unSAULicited

Fox Searchlight Pictures and Indian Paintbrush bring together an all-star voice cast (Koyu Rankin, Greta Gerwig, Yoko Ono, Frances McDormand, Live Schreiber, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Bob Balaban, Jeff Goldblum, Bryan Cranston, Scarlett Johansson, F. Murray Abraham, Tilda Swinton and Harvey Keitel) in Wes Anderson’s endearing breakthrough stop-motion animation “Isle of Dogs” that will exclusively open in Ayala Malls Cinemas on May 30. “Isle of Dogs” is a grand adventure in set in a near-future Japan in the grips of a canine crisis and mass anti-dog hysteria where a boy tries to find and rescue his dog in a place known as Trash Island. The story, with its chatty canines, furred femmes fatales, a boy aviator, an intrepid school reporter, mutant viruses, mythical isle and step-by-step unraveling of a big human mistake, developed over time and innumerable cups of tea. Taking the primary human role of Atari Kobayashi, the heartbroken Japanese boy who makes a heroic flight to se...

In celebration of its 15th Anniversary, Renaissance Gallery, a leading purveyor of non-representational art in the country, presents “XV” which opens on June 10 till June 22 at the SM Art Center, with cocktail reception on June 13 at 6 pm. Featured are the works of Hermes Alegre, Bien Benitez, Remy Boquiren, Arley Carig, Macoy Coching, Addie Cukingnan, Melvin Culaba, August Espino, Egai Fernandez, Allain Hablo, Sam Penaso, Jay Ragma, Jucar Raquepo, Cid Reyes, Genesis Rovero, Ronaldo Ruiz, Aner Sebastian, Resty Tica, Valen Valero, Mellisa Villasenor , and Janice Young. Succeeding this show is “Ambidextrous,” a group exhibition of artists working in both representational art and abstraction, which opens on June 24, with cocktail reception on June 25 at 6 pm. The show runs until July 4. XV is curated by noted art critic, writer and visual artist Cid Reyes. The Art Center is on the 4/F, Bldg. A, SM Megamall, EDSA cor. Julia Vargas Ave., Mandaluyong City. For inquiries, call Marga...

Margie Moran Floirendo , chairperson of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (6 th from left, front row ) welcomed on Thursday / May 24, 2018 the participants to the 1 St ASEAN Small and Medium-sized Cultural Enterprises (SMCEs) Caravan gathering ongoing at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (PHOTO BY RODEL VALIENTE) Leading artists and craftspersons from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have assembled in a historic gathering at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) since May 21 for the unprecedented regional collaboration on creative economy and cultural intellectual property rights issues. All 10 members of the ASEAN are represented in the Manila meeting where 23 artists and craftspersons from the fields of performing arts, furniture-making, bamboo-weaving, sculpture, loom-weaving, beading, traditional Chinese hand puppetry, classical dance, art and design, traditional performance and costume and accessory design, and lacquer-making, have been ...

After its highly successful and much-talked about debut last April, Manila Wrestling Federation (MWF) – the country’s hottest live athletic entertainment company – marches on with its fun, family-friendly and Pinoy- flavored brand of professional wrestling with “MWF 2: Maki-Wrestling, ‘Wag Matakot” at the UP Bahay ng Alumni, Diliman, Quezon City on May 27. Show starts at 6 PM. The evening’s main event features the company’s two top stars: the freedom-loving Robin Sane against the patriotic Mr. Lucha, kicking off a grand tournament to crown the first-ever MWF Champion in December, which is set to be the country’s most-coveted prize in sports and entertainment. Now dubbed as the Philippines’ first and only “AksyoNovela”, the MWF delivers relatable and relevant stories through colorful, larger-than-life and uniquely Filipino characters, including the overly enthusiastic inspirational life coach Gus Queens, the Pinoy fighter Rex Lawin, action star Gigz Stryker and the street bully Fa...

Tanghalang Ateneo, the longest-running theater company of the Loyola Schools of the Ateneo de Manila University, presents The Squaddies’ Shrew, its 39 th Season intersession production and entry to the third biennial conference of the Asian Shakespeare Association: “Shakespeare, Traffic, Tropics”. The play is Ian Maclennan’s adaptation and direction of William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Ian Maclennan is Professor and current Chair of the Department of Theater and Motion Picture Arts of Thorneloe University in Laurentian, Canada where he teaches Theater History, Shakespeare in Performance, Acting, and Directing. He has written extensively on Shakespearean performance, several of them presented in various conferences across the world. Also an active theater practitioner, Ian has acted and directed in countless productions for the university and the professional stage, and has facilitated workshops on various aspects of performance, Shakespearean or otherwise, in various i...

Filipino movie editor John Anthony Wong won Best Editing for "Bhoy Intsik" in the Foreign Language Film category of the Nice International Filmmaker Festival 2018 held in France from May 5 to 12. Wong bested fellow nominees Chang-Gyun Kim ("A Trip With Friends"), Aziz Imamoglu ("Dad Where Are You I Am Lost"), Yuji Kakizaki and Yasutake Torii ("Dai 2 Keibitai – The Second Security Unit"), Yuan Fang ("Destiny Among the Mountains"), Jose David ("Flea"), Giancarlo Escamillas and Carlo Ortega Cuevas ("Guerrero"), Takeshi Iwamoto ("Lemon & Letter"), Alex Vargas ("Rice"), Shinpei Masui ("Spit & Honey"), Maxime Aubert ("The Blogger"), Abdulla Alneyadi ("The Tragedy of the Monster") and Sreekar Prasad ("To Let"). "Bhoy Intsik," a film about two small-time felons who crossed paths and forged an uncanny friendship, stars Raymond ...

Artist Playground will hold auditions for its forthcoming original Pinoy musical “Geegee at Waterina ” on May 26 – 7 pm onwards at 112 Arts Above, West Avenue QC ( beside McDonald’s ). The production is looking for Males – 20-35 years old. Can sing and dance. Preferably with ‘ hunk ’ physique. Bring photos and music material. With book and lyrics by J. Dennis C. Teodosio, “Geegee At Waterina” was first presented at the CCP Virgin Labfest in 2005. A short film version was produced for Cinemalaya in 2006. The roles of GEEGEE AT WATERINA will be portrayed by Norman Penaflorida and Roeder Camanag respectively. GEEGEE is an entertainment actor, radio host and a counselor of Pasay City. More than 60 years old. WATERINA is a ‘comfort gay’ during Japanese Occupation in the Philippines. More than 70 years old. She is one of Gee-gee’s Golden Gays. With original music composed by Jesse Lucas, and choreography by Leslie Dailisan, GEEGEE AT WATERINA will be directed by Andrew de Real....

A short film from Far Eastern University will be screened as part of the  Diwa Filipino Film Showcase  at Seattle Center Armory Loft 1 in the United States on  June 2  and will compete at the  ShanghaiPRIDE Film Festival  in China from  June 9 to 17 .   Pua Iyam  (Coming Out) , a film about a Filipino-Chinese student ( Rowi Du ) who discovers his true identity and feelings for his childhood friend ( Raphael Cruz ), further spreads its cinematic reach to other countries. This comes after it bagged the Best Screenplay and Best Actor in a Lead Role awards at the  9th Largabista Film Festival  in Tacloban City, Leyte and a special citation on gender sensitivity from the first  Palawan International Film Festival .   Written and directed by  Juan Pablo Pineda III , the film previously won several awards from different student film competitions starting from its home turf in FEU then moving on to De La Salle-...

Navotas City Hall, through its Public Information Office, conducted a seminar-workshop on digital filmmaking for junior high school students and teachers last May 10 and 11, from  8 a.m. to 5 p.m. , at the Pangisdaan Hall, 4th Floor NCH. The workshop, which was facilitated by advocacy filmmaker and film educator Seymour Sanchez, aims to prepare the participants for the shoot of their short narrative film entries to the 3rd Navoteño Film Festival. Navotas City Mayor John Reynald Tiangco and Vice Mayor Clint Nicolas Geronimo also delivered inspirational talks during the event. Sanchez teaches filmmaking, film appreciation and video production at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts, and cinema, scriptwriting and journalism at the Far Eastern University Department of Communication. He is a graduate of the 14th  Ricky   Lee  scriptwriting workshop for film and the first Brillante Mendoza directing class. His short film "Careta...

Years after captivating audiences with The Royal Tenenbaums and Fantastic Mr. Fox, acclaimed director Wes Anderson has again begun wowing audiences in his latest masterpiece “Isle of Dogs” starring some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Led by an all-star voice cast such as Bryan Cranston (“Breaking Bad”), Scarlett Johansson (“Lucy”), Yoko Ono, Bill Murray (“Ghostbusters”), Frances McDormand (“Three Billboards in Ebbing Missouri”) and Liev Shreiber (“X-Men”). “Isle of Dogs” details the story of Atari Kobayashi, when an outbreak of the canine flu spreads in Japan, by Executive Decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump. a scrappy pack of exiled dogs who’ve banded together to survive makes an amazing discovery: the crash-landing of a little human pilot who will take them on a life-changing journey. Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies to Trash Island in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of ...

“Deadpool 2” introduces an ever-growing stronger alliance of the Merc with a Mouth with returning and new characters that features an extremely talented cast starring alongside Ryan Reynolds – Josh Brolin, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Brianna Hildebrand, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni, Julian Dennison, Zazie Beetz, Shioli Kutsuna and Jack Kesy. Ryan Reynolds not only stars in the title role, he also co-wrote (along with Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick) and produced “Deadpool 2.” “Ryan is an incredible comedic talent,” says director David Leitch, “and “Deadpool” works as a perfect ground for things he really excels at. He took that character from the comic books and made it his own brand. There’s a synergistic effect with “Deadpool” and Ryan. He’s funny and irreverent but also has a huge heart and compassion, like Deadpool.” Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld says, “The best version is what they’ve done with these films because they’ve put the utmost care and love into them and they haven’t b...

20th Century Fox finally reveals the first trailer of “The Predator” where a young boy unknowingly opens a path towards Earth for the most dangerous of hunters in the universe. Helmed by blockbuster filmmaker Shane Black (Iron Man 3), “The Predator” is an action-packed and intensely high-octane movie that will open in Philippine cinemas on September 12. “The Predator” trails the return of the most dangerous of creatures in the universe that continuously upgrade themselves genetically using DNA from other species making them supreme and unequal killing machines. When Rory (played by Jacob Tremblay, The Room & Wonder), activates a mysterious alien device that paves way for the predators’ return, his father and an unlikely band of crazy ex-soldiers form an alliance to fight a common unbeatable enemy to save the human race from extinction. The movie features an impressive cast that includes Olivia Munn (from X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: Dark Phoenix, Ocean’s 8), Boyd Holbrook...

1. Schedule This is a very limited run so make sure that you get your tickets literally as soon as possible. Here's the schedule: May 11 8:30 pm May 12 3:00 and 7:00 pm*  May 13 3:00 and 8:00 pm  May 19 3:00 and 8:00 pm  May 20 3:00 and 8:00 pm  Ticket prices for all shows except May 12 (7:00 pm) are Php1200 (VIP), Php1000 (Orchestra Center), Php800 (Orchestra Sides), Php1000 (Balcony Center), and Php500 (Balcony Sides).  *The May 12 (7:00 pm) show is sponsored by the UPCM Class of 1998 as a fundraiser for the benefit of the National Children’s Hospital Pediatric Surgical and Cancer patients. Ticket prices are Php1500 (VIP), Php1300 (Orchestra Center), Php1000 (Orchestra Sides), Php1200 (Balcony Center), and Php800 (Balcony Sides).  You can book your tickets through Ticketworld (http://bit.ly/CPticketworld). You may also call or text (0945 499 1008) or send a message to the PETA Theater Center Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PETAThe...

The National Commission for Culture and the Arts and the Cultural Center of the Philippines together with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of China and the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China proudly presents a special Beijing Opera performance of “ The Monkey King Making Havoc in Heaven ” featuring The Qingdao Peking Opera Company on Friday, 18 May 2018 (Gala Night) at 7:30 pm and Saturday, 19 May 2018 at 7:30 pm at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (CCP Little Theater) CCP Complex, Roxas Blvd., Pasay City. Admission is FREE. For ticket reservations, please call the NCCA International Affairs Office at (02) 527-2206 -- - Mon. – Thurs. 10 am to 4 pm. The year 2018 marks the 43rd year of the formal establishment of the Philippines - China Diplomatic Relations. In light of the progress made by the increase of official people-to- people contacts and exchanges, both countries agreed to facilitate cultural activities to further enhance the Philippines-China bilateral rel...

"With a great sunset comes great responsibility." - Direk Ga Poised to be your next summer tradition, the Palawan International Film Festival and Media Arts Expo (PIFFMAX) is the perfect event for film aficionados and art lovers alike. Set right next to the shores of San Vicente's Long Beach, this outdoor party gives the unique experience of watching movies while sitting in beach chairs, lounging on mats. The moonlight and the sound of the waves give the perfect extra sound track to what your viewing. Surrounding the cinema are small kiosks of crafts, an art exhibit, food booths, and the camping grounds. Probably, the best part of the whole experience is meeting people who have a heart for positivity. The first night ended with a boodle fight where even if most of us met for the first time, you know that camaraderie and commitment to the cause of PIFFMAX is already formed. Definitely, PIFFMAX is one for the books and I am very excited to see it continuously grow...