BENILDE'S DING ANG BATO! WOWS GALA NIGHT CROWD

The Benilde Arts and Culture Cluster's Production of Ding, Ang Bato! wowed a packed crowd of VIPs and theater aficionados at gala held last Tuesday, May 15, 7pm at the SDA Theater.

The dance musical, based on Mars Ravelo's Darna, opened to a rousing reception from the audience. The production design of Tuxq Rutaquio with lighting design by Joaquin Jose Aranda, Projection design by Joee Mejias and shadow play by Sig Pecho left the packed theater in awe. Music by Ejay Yatco and Jef Flores, and sound design by Aji Manalo proved to be a powerful
soundtrack to the awesome spectacle. The searing solos by Stacy Abarca as Narda, Paula Paguio as Lola Isabel and Natasha Cabrera as Valentina were met with a loud applause, and the epic introduction of Christine Crame as Darna left the crowd cheering.

At the end of the show, the audience and friends in the media were treated to a quick question and answer session where the cast and the creative team gamely answered questions. Among the attendees were the family of Mars Ravelo. Rex Ravelo paid tribute to the young team of the College of St. Benilde, noting that
Darna was product of his father’s creative mind when he was about their age.

The production is the brainchild of Director and librettist Chris Millado and dramaturg Dr. Sunita Mukhi with the guidance of Mars Ravelo Karakters Inc and ABS-CBN. It is a modern retelling of the Darna lore, through the eyes of Narda's Deaf brother Ding. As such, sign language is adeptly incorporated in the choreography of Denisa Reyes and Ernest Mandap. It is a contemporary tale
brought to life by the theater world’s bright young talents, with the College of St. Benilde's homegrown talent, including the Deaf performers of the School of Deaf and Applied Sciences.

Ding Ang Bato! runs until May 21 with 1pm and 7pm shows at the SDA Theater, School of Design and Arts, P. Ocampo St Manila. Tickets are available at the venue and all Ticketworld outlets.

For updates and inquiries, you may follow Ding Ang Bato! on Facebook (fb.me/dingangbato2018), Instagram (@dingangbato2018), and Twitter (@dingangbato2018).

For press inquiries, please contact Aldrin Lunod (aldrin.lunod@benilde.edu.ph).

Copyright 2018 De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. Produced by De La Salle- College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts. Under License of Mars Ravelo Komiks Characters, Inc. and ABS-CBN

Cartoonized Photos by: Trixie Dauz

Album Link: https://www.facebook.com/muzstay4u/media_set?set=a.10155700836997106.1073742521.705687105&type=3

Freshly Minted Hip-hop Artist from Mint College Ganzi Join Flict-G. Dello, and Curse One in Vertical Brew Music

Ganzi hails from Mandaluyong City and is a college undergraduate of MINT College taking up Bachelor of Music Business Management Major in Performing and Sound Production.

He is a former dance member of the school's official dance troupe aside from being a singer focused on rapping and songwriting. He is inspired by international artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Joji, Rich Brian, Tupac, and Suicide Boys. His challenges himself by writing songs about taboo topics which people usually shy from.

Ganzi incorporates a liberated mindset when it comes to his songs but he still makes sure that the audience can relate to every verse he drops. He admits to being a musician at heart even as a child and is very much into digital music production.

His debut single All You Know was released last March. Recently, he was introduced to selected press people and he performed his single back-to-back with the other hip-hop artists performing their latest songs which are Flict-G (Mahal Kita Kahit...), Dello (U.T.I. - Umibig Tapos Iniwan), amd Curse One (Stay).

Follow the latest news about them on https://www.facebook.com/verticalbrewmusicinc.

FILM REVIEW AND MUSINGS: HITBOY (CINEFILIPINO 2018)

SCORE: 3/5

dir. Bor Ocampo

In 2017, a 17-year old teenager nicknamed "Little Bean" was arrested in Colombia for carrying out more than 30 murders. TBA Studios gave us Neomanila in 2017, which premiered in that year's edition of QCinema festival. One of the protagonists there was also a young hitman, or a Hitboy. But, this film is much more than the moral dilemma that comes with having to kill people at a very young age.

The first few shots establish that not only the protagonist Alex (Adrian Cabido) is a cross between a jejemon and a Hypebeast, he also has a penchant for breaking in during broad daylight to steal stuff, such as bikes. He lives with his girlfriend Nicky (Rea Molina), Jay-Jay (Juan Miguel Salvado), and his father (Mario Leonor), currently confined at the hospital because of an accident at work. 

Wanting to help out his family but lacking the means to do so, Alex resorts to accepting an assignment from Ricky (Soliman Cruz) and Rep (Paolo O'hara) to make quick money. However, his task to put a scare to a Farmer (Tony Leyba) goes awry when a struggle between them ensues and he has no choice but to kill him and his son, which leads to him accepting a "hit" put out for Confiado (Mon Confiado's alter-ego in an alternate dimension of the film canon) by Madam Sexy/Mrs. David (Rosanna Roces) and Ismail, the Israeli financier. That's when the film starts to look like it had Quentin Tarantino and Park-Chan Wook as creative consultants.

Similar to his first film Dayang Asu, Hitboy also has a noir-ish quality to it and also involves a father and a son caught in an underworld squabble. However, the first film had a serious tone through and through, will this one was half domestic drama and half absurdity, thanks a lot first of all to the scene where Ricky pits his bumbling lackeys Eduardo and Noriega against each other the way Julianne Moore pitted two underling applicants in Kingsman 2. Second, all the scenes with Mon Confiado are just gold, especially when he sits in the director chair or he just enters and that genius of a musical scoring by Louie Talan blasts away. You wouldn't want to miss a signature nuance of Mon Confiado involving his nose in a scene while he's facing his own movie posters on the wall here.

If the goal of Hitboy was to strike at our senses so that we don't take a noir film too seriously just because it's dark and all, then it has achieved it.

Quotes:

"Ricky: Sabihin mo, nandito na ang dalawang tanga.
Rep: Nandito na ang dalawang tanga.
Ricky: Ngayon, sunduin mo na ang dalawang tanga."

"Akala n'yo ganun lang si Confiado, artista. Isa lang yan sa mga gusto niyang gawin." - Ricky

"Sometimes, we just cut fingers, break legs. Sometimes, we suck out eyeballs." - Rep

"Sometimes, kill her at 3AM exactly and shave her head afterwards." - Rep

"If anyone gets in the way, we either deal with them monetarily or violently." - Rep

"Tinraydor nila 'ko. Mamatay sila sa katraydoran din." - Confiado


Musings: 

1. Fake na fake yung paghampas ng bato sa farmer. Ni wala man lang bloodstain after sa bato mismo.

2. Halatang dubbed yung crying sounds ni Nicky sa reunion niya with Alex sa old playhouse nila kasi hindi match yung buka ng bibig sa audio.

3. Nice detail ng NLEX FOREVER scribbled doon sa yerong pader sa likod. See #2.

4. Parehong may thick gold chain sina Confiado at Ricky.

Experience love's joy and pain in CHANGING PARTNERS opening tonight!

Experience the pain live as Vincent De Jesus’ Changing Partners returns to the stage!

This May 2018, the critically acclaimed musical Changing Partners is coming back on stage fresh off the successful nationwide release of its award-winning film translation. Dubbed as an anti-romcom musical, Changing Partners explores the universality of love and the downward trajectory of relationships.

“Changing Partners” was originally a stage reading entry at the Virgin Labfest in July 2016. In September and October of the same year, “Changing Partners: A Torch Musical” was staged at the PETA Theater Center’s Studios. The musical play was directed by Rem Zamora and starred Agot Isidro, Jojit Lorenzo, Anna Luna, and Sandino Martin. “Changing Partners” transitioned from play to movie under the direction of Dan Villegas in November 2017. Having won 8 awards at the 2017 Cinema One Originals (including Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Music), Changing Partners had a nationwide showing in January 2018.

The restaging of Changing Partners will again be directed by Rem Zamora and will star the same cast: Agot Isidro, Jojit Lorenzo, Anna Luna, and Sandino Martin. Poch Gutierrez will be joining the ensemble and provide live cello music to accompany the live piano by Vincent De Jesus.

For tickets visit www.ticketworld.com.ph or call Ticketworld at 891-9999.

show dates :

May 11, 8:30PM
May 12, 3PM
May 13, 3PM / 8PM
May 19, 3PM / 8PM
May 20, 3PM

FILM REVIEW AND MUSINGS: MATA TAPANG (CINEFILIPINO 2018)

SCORE: 3/5

dir. Rod Marmol

When we hear the word "brave", aside from the Pixar animated film, one of the images that come to mind are soldiers. This film is about soldiers, brazen heroes who don't fear bullets and death but are challenged with ghosts from their past, which they must overcome so that they would be able to reincarnate and not be ghosts anymore.

Before the title screen even appeared (which was a very good illustration on how to use a drone shot properly to enhance imagery), the degree of friendship the protagonist Luis Batobato aka Hardrock (Edgar Allan Guzman) has with his fellow soldiers Bangks (Arron Villaflor), Top Razon (Jerald Napoles), and Sandro Yulo (Miguel Almendras), was neatly established in the first few frames. But alas, the banter turns into a bloody encounter when the terrorists ambush them and left all dead except for Hardrock.

Hardrock awakes with his left eye permanently damage but could think of nothing but going back to the warzone. His wife Alice (Ritz Azul) is visibly upset with his hardheadedness and does everything she can to change his mind. Taking a cue from the Hongkong film My Left Eye Sees Ghost, half-losing his sight proves insightful as he can now see the ghost of his dead comrades and they enlist his help to do special tasks that would be able to compete them, and set them on the road to reincarnation.

The film worked quite well during the first 2 tasks which involved a revelation of Yulo's secret to his father as well as Razon's wish to honor some people because it manages to keep one engaged as to how Hardrock will resolve the complications involved in doing a task. It wasn't predictable yet. However, during that scene where Hardrock was joking with Razon, the focus on Bangks' face revealed who his first love is and obviously, what his request would be. This foreshadowing might've been deliberate but for me, it weakened the story instead of strengthening it.

Overall, the film still manages to entertain and might easily have the most quotable quotes among the CineFilipino film entries for this year. It does remind us that life is short and it is better if our loved ones hear what they need to hear from us. It also reminds us that some people can be selfish and that they have this one best friend who they keep just because they want to keep their sanity. Luck is just a perception.

Quotes:

"Pwede ka naman pong sumunod, sir. Dalawa naman yung paa n'yo. Ano bang pumipigil sa inyo?" - Nurse

"Akala ko babae ang pinakamatindi kong kaagaw, yun pala serbisyo. Sana nga babae na lang para pwede kong sabunutan, pwede kong awayin, pwede kong sugurin. Pwede ko ba yung gawin sa trabaho mo?" - Alice

"Ah sir, kamukha ni Toguro yung tatay n'yo eh. Parang mananapak ng baby." - Bangks to Yulo

"Sabihin mo, may nunal siya sa bayag. Tatlo." - Yulo

"Kapag kinakalimutan mo, lalo kang sinusundan." - Yulo

FILM REVIEW AND MUSINGS: THE ETERNITY BETWEEN SECONDS (CINEFILIPINO 2018)

SCORE: 4/5

dir. Alec Figuracion

Milliseconds turn into seconds, seconds into minutes, minutes into hours, hours into days, days into months, months into years, and so on, until everything becomes eternity. We experience the cycle of life which bores us so it's as if we just closed our eyes and opened them again to find that decades have gone. Or we experience that special hug, maybe suddenly before visiting someone's house for the first time, or from a stranger we met at the airport, for just a few seconds that somehow finds its home in our soul and just stays there, for lifetimes and beyond, regardless whether that single moment in infinite realities was the only moment we could be with that person.

In The Eternity Between Seconds, Andres Marasigan (TJ Trinidad) is a married and renowned self-help book author of Take the Leap. He's in Korea for a few days to give a short talk about his book and sign some copies. Sam (Yeng Constantino), on the other hand), is there to meet her father who abandoned her since she was just a baby, for the first time. She will be staying there for three months. Their paths cross on a train ride with both having that insidious problem of killing time, being uncertain because what is certain can sometimes cause discomfiture. Andres has lost his watch and Sam offers to help find it.

The film give us a very meaningful conversation between two people. They take us as the two go from being strangers to having that meaningful connection, one that doesn't need to be labeled, but one that which we know that only the two of them can understand. It makes us question the need for society to have all these labels. The shots which linger, alternate between medium and wide shots, and pan a bit, give us a feel that both protagonists are bored and lost without realizing they are, on a conscious level.

Andres doesn't live by what he writes in his book while Sam, even though she seems to be a free spirit, is chained by her fear of the unknown when it comes to renewing family ties. Another dichotomy of ideologies that was brought up in the film was the midlife crisis versus the millenial confusion, or what we can perceive as a generational gap when it comes to views about something as simple as travelling. Andres views travelling as a luxury and not as a necessity, and even wonders how someone as young as Sam (presumably in her mid to late twenties) can actually afford to do so. Sam, on the other hand, thinks that the experience one gains from travelling is important, and travelling isn't just about running from problems temporarily just like Andres views it.

A memorable part of the film is when Andres tells Sam that in that fleeting moment of their encounter in the airport, which is temporary, that he is not what Andres is to the world. He is just an individual like her. It leaves us wondering that if we leave all our baggage, our ego, what reputation the world has bestowed upon us, and just meet each other, as two people, will everything ever be the same?

Quotes:

"Parang lumulutang lang ako sa pagitan ng isang desisyon, isang resolusyon, sa gitna ng pinanggalingan ko at pupuntahan ko." - Andres Marasigan

"Parang ang pessimistic and ang angsty mo naman para sa isang self-help author." - Sam

"Why can't we just accept that travelling doesn't magically fix any problems?" - Andres Marasigan

Musings:
1. The few frames showing the little boy towards the beginning before Andres even met Sam is a nice foreshadowing of his revelation towards the end.

2. How come they went to a spa when the flight is only 2.5 hours later?

3. Producer Melai Entuna who is behind Sakaling Hindi Makarating from the 2nd CineFilipino (2016) stirs up our emotions again.

The 2018 edition of the CineFilipino Film Festival Starts Tomorrow May 9 and Runs Until the 15th

Five years after its debut in the industry, the CineFilipino Film Festival (CFFF) continues to showcase new filmmakers churning out exceptional features with modest budgets. Organized by Cignal TV and Unitel Productions, Inc., CFFF is rolling out the finalists for this year's search for indie greats. The lineup of features reveal a wide spectrum of genres exceptionally created by a dynamic group of young and imaginative filmmakers.

The eight feature length films are:
1. Delia & Sammy (dir. Theresa Cayaba)
2. Excuse Me Po (dir. Ronald Battalones)
3. Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus (dir. Dwein Baltazar)
4. Hitboy (dir. Bor Ocampo)
5. Mata Tapang (dir. Rod Marmol)
6. Mga Mister ni Rosario (dir. Allan Habon)
7. Poon (dir. Ronie Supangan)
9. The Eternity Between Seconds (dir. Alec Figuracion)

Unitel Productions and Straight Shooters President and CEO Madonna Tarrayo, who also stands as CFFF director, expresses excitement over the film entries' variety of genre and theme. "We have five new filmmakers and three who have done feature-length films in other festivals. With this line-up, you can expect a rollercoaster of emotions in every frame," she adds.

It comes as no surprise that in just a few years, the CFFF has become the center of cost-efficient filmmaking in the Philippines. The past years' winners have gained national and global visibility in several platforms. 

The partner cinemas for this year's CFFF are the following: Gateway, Greenbelt 1, SM MOA, SM Manila, SM Southmall, SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, and SM Fairview. Tickets are priced at PhP150 each.

For more info, you may visit the official Facebook page of CFFF: https://www.facebook.com/CineFilipino.