Ang Bangin sa Ilalim ng Ating mga Paa

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Namatay ang asawa ni Rey habang isinisilang ang kanilang nag-iisang anak na si Alison. Magmula noon ay ang mag-ama na lamang ang magkasama sa bahay at sa buhay. Napalaki naman ng maayos ni Rey si Alison, sa paniniwala niya, ngunit hindi maiiwasang maging praning ang ama sa kaligtasan ng anak. Kaya naman isang gabi na pagpatak ng madaling araw ay hindi pa umuuwi ang anak at hindi man lang nagpaalam kahit nagsabi na nung hapon na pauwi na ito, labis na pag-aalala ang dadapo kay Rey. Kasama ang matalik na kaibigan na si Benjo, magsisimulang magsiyasat ang dalawa sa mga maaring kinaroroonan ng anak matapos mabigo ang kanilang pagdulog sa mga kinauukulan na halata namang hinuhuthutan lang sila ng salapi. Dadalhin ang dalawa ng kanilang pag-uusisa sa mapanganib na daigdig ng kalakalan ng bawal na gamot at marami ring matutuklasang lihim ang dalawa tungkol sa anak na akala ng ama ay lubusan na niyang kilala.

American Gods

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Shadow is a convict who gets granted parole and is released a few days earlier than intended after the unfortunate news of his wife’s untimely death in a vehicular accident. What follows is a journey back home that is not without peculiarities. For one, an old man with white hair who calls himself Wednesday is seated next to him on a plane and telling him things he has no business knowing. The guy is speaking cryptically about a war that is to come, and he wants Shadow to work for him as his assistant. When Shadow finally makes it home and says his last goodbyes to his dead wife Laura, he ends up being Wednesday’s errand boy as he drives him around the Midwest while he tries to convince various colorful personalities to side with them. Shadow soon discovers that he is dealing with literal gods, both the old and the new, in a battle for control over modern day America.

The Room Next Door

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Veteran war correspondent Martha is diagnosed with stage three cervical cancer and is now spending most of her time at the hospital to undergo chemotherapy and other experimental treatments. Ingrid is a best-selling author holding a book signing event for her latest book when a friend of hers informs her about Martha’s condition as well as the address of the hospital she is staying in. Martha and Ingrid used to work for the same magazine years ago but haven’t been in touch for a while. Ingrid interprets this as a sign to reconnect, and so she pays her old colleague a visit. What starts off as a simple effort to revive their friendship turns into something more serious when Martha’s cancer treatments start to fail, leading her to decide on a drastic action that will require Ingrid’s help. Is Ingrid capable of overcoming her fear of death to grant Martha’s dying wish?

Balota

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Single mother Emy (Marian Rivera) is a small town teacher making ends meet for the sake of her son Enzo (Will Ashley) who spends most of his time playing video games with his friend Jimbo (Raheel Bhyria). Since it is election season once again, vote buying as well as extra judicial killings are rampant once more, putting lives in danger. Despite the risks, Emy accepts her assignment as one of the poll watchers in a heated race between incumbent Mayor Elena Hidalgo (Mae Paner) and ex-sexy starlet turned politician wannabe Giancarlo Edraline (Gardo Versoza). As voting precincts wrap up and secure their districts’ votes, Emy and her co-teacher are escorted to a van supposedly en route to the governor’s office for the final tally before discovering that she is about to be ambushed because of the ballot box in her care. Narrowly escaping death, she must think fast as to whom she should turn for help considering every option seems as corrupt and dirty as the next.

Ex Ex Lovers

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Joy (Jolina Magdangal) has been rearing her daughter on her own since her husband Ced (Marvin Agustin) abandoned them a decade ago, strengthening the bond between mother and daughter. When SC (Loisa Andalio) is surprised with a marriage proposal by her boyfriend Joey (Juan Karlos Labajo) on a dinner night that is supposed to be a mother-daughter affair, Joy is faced with the realization that she will soon be losing her only reason for living. To make matters worse, SC has a special request, which is for her father to walk her down the aisle. Joy soon finds herself on a flight to Malta to look for Ced. Aside from convincing him to come back to Manila, she also asks him to help her find a way to cancel the wedding. Unbeknownst to her, it seems she is not the only one with an ulterior motive for their untimely reunion.

Captain America: Brave New World

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The discovery of Tiamut’s remains results in a mad scramble among world powers for the harvest of Adamantium, an element stronger than Vibranium which the celestial’s corpse is made of. Newly elected US president Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford) attempts to come up with an international treaty for equal access but loses trust and confidence in the global scene when he fails to keep the meeting of world leaders in Washington secure, leading to his very own assassination attempt. As tensions run high, both Japan and America send their navy to the Indian Ocean in a big risk of sparking a new world war. Taking the mantle as the new Captain America, Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) flies in with his new Falcon sidekick Joaquin Torres (Danny Ramirez) but their participation will be challenged by new faces such as ex Red Room widow Ruth Bat-Seraph (Shira Haas) and Serpent Society leader Sidewinder (Giancarlo Esposito).

[ORIENTAL MINDORO] Budget and Itinerary

MONDAY: February 10, 2025

Bus (Alabang - Batangas Port) - 214.00

Dali (Groceries) - 104.00

Terminal Fee (Batangas Port) - 30.00

Galerian Ferry (Batangas - Balatero - Batangas) - 1,460.00

Tourist Fee (Balatero) - 120.00

Tricycle (Balatero - White Beach) - 200.00

Dreamwave Beach Resort (2 Nights) - 3,000.00
PhP5,128.00

[PUERTO GALERA] Oriental Mindoro at Last

Puerto Galera for me is a good example of a Philippine province that is just there and can be visited anytime, easily accessible from Manila and, thus, always remains to be an option but never a choice. Like, let’s visit other provinces first. Now that I have slowed down and finally reviving my local itineraries, I’ve decided to finally cross out Oriental Mindoro off my list of places to go to. Timing couldn’t have been worse considering it’s been raining non-stop for a couple of days now and the main attraction there is the beach. Oh well, let’s see where this will lead us to. But first, how do you get there anyway?

A Real Pain

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Jewish American cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benjamin (Kieran Culkin) put the small inheritance they receive from their recently deceased grandma to good use, so they travel to Poland and get to know the family’s roots. There they meet British tour leader James (Will Sharpe) who is not Jewish himself but has studied Eastern European history extensively. Joined by four other participants, they all embark on a tour of Warsaw before heading over to Lublin to visit the Nazi concentration camp in Majdanek. Benji causes friction within the group due to his unapologetically blunt behavior and unorthodox opinions, leading Dave to be embarrassed of him in front of the other guests. After he expounds on what is causing his cousin’s unhinged attitude towards the tour and life in general, he reminisces on their childhood together and tries to help him get over his depression, but most often than not it is impossible to help people who won’t help themselves.

Presence

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A poltergeist comes out of the closet and explores the house it is haunting, giving you a tour of the premises. It sees a real estate agent come in hastily as she prepares last minute for a house viewing. Her guests arrive not long afterwards and they decide that the house is perfect for their liking. The family of four move in but not without baggage from their previous life and residence. The husband Chris (Chris Sullivan) is secretly calling a lawyer asking about the implications of a hypothetical divorce. The wife Rebecca (Lucy Liu) seems to be hiding something work-related and potentially illegal. The son Tyler (Eddy Maday) is pissed off at his sister for causing them to move house, but adjusts well to his new life and school, aspiring to get a swimming scholarship. The daughter Chloe (Callina Liang) is still not over the death of her best friend who allegedly died of drug overdose. It is to Chloe that the Presence makes its presence felt, in subtle and, somehow, protective ways.