Writer
Writer
TV & FilmIt’s difficult to remember an awards season happening under more socially or politically charged circumstances than this one. Art has the power of bringing some semblance of clarity to life, and film is no different. This writer, for one, believes that art must be looked at through the lens of the circumstances surrounding it, and […]
March 12, 2017
TV & FilmThe turning point is marked with a gunshot and a man stumbling to the ground in the rain, dead. That moment, coming at around a third into the film, is the line that delineates the identity crisis that serves as the fundamental flaw in Kabisera, Real Florido’s true-to-life depiction of a family victimized by extra-judicial […]
January 6, 2017
TV & FilmFew things are as satisfying as a good love story, and if there’s anything Filipino cinema has mastered over the decades, it’s telling them. There’s certainly a lot of dreck—the byproducts of an industry that often sacrifices quality and originality for quantity and star power—but every once in a while, it churns out an understated […]
January 4, 2017
TV & FilmWhen you start seeing twinkling lights as you drive down the streets of your neighborhood or when you hear someone singing “Jingle Bell Rock” with utmost enthusiasm, it can only mean one thing: It’s Christmas time! There really is no season like it — from the stirring of our holiday spirits when we set up […]
December 21, 2016
MusicRegardless of where you stand in the wide spectrum of music genres, it’s hard to argue that 2016 wasn’t a good year for music. After four years of silence, Frank Ocean unleashed what could be his greatest release to date. Justin Timberlake put out a single that was later immortalized in the hearts of Atenean […]
November 15, 2016
MusicThe words are probably still ringing in your head. “Hey, I just met you and this is crazy, but here’s my number, so call me maybe.” “Call Me Maybe” was Carly Rae Jepsen’s breakout hit, an earworm that infected us with the use of cute lyrics, simple beats and Jepsen’s light and sharp vocals. This […]
November 15, 2016
TV & FilmWith the Oscar season once again kicking into gear, prospective and speculative winners have begun crawling out of the woodwork. From large-scale prestige pictures to smaller, more intimate affairs, Oscar-worthy films can come in all sorts of packages. Over the past few months, new faces have broken into the awards scene, while old favorites—we see […]
October 24, 2016
TV & FilmFor as long as cinema could talk, it has sung. From the elegant and intricate Busby Berkeley revues of the 1930s to today’s more technically bombastic and effects-laden spectacles, the movie musical genre has had a long, storied history, and has drawn in crowds of both show-tune aficionados and casual moviegoers just looking for their […]
April 9, 2016
TV & FilmQuick, name the most memorable movie character of 2015. Chances are, there are only two answers to this question. Either it’s Imperator Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road or Rey from The Force Awakens. There can be other responses, but no one would argue against these two being some of the most engaging cinematic heroes […]
April 9, 2016
Theater & ArtsFew things are harder to talk about than love, mostly because it’s been talked about so often and for so long that nearly every new attempt just comes off as passé. Love as a concept is simultaneously so nuanced that it defies a complete articulation, and so commonplace that we can’t help but try anyway. […]
April 7, 2016
TV & FilmIt’s the start of a new year, and for most movie fans, this means the start of awards season. The Golden Globes has already passed us by, but there’s still more than a month left till the end of the road—the Oscars. Over the next few weeks, social media will be buzzing with predictions and […]
February 22, 2016
MusicFor the most part, every Christmas album sounds the same. The formula is simple: Take a few popular standards, add the usual bells and strings, and deviate from the norm as little as possible. As such, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a holiday record that you haven’t pretty much heard a million times before, and […]
December 21, 2015
Theater & ArtsGenerally, the Ateneo Blue Repertory (BlueRep) is known for staging relatively upbeat productions, filled with bright lights, pristine sets, and lively song-and-dance numbers. Urinetown, the org’s latest theatrical offering, isn’t that kind of play. However, it is no less of a musical delight. Adapted from the Tony Award-winning original written by Greg Kotis and Mark […]
November 16, 2015
TV & FilmIt’s only November, but Oscar season is already fully underway. Most of the relevant movies have already screened on the festival circuit, and with the big three festivals in Toronto, Venice, and Telluride already over with, awards predictors have already begun taking guesses at which films are poised to take home a statuette or three. […]
November 5, 2015
TV & FilmI first caught Heneral Luna in late May, a full three months before it rolled out in theaters nationwide last September. Nothing about it screamed blockbuster. It screened in advance at a hole-in-the-wall indie theater in Greenhills, and it was helmed by Jerrold Tarog, whose last film—the wonderful Sana Dati—was an intimate lo-fi ensemble drama […]
October 29, 2015
TV & FilmEveryone loves a good scary movie, and ever since the invention of cinema in the 1890s, there have been filmmakers pushing the envelope on the horror film genre. From the startling (at the time) sight of a train hurtling straight towards the audience—as the Lumiere brothers put to film in their 1896 work Train Pulling […]
October 25, 2015
TV & FilmIt’s Halloween time again, and even if you’ve outgrown costumes and trick or treating, there are other ways to get into the spirit of the season. For most people, that means buckling down and enjoying some good horror movies with a few friends. There’s nothing quite as thrilling as a scary movie, especially the kind […]
October 21, 2015
Theater & ArtsIt has often been said that millennials suffer from the lack of a generational struggle. Instead of being united by some greater, shared tragedy, Generation Y is fragmented by dozens of little tragedies, ranging from the trivial—like embarrassing Facebook photos or Tinder escapades—to the overwhelming—like the perils of globalization and social media shaming. When taken […]
October 11, 2015
TV & FilmWith school having just started, many of us are still trying to snap ourselves out of vacation mode. It’s difficult to get excited about lectures and syllabi, when just a month ago you were spending whole days just lazing in bed and binge-watching TV shows while wrapped up in a cozy blanket. Still, there’s a […]
October 5, 2015
TV & FilmWith the successful reception of Judd Apatow’s latest film, Trainwreck, audiences everywhere are feeling the change in how women are portrayed in romantic-comedy movies. In his other notable films such as Knocked Up and Bridesmaids, Apatow’s female protagonists don’t shun away from the possibility that women can be loud, raunchy, and, most importantly, funny. Amy […]
September 28, 2015