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| The last book I read this year, 'You Better Not Cry." |
- And The Mountains Echoed - Khaled Hosseini's third novel about long-lost siblings and their undying love and concern for each other.
- The Sherlockian - First novel of Graham Moore, Academy Award-winning screenwriter of 'The Imitation Game' featuring Benedict Cumberbatch, who also plays Mr. Holmes in the popular BBC One series 'Sherlock'.
- Norwegian Wood - A coming-of-age novel by Japanese literary luminary Haruki Murakami.
- The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency - An african novel by Alexander McCall Smith. It bored me to death; I guess the timing was not proper.
- How Starbucks Saved My Life - Memoir that shares how Michael Gates Gill, a former Advertising executive lost his job and everything else, and how his humble employment in one of the world's greatest brands redeemed him.
- Fast Food Fiction Delivery - an anthology of short short stories by various Filipino writers. Edited by Noelle de Jesus and Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta.
- Dekada '70 - A period novel by Filipino literary luminary Lualhati Bautista. It was later on adapted into an award-winning film.
- The Best of Young Blood 5 - Anthology of the best essays from Philippine Daily Inquirer's Young Blood column from 2012-2013. Edited by Inquirer writers including Pam Pastor.
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Short story by Richard Bach made more visually appealing with photos of seagulls in flight. Some calls the story a 'homily about self perfection.'
- The Beach - A novel by Alex Garland which caused the tourist ("backpackers") boom in Khao San Road in Bangkok, Thailand. It was poorly adapted into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Contrary to the location cited in the book, some say that the actual inspiration for the novel is a hidden paradise in Palawan, Philippines. It also helps to note that the author spent a couple of years living in the Philippines, not in Thailand. In fact, his second novel, 'The Tesseract,' tells the stories of 'Manila gangsters, mothers and children' inspired by his local encounters.
- The Little Prince - The classic novel written by Antoine Saint de Exupery about growing up and remembering the inner child within us.
- Manananggal Terrorizes Manila and Other Stories - Short story collection by renowned Filipino writer and columnist Jessica Zafra.
- Puppy Love and Thirteen Short Stories - Short story collection by National Artist for Literature F. Sionil Jose.
- Amy, Amy, Amy - The unauthorized biography of the rise and fall of British music icon Amy Winehouse who died at a tender age of 27. Written by Nick Johnstone.
- You Better Not Cry - An anthology of holiday-themed essays of my favorite memoirist and one of the funniest writers in the US, Augusten Burroughs.
SCREENPLAYS
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| Movie poster of Before Midnight |
- Before Midnight - The Academy Award-nominated screenplay by Richard Linklater, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy (also the director and lead actors of the film). The third installment of the 'Before' franchise that follows the life of Jesse and Celine as a married couple with twins, and the marital issues that they face as they grow together longer.
- Enough Said - A rom-com by Nicole Holofcener starring funny actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus and James Gandolfini.
- Jesse and Celeste Forever - Another rom-com written by Rashida Jones (who starred in the movie alongside funny man Andy Samberg) and Will McCormack (who also had a supporting role in it).
MOVIES
Local
- English Only, Please - rom-com
- The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin - comedy
- That Thing Called Tadhana (3x) - rom-com
- Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa - drama, romance
- Barber's Tales - drama
- Ang Huling Cha-Cha ni Anita - drama/comedy, romance
- ABNKKBSNPLAko? - romance, comedy
- Heneral Luna - drama, biopic, action
- Turkey Man ay Pabo Rin - comedy, rom-com
- DAGITAB - drama
- Honor Thy Father - drama
Foreign
- The Dark Knight - action
- The Interview - comedy
- Birdman - comedy/drama
- Into the Woods - musical
- Big Eyes - drama
- Whiplash - drama
- Gone Girl - drama, suspense
- Drinking Buddies - rom-com
- God's Not Dead - drama
- Theory of Everything - drama, biopic
- 50 Shades of Grey - romance
- Monument's Men - action, comedy, biopic
- American Sniper - biopic, drama
- Comet - romance
- The Imitation Game - drama, biopic
- RENT The Movie - musical
- Are We Officially Dating? (aka That Awkward Moment) (Watched inside my hostel room in Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - rom-com
- Mad Max: Road Fury (Watched during a bus ride from Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam to Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - action
- Avengers: Age of Ultron - action
- The Normal Heart - drama
- Welcome to Me - drama/comedy
- American Beauty - drama
- Pitch Perfect 2 - musical
- The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - drama/comedy
- The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - drama/comedy
- Celeste and Jesse Forever - romance
- This is Where I Leave You - drama
- Trainwreck - comedy
- Mr. Holmes - drama
- Inside Out - animation, drama/comedy
- Hateship, Loveship - romance
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 - action, dystopian
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 - action, dystopian
- Misery - suspense, thriller
- Capote - drama, biopic
- The Little Prince - animation, drama
THEATER
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| The minimalist stage of Prinsipe Munti. |
- Defending the Caveman - Broadway's longest-running one man comedy show brought to the Philippines by Repertory Philippines feat. Joel Trinidad.
- Arbol de Fuego - PETA's version of Anton Chekhov's “The Cherry Orchard” starring Cherrie Gil (in her stage comeback). Adapted by Rody Vera and directed by Loy Arcenas.
- Kung Paano Ako Naging Leading Lady - Musical adaptation of Carlo Vergara's comic book which was first produced as a one-act play in Virgin Labfest 9 and 10.
- RENT Live on Broadway - The 2008 revival of the hit Broadway musical by Jonathan Larson.
- Virgin Labfest 11 - The theater festival for one-act plays that is gaining more solid following annually. I completed Sets A, B, D and E (Revisited), and also watched the stage reading of Carlo Vergara's "Mula sa Kulimliman." My play, "The Wedding Planners" was also fortunate to have been included in the same category.
- The Normal Heart - Adaptation by Actors Actor Inc. and directed and starred by Bart Guingona. It is written by Larry Kramer and tells the story of a gay activist's (Ned Weeks) attempts to raise HIV/AIDS awareness in the USA during the early 1980s.
- Mabining Mandirigma - Nicanor Tiongson's original Filipino musical that pays tribute to the life of Apolinario Mabini, a local hero. Brought to the stage by Tanghalang Pilipino.
- 33 Variations - Red Turnip’s third season opener and also their first show to incorporate live music. It 'tells the story of mothers and daughters and the legacies we long to leave behind' (from PDI).
- Noli & Fili: Dekada Dos Mil - The PETA revival of Nicanor Tiongson's original Filipino drama that showcases present-day scenarios that echo the themes of Jose Rizal's two classic novels.
- Mga Buhay na Apoy - Kanakan Balintagos' (formerly Aureus Solito) narrative on discovery of his true identity and cultural background. It is a one-act play that he developed into a full-length play produced by Tanghalang Pilipino. It also won the 2015 Palanca award for Dulang May Ganap na Haba.
- Prinsipe Munti - shadow play and puppetry meet live acting on this adaptation of the beloved children's tale, "The Little Prince" by Tanghalang Pilipino. Adapted by Layeta Bucoy and directed by Tuxqs Rutaqio.
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