Entertainment

Now Playing: The Album, Emily in Paris

Femme fatale overload!

Published

October 5, 2020

GadgetMatch

Happy fall season! While there may be no Halloween parties this year and cozy autumn travels, we still find a way to have fun and relax in this crazy season. In between the so-called a-phone-calypse, here’s what’s now playing in GadgetMatch:

Games to play

Marvel’s Avengers

We’re in the middle of our playthrough for the review and the campaign mode has been fantastic so far. Called the “Reassemble Campaign,” it follows Kamala Khan AKA Ms. Marvel as she tries to bring the Avengers back together after a catastrophic event five years ago. — Rodneil

Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2

This is literally everything we loved about the cult classic game in the late 90s, early 2000s but in better detail and with a few new challenges to keep us playing. It’s a faithful remake that players will certainly enjoy. — Rodneil

Command and Conquer: Remastered Collection

Remember the RTS games, Command and Conquer and Red Alert? These popular games defined the genre especially with their compelling gameplay, fast-paced plot, and unforgettable cutscenes. Thankfully, EA has remastered the game in glorious 4K to appease fans who have been craving for another C&C game for years. It is definitely a game worth playing since the luminous leader Kane approves of the remaster himself. — Kenrick

NBA 2K21

It’s another NBA 2K game, this time with a different take to the whole experience. Yes, there are new shooting mechanics to master, a more prolonged take on MyCareer, and a MyTeam mode with progression rewards. But it’s still the same great basketball simulation game from before. I mean, you can simulate a pre-NBA bubble atmosphere in time for the playoffs. — Gab

Shows to binge-watch

Emily in Paris

Netflix’s new hit series — Emily in Paris — created an uproar in social media, portraying an American woman’s adventure in the city of love rocking her almost perfect life. Emily Cooper, played by Lily Collins, struggled as the only American in a Parisian office, got entangled in a web of romance and illicit affairs, and found herself in hilarious misadventures throughout the city. — MJ

Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai

This is a rather unusual Slice of Life/Harem anime. It has shades of the supernatural like what we’ve seen from Makoto Shinkai’s work in Your Name and Weathering With you. Of course, it’s not as visually stunning, but the story/stories can be just as engaging. Best binged on a cold weekend with coffee/tea/hot chocolate in hand. — Rodneil

Hi-Score

Hi-Score is a Netflix documentary that quirkily tells the origins of the video gaming industry. This is absolutely a MUST-WATCH for anyone that’s ever been into video games. The writing, pacing, and visuals are all on point and it’s a really fun way to learn about the history of video games. — Rodneil

As someone who literally has the word “retro” in all his active gamer tags, Hi-Score is a gold mine. It features some of the classic video games that ultimately served as the foundation for gaming as we know it today. The short docu-series also tackles the highs and lows of the industry, its major players, and the technologies they were rocking at the time. Combined with clever visuals and fluid storytelling, you get to immerse yourself in the history of the video gaming industry. — Gab

Memories of Alhambra

Can’t believe I’m late to the party on this show. A tech company CEO receives a tip from an augmented reality (AR) game creator but he was given little information to go on. The series (I’m only two episodes deep), follows the CEO tracking down the creator by playing through the game. Oh, and the female lead is Park Shin-Hye. ‘Nuff said. — Rodneil

It’s Okay Not To Be Okay (사이코지만 괜찮아)

A star-studded cast, A-class cinematography, life-like visual effects — these factors are already given why K-dramas get the hype. Getting deeper, I love this series mainly because the plot talks about mental health and trying to “deal with it” as a whole. It may not be the same for all, but most of us live in our fears and traumatic experiences. I love how they named each episode based on Ko Mun Yeong’s books. ‘The Cheerful Dog’ is definitely one of my favorites. — Vincenz

Haikyu!!

Sports anime always make people feel things. Haikyu!! isn’t an exception, a volleyball anime based on the manga of the same name. With its fourth season’s second cour of 12 episodes premiering this October, it’s a good time to binge-watch the anime. Savor the feeling of triumph, defeat, discomfort, challenge, perseverance, pressure, and hope! — MJ

Movies to see

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising

Like any other OVA, none of the events from this feature film will have any significant repercussions on the main storyline. However, it’s easily one of the best OVAs out there. Nearly every single member of Class-1A was given ample time to shine with Deku and Bakugo taking center stage in the final action sequence. This has literally all the quirks you love from My Hero Academia condensed in a satisfying movie. — Rodneil

The Social Dilemma

“If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.” The Social Dilemma digs deep into the machinations of social networking and how, as some of us have known, it’s designed to keep us glued to our devices. It’s an insightful and well-presented documentation of how social media can affect our psychological disposition and a case study against how the current system in general just isn’t good for humanity. — Rodneil

The Promise

Late to the party with The Promise but I just recently saw this on Netflix and it left a strong impression on me. Set in the twilight years of the Ottoman Empire, the story focuses on a fictional love triangle between an Armenian medical student, a dancer from Paris of Armenian heritage, and an American journalist with the very real events that lead to the death of millions of Armenians as an extremely vivid backdrop. An event in history that’s often glossed over but deserves to be discussed. Starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, and Charlotte Le Bon, you can expect great acting but do watch it for the history lesson too. — Carol

Bill & Ted Face the Music

A direct sequel to the cult duology of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Bill & Ted Face the Music brings the same quirky, lighthearted charm of the original with Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter. Pressured to write the song that will unite all of humanity, Bill and Ted attempt to steal the song from their future selves. What follows is the same hijinx we all know and love from the excellent duo. It’s the right amount of lightheartedness we all need in this dark corner of 2020. — Luigi

Nadie Sabe Que Estoy Aqúi (Nobody Knows I’m Here)

Follow the story of Memo, a singer turned recluse who met a girl that changes his life — for better or worse. This film is not your usual romance drama though. The whole story centers around Memo’s struggle between keeping his former identity hidden and expressing his desire to break free. It’s one of the better Spanish films on Netflix. The film brilliantly puts a twist in the old “follow your dreams” tale too. You may be taken aback by how the film ends, but rest assured that you’ll be hooked to Memo’s character once his talents truly shine. — Kenrick

Albums/Songs/Podcasts to listen to

The Album by BLACKPINK

Four long years after their official debut, the popular K-Pop group finally releases their first full-length album. The title track “Lovesick Girls” is a little different from the hard-hitting, beat-dropping tracks that catapulted them to global recognition. But it’s exactly the jolt the group and its dedicated fanbase — the BLINKS — needed after the long wait. — Rodneil

“Not Shy” by ITZY

This one’s a banger. ITZY has been taking the K-Pop world by storm ever since they debuted and their overall unique vibe just keeps growing. What I personally noticed is how some of their songs sound like they’re typically arranged for boy groups. The same is true with their choreography. Honorable mention to their B-side track “Surf” which has also been on my regular rotation recently. — Rodneil

“More & More (English Version)” by TWICE

TWICE’s global fanbase is growing exponentially and as a treat, the girls recorded an English Version of the song. Quite a feat considering none of them are native English speakers. The song sounds amazing, the translation isn’t awkward, and the girls’ performance on the pronunciation and vocals are top-notch. Yes, I’m whipped for TWICE. — Rodneil

“Solo” by Jay Park feat. Hoodie

Lately I’ve been spending nights mindlessly scrolling through TikTok and ran into this viral video of Jay Park. I looked up the song and was instantly hooked to its smooth vibe. It’s been on repeat over the past few days. — Rodneil

“HOLO” by Lee Hi

One of my anthems this quarantine. It’s a song that I usually play especially when I feel alone or just thinking about a particular person I’ve always been missing. This track reminds me that everything will be alright, and this “feeling” (if ever this is JUST one) will stop one day. Playing this together with her 2016 track ‘Breathe’ makes me cry even more. — Vincenz

“Where The Sea Sleeps” by Day6 (Even of Day)

Don’t let Day6’s Denimalz characters in the music video fool you. Unlike those cute visuals and storyline, the lyrics suggest otherwise. I’ll be honest, I bawled my eyes out more than enough while watching the music video all because of the translated lyrics. This has been one of my most repeated songs this 2020 — and I think you should, too. — Vincenz

“Bon Voyage” by YooA (of OH MY GIRL)

If you’re fond of animated Disney/Pixar films together with their OSTs (especially Moana), this one’s for you. YooA’s debut song truly feels magical, whimsical, and ethereal. All these adjectives combined aren’t even enough to say how perfect this song is. Her fairy-like visuals complement well with the MV’s nature-y setting. It even feels like I’m watching a Korean version of a Disney live-action film. — Vincenz

BONUS: Someone actually edited the song with Moana in it.

“We Ride” by Brave Girls

After two years of hiatus, Brave Girls is finally back with a single! Their comeback song is a completely new concept from their daring hits ‘Deepened’ and ‘Rollin’. ‘We Ride’ focuses on the “city pop” genre which is slowly gaining popularity among listeners. As the genre suggests, music video visuals give us a “Neon Tokyo” vibe while the track features ‘80’s synthpop. It may not be as loud and repetitive, but it’s honestly the perfect song for pure chill and night road trips (hoping this pandemic will end sooner tho for this to become a reality). — Vincenz

folklore

Taylor Swift’s recent album, “folklore”, surprised the world in different ways: a shift from lovey-dovey pop music to sentimental indie folk music, and the album being a secret project throughout Swift’s isolation during the lockdown. In essence, this new album harnesses the power of storytelling, music, and emotions — it even looks like the pinnacle of Swift’s journey as a talented artist and musician. This album is best enjoyed with a cup of coffee, especially on a rainy day. — MJ

Dynamite by BTS

Haven’t gone down the K-Pop rabbit hole (yet) but this song has the ability to stick to your head and just inject a big dose of positivity into your day. Which is – admittedly – something a lot of people need during these times. A true-blue pop song that doesn’t need to pretend to be anything else. — Carol

Books to read

Eat, Pray, Love

When I decided to read Elizabeth Gilbert’s 2006 memoir, it’s like the universe conspired to guide me in my own self-exploration — which happened to be the book’s central theme. It’s a story of enjoying the world as a human being, enriching your spiritual life, and finding harmony and balance to make the most out of your life. It’s a great read for anyone embarking on a journey of self-discovery and recovery of broken hearts and souls. — MJ

Entertainment

Now Playing: Hoppers

Spectacular fun ride with Daniel Chong at the helm

Published

March 22, 2026

Manila Connoisseur

Courtesy: Disney Pixar

There is a part of me that wants to say, if you want a feel-good, wholesome movie experience, go see Disney Pixar’s Hoppers.

But on the flip side, if you want an absurd, humorous, nonsensical-yet-totally-makes-sense dark comedy masked in an animated adventure, then you especially need to see it.

We can always argue that Pixar titles — and animated films in general — cater to adult audiences.

However, slotting in We Bare Bears creator Daniel Chong to helm this latest Disney Pixar masterpiece makes for a spectacularly unique ride.

It’s interestingly odd for a Pixar film, though not so far removed from the family-friendly, “happy ending” trope that feels unrecognizable.

I just personally loved Chong’s approach, driving the narrative with unpredictable humor, sharp twists, and a sci-fi premise that, come to think of it, isn’t actually theoretically impossible.

It’s so entertaining that you briefly forget you’re watching a Pixar movie. There are no dull moments and just a great ride from start to finish.

Nature vs. development

The premise is a familiar real-life dilemma we’ve seen for decades. In Hoppers, the suburban town of Beaverton where our protagonist Mabel lives, is under constant development.

Specifically, there’s the “Beltway Project”, an initiative by Mayor Jerry Generazzo, to connect residential areas to the town center via an elliptical highway.

As in reality, progress comes with collateral damage. In the film’s case, it’s the animals living in the local greenery.

Mabel isn’t going to let that happen. The movie quickly establishes her origin story in the first few minutes.

It shows how her relationship with her aging grandmother formed her special bond with “The Glade”. This lush forest was their favorite hangout as Mabel grew up. And that’s where she begun appreciating and caring for animals deeply.

Years have passed, and Mabel is now a fervent college student activist stopping at nothing to ensure the animals she grew up with can still live peacefully.

She has done a lot, from petitions to convincing people to support her cause. Without that many teammates by her side, she ultimately confronts the mayor herself. This is where she gets challenged to “make something happen” in 48 hours to convince the mayor to call the project off.

From ‘real’ to ‘sci-fi’

At this point, the movie dramatically switches from grounded reality to high-concept sci-fi. Mabel accidentally discovers her professor, Dr. Sam Fairfax, has developed an ambitious machine capable of transferring your consciousness into a robotic animal.

It was meant to observe animals harmlessly from a closer POV, and I guess you can give the professor the benefit of the doubt.

The entire scene reminded me of Jordan Peele’s Get Out briefly, but the tone shifts when Mabel ends up transported into a robot beaver body herself.

There’s an undeniable, hilarious callback to James Cameron’s Avatar here, from the disorienting “syncing” process to Mabel navigating the world in a body that isn’t hers. The only difference, obviously, is she isn’t a blue alien but rather a cute, child-visual-friendly beaver.

She finds new hope with this tech. But just as she thinks she can simply “communicate” with nature, she is slapped with the reality that in the wild, it’s survival of the fittest.

Logic takes a backseat

From then on, logic takes a backseat, yet it’s the kind of film where suspending your disbelief actually is helpful.

The “pond rules” were the only remaining glimmer of scientific accuracy but then, soon, you realize it would have been total chaos in the pond community just from a food chain standpoint.

Mabel gets introduced to King George and the inner workings of the community. There’s even a later chase when a flock of seagulls carry Diane, the gigantic shark referenced as the group’s “apex predator”, which is obviously impossible.

There’s just so many dumb rules (or lack of) that the internal logic made up for an even funnier film. It’s like Zootopia logic, but cranked up to an even more non-sensical level.

Dilemma

Anyway, Mabel discovers that the cause of the animals’ exodus are fake noise trees blasting high-pitched sounds. These are all the work of Mayor Jerry, doing it on purpose so the Beltway Project gets finished.

Mabel’s audacity leads to an Animal Council meeting, which was unlikely to begin with. Here, the leaders who each represent major animal classes come together.

The Insect Queen and her eventual Insect King son Titus get presented as the real antagonists, with a thirst for domination.

Mabel merely suggested scaring the Mayor back, but the animals decide on a dark uprising. With this, Mabel soon realizes the mayor is in danger.

The conflict is triggered further by her own human instinct when she kills the Insect Queen who annoyingly got into her face. This moment sends Titus into a vengeful rage even more.

This deepens Mabel’s dilemma as she now ironically has to side with the humans — including Mayor Jerry — while navigating the animals’ survivalist and territorial tendencies.

Standstill, unlikely team-up

However, after a long chase, and attempts to communicate with the mayor funnily with her impromptu-formed rag-tag squad, Mabel’s robot beaver eventually gets caught.

The Animal Council eventually discovers the humans’ experimental tech and turns it against them. Under the tutelage of Titus, the animals hold the scientists hostage and forces them to create a robotic clone of Jerry.

Titus’ goal was to use the mayor’s own noise trees meant to scare the animals away from The Glade against the humans gathered for a rally.

Just when all seems lost, the real Mayor Jerry shows a sudden flash of compassion. And perhaps with some Messianic complex involved, he hero-balls his way into a robotic beaver himself for a last-ditch effort to stop Titus.

A lot happened in between, presented with a hefty dose of comedy that keeps you guessing the characters’ fates.

Ultimately, the other animals realize Titus’ purely selfish and evil goals, and his plan backfires when he gets eaten by the Amphibian King.

In the end, the animals team up to destroy their community dam to flood a wildfire inadvertently started by Titus moments earlier.

Then, it’s a classic happy ending: The Glade is restored as a protected area, Mabel and Mayor Jerry reconcile, and the protagonist graduates with a job offer from Dr. Sam herself.

Absurdity ’til the end

The absurdity does not even end when the credits roll. In the post-credits scene, we see the elderly man Mabel previously encountered, who mistook her petition form for a grocery list.

After she takes care of her business at The Glade, Mabel sweetly fulfills the elderly man’s simple errand.

And handing the eggs, milk, and bread back to the man? Ants.

It’s as if it was a delightful Ant-Man nod, especially with the parallels between the logic there and in the MCU wherein a neurotransmitter is needed to lead ants in performing such tasks.

Perhaps, a final wink from Daniel Chong, whose direction makes up for a spectacularly good laugh.

Entertainment

Dune: Part Three teaser trailer: First look at Robert Pattinson’s Scytale

In cinemas this December

Published

March 20, 2026

GadgetMatch

Courtesy: Warner Bros. Studios

The countdown is officially on as Warner Bros. Pictures has released the teaser trailer for Dune: Part Three.

The epic conclusion to Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune” trilogy opens in cinemas and IMAX this December.

In addition, character posters have also been released. Here are some, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures:

The highly anticipated film stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem, Rebecca Ferguson, Florence Pugh, Robert Pattinson, Anya Taylor-Joy and Isaach De Bankolé.

The trailer, meanwhile, gives an excellent first look at Pattinson as the main antagonist of the final installment, Scytale.

In the final movie, the plot jumps ahead 17 years after Chalamet’s Paul Atreides ascended to the throne.

There will be a dramatic change in the tone from the first two films, focusing more on psychological thriller instead of a war epic, given the visuals of the previous two installments.

Atreides is now a battle-hardened Emperor, struggling with the “Holy War” that has claimed 61 million lives.

Worse, Scytale will lead a conspiracy from within that attempts to overthrow the protagonist’s empire.

Pattinson’s character will mess with Atreides’ head instead of pure brawns, in a bid to wear him down. This presents the central conflict of the upcoming film.

Entertainment

WATCH: The Super Mario Galaxy Movie final trailer

In cinemas this April

Published

March 19, 2026

GadgetMatch

Courtesy: Universal Studios

Universal Pictures has released the final trailer for The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, which hits cinemas early next month.

Chris Pratt and Charlie Day return to play the iconic brothers Mario and Luigi, with the group getting bigger and more lovable with the addition of Donald Glover’s Yoshi.

Other actors returning to voice beloved characters from the franchise are:

Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach
Jack Black as Bowser
Keegan-Michael Key as Toad
Brie Larson as Rosalina

Worth noting, the Captain Marvel and The Marvels lead actress, Larson, fulfills her dream as a Super Mario fan as her character makes her big-screen debut.