unSAULicited

The country’s flagship classical and contemporary dance company opens its 47th performance season with “FIREBIRD and other ballets”. A mixed bill of contemporary and neo-classical works, the show features pieces by David Campos, Dwight Rodrigazo, and Carlo Pacis, and an all-new “Firebird”, choreographed by George Birkadze. Russian-born choreographer George Birkadze reimagines the Russian folk tale of “The Firebird” and brings it into a pre-Hispanic Philippine setting. The ballet’s costumes are designed by Mark Lewis Higgins, taking inspiration from historical documents such as the Boxer Codex, and using elements such as gold, spices, and porcelain. Renowned Spanish choreographer David Campos draws from the company’s unique strengths as he reworks “Nenelehdej” for the cast. Originally performed by Ballet David Campos, the piece is a witty take on neo-classical ballet. “Moving Two” by Dwight Rodrigazo is a contemporary pas de deux originally choreographed for Jean Marc Cordero an...

Also located at Madison Galeries along Don Jesus Boulevard, the Bing Su offers Korean desserts:  Here's what the large Berry Cheese Bing Su looks like: It's great for sharing but may be a bit expensive for P420. As per their menu, it's good for 2-3 people but you can actually share it with more than 3 people. The one on top is not ice cream but some sort of strawberry cream. The whole thing is not so sweet but if you want to make it sweeter, you can ask for condensed milk. The place is huge and most likely, you would always have a table even if your group is big. It's worth going back to.

Another classic work of Hans Christian Andersen will be premiered through its famous story of “THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES” by Kids Acts Philippines, the premier children’s theatre in the country. This is the company’s 14th Musical Theatre Season offering for schools, parents, children and the entire family. Kids Acts Philippines proudly presents “THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES” with script, lyrics and direction by LUIGI NACARIO, who won his first writing crown from BroadwayWorld Philippines Awards through Hansel and Gretel Musical and music by EUGENE BELBIS, who recently won his Best Musical Director Trophy of last year’s ALIW Awards through Beauty and the Beast Musical. These two collaborators of creating children’s musicals were named by critics as the Philippines’ “Jim Eiler and Jean Bargy”, the renowned creators of children’s musicals of the world. The Emperor’s New Clothes is a story of honesty, forgiveness and humility. It corners the Emperor’s vanity to clothes and living a life...

Located along, Don Jesus Boulevard in Alabang, Madison Galeries is starting to become alive as more and more shops open. Most of the restaurants are on soft opening and do not accept cards yet. One of those is A Burger Place. It gives a familiar, almost no-nonsense vibe with wooden stools and tables. Here's the menu: They say that the burger is similar to Tropical Hut's. I wasn't in the mood for it so I got a fish burger and we ordered several sides: You get the most value for your money from the nachos. The combination of the cheese and the meat is a bit sweet. The onion rings were big but they were too oily and the mojos weren't really tasty. My fish burger came shortly after the sides were served.  I ordered it with "everything on it" but that doesn't look like "caramelized onions" to me:  The patty tasted like some sort of fish nugget, because it possibly was one big one:  I asked for a fork and a knife but the knife ...

Emma Roberts and Dave Franco star in “Nerve,” a timely edge-of-your-seat thriller and a razor-sharp examination of the seductive power of social media. Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, best known for their work on “Catfish” and the “Paranormal Activity” series, who have created an action-packed urban adventure that also offers keen insights into online behavior. Based on the popular young-adult novel by Jeanne Ryan, the game of “Nerve” introduces a pool of young thrill-seeking players who accept increasingly risky dares from anonymous watchers to win valuable rewards. As small-time pranks ramp up into dangerous, sometimes acts, fans watch the action captured live on smartphones. In “Nerve,” when Staten Island high-school senior Vee Delmonico (played by Emma Roberts) is challenged by her best friend to take part in the game, it launches a series of life-changing events. Each game of Nerve lasts only 24 hours; then a winner is declared and it moves on to the next ch...

From DreamWorks, creators of highly successful animation such as “Kung Fu Panda,” “How To Train Your Dragon” and “Madagascar” comes “Trolls,” the most smart, funny, irreverent animated comedy of the year. “Trolls” takes the audience to a colorful, wondrous world populated by hilariously unforgettable characters and discover the story of the overly optimistic creatures (Trolls), with a constant song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have trolls in their stomach. “Trolls” features the voice of Anna Kendrick as Poppy, the optimistic leader of the Trolls, and her polar opposite, Branch, played by Justin Timberlake. Together, this unlikely pair of Trolls must embark on an adventure that takes them far beyond the only world they've ever known. Leading the happy bunch of Trolls is Poppy (Kendrick), a relentlessly upbeat — if slightly naive — Troll whose father King Peppy saved his subjects from the Troll-hungry Bergens. As she and...

“Mr. and Mrs. Smith” meets “Date Night” couple in the upcoming action comedy “Keeping Up with the Joneses” starring Zach Galifianakis, Isla Fisher, Gal Gadot and Jon Hamm. “Keeping Up with the Joneses” follows an ordinary suburban couple Jeff (Galifianakis) and Karen (Fisher) living in solace until an ultra stylish couple, (Gadot and Hamm) moves in to the neighbourhood. Spying on their new neighbours, they find it hard to keep up with the Joneses especially when they discover that Mr. and Mrs. “Jones” are covert operatives. Directed by Greg Mottola, “Keeping Up with the Joneses” opens October 19 in cinemas from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

It’s an all-or-nothing online game in the exhilarating thriller “Nerve” set on the streets of New York City, where amateur daredevils competes for the highest payoff that mines their online information, exploiting their wildest dreams—and their deepest fears. “Nerve” stars Dave Franco, Emma Roberts, Emily Meade, Kimiko Glenn, Marc John Jefferies, Brian Marc, Samira Wiley and Juliette Lewis. A cautionary tale for the highly-active social network generation, “Nerve” starts with an industrious, shy high school senior Vee Delmonico (Roberts) who is challenged by her best friend to take part in the game. Vee breaks out of her comfort zone when she impulsively signs up for Nerve, an adrenaline-fueled competition that streams live over the internet. Young thrill-seekers challenge each other to a series of dares that rapidly escalate from mildly embarrassing to downright deadly, as an anonymous community of “watchers” instigates the action. Suddenly, Vee becomes an overnight superstar...

Located at the 2/F of the Evia Lifestyle Center along Daang Hari, Another Story was an eyeful. One way or another, its interiors will catch your attention. Mismatched chairs, writings on the wall, both cheesy and informative, and other trinkets will definitely catch your attention. Food and drinks were more expensive than expected but they didn't quite meet my expected happy ending. The cheesecake was good but the sea salt caramel sauce was blah. It was too runny, maybe even a bit salty. It disconnected itself from the actual dessert. The crust was worse. Graham crackers in mango float homemade refrigerator cakes had better consistency. I had a Flat White and it was actually that. It was too flat, too thin, too warm to be enjoyed. Servers weren't familiar with the coffee drinks and they had to call their barista to assist us. This was alright but when asked if a certain drink already has sugar, I expect a quick answer, not one delayed by asking the barista yet again...

Academy Award-winner Helen Mirren stars in the white-knuckle thriller “Eye in the Sky” that tackles the moral ambiguities of modern-day warfare. Co-starring with Mirren are three-time Emmy Award winner Aaron Paul (from “Breaking Bad”) and the late Alan Rickman (best known for his role in the Harry Potter films as Professor Severus Snape). A contemporary international thriller set in the shadowy world of remotely piloted drone warfare, “Eye in the Sky” tracks London-based military intelligence officer Colonel Katherine Powell (Mirren) who is remotely commanding a top secret drone operation to capture a group of dangerous terrorists from their safe-house in Nairobi, Kenya. The mission suddenly escalates from a “capture” to a “kill” operation as Powell realizes that the terrorists are about to embark on a deadly suicide mission. From his base in Nevada, American drone pilot Steve Watts (Paul) is poised to destroy the safe-house when a nine year old girl enters the kill zone just outsi...

" Although there are 4.5 million depressed Filipinos – the highest in Southeast Asia — only one out of three who suffer from depression will seek the help of a specialist, according to WHO. One third will not even be aware of their condition. " Source: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/524070/lifestyle/healthandwellness/special-report-suicide-and-the-pinoy-youth Mental illness exists even if it is taboo in a society like ours. Studies suggest that suicide is increasing among the youth even if we still have one of the lowest, if not the lowest rates. This is the main issue that Suicide Incorporated would want the audience to think about. Twin Bill Theater advocates that it is #TimeToTalk about it. Written by Andrew Hinderaker for Off-Broadway year 2010, this mix of comedy and tragedy imagines how it could be if there was a company who helps you in writing your suicide note. For this run, The PARC Foundation in San Juan houses all 10 performances from July 15...

Cebu-born Galen Tan Chu helms the latest instalment of the global “Ice Age” hit franchise - “Ice Age: Collision Course” as co-director with acclaimed filmmaker Michael Thurmeier. Galen Tan Chu spent his early (11) years in the Philippines before migrating to the US where he studied illustration and animation at Pratt Institute. Chu is a true veteran of the “Ice Age” franchise and Blue Sky Studios, having started his career at Blue Sky Studios as an animator on “Ice Age” (2002). He then became a lead animator on Blue Sky's second animated feature “Robots” (2005). On “Ice Age: The Meltdown” (2006), he was promoted to supervising animator and then served as supervising animator on “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” (2008), “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” (2009), “Rio” (2011) and “Epic” (2013). He also directed the direct-to-DVD short “Surviving Sid” (2008). Audiences everywhere love the Ice Age films, one of the biggest animated motion picture series in the world. Each new...