Star Powerhouse

There's a reason why ORO is considered part of the pool of competing movie entries for the 2016 Metro Manila Film Festival. It was as gritting as it gets, from the effectiveness of their character actors to the story that is more of a realistic battle of compromises for the common welfare such as seasonal livelihood, environmental issues, and corrupting politics.  ORO isn't just another screened tale of accounts of a crime incident and its background. Moreover, it was an imagery of what is happening here in the country – past and present.

As someone relatively unfamiliar and/or indifferent with the complex Star Wars mythology, this supposed standalone movie didn't do me any favors, especially since it was obviously made to satisfy fanboys. At the very least, The Force Awakens was completely accessible to non-fans that simply wanted an enjoyable popcorn flick (with the feeling of nostalgia as a bonus).

The group recently launched their debut Christmas album “Dakilang Hiwaga,” which includes a wide variety of songs. Also included in the album are some songs from their European Concert and Competition tour repertoire. The group aims to further cement the Filipino’s reputation of having some of the world’s most formidable musicians through this trip. The group is set to compete in the most prestigious choral singing festivals and

More than 6,700 runners participated in the second year of the Gatorade Run 11-22. The titular run, fueled by the world’s number one sports drink and organized by Runrio, aimed to promote proper hydration in the country’s fast-growing and active running communities. 

The last quarter of 2016 was a very busy but extremely exciting and fulfilling time at the Metropolitan Museum of Manila (MET) which marked its 40th year.  A series of anniversary exhibitions and public programs celebrated the museum’s steadfast partners and new collaborators. MET’s series of anniversary exhibitions began on September with the  Brillante Mendoza: A Contemporary Filipino Filmmaker . As the museum’s first major show on the moving image, it showcased the varied video productions that have made Mendoza the award-winning filmmaker that he is today, and gave a perspective on where Philippine cinema is heading. In November, a three-part exhibition collectively called  FORTY  was launched.  These look back at the MET’s history, proudly shows off its Philippine art collection, and echoes its complementary relationship with its long-time partner, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Get ready for more heart-pounding action as the hit police procedural action drama, Hawaii Five-0, returns for an all new season on AXN this January. After a near-death experience, Steve (Alex O’Loughlin) and his investigative team face a new round of criminals out to sow mayhem in the island paradise – a mysterious vigilante who murders serial killers, a vengeful father out to avenge the death of his son, an assassin that targets environmentalists, a terror group that holds high school students hostage, and even a ragtag death cult, and more!

A short film which tackles brotherhood, parenthood and belongingness recently bagged the   Audience Choice Award   in the   Active Vista International Human Rights Film Festival   short film competition. Seymour Sanchez ‘s   Caretaker   tells the story of a new caretaker ( Rolando Inocencio ) who comes in to replace the previous keeper of a vacation house of a wealthy family. He is a single parent trying to make ends meet while taking care of his two sons ( Jomari Angeles   and   Luis Ruiz ). He meets his boss ( Raymond Riñoza ), the owner of the house, and is informed the family will be using it for the holiday. He starts cleaning the house in preparation for the family’s arrival. Meanwhile, the owner’s son ( John Paul Duray ) has other plans. The caretaker is caught off-guard when the owner’s son comes home one night, with his fraternity brothers. Moreover, the caretaker is unaware that he is in for a ...

Pinoy power reigned supreme last night as AXN crowned Filipino beauty queens Maggie Wilson-Consunji and Parul Shah winners of The Amazing Race Asia Season 5. In the gripping finale episode, Maggie and Parul arrived first at the pit stop in Bali with just minutes to spare havingsurvived challenges insix countries, 12 cities and over 12,000 kilometres, beating 10 other teams to claim the ultimate USD100,000 cash prize.

This December, Crime + Investigation Network (CI)brings the disturbing true story of Colleen Stan, the Oregon native who was abducted in 1977 and was held captive and imprisoned for up to 23 hours a day in a coffin-sized box for seven years in a documentary special.

This December, fill your weeknights with nonstop fun and laughter when the new season of World’s Funniest Videos: Top 10 Countdown premieres on Sony Channel.

The battle continues when BattleBots, the extraordinary competitive reality series that has garnered a huge following in the sport of robot combat, returns on AXN this December. This year’s playing field boasts of contestants representing four continents from around the world. From NASA engineers to expert roboticists, from garage builders to teenage students, and even past competitors, this group of hardcore robot builders will design and build robots that will face off against each other in combat in the elimination rounds until one is crowned champion.

Your Name (Japanese: 君の名は。 Hepburn: Kimi no Na wa) is a 2016 Japanese anime fantasy film written and directed by Makoto Shinkai, animated by CoMix Wave Films, and distributed by Toho. It is based on Shinkai's novel of the same name, released on June 18, 2016. The characters were designed by Masayoshi Tanaka and the J-rock band Radwimps composed the music.

Mano Po 7: Chinoy (華菲人) is a Filipino film starring Richard Yap, Jean Garcia, Enchong Dee and Janella Salvador. This is the 7th offering of the Mano Po franchise from Regal Entertainment. The movie is set to center on relationship issues among the modern generation Tsinoys.

For someone who has seen #MabiningMandirigma on its gala show on its first run, to the second set a few months after...and even on its third run, it's quite inevitable not to have some memorable moments with this much acclaimed (and loved) steam punk musicale.

TOP FIVE REASONS TO WATCH THE DIGITALLY REMASTERED EDITION OF MAGIC TEMPLE ON THEATERS “Buto, kalansay, tabi-tabi po sa bangkay. Lulubog, lilitaw sasaradong hukay”  For those who grew up in 90s who are not familiar with these witty lyrics, I really do not know what kind of childhood you had but kidding aside, Magic Temple is truly an iconic film of 1996 which dominated the Metro Manila Film Festival bagging all the major awards including the Best Film, Best Cinematography and more.

It wasn't as good as The Little Mermaid, but it was fine enough to keep the little kids in their cinema seats. There were just so many long stretches where I felt like nothing much was really happening. I really liked the gorgeous animation and it also had a good Disney princess "I Want" song (albeit that sounded vaguely familiar). I didn't feel the need to buy a stuffed toy of any of the characters after watching, though.

The Super Parental Guardians is a 2016 Philippine action comedy film starring Vice Ganda and Coco Martin. The film is directed by Joyce Bernal and is under the production of Star Cinema. The film marks the second film of Coco with Vice after their blockbuster tandem in the 2015 movie Beauty and the Bestie.

Enteng Kabisote 10 and the Abangers is a 2016 Filipino fantasy-comedy film starring Vic Sotto. The film is the tenth movie installment based on the television sitcom Okay Ka, Fairy Ko!. The film was announced on August 2016 with Marlon N. Rivera and Tony Y. Reyes attached as directors

Asian entertainment channel GEM is holding an online call to search for talented individuals in Asia who can sing in Japanese.  The winner of the search will represent GEM in Nippon Television Network Corporation (Nippon TV)’s singing competition show I Can Sing in Japanese!in Tokyo next year.