Cinemalaya review: Gen Z angst simmers in suspenseful 'Blue Room' | ABS-CBN

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Cinemalaya review: Gen Z angst simmers in suspenseful 'Blue Room'

Cinemalaya review: Gen Z angst simmers in suspenseful 'Blue Room'

Fred Hawson

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 A scene from
A scene from 'Blue Room'

Troy Rodriguez (Elijah Canlas) is the front man of an up-and-coming indie rock band called Rebel Rebel. His band mates include smart sensible Rocky Montinola (Nourijune) on bass guitar, working student Christian Lagdameo (Leoni Jin) on lead guitar and bitter 18-year old Chigz Montero (Harvey Bautista) on drums.

One fateful night, they were joined by one former band member Anton Lorenzana (juan karlos), who just came back home from a long vacation. Things were not particularly going well for them that night, but things were about to take even darker turn when their drive home was interrupted by policemen manning a checkpoint.

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The lead ensemble was a young and impressive ensemble of raw natural talent. Elijah Canlas is already an acclaimed actor. Juan Karlos Labajo, now stylized as juan karlos, is more known as the singer of hit song "Buwan." Harvey Bautista was a child actor, now transitioning into mature roles. Making their screen debuts are Nourijune (a.k.a. UP theater actress Nour Hooshmand) and Keoni Jin (member of alt-rock band the Revisors).

Playing the policemen who made that night a veritable nightmare for the young people were: Bombi Plata (as the hot-headed PO2 Santiago), Jericho Arceo (as the rogue PO1 Toledo) and the ubiquitous Soliman Cruz (as the perversely dirty station chief SPO3 Delgado). These three actors were so good at being bad cops, they inspire fear, indignation and anger. At the same time, they also provide some moments of uneasy black humor.

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In a remarkably auspicious directorial debut, Ma-an Asuncion-Dagñalan developed her story with an escalating sense of unsettling suspense and simmering Gen Z angst. The climax was met with loud spontaneous applause in the screening I caught.

The screenplay, co-written by Dagñalan with Siege Ledesma, was well-plotted, tautly streamlined, with pointed, pertinent social commentary. She made us feel the liberating spirit of the indie music scene, as well as stuffy claustrophobia of corruption.

This review was originally published in the author's blog, "Fred Said."

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Hidilyn Diaz graduates from culinary program

Hidilyn Diaz graduates from culinary program

Toff C.

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Weightlifting Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz has achieved another milestone by completing a short culinary course. 

On her Instagram page, the athlete shared that she recently graduated from Fundamentals in Culinary Arts Course at the Center for Culinary Arts Manila.

Hidilyn expressed her gratitude on social media, thanking her husband, Julius Naranjo, for his support in this new venture.

"Thank you sa support [Julius]. I will cook good food for you. Ayee," she posted.

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She also acknowledged her culinary mentor for guiding her through the program.

"Salamat po chef @jayreciocooks sa pag-guide sa cooking journey naming mga CCAMANILA FCAC Batch 53," she said.

Hidilyn also expressed her joy in meeting her batchmates. "Masaya ako na nakilala ko kayo batchmate," Hidilyn said.

According to CCA Manila's website, the Fundamentals in Culinary Arts Course is a "compressed 80-hour comprehensive training program. Each class was designed to teach specific skills, which gradually become more complex as the program progresses."

The course is an ideal starting point for culinary professionals, covering foundational cooking skills, palate training, teamwork, and international cuisines.

Back in April 2024, Hidilyn shared her desire to take culinary courses as she embarked on a new chapter following the conclusion of her Paris 2024 journey, where she fell short of qualifying for the Summer Olympics. 

"This moment is for me to learn new skills - join classes and workshops to learn to cook and bake. I have long wanted to take culinary courses since I was 22 years old, and now, I will not just imagine doing pasta, pizza, and kare-kare, I will bake and cook some for my friends and family," she said.

The athlete went on: "I will also learn to do business and invest myself in education to be a better sports leader. I have a lot of things to learn in life."

On July 26, 2024, Hidilyn opened the HD Weightlifting Academy in Rizal, marking another significant milestone in her life.

"On July 26th 2021, @hidilyndiaz and I celebrate a historical feat for the Philippines. One year later, we tie the knot and get married. And another year later, we open the @hdweightliftingacademy and commemorate our love for the sport and give back to grassroots," Julius posted on social media.

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