Meet Daniel Huschka, The Fil-German Member Of Viva's FBois Introduced In The Youth Movie, 'Squad Goals'

DANIEL HUSCHKA is one of the new talents being introduced as FBois by Viva Films in their youth oriented movie, "Squad Goals". Born on August 18, 1999, he's the youngest in their group but the tallest as he's almost 6 feet tall. Born in Munich, Germany, his dad is German and his mom is Pinoy.

An only child, he first joined a boygroup called Sugar High when he was only 13. Now, he's glad to be part of the FBois. His main talent is really in singing (he can do Justin Bieber songs very well) but he can also dance, act and do hosting.

"But I want to make music and singing my lifelong career," he adds. "My dream is to eventually have a world tour."



In "Squad Goals", he plays the role of Hans, a half-Pinoy, half-German teener who does frequent gigs as a DJ. Because of this, his college studies suffer. He tries his best not to be attached to his barkada because he knows he'll eventually leave back for Germany to join his dad. But this becomes difficult to do, especially when he falls in love with a special girl, played by newbie Aubrey Caraan.

The FBOIs will be doing a series of free mall shows. Watch out for them on March 04 – Ayala Malls Cloverleaf; March 10 – Ayala Malls Feliz; March 11 – SM City San Pablo; March 17 – SM City Iloilo; March 24 – Ayala Malls Harbor Point; March 25 – SM City Pampanga; April 07 – SM City Tarlac; April 08 – SM City Rosales; April 09 – Fisher Mall; April 14 – Ayala Malls Legaspi; April 22 – SM City Bicutan; April 28 – SM City Novaliches; and April 29 – Gaisano Starscene Davao.
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Alden Richards And Maine Mendoza's Rejoicing After Seeing Them Together Again In 'Eat Bulaga', They Should Do More Projects While They're Still Popular

ALDUB FANS are rejoicing after they saw Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza together again in "Eat Bulaga" last Saturday. For once, Maine is not outside in Juan for All but is inside the studio to join forces with Alden in playing a fun game in the segment called ACTually with the other Dabarkads.

They teamed up together as allies in the Yellow Team and their task is to make a story about an object that Vic Sotto will show them. Vic showed them a coconut or buko and their tream made it appear that it's Darna's special "bato" or rock to get her super powers. Vic said Maine as Darna should carry Alden as Ding, so when Alden mounted Maine, who carried him piggyback, all hell broke loose and the whole Broadway studio was filled with deafening and ecstatic screams and shrieks from rejoicing AlDub fans.

Despite negative predictions of some prophets of doom that their popularity as a love team has waned, it's obvious that the public still loves them very much and this was also evident in the very positive remarks and comments made by their happy fans on social media. They just can't get enough of their idols who they apparently missed very much after working separately for quite some time.

They're now clamoring for Alden and Maine to do a new movie since their last one, "Imagine You and Me", was released nearly two years ago. At this point, we're really more bothered by Alden's not having any other exposure than just "Eat Bulaga". He's already 26 years old and he's not getting any younger. He's at the peak of his youth and popularity so he must make hay as the sun shines. Hindi niya ito dapat sinasayang kundi sinasamantala, for him to make more film and TV projects.

In four years, he'll already be 30 and it will be downhill from then on. We heard there's a co-production project between GMA and a Thai company that would pair him with Thai idol Mario Maurer and another Thai actress, which would be shown in both Manila and Bangkok.

This is a good project and we hope it will become a reality to help further boost Alden's career since AlDub fans don't want him to be paired with any local actress other than Maine. As for Maine, she should also not waste her popularity and also start making solo projects, even on TV or in the movies.
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Paolo Ballesteros On Doing A Tell-All Book About Being Gay Like What Mark Bautista Just Did

PAOLO BALLESTEROS plays a gay guy who figures in an accident and gets amnesia, so he forgets that he's gay in Viva's new offering, "Amnesia Love", that opens in theaters today. So how is it playing a real man on cam?

"It's not easy pala, mahirap magpanggap kasi nga, lately, puro beki roles ang ginagampanan ko," he laughs.

He has kissing scenes with his leading lady, Yam Concepcion. How was it? "Okay lang kasi friends naman kami since we did yung movie na 'Bakit Lahat ng Gwapo may Boyfriend' last year. Game naman siya. Actually, bale leading man ko rin dito si Polo Ravales, kaya lang, wala kaming kissing scene. Wala pa akong lalaking naka-love scene kasi virgin pa ako, e. Charot!"

Would he do a movie with Mark Bautista, who just outed himself in his tell-all book? Will he dare come up with a similar book of revelations?

"Okay lang to do a movie with him, kung gusto rin ba niya, e. But to do a revealing book like that, I'd rather come up with a book showing my make up transformations and how to do them. Mas maraming magiging interesado roon kasi kahit sa ibang bansa, pinag-uusapan siya."



We then ask Yam if she had second thoughts doing kissing scenes with Paolo knowing he's gay? "No, pareho lang naman, kahit lalaki o gay. And we're both professionals. Also, Paolo is such a joy to work with kasi laging nakakatawa ang mga hirit niya kaya we're just having fun on the set. We shot the film in an island na kulang sa facilities and he's very caring, maalaga talaga."

How would she feel if she'd find out that her boyfriend has had a relationship with a gay? "I'm sure I'd feel hurt. Sana naman, walang mangyaring ganyan sa'kin. I have a boyfriend now, but he's working in the States. Long distance relationship kami, but I'm sure totoo siyang lalaki.
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The Shape Of Water Movie Review: Overrated Film That Shows Water Does Not Really Have Any Shape At All

'THE SHAPE OF WATER' has the most number of nominations in the coming Oscar Awards, but it was topped in the British Academy Awards by "Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri". We honestly don't like both films that much, particularly "Shape of Water".

Directed by Guillermo del Toro ("Pan's Labyrinth", "Pacific Rim") with a decided romantic streak, it opens with a woman dreamily floating underwater, giving a magical other worldly image to emphasize the film's tone of unabashed romanticism. The narrator is Richard Jenkins, who's nominated as Oscar best supporting actor, and he tells about "a princess without a voice".

That princess is Elisa (Sally Hawkins) a mute and lonely cleaning woman who works in a secret government lab in Baltimore. The story is set in 1962, with the Cold War and the space race as background. The manager in the underground laboratory is a sadistic racist, Strickland (Michael Shannon), who acts like he owns the place. Their company has a secret, a siokoy or merman, whom
they call the Asset.



It was found in the Amazon in South America where it's worshipped as a god. Now, it's held captive inside a tank and occasionally tortured by Shannon. A sympathetic scientist, Hoffstetler (Michael Stuhlbarg, the father of Timothee Chalamet in "Call Me by Your Name") is very kind to the creature.

He reminds Shannon that the creature should be studied in their scientific experiments and not killed by the ruthless Shannon, but it turns out that he himself has his own deep dark secret. The mute Elisa is curious and later becomes friendly with the creature who happens to like hard boiled eggs and is fond of music. He warms up to her and she even teaches him sign language.

The film has outstanding production design. Elisa's flat is on top of a cavernous movie theatre and green is its dominant color, with the water in the tub, where she is shown masturbating every morning, also colored green. The underground laboratory is also well designed, you can almost feel its dampness and dank odor.

At the office, Elisa's best friend is Zelda (Octavia Spencer), a cleaner like her, while at her apartment, it's his gay neighbor, Giles (Richard Jenkins), an artist who loves cats, pies, and old movie musicals. Elisa teams up with Giles in doing some tap dance routines.

The film's overall point is the importance of tolerance over marginalized folks. The creature who is brutally treated is not only equated with the black couple who are told they cannot sit on the counter of a diner, but also with the gay Giles (who's rebuffed by a diner waiter who he thought is being extra friendly to him) and the voiceless Elisa. It shows that such prejudice happens not only in the real world but also in a fairy tale one.

The film's second half concerns Elisa's effort to save the creature so she can bring him to the ocean and regain his freedom like "Free Willy", with the help of Zelda and Giles. She makes him stay in her own apartment and they even have sex.

The script becomes very contrived, jarringly shifting in tone to accommodate some very violent scenes. It turns into a thriller but it actually drags at this point and the movie's running time becomes longer than necessary. The villain is even shown having a nude sex scene with his wife.

You'd really wonder why Sally Hawkins is getting lavish praises as Elisa. For what? For learning

sign language and doing a full frontal scene and practicing onanism in the tub and indulging in interspecies romance? She even gets to use her hands in describing how the fish man's genitalia works. She's actually better in the 2015 film "Maudie", where she played a folk artist who works as a maid for Ethan Hawke.

Even Octavia Spencer is nominated anew for being a sassy cleaner when she actually didn't do anything much. But Shannon as the ferocious brute of a contravida is totally ignored. Ultimately, the movie has some good elements, but they never quite come together the way you'd hope they'd do and you realize that the shape of water does not really have any shape at all.


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Two Teen Sons Of Movie Stars With Surefire Star Quality: Andres, Son Of Aga Muhlach & Charlene Gonzales, And Mavi, Son Of Carmina Villaroel

THERE ARE film companies and TV stations launching new boy groups now. Honestly, though, the only ones we're sure would pique the curiosity and excite the interest of audiences, especially teenage girls, are the two eldest sons of showbiz couples: Andres Muhlach, the son of Aga Muhlach and Charlene Gonzales, and Mavi Legaspi, the son of Zoren Legaspi and Carmina Villaroel.

Both Andres and Mavi are 17, tall and goodlooking, and both of them also have twin sisters. But there's no denying that they are oozing with more star quality and incandescent presence than their siblings. Tipong mamahalin agad ng mga fans. No other 'anak ng artista' would come close to them. If both of them would be launched in a youth movie, we're sure it will be a big box office hit and they'll quickly gain millions of followers.

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Katrina Halili And 'The Stepdaughters' Co-Stars All Rejoicing For The High Ratings Of Their New Afternoon Prime Show

KATRINA HALILI leads her co-stars in "The Stepdaughters" to thank the viewing public for making their afternoon drama the numero uno show in its slot. "Back in full contravida mode ako rito as Isabelle Salvador at talagang nagki-click sa viewers ang mga eksena ng tarayan namin ni Megan Young as Mayumi de la Rosa," she says. "So abangan nila kasi there are more intense catfights scenes and sampalan scenes that are coming their way, but ibang atake namin dito sa 'The Stepdaughters' kasi it's all done in a classy way. Hindi kami mga palengkerang nagtatalakan dito kundi mas sosyal ang mga patutsadahan namin kaya sigurado akong mas tatatak sa mga manonood."

Does she allow her daughter Katie, now 6, to watch her doing contravida roles like in "The Stepdaughters? "As much as possible, ayaw ko siyang nanonood, lalo na kapag may nakalagay na Strict Parental Guidance or SPG. Pero alam na niya on her own at parang takot din siya kasi, once, nakita niyang binubugbog ako at di niya nakayanang panoorin, kaya siya na mismo, she turns off the TV or change channels. Hindi ko rin siya pinapapanood kasi kung minsan, delikado rin yung lengguwahe so ayokong matutuhan pa niya. Doon na lang siya sa mga safe and wholesome shows at hindi yung may mga eksenang nagpapaka-bitchy ang nanay niya."

Is it true she has closed her heart permanently on the possibility of having another relationship after she broke up with Katie's dad, singer Kris Lawrence? "Hindi naman. Kaya lang, as of now, rest muna ako. At saka hindi naman yan hinahanap, kusang dumarating yan kung ibibigay na ni Lord. As of now, okay naman ako. Five years na akong hindi nagkakarelasyon at di ko naman nami-miss. Nung Valentine nga, ang anak ko ang ka-date ko at happy naman kami. Siguro kapag 35 na ako, baka maisipan ko na talagang mag-settle down, but it has to be with someone na handa ring mahalin ang anak ko gaya ng pagmamahal ko sa kanya. Package deal kami, e."
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The Post Movie Review: Meryl Streep Gives Another Great Portrayal In A Film That Is A Testament To Steven Spielberg's Great Skills In Being An Excellent Story Teller On Screen

 

'THE POST' is a testament to Steven Spielberg's great skills in being an excellent story teller on screen. The events portrayed here have happened almost 50 years ago and we already know the outcome. And yet, he still manages to make it totally riveting and be quite a pulse-pounding thriller.

In 1971, the New York Times published the Pentagon Papers, classified documents about the involvement of the USA in the Vietnam War. The government of then Pres. Richard Nixon blocked it with a court order that stops them from further publishing it. Spielberg's movie focuses on The Washington Post's decision to continue what New York Times has started.

The principal characters are publisher Katherine Graham and her executive editor Ben Bradlee (played by Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks in their first film together). At first, Kay Graham is afraid that their publishing company would lose their business, as well as lucrative TV licenses, if they get convicted under espionage laws. After their first story came out, the attorney general's office asked them to stop printing it. But they fought the case all the way to the Supreme Court... and win!



The court said the paper has the first amendment right to make such information public. Kay's decision to publish the controversial papers produced profound revelations. It showed that various presidents had lied about the scope of the Vietnam War, which they know they couldn't win. It also showed the significance of having a free press as a check against a corrupt government.

But the movie is not just about the papers but also the personal story of Kay Graham, who never expected to be a publisher, and Meryl Streep gives another unforgettable portrayal the way she portrayed her. She was a teenager when her father bought the Washington Post at auction in 1933. He ran the paper until 1946 and instead of making her daughter Kay, who works as a journalist, as successor, he appointed her husband, Philip Graham, who was publisher until 1963 when he killed himself.

 Traumatized by her husband's suicide, Kay had no choice but to run the paper herself. Under her, the company prospered and she eventually became the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company in America. She passed away in an accident when she was 84 when she fell and had head injuries while attending a media conference in Idaho. If she'd see the movie now, we're sure she'd be pleased with the way Meryl played her on screen.

Spielberg is very detailed in re-creating the period the film portrays, from the 70s style newsroom and how newspapers were set up and printed at an era when computers were not yet in vogue. The solidly constructed screenplay is written with so much competence.

We particularly appreciate the way the late Pres. Nixon is portrayed. They wisely chose not to get a lookalike actor to play him in the two scenes where he is shown. Instead, we just see the back of a double while we hear the voice of the real president, who believes he is above the law, taken from his actual past recordings. It's a clever ploy and makes it all sound so authentic.

Spielberg has worked with Tom Hanks in five movies before but it's his first time with Meryl. They're both credible and persuasive, but Tom's portrayal is not as full of impact as that of Jason Robards, who won the Oscar best supporting actor award for also playing Ben Bradlee in "All the President's Men", which is about the Watergate scandal that eventually forced Nixon to resign.

It's Meryl's role as Kay Graham that has a clear and relatable story arc, from being a fragile and tentative CEO who seems to lack confidence to that of a resolute leader and a brave woman in a position of power. She invests the role with so much genteel dignity and elegant refinement. She shines in three distinct scenes for us, but the best is when she was the only woman in a meeting full of men and makes the decision of a lifetime to publish the Pentagon papers then declares with so much coolness: "I'm going to bed." With that, she made the Post a bastion of investigative journalism.

In the hands of a lesser director, this kind of material could have been boring viewing since it's not inherently cinematic. But Spielberg's mastery of the film medium made it superb moviemaking. First, he gives the viewers who were born after the Pentagon papers enough background material to understand what is going on, then tells it on screen in a totally absorbing manner with enough dramatic tension through a very compelling character, Kay Graham, and the aggressive journalists working with her, all unsung heroes (played by a superb ensemble of supporting actors), who took the risk of going to jail by defying Nixon's government.

Past films about investigative journalism won the Oscar best picture award, like "All the President's Men" (about the Washington Post's role in uncovering the 1972 Watergate scandal through reporters Woodward and Bernstein) and "Spotlight" (about corruption in the Church.) "The Post" has a much wider scope than "Spotlight".

It comes at a time when the current US president is very adversarial in his treatment of the press and thus becomes a timely reminder on the state of the free press in their country since history tends to repeat itself. But we doubt if it would win Oscar best picture since the academy voters seem to be so much enamoured with "The Shape of Water", a fantasy love story about an ugly PWD spinster who masturbates in the bathtub and falls in love with a siokoy. It got the most number of Oscar nominations but honestly, we can't understand what they see in it.
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Make Way For Julian Trono & Jack Reid, Two Of Viva's FBois Being Introduced In The Youth Movie, 'Squad Goals'

THE FBOIS OF VIVA are being introduced in their youth oriented movie directed by Mark Meily, "Squad Goals", to be shown in March. Here are two of them: Julian Trono - At 20, he's the most veteran in their batch since he started as a child actor in 'Tropang Potchi' of GMA-7. He's been launched with Ella Cruz in the movie 'Fanboy/Fangirl' and now they're together again in 'Squad Goals', where he plays Benj, a college student who moonlights as a secret dance guru called Young D. He wears a mask in his dance videos to conceal his identity from his father who doesn't like him dancing and wants him to concentrate on his engineering studies.

Jack Reid - the younger brother of James, but they don't look alike as they have different mothers.
Also, at 20, Jack is taller and looks more Filipino than James who's too mestizo. "He's my inspiration and the reason why I also joined showbiz," he says. "At first, I left Australia to go to college in Dumaguete, but he encouraged me to try showbiz first. He's very supportive, giving me advice to be the best version of myself. I expect to be compared with him since we're brothers, but we really have very different personalities."

Like James, he has yet to learn how to speak Tagalog fluently. Is his brother really now living in with his girlfriend Nadine Lustre?

"I'm not in a position to answer that. They should be the ones you should asked. Nadine is like my big sister But I'm just curious why it's a big thing here. In Australia, it's normal for couple to live in if they want to."

Does he has a girlfriend now? "None. I'm just starting so I want to focus first on my career."

He played a supporting role in the horror film, "Darkroom", and is glad to be one of the leads now in "Squad Goals" where he plays Pads, a masscomm student who's also a balikbayan from Australia and tries to learn how to speak Tagalog fluently with the help of a classmate played by newcomer Harlene Ocampo.
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Meet Me In St. Gallen Movie Review: Well Acted Hugot Romance About A Masochistic Couple Who'd Rather Wallow In Heartache Than Pursue Their Love For Each Other

PIOLO PASCUAL'S Spring Films seems to be on a winning streak. Their offering last year, "Kita Kita", is a certified blockbuster (and even won best picture recently) and their release for this year is also doing well at the tills, "Meet Me in St. Gallen". To think that the three other people involved in "Kita Kita" had not so successful follow up projects: Empoy Marquez in "The Barker", Alex de Rossi in "12" and writer-director Sigrid Andrea Bernardo in "Mr. and Mrs. Cruz".

"Meet Me in St. Gallen" was extended in theaters due to good word of mouth endorsement from satisfied viewers and we're told that on Valentine's day in its second week, its earnings are even higher than the two other local films that just opened on that day. It's said to have earned P60 million so far, which is not bad at all.

Written and directed by Irene Villamor of "Camp Sawi", the film is another one of those talky so called "hugot" romances where the two lead characters are just shown talking and conversing and yakking with each other. The story happens in a span of six years and shows the three different encounters of the leads, both strangers in the night, during that time.



The first time they met one rainy night at Centris on Quezon Avenue, Carlo Aquino as Jesse is being forced by his dad to pursue medicine but his heart is in music and singing. Bela Padilla as Celeste is a headstrong young woman who works as a graphic artist and Carlo hears her resigning from her office job while they're in the Centris open restrooms which are conducive to eavesdropping as you can really hear people from other toilets talking.

Carlo is visibly impressed by the way that the smart and spunky Bela talked to her demanding boss on the phone. He waits to strike a conversation with her. But he's obviously shy and intimidated and it's even Bela who started their interaction by asking if he's a stalker when they're in a coffee shop. This starts their long conversation into the night and they talk about all sorts of topics, including Facebook, solitude, loneliness, regrets, making compromises in life and, of course, love that's determined by destiny. They also go to a sing-along bar and the night ends with them kissing, but without any concrete promise of meeting again.

Irene admits her movie is inspired by Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise/Sunset" series and throughout all the interactions of the two leads, there's always this not so secret wish in the mind of the viewer that they will eventually have their own happy ending as lovers, since fate seems always try to make them cross each other's path all the time.

Their second chance meeting is in another coffee shop after four years. Carlo is now a veterinarian while Bela has become a multi-media artist who just had her first art exhibit. Their interrupted romance seems to have been rekindled. Bela admits she's been stalking Carlo on social media for the past four years.

Carlo reveals he is already engaged with a girl named Diane (played by Angelica Panganiban, shown only in photos.) They go to a bar then Carlo has to go to his clinic to look after a sick dog. Then they go to Bela's place, spend the night together, still no commitment with each other, but Bela ends up crying by herself when he leaves.

Their third meeting is two years later on Christmas Day and culminates in St. Gallen, a snow-covered Christmas village in Switzerland where Bela is currently based. Carlo pops up to surprise her. Their story seems to be headed for a happy ending. Suffice it to say, though, that just like "12" and "Mr. and Mrs. Cruz", the ending is not your usual and expected crowdpleaser. Tipong nagpapa-bittersweet.

As the movie goes on, we somehow felt that it is not really going anywhere and all the talking will not lead to anything satisfying. This is one film where there are no villains, no big conflict that the leads have to surmount together. Their problem is their inner selves. Honestly, we don't get it, we don't understand they won't make a commitment when they both profess to have feelings for each other.

It's very clear that they feel love for one another and there's no clear hindrance for them to pursue their love affair. So what's stopping them from having a happier ending? Doesn't make much sense, does it? They actually both come out more as masochists who love wallowing in self-inflicted heartaches with their personal vow of being unhappy forever. Or maybe they're just following what writer-director Irene Villamor dictates in her script rather than the truthful dictates of their own hearts. Very early in the film, Bela says they remind her of the movie, "Celeste and Jesse Forever", a low-budget 2012 romcom with unknown stars and Bela recalls that the two leads there didn't end up with each other, so maybe they're just following suit.

Obviously, Direk Irene just prefers angst-filled and painful relationships over more successful ones. What helps in making the film tolerable are the two leads who are both splendid in their respective roles. Carlo is a child actor who has won several awards. He was not successful in his teen years but now, as he gains more maturity in his 30s, he not only registers better on screen but shows a clear maturity in his acting skills that will put other current matinee idols to shame. We're glad to learn that the movie opened new doors for him and he's now getting offers left and right.

As for Bela, she has gained more confidence before the camera that was not there during her early days in TV soaps. She has exhibited fine, sensitive emoting playing the title role in "100 Tula Para Kay Stella" and she now caps this with a very relaxed but sincere and perfectly nuanced portrayal of Celeste in "St. Gallen". She and Carlo are both committed to their roles and have a pretty engaging chemistry as a couple. We can really relate to them and the characters they portray. And they both deliver their long lines with much conviction.
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The Significant Other Movie Review: A Stylishly Told Tale Of Marital Infidelity With Sizzling Bed Scenes And Explosive Dramatic Confrontations And Slapping Scenes

 

LOVE TRIANGLE movies about marital infidelity have always a been favorite genre for local filmgoers since the time of "Sapagkat Kami'y Tao Lamang" that launched the formidable triumvirate of Lolita Rodriguez, Eddie Rodriguez and Marlene Dauden, who did countless other similar films.

This movie was later revived starring Christopher de Leon, Alma Moreno and Lorna Tolentino. There are several variations through the years, like "My Other Woman'', "Relasyon", "Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan", "Palimos ng Pag-ibig", "Minsan Lang Kitang Iibigin", "Ikaw at ang Gabi", and the more recent "No Other Woman" and "A Secret Affair".

The latest reincarnation is "The Significant Other", directed by Joel Lamangan and scripted by Eric Ramos and Jerry Gracio. The narrative structure is very intriguing as it opens with that much ballyhooed scene where Lovi and Erich are sashaying on the ramp during a fashion show, then Tom comes along and the scene ends with them both kissing him then slapping each other. This got much publicity mileage after they really hurt one another during the shoot.



From there, how the story started is retold in flashbacks, first from the point of view of Erich who doesn't really know she's just a kabit, then from that of Lovi as the unsuspecting wife. "The Significant Other" is produced by the new film company, Cineko Productions, and this is their best release so far. We hope it also becomes their biggest hit as they have yet to come up with a real blockbuster.

The film has all the makings of being a box office winner as it's a true commercial crowd pleaser, complete with several dramatic confrontation scenes resulting from infidelity and slapping scenes that, we have to admit, majority of local viewers just don't get tired of watching. The bed scenes of Tom (what a lucky guy) with both Lovi and Erich are also truly torrid and leave very little to the imagination since both ladies are very "palaban".

The film is not only well directed with glossy production values (the cinematographer by Rain Yamzon is definitely a big plus) but very well acted by the entire ensemble cast. Erich Gonzales is convincing as Nicolodia, the provinciana who goes to Manila to try her luck as a model and falls in love with Tom Rodriguez, the cosmetic surgeon who removes her birthmark, without knowing he's already married to Lovi Poe as Maxene.

Tom himself does pretty well as the husband who goes astray, especially in that scene where he is pleading to Lovi to forgive him for his philandering and save their marriage. But it's Lovi who sizzles giving a finely textured performance in several scenes. In her role as a top model, she gets to parade in several glamorous outfits and also shines in various poignant drama scenes, particularly in that scene where she goes to her husband's clinic unannounced and discovers him in bed with someone but didn't have the guts to confront them right then and there.

It's a long wordless scene and she's shown just emoting with her face and whole body until she just walks away crying. She handles it all very convincingly and touchingly, including the succeeding scene where she cooks her husband's favorite caldereta without revealing to him she already knows that he is being unfaithful. Another memorable scene is when she finds out that the mistress of her husband is no one else but the neophyte model who she's generously helping in her aspirations to be a successful model.

They all get splendid help from a very competent supporting cast, headed by Snooky Serna as Erich's poor mom, Dina Bonnevie as Lovi's balikbayan mom, Bernardo Bernardo as the owner of the modeling agency (this is his last film before he found out he's sick, let's all pray for his healing), Afi Africa as Lovi and Erich's manager, and Ricci Chan stealing his only scene as designer Avel Bacudio.

How the film is given a fairly pleasing conclusion where all the characters are shown converging in a photo exhibit in the final sequence is quite a stylish resolution for this dramatic flick that will leave viewers who prefer a positive ending very much satisfied.


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Bleeding Steel Movie Review: Jackie Chan Back In His Usual Hongkong-Style Of Action Flick With Exciting Set Pieces And Hilarious Comic Scenes

AFTER TRYING straight drama as a dad grieving over the death of his daughter in the hands of terrorists in "The Foreigner", Jackie Chan returns to his usual slambang action-comedy in "Bleeding Steel", a futuristic tale concerning a mad scientist and mutants, coupled with goofy slapstick humor and some very violent scenes where someone's heart is shown being ripped from his chest.

This is almost like a throwback to Jackie's "Police Story" films before. Set in Australia, the movie even shows Jackie doing his familiar derring-do scenes in an action scene shot on the top of the famous Sydney Opera House. He plays a special forces agent, Lin Dong, who is in a hurry to escort and protect a bio-engineering whiz, Dr. James (Kim Gyngell), to a well guarded facility so he can go and say a last goodbye to his daughter, Xixi, who's dying from leukemia.

He gives priority to his mission but he and his team faces the formidable villain, Andre (Callan Mulvey), a mutant warrior who's like a Frankenstein's monster who was transformed by radiation exposure. Andre now who wants to track down James to obtain the immortality serum that James has concocted. Andre's cohorts are called bioroids and look like the Stormtroopers of Star Wars garbed in black uniforms.



From there, the narrative jumps to the year 2020. Jackie is doing various jobs to be close to a student named Nancy (Nana Ouyang, a cellist who tries acting), who was raised in an orphanage. It is so easy to guess that she is actually Jackie's daughter we thought had died but was revived by a cybernetic heart. Several enemies who are biotech mutants then show up and we see countless frenetic chase sequences along Sydney's streets and even inside of Australian buildings.

"Bleeding Steel" offers a lot of action set pieces that fans of Jackie's Hongkong style action flicks then have gotten used to, complete with glossy production values, spectactular pyrotechnics and the usual hilarious outtakes and bloopers during the end credits. Told with very fast pacing by Director Leo Zhang, Jackie gets to face a lot of adversaries including a woman with flying daggers and a drag queen who seduces guys with plastic boobs.

Since Jackie is now in his 60s, so his production team now has to design for him action set pieces that will not overtax his physical capabilities and put him on grave danger. He's still quite nimble, but a lot more special effects are also used to enhance his stunts, unlike before when he used to everything highly physical all by himself and without any tricks at all. Actually, he'd be better off playing Nancy/Xixi's grandpa, but still he manages to have a touching reunion scene with his long lost daughter.

Jackie is generous enough to allow younger actor Show Lo as Leeson to handle a lot of comic scenes. We've seen him before in the hit comedy, "Mermaid", and he has created a smart-aleck persona that is perfect foil to Jackie's dead earnest one. All in all, the movie offers quite a lot of fun.
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Mike Tan Says He Has Valid Reasons For Keeping His Wedding A Secret And It's Not Because He's Ashamed Of His Wife

MIKE TAN felt sad when his character in "Ika-6 na Utos" was killed. "Nakakahinayang kasi ang tagal pa pala ng itatakbo ng show, tapos nawala na agad ako," he says. "But then, it turned out bibigyan naman pala ako ng kapalit na bagong show, ang 'Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka', na leading man ako ni Yasmien Kurdi."

Mike got married last January 22 in a very private ceremony in Rodriguez, Rizal, to his non-showbiz girlfriend, but he decided to keep it very quiet. "More than ten years na rin kami kasi bago pa ako sumali sa Starstruck, magkakilala na kami, e. Ilang beses muna niya kong ni-reject bago siya nakipag-date sa akin. Naging tahimik kami all throughout kahit nasa showbiz na ako. Never siyang umeksena and now na kasal na kami, we prefer na maging tahimik pa rin yun as much as possible."

Someone quipped that he might appear not be proud of his wife so he's hiding her from public. "Hindi naman. Siya rin naman ang may gusto ng ganitong set up. Even our wedding was so private. Ayaw niya ng engrandeng kasal. Only close family and friends were invited and we requested them not to post our wedding pictures sa social media. Wala ngang showbiz friends na invited, so nirerespeto ko lang ang decision niya to be private."

So now, is he ready to have his own family? "Yes, kasi 31 na rin ako. It's about time bumuo ng sarili kong pamilya. Ready na kami tanggapin kung ano ang ibibigay ni God sa amin. Mas inspired nga akong magtrabaho because of my new responsibility as head of our family. Hanga nga ako sa kapareha ko in 'Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka' na si Yasmien Kurdi kasi matagumpay niyang napagsasabay ang kanyang family life and career."

He's also happy to be part of an advocaserye like "Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka" about the ordeals and struggles of a person who is HIV positive. This will start airing on February 26, replacing the current Sanya Lopez-starrer, "Haplos".

"The incidence of HIV in our country continues to escalate so it's alarming. Kaya kailangan ng ganitong show that will foster awareness about HIV and how to handle it. Dito, as the title shows, hindi ko iniwanan si Yasmien even after I found out na HIV positive siya. Nakuha niya yun when she was raped by Martin del Rosario. In spite of this, I supported her all the way as her husband and magkasama kaming nilabanan yung sakit niya at lahat ng mga taong nanlalait sa kanya dahil nga may HIV siya."
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