MIDNIGHT GIRLS: Excellent Depiction of Social Issues and Family Relationships

Just by face value, this new film called "Midnight Girls" felt like a dream come true. Imagine putting together some of the country's best actresses who's work speaks largely on their previous projects like Jodi Sta. Maria, Jane Oineza, Sanya Lopez and Loisa Andalio - and then have blockbuster Director Irene Villamor do it at the the beautiful Nagoya, Japan. 

For those who don't know, a lot of entertainers (mostly singers, performers and dancers) went to Japan for work since the 80's, 90's... and it still is happening today. The film gives a glimpse of not just working conditions, but the actual dynamics of family life, of how little appreciation they get from working there, and how their relationships happen in dire conditions because they still want to survive... and take care of the folks back home.

Here's the Mediacon which happened at Gateway Cinemas:

Jodi Sta. Maria is her old self, doing easy work on dramatic moments especially the scenes with Zaijan Jaranilla (where you'll probably cry). I like the character of Sanya Lopez because she's so extra as Trix. Loud but quirky, she absolutely loves to fall in love and wish for the prince charming she deserves. The person playing the Japanese partner of Sanya in the movie is super attractive, but in real life changed the whole conversation they made for the film. Since he's doing theater, he was alarmed that the script contained non conversational Japanese, so they had to do everything from scratch in just 3 days. The whole cast also needed to learn Japanese (hence the long production), but it was essential to understand how they got to talk with their patrons. Jane Oineza's character is interesting, and you'll need to figure out why she's doing a lot of the unnecessary stuff while she's figuring out who she is in the movie. Loisa on the other hand also did good as Bea, and the manner she treated her boyfriend (Miggy Jimenez) made me realize how corny people get at times when we fall in love. Her story was also intense, when people realize the need to work to put food on the table, but this doesn't equate to who you are as a person. A lot of this will be seen on the film when it comes out May 13 nationwide.

This is produced by TJAV Films (who's got a very young producer behind it) and is released in the Philippines by Warner Brothers. This will also be part of the Far East Festival in Italy, so your support is needed for that too. I'd gladly put this at 4/5, for it's excellence in discussing social issues. I'm sure you've got OFW's who've gone through the same and would easily connect with them individually.

Director Rahyan Carlos to Hold MQuest Artists Agency Summer Workshop

Laying the groundwork for success in the entertainment industry doesn't come overnight. It takes a village, to say the least, to become good at your craft. Taking workshops is essential, because staying sharp, hungry for personal development and learning techniques and how to employ them comes with the job.

Director Rahyan Carlos has been doing work in the entertainment industry for years. His stellar work in directing, scriptwriting, and coaching actors has made him who he is today. The Filipino director didn't really stay stagnant and wanted to learn from the best, Hollywood's Chubbuck Technique has landed the biggest stars some awards. Ivana Chubbuck had to teach him for several months (and continue til today), and this required him to be in the US for the duration in order to do it. He could lose work in the Philippines, but did it anyway because of his hunger for growth. The expanding array of skills, learning nuances, the training program had to be supervised by Ivana herself, and he did it all. Now he's the only one authorized to teach this Chubbuck Technique in the country, under the MQuest Artist Agency.

Direk Rahyan Carlos says "I'm so proud to be here now in MQAA and excited to train actors. I've started doing this 27 years ago, changing hats, and now an acting teacher. I'm also excited to see them land jobs after undergoing training, they're like little trophies. Thank you Jeffrey Remegio for having me since last year, I got to apply what I learn here, in other networks. I will show you a glimpse of what happens in a master class with some of the actors that have undergone training with the Chubbuck technique. I've done the others, but this is intended to land jobs and win awards. Acting is personal, imagination is also important, but nothing beats pain and our own experience. We teach actors to use it to win objectives. This invokes emotion, use pain as a fuel to resolve, and evolve. Use it for change. It's about creating an environment where it all happens."

Ms. Liza Dino Seguerra who has undergone the workshops adds "It's surreal to be with actors, but every time I participate here I am reminded that I am an actress. I worked my way up and now support other actors and folks in the industry. Whenever I get an opportunity to do things with the Chubbuck Technique, it trains you to understand your tool. I have become a better human being, it made me vulnerable. We live our lives coping, but when you are an actor is open yourself up and allow people see your experience. I learned to channel pains I've had in the past in this technique including the hurtful things that are not talked about. It's not easy to confront. You are able to say it to another character even if it is in the back of your mind. It made me talk to people, committing to it is the best tool, our pain, our experience."

Actors Carmi Martin and Polo Ravales showing us a glimpse of the technique

The registration for this starts today April 12th, and tomorrow April 13th at the 10th Floor of Launchpad in Reliance Street in Mandaluyong City. You may also inquire via @MQAAWorkshops on IG and FB. You can also email them via mqaa.training@gmail.com. We also got to talk to several artists who have undergone the workshop. These include some of TV5's brightest stars, and some veteran actors in the mix. This is an opportunity to learn by some of the greatest coaches in the industry. 

You may scan the QR code to know more about it. There's no such thing as an overnight actor, you need to go to the gym to build muscles. Workshops are gyms for actors!

DenJen Movie "Everything About My Wife" Touches on 7 Year Itch, Marriage and Deceit

I've seen the Korean film which this was based from (All About My Wife, 2012), but felt even if this may have been based on that... this Filipino romcom movie carries its own weight. This adaptation Everything About My Wife by Director Real Florido takes on a whole Filipino premise, and talks about that 7 year itch that a lot of married couples go through. Dennis Trillo and Jennylyn Mercado play a couple named Dominic Brizuela and Imogen Karuhatan (Dom and Imo). Also in the film is real life cassanova Sam Milby who did absolutely amazing in this story of love, getting tired of it, relationships, and trust.

For starters, it's not a full on romcom because much of the scenes felt like a drama, something that both Dennis and Jennylyn would know like the back of their hand. It's a slow burn, but the elements are there, something that you would probably enjoy because those fun DenJen moments you see on social media will have a LOT of it in this film. It's their personal touch, which I'm sure you'll all adore when you get to see this in the silver screen. 

Also in the film are the fun characters of Carmi Martin and Ms. Nova Villa. There's small pockets of situational comedy which you'll enjoy in Everything About My Wife. You'll get most of it with Dennis Trillo's character, and you'll never see sunflowers the same because of it. Joyang is also fun to see, she's got that spunk even if she's a newbie in PH cinema.

 Much of the first half of it will involve them establishing the issues they are encountering, like being tired of the partners, and how they approached it with another problem, like seduction and connivance. It may feel slow, but bear with it. It's going to get better, funnier and more interesting in the second half. I'd give this 8.5/10 cows 🐮ྀི🐮ྀི🐮ྀི🐮ྀི🐮ྀི🐮ྀི🐮ྀི🐮ྀི

This is already showing on theaters, so if you're planning to have a fun day with your family and friends, who are fans of Dennis, Jennylyn and Sam, you should definitely watch this. This is produced by GMA Films and CreaZion Studios.