Author: JE CC

STATION: KAPAMILYA CHANNEL ACTORS: Kim Chiu, Xian Lim, Yam Concepcion, Christopher de Leon,Eula Valdez, Sunshine Cruz, Zsa Zsa Padilla, Ruffa Gutierrez, Karl Gabriel FORMAT: Teleserye/Soap Opera TIMESLOT: 2:30PM Weekdays WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT Love Thy Woman’s ensemble cast engage in oversized dramatic confrontations, as they play interesting characters in a familiar but well-written plot about family and betrayal. Things are getting more intense in the ABS-CBN afternoon series, ‘Love Thy Woman’. The show which premiered at a time when the covid-19 pandemic was just starting to gain a foothold in the country, keeps enthralling audiences who followed the show…

STATION: KAPAMILYA CHANNEL HOSTS: Vice Ganda, Amy Perez, Vhong Navarro, Jhong Hilario FORMAT: Talent Search JUDGES: Various singers sit on the 5-member panel every episode PREMISE: Singers from all over the country try not to be “gonged” for them to advance in the competition TIMESLOT: Within It’s Showtime, 12-2:30 pm, Mondays-Saturdays WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT Tawag ng Tanghalan keeps its doors open for outstanding amateur singing talents and remains the premiere talent search in the country. Showrunners are forced to modify the popular format to accommodate aspirants since production is affected by the ongoing health and economic crisis. The…

STATION: TV5 HOST: Ryan Agoncillo FORMAT: Talent show PREMISE: Contestants try to impress the judges (talent scouts) to earn their thumbs-ups. TIMESLOT: 8PM every Saturday WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT The restrictions caused by the government-imposed quarantine measures to combat the ongoing pandemic prompted BANGON TALENTADONG PINOY’s show runners to make format adjustments for them to accommodate contestants who can not perform live at the studio. The impressive creativity of the players in trying to earn thumbs up from the talent scouts should earn the nods both of the judges and home viewers. The importance of the return of Talentadong…

The increasing demand for Pinoy BL dramas prompted producers to create more entries to the genre, but is the now overwhelming supply too much for its limited demand? It is really not that difficult to guess why in spite of restrictions imposed by the ongoing pandemic to content makers, Pinoy BLs or Boy Love Dramas are practically the only fresh contents we see these days. Filipino viewers are craving not just something to kill their time but for something more interesting and different than the usual. Increasing demand has been steadily applying pressure to producers to create more entries to…

STATION: TV5 HOSTS: Jose Manalo, Pokwang PREMISE: Players try to make as much savings as they can in three rounds to be able to play the jackpot round TIME SLOT: 7:30 pm, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT TV5 is poised to meet the increasing demand for new content as local audiences crave for something different from what they usually see on television these days—reruns of previously aired-shows and Tagalized movie blocks, for example. Comedians Pokwang and Jose Manalo’s wit and quirkiness create a beautiful rapport, allowing their brand of humor to make the game more vibrant and…

STATION: TV5 HOSTS: Paolo Ballesteros, Wally Bayola FORMAT: GAME SHOW PREMISE: Contestants try to make their way through the game’s three stages while trying to follow different restrictions set in every round. TIME SLOT: 7:30 PM Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT ‘BAWAL NA GAME SHOW’ is an interesting and fun show filled with exciting games, humor, and prizes. Hosts Paolo Ballesteros and Wally Bayola  keep their popular brand of comedy where they cross-dress to make the energy of the show even livelier. BAWAL NA GAME SHOW is only one of the many new shows of TV5 that premiered this week. Its arrival comes…

STATION: TV5 HOSTS: Pokwang, Pauleen Luna, Ria Atayde IN A NUTSHELL: A daily morning show that talks about heartwarming stories of people from all walks of life. The show also aspires to address needs and issues that involve women. TIME SLOT: 10:00 AM, weekdays TV5 steps up to the challenge of becoming the new direct competitor of broadcast giant, GMA Network, as its previous main rival, ABS-CBN shifts to digital space and cable. This has prompted the network to launch new shows amid this pandemic, to meet the rising demand for new local content. ‘Chika, Besh’ takes the usual time slot of past morning talk shows that previously lorded morning television, like…

KAPAMILYA CHANNEL  ACTORS: Jodi Sta. Maria, Iza Calzado, Maricel Soriano, Sam Milby, Lito Pimentel IN A NUTSHELL: ‘ANG SA IYO AY AKIN’ is about friendship torn apart by one’s mistake with the consequences suffered by another. A story of a rise from fall, revenge, and what comes in its wake. TIMESLOT: 8:40PM, Weeknights, after FPJ’s ANG PROBINSYANO WHY YOU SHOULD SEE IT A new show with stellar performances from the leads that jive with the show’s explosive drama and satisfying pace, provide the much needed shake-up to a television landscape currently dominated by reruns. Given that the current covid crisis has practically immobilized the…

The story of Deena (Angelica Panganiban) and Mariel (Bea Alonzo) is one that is familiar. Cinema has already shared countless tales of friendship tested by horrible experiences, terrible decisions, and seemingly unforgivable betrayals. Unbreakable poses no ambition to adopt a new anthem as it actually embraces them to remind the audience of the beautiful moments we often forget when our friendships get confronted with devastating storms. In the new Star Cinema film, Deena and Mariel are the total opposites of each other; the latter as the achiever, the quiet and modest girl with big aspirations, who works hard to make…

There is a persistent strain which tightly keeps the fragments of the new Cathy Garcia-Molina film together. Pain as displayed in numerous movies like Hello, Love, Goodbye is a powerful story motivator, and in this case, that strain comes chiefly from the endeavors of the lead characters, and the wonders created from the hefty load of devastating truths embedded within their haunting narratives. And while romance and light moments still share a sizable chunk of its entirety, the most affecting and most compelling parts are the ones where the plight and heartaches of the characters are given much attention. In…

Netflix’s new series, The Society, talks about power in the vein of several recent dystopian young-adult dramas–CW’s The 100, and FOX’s Wayward Pines, for example. Both these dramas navigated around such themes by utilizing teenagers at the maneuver, exploring the political landscape with both their fragile and irascible curiosity; a manner through which The Society is similarly woven. To a Lord of the Flies addict, this effort is compelling enough to create engagement, but there are flaws that persistently mar the integrity of this Christopher Keyser-written series. In the series, approximately 200 teenagers are stuck in a place they suspect…

A new primetime drama about twins, star-crossed lovers, and supernatural creatures, arrives to GMA Network’s Telebabad with a tall order: to overcome the rival show which already toppled eleven previous Kapuso shows. As the 12th Kapuso program to get pitted against ABS-CBN’s ‘FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,’ it almost seems an absurd move to go head-to-head with the Coco Martin-starrer, which has been the no.1 primetime drama for more than three years now. Prior to its pilot episode’s airing, the show has already been stirring interest and excitement among viewers, and has been making buzz ever since, through funny memes were made…

Antoinette Jadaone’s new film, ‘Alone/Together’, is liberal; its haunting illustration of a highly vulnerable love affair, tried under the curbs of time and personal differences. There is a consummate lens through which the film’s themes are dissected. The idea of people striving to make their romance work amid their individual pursuit of their respective dreams and wants, is treated with a grounded sensibility that gives Alone/Together, a distinctive character, cognizant of its need to be more than the conventions from its mainstream contemporaries that tend to fully embrace. I have to say the film still conforms with the traditional Star Cinema…

Awkward first encounters, cutesy conversation bubbles, corny pick-up lines delivered endearingly, and random discussions about multiple universes over coffee dates – that’s essentially what makes up FindHer sound like a weird mix for a romantic comedy, don’t you think. But it works wonders for Smart Telecommunications first-ever venture into the world of web series. FindHer talks about people trying to find each other across parallel universes. The central plot is already interesting as it is, but there is obviously more in this 7-part web series that can potentially excite audiences. In the series, Aika (Dionne Monsanto) and Lia (Bie Ruaro)…

“Kilala mo na kung sino ka?” The question brings Rhian (Angel Locsin) to tears, and her shivering body find its way around Nang Isabel’s embrace (Maricel Soriano). Such heartbreaking moment conjures a devastating epiphany for Rhian: that her life is a curse, one she wouldn’t dare to come back to from oblivion. READ: “The General’s Daughter” TV Review: Diverting, Compelling, and Politically Significant By the third episode, almost every major character in ABS-CBN’s new primetime drama, “The General’s Daughter,’ is introduced. But nothing is ever more important than the unmasking of Rhian’s true identity. Piece by piece, every revelation is a…

It’s hard to pinpoint where exactly Miko Livelo’s Tol went amiss. It offers quite a sizeable amount of laugh trips, but the storytelling never came out as a razor sharp narrative as it should be – for it to be at its most effective form. One, however, may immediately realize that the film wasn’t entirely intended to demonstrate wittiness, but that the amount of good humor it managed to deliver is hefty enough to inspire relentless chuckles. In ‘Tol, Livelo has three incredible actors to realize these tricks. Dimitri (Joross Gamboa), Lando (Arjo Atayde), and Arthur (Ketchup Eusebio) are childhood friends…