Becky & Badette

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Bestfriends Becky (Eugene Domingo) and Badette (Pokwang) were voted most likely to succeed when they graduated from high school, but despite their own share of talents, life has not been kind to either one of them. Now middle aged and still living with their moms one floor above a gay bar, the two are hesitant to go to their class reunion knowing they have nothing to be proud of. After class bully Nirvana (Agot Isidro) convinces them to come, she hatches a plot to make fun of them at the party. Being their usual selves, the duo comes up with an impromptu skit pretending to be lesbian lovers, just for show. As the video of their fake public confession becomes a viral hit around which many lesbians decide to rally, the two BFFs are suddenly inundated with opportunities that dramatically turn their lives around. As they enjoy their new status as the country’s prime lesbian power couple, their lie stares them in the face demanding for authenticity. Will they give in?

GomBurZa

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A brewing turf war for the control of the prosperous Antipolo parish pits Spain-born friars against their local born secular counterparts. Leading the charge for the Filipino clergy is Pedro Pelaez (Piolo Pascual), the liberal diocesan administrator of the Archdiocese of Manila. When he is fatally buried under the rubble in the wake of the great earthquake of Manila in 1863, his advocacy is continued by his apprentice Jose Burgos (Cedrick Juan), who instigates reforms by instilling nationalist values in his students’ minds, among them Paciano Rizal Mercado (Elijah Canlas) and Felipe Buencamino (Tommy Alejandrino). Aided by the elder Mariano Gomez (Dante Rivero), Burgos becomes the primary target of the friars. As the tides turn brought upon by the arrival of a conservative governor general, Gomez, Burgos, and gambler Jacinto Zamora (Enchong Dee) are falsely charged with mutiny and end up condemned to death via garrote. Witnessed by a young Jose Rizal, their death serves as the inspiration for his novel El Filibusterismo, dedicated to three martyr priests dubbed as GomBurZa.

Firefly

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As he prepares to receive a literary award, children’s book author Antonio Alvaro (Dingdong Dantes) is grilled by an inquisitive journalist investigating claims of alleged plagiarism. To prove his innocence, he recounts his childhood as a scrawny kid everyone referred to as Tonton (Euwenn Mikaell), back when his world revolved around his grand auntie Linda (Cherry Pie Picache) and his mother Elay (Alessandra de Rossi) as well as her stories about a mystical island of fireflies. Forced to find the island on his own using her clues and a colorful map he himself drew, the young Tonton relies on the kindness of strangers along the way. Reluctant at first, ex-convict Louie (Epy Quizon), heartbroken teenager Billy (Miguel Tanfelix), and scammer Erika (Ysabel Ortega) all end up helping the young boy as he ventures out into the unknown to prove to everyone and to himself that the island does exist.

Broken Hearts Trip

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Reality show host Alfred (Christian Bables) spearheads a new TV show, putting together an ensemble of broken hearted gays to compete for a one million peso prize by completing challenges set all around the country. Mark (Petite) is left to take care of his boyfriend’s daughter after he abandons them. Ali (Marvin Yap) loses his restaurant and basically everything in his life after his foreigner boyfriend ditches him for another guy, sending him on a downward spiral. Bernie Varga (Iyah Mina) is a gay beauty pageant veteran who has never won a crown and is caught in a love triangle with his boyfriend and the boyfriend’s pregnant girlfriend. Alex (Andoy Ranay) is a go-getter executive who is scammed by his boylet, the total  amounting to five million pesos. Has-been matinee idol Jason (Teejay Marquez) aims to use the exposure to regain his career after falling out of grace for being outed against his will.

When I Met You in Tokyo

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OFWs Azon (Vilma Santos) and Joey (Christopher de Leon) meet in Tokyo in not so ideal circumstances, starting off with mutual animosity. She has been working in Japan for quite some time already but it seems as though her efforts are for naught as her younger brother Marlon (Gabby Eigenmann) spends all her remittances on gambling. He, on the other hand, is annulled from his wife Susan (Gina Alajar) and finds it hard to forgive her for leaving him for another man even after all this time. As Azon and Joey continue to bump into each other almost everywhere and share their personal problems with one another, they find a reason to start anew. Encouraged by their respective friends to give each other a chance, they end up seeing each other in a different light. Thus begins a late romance, perhaps what she would like to refer to as a “soulmate”.

Saltburn

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Socially-awkward Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) gets into Oxford on a scholarship and immediately feels out of place in a crowd of privileged peers. He is quickly smitten with co-freshmen Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), towards whom the entire college appears to gravitate. He falls into his orbit through a random act of kindness and next thing he knows, they are suddenly operating within the same social circle. Receiving news of his father’s passing, Oliver is consoled by his newfound friend and invited to their massive estate called Saltburn to unwind for the summer. There Oliver meets Felix’s eccentric family: his father Sir James (Richard E. Grant); his mother Lady Elspeth (Rosamund Pike); his “sexually incontinent” sister Venetia (Alison Oliver) as well as his poor American cousin Farleigh Start (Archie Madekwe) who constantly bullies him. Amused and bemused by the barrage of opulence, Oliver starts to charm his way into the family dynamics, but can he really force his way into a world where he obviously does not belong?

Maestro

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"A work of art does not answer questions, it provokes them; and its essential meaning is in the tension between the contradictory answers." 70-year-old Leonard Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) looks back at his life as a conductor and composer which leads him all back to his wife. 1943. Felicia Montealegre Cohn (Carey Mulligan) meets Lenny at a party right after his conducting debut at the New York Philharmonic taking over for a conductor who got ill. Despite knowledge of his sexual orientation, the two hit it off right away and form a relationship. By the mid-50’s, they would become a fixture in New York’s high society scene: him as a successful conductor; her as a Broadway actress. Soon they welcome three children and face the challenges of married life. Despite staying married to one another, they begin to pursue separate lives but are brought back together when she is diagnosed with lung cancer.

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

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Dr. Stephen Shin (Randall Park), a marine biologist obsessed with Atlantis, leads an Antarctic expedition for David Kane (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) where they stumble upon the remains of Necrus, the lost 7th kingdom of Atlantis led by a tyrannical ruler who made a vow to come back from the dead. They stumble upon a mythical black trident that links its wielder to the lost civilization and grants supernatural strength, which Kane plans to use to exact vengeance on Aquaman (Jason Momoa). His mining of Orichalcum, a substance that can be weaponized to accelerate global warming, poses a risk to both land and sea-dwellers, prompting Arthur to leave his now busy life as father and king to pursue the enemy. He breaks his brother Orm (Patrick Wilson) out of his desert prison to team up so they can defeat Black Manta, but can he really trust the former king of Atlantis who wants nothing more than his demise for usurping his throne?

Tabing Ilog the Musical (PETA)

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A group of friends vow to return to their childhood town of San Juan but never do. Conservative barrio lass Eds (Jhoanna Robles) wants to be a teacher despite her mother prodding her to opt for something more practical. Her boyfriend Rovic (JL Toreliza) is sweet and all but is secretly romancing other girls nearby. Badong (Jude Hinumdum) is running for a councillor position. Amboy James (Kobie Brown) is at odds with his mother regarding his potential relocation to Cebu. He gets a surprise visit from schoolmate Andoy (Omar Udin) who might have feelings for him. George (Andi Abaya) hands out crystal bracelets for good vibes and wants to lead the group on a spiritual journey. Her ex-boyfriend Fonzy (Vino Mabalot) is still avoiding all of them after their break up while his sister Corrine (Miah Canton) gets a surprise pregnancy scare. Will the death of a teacher bring the gang back together or is it about time to just call it quits?

Yu Yu Hakusho - Episode 5

Episode 5

As the sinkhole gets larger and releases more Yokai, Koenma leverages the human world’s safety on a bet with Sakyo, knowing the temporary barrier he has put in place wouldn’t last. While Kuwabara gets to hurt the older Toguro with his spirit sword, the latter's body reforming capabilities are just too hard to defeat and he ends up chasing the trio all the way to the main arena where his younger brother and Yusuke are engaged in a battle. Hiei and Kurama arrive a bit earlier to turn that duel into a three-against-one, but are easily overpowered given their weakened condition. The older Toguro summarizes the relationship between his brother and Master Genkai as well as narrates her death through a puppet show. Annoyed, his brother sends him flying far away, presumably with no chance of reforming this time around. As the younger Toguro gives Kuwabara a seemingly fatal blow and zeroes in on Keiko and Yukina to unleash Yusuke’s potential, he finally releases his inherited spirit wave orb, putting an end to his enemy. Yukina heals Kuwabara and they all head back to the mainland.

Yu Yu Hakusho - Episode 4

Episode 4

The reason for their invitation to the island becomes clear, as the quartet are informed about Sakyo’s intention of putting them in a mini tournament with some Yokai for the delight of bored gazillionaires in search of an otherworldly gladiator good time. Should they win, Yusuke gets to be reunited with Keiko; Hiei with his sister Yukina (Ai Mikami). Along the way, Kurama is ambushed by Karasu (Hiroya Shimizu) and his bombs, forcing him to unleash his white fox form. Even though his Yokai form doesn’t prove to be enough, Kurama defeats the enemy with a clever plant seeding technique. Hiei squares off with a giant axe wielding Yokai called Bui whom he beats with his black dragon technique after they get bored sword/axe fighting. Kuwabara runs into Keiko and falls in love at first sight with Yukina. As the trio find a way to safety, they are chased by a bloodthirsty Yokai and then cornered by the older Toguro. Meanwhile, Yusuke finds himself in the main arena and comes face to face with the younger Toguro.

Yu Yu Hakusho - Episode 3

Episode 3

Sakyo airlifts his business partner and the captive maiden, Hiei's sister, to his lair on Kubikukuri Island where he holds a fight club of Yokai for bored filthy rich people to bet on. He introduces him to the Toguro Brothers (Kenichi Takito & Go Ayano) who he promises will take care of his pursuers. Yusuke’s confrontation with Hiei ends in humiliation; the latter no longer exerting any effort to fight the former who is clearly inferior. As such, Botan takes him to Master Genkai (Meiko Kaji) to train, with Kuwabara inviting himself and tagging along. Kuwabara managing to unleash his spirit sword through sheer grit and determination inspires Yusuke to enhance his spirit gun before Genkai passes on her spirit wave orb to him. As the two leave after their training, the younger Toguro brother, an old ally of Genkai, comes over to finish her off. Keiko is abducted by the older Toguro, forcing Yusuke to team up with Hiei, Kurama, and Kuwabara as they are invited over to Sakyo’s island for unknown reasons.

Yu Yu Hakusho - Episode 2

Episode 2

Three dangerous objects from the spirit world are stolen by three Yokai. Unable to master his spirit gun, Yusuke faces Goki, the first one who holds an orb that consumes the souls of human children, with a disadvantage. He ends up defeating him as his concern for the kid he died for finally triggers his power. The second one, red-haired Kurama (Jun Shison), leads him to a hospital where he intends to use the mirror of darkness that grants wishes to save his dying human mother, in exchange for his life. Yusuke intervenes and offers half of his life force, gaining Kurama’s trust in the process. The third, Hiei (Kanata Hongo) utilizes the dagger they stole to pry open his third eye, which he uses to find a young maiden who sheds tears of ice being held hostage by Sakyo’s business associate. Yusuke’s rival and frenemy Kuwabara (Shuhei Uesugi) follows him around and bugs him, apparently knowing all about the Yokai and being able to see Botan despite her not being visible to the ordinary human eye.

Yu Yu Hakusho - Episode 1

Episode 1

A giant sinkhole linking the human and demon worlds emerges in the middle of the city within the property of rich casino mogul Sakyo (Goro Inagaki). Roundworm monsters fly out and infect random individuals including a driver who ends up running his truck into a pedestrian road. Cocky 17-year-old troublemaker Yusuke Urameshi (Takumi Kitamura) leaps in front of the vehicle without hesitation, saving a little boy before getting dragged to his death. His selfless act is seen as an anomaly by the spirit world, where his spirit guide Botan (Kotone Furukawa) takes him to meet her boss Koenma (Keita Machida), who offers him a deal to give his life back in exchange for being a spirit detective. Initially reluctant, he agrees in order to save his childhood friend Keiko (Sei Shiraishi) who rushes into his burning house to save his newly revived body. He succeeds in his first mission, that of saving a classmate infected with the Roundworm monster, a feat too simple compared to the challenges that lie ahead.

Red, White & Royal Blue

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US presidential son Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) and spare to the British throne Prince Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) share the same amount of rabid animosity towards one another which culminates in a royal scandal as they end up on the floor with a GBP 75,000 wedding cake on them. As damage control, President Ellen Claremont (Uma Thurman) sends her son flying back to London on a series of media appearances with the prince to save her reelection bid and pledges of support from the current UK administration. As the two lads go through the motions, they begin to get to know each other better, with one drunk kiss enough to fan the flames of concealed desires they didn’t know existed. As the two become more intimate with one another, they are hit with their very own realities and the realization that a queer royal love story might not really end well given the circumstances surrounding their respective lives.

Leave the World Behind

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Bored couple Clay (Ethan Hawke) and Amanda Sanford (Julia Roberts) decide to take a break and rent a snazzy beachside home to get away from their miserable daily reality. The kids, Archie (Charlie Evans) and Rose (Farrah Mackenzie), seem to be enjoying the experience until weird things start to happen. An oil tanker almost rams them as it goes aground at a public beach. And then, without warning, the owner of the house G.H. Scott (Mahershala Ali) and his daughter Ruth (Myha’la) drop by and ask to stay with them after the city suffers a massive blackout and internet disruption. As more strange things begin to occur, like planes falling off from the sky into the sea and Tesla cars on auto-drive playing bump cars on their own, the group begin to speculate that the country might be in the midst of a terrorist attack using misinformation and technological upheaval to turn citizens against one another and provoke a civil war. In short, destroy ‘Merica from within.

May December

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Actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) drives to Savannah, Georgia on a mission: to interview Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore) whom she will be portraying in an indie movie. Her arrival becomes the talk of the town due to the rather scandalous storyline involved. Two decades ago, Gracie was caught having sexual relations with a thirteen-year old boy. That boy Joe (Charles Melton) is now married to her and they have three children, the eldest of which was born in prison while she was serving her sentence for their illicit affair. As Elizabeth goes through her field research, the past does not remain buried as she considers every detail to be of utmost importance for her preparation. The question is, how far is she willing to go to nail down Gracie as a character, and will Gracie actually allow her to get too close for comfort to the detriment of her now, seemingly, peaceful family life?

Shake, Rattle & Roll Extreme

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After almost a decade of hiatus since the last installment, the sixteenth film in the Shake, Rattle & Roll franchise, entitled Extreme, misses the horror slot at the Metro Manila Film Festival and is instead released early for everyone to enjoy. Staying true to tradition, you are served three segments not related to one another, each clocking in at less than an hour. For this latest revival, the three storylines focus on typical horror fare, in respective order: the Devil, Cannibalism, and Zombies.

GLITCH. 1993. A child in California is enticed by a TV show featuring a goat named Gary. It doesn’t take long before a malevolent entity begins to terrorize the lone adult in her household. Fast forward to present day Manila, six-year-old Lyka (Jewel Milag) feels unloved by her half-brother Patrick (Miggs Cuaderno) and neglected by her mother Ingrid (Iza Calzado). She finds refuge in an online TV show featuring a talking goat named Gary, which her nanny Hasmin (Donna Cariaga) quickly IDs as a modern-day incarnation of the demon Baal.

Asian Persuasion

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Even Filipino-Americans fall out of love. After years of marriage and sharing an adorable daughter, Mick de los Santos (Dante Basco) and wife Avery (KC Concepcion) call it quits, culminating in the signing of their divorce papers that legally oblige him to provide alimony, which he probably couldn’t afford. After a night of booze and stimulants with his best friend Caspian (Kevin Kreider), Mick comes up with an outrageous idea. Since he knows his ex-wife inside out anyway, why not create a profile for her on a dating app and set her up to date and marry the best match? In the end, she ends up happily remarried and he won’t have an alimony problem anymore, right? Enter successful but socially-awkward Wall Street yuppie Lee (Paolo Montalban) who ends up being okay with the scheme after five minutes of getting upset over being catfished. Will Avery and Lee fall in love or will Mick just eventually snap out of denial and realize that he just wants his ex-wife back?

In His Mother's Eyes

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Timothy Mananquil (LA Santos) is a special child who grows up with his uncle Bibs (Roderick Paulate) after his mother Lucy (Maricel Soriano) leaves both of them behind so she can fly to Japan and work there to financially support them. All communications stop five years later, uncle and nephew deciding to move on with their lives and consider her dead. And then she comes back, 13 years later. Tim is now an adolescent being bullied at school for his condition, but has a happy disposition in life thanks to his uncle’s endless support as well as his friends’ encouragement. Her return shakes things up in a household where routine is key to the teenager’s overall wellbeing. Finding it difficult to reconnect with her son given his condition, Lucy also faces animosity from her brother for abandoning them. Will their family ever be whole again or should she just walk away like she always does?

[KEDAH] Budget and Itinerary

WEDNESDAY: November 15, 2023

Satun Pakbara Speed Boat (Ko Lipe - Langkawi) - 161.00

Grab (Telaga Terminal - Cenang Mall) - 17.00

KFC (Snack Box) - 14.00

Grab (Cenang Mall - The Villa) - 5.00

The Villa Langawi (2 Nights) - 268.00

7 Eleven (Groceries) - 44.40

MYR509.40

[PERLIS] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: November 17, 2023

Langkawi Ferry Lines (Langkawi - Kuala Perlis) - 27.00

KFC (1 pc Chicken w/ Rice & Coke + Cheezy Wedges) - 20.50

Grab (Jeti Kuala Perlis - Kota Kayang Museum) - 7.00

Grab (Kota Kayang Museum - Arau Train Station) - 14.00

KTM (Arau - Alor Setar) - 3.90

MYR72.40

[KUALA PERLIS] A Short Day Trip

I could have taken the ferry directly to Kuala Kedah instead of Kuala Perlis, but we still have the goal of visiting all of Malaysia’s states, now don’t we? Perlis is the country’s smallest state and considered by some to be rather inaccessible, wedged there at Malaysia’s border with Thailand. It is served by the country’s train system via Arau. If you are coming from neighboring Kedah state’s island of Langkawi, a ferry to Kuala Perlis is also available. The trip lasts an hour and costs MYR27 (~PHP320).

[LANGKAWI] Green Hills and Sky Bridges

Langkawi has its own international airport but the only international flight is from Singapore. The rest are all domestic, with AirAsia and Malaysia Airlines sharing most of the slots. It is rumored that flyDubai will be mounting flights from the UAE by early next year. If you are not flying, you can also reach the island paradise via ferry with sea routes to neighboring island of Koh Lipe in Thailand, Kuala Kedah to mainland Kedah, and Kuala Perlis in the neighboring state of Perlis.

[SATUN] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: November 13, 2023

Satun Pakbara Speed Boat (Hat Yai - Satun - Koh Lipe) - 800.00

Satun Pier (Terminal Fee) - 20.00

Environmental Fee (Koh Tarutao/7 Days) - 200.00

Bakery (Donut) - 20.00

Papaya Mama (Fried Rice w/ Coke + Mango Shake) - 180.00

Chic Lipe (2 Nights) - 1,600.00

7 Eleven (Groceries) - 301.00

THB3,121.00

[SATUN] Thailand's Andaman Islands

The original plan was to check out the north from Bangkok, so possibly Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai. However, as travel dates loomed and airfare changed, I was left with a cheap Bangkok - Hat Yai flight ticket and no exit point. And so I explored some land border options heading to Malaysia when I remembered the draft itinerary I had of the Koh Lipe - Langkawi ferry route. Perhaps, it’s time to turn this draft into reality, eh? And so we did. But first, how do you get to Koh Lipe from Hat Yai?

[SONGKHLA] Budget and Itinerary

SATURDAY: November 11, 2023

Thai Air Asia (Bangkok - Hat Yai) - 1,325.00

Grab (Airport - Hat Yai) - 175.00

Hotel Icon (2 Nights) - 1,145.00

Store (Groceries) - 80.00

THB2,725.00

[HAT YAI] Two Buddhas for Your Pit Stop

Hat Yai has always been on my radar as far as gateways to Southern Thailand are concerned. It wouldn’t be my first time to the south. After all, I’ve already visited Phuket eons ago. However, I was still on the hunt for southern airports to explore other areas, and Hat Yai filled that gap. I thought this would be nothing more than a glorified pitstop en route to neighboring Satun, and so I was surprised when Hat Yai, apparently, has its own tourist attractions in store.

The Marvels

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Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) ending the Supreme Intelligence inadvertently leads to Hala’s gradual destruction, leaving the Kree without water, sun, and atmosphere. Their new leader Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) searches for and finds one half of a bangle pair which has the power to create cosmic jump points. Despite vowing to find the other pair, which is in the hands of Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani), she already creates enough havoc by sequestering Skrull refugee planet Tarnax’s atmosphere, waterworld Aladna’s bodies of water, and with plans of eventually stealing the Earth’s sun, all worlds that have a special connection to Captain Marvel. As the use of the mythical quantum band causes an entanglement among the light-based powers of Carol, Kamala, and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris), the three team-up to stop their new enemy, but not without complications. The three of them must work together as a team while Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) attempts to hold the fort back at SWORD.

Loki: Episode 12

12. Glorious Purpose

No matter how many times Loki timeslips, Victor Timely always ends up spaghettified, getting them nowhere near their goal. As such, Loki totally commits and even spends centuries mastering what Ouroboros knows just to buy them time, but even as Victor makes it to the end, the Temporal Loom still overloads because it is not equipped to handle an infinitely expanding multiverse. The next option is for Loki to timeslip in time to kill Sylvie in order to prevent her from murdering He Who Remains, which is the main catalyst for their dilemma. He tries many times but can’t get himself to do so. In the end, he himself steps out to destroy the Temporal Loom and enchants the branches on his own, settling in on He Who Remains’ former throne at the End of Time, fashioning what was the loom into a flourishing tree of branched timelines with him serving as the uniting force preventing its collapse. The TVA is up and running again, this time tracing the variants of He Who Remains in an effort to prevent them from causing multiversal chaos.

[NEW YORK] Budget and Itinerary (8)

MONDAY: 23 October 2023

Philippine Airlines (Bangkok - Manila - New York - Manila - Bangkok) - 765.00

Uber (JFK Terminal 1 - Queens) - 21.91

Airbnb (1 Night/Queens) - 70.00

USD856.91

[MANHATTAN] Broadway Barrage Season 8

Did we miss Broadway Barrage? Well, does the sun shine every morning? Of course we did, especially considering the fact that the gap has been a bit long this year. Season 7 was in March 2022. Season 8 is finally happening but late this time in the fall in October/November 2023. As always, we have an interesting line up, a full slate of eight shows this season! nine, if you consider the bonus Poor Yella Rednecks inclusion. Are we ready? Here are the eight shows we’ve seen this season!

Poor Yella Rednecks (Broadway)

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Unable to fulfill his promise to go fly back to Saigon to rescue his kids no matter what the cost, Quang (Ben Levin) is now living a refugee’s life in Arkansas and having an affair with Tong (Maureen Sebastian). Even though they are not legally married to other people in the United States, their past comes back to haunt them as they are inexplicably followed by his wife, deeming their plans for marriage invalid in the eyes of the law. Their kid whom they fondly call Little Man (Jon Norman Schneider) grows up to be a playwright, chronicling their journey as a migrant family in the deep south. He writes a play involving all characters such as his strong-willed grandmother (Samantha Quan), an honest look at the experience growing up Asian in America as well as the challenges that continue to hound him and his family despite decades of integration.

[DELAWARE] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: 6 November 2023

Amtrak (Baltimore - Wilmington - Baltimore) - 20.00

Starbucks (Mocha Frappe) - 7.74

USD27.74

[WILMINGTON] Rodney Square and River Walk

I guess we’ll just have to admit that Delaware was one of those states that I decided to visit just for the sake of visiting it and crossing it off my map of ‘Murica. The Greyhound from Newark made a bathroom stop somewhere near Wilmington and that was my first impression of Delaware: a pit stop with food options ranging from Panda Express to Cinnabon. There was also a lottery machine there, which had me betting on a lottery I’ve never seen before called Lotto America.

[MARYLAND] Budget and Itinerary

THURSDAY: 2 November 2023

Greyhound (Newark - Baltimore) - 38.98

73 (Greyhound - State Center) - 2.00

Airbnb (5 Nights/Baltimore) - 304.61

St. Paul Mini Mart (Groceries) - 18.56

USD364.15

[VIRGINIA] Budget and Itinerary

FRIDAY: 3 November 2023

Amtrak (Baltimore - DC - Baltimore) - 20.00

McDonalds (Hash Brown x2 + Hot Choco) - 8.66

DC Metro Card (Card + Credits) - 12.00

McDonalds (Chicken Nuggets Meal) - 7.36

USD48.02

[ARLINGTON] Arlington and Alexandria

I should have visited Virginia as a side trip when I went to Washington DC almost half a decade ago. After all, Arlington and Alexandria are both covered by DC’s metro system. It wasn’t that inaccessible from Baltimore either, though. I chanced upon a $20 roundtrip Amtrak ticket. The Baltimore to DC route lasts 45 minutes. Add another 20 minutes for the Red/Blue trip to Arlington cemetery. That’s two US states for you in less than half an hour! And so, we start with Arlington.

Loki: Episode 11

11. Science/Fiction

Just as the Temporal Loom collapses, Loki is taken places and times by his recurrent timeslipping, visiting his friends in branched timelines living their pre-TVA lives: Casey as an ex-convict in 1962 San Francisco; B-15 as a doctor in 2012 New York; Mobius as a jet ski salesman and single dad of two in 2022 Cleveland; and Ouroboros as a failed sci-fi writer with a CalTech PhD in Theoretical Physics in 1994 Pasadena. Loki hands over the TVA guidebook to Ouroboros as he travels back and forth to convince the others who have no recollection of the TVA. He also finds Sylvie in the branched Oklahoma timeline, the only one who remembers everything. Reluctant to help at first, she eventually seeks Loki as her branched timeline is pruned. As they gather helpless at Ouroboros’ lab, they are pruned one by one as a consequence of the Temporal Loom’s collapse, just as Loki finally gets to control his timeslipping by realizing that it is not about where, when or why, but rather who. He timeslips right back to the time as Victor Timely is gearing up to step out of the blast door.

[PROVIDENCIALES] Budget and Itinerary

SUNDAY: October 29, 2023

jetBlue (JFK - Providenciales) - 131.20

Provo Connections (Airport - Venetian Road - Airport) - 40.00

Airbnb (3 Nights) - 348.00

Graceway (Groceries) - 38.30

USD557.50

[PROVIDENCIALES] Island Hopping and Parasailing

I’m going to Turks & Caicos. What the heck is Turks & Caicos? Well, you know how European powers of old went on a mad scramble for islands in the Caribbean once upon a time? Turks & Caicos is one of what we call nowadays a British Overseas Territory. Just like the neighboring British Virgin Islands which we visited last year, Turks & Caicos also uses the US dollar as its currency and will allow you to get in if you hold a valid tourist visa or residence permit for the UK, Canada or the US.

I Need That (Broadway)

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Sam (Danny DeVito) is a nice guy, but what many would consider to be a hoarder. His house is a mess and not devoid of clutter, leading him to live a life of messy seclusion. He does get regular visits from his friend Foster (Ray Anthony Thomas) who brings him the bad news of his impending eviction. The neighbors are complaining about Sam’s trash intruding public space, and they want him to shape up or leave. He thinks they are just being nosey. His daughter Amelia (Lucy DeVito) kind of agrees with the neighbors, though, and believes this is the right time for her father not just to declutter his residence, but also his life in general. Does Sam have the strength to snap out of his disorganized misery or will he end up losing his home, along with a daughter and a friend? Now he must decide what is treasure and what is rubbish.

& Juliet (Broadway)

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William Shakespeare (Joe Moeller) has just concluded his new play, a tragedy entitled Romeo & Juliet. Anne Hathaway (Betsy Wolfe), his wife, is not happy though and insists that she takes part in a revision of the ending. Reluctant at first, he yields, and her first change is to let Juliet (Lorna Courtney) live and move on with her life, which she does with the help of her nurse Angelique (Melanie La Barrie). Together with her best friend May (Justin David Sullivan), they move 600 miles west to Paris and party the night away in a ball hosted by Lance du Bois (Paulo Szot) for his son Frankie (Philippe Arroyo) so they can find a suitable wife for him in order to avoid joining the army. As he locks eyes with Juliet, sparks fly, but his heart flutters even more when he sees her best friend. Is Juliet ready for another marriage?

The Cottage (Broadway)

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Sylvia Van Kipness (Laura Bell Bundy) has been spending some time at her mother-in-law’s cottage in 1920’s England, but not for innocent reasons. The truth is she has been having an affair with her husband’s brother Beau (Eric McCormack). Chaos ensues when she decides to make a move and send a telegram to her husband Clarke (Alex Moffat), who comes to the cottage for a possible confrontation among the three of them. To make matters worse, Beau’s heavily pregnant wife Marjorie (Lilli Cooper) also crashes the party. Unbeknownst to the two lovers, their significant partners harbor some secrets of their own. As if the morning couldn’t get any more exciting, a woman named Deirdre (Dana Steingold) and, later, her potentially murderous husband Richard (Nehal Joshi) also enter the fray. Will Sylvia surprise everyone with her indiscretion or will she be the one to get the biggest surprise(s) of her life?

Shucked (Broadway)

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Nothing much happens in Cob county, where everything revolves around the town’s primary product: CORN. Storyteller 1 (Ashley D. Kelley) and Storyteller 2 (Grey Henson) volunteer to share a short history of the town, from its first immigrant settlers who discovered the value of corn early on all the way to a fable involving two local sweethearts about to get married but have to back out as soon as the corn started dying. Maizy (Isabella McCalla) braves the unknown and ventures out to Tampa to seek a professional’s help. There, she runs into a “corn doctor”, a proctologist named Gordy (John Behlmann) who happens to be a con artist. She takes him back to town, much to the chagrin of her ex future husband Beau (Andrew Durand) and the skepticism of her cousin Lulu (Miki Abraham). As they all go on with their daily lives pursuing their own agenda, some clarity will be had with a promise of resurrection for their favorite food staple.

A Beautiful Noise (Broadway)

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An old man and a psychiatrist play a psywar in a dark counseling room. Almost at the brink of surrender, the Doctor (Shirine Babb) unveils her final weapon: a thick songbook of all his hits. Neil Diamond (Mark Jacoby) is not happy but gives it a shot with the prodding of his current wife. As they go through his lyrics as some form of psychoanalysis, he takes a trip down memory lane starting from a younger Neil’s (Nick Fradiani) humble beginnings as a son of an immigrant family in Flatbush all the way to his meteoric rise as one of America’s best selling singer/songwriters of all time. Each song harks back to a core memory which includes meeting his first agent Ellie Greenwich (Bri Sudia) as well as his second wife Marcia (Robyn Hurder), all leading to an effort to reconcile what was with what is.

Loki: Episode 10

10. Heart of the TVA

Ouroboros and Victor Timely meet face to face and shower one another with geeky appreciation, citing each other as the author of the TVA guidebook they both rely on. They start working on a mechanism to expand the Temporal Loom’s capacity to accommodate all branched realities. Miss Minutes reveals to Ravonna that not only was she instrumental in building the TVA alongside He Who Remains, but she was also tricked into doing all the legwork while he lounged on his throne, by having her memories erased. The two march back into the TVA and try to blackmail Dox and the rest of the captive TVA rebels. All of them are killed except for X-5 who agrees to assist her. As Ravonna and X-5 take Victor Timely hostage, Ouroboros reboots the system, disabling Miss Minutes from digitally sabotaging them and allowing magic to be used at the premises. Sylvie enchants X-5 who ends up pruning Ravonna. Victor volunteers to walk towards the Temporal Loom to install the mechanism but is instantly spaghettified upon stepping out of the door. The loom overloads in a flash of blinding light.

Kimberly Akimbo (Broadway)

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Kimberly Levaco (Victoria Clark) with her mom Pattie (Alli Mauzey) and dad Buddy (Steven Boyer) abruptly move house to New Jersey without much explanation. She is suffering from a disease that makes her age four times faster than average, and is finding it hard to adjust not just at her new school, but also at their new life. To some extent, the friends she meets at school make coping easier. Delia (Olivia Elease Hardy), Martin (Fernell Hogan II), Aaron (Micheal Iskander), and Teresa (Nina White) all have unrequited love towards one another and are preparing for a performance at the school show choir. It is Seth (Justin Cooley) who she warms up to and considers a potential love interest as she navigates her already complicated life. Things get worse when her Aunt Debra (Bonnie Milligan) suddenly shows up and proposes a bank heist that would involve all of them.

Merrily We Roll Along (Broadway)

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Franklin Shepard (Jonathan Groff) has reached the pinnacle of success, crossing over from Broadway to Hollywood as a renowned songwriter. However, his triumphs have not come without a cost, and the biggest price he had to pay was losing friends and family along the way. First to go was Charley Kringas (Daniel Radcliffe), one half of their formidable musician/lyricist duo who started off auctioning their plays on the Great White Way. Trying hard to be the supportive confidante, Mary Flynn (Lindsay Mendez) also calls it quits as she delves deeper into being an alcoholic and no longer expecting her friend to reciprocate her unrequited love. As Franklin experiences another heartache in spite of his status as man of the hour, he takes a trip down memory lane, cherishing the moments when life was so much simpler and their trio did not have much except for a dream they thought they would all pursue together.

Here Lies Love (Broadway)

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Hailing from Leyte, young country lass Imelda (Arielle Jacobs) dreams big, with her lofty ambitions buoyed by the twin mantra of beauty and love that she strongly believes in. She packs her bags to leave Tacloban for Manila where she catches the eye of a young politician of the name Benigno Aquino (Conrad Ricamora). Despite their romance not really blossoming because he thinks she is too tall, she easily finds a worthy substitute in Ferdinand Marcos (Jose Llana), a senator vying for the highest position in the land. When he eventually triumphs in a landslide election victory, what follows is a life of opulence and absolute power she could only dream of, with her primary love interest now becoming their regime’s biggest critic. But is power meant to last forever or are we just waiting for a rude comeuppance to crash this lavish party?