Monday, March 17, 2014

tricot LIVE in Manila


Flying in mid air: Motoko Kida and Hiromi Hirohiro of tricot doing what they do best. 





If you would have told a 16 year old me that one day - Japanese bands and acts would be making their way to our shores and performing I would not have believed you. 

Growing up I've always loved Japanese music, whether it was Anime music or music from their charts and countdowns and because of this I have been ostracized for liking Japanese music. 

So I never imagined meeting people with the same appreciation for music from the land of the rising sun as I did; let alone get to catch a Japanese band we all love in a show here and even have a Street Team - going all out (tarp, shirts, poster, gifts-the works) just to profess their love for a band, which is why Jepp and Martin founded the tricot Manila Street Team.

But time has a funny way of turning things around and now I find myself furiously typing on my iPhone amidst a crowd of anxious fans as we all await Japanese Math Rock band tricot take the sate at 19 East at 
10:39 PM on a Saturday evening. 

Terno Recordings, the record label behind Up Dharma Down and Paul's personal favorite Pulso brought tricot for a one night performance. Much to the glee and happiness of fans who have only been enjoying their music on their own but have now discovered that there are other tricot fans out there - and that is basically the origin of the tricot Manila Street Team. 


Full of energy: Nakajima Ikyuu and Hiromi Sagane of tricot during their What's Ochansensu-su? tricot Asia Tour 2014 in Manila in front of a crowd of eager fans. 
So now - checking one's notifications on Facebook would not be complete without a notification or a post from a fellow tricot fan. 

I was initially worried I wouldn't be able to watch the show- slated for the 15th of March at 19 East. Tickets were initially priced at P 500.00 until March 11, after that it would be priced at P 1000.00 each. The tickets were only sold at Artwork stores and 19 East which were all too far from us, especially since we are straight-to-home work people who also work the night shift. I couldn't believe that a fellow tricot fan in the street team- actually picked up two tickets for us no questions asked. I'm just flabbergasted thinking about it even after I've already gotten the tickets. 

Super thankful to Mon for getting us our tickets! Much love and appreciation to you man! <3 

Coming from the mountains of the East (aka-Antipolo) it was really a trip to 19 East which is all the way in Sucat but we made the pilgrimage as did other fellow tricot fans who even came from Laguna, Cavite, Manila, Quezon City -- now that is what I call effort from fans! :) 

tricot Manila Street Team first in line before the doors opened. The line went all the way up to the back. 

Speaking of effort from fans- the Street Team even had a bad ass tarp of tricot - with Manila Street Team printed on it. As well as shirts with the letters T-R-I-C-O-T printed on them, you know to spell out tricot just like in a football game. ^_^ 

tricot Manila Street Team Members in their T-R-I-C-O-T uniform and bad ass tarp 
       
As if that was not enough, there was even a fan art of the band from Pejie and members of the Street Team signed their names and wrote messages of love and support for the band. 



From Ikyuu's Instagram account - the Street Team attendance sheet! 
Arriving at 19 East after loosing our way a couple of times, we met up with the super cool and hilarious Street Team who have been waiting and hanging around the bar as early as 5pm! 

After the doors were finally opened and we seated ourselves right in front of the stage - ready to catch some tricot action!

The show opened with Terno Recording's very own Pulso. 

If you want to talk about technicality and talent in music - just check out Pulso who shared the stage with tricot. They don't need lyrics to ensnare you with their music. 

The music moves and captures you even without words! There is such passion and sensuality in their music that you don't need lyrics to dictate anything to you. 

Bluer than blue - the amazing trio that is Pulso

Friday, March 14, 2014

Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission Showing Exclusively at SM Cinemas




I can't believe that it's already been a year since Movie Punch distributed Hunter X Hunter: The Phantom Rogue last May and now they're at it again with the new movie ~ Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission which will screen EXCLUSIVELY at SM Cinemas on April 19 - that's a Black Saturday so not sure how that's going to work but I guess they will be screening it for a couple of weeks so mark those calendars! 

If you will allow me to walk down memory lane - I must say that the Movie Announcement for The Phantom Rogue last year is actually the most viewed post in our blog for some strange reason you can actually check it out here.

And you can also check out what went down during the premier of The Phantom Rogue here and of course my thoughts and review on the movie here

So I guess that's pretty much my trip down to memory lane now let's take a look at what we have in store for us in the future! :D 

Movie Punch (Pioneer Films) brings to us in partnership with SM Cinema another Hunter X Hunter film - this time it's The Last Mission which was released in Japan last December 27 2013 in Japan. 

I always cherish the experience of catching your favorite anime movies in the big screen. I mean yeah - anybody can just download or stream the movie but to actually experience it inside the cinema where you can fully appreciate the visuals and the sound for what it is supposed to be is a rare treat. Just think about it - when the series first came out all those years ago would you have ever thought you would one day be able to enjoy it inside a cinema? 

And if you missed The Phantom Rouge then you shouldn't miss The Last Mission! 



The movie takes a deeper look into the Hunter Association on which the series is based on and takes it to a whole different level by splitting the association between good and evil.The character of Netero (the chairman of the Hunters Association) is also focused as we get a sneak peek into his past. 

After a brutal attack from the 'dark Hunters' Killua is badly injured and Kurapika is at death's doorstep. Gon is placed in a difficult predicament - will he follow the dark Hunters to save his friends and what will he do when the crimes of the Hunter association are revealed? 

Check out the trailer of Hunter X Hunter: The Last Mission and make sure to catch the screening this April 19th at SM Cinemas! :D 

   

Monday, March 3, 2014

Saving Mr. Banks: Movie Review


Mickey and Mary: Tom Hanks as Walt Disney and Emma Thompson as Mary Poppins author P.L. Travers

There is always something interesting when it comes to back stories (or origin stories) if you will :P 

Oftentimes we don't really wonder, or get to think about how a certain story (book/play or movie) came to be but there really is a lot to wonder about. 

Paul and I are such History buffs (The History Channel is a regular on the TV) so it was no surprise that I was excited about Disney's Saving Mr. Banks - which is the back story of how the classic novel- P.L. Travers' Mary Poppins (published in 1934) made it's transition from book to a Disney classic. 

Apparently, Walt Disney's daughters asked him to make a movie version of the book which they loved so much and Disney did promise them but he had no idea it would take twenty years for him to fulfill that promise.

I vaguely remember Mrs. Poppins except of course for the catchy songs like "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (of course I had to Google that one) and the fact that the Nanny flies out the window. I was not even aware that it was a series of Children's Books and now after watching Saving Mr. Banks I want to read the book and re-watch Mary Poppins. Don't judge me by wanting to read a children's book since The Hobbit is actually a children's book but it's a darn good one and a lot of adults are still reading it. (I still have a pending book review for that one - I hope I get around to doing it). 

(L) Julie Andrews as Mary Poppins in the 1964 Disney adaptation and (R)Illustrator Mary Shepard's take on the super nanny in the books. 





  
Before we continue on with the movie review, let me just say that I caught the blocked screening thanks to Sky Cable :) and was made possible through Carbtrim (got to try a cup and it's pretty good, you feel a warm sensation in your stomach, I guess that's where the 'magic' happens. It's good to know that I have that option especially since summer is just around the corner ;)) 
RCBC, Alveo, Maxvit which had interesting games before the movie started, I loved how they celebrated marriages and gave prizes to sweet husbands in the audience who in a Bring Me game brought to the front, a photo of their wife, the last text from their wife and their wedding ring. A special gentleman in the audience was even given prizes for being the longest one married! How sweet right? :) 

The blocked screening was at Greenbelt and was also also made possible through Ayala Malls :)   

Actually I had no date for this movie, since Paul had to be at work early, so I was really happy when I ran into my fellow Young Blood (Fall Out Boy fan) -Dom! She was literally the girl in front of me in the line. So it wasn't a lonely experience since I had her company, along with her brother's :)  
       
So now - let's dive right back in the movie review shall we? 

While the whole movie was a beautiful story telling of how Mary Poppins made her way from the pages of a book to a Disney classic. Now you might be wondering how come it took twenty years for this to happen. Well unlike this generation where book-to-screen adaptations happen in the blink of an eye; P.L. Travers loved her characters so much, "They're family to me." she says. That's why she gave Walt Disney such a hard time before she finally agreed. 

One tough cookie: Two-time Academy award winner Emma Thompson as the uncompromising P.L Travers - author of the Mary Poppins children books. 

After her books stopped selling and royalties have dried up, P.L Travers is forced to go on a two-week trip to Los Angeles to meet with the all too casual and equally stubborn Walt Disney. The animation mogul pulls out all the stops to gain the rights from Mrs. Travers (she insists on being addressed as such) to make the movie version of her beloved book. But Mrs. Travers is keeping her grip on her characters as she is afraid that they will be destroyed by the Mouse Mogul by turning them into an animated atrocity. (She really has something against anything animated.) 

Disney tries his best to convince Mrs. Travers through catchy and infectious songs from the talented Sherman brothers (played by Jason Schwartzman and B.J Novak) you know, the guys behind "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" but Mrs. Travers won't budge and Walt Disney finds himself in a loosing battle to get the flying Nanny to the screen. 

As we watch the movie we get glimpses of her (Mrs.Travers) childhood in Australia and get an idea as to just why this story and these characters mean so much to her.
Dynamic Duo: Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson won the Best-on-screen Duo at the UK Regional Critic's Film Awards


The film has won a lot of awards during this Award season, including a Best Actress award for Emma Thompson and Best Family Film from the Las Vegas Film Critics Society. 

Origins. A surprise performance from Collin Farrel in the movie, my lips are sealed as to the character that he's playing :P



I really enjoyed the movie, it was a beautiful period piece where there was no Internet, no Facebook and Twitter (yes - kids there was such a time) and where ladies wore gloves and recording a conversation meant bringing a big ass machine out. The acting was superb not only from Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson but as well as from Paul Giamatti who plays Mrs. Travers two-week driver and a surprise performance from Collin Farrel. 

Saturday, March 1, 2014

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, The Natives, Save Me Hollywood: Eastwood Show


A local favorite of ours ' Save Me Hollywood - unfortunately drummer Melvin is not in the photo.


Apologies for the super late blog post - we've been swamped with work - but better late than never right ? :)
Whether or not you went to Pampanga for 7107 International Music Festival you can never get enough of a good thing which is why it really is hard to miss the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and The Natives mall show especially since it was for FREE - this was held last February 20, 2014 - our 101th monthsarry :3  

It was like getting a taste of the 7107 International Music Festival, a tiny portion of a sumptuous appetizer if you will (pardon the use of food as a simile - I'm starving as I am writing this blog post). Another great thing about the show was that it was made possible by Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and the first leg was in Eastwood! And for someone like me who practically lives in Eastwood (in fact, the office where I work is right behind the concert area) it was so convenient that I could not say no; even if it meant waking up 3 hours earlier. As you guys know, Paul and I work the night shift so catching a 6PM show (Save Me Hollywood was playing at 6PM) meant waking up at 4PM when we usually wake up at 7PM for our 10PM shift. That's just how it is for us night owls and a big shout out to my fellow night owl and Woodie (Save Me Hollywood fan) Lynx who also had to wake up extra early to catch the show and just sleep off the remaining hours before her 11PM shift. 

(So enough of our BPO woes and back to the shows) It was basically another great show at Eastwood (We covered the Gin Blossoms Mall show and the 12 Stone Music Fest) and crowd favorites Red Jumpsuit Apparatus (they were just here last year for Bazooka Rocks Fest) were ready to rock the stage with another 7107 band The Natives. 






When I first heard about the free show I decided right then and there to attend. I mean it was freakin Red Jumpsuit Apparatus! One of my fondest memories with their songs is singing Face Down with my siblings and when I say singing this is really feel na feel singing/screaming/shouting even the growling parts and the funny thing is that we just had so much fun and laughs doing it. I guess we just have that weird humor that only we get :P And of course Your Guardian Angel was practically considered a national anthem during it's heyday. My favorites from RJA also include Damn Regret and Cat and Mouse which were performed! 

The icing on top of the cake for me was finding out that one of my favorite rising OPM bands, Save Me Hollywood was opening for them! That definitely sealed the deal and got me even more excited for the show! 

I actually tried getting photographer/media passes for us; unfortunately we weren't given that privilege. Nevertheless as I always say, you just have to make the most of what is given to you and that is exactly what we did! 

Although we arrived a bit late, Save Me Hollywood was already performing, we forgot what afternoon traffic was like :P 

To get in the venue you just had to show that you liked Megaworld Lifestyle Malls and/or Eastwood on Facebook and/or that you are following them on Twitter. I already knew this prior to going to the event but when we got there - the signal was only on Edge - Good job Globe! 

Despite the mishap we were still able to get in :P