NEXT ON NETFLIX: KATHRYN BERNARDO, ANNE CURTIS, GERALD ANDERSON, JANINE GUTIERREZ and More Filipino Movies, Series and Shows!

Home of the most compelling actors, the Philippines has been home to Netflix for 10 years, and recently, they announced what's NEXT for the brand. 

For starters, they've got more Filipino content coming. Vito Lazatin head of content in the PH says "This is the first NEXT in the country. 2026 is a very special milestone and it's been 10 years of your favorite stories and yes, more homegrown stories that is authentic and ambitious. The best of local storytelling, creative collaboration and working with the best in the industry so we could support from script to screen. Since 2022 we partnered with ABSCBN and GMA to bring their titles to the platform. As of date, 32 have been in the global top 10. This 2026 we are going bigger and bolder, 5 Netflix originals, we are so lucky we got to work with the best in the industry who share their vision, they believe Netflix is a place to realize what Filipino storytelling would be."

Then when a video played I saw Balaraw, Buy Bust: The Undesirables, 18th rose, (I thought there was a TGIS the Reunion movie), Ganito Ganyan Ganoon, just a few of the things they showed on screen after his speech.

18th Rose is a coming of age romance by Dolly Dulu, Xyriel Manabat and Kyle Echarri.

Ganito Ganyan Ganoon is a family tragedy, director is Cholo Laurel. Stars Agot Isidro and Jodi Sta Maria. 

Paskong Pinoy is a Holiday Anthology series featuring 4 different stories that define Filipino Christmas from director Mark Reyes, starring Bobby Andrews, Angelu De Leon, Rica Peralejo, Barbie Forteza, and Enchong Dee.

Grit heart and high paced action, The Master Cutter from GMA, an action drama of a scout ranger doing a life of a Tailor by day, bounty hunting by night. The director is Dominic Zapata and stars Dingdong Dantes, Shuvee, Max Collins, and more. Dingdong says "There are costumes, you have to be mentally and physically fit to get into character. I'm with pro actors and the scene will take you there!"

 

Someone Someday is from ABSCBN which is a movie about a dating app, rediscovering love and second chances by Chad Vidanes and Dolly Dulu. Stars James Reid Maja Salvador and Kathryn Bernardo.

 

Netflix also highlighted BALARAW, a series made from Filipino folklore telling a story of a woman finding her mother in an uncharted island. Directed by Ray Red and Stars Agot Isidro, Charlie Dizon, Janine Gutierrez. Janine says "We have been keeping this a secret for a year, and now we are sharing this to the world."

Buy Bust: The Undersirables talks about another installment of Erik Matti's series. This stars Gerald Anderson and Anne Curtis.

Here's our coverage on video!

 

This is just the tip of the iceberg because certainly, there will be more. International titles include One Piece, The Last Airbender, K Dramas, WWE. It's all happening on the app! Congratulations Netflix!

ANNE CURTIS, JANE DE LEON Headline Powerful Campaign with Smart

This afternoon was a powerful one as Smart took us on us on a ride on what it feels like if you've got The Power of Smart.

One thing to say is that they were really ecstatic by winning the Best Mobile Network Award they got from Ookla. This is the first time the company is giving an award like that and Smart is maknig history. This also happened after Smart got Fastest Mobile Network and Best Mobile Coverage in the first two quarters so they're also giving Filipinos some powerful treat.

Headlining their campaign the Power of Smart, are two industry heroines and actresses Anne Curtis and this generation's Darna Jane De Leon. Anne by the way has been a loyal Smart subscriber and ambassador for a little over 10 years now and Jane on the other hand is just starting big especially as ratings this evening with Darna was unbelievable! Both women are iconic and surely, showing us how to work on our dreams and achieving it. Jane is changing her life as we speak and she's quite happy to be part of the Smart family because she says "It empowers me to do what I want!".

Smart also showed how Filipinos are now enjoying 5G speeds in different areas in the country to not only consume data, but create photos, videos, content that could be enjoyed by family, friends, and the public. Smart promises to work on faster speeds, so you their subscribers would be able to accomplish more especially at these times. I've been using my smart line for years now and it has accompanied me in different places in the country. I see the immense improvement even on the islands, imagine what you could do with videos, music, or games if you can play anywhere without a hitch!

Congratulations to Smart, to Anne Curtis and Jane De Leon who's now making their powerful moves. Here's wishing everyone does too!

If you're not with Smart, make the powerful move by changing your number here https://smart.com.ph/Pages/mobilenumberportability

Jollibee Celebrates Family Thanksgiving Month

Thanking the special people in your life is the greatest gift you can give them during this season. Although we're all locked up and in mumbo jumbo quarantine, our families have always been there for us. Jollibee has always connected with Filipinos for years now, and this time, they're going to make you say what you haven't been telling them.

 

Director Joel Ruiz who did this commercial says "Given the challenges this pandemic, we Pinoys have shown our love for family. I am greatful to be part of this project that champions Filipino families. It is my first time to work with Anne, we used real families as models and it was nice to see them naturally act, real authentic emotions that they share with each other."

Anne says "I was really nervous doing this because of the pandemic, being a Mom now you want to be with you family and he helped me to geyt through this, and now we get to see the final product that's full of joy, full of love. I was teary eyed to be surprised with a message from my family in Australia, I really miss them (she cries) since its been a long time since I haven't seen them. Being a Mom, my life has been changed. You know your time in real life, you realize how precious it is spent with them. I think I'm overwhelemed with the amount of support and love I'm getting from people, I really appreciate that."

Edric and Joy Mendoza, Anne Curtis and Francis Flores from Jollibee also had us listen to them when they went live on Facebook. During that session, they shared their experiences bringing up their kids and how they want their families to grow even during your lowest times. Jollibee being a brand spreads joy and this is an opportunity for them to focus on good things we have during these hard times. This campaign is certainly timely, powerful and relevant.  

Thank you for starting this Jollibee!

AURORA Gives Fright on Cinemas MMFF 2018

I arrived a bit late on the red carpet because of holiday traffic but I am watching the AURORA premiere as this is part of the MMFF. I wanted to watch all of them but let’s just see what we can. 

I got to catch a few stars because the movie was already starting, so I only got to photograph Viva’s Yassi Pressman, the Director Yam Laranas, stars Marco Gumabao and Anne Curtis.

The film is set on an island with clear skies, crystal waters. It is certainly provincial, albeit color graded coldly with hues of blues and gray, you could tell how rural the place is as it’s shot in Batanes. The underwater scenes are give and take, some nice, some staged prolly for safety reasons, but it was convincing on some instances, some not especially on the drone cuts. The horror factor though, there are a lot of scenes for that. They took time to build up, but the injects of shock was effective. I bet this thing would get an award for musical score as they took time making that accompany the scenes, aside from the water it was a little claustrophobic. They detailed the accident that happened in this movie so you should listen to the story of Marco Gumabao’s brother in the film. They will also get you to feel how it is inside the ship, not to spoil things but the scary stuff probably is just the best part about this story.

Is it going to be worth your money? Yes, I think so. If you’re a fan of scary films this is probably what you should watch first this MMFF. Although there might be constraints in the budget for this film, it looks they spent good money on people for this film which made seeing the victims part legitimate, I also like the part where they were in a tight spot with waters rushing in on the ship. How did it end? It’s for you to find out on theaters this December 25.

This is produced by Viva Films and Aliud Entertainment. Go frighten yourself, your whole family if you want to.

KUMAGCOW 

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SHOPEE’s 9.9 Super Shopping Day

They launched this yesterday and I got a taste of it last night when most of the products that went on sale was 99 pesos, which in this day and age is just unbelievable!

People who went to the launch are probably still doing the Shopee pee pee pee peepee pee pee jingle performed by Shopee’s very own celebrity ambassador Anne Curtis. It was a treat! Participating brands could give as much as 99 percent off on their merchandise and giving away freebies from now until September 9.

They also have shake promos ongoing so you could get Shopee coins and use them to deduct the peso equivalent even on the sale price.

If it’s your first time to buy, you can use my code and get a discount off your first purchase. Thank me later!

Free shipping, awesome deals, go download the app now on ios and Android. I’ve been so addicted to it plus it’s safe because I do all transactions through the app.

KUMAGCOW

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5 Reasons To Watch BuyBust

You've all heard it from people who had one way or the other have watched BuyBust - from advanced screenings or the premier night. Imagine how much time, blood, sweat and tears have gone into making this movie starring an ensemble case and Showtime mainstay Anne Curtis. Today, August 1 is it's official public release. Before that, let me share a couple of things you would need to know before watching the film.

1. YOU ARE THIRSTY - The only action flick most pinoys probably are having right now is that Coco Martin show on TV. Making action films cost a lot. This one costs 1.6 Million US Dollars (at least according to their side comments during the presscon). Most of the money went to building the set, marketing and putting this on a Hollywood fit. This is going to be shown also in other countries.

2. IT HAS FLAWS - It’s not a perfect movie, you still see new paint and construction even from the back row. It’s dirt and grime that actually make this feel realistic. The movie is tiring, you’ll be at the edge of your seats sometimes, but this makes it all exciting. You’ll be in one situation, then the next, then another, and that makes you feel the rush. It will make you feel involved while they shoot guns, fight, throw bombs at each other and be ultra claustrophobic.

3. BRANDON VERA - This guy is one of the reasons you should watch this film. He’s hard as a rock, you’ll feel every kick he does in this movie (especially that woman he kicked through the side). Although there were a few “should have been shot again moments” like the tight place where he should have been throwing punches with women (but he ends up just swishing them all), he was just too big for everyone. I love when he means to really kick and punch people, it bleeds authenticity. It's like seeing a whole log hitting the little old frail body of a woman, not even joking.

4. ANNE CURTIS - Truth be told I was skeptic with her doing the action scenes, but this woman really delivered. There may be sequences where you may feel she just needed to do more, but think about it, she’s a lady doing action scenes which isn’t a norm in the Philippines. If this is a start for her, I would want to see her do more of this very very soon. She’s damn pretty in close ups, and outstanding in much of the choreographed stuff so don’t blink when she’s hopping from one roof to the other.

Erik Matti says "We didn't know how to actually finish this film in February but we did. When the rights to the film was bought in the US we just had to finish it, and I am thankful we finished this masterpiece. I think we wouldn't have finished this if we didn't get someone as physical as Anne, because of her stamina she can run, climb up, fall off of it, it's not easy but this is by far the most difficult one to shoot just for Anne but imagine the others under the rain everyday. Working with Viva and Reality Entertainment, I got what I want and have the trust of my actors. I rewrote the film as we were doing it, it was fun and they knew why they had to do it. We had no divas, we have Marawi soldiers also in the film, so we are honoring them."

Anne Curtis says "It took us to finish 57 shots to do a three minute scene, we had to rehearse 5 days before that. I never thought of even quitting, I was frustrated to do scenes because they get delayed with their moves. I went to showtime with bruises and wounds, I also got punched in the face by a man. I didn't want to cry, even without the camera, I cried later on though I had so much fun. Erwan took care of me when I went home, he saw how much effort I put in on this. This took two years of our lives to shoot, we brought our best to the table every day. I hope people would get to see that."

Arjo Atayde says "My role here is a secret, it's a supporting role (Erik Matti interjects and says you wouldn't know when he's there and you'll see that happen)."

5. THEY OVERDELIVER - You want action, they give you action, a rollercoaster of emotions, liters upon liters of blood (hence the R16 rating), tons of gun powder, drama, oh and ALEX CALLEJA.

Wooh! I survived without telling you a spoiler! Now go to your favorite movie house and watch BUYBUST. Worth every penny to at least make you excited over a Filipino film, it’s been ages.

Trust me on ALEX CALLEJA.

KUMAGCOW
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Anne Curtis and Dingdong Dantes for Sid & Aya

Haven't really watched this film yet but it looks so promising. You can say this is an acting piece and with Anne Curtis and Dingdong Dantes donning the role of Sid & Aya, this would be an interesting story. Dingdong plays Sid, an man suffering from insomnia. In one of his sleepless nights, he met Aya - a woman who made his empty nights bearable, but who is she exactly? That remains to he a mystery.

This isn't the first time that Dingdong and Anne is working together, they reprised the role of Iñaki Torres and Emily, not as sweethearts as they were paired with different actors. This time, Anne and Dingdong went all the way to Japan just so they could film their first on screen pairing. Though as they put it, this isn't a love story. The trailers only depict a few parts of an odd relationship, with chemistry, probably romantic. What would happen if their lives intertwined? What would happen if they meet? 

When I met Dingdong before, I was always playing support, it wasn't in the slightest idea for us to be paired. Since we have worked together, it wasn't hard because I already knew Dingdong. All we did in Japan, it wasn't typical. It's visually appealing to the eye, the teams went smooth sailing and one of the most exciting parts is going to be seen in the movie. Aya is a crazy girl, much like me."

Dingdong added "If I remember correctly, Anne was in Magic Kingdom when we worked together. I think I'm stuck in the 90's and the film is somehow connected to that. I think it's a good idea for us to be in a project now, we spent almost a year making this and it was hard on schedules, where dedicated teams spent time, blood and money to make this what it is now. We shot with a skeleton team in Japan, it's one of my favorite destinations and it was so nice to go there and work. Sid is a flawed person, he will get away with most trouble he's going to make."

Direk Irene says "The two characters are strong willed, so the name came from Sidaya which means cheating, but again this isn't a love story, as Sid mentions in the story not all I love yous means it is. The concept was made 4 years ago and I knew we had to make it, so I pitched it and the story needs to be in Japan as it is relevant to the life of Aya."

If you would like to know more about Sid and Aya, make sure you get tickets when it shows nationwide May 30 under Viva Films. Mind you, they will have different screenings here,the Middle East, Italy and Hong Kong. This is under the direction of Irene Villamor who did Camp Sawi and Meet Me in St Gallen.

You may follow Viva Films on FB, IG and Twitter. Check out the channels if you feel the need to.

KUMAGCOW

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Anne Curtis and Shopee's 5.5 Super Sale

Oh no, you must have forgotten that Shopee just has just announced two milestones a few weeks ago. For starters, they just got Filipina Aussie lass Anne Curtis as their new Brand Ambassador and got her as the face of their newest commercial in the Philippines. The App itself has changed the online shopping landscape in Southeast Asia - and other countries and they know how important the Philippine market is and how we've come to know, feel and experience the goodness of receiving products right in the comforts of our own homes. So aside from the gorgeous Anne Curtis, they announced the BIGGEST mid year online sale on the Shopee app. It's properly called 5.5 Shopee Super Sale and will only run until May 5th (Started last April 13). If you haven't shopped yet, then this might be the best time to do so.

What's in store for you? They've got up to 90% off on thousands of products, even have 55 peso deals on flash sales, unbelievably low low low prices and a whole day SHOPPING FIESTA on May 5. They also have partner stores giving huge discounts like world renowned brands Samsung, Coca-Cola, Unilever Philippines, Nescafe, NIDO ADVANCED PROTECTUS 3+, Colgate-Palmolive, AVEENO, Belo Essentials, Equal Sweetener, Silverworks, Banana Peel, i2i New York, Unisilver, Faber-Castell, Deuter, Head Racket, Coleman and a whole lot more. You can see them all on the newly launched Shopee Mall with limited edition its signed by Anne Curtis herself, in a line called Anne's Top Picks. You'll surely enjoy them all!

Oh and for those who haven't tried Shopee yet, let me give you a surprise since you've read this lenghty post today. Here's my code so you can get Php 80 OFF on your first purchase (conditions apply). 

Download the Shopee app on Google Play and the App Store! Thanks and happy shopping! 

KUMAGCOW

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Few Days To Go For PadamihAnne Sa CityMall Raffle Promo!

Hey shoppers! You only have a few days to get to win Php 100,000 in cash. Yes! This is through the PadamihAnne sa CityMall Raffle promo!

If you haven't joined yet, just watch the newest TVC of Anne Curtis. It's where she gets to experience the fun and lovely shopping deals over at your everyday mall, CityMall.To get included in the raffle, just answer the question: “In the video, how many Anne Curtises can you see around the CityMall logo?” and if you know the number, just register at https://goo.gl/forms/yop4LqWGPG4fHrPY2 in order to join this promo, it's that easy!

Don't for get to share it with your friends and use the #PadamihAnneSaCityMall hashtag while you're at it. It's always fun and easy with your everyday mall, because CityMall IS your everyday mall!

Up to P100,000 Cash Up for Grabs in the "PadamihAnne sa CityMall" Raffle Promo

What? You didn't get to watch Anne Curtis' newest commercial? Oh my... that's a bummer because you might lose the chance to actually win up to Php 100,000 cash! Now don't fret because before you do finish reading this blog post, let me just ask you first to watch that particular commercial and join it now. How? Watch this first!

Now if you want to join  the "PadamihAnne sa CityMall Raffle Promo", that would be easy. All you have to do is answer this question: "In the video, how many Anne Curtises can you see around the CityMall logo?”. If you know the answer, just register at the form found here https://goo.gl/forms/yop4LqWGPG4fHrPY2. Then that's it, you're now a part of thousands, maybe even millions who would want to win over Php 100,000 cash. Now don't stop there, make your friends and family join in the fun too. Just share this post and use the hashtag #PadamihAnneSaCityMall so they could do the same. This fun promo is CityMall's way of saying THANK YOU for your continued patronage. This is after all, your everyday mall.

What are you waiting for? Join now!

10 Grand Finalists Battle at It's Showtime's "Tawag Ng Tanghalan"

It's been decades since they've held "Tawag ng Tanghalan" (Call of the Stage) in ABSCBN, and when they created it as part of "It's Showtime!" people have been religiously watching it on TV because even if the format is a little old, it still had the grit, the powerful voices and the antics of the hosts which has proven it successful.

During the Thanksgiving Presscon the Director says "We have been doing these changes to make the contest more exciting. As you may have seen in the show, we're getting reactions, left and right, and we're happy about that."

Vice Ganda says "In the longest time we've been together we  already know each others quirps and what you see on cam is just like what it is in real life, we're like a family. Even if I feel offended, I take the high road and just shrug it off. (he kids)"

Ryan Bang adds "They are all special to me, even if I see them everyday I still look forward to hear their jokes."

Amy Perez says "Different personalities, different people, hungry, and I believe the kids I have at home helped me take care of these hosts because I studied them for quite a while before we easily became close. I bonded with them everyday and I'm thankful for that."

Anne Curtis says "All the Grand Finalists will have their contracts with ABSCBN for two years and right now, a lot of them already have their respective managers and gigs to attend to even after the show. The exposure that they get, even if they don't win actually take care of their careers and they get a whole fan base, the support they get from the show doesn't end with the announcement of winners. I think TNT came at the right time because it's like a concert everyday. Seeing them sharing their talent is just insurmountable."

The finalists of Tawag ng Tanghalan thanked everyone especially their supporters, their families for getting them where they are today. They know how much you're excited about the Tawag ng Tangalan Grand Finals which is all happening this week, and will culminate on Saturday. You should watch it!

KUMAGCOW

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