OMG! Zeus Collins does a dance cover of "Versace On the Floor"

So this Bruno Mars latest single has just gone viral. "Versace On the Floor" has gotten so many covers and versions in different languages.

PBB alumus Zeus Collins has also made his dance cover of the hit song. Watch!



Read more @ Pinoy Showbiz Daily

How did Destined To Be Yours's pilot episode fare in the ratings game?

The first ever drama series of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza on television has made its pilot run on primetime last night over GMA7.

"Destined To Be Yours" not only trended at the top spot worldwide but won the hearts of televiewers if we're to base the data gathered by AGB Nielsen. The MaiChard soap registered 22.5% against ABS-CBN's soap "My Dear Heart" with 19.6% tv ratings - a 2.9% difference.

Meanwhile, Kantar Media's overnight ratings say otherwise. The pilot episode of DTBY scored a national TV rating of 20.2% compared to MDH which got 29.1%.



Read more @ Pinoy Showbiz Daily

Barbie Forteza is a recipient of NCCA's "Ani Ng Dangal" award

Kapuso teen actress Barbie Forteza must be truly proud as she is this year's recipient of National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA)'s "Ani Ng Dangal" award.

Forteza was chosen for her portrayal in a Louie Ignacio-directed Badjao film "Laut" which gave her a Best Actress awards at the 36th Fantasporto International Film Festival at Oporto in Portugal, Incidentally, the film also bagged a Special Mention of the Jury award

In her Instagram post, the actress thanked the commission for the award.

Maraming salamat po sa parangal na ito. ? #9thAniNgDangal #NCCA

A post shared by Barbie Forteza (@barbaraforteza) on Feb 27, 2017 at 1:55am PST

Other stars who have received such honor in the past are Jericho Rosales, Jake Cuenca, Anita Linda, Brillante Mendoza, and no less than the Stars for All Seasons Ms. Vilma Santos.

Forteza is currently seen in GMA primetime series Meant To Be.

But hey, they got her last name spelled wrong. Not a good way of recognizing one's honor, right?


Read more @ Pinoy Showbiz Daily

Rings Movie Review: Reboot Of The "The Ring" That's Done Without Flair Or Style And Doesn't Have A Single Suspenseful Or Terrifying Scene

THE FIRST "Ring" is a Japanese horror flick made in 1998. It was remade in Hollywood in 2002 with Naomi Watts as a reporter who investigates a cursed videotape that kills anyone who watches it after a week. It was a big hit so it had a sequel in 2005. Now, 12 years later, we have "Rings" and it starts with two passengers inside an airplane flying to Seattle discovering that they've both watched the doomed videotape of Samara Morgan and this eventually causes the entire plane to crash.

Samara, if you don't know her yet, is a poor little girl whose long hair covers her face. She died violently and now haunts those who watch her video where she is shown coming out of a well and then, later, out of the TV screen to get her victims. The story then jumps to two years later when a college professor, Gabriel (Johnny Galecki), buys in a flea market an old VCR that used to belong to one of the dead passengers. He brings it home and discovers that there's a videotape inside and, you guessed it right, it's the Samara thingy.

The focus then shifts to high school sweethearts Julia (Matilda Lutz) and Holt (Alex Roe) who are supposed to be teenagers but look more like post-graduate students. They're saying goodbye to each other because Holt is leaving for college. They even compare themselves to the legendary Greek lovers, Orpheus and Eurydice. (Google them if you don't know them.)


They arrange to communicate regularly on the internet, but soon Holt seems to have suddenly vanished, and worse, an angry woman, Skye (Aimee Teegarden), calls Julia using his account. Skye is so mad about something that Julia doesn't understand so Julia decides to go to his campus to find out what's happening.

She first meets Gabriel, Holt's professor, and follows him to a building where she sees Skye, who takes her to her own apartment so she can watch the cursed video, without knowing that the curse will be transferred to her. But before she can do that, Holt calls her and warns her not to watch it. Samara then appears to kill Skye.

Holt arrives and, to help him, Julia watches the video and discovers there's additional footage no one has noticed before and she decides to solve the mystery. They go a town called Sacrament Valley in the Pacific Northwest, where Samara was buried. It was there that Julia sees the old church that she saw on the video and where they meet a blind man named Burke (Vincent D'Onofrio).

Following her visions, Julia discovers there's a hidden room where a young woman was held captive against her will and this leads to more revelations. They get to solve the mystery of Samara but do you think this ends Samara's cycle of death and vengeful attack on innocent people? Well, you have another think coming.

This reboot of the "Ring" franchise is being re-introduced to a younger audience and now includes today's latest technology involving smart phones, the internet and social media. But sorry to say that "Rings" offers very little in terms of genuine scares and fails to recreate the dreadful tone or macabre atmosphere of the first two films. There are some interesting elements, though, like a fly that is shown emerging from the cigarette that Gabriel smokes, the cicadas that appear at the film's climax and the graffiti scratched on the wall of a crypt, but they're not enough of a saving grace to redeem the movie from being such a big bore.

Done without much flair or style, "Rings" just does not have a single truly suspenseful or frightening scene. The past "The Ring" movies worked because the acting of Naomi Watts somehow managed to surpass the silliness of the material. Sad to say, not one of the cast members of "Rings" is good enough to deserve their pay checks.
Read more @ Showbiz Portal

GOT 2 BELIEVE showing on March 6 @ MNCTV Indonesia: Kathniel returns to Indonesia

It's hard to fathom the parameters from which MNCTV in Indonesia is juggling its programs. Baffling programming, to say the least. Showing an international hit like Bridges of Love for a few days then pulling it out suddenly. Giving a near midnight time slot to a youth teleserye Forevermore when most of its target audience would have to sleep for their classes the next day. Why not accord them the proper treatment and give them time to simmer some more, there was a precedent after all...

For most of its run, Pangako Sa Yo/ Janjiku just simmered in the lower rungs of the Indonesian ratings chart but boiled over & shot to the top in the end. Kathryn Bernardo & Daniel Padilla are now returning to the Indonesian small screen with their 2013 hit.

Read more @ PINOYISTICS

WATCH: Maymay and McCoy's reaction to Cora getting a 'PBB Lucky 7' slot

Pinoy Big Brother Lucky Season 7 housemates Maymay Entrata and McCoy De Leon just couldn't hide their dismay and disappointment at Elisse Joson getting evicted last night instead of Cora Waddell.


For the first time ever, a back-to-back nomination and eviction happened on on Pinoy Big Brother. Up for eviction was housemates Kisses Delavin, Yong Muhajil, Elisse and Cora, while the remaining housemates, namely Maymay, Hashtags' Nikko Natividad and McCoy, Tanner Mata and Edward Barber, already took their slots in the Final "Lucky 7" (or Big 7).

After just 7-minute of public voting, the last evictee of the season was revealed and it's Elisse, who only got 12.73% of the votes. Yong, Kisses and Cora, who garnered 41.1%, 26,71%, 19.46% respectively, then completed the "Lucky 7".

Poor Cora, coz she was the last to be called and had to feel that awkward "cold" reaction of both Maymay and McCoy upon knowing she's the one who got the 7th and last Lucky 7 spot.

Maymay, who was close to Elisse, was visibly shocked and couldn't stop crying, while the also visibly shocked McCoy could hardly smile to Cora and was unable to hide his disappointment that his loveteam partner has already left the PBB house.







Cora was later shown reaching out to Maymay and McCoy, and gave them a "beso".


Watch that intense moment on this video:

The Lucky 7 consists of 4 teens, 2 regular housemates and just 1 celebrity (McCoy & Nikko are 2-in-1 housemates).

The 2-night Big Night is already set this coming March 4 and 5. To vote for your Big Winner, just type BB(name of housemate) on your mobile phones and send it to 2366.

Read more @ MyKiRu IsYuSeRo

Destined to be Yours Pilot February 27 2017

Destined to be Yours February 27 2017 Full Pilot Episode Replay
SHOW DESCRIPTION: Destined to be Yours is a Philippine romantic-comedy and drama television series that will be broadcast by GMA Network headlining the AlDub love team of Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza. It is the love team's very first television series after appearing on the Kalyeserye segment of Eat Bulaga! that concluded on December 17, 2016. It is set to premiere on February 27, 2017 replacing Alyas Robin Hood on GMA Telebabad primetime block and worldwide through GMA Pinoy TV. The television show follows the story of star-crossed lovers Sinag (Mendoza) and Benjie (Richards).

Sinag Obispo (Maine Mendoza) is a DJ in a community radio station at her hometown of Pelangi. The paradise-like town of Pelangi was formerly a well-developed municipality due to its flourishing mining industry but many people were forced to leave the town after mining firms closed down. Sinag stayed behind because she loves her hometown and she wants to preserve the traditions and culture of the place through the community radio station whom she inherited from her grandfather.

Meanwhile, Benjie Rosales (Alden Richards) just graduated as an architect. His father died when he was young and his mother, Amanda (Lotlot de Leon), solely raised him. Unknown to Benjie, his grandfather, Vicente Rosales (Tommy Abuel), is a real-estate tycoon and her mother suddenly encourages him to contact the Rosales kin. Upon meeting the Rosales household, the family did not fully welcome Benjie except for his grandmother, Helen (Boots Anson-Roa), who convinced Benjie to work at their real estate company.

As Benjie accepts the job, he was assigned to a project at Pelangi where he is destined to meet Sinag. Their life will eventually change and intertwine as they fall in love with each other.

Source: Wikipedia

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

Read more @ Pinoy Tambayan | Watch Pinoy TV Shows Online

I’m Drunk, I Love You Movie Review: Maja Salvador Gives An Exceptional Performance That Is More Affecting Than Anything She Has Done Before

NEOPHYTE WRITER-DIRECTOR JP HABAC's "I'm Drunk, I Love You" is the first good local film we've seen this year. Not everyone can relate to it, but young viewers (especially those who love to drink beer) will surely enjoy the style and the treatment which is very now. The ending is not the usual happily ever after, but it's so empowering for anyone who has experienced unrequited love and has finally realized that he has finally freed himself from its confining chains.

Caridad Sonia or Carson (Maja Salvador) and Dio (Paulo Avelino) have been best friends for seven years while college students in U.P. She's taking up social work and he's into filmmaking and we wish that, somehow, we're told how they end up as heterosexual bosom friends without a hint of romance.The depth of close friendship they have achieved between a man and a woman is quite rare. Maja also has a gay best friend, Jason Ty (Dominic Roco), who knows she's been so in love with Paulo for so long.

A few days before graduation, they're both at the crossroads. They both had extended stays in college
 and the future seems vague. They know they both have to grow up, be more mature and responsible with their lives. Maja doesn't know exactly what she'd do after getting a diploma. And it's suddenly revealed that Paulo wants to go to law school. They both can't decide if they'd join their school's graduation rites or skip it. Then, in this period of uncertainty, Paulo suddenly asks Maja to accompany him to a music festival in La Union, and Dominic tags along.


The film doesn't really have much of a convoluted story. During their stay in La Union, Paulo meets his ex-girlfriend anew, Pathy (Jasmine Curtis Smith), and Dominic falls in love with an African American boy who entices him to be part of a threesome, and he agrees. And it is also here where Maja finally gets the guts to tell Paulo how she has honestly been feeling about him all along. And that's it.

This kind of unconventional love story, which has no melodramatic twists and turns, is actually difficult to do, especially for local audiences who have come to prefer mushy plot developments in the movies they watch. Dan Villegas has also done it with similar success in "Always Be My Maybe", and Antoinette Jadaone in "That Thing Called Tadhana". You might feel that nothing much is happening but actually, the angst, the tension is building up and you know it's heading somewhere.

Here, a lot of time is spent on talking and drinking and hanging out... and more drinking. And it all holds because it is very well acted. And the kind of acting is "no acting, please." Everyone is just so relaxed, so natural, especially Maja.

Maja is exceptionally good in this film. She totally inhabits her character. There are long "tuhog" scenes, particularly the one with Dominic where she recounts the foolish things she did in the seven years that she's been secretly in love with Paulo, where she is so deliciously consistent. There are scenes where you want to reach out and hug her for she succeeds in making us actually feel her pain, like the scene where, after she reveals her feelings for Paulo, he kisses her but she pushes him away because she is aware that he's just trying to console her and he's not really in love with her anyway.

 And her very meaningful smile in the end when she says "graduate na ako" is just so priceless, signifying her realization that she has moved on from loving someone who doesn't love her back, that she has grown, she has come of age and now, she just has to move on to the next chapter of her life. We know she has won an acting award for "Thelma", but her performance here is definitely much more affecting than anything she has done before.

JP Habac is surely a young filmmaker to watch who knows how to use subtlety in the simplest of ways. For instance, when Maja meets Jasmine Curtis Smith, she learns that the name of her rival is Pathy and she makes fun of the letter H, conveying the jealousy and insecurity she feels at the moment. Habac also films his scenes with daringly adventurous camera angles and craftily uses a lot of contemporary local songs to underline the feelings that characters go through in some scenes. For young viewers, they will find many scenes and many emo songs very relatable. For the older ones, it will bring back memories of the times when you were younger, foolish, and reckless in love.
Read more @ Showbiz Portal

LOOK: Maymay and McCoy's reaction to Cora being part of PBB Lucky 7 housemates

Pinoy Big Brother Lucky Season 7 housemates Maymay Entrata and McCoy De Leon just couldn't hide their dismay and disappointment at Elisse Joson getting evicted last night instead of Cora Waddell.


For the first time ever, a back-to-back nomination and eviction happened on on Pinoy Big Brother. Up for eviction was housemates Kisses Delavin, Yong Muhajil, Elisse and Cora, while the remaining housemates, namely Maymay, Hashtags' Nikko Natividad and McCoy, Tanner Mata and Edward Barber, already took their slots in the Final "Lucky 7" (or Big 7).

After just 7-minute of public voting, the last evictee of the season was revealed and it's Elisse, who only got 12.73% of the votes. Yong, Kisses and Cora, who garnered 41.1%, 26,71%, 19.46% respectively, then completed the "Lucky 7".

Poor Cora, coz she was the last to be called and had to feel that awkward "cold" reaction of both Maymay and McCoy upon knowing she's the one who got the 7th and last Lucky 7 spot.

Maymay, who was close to Elisse, was visibly shocked and couldn't stop crying, while the also visibly shocked McCoy could hardly smile to Cora and was unable to hide his disappointment that his loveteam partner has already left the PBB house.







Cora was later shown reaching out to Maymay and McCoy, and gave them a "beso".


The Lucky 7 consists of 4 teens, 2 regular housemates and just 1 celebrity (McCoy & Nikko are 2-in-1 housemates).

The 2-night Big Night is already set this coming March 4 and 5. To vote for your Big Winner, just type BB(name of housemate) on your mobile phones and send it to 2366.

Read more @ MyKiRu IsYuSeRo

ON THE WINGS OF LOVE next on Startimes Novela E1 Africa

These are somewhat icky times in Pinoy showbiz & Pinoy politics is definitely has more sizzle, but Pinoy teleserye continues with its steady march forward. The JaDine loveteam of James Reid & Nadine Lustre was the first among the Pinoy loveteams to catch my attention two years ago. They have since filmed many movies & two teleseryes, to varying degrees of acclaim, but they managed to be included into the Big 3 young loveteams of the country. It has been a puzzle why for sometime, nobody was buying their first teleserye while those of the other two big Pinoy loveteams Kathniel & Lizquen were readily flying high in many parts of the world. Nearly a year after its release, it finally got shown in Indonesia late last year. Then Myanmar, now Africa.

The JaDine loveteam is at a crossroads. Their last two films have been disappointments, so with their second teleserye, Til I Met You. What's next for the team?

 

Read more @ PINOYISTICS

Cinema One Winning Entries, 'Baka Bukas' & '2 Cool 2 B 4Gotten' To Be Released In Theaters On Star Cinema On March 1 & March 15

STAR CINEMA is distributing on a wide theatrical release two films that won awards in the recent Cinema One Originals Filmfest, "Bakas Bukas" and "2Cool2 B 4Gotten". Why, among the many entries, did they choose these two films to be released in theaters? "Noon pa balak i-release talaga ang mga ito kasi they both did very well at the box office noong filmfest," says Cinema One's Ronald Arguelles. "We thought sa April pa sila mare-release but biglang nagkaroon ng bakanteng playdates so heto, 'Baka Bukas' opens on March 1 and '2Cool2 B 4Gotten' on March 15. Sana, kumita sila para mai-release din namin yung iba pang entries, like 'Tisay' with Nathalie Hart, which has so much potential at the box office."

In "Bakas Bukas", Jasmine Curtis Smith won the Cinema One best actress award as Alex, a 23-year old lesbian doing multiple jobs who comes out of the closet and falls in love with her best friend, Louise de los Reyes as Jess. It is the debut movie of writer-director Samantha Lee who admits that the film is a very personal one for her as she's a little bit of everyone in the story and that Alex is largely based on her own real life experiences.

It's full of lines that young lovelorn gays can relate with, like Alex saying: "One of the scariest things about coming out is finding out if the ones you love will stay after nalaman nilang tomboy ka." A heartbreaking moment in the movie shows Jess telling Alex: "Kung kaya mo lang akong bigyan ng anak, pinakasalan na kita." No wonder "Bakas Bukas" won the Audience Favorite Award in the filmfest.

Direk Samantha says it took her sometime to cast the role of Alex, until she found Jasmine who's just perfect for the role. What advice would she give to gays who are scared and can't come out? "I was 23 years old when I finally got the courage to come out. Now, I always say that when you feel you're ready to do it, just don't be afraid as you kind of miss out on that part of your life if you'd keep on holding back."

"2 Cool 2 B 4Gotten" is a coming-of-age story set in Pampanga in the 1990s after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption. Khalil Ramos is Felix, a bright high school student who's aloof in school and friendless. Two Fil-American boys change his life, Ethan Salvador as Magnus and Jameson Blake who won as Cinema One best supporting actor as the daring Maxim. Under the direction of first-timer Petersen Vargas, this turns into a very dark story about hidden desires and questionable motives. More about this later since its playdate is on March 15 yet.
Read more @ Showbiz Portal

Full House Tonight February 25 2017

Full House Tonight February 25 2017 Full Episode Replay
SHOW DESCRIPTION: Saturday nights are bound to get outrageously and hilariously better as GMA Network launches its newest comedy-musical show, Full House Tonight, top billed by no other than Asia's Songbird Regine Velasquez-Alcasid.

This spectacle features a twist on the usual comedy show with on stage musical performances from various guests, riotous stand-up comedy, improvisation (improv), parodies, and sketches inside and outside the studio that will surely give its Kapuso viewers a different kind of entertainment experience.

Adding flavor to the program are Kapuso stars Solenn Heussaff and teen idols Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix, together with versatile artist Joross Gamboa. Comedians Philip Lazaro, Kim Idol, Terry Gian, Sarah Brakensiek, Tammy Brown, and Nar Cabico will also spice up the show with their comical flairs.

Under the direction of Louie Ignacio, cap off every Saturday night with quality music, comedy, and all-around entertainment with Full House Tonight beginning February 18 after Magpakailanman only on GMA.

Source: GMA Network

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

PART 5

Read more @ Pinoy Tambayan | Watch Pinoy TV Shows Online

Wish Ko Lang February 25 2017

Wish Ko Lang February 25 2017 Full Episode Replay
SHOW DESCRIPTION: Wish Ko Lang (English: Just My Wish) is the first wish-granting show on Philippine television. Its pilot episode was broadcast on June 28, 2002, hosted by Bernadette Sembrano. She was later replaced by Vicky Morales after Sembrano transferred to rival network ABS-CBN. The show celebrated its 8th Anniversary November–December 2010.

Source: Wikipedia

PART 1

PART 2

PART 3

PART 4

Read more @ Pinoy Tambayan | Watch Pinoy TV Shows Online

Sam Mangubat, Carlmalone Montecido advance to grand finals of Tawag ng Tanghalan #TNTQ4Semifinals

Sam Mangubat and Carlmalone Montecido have become Tawag ng Tanghalan's 7th and 8th grand finalists, following their Quarter 4 semifinals win earlier on It's Showtime over 5 other semifinalists.




Sam and Carlmalone, representing Luzon and Visayas respectively, got the Top 2 average scores or highest combined percentage (text votes and judges' scores), after 6 rounds of performances.

The bet from Luzon got a final average score of 95.35%, while the Visayas pride was in far 2nd with 78.85%.

1. Sam 95.35%
2. Carlmalone 78.85%
3. Froilan 72.61%
4. Jex 66.32%
5. Joylaine 54.62%
6. Hazelyn 45.38%
7. Julia 42.83%

They will now join Maricel Callo (Mindanao), Mary Gidget dela Llana (Luzon), Pauline Agupitan (Luzon), Marielle Montellano (Visayas), Noven Belleza (Visayas) and Eumee Capile (Luzon) in the upcoming grand finals.

Meanwhile, it was also announced that next week will be the wildcard round, "Ultimate Resbak", with 14 contenders (semi-finalists from Quarters 1 to 4) competing again to earn a slot in the grand finals.

Read more @ MyKiRu IsYuSeRo

Hidden Figures Movie Review: Well Acted Untold Inspirational Story Of Unsung Heroes Who Help Put An American Astronaut Into Outer Space In 1961

 

'HIDDEN FIGURES' is nominated as best picture in the Oscars that will be held this Monday morning (Manila time). It won't win because the favorite is "La La Land" but it's still most certainly worth watching. It's about three African-American women who helped put John Glenn into orbit during the space race in 1961. The movie starts with a gifted little black girl who gets a scholarship for being a mathematical whiz. She is Katherine Goble (to be played by Taraji P. Henson of "Empire"), who later gets to work at NASA's Colored Computer Division at a time when discrimination is at an all time high.

Because of its ambition to beat Russia in the race to the moon, NASA is forced to accept mathematicians, no matter what their skin color is. Although the film is largely anchored on Katherine since her story is the most compelling, the other two women also get their time to take center stage. These are Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae, the singer, who's also in another Oscar-nominated film, "Moonlight") and Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer, who won the Oscar best supporting actress award for "The Help" and is now nominated again in the same category).


The first time we meet all three of them, they're sitting in a car that conked out on their way to NASA when they're accosted by a white cop. This scene quickly establishes their different personalities. Jackson is the feisty, smart ass who delivers wisecracks. Vaughan is good at car mechanics and has a no-nonsense attitude. Goble is confident of her gifts and knows how to hold herself in check even when other people try to underestimate her.

When NASA Space Task Group's top honcho, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), requests for an exceptional mathematician to help the calculations in their Friendship 7 rocket project for astronaut John Glenn, Katherine Goble is sent to him. That scene where Katherine enters their office which is full of white male mathematicians is truly unnerving. Paul Stafford (Jim Parsons), Harrison's petulant assistant, is expectedly hostile to Katherine, but in the course of the movie, she wins them all eventually.

Vaughan, in turn, performs all the duties of a supervisor but NASA won't promote her to that position because of her color. Secretly, she tries to learn FORTRAN (formula translation), a computer programming language developed by IBM. She later proves her skills in coding the IBM mainframe that she learned from filching the programming manual from the segregated library who refused to lend it to her because it's not in the "colored section". Her reason: '"I pay my taxes for this library, just like everybody else!"

Jackson has all the qualifications of a qualified engineer, but she doesn't have the official degree because she's not accepted in an all-white school. With her never say die attitude, she decides to take her case to court and that scene where she personally convinces the judge to allow her, a black girl, to study in a school for whites, where the students are mostly males, is a real gem.

The film is expertly directed by Theodore Melfi, who also co-wrote the script with Allison Schroeder based on the book by Margot Lee Shetterly. Although it's about three women fighting racism and sexism, he presents it with a light and tender touch that makes the film more affecting. This is seen in the way the love story of Katherine with a soldier, Col. Jim Johnson (Mahershala Ali, who's also in "Moonlight"), is developed. She's a widow with three daughters and her relationship with Johnson initially starts on the wrong foot, but it later blooms and blossoms with the help of her own three daughters. This is also seen in Mary's very supportive husband (Aldis Hodge) who doesn't mind looking after their children while she's pursuing higher education at night.

A key scene whose build up is very well executed starts with Katherine repeatedly tapping her foot, followed by her mile-long dash to go to the only toilet available for colored women since there is no toilet she can use in their own building. These sequences showing her rain-or-shine trek to the far away toilet culminate in a beautifully acted meoment where Katherine finally explodes when Harrison reprimands her for being gone for such a long time and she explains her situation. Henson delivers a tour-de-force performance in this scene and you want to applaud when Harrison then gets a hammer to demolish the toilet sign intended only for colored women.

"Hidden Figures" is an inspirational feel-good story that is based on real people and real life events, not about superheroes with comic book origins, and we're glad that it's doing very well at the U.S. box office. Too bad that here, it is in shown in local theatres without much publicity or promotion, so when we saw it in a local mall theatre, there were only a few of us watching this must see film which even offers some good songs from Pharrell Williams. It is well acted by the three leads, who get great support from Kevin Costner who's a perfect fit here in his role as the supportive mentor.

In the end, when the pictures of the real life ladies whose untold stories are portrayed in the movie are shown, you want to give them a big round of applause for their accomplishments. These unsung heroes who faced great obstacles to prove that they are equals of their white NASA co-workers really earn our respect for their achievements gained despite the color of their skin.
Read more @ Showbiz Portal

Hacksaw Ridge Movie Review: Mel Gibson Is Back In Top Form As A Director In A Movie About Peace And War, Love And Conviction That You Should Not Miss

AS A DIRECTOR, Mel Gibson is best known for the historical film about a 13th century Scottish freedom fighter, "Braveheart", which won the Oscar best picture and Oscar best director awards in 1995. In 2004, he depicted the last hours of Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ" then in 2006, he made the violent but visually stunning "Apocalypto", set in early Mayan civilization. He now returns, ten years later, in "Hacksaw Ridge", the true story of Private First Class Desmond T. Doss, the first conscientious objector in World War II to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.

The movie starts with two boys in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, brothers Desmond and Howard Doss, forever competing with each other. Their dad is a World War I veteran who was so traumatized by his experiences in battle that he has become a drunkard and is prone to violence. Desmond realizes his own capability for anger needs to be tamed when he nearly killed his own brother during a childhood fight and when he nearly shoots his dad after beating up his mother.

When World War II erupts, Desmond joins the army with the intention of being a medic, because he shuns violence and refuses to kill other people. While helping someone injured in an accident, he meets a beautiful nurse, Dorothy (Teresa Palmer), in a hospital and they fall in love.


As Doss undergoes basic boot camp training, he becomes the butt of jokes of other trainees who ridicule him for being a coward as he refuses to fight and won't touch a gun. He was even brought to trial, but his dad intervenes with the help of some higher ups and Doss stays in the service as a conscientious objector. In the spring of 1945, he joins his battalion in the battle against the Japanese in Okinawa, where they attack Hacksaw Ridge.

The ridge is a 400-foot high escarpment that has become a Japanese stronghold and which they must
take back at all cost. And it is here where Doss proves his patriotism and willingness for self sacrifice. Just as his troops are retreating, he keeps on returning to the battlefield, amidst all the shooting and the bombing, to retrieve wounded soldiers by carrying them on his shoulders then lowering them down the ridge by a rope harness he has made using his own hands, to ensure their safety. Records show that he rescued a total of 75 soldiers, including those who earlier humiliated and beat him up for refusing to fight. He's even shown being compassionate to a wounded Japanese soldier.

The battle scenes reminded us of the adrenalin-charged, jingoistic old war movies we saw as a child
soon after WWII, like "Guadalcanal Diary", "Sands of Iwo Jima", "To Hell and Back", "Back to Bataan" and "Paths of Glory". It is also reminiscent of the more recent "Saving Private Ryan" in presenting the horrors and the carnage of war without any reservations.

Andrew Garfield ("Spiderman") is totally persuasive as Doss, which is why he earned an Oscar nomination for his exceptional performance. He is well supported by Hugo Weaving as his alcoholic dad, Teresa Palmer as his young wife, Vince Vaughn as his training officer and Sam Worthington as the captain who berates Doss for refusing to fight but who praises him later.

Later on, we are shown an interview with real life Doss, now old and wrinkled, and it gives us the creeps somehow when we learn that he died sometime after that interview. The heroism he showed here is not about taking the lives of the enemy, but about saving the lives of the wounded soldiers. His acts of selflessness and decision to stick to his personal convictions helped a lot of the injured soldiers survive the war.

The movie is about the love for peace of the lead character, but the depiction of the brutality of ground warfare here can be very graphic, so the squeamish should be warned. But all in all, this is a film about conviction, love, family and faith that you would not want to miss.
Read more @ Showbiz Portal

Documentaries Showing The Devastation Mining Companies Have Done To Our Environment Enough Evidence For All Of Us To Rally Behind Denr Sec. Gina Lopez

WE JUST saw docus graphically showing how mining destroyed our environment in such areas as Zamboanga del Sur, Marinduque and Didipio in Nueva Vizcaya. Nakakapagngitngit ang pagwasak sa ating bayan at sa ating kalikasan. It is a damning evidence against the rapaciousness of mining companies, thanks to the efforts of DENR Sec. Gina Lopez to stop the destructive results of open pit mining on our country and the culture and livelihood of ethnic tribes. As they say, to see is to believe.

Do you known that the Philippines is the 5th most mineral-rich country on earth for gold, copper, nickel and chromite and we have the largest gold-copper deposit in the world? Foreigners are allowed to own mining assets in our country and yet they pay only a very low 2% for what they get. The mining companies may make all the protest they want against Gina Lopez's move to close the mines, but the visual images of the way they wantonly destroy our natural resources will negate whatever they say.


If you're a Filipino who really cares for our country, the pictures of our wasted mountains and mining spills on rivers and coastal areas speak more than a thousand words to show that the mining companies have failed to provide the right measures to prevent the resulting damages from their operations.

No wonder that ordinary people show their support for Ms. Lopez in social media, supporting her quixotic fight against wanton environmental carnage against the mining companies that bully her and gang up on her. She really has the balls to face the greedy mining companies and the conscienceless politicians on their payroll who back them up head on. We're glad Pres. Duterte is backing her up because the government has been negligent about this for a long time now. As she herself declares: "The quality of life of our people is non-negotiable." Right on, Ms. Gina, we the people rally right behind you!

Read more @ Showbiz Portal