VIRGIN LABFEST 14: Set D

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MARAWI MUSICALE – Jhong (Jonathan Tadioan), Khristina (Lhorvie Ann Nuevo), and Richard (Nazer Salcedo) are all Manileños who find themselves in war-torn Marawi to facilitate a feeding program as well as a music therapy project, an advocacy geared towards a semblance of normalcy for the province’s children. They are joined by Khalid (Popperts Bernadas) and his sister-in-law Salanka (Bayang Barrios) who both await the return of her husband, fearing he has already been captured by ISIS. Preparing meals with the sound of bombs exploding in the background, the group has to remain steadfast and unfazed, trying to make a difference by focusing on what they do best.

This is a musical and the lyrics of the songs, while few and still incomplete, do tug a heartstring here and there. What we have to thank this mini-musical for is its introduction of the issue with individuals involved. Mindanao is not in a different country, although we who live here in the capital two hours away by plane only ever hear about the conflict in the news, seeing statistics instead of faces. We can say that the issue is humanized here. Instead of being bombarded with numbers that we will never really care about, we are confronted by the plights of Jhong, Khalid, Salanka, and the like. We are all reminded that this issue is as real as it can be and, perhaps, that awareness is all we need to start giving a damn.

Incredibles 2

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A few months post-Syndrome, the Parr family once again find themselves confronting another super villain. After their failed attempt to stop the Underminer, combined pressure from politicians and the media alike results in a harder time for all superheroes, forcing them to embrace the mundane existence that their alter egos entail. That is bound to change with the arrival of telecommunications tycoon Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk), whose vision of a world where supers are back in the limelight is underpinned by reliance on reputation and how it is projected to the world at large. In an effort to bring his perceived future to fruition, he enlists the help of Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) to revamp the image of the everyday hero, documenting her every move with advanced camera technology. Unbeknownst to them, a new threat under the synonym of Screenslaver is just looming in the background, attempting to sabotage their every move in an effort to outlaw supers forever.

Hereditary

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Grieving her mother's recent death, miniaturist artist Annie (Toni Collette) is not ready for yet another heartbreak, but tragedy strikes when you least expect it to. With no one having the guts to take either blame or responsibility, the family disintegrates in the midst of mental illness and supernatural mayhem. Steve Graham (Gabriel Byrne), her husband and a psychologist, believes that his wife is just having manic episodes to cope with her grief. When their son Peter (Alex Wolff) begins to act strangely and reports weird visions and apparitions of his own, the family must confront the possibility that their problem might just be way beyond whatever solutions modern psychology can offer.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

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In the aftermath of 2015’s Jurasssic World incident, the dinosaurs off the coast of Costa Rica are now facing extinction yet again as the volcanic island they are now inhabiting braces for a massive eruption. Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard) is spearheading a campaign to lobby for the rescue of the dinosaurs, but politicians are not really that open to the idea of sharing the planet with a species that should have stayed extinct. As all hopes seem lost, filthy rich philanthropist Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell) proposes a private mission to rescue the dinosaurs and usher them to a new island haven nearby. Claire immediately agrees and enlists the help of her now ex-boyfriend and Blue’s trainer Owen (Chris Pratt) to go back to Jurassic World. Unbeknownst to them, Lockwood’s assistant Eli (Rafe Spall) has a completely different plan in mind, using all of them as pawns in his game of corporate chess.

Ocean's 8

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After spending five years in prison, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) is not just ready for a new heist, she is also hell-bent in exacting her well-planned revenge. Her target is this year's MET Gala, the event where she plans to steal a $150M Cartier necklace from the neck of airhead actress Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway). Relying on connections both old and new, she assembles a team of pros to accomplish her con: long-time partner in crime Lou (Cate Blanchett); suburban mom and fence Tammy (Sarah Paulson); has-been fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter); jeweler Amita (Mindy Kaling); pickpocket Constance (Awkwafina); and hacker extraordinaire Nine Ball (Rihanna). Dodging CCTVs and the necklace's own team of assigned bodyguards, the team executes their plan. However, there will always be a surprise or two along the way. Are they joining their mastermind on her trip back to prison or will they be laughing their way to the bank with millions of dollars each in tow?

Sense8: Episode 24

24. Amor Vincit Omnia

Sedated and strapped to an operating table, Wolfgang relieves his traumatic childhood memories as his cluster devises a rescue strategy, what with both Whispers and Jonas now in their custody. Rajan’s unannounced arrival at their Paris hideout almost ruins the plan as he inadvertently leads BPO right to their very doorstep. Outwitting their assailants, the cluster brings their plan to fruition and gets Wolfgang back, but not without hiccups. Through constant intervention of the Lacuna, they discover that what the chairman of BPO is really after is the establishment of a drone militia, an army of Homo sensorium all linked to Whispers to do his bidding. Together, they form an alliance with unlikely allies to bring down the organization and make sure that their sinister plans wouldn’t go through. Bringing everyone from Paris to Naples and with a near-death experience for one of the eight, the cluster and their friends emerge victorious, ushering in a new era of harmonious co-existence with their Homo sapiens counterparts.

Sid & Aya (Not a Love Story)

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Stock broker during the day and insomniac by night, Sid (Dingdong Dantes) frequents a 24-hour café to kill time. There he meets Aya (Anne Curtis), a working girl juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet. After breaking the ice, the two engage in a business relationship: He pays her a thousand pesos per hour and she keeps him company in return. As they spend more paid time together they get to know one another better. He tells her about his open relationship with his girlfriend Dani and how he screws people over for a living. She shares her familial frustrations as well as her plan to go to Japan to convince her mother to finally come back home. As time goes by, what starts off as transactional becomes platonic, and eventually turns romantic. But as they insist, this is not a love story. Or is it, really?

Kasal

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Lia Marquez (Bea Alonzo) is marrying the guy of her dreams. Philip Cordero (Paulo Avelino) is the scion of a wealthy political clan in Cebu. Considered as the city's most eligible bachelor, his future in politics should already be a given, but the emerging popularity of the opposition catches them off-guard. Aside from the planned wedding, Lia also suggests repairing an old bridge to endear her future husband to the people. Enter Wado dela Costa (Derek Ramsay), the hotshot engineer who takes on the challenge who also happens to be Lia's ex. Wanting her back in his life so bad, Wado hatches one plan after another to break the engaged couple apart, but his efforts are in vain. When he discovers his rival's darkest secret, he doesn't hesitate to pounce. In the end, who gets married to whom?