Jump from the Macau Tower.

Ariel P. Fermin, Executive Vice President and Consumer  Business Head at PLDT and Smart, Jasmine Curtis, Kathy C. Carag, Smart  Masterbrand Department Head, and Kat Luna-Abelarde, Wireless Consumer  Operations Head.

“We are thrilled to partner with Warner Bros. Pictures as the official mobile partner on Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in the Philippines, which puts us in the perfect position to offer larger-than-life and super-sized treats for our beloved customers as they enjoy their dose of digital content using Big Bytes 50, Smart’s biggest mobile Internet offer yet,” said Ariel P. Fermin, executive vice president and Consumer Business head at PLDT and Smart.

The telco executive added that with Big Bytes 50, Smart subscribers are able to take their Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice-inspired experience beyond the film into the digital realm at their fingertips by watching trailers on YouTube, sharing reviews on Facebook, debating who will win on Twitter and even uploading inspired photos on Instagram – whether they are for Batman or for Superman.

For every top-up of Big Bytes promos (50, 99, 299, or 799), Smart Prepaid, Smart Postpaid and Smart Bro subscribers can start earning and accumulating e-raffle entries.  They will be notified via SMS to choose their side – either TEAMBATMAN or TEAMSUPERMAN – which they need send to 238.

You’re My Boss earns P200 million at local box office

The rom-com formula

A romantic comedy is light-hearted, humorous and most of the time centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. And Antoinette Jadaone’s fifth directorial assignment stayed true to that principle.

Unpopular films win big at Star Awards

Historical action drama Bonifacio: Ang Unang Pangulo scooped the Movie of the Year plum at the glitzy Star Awards for Movies staged by the Philippine Movie Press Club last Sunday.

Box office losers win big at MMFF awards night

FENG Shui star Coco Martin appeared in a talk show a few weeks back and said he prefers to win an acting award rather than his film achieving commercial success.

The multi-awarded actor explained since he started in showbiz doing indie films, receiving accolades for his performance validates his being an actor.

Romantic-comedies dominate 2014 box office

LIGHT-hearted and humorous plotlines centered on true love with happy ending are the main themes of local films that dominated the box office in 2014.

Romantic comedies have a long history of doing well at the box office and this year is no exception. Out of 10 top-grossing films this year, eight movies were in the rom-com category.

Two of the films that made the elite list but did not follow the same theme were Star Cinema’s horror-comedy Da Possessed and horror-drama Maria Leonora Teresa. They raked in an estimated box office gross of P120 million and P72 million, respectively.

Oscar-winner Hillary Swank stars in a moving drama

Classical pianist  Kate (Hilary Swank) is afflicted with ALS, better known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Her husband Evan (Josh Duhamel) tries to find someone to take care of his wife. Bec (Emmy Rossum) – a college student – applies for the job despite being unsuited for the position. Kate sees something special in Bec and wants to have her as her caregiver to help her with everyday things like taking a shower. Kate and Bec help each other to live their lives and find their way in the world.

Directed by theater veteran George C. Wolfe (Angels in America), the film explores how two strangers can bring out the best in each other even in the midst of trials and tribulations.

You’re Not You details how human emotions can play a big part is keeping the audience sit through the whole film. Swank, as expected, delivers an incredibly moving performance as she portrays a gravely ill woman. It takes an intelligent actor to essay such role without making it look rehearsed. Her subtle  yet highly effective acting glorifies people who have the same condition yet show positive outlook in life including making complex decisions on how they would like to live their remaining days.

As the whole story revolves on Kate’s worsening condition, it also segues into relationship issues brought about by lack of real communication: her growing estrangement from her friends; her husband’s unfaithful outings; and her mother’s lack of emotional support in her current situation.

Bec, as an untamed soul, finds her purpose in this emotional journey. From a struggling musician, the college drop out becomes a self-thought ALS patient advocate. From a stubborn party owl, her character turned into a devoted companion assuming responsibilities beyond the job of a caregiver. Emmy Rossum’s plausible character development  is a delight to the audience.

Subplots  and support characters perfectly fit into the story without them taking the limelight from the real purpose of the film.

You’re Not You is distributed and released in the Philippines by Octoarts Films International and will hit movie theaters nationwide starting November 26.

WHAT IS ALS?

The ALS ice bucket challenge has recently taken social media by storm.Hollywood celebrities, local stars, and even ordinary people literally pitched in to support and fund research on the condition that is also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. Their social media videos may seem amusing, but there is a deeper reason why they subjected themselves to that bucket of ice-cold water.

This viral campaign started because not much is known about ALS or Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, which affects the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord. As with its most famous patient, American baseball player Lou Gehrig, people who are diagnosed with this condition degenerate as movement are slowly affected until the later stages that result in total paralysis. People who were otherwise healthy in their younger years start to lose control over the use of their muscles, and soon are unable to speak, walk, and feed themselves.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s disease, and rarely Charcot disease—is a neurodegenerative disorder with various causes. The term motor neurone disease (MND) is sometimes used interchangeably with ALS while others use it to refer to a group of similar conditions that include ALS. ALS is characterised by muscle spasticity, rapidly progressive weakness due to muscle wasting. This results in difficulty speaking, swallowing, and breathing. The disease usually starts around the age of 60, except in cases that are directly inherited when the usual age of onset is around 50.
About 5 to 10% of cases are directly inherited from a person’s parents. ALS is the most common of the five types of motor neuron disease.
The average survival from onset to death is three to four years. Only 4% survive longer than 10 years, although rare cases survive 50 years or more. Most die from respiratory failure. In much of the world rates of ALS are unknown. In Europe the disease affects about 2.2 people per 100,000 per year. In the United States, more than 5,600 are diagnosed every year, and up to 30,000 Americans are currently affected. ALS is responsible for 2 deaths per 100,000 people per year.
Descriptions of the disease date back to at least 1824 by Charles Bell. In 1869 the connection between the symptoms and the underlying neurological problems were first described by Jean-Martin Charcot who in 1874 began using the term amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. It became well known in the United States when it affected a famous baseball player by the name of Lou Gehrig, and later when the ice bucket challenge became popular in 2014.

Who is Lou Gehrig?
Baseball player

1. Henry Louis “Lou” or “Buster” Gehrig was an American baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees. Using number 4 as his mark, Lou plays First baseman and pinch hitter
2. Born: June 19, 1903, Yorkville, New York City, New York, United States
3. Died: June 2, 1941, Riverdale, New York City, New York, United States and buried in Kensico Cemetery, New York.
4. Spouse: Eleanor Gehrig (m. 1933–1941)

Directors Showcase: Cinemalaya features digital masterpieces

The 2014 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition, now on its 10th year and billed as Cinemalaya X, premieres a crop of 25 new digital films on August 1 to 10 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, its main venue, and at satellite venues at Ayala Theaters in Greenbelt Makati, Alabang Town Center, TriNoma, and Fairview Terraces, the latest addition to Cinemalaya satellite venues.

New Breed: Cinemalaya X features 10 full length digital features

The 2014 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition, now on its 10th year and billed as Cinemalaya X, premieres a crop of 25 new digital films on August 1 to 10 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, its main venue, and at satellite venues at Ayala Theaters in Greenbelt Makati, Alabang Town Center, TriNoma, and Fairview Terraces, the latest addition to Cinemalaya satellite venues.

MMFF 2013: There’s cash in trash

There’s a serious gap between the taste of the movie critics and the general public. Case in point, albeit negative reviews of film entries swamped all media platforms, the Metro Manila Film Festival still ended a massive success.

Towards sustainable cinema

A symposium for film professionals and enthusiasts was held last Saturday as the closing event of the International Film Exposition (IFX) held at the SMX Convention Center.

Is there a revival of Pinoy movies?

Local cinema has been having a phenomenal year. As of this writing, a total of five films have breached the elusive 100-million-peso mark in terms of box office revenues and at least two or more movies are expected to join the elite list.

The 2012 Metro Manila Film Festival is on

Nine movie outfits or a total of 14 movie scripts have been submitted to this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival, which will open on Christmas Day. 

HBO ASIA celebrates its 20TH anniversary with billion dollar month this June

HBO celebrates 20 years of bringing the best of Hollywood to Asia this June, with a line up of the biggest Hollywood blockbusters every night at 10pm from June 4 to July 1. Titles in this line up have grossed billions in box office receipts – these include FAST FIVE, THOR, BRIDESMAIDS and THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY, culminating on July 1 with TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON.

HISTORY features Manila as a hidden city

by Nickie Wang

An hour-long special on the Philippines will be featured on History’s flagship original production, Hidden Cities. In this episode, the team spearheaded by American-Burmese Anthony Morse, visited the Philippines and discovered stories and places that according to the host “may not even be familiar to locals.”

No Other Woman breaks box office records with P267 million in 4 weeks

The film No Other Woman top-billed by Anne Curtis, Derek Ramsay and Cristine Reyes is breaking box office records. After four weeks of commercial release, it has surpassed the record set by Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz’s 2009 film, You Changed My Life. 

Battle of the ‘tweens’: From T.G.I.S. vs Gimik to Tween Hearts vs Growing Up

by Nickie Wang

Some of the brightest names in show business today started out as part of teen-oriented shows and programs. And we can still identify those who were products of GMA-7’s T.G.I.S. or ABS-CBN’s Gimik, two teen drama shows that were very popular back then.

Philippines’ entry to the Foreign Language Film category of 84th Academy Awards

The award-winning independent film Ang Babae sa Septic Tank has been chosen by the Film Academy of the Philippines as the country’s entry to the Foreign Language Film category of 84th Academy Awards.

Vilma Santos back on the big screen

by Nickie Wang

Seasoned actress and Batangas Governor Vilma Santos lists show business as one of her least priority at the moment. She said that her being a public servant and a mother and a wife are undoubtedly her main concerns.

Spotlight: Superstar Nora Aunor and Drama Queen Judy Ann Santos in a grand showbiz comeback

by Nickie Wang

Two prominent showbiz names are making a big comeback on television. The first is hailed as the country’s lone superstar, who was out of the country for eight years, and the other is touted as soap opera queen, who took a short break after giving birth to her first child.