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The Mystery of Post-Inflation Stability: Exploring Economic Uncertainty
Inflation, a sneaky force eating away at our financial stability, makes us wonder: what happens after its rampage? Do things settle back to normal, or are we stuck dealing with the aftermath? Inflation is simply prices creeping up over time, quietly changing our financial landscape. Think of your favorite café inching up its prices or […].....»»
PBA All Stars hopping over to Davao next
The PBA is looking at Davao as potentially the next venue for the annual All-Star Weekend as it considers bringing the annual festivities to Mindanao after back-to-back stops in the Visayas......»»
2 dead, 34 injured in road crashes in Philippines over weekend
MANILA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Two people died and 34 others were hurt in two separate road crashes in the Philippines over the weekend, local authorities said Sunday. A municipal disaster prevention official said a female bus collector was killed after a passenger bus rammed into a trailer truck parked on the roadside in a town in Davao de Oro province in the southern Philippines around 4 a.m. local time on Sunda.....»»
2 dead, 34 injured in road crashes in Philippines over weekend
MANILA, March 24 (Xinhua) -- Two people died and 34 others were hurt in two separate road crashes in the Philippines over the weekend, local authorities said Sunday. A municipal disaster prevention official said a female bus collector was killed after a passenger bus rammed into a trailer truck parked on the roadside in a town in Davao de Oro province in the southern Philippines around 4 a.m. local time on Sunda.....»»
Dovish Powell lifts markets to historic highs
Last week, US equities reached new all-time highs, thereby lifting global stock markets. This came on the back of Federal Reserve (Fed) Chair Jerome Powell’s dovish policy statement. In that speech, Powell touted considerable progress in bringing down inflation, notwithstanding the bumps in the road toward the two percent target......»»
Mr. M gets star-studded birthday tribute
It takes a Mr. M — also known as Johnny Manahan — to gather a constellation of showbiz’s brightest stars in one place at one time. That’s exactly what happened on the night of March 16, when Mr. M’s many friends and admirers came together to pay tribute to the man they said they owed their careers to......»»
Saso bounces back with 69 but still trails by 6
Yuka Saso rebounded from a previous round of 75 with a 69 but still found herself trailing significantly behind new leaders KoreanJiyai Shin and Alison Lee of the US after three rounds of the FIR Hills Seri Pak Championship at Palos Verdes Estates in California Saturday (Sunday Manila time)......»»
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga sets world premiere date at Cannes
The fifth film in the series stars Anya Taylor-Joy as Furiosa, a character played by Charlize Theron in 2015's "Mad Max: Fury Road," which also premiered at Cannes in 2015......»»
Silorio stars as Squires zoom past Junior Altas for back-to-back NCAA crowns
Letran’s June Silorio is being tipped as the new “Captain Marbel,” or the second coming of ex-pro star Kenneth Duremdes......»»
Villanueva returns to US for fight vs Pierce
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Veteran ring warrior Arthur Villanueva returned to the United States after eight years as he takes on Elijah Pierce on March 29 in Atlantic City, Georgia. Villanueva, an ex-ALA Boxing Gym stalwart, will return to the United States for the first time since 2016. The 35-year-old Villanueva of Bago City, Negros.....»»
5 iconic Jaclyn Jose roles that made a mark in Philippine cinema
Cannes award-winning actress Jaclyn Jose may have passed too soon, but she left a lasting legacy through her laid-back acting performances, which was prevalent in her numerous film appearances. As coined by local film enthusiasts, her “no acting” acting style initially brought her local attention when Filipinos realized her somewhat emotionless line delivery in most.....»»
Phl cinema in the first year of BBM
Here, we look back at the state of the Philippine film industry since he took the seat of power 13 months ago. When President Marcos Jr. became the 17th leader of the nation, the country was on the brink of the “new normal.” The campaign elections even saw multitudes of crowds in the streets, the Filipinos’ political passion overpowering the fear of a Covid-19 infection. Covid-pandemic viewing By May 2022, the month of the presidential campaigns, the Department of Health said the country was at “minimal-risk case classification” with an average of only 159 cases per day. By June 2022, when the President took his oath, 69.4 million Filipinos had been fully vaccinated. Along with the country, the Philippine film industry started healing. On the same month, the country went under Covid-19 Alert Level 2, with 50-percent allowed capacity in indoor cinemas. Live film festivals The Marcos administration saw the return of Filipino film festivals in theaters. On Marcos’ fifth month as president, the QCinema International Film Festival, with the theme “in10City,” held hybdrid screenings — in-person and online. The Metro Manila Film Festival in December 2022, six months into the new presidency, went full force in cinemas for the second time during the pandemic. Earlier, in 2020, during the Duterte administration, the festival was held online for the first time, and the following year, in December 2021, after level alert measures in the Philippines were relaxed, the MMFF finally went back to the cinemas. However, only around 300 cinemas (down from the usual 900) were allowed to screen the MMFF entries. Meanwhile, the 18th edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival was held from 5 August to 31 October 2022 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines, in select mall cinemas and online. But what made a mark during the Marcos administration’s first year was the inaugural edition of the 2023 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival. The SMMFF was held in Metro Manila and throughout the Philippines. Organized by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in partnership with the Cinema Exhibitors Association of the Philippines, the first MMFF was supposed to be held in 2020, but was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2023, held from 8 to 18 April 2023 with the theme “Tuloy-tuloy ang Saya,” the summer festival featured eight entries and, like its December counterpart, even held a Parade of Stars. About Us But Not About Us by Jun Lana, produced by The IdeaFirst Company, Octobertrain Films and Quantum Films, emerged as the first Best Picture of the summer festival. [caption id="attachment_161372" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] About Us But Not About Us by Jun Lana[/caption] The Film Development Council of the Philippines’ sixth edition of its own mini-film festival, held during the Marcos administration’s third month, headed back to cinemas, offering free access to award-winning classic films of the new National Artists for Film and Broadcast Arts at TriNoma Cinema in Quezon City and in all Cinematheque centers nationwide (Manila, Iloilo, Negros, Davao and Nabunturan). CCP closes for renovations On 1 September 2022, CCP president Margarita Moran-Floirendo announced during a hearing of the Senate committee on cultural communities, that The Cultural Center of the Philippines — home to the Cinemalaya festival — will close its doors starting January 2023 for renovation and structural retrofitting works, and will reopen in March 2025. This marks the first time that Cinemalaya, on its 19th year, which has the theme “ilumiNasyon,” will be held at various venues inside the adjacent Philippine International Convention Center, from 4 to 13 August 2023. The rise of political films With the country deeply driven by polarized political views, the Marcos administration saw a war between political commercial films. [caption id="attachment_161370" align="aligncenter" width="1800"] ‘MAID in Malacanang’ stars Cristine Reyes, Diego Loyzaga and Ella Cruz. | Photograph courtesy of viva[/caption] On 29 July 2022, Darryl Yap’s period drama Maid in Malacañang, touted as “the most controversial film of the year,” was released to packed cinemas. The movie, about the Marcos family’s last three days in Malacañang Palace before they were forced into exile, premiered at SM North EDSA and was released nationwide on 3 August 2022. Yap, who passionately campaigned for Marcos, became a controversial filmmaker with the release of his Marcos film. Leni Robredo supporters tried to boycott the film, with some Filipino movie critics exposing themselves as heavily political and non-neutral with their reviews, accusing the film of propaganda and historical revisionism. The attempt to quash the movie’s release failed and it became a box-office hit, with producer Viva Films releasing a statement that it earned a whopping P21 million on its opening day and P63 million three days after its release. It was the first time in Philippine cinema history that local theaters nationwide saw a deluge of moviegoers lining up to watch a movie on the big screen, mostly driven by political affiliation. Another unsuccessful political attempt to diminish the film’s release was Vince Tañada’s re-release of his Martial Law film Katips to counter Maid in Malacañang. Tañada’s film eventually won Best Picture at the Famas Awards. MIM actress Ella Cruz’s remark during a press conference, that “history is like tsismis,” further fanned the flames of political debate online. Eight months later, in March 2022, Viva released Yap’s second installment in his Marcos trilogy, Martyr or Murderer, which now focused on Ferdinand Marcos and the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. Two anti-Marcos movies rose to combat the film — Joel Lamangan’s Oras de Peligro, released on the same day, and Tañada’s movie adaptation of his musical play Ako Si Ninoy, released one week earlier. Movie buffs, political analysts, film critics, the press and social media influencers dove into feverish commentaries on the three films, and Philippine cinemas were ignited and, for a while, became alive with social discourse. New FDCP head On 21 July 2022, Tirso S. Cruz III officially assumed his position as the head of the country’s national film agency, the Film Development Council of the Philippines. He replaced Liza Diño, who was appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte as FDCP chairperson on 12 August 2016. [caption id="attachment_161368" align="aligncenter" width="736"] FDCP chair Tirso Cruz III. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF FDCP[/caption] Cruz, a veteran actor, said that the target of the FDCP under the Marcos administration was to support local films, not just in Metro Manila, but also from regional filmmakers. He also professed support for film students and highlighted archiving as part of the FDCP’s agenda, with 42,000 materials in its archives to be salvaged. MTRCB In September 2022, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board released a statement addressing the controversy about its proposal to expand its jurisdiction to online streaming services like Netflix, Vivamax, Amazon Prime and other streaming platforms. The MTRCB said it was responding to multitudes of complaints from parents and other concerned groups demanding that the agency regulate movie and TV online platforms to protect children from harmful viewing. The Marcos administration has seen a continuous boom in streamers, which began during the pandemic, with Vivamax becoming one of the leading local streamers due to the popularity of Filipino sexploitation films. On 23 February 2023, MTRCB chairperson Lala Sotto-Antonio expressed her gratitude to Senators Francis “Tol” Tolentino, Grace Poe and Sherwin Gatchalian for the separate bills they filed that would amend and expand the board’s mandate. “We welcome the move to amend the charter of the MTRCB as it will allow the agency to adequately adapt to changes in technology and the ever-evolving needs of the viewing public and our other stakeholders,” Sotto-Antonio said before the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media chaired by Senator Robinhood C. Padilla. Eddie Garcia Act In January 2023, the chamber passed through voice voting House Bill 1270, or the proposed Eddie Garcia Act, at the House plenary session. [caption id="attachment_161367" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] HOUSE Bill 1270 has been proposed in honor of the late actor Eddie Garcia. | Photograph courtesy of gma-7[/caption] Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte authored the bill, which aims to provide workers in the movie, television and radio entertainment industry opportunities for well-paid employment and protect them from economic exploitation, abuse and harassment, as well as hazardous working conditions. The bill was named after the late veteran actor Eddie Garcia, who died in 2019 after suffering a neck injury while shooting the television series Rosang Agimat, produced by GMA Network. According to Villafuerte, productions would go from 16 to 24 continuous work hours per set and would rush productions to save costs. The proposed law mandates that normal work hours of the worker or talent shall be eight hours a day; overtime work should not exceed more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period; and the total number of work hours shall not exceed 60 hours in a week. Paul Soriano Relatively unknown to most Pinoy moviegoers, filmmaker Paul Soriano was put on the limelight as the man behind the President’s advertisements — way back from campaigns since Marcos started out as vice governor, and then, governor of Ilocos Norte, up until his senatorial campaign, and eventually his campaign for the vice presidency and presidency. [caption id="attachment_161371" align="aligncenter" width="781"] PRESIDENTIAL Adviser on Creative Communications Paul Soriano. | PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF ig/PAUL SORIANO[/caption] Of course, the opposition in the film industry predictably canceled Soriano, the blood nephew of First Lady Liza Cacho Araneta-Marcos. Dolly de Leon It was also during the BBM era that Filipina actress Dolly de Leon gained international fame for her performance in the 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or winner Triangle of Sadness. [caption id="attachment_161366" align="aligncenter" width="705"] Dolly de Leon gained international fame for her performance in the 2022 Cannes Palme d’Or winner ‘Triangle of Sadness.’ | Photograph courtesy ofig/dolly de leon[/caption] The 54-year old film, television and theater actress made history by becoming the first Filipino actor to be nominated at the British Academy Film Awards and Golden Globe Awards. Filipino movie fans and critics, having been exposed to global content since the rise of the streamers, plus the proliferation of self-published movie reviews, are generally still disappointed with the output and system of the Philippine film industry, but filled with hope that, with full support from the government, Philippine cinema will finally become truly internationally competitive, sustainable and recognized. The post Phl cinema in the first year of BBM appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pride screenings showcase a rainbow of stories
Cinema is one of the most engaging artforms and creative expressions through which the LGBTQ+ community documents their lived experiences, conveys their desires and struggles, celebrates their identities and advocates for reforms and deeper understanding. Thus, film screenings are popular activities during LGBTQ+ Pride Month. This year, several institutions, streaming service companies and film groups are mounting screenings, giving these works more opportunities to reach more audiences. Here is a rundown: FDCP’s Pelikulaya LGBTQIA+ Film Festival The Film Development Council of the Philippines brings back the Pelikulaya LGBTQIA+ Film Festival this year with the theme “Mga Kuwentong Mapagpalaya” (Liberating Stories), and the aim is training the spotlight “on underrepresented members of the LGBTQIA+ community to promote a better understanding of inclusivity, diversity and equality.” According to Tirso Cruz III, FDCP chairman and chief executive officer, Pelikulaya “aims to raise awareness of LGBTQIA+ issues. We believe that by using the power of film, we can do our part in showcasing films that celebrate LGBTQIA+ stories. Hoping to create understanding of the lives, perspectives and advocacies shown in each film.” “With that, the FDCP sends our love and gratitude to you all for being with us, and we hope you’ll have a memorable experience in all of our Cinematheque Centres across the Philippines,” he added. To be held from 23 to 30 June, Pelikulaya will screen titles at the Cinematheque Centres in Manila, Davao, Iloilo, Nabunturan and Bacolod, and several theaters in Metro Manila including Cinema ‘76 and UP Film Institute’s Cine Adarna/Videotheque. Some of the titles will also be available for streaming on JuanFlix (www.juanflix.com.ph) starting 30 June with a subscription fee. A special screening of a digitally restored and remastered version of Wong Kar Wai’s Happy Together will kick off the festival on 23 June at the Shangri-La Plaza Mall in Mandaluyong City. Aside from Happy Together, films that will be screened at the Cinematheque Centres are Girl (directed by Lukas Dhont); Portrait of a Lady on Fire (directed by Celine Sciamma); Women Do Cry (directed by Vesela Kazako and Mina Mileva); Billie and Emma (directed by Samantha Lee); Mamu, and a Mother Too (directed by Rod Singh); Metamorphosis (directed by J.E. Tiglao); and The Boy Foretold by the Stars (directed by Dolly Dulu). Ishmael Bernal’s Manila by Night will have a free screening. Priced from P100 to P200, tickets to Manila screenings may be purchased through bit.ly/CCManilaTickets. [caption id="attachment_146567" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Lukas Dhont’s ‘Girl’ is inspired by a true story of a young trans girl who aspired to be a ballerina.[/caption] Short films will be screened for free at the Cinematheque Centres, and the lineup includes Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig (directed by Vahn Leinard Pascual); Love in the Ungodly Hour (directed by Bradley Jason Pantajo); Dikit (directed by Gabriela Serrano); Gulis (directed by Kyle Jumayne Francisco); Noontime Drama (directed by Kim Timan and Sam Villa-Real); and Nang Maglublob ako sa Isang Mangkok ng Liwanag (directed by Kukay Zinampan). [caption id="attachment_146563" align="aligncenter" width="525"] ‘Dikit,’ a short film by Gabriela Serrano.[/caption] To be available for streaming on JuanFlix are Sila-Sila (directed by Giancarlo Abrahan); Metamorphosis; Mamu, and a Mother Too; Rome and Juliet (directed by Connie Macatuno); How to Die Young in Manila (directed by Petersen Vargas); Nang Maglublob ako sa Isang Mangkok ng Liwanag; and This is Not A Coming Out Story (directed by Mark Felix Ebreo). Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Women Do Cry will be also be available on a pay-per-view basis. At Cinema ’76 Cinema ’76 Film Society is bringing in acclaimed movies this Pride Month. Headlining is Happy Together, the 1997 Cannes-winning romantic drama directed by renowned Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai and featuring Tony Leung and the late Leslie Cheung as two lovers caught in a turbulent affair. Aside from Happy Together, two films featuring transgender experiences will also be shown. Girl is the debut film of Belgian filmmaker Lukas Dhont and won the Camera d’Or for Best Feature Film at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. The film was inspired by a true story of a young trans girl who aspired to be a ballerina. On the other hand, Fanny: The Right to Rock is a documentary by Canadian filmmaker Bobbi Jo Hart about Fanny, the legendary Filipina-American-fronted rock band whose trailblazing impact in music was written out of history. The film touches on the place of women, women of color, queers and older women in a straight male-dominated industry. [caption id="attachment_146564" align="aligncenter" width="525"] ‘Fanny The Right to Rock,’ a documentary about a forgotten queer band.[/caption] The three films will have a limited run from 21 to 27 June at Cinema ’76 on Tomas Morato Avenue in Quezon City. On iWantTFC A streaming platform with international reach, iWantTFC celebrates all types of love with a special selection of movies and series called Love is Love that includes Drag You and Me, iWantTFC’s latest original series that tackles drag culture and stars Andrea Brillantes, JC Alcantara and Christian Bables. Other iWantTFC originals that viewers may stream are the Girls’ Love series Sleep with Me, starring Janine Gutierrez and Lovi Poe, and Fluid, Boys’ Love (BL) rom-com Oh, Mando! and advocacy series Mga Batang Poz. [caption id="attachment_146566" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Photograph courtesy of Dreamscape Entetainment | ‘Drag You and Me’ is an iWantTFC original series that tackles drag culture.[/caption] There are also empowering movies and series about loving freely and living authentically, such as The Boy Foretold by the Stars and its sequel series Love Beneath the Stars, Black Sheep’s hit series Hello Stranger starring Tony Labrusca and JC Alcantara, and the Star Cinema film My Lockdown Romance, starring Jameson Blake and Joao Constancia. Stories on learning how to embrace one’s sexuality and being true to oneself are told by The Panti Sisters, Die Beautiful, The Third Party and Baka Bukas. Thai BL series, such as 2gether the Series, Still 2gether, A Tale of a Thousand Stars and Bad Buddy are also available to stream as well as well-loved and classic LGBTQ-themed movies, such as T-Bird at Ako, Si Chedeng at si Apple and In My Life. These can be viewed on the iWantTFC app (iOs and Android) and website (iwanttfc.com). In other select countries, watch iWantTFC on a larger screen with select devices, including VEWD, ROKU and Amazon Fire streaming devices, Android TV, select Samsung Smart TV models, Telstra TV (in Australia) and VIDAA. On Jungo Pinoy New Filipino streaming app Jungo Pinoy, which boasts of having the largest Filipino-dubbed movie library in the world, as well as original films and TV series, also has a selection of LGBTQ-themed and queer-created films and series, which can be viewed either for free or through a subscription plan. Recommended watch includes: eCupid (exclusive Filipino-dubbed), a romantic comedy directed by JC Calciano and starring Morgan Fairchild, Houston Rhines and Noah Schuffman, tells the story of a gay man nearing 30 years old tapping into an otherworldly internet advertisement that begins to control his life. Hoping to end his seven-year romance rut, he uses the site to get everything he wants until he discovers that what he thought he wanted wasn’t the thing that would ultimately make him happy. Ten Year Plan (exclusive Filipino-dubbed) is another romantic comedy directed by Calciano and starring Jack Turner and Michael Adam Hamilton. In the film, two best friends make a pact to be together in a decade if neither finds love. With two months left until their deadline, they both scramble to find someone to avoid being each other’s last resort. [caption id="attachment_146565" align="aligncenter" width="525"] ‘TEN Year Plan,’ directed by JC Calciano.[/caption] Adan is a Filipino lesbian mystery and romance movie starring Cindy Miranda, Rhen Escano and Ruby Ruiz. In the movie, a naive provincial girl finds a way to be independent through the help of her girl best friend, but their actions have consequences. [caption id="attachment_146562" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Photographs Courtesy oF JUNGO PINOY | ‘ADAN’ tells about a lesbian story.[/caption] Daddy Issues, starring Jo Ashe and Rachel Barry, is a comedy about loss and starting over. In the film, when her emotionally distant father dies and leaves her his company, a hapless stand-up comic moves to Los Angeles to take over the family business. Tucked is about an aging drag queen who forms an unlikely friendship with a younger queen. As they discover more about each other, they realize how to truly be themselves. Starring Derren Nesbit and Jordan Stephens, this film is about love, loss and friendship. Lady Gaga: iTunes Festival features the pop star’s performance at the Itunes Music Festival, which also marked the world premiere of tracks from her album ARTPOP. [caption id="attachment_146570" align="aligncenter" width="525"] PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF JUNGO PINOY | WATCH pop star Lady Gaga perform in ‘Lady Gaga iTunes Festival.’[/caption] Sam Smith: Austin City Limits features the non-binary English singer and songwriter performing their greatest hits, such as “Nirvana” and “I Know I’m Not the Only One” on the stage at Austin City Limits. [caption id="attachment_146569" align="aligncenter" width="525"] ‘Sam Smith: Austin City Limits.’[/caption] At the Quezon City Public Library A weekly film screening is part of the celebration of LGBTQ+ Pride Month of one of the country’s most active public libraries, the Quezon City Public Library (QCPL). With the theme, “Equality for All,” their celebration aims “to highlight the unique contributions and lived experiences of the members of the LGBTQIA+ community through various library activities and informational resources.” “This celebration also forwards an aspiration: that one day, we will be able to genuinely acknowledge the existence of our fellow LGBTQIA+ brothers and sisters as equally valuable as everyone. And that they too deserve equal opportunity in any given situation and honest representation in all of its forms, shapes and sizes,” the library explained. The film screenings started with Love, Simon and Everything Everywhere All at Once on 9 June and All My Life and Bekikang on 16 June. Other films to be shown are Perks of Being A Wall Flower and Boys in the Band on 23 June, and Eternals and Imitation Game on 30 June. Screenings are from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Conference Room of QCPL. Contact the library to reserve slots. At the UPFI Film Center The University of the Philippines Film Institute also had screenings of LGBTQ+ films on 17 June, in partnership with the UP Diliman Gender Office. Shown were short films Gutab, Dory, Niknik, Kurozetto, Bakit, Papa? and Nang Maglublob Ako sa isang Mangkok ng Liwanag. The post Pride screenings showcase a rainbow of stories appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Funny old world: The week’s offbeat news
From Vietnam's leaders not being able to take a joke, to why Jude Law is proud that his new film stinks... Your weekly roundup of offbeat stories from around the world. Not so close, Jude British star Jude Law -- the former face of Dior Homme -- doused himself in a special fragrance to get in the mood to play Henry VIII, the English monarch who liked to chop and change wives, in the movie "Firebrand", which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. Henry was getting old and moldy by the time he married his final wife, Catherine Parr. So, Law had a perfumier come up with a scent that summoned up the smell of "puss, blood, fecal matter, and sweat". Co-star Alicia Vikander, who played Parr, said she and the crew struggled not to puke from the stink on set. You can never be too old Old white men may have become a term of abuse elsewhere, but Cannes has refreshingly taken this much-maligned minority to its heart. No less than six are competing for its top prize. This year's festival is awash with pensioners, with 80-year-old Harrison Ford saddling up for one last ride as Indiana Jones and Robert De Niro and Michael Douglas also girding themselves to climb all those red-carpet steps to the premieres. Still, old guys can be a contrary lot. Take 80-year-old Martin Scorsese who premiered his "Killers of the Flower Moon" there but refused to compete for the Palme d'Or, saying, "It's time for others" -- by which he presumably meant even older men like favorite Marco Bellocchio, 83, and two-times winner Ken Loach, 86. Dead woman elected A dead woman has topped the poll in a local election in India two weeks after her sudden demise. Ashiya Bi's husband informed officials of the 30-year-old's death but they told AFP there was no way to remove her name from the ballot. "Once the electoral process begins, it cannot be halted or paused," said Bhagwan Sharan, a district officer in Uttar Pradesh. Despite being a first-time candidate, Bi took 44 percent of the vote. "Ashiya made friends easily and people didn't want to break the promise of support they gave her," said local Mohammad Zakir. Sense of humor failure A Vietnamese noodle seller has ended up behind bars for making a jokey viral video at the expense of one of the communist country's politburo members. Public security minister To Lam topped off a visit to London and Karl Marx's grave by dining at celebrity chef Salt Bae's pricey restaurant -- where a 24-carat gold leaf steak can set the average worker back more than $1,000. Street seller Peter Lam Bui posted a parody video impersonating Bae -- a.k.a. Turkish chef Nusret Gokce, who parlayed his meme stardom into a string of high-end eateries -- by sprinkling herbs on noodle soup and calling himself "Green Onion Bae". But officials did not see the funny side and had Lam convicted of spreading anti-state propaganda. The post Funny old world: The week’s offbeat news appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
‘Lord of the Rings’ composer Howard Shore dreams his scores
Oscar-winning composer Howard Shore has scored landmark hits from "Silence of the Lambs" to "Lord of the Rings". He says the music emerges from his dreams. "I like to improvise," Shore told AFP. "I like to read the novel, the play or the script and then I dream and go into a state of improvisational association with the world of the film. "That's where the music comes from, from dreaming the story," he said. Shore, 76, was present at the Cannes Film Festival on Monday as part of the annual celebration of composers. Sacem, France's songwriters' association, are calling for Cannes to "give music its rightful place" and hand out an award for a movie's score. Under French and US law, composers are officially "co-authors" of every film alongside the director and screenwriter, Cecile Rap-Veber, Sacem's CEO told AFP. "It's clear, with very few exceptions, that if you take the music out of a film you'll quickly see something is missing," she said. "It's one of the indispensable elements that generate emotions and carry the message of the story," she added. 'Great collaborator' Shore welcomes any effort to recognize the work of film composers, who he says play a crucial role in "maintaining the relationship between the audience and storytelling". He won three Oscars for his work with Peter Jackson on the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" trilogies. "Peter was in the studio every day. He was a great collaborator," Shore recalled. He has also worked regularly with Martin Scorsese (including on "The Departed" and "The Aviator") and other Hollywood greats such as David Fincher (for "Seven" and "The Game"). But his longest relationship has been with Canadian director David Cronenberg, from early films like "The Fly" and "Videodrome" to last year's body-horror "Crimes of the Future" and his upcoming semi-autobiographical film, "The Shrouds". "David and I are almost like brothers, we grew up in the same neighborhood," said Shore. "He's very instinctive, never looking back. In the 16 films we've done together, we've tried many different things." Shore began his career as a jazz musician and later worked on the early anarchic episodes of TV show "Saturday Night Live". What drew him to film work was the chance to mess around with technology -- "all the microphones and acoustics". "I started in the theater. It was a great training ground," he said. "But since then, I have tried pretty much everything you can try in terms of using music." The post ‘Lord of the Rings’ composer Howard Shore dreams his scores appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Robert De Niro compares his evil new character to Trump
Robert De Niro couldn't help but take a jab at Donald Trump in Cannes on Sunday, saying his character in the new film embodied the same kind of "evil" as the ex-president. The legendary actor, 79, stars alongside Leonardo DiCaprio in Martin Scorsese's epic "Killers of the Flower Moon", which premiered to rave reviews at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday. He plays a real-life dignitary from 1920s rural America, William Hale, who built trust with local Osage Indians and then orchestrated dozens of murders in order to steal their oil-rich land. "I don't understand a lot about him -- why he betrays them," De Niro admitted to reporters in Cannes. "But we became a lot more aware after the murder of George Floyd with systemic racism and that's what this is," he said, referring to the police killing that sparked the Black Lives Matter protests. "It's the banality of evil, it's the thing we've got to watch out for. We all know who I'm going to talk about -- I won't say his name," De Niro continued. But a few moments later, the long-time Trump hater couldn't hold back. "It's like with Trump -- I had to say it," he said to laughter from the reporters. "There are people who think he could do a good job. Imagine how insane that is." DiCaprio has received particular praise for his performance as a weak-willed man torn between his love for his Osage Indian wife and the evil plot in which he becomes embroiled. 'Love, trust and betrayal' Calling the three-and-a-half-hour film "a reckoning with our past", the star was gushing with praise for Scorsese, saying: "He's able to expose the humanity of even the most twisted characters you can imagine. "Marty's perseverance and ferocity to tell the truth, no matter how ugly... is masterful." Scorsese said the film, which is due for general release in October, was not "a whodunnit -- it's a who didn't do it". Adapting a best-selling nonfiction book, he chose to focus less on the criminal investigation which helped forge the FBI, preferring to focus on the central, poisonous love affair between DiCaprio's character and his wife, played by Lily Gladstone. "It was a template for that tragedy of love, trust, and betrayal of the indigenous people," Scorsese said. Asked about still taking such risks in his filmmaking at the age of 80, Scorsese drew laughs from the crowd by saying, "What else am I going to do?" De Niro said the world had seen enough films where "the good guy goes south or to Indian country and saves the day. This is much more important." The post Robert De Niro compares his evil new character to Trump appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Women don’t always have to be the good guys: Natalie Portman
A darker side of female sexuality was on display in Cannes on Saturday in a film portraying a woman who seduced a schoolboy and built a picture-perfect life with him after a tabloid scandal. Starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, "May December" takes the viewer on a rollercoaster of moral ambiguity as it looks at the couple living a life of apparent suburban bliss with their children long after they dominated headlines. Portman takes the role of Elizabeth, an actor who spends time with the family in order to research a role-playing the woman at the heart of the scandal, Gracie, played by Julianne Moore, 62. Portman -- whose character also takes questionable decisions -- told AFP in an interview Saturday that she loved to see the women "behave in morally ambiguous ways." "The entire range of human behavior should be accessible to women because women are simply humans," she said. "It always drives me crazy when people are like, oh, if only women rule the world, it would be a kinder place. No, women are humans and come in all different complexities." Portman shot to stardom at age 12 in "Leon," a film by French director Luc Besson which led her to be sexualized as a child, and towards which she has said she now has complicated feelings. The film was inspired by Besson's relationship with French actress and director Maiwenn, who he married at 16. Maiwenn starred in and directed "Jeanne du Barry", alongside Johnny Depp, which caused a scandal as it opened Cannes this year. Besson, who directed "The Fifth Element," has faced several allegations of sexual misconduct, a revelation Portman said she had found "devastating," without wanting to give more details. "May December" is among several films at Cannes this year taking a deeper dive into the inner lives of women, exploration of their sexuality, or their moral complexities. "I think that there is no limit to how much it can be explored, so I'd like to see more," said Portman. The film is directed by American Todd Haynes, who wowed Cannes in 2015 with lesbian drama "Carol," starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. He told AFP "May December" explored our refusal to look at ourselves honestly. "It's how we survive. I believe that we repress a lot of our desires for the best reasons. It's how a civilized society exists by holding back." Despite the tabloid scandal, and being on the sex offenders list for her sexual relationship with a 13-year-old, Gracie seems incapable of seeing anything wrong as she bakes cakes for her neighbors and prepares for her children's graduation. However, the arrival of the actor (Portman) and her probing questions strain the fairytale life the couple has built. Haynes described "May December" as "a very visceral piece of cinema" that reminds him of older movies that had an easier time "asking questions and debating the morality." He said it was getting "harder and harder to make those kinds of films" with society no longer "comfortable with being uncomfortable. I think that's like the death of thinking, the death of social critique and criticism". The post Women don’t always have to be the good guys: Natalie Portman appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Excitement mounts for DiCaprio-Scorsese epic at Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival is set for another major Hollywood premiere on Saturday, as Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese bring their Native American crime epic, "Killers of the Flower Moon", to the French Riviera. The three-and-a-half-hour movie, which includes Scorsese's other long-time muse Robert De Niro, charts a wave of murders among the wealthy Osage Indians in the 1920s and the birth of the FBI. It will be followed by more Hollywood royalty when Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore premiere "May December" about an actress meeting the couple at the heart of a tabloid scandal. The competition for the festival's top prize Palme d'Or is heating up. An early front-runner is British director Jonathan Glazer's "The Zone of Interest", a unique and horrifying look at the private life of a Nazi officer working at the Auschwitz concentration camp. "The things that drive these people are familiar. Nice house, nice garden, healthy kids," Glazer told AFP. "How like them are we? How terrifying it would be to acknowledge. What is it that we're so frightened of understanding?" Critics were near-unanimous in their praise, with Variety calling it "chilling and profound, meditative and immersive, a movie that holds human darkness up to the light and examines it as if under a microscope". But there was also huge warmth for "Four Daughters", a heartbreaking documentary about radicalization within a Tunisian family that is both inventive and engaging. That may go down well with jury president Ruben Ostlund, last year's winner for "Triangle of Sadness", who likes his arthouse films with some lighter touches. A total of 21 films are in the main competition, which concludes on May 27, including previous winners such as Japan's Hirokazu Kore-eda, Germany's Wim Wenders, and Britain's Ken Loach. Ageing icons The weather has been untypically wet this year, but Cannes has had no shortage of splashy moments since kicking off on Tuesday with the controversial appearance of Johnny Depp. In his first movie since a bitter trial with ex-wife Amber Heard, Depp played French king Louis XV in "Jeanne du Barry", which received middling reviews, and festival director Thierry Fremaux irked online critics by saying "I don't care" about Depp's legal woes. The festival also saw an emotional appearance from Harrison Ford, receiving an honorary Palme d'Or at the world premiere of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny". At the risk of turning this year's Cannes into a festival of aging Hollywood males, there was also an honorary Palme for Michael Douglas and an appearance from Sean Penn as a grizzled New York paramedic in "Black Flies". Italian-American icons But all eyes will be on the red carpet this Saturday as three icons of Italian-American cinema make their way to the Palais des Festivals. DiCaprio and De Niro are both long-time Scorsese collaborators. But the director has never before cast them in the same film, apart from a funny short in 2015, "The Audition", in which they competed for a part in his next movie. The film world is also painfully aware that it may be one of the last movies from the master behind "Goodfellas", "Raging Bull" and "Taxi Driver". In a poignant interview earlier this week, the 80-year-old Scorsese told Deadline, "I'm old... I want to tell stories, and there's no more time." "Taxi Driver" won the Palme d'Or in 1976, but he has not been back in the Cannes competition since 1985's lesser-known "After Hours", though he did serve as jury president in 1998. "Killers of the Flower Moon", which was funded by Apple, is showing out of competition. The post Excitement mounts for DiCaprio-Scorsese epic at Cannes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
New Indiana Jones draws mixed reviews at Cannes
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" sees the archaeologist defy age with special effects and fight off Nazis from Manhattan to Sicily, but he struggled against critics in Cannes on Friday. Ford, who has vowed this will be the last time he dons the famous fedora, showed a rare bit of emotion when the Cannes Film Festival presented him with an honorary Palme d'Or on stage the previous night ahead of the premiere. The fifth outing has Ford joined by Phoebe Waller-Bridge as his witty and more sprightly sidekick, with Mads Mikkelsen as a villainous Nazi scientist. But the reviews overnight were mixed. For some critics swept up in nostalgia, the logic-defying scenes and rousing theme song provided solid sentimental fun. "There are plenty of jolly chases ... some creepy encounters with insects and an underground tomb whose passageways open up with a grinding noise," said The Guardian. "The finale is wildly silly and entertaining... (but) Indiana Jones still has a certain old-school class." Empire also enjoyed the ride, saying it remained true to its "fantasy" leanings. "All the hallmarks of the series are there as you'd hope them to be, lovingly preserved like archaeological treasures," it said, but added that the "barmy finale... might divide audiences". The Hollywood Reporter was less impressed with the "rinse-and-repeat formula of chases and gunfights" and "how glaringly fake so much of it looks", but acknowledged "a sweet blast of pure nostalgia". IndieWire's reporter had no fun at all, calling it "an almost complete waste of time" and "a belabored reminder that some relics are better left where and when they belong." The series began back in 1981 with "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and was followed shortly after by two hugely popular sequels. Though a fourth film in 2008 made a lot of money, it was widely panned. The new entry is the first not to be directed by Steven Spielberg who passed the reins to James Mangold, known for "Girl, Interrupted", "Walk the Line" and "Logan". He told AFP this was his "best version of Steven, me kind of emulating my mentor". The post New Indiana Jones draws mixed reviews at Cannes appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
WATCH: Johnny Depp holds back tears in 7-minute standing ovation at Cannes
After the credits rolled on "Jeanne Du Barry," Johnny Depp — who portrays King Louis XV — was seen teary-eyed during a standing ovation that lasted seven minutes, waving to audiences around him and in the balcony of the Grand Théâtre Lumière......»»