Entertainment
You Season 2, Psycho: Now Playing
“You” has us feeling like a “Psycho”
Going from the holiday break and diving straight into CES 2020, the team hasn’t really had plenty of time to watch or play much of anything. It’s been a busy time so there aren’t a lot of recommendations here. But they’re still worth checking out!
Movies to see
Parasite
Vincenz: We know Parasite has been making rounds online and I attest to its excellence. It shows the common divide between the rich and the poor (as represented by the Kim and Park families), but you’ll never really know what happens next — especially when greed arises. It honestly made my jaw drop and my mind was utterly confused while watching it. The astounding cinematography makes this film a whole lot better. No wonder it bagged several awards globally.
Steven Universe The Movie
Leez: During the holidays, I rewatched every episode of the cartoon series Steven Universe and rediscovered the best scenes, songs, and episodes. It’s an amazing cartoon series and the movie cuts deep with concepts of trauma, grief, and growth. Steven is all grown up in the movie and everything seems to be set in place until a pink inverted heart gem appears. There’s singing, fighting, and a ton of crying. If you haven’t seen it, get on it. It’s a lovely series and a stunning movie.
Shows to binge-watch
Great Teacher Onizuka
Rodneil: A former biker gang member decides to pursue teaching after he saw how he can get closer to high school girls that way. While he didn’t start off with the best intentions, the titular character Eikichi Onizuka discovers his passion for teaching while solving his students’ troubles in the most unconventional ways possible. This show is perfect for a few laughs and a few life lessons.
You Season 2
MJ: Joe Goldberg is back! If you didn’t feel that much love for him in the first season, you might be conflicted on how you’ll cheer for Joe this time around. While it’s not good to romanticize a stalking psycho, You made sure you’re going to love Joe. And yes, we want a Season 3.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
MJ: There’s a reason why a sitcom situated in a police precinct got a cult following; not because of hype but because of its quality. It’s absolutely funny (without the laugh tracks), has a diverse representation, and tackles pressing social and cultural issues subtly. The series is about to premiere its seventh season, so it’s time to binge-watch again from Season 1-6. Oh, they’re also working on Season 8 already! You better catch up.
Albums/Songs/Podcasts to listen to
Psycho by Red Velvet
Vincenz: Other than the mesmerizing visuals of Irene, Seulgi, Wendy, Joy and Yeri, the song is highly addictive. Speaking of addiction, the lyrics talk about a love that makes one go “Psycho.” It’s an extreme love-hate relationship — one that’s probably bad for you but you just can’t get enough of — just like a drug. The part before the last chorus states that “everything will be okay” — and I felt that. Prior to RV’s Korean recording, there’s an English demo which you can listen to for a better feel of the song.
Pwede Ba (괜찮을까) by Lola Amour
Vincenz: I was browsing my Twitter timeline when a popular schoolmate (slash vocalist of the local indie duo Ysanygo) promoted this track through a quote tweet. At first, I didn’t mind but when I saw a lot of mutuals sharing the same song, it made me curious to actually try and listen. The mellow tune goes well with the Korean lyrics. Listening to it feels like I’m in an episode of a melancholic K-Drama. It’s actually a Korean version of the already existing Pwede Ba (written in Filipino) that was released 2 years ago.
Dive feat. Chris James – Hot Shade, Mike Perry
MJ: If you need a good pick me up song, “Dive” has that upbeat melody that will make you want to move and love life. If you happen to be in love with someone else, the lyrics will resonate with you as it tackles diving into the unknown with your love interest, and following him/her wherever your hearts lead to.
Polaris by BLUE ENCOUNT
Rodneil: I have a weird emotional attachment to My Hero Academia and one of the reasons is how good the opening songs are. “Polaris” — the show’s current opening theme — is such a rush of energy. When I need to get going, I just put this on and I almost feel like One for All is surging through my body. It’s a fantastic picker-upper.
Games to play
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
Rodneil: If you’re the type who goes on an annual re-watch of Dragon Ball Z, Bandai Namco is giving you another way to relive the popular animé series by putting you right in the middle of it. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the entire series but in RPG form.
Cities Skylines
Vincenz: I’ve been a long-time fan of games that lean into city building / urban planning. SimCity has been around for ages but after several years, other developers had their own take. I played Cities XL Platinum prior to this (which is honestly good but just lacks certain features and a bit slow even with high specs in mind) but this game is on another level. With the mods and assets you can install, building cities is limitless. You can even control the growth of the city, underground systems, transportation, traffic, and more. With the video above, it shows that you can even have a glimpse of your city just like a regular person riding a train.
Now Playing is the GadgetMatch team’s favorite games, movies, TV shows, and more each month. If you’re curious to know what we’re into at the moment, this is what you should check out. So grab your popcorn, get some drinks, and enjoy what’s now playing!
Entertainment
Street Fighter special look: Blanka vs. Ryu
Jason Momoa, Andrew Koji’s characters face off
Paramount Pictures has released a new special look for Street Fighter featuring Jason Momoa and Andrew Koji.
The short, minute-long clip shows the actors’ respective characters, Blanka and Ryu, in battle.
It opens with a chained prisoner struck by extreme electrical charges, transforming into the green-skinned, electricity-infused Blanka.
He unleashes a fierce roar. Meanwhile, Ryu drops into a fighting stance, but tells Blanka he does not want to fight him.
Forced to defend himself, Ryu then fires a signature Hadouken fireball towards Blanka, as the teaser cuts to the Street Fighter title card.
Street Fighter debuts in cinemas starting October 14. It is directed by Kitao Sakurai and stars an ensemble cast that includes Noah Centineo as Ken Masters, Callina Liang as Chun-Li, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoai as Akuma, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson as Balrog, among others.
The film is set in 1993 when estranged Street Fighters Ryu and Ken Masters are thrown into combat when Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament.
Entertainment
Now Playing: Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It’s a must watch for Spidey fans who want to see Peter Parker enter his sad boy era.
The Holland-led Spider-Man trilogy is one of my favorite franchises in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Compared to other series with admittedly disjointed plots, all of Spidey’s storylines have a clear thread leading from one to the next. Since the fourth entries after trilogies are historically lackluster, I had a lot of trepidation heading into Spider-Man: Brand New Day.
Thankfully, all those worries were unfounded. Brand New Day follows the same throughline as its predecessors, once again reinforcing Spider-Man as the strongest franchise that Marvel offers fans today.
A brand new day indeed
Coming from No Way Home, Brand New Day still has Peter Parker live a new life as a literal nobody where no one remembers who he is. So begins his existence as just Spider-Man with no friends or family.
When a new and unseen threat ravages through New York City, Spidey starts to wish that he still had friends to help him out, which leads him on an inevitable collision course with Ned and MJ. Ironically, it also leads him to other characters in the city, including the Hulk and the Punisher.
A cacophony of villains
When I first saw the trailer, I was worried about the astounding number of villains from the get-go. After all, one of the biggest problems in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 3, the most maligned entry in Spider-Man movie history, was the villains. Though far from the movie’s biggest problem, having too many bad guys without a solid plot led to its terrible reception. You can see why Brand New Day’s trailer raises some flags.
If you were thinking the same thing, Brand New Day does indeed have a cohesive plot. Everything flows neatly into one another. Each emotional beat of Peter feeling for his solitude mixes well with the action. In here, fight scenes feel like they have a purpose.
And there is a big bad here. It’s not just a collection of guys that Spidey has to go through. That big bad, who shall not be named at this time, doesn’t feel like just a placeholder for Peter’s internal struggles. They have a character of their own and their own struggles to solve. I wouldn’t say they’re at the level of Loki just yet, but they definitely have a better go at it than most of the MCU’s other villains.
Marvel’s New York City finally debuts
Despite being a prime location since 2012’s Avengers, New York City never really felt like the quintessential city for superheroes in the comics. In the movies, the city was just another city to be ravaged when a new villain comes along.
For the first time, Brand New Day makes the city feel like a lived-in world with a bunch of superheroes living in the neighborhood. And they do pop up.
Does Peter have a scientific problem that only a very specific hero can solve? It’s a good thing Bruce Banner is just around the corner. Does he need some muscle? Well, the Punisher is skulking around somewhere. Plus, there’s even a succinct reason why other superheroes can’t help out.
In this way, Brand New Day presents itself more like a comic book series than a one-off movie. It’s like following the story alone from issue to issue. It’s not the most perfect adaptation of the landmark city, but it goes a long way from just another ravaging of New York.
Peter’s sadness
Everything here hinges on Peter’s loneliness. Despite meeting a trove of characters across the cinematic universe, Peter yearns for time with his loved ones. But they’re gone.
Unlike the past three films where he always had someone to go home to, he has no one here. Tony Stark is dead. Aunt May is gone. Happy has gone to parts unknown. Ned and MJ have no memory of him. Brand New Day has a way of making you feel for his aches, whether the way he still keeps track of MJ or some physiological changes as a result of his predicament.
It also helps that the movie’s big bad has similar motivations. Both serve as perfect mirrors against each other, elevating both their stories effectively. And that’s all I’ll say about that.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day is a few steps behind from being a perfect Marvel movie, but it’s still an extremely strong part of the Spider-Man mythos. The trilogy, now quadrilogy, remains Marvel’s most consistent franchises to date. It’s an absolute must-watch.
Entertainment
UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony hits Makati in October
Determination arrives in October.
For so small of a game, UNDERTALE quickly made it into the gaming world’s hall of fame. Despite being only a decade old, the small title has had a major influence for modern-day gamers because of its unique gameplay, its lo-fi art, and, of course, its catchy soundtrack. If you’re a fan of UNDERTALE’s soundtrack, a unique concert experience is headed your way.
On October 17, Film Concerts PH, in partnership with SOHO Live, is hosting UNDERTALE: The Determination Symphony at the Proscenium Theater in Rockwell, Makati.
The concert will be performed by the Filharmonika Orchestra and conducted by Thanapol Setabrahmana. Personally curated by creator Toby Fox and developed by Lambert Jackson with Materia Music, the concert experience showcases the game’s most recognizable tunes laid over gameplay footage playing simultaneously. Plus, for the world tour, the experience will have expanded scoring.
In the game, you play as a small child stuck in the mysterious Underground filled with interesting characters and monsters. Unlike traditional RPGs, UNDERTALE asks players to choose between building relationships and chasing after wins. It’s a unique experience that’s defined by whether you chose to make friends or fought your way to the top. It teaches players to value different ways to solve problems, all while showering them with its one-of-a-kind humor.
Pre-sales for the concert, exclusively for members of the Film Concerts PH community, start on August 4. Public sales, however, will start on August 11 via Ticketmelon.
SEE ALSO: The hunt begins: The Witcher in Concert hits Manila with surprises in tow
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