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Rant and Rave: Liars

In the year 1992, the Philippines was shamed and dishonoured when the Little League baseball team of Zamboanga City, representing the Philippines, was discovered to have used illegal players during their championship run in the Little League World Series. The team was soon stripped of its title, and all medals, trophies, and cash prizes were…

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Rant and Rave: ‘Ekstra’

Philippine social realism is a beaten track. Poverty has been overexposed. Class inequality is old news. Corruption is a social sickness Filipinos have been immune to. The contemporary challenge to socio-realist art is knowing not what to tell but how to present prevailing realities to a society jaded from hearing the same old message. Jeffrey…

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Scenic Route: The xx in Manila

Last July 30, indie rock darlings The xx brought their unique minimalist sound to Manila for the first time. The London based trio of twenty year-olds is coming off the successful release of their second album, Coexist, the follow-up to the Mercury-Award winning album, xx. In a short Asian tour that includes dates in South…

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Rant and Rave: ‘Tuhog’

In this season where cinema houses are plagued by eye-catching international movie posters, what would make one spend his or her bills on seeing a locally crafted film? Worry not. Tuhog is a ride-all-you-can bus ticket that will take one to the many avenues of life. The film starts with a bus accident causing the…

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Rant and Rave: ‘The Wolverine’

On a ninja rampage. Not quite Jackman. Marvel once again aimed to set the bar high for the return of our beloved anti-hero Wolverine in the sixth instalment of the X-Men series. Set within the confines of aesthetic Tokyo, famed actor Hugh Jackman reprises his ageless role with the same passion and poignancy as he…

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Glimpse: Selfie-explanatory

   Anne* posed for the perfect pout. She put her hand over her lips, suggestive of a kiss she will be blowing soon. Seconds of silence were dedicated to looking intently at her only audience. And without delay, she did it. She then declared it good. Later, 28 other people thought it good too. Guessing…

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Dota 2 release: Some tips and advice

For all you hard core gamers out there, as you may or may not have heard, Valve’s Dota 2 has exited the Beta testing stage and is already available for free on Steam starting July 9, 2013. The multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game was in the Beta testing for 2 years until Valve decided…

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Rant and Rave: It Happens All The Time

After a star successfully makes a mark in Broadway, it seems that the logical next step is to star in a hit TV show. For most Broadway fans, talents like Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff and Matthew Morrison have made television a brighter place when they played colorful and award worthy turns in Glee,…

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Rant and Rave: ‘Pacific Rim’

What is the most logical thing for humanity to do when a leviathan suddenly bursts out from the ocean and attacks major Pacific cities? Well, build huge robots of course! This is the main premise of Guillermo Del Toro’s latest brainchild, Pacific Rim. Raleigh Becket (Charlie Hunnman) is a former Jaeger pilot, men who drive…

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Glimpse: A look at the westernization of Oldboy

  Every now and then, an American Company decides to remake a foreign movie, hoping to cater the idea to Western audiences. Unfortunately, more often than not, the original spirit and charm of the movie gets lost in the adaptation, leading to a hollow film, and plenty of annoyed and disgruntled fans. So, when the…