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New Zealand, the land of sheep and Lord of the Rings

Text and photos by Zsarlene B. Chua

AFTER A HALF DAY-LONG plane ride I found myself in the southern hemisphere, battling the chilly winds that somehow signal the end of winter and the entrance of spring.

‘The challenge is to go beyond the wow’ — DoT

By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman

THE DEPARTMENT of Tourism (DoT) is targeting 12 million tourists arrivals per year by 2022. To achieve this, the department plans on providing package tours that are more cohesive and a campaign slogan that speaks both to millennials and to older markets.

Lactezin wins unadulterated approval

Ads & Ends
Nanette Franco-Diyco

WE HAVE BEEN bombarded this year with many TV and digital ads that promise a cure for the eternal problem of acne/pimples. The target market now has been expanded from women to men, with ages ranging from the young to adults.

Winners of the 35th National Book Awards announced

The National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle have announced the winners of the 35th National Book Awards. The following is the list of the best books published in 2015:

What to see this week

3 films to see on the week of November 18-25, 2016

What to see this week

The Unmarried Wife

A Star Cinema romance directed by Maryo J. De los Reyes sees Angelica Panganiban starring as a woman torn between her husband who has a wandering eye, and a dedicated lover. The film also stars Dingdong Dantes and Paulo Avelino.

MTRCB Rating: R-13

What to see this week

The Perfect Weapon

Set in the near future, an assassin goes on the run from a secret government organization after he fails his mission. Directed by Titus Paar, it stars Steven Seagal, Richard Tyson, and Sasha Jackson. “Fitfully terrible, mostly boring and always not making sense, The Perfect Weapon is the pinnacle of bad Steven Seagal movies, mixing a hackneyed Big Brother future, silly killer with a conscience storyline, and out of left field Seagal philosophy and plot twists,” goes the review in MonsterHunter.

MTRCB Rating: R-16

What to see this week

The Girl with All the Gifts

The film is set in the near future where most of humanity has been reduced to zombies by a fungus to which a small group of children seem immune. Studied by scientists in a remote English army base, one little girl stands out from the rest of the children. When the base falls, she and three adults escape as the future of the human race hangs on the balance. Directed by Colm McCarthy, it stars Gemma Arterton, Glenn Close, and Paddy Considine. Jay Weissberg ofVariety writes: “Few outside teen audiences will think Mike Carey’s adaptation of his own novel is anything more than another tired attempt to board the zombie bandwagon.”

MTRCB Rating: R-16

Home Entertainment: X-Men, Charlie Brown, Murdoch and more

By Angela Dawson, Front Row Features

ARRIVING on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD and DVD is the hit superhero action movie X-Men: Apocalypse. Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy lead a powerhouse cast in director Bryan Singer’s sequel to X-Men: Days of Future Past. After thousands of years, Apocalypse — the first and most powerful mutant — has awakened to find a world led by humans. Intent on cleansing the Earth of mankind, he recruits a group of mutants to create a new world order. In a desperate race to save humanity, Professor X (McAvoy) leads the young X-Men in an epic showdown — against an unstoppable enemy — that will determine the fate of the world.

Your Weekend Guide (November 18, 2016)

PERFORMANCES

MusicArtes, Inc.’s The Medium will have its last show on Nov. 18 at 8:30 p.m. at the Mirror Theater Studio, 5th Flr. SJG Centre, 8463 Kalayaan Ave. cor. Don Pedro St., Poblacion, Makati City. For tickets, visit ticketworld.com.ph or call 891-9999.

PETA presents The Tempest Reimagined, a story that injects supertyphoon Yolanda’s real-life drama into Shakespeare’s play. There are performances on Wednesdays to Sundays until Dec. 4, at 10 a.m., 3 p.m., and 8 p.m., at the PETA Theater Center, No. 5 Eymard Drive, New Manila, Quezon City. For tickets and reservations, visit ticketworld.com.ph or call 891-9999.

Tatlong Linggong Pag-Ibig, a festival of plays about love by Dalanghita Productions, runs until Nov. 27 at the Power Mac Center Spotlight-Level 2, Circuit Lane, Circuit Makati, A.P. Reyes Ave., Makati City. For tickets, visit ticketworld.com.ph or call 891-9999.

The musical Annie has weekend performances until Dec. 4 at the Newport Performing Arts Theater, Resorts World Manila, Pasay City. This is the story of the Depression Era’s Little Orphan Annie who rescues and is rescued by millionaire Daddy Warbucks. For tickets, visit ticketworld.com.ph or call 891-9999.

Repertory Philippines closes its 2016 season with the musical A Little Princess, which opens on Nov. 18, 6:30 p.m., with performances until Dec. 18 at the OnStage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Makati City. For details, call Rep at 843-3570 or visit www.repertoryphilippines.ph/.

Repertory Philippines presents Hansel and Gretel until Dec. 15 at the OnStage Theater, Greenbelt 1, Makati City. For details, call 843-3570 or TicketWorld at 891-9999, or visit www.repertoryphilippines.ph.

EVENTS

Part 3 of the Libro @ Latagan sa Cubao X, a community mega-garage sale and mini-bazaar, will be held on Nov. 19, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. at entrance of Cubao X in Quezon City. There will be sellers with wares ranging from books and toys to clothes and footwear, and the majority of the items will be secondhand. Organizers advised to bring umbrellas because it will be a rain-or-shine event.

EnCOUNTERS: A Forum on Countermapping Practices in the Philippines will be held on Nov. 19, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. Pre-registration is required as slots are limited. To register, e-mail lmmpasig@gmail.com or call 631-2417. Follow the link to access the online registration form: http://bit.ly/LMLEnCOUNTERS.

Komikon 2016 will be held on Nov. 19 and 20, at the Bayanihan Center, Unilab Compound, Pasig City. Registration is ongoing for comic creators/exhibitors/sponsors, and Indie Komiks tiangge, media. For more information, visit Komikon 2016 on Facebook.

Buy books for as low as P5 at the The Anvil Publishing Grand Christmas Sale, ongoing until Dec. 10, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., at No. 25 Brixton St., Brgy. Kapitolyo, Pasig City.

Artbooks.ph is having its anniversary sale until Nov. 30 at its store at Pioneer Studios, 123 Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City. One may also check their online selection at www.artbooks.ph.

FILM

For its 12th year, Cinema One Originals is serving up a variety of movies for every taste and sensibility. There will be 10 films in Competition (seven narrative films and three documentary features), 20 World Cinema Winners, nine short films, and four restored classics. The annual fest will run from Nov. 14 to 22 with screenings at TriNoma, Glorietta, Gateway, Greenhills Theater, and Cinematheque in Manila. For the screening schedule, visit www.facebook.com/CinemaOneOriginals.

EXHIBITS

Lobby Lounge Luxe presents Germanophile by Randalf Dilla, on view until Nov. 27 at the Mezzanine Level of Makati Shangri-La.

ArtInformal opens four exhibitions on Nov. 17: Invisible Gardens by Yasmin Sison, Lost Highway by Mariano Ching, Untitled by Christina Quisumbing Ramilo, and a group show Interstitium by Titat Naval Ledesma, Carlos Sevilla, and Iori Espiritu.

Ateneo Art Gallery presents #LUZ@90, curated by Ambeth R. Ocampo, which runs until April 8. Featuring recent and early works, the exhibition celebrates the 90th birth anniversary of Arturo R. Luz, National Artist for Visual Arts.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines celebrates the birth month of National Artist Carlos “Botong” Francisco via the exhibit Homebound: A Survey of Recent Developments in Angono Contemporary Art which is on view until Feb. 12.

(T)HERE, a solo exhibition by Pope Bacay is up at the Tin-aw Art Gallery until Nov. 26.

The Metropolitan Museum of Manila presents three exhibits, collectively called FORTY, in celebration of its 40th anniversary. The MET Collection and New Acquisitions and The MET Archives are on view until Jan. 8, while The MET and the BSP Print Collections runs until Jan. 13.

Neyagawa by Renz Baluyot runs until Dec. 1 at the Underground Gallery, Makati Square, Don Chino Roces Ave., Makati City.

Pineapple Lab’s new XYZeries is a new collaborative work by Issa Manalo Lopez (Manila) and Siobhan V O’Loughlin (New York) entitled Colonize(d): a duet on Identity and Intersectionality.

Artery Art Space presents a two-person show titled Limbo Construct featuring the works of Bjorn Calleja and Potti Lesaguis.

Net satisfaction with national administration

THE NATIONAL ADMINISTRATION under President Rodrigo R. Duterte bagged a “very good” net satisfaction rating from the public in his first three months in office, according to a Social Weather Stations survey that bared top marks in the areas of “campaigning against illegal drugs” and “promoting human rights.” Read the full story.

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Outlook on select Asian currency exchange rates vs US$

POLITICAL UNCERTAINTY could keep prospective foreign investments to the Philippines on the fence and prolong the peso’s weakness, banking giant HSBC said in a report, with the currency seen ending the year at the P49 level against the dollar. Read the full story.

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Philippine agriculture performance

PROSPECTS for third-quarter economic growth — scheduled to be reported tomorrow — yesterday got a shot in the arm as the government reported a surprise expansion of agricultural production in those three months, fueled particularly by three out of four farm subsectors. Read  the full story.

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Overseas Filipinos’ cash remittances

MONEY SENT HOME by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) continued growth in September to post the highest level for the year, so far, though at a slower pace than in August, the central bank reported yesterday. Read the full story.

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Moody’s sovereign credit-worthiness outlook for 2017

A SHIFT to anti-immigrant policies in the United States could pose risks to the Philippines’ credit rating, as it could disrupt remittance flows that have been supporting strong domestic consumption, Moody’s Investors Service said in a report. Read the full story.

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