Totally captures the mood of the season. A thousand times better than that Star Wars Xmas special. Speaking of Star Wars: Are we excited about the impending opening of The Force Awakens? No, we refuse to buy into the hype. Until we are certain that it is not The Phantom Menace all over again, we will not see it. Fool us once, shame on you. Fool us twice, shame on us. Fool us thrice, you’re dead to us. Fool us four times, we should die of shame.
"The Man Who Dreams Only of Surfing" starring Chris Hemsworth from Bruce Weber on Vimeo.
Thanks to Juan for the alert. After this last weekend, we have decided to hole up in the house until the holiday madness passes. This will make us stir-crazy, so everyday we will walk to the mall and back. Walking is good for thinking, and we do need to eat and do chores. But we will not waste another hour sitting in traffic, unless we’re in a car with our favorite interesting people. And beverages.
No Bruce, ignore the primate, look here.
Get out of the shot, human, this is my close-up.
Let me go! Let me go!
Finally he’s gone. Lunch break!
Today’s reason for leaving the house: to watch In the Heart of the Sea. It’s supposed to be about the actual event that inspired Moby Dick, so we expect sober Melville.
Update: Skip the movie and watch Monty Python’s lifeboat sketch instead. The screenplay is dull, the direction is unimaginative, and while Chris Hemsworth can do larger-than-life, we suspect he can’t do life-size.
Moira Lang and Juana Change
When we recorded this podcast last Thursday, A Second Chance starring Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz was already the top-grossing Filipino movie of 2015. Is it everything it’s cranked up to be? How does it stack up against the much-loved first movie, One More Chance?
The cast of this podcast:
Mae Paner a.k.a. Juana Change, activist and author of the bestselling Kwentaxi, her conversations with taxi drivers ranging from the heartwarming to the bizarre. Her latest Juana Change video Laglagan Na was directed by Brilliant Mendoza and has gotten more than 3 million views on Facebook. The next Juana Change video will be directed by Lav Diaz. No word on the running time.
Moira Lang a.k.a. Raymond Lee, screenwriter of Anak, Tanging Yaman, Milan, Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, Zombadings and producer of Maxi, Zombadings and Norte, Hangganan Ng Kasaysayan. Moira is currently writing a screenplay she is not at liberty to discuss, after which she will start working on Zombadings 2: Game of Trans. Investors, line up here.
Jessica Zafra a.k.a. Jessicarulestheuniverse, accidental honorary executive producer of Norte, who has seen the movies that got nominated for the Best Foreign Film Oscar the year Norte had a shot and still thinks Norte should’ve been in the shortlist. Ida, the eventual winner—blah. Wild Tales—hysterically funny, but not the best. Leviathan—a Russian movie that feels Filipino, and should be shown in a double-bill with Norte, a Filipino film that feels Russian. (Afterwards, a suicide watch.)
Recorded at Cibo with a very good microphone.
Movie rating: Three thumbs down, and three double-espressos to stay awake.
Listen to the podcast.
Before you read our column this week, listen to our introduction.
“Pain and damage don’t end the world. Or despair, or fucking beatings. The world ends when you’re dead. Until then you’ve got more punishment in store. Stand it like a man and give some back.” — Al Swearengen
The temptation is to go on reciting lines from Deadwood until we run out of space. If you saw the sanitized version that aired locally on HBO I pity you — but I also envy you the excellent excuse to watch the series again. When HBO canceled Deadwood after three seasons, it deprived loyal viewers of closure, but it also ensured that the series would gain legendary status: a series of such genius, it could not be allowed to continue.
Read our TV column The Binge at BusinessWorld.
These stairs give new meaning to “suffering for beauty.” Read The World’s Most Beautiful (and Terrifying) Stairs. Thanks to Noel for the alert.
Listed liquor company Emperador Inc. owned by tycoon Andrew L. Tan has acquired Fundador Pedro Domecq, Spain’s largest and oldest brandy, in an “all-cash” deal worth 275 million euros, or P13.8 billion, the Inquirer learned Monday.
The purchase solidifies Emperador’s position as the world’s largest brandy company and makes the Tan-led firm one of the largest foreign investors in Jerez, the brandy capital of Spain. Under the deal closed on Saturday in Madrid, Grupo Emperador Spain S.A., a company owned by Emperador Inc., will acquire the brandy and sherry business of Beam Suntory in Jerez.
Aside from Fundador Pedro Domecq, the acquisition includes Terry Centenario, Spain’s top-selling brandy; Tres Cepas, Equatorial Guinea’s leading brandy; and Harvey’s, the United Kingdom’s top sherry wine. These brands carry a unique heritage and market leadership position in their respective categories, Emperador said in a statement furnished the Inquirer.
Fundador, or “founder” in Spanish, was the first brand to be marketed by Pedro Domecq Loustau in 1874. Made from Airen and Palomino grapes, Fundador was the first brand marketed as a Brandy de Jerez and is aged in a sherry-soaked Solera.
Read the full report. Thanks to Antiquary Anne for the alert.
To refresh your memory: Let’s Buy Spain.
Iñaki, ang tsinelas ko!
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