Tara’s Thoughts On: Glitch

Ah, how do I even begin this review?

Sci-fi isn’t really my cup of tea, I admit. I rarely watch sci-fi films or dramas, and even though I subscribe to the belief that we are not alone in the universe, I’m not easily lured into watching alien-related stuff. I did pick up Glitch, however, because I liked both lead actresses Jeon Yeobeen and Nana’s works I’ve recently watched (Vincenzo and Into the Ring, respectively), and I was curious about how they’d play off of each other’s energies.

But while they delivered chemistry in spades (you should have made it gay, Netflix, just saying!), the storytelling was a clunky mess.

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Tara’s Thoughts On: Tomorrow

Okay, listen: I am instantly drawn to anything that presents stories of life and death, especially ones that create worlds and hypotheses about the afterlife. Tomorrow fits the bill, and I quickly put it on my Netflix watch list even if it took me months to actually be in the right headspace to consume it.

The short review: I loved it.

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Tara’s Thoughts On: Cafe Minamdang

The drama’s premise was promising. I admit it got me hooked the first time I read it, and I was expecting a lot of Squad 38-esque hijinks, led once again by the brilliant Seo Inguk. But alas, everything turned out to be a hot mess from the third episode on. I came in for Inguk and stayed for Inguk, but honestly if I weren’t watch partying this with anyone, I would have dropped this very early on. (Thanks for keeping me company, Jay.)

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Tara’s Thoughts On: Extraordinary Attorney Woo

Thoroughly enjoyed this drama through its light and tender moments to the ones that made me hold my breath because oh-my-god-I-cannot-believe-this-is-happening-right-now. I don’t have the authority to speak on the autism representation in this drama, but I will say I appreciate that there were more people in Woo Youngwoo’s circle who were supportive and understanding of her situation. This is in comparison to the KDrama Good Doctor (2013), which featured the trials and triumphs of an autistic pediatrician new to the medical field. I had rewatched Good Doctor while waiting for the new Extraordinary Attorney Woo episodes to drop, and it meant so much to me that Youngwoo wasn’t surrounded by too many people whose first instinct is to yell at her for being different. This is not to say we didn’t meet characters like this, but compared to Good Doctor’s Park Sion, Youngwoo had better people on her side.

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Review | Mula sa Buwan (Or Why It Deserves Another Rerun)

mula sa buwan

Soon after Blackbox Productions’ Mula sa Buwan returned for a two-weekend run last February 18, I saw social media posts comparing the musical to the recently-released Jollibee “Vow” ad. But while the trope was definitely similar, the Cyrano de Bergerac retelling was SO much more than that. (In millenial-speak, it was simply SO EXTRA.)

This December 2016 review of Mula sa Buwan will tell you just how much I loved the show when I first saw it, and just when I thought I couldn’t possibly fall in love with it a little more, they went ahead and proved me wrong. I love it when that happens.

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Review | Black Box Productions’ Mula Sa Buwan

mula sa buwan

When I saw Mula sa Buwan‘s teaser a few months ago, I immediately decided I’m going to watch this production without even knowing yet what it was about. It was THAT pretty and catchy. I followed their Facebook page, watched out for updates, and panicked a little when they released show dates and realized it was only going to run ONE weekend.

ONE. WEEKEND. Imagine that.

Fortunately, we were able to secure tickets for its closing night last Sunday (December 4), and let me tell you–it was everything I wanted and more.

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Review | PETA Theater’s The Tempest Reimagined

the tempest reimagined review

I walked into The Tempest Reimagined with only the vaguest idea of what the story was about. I already expected to drown in Shakespeare’s words like an inexperienced person was wont to do, but PETA’s masterfully written adaptation always managed to pull me back to shore.

Weaving two different stories from two different cultures, worlds (fiction vs. real life), and eras could not have been an easy feat, but the team behind The Tempest Reimagined made it look like a walk in the park. Special mention to Norbs Portales as the fisherman Jaime, who provided slivers of wisdom and laughter as the show’s narrator. He also tugged at my heartstrings toward the end of the show. (In short, umiyak ako.)

Topper Fabregas was hilarious, especially when he momentarily traded his Trinculo character to portray a masked foreign aid “god.” Kuya Bodjie Pascua‘s portrayal as Papa Bons was heartfelt and inspiring as usual. Seeing him in 3 Stars & a Sun in March made me want to watch him on stage again, so thanks, show! John Moran did a awesome job portraying the “monster” Caliban, while Neomi Gonzales, Gabriela Pangilinan, and Gio Gahol were enchanting as the elemental spirit Ariel. I’m a sucker for music so I always loved it when they played the instruments and sang. I wished there were more of that, actually.

I’ve always loved how PETA designs their stages, and The Tempest Reimagined‘s stage was no different. Almost bereft of color, the dominantly white stage was a great backdrop for the vibrant characters of the play. I also appreciated how functional everything was on stage, especially toward the end when the characters were, quite literally, building something new out of the ruins.

The play’s run was pretty limited (it closed yesterday, December 4th), and it made me sad to see a lot of empty seats when we came to watch. I hope this doesn’t discourage the company from bringing this closer to the viewing masses, one way or another. Every story needs to be seen and heard, and this one, most expecially, needs to be put out there for many others to enjoy and learn from.

Rating

review 4 stars

PETA Theater’s The Tempest Reimagined was a magical attempt at putting Shakespeare in a perspective more relatable to the Filipino viewing public. It wasn’t perfect, but it was heart-wrenching and inspiring all the same. Kudos to everyone who made this production possible! Congratulations!

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