Movie Review: Sweden's Midnight Sun Gets A Horror Treatment in Midsommar

Horror director Ari Aster has only directed two movies, but they have already polarized his audience into two distinct groups - the ones who rave about his work and the ones who went out of the cinema, thinking, "WTF was that all about?"

Hereditary, his first movie, certainly did that to me. Toni Collette gave such a terrific performance in the movie, I did not quite sense that the movie had even deeper demonic meanings.

This week, Midsommar is currently showing in Manila - and once again, I went out of the cinema thinking, "WTF was all of that about?"

The weird thing is, there are many disturbing scenes in the movie, yet I did not find any of them weird, mainly because, earlier in the day, I read an article by Gideon Lasco in the Inquirer, and he talked about cultural relativism - the act of not judging another culture on the standards of one's own.

If you do just that while watching Midsommar, the horror will disappear, as you try to see things from an anthropological point of view. Lasco's article was even more disturbing because he talked about child sacrifice and how common it was among pre-Spanish native Latin American cultures.

If you've seen Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto' - you'll understand what I mean. Now THAT movie was a real gorefest and with a thrilling plot that involved a wild chase in the Amazon and a pregnant woman about to drown.

Similarly, Midsommar is a gorefest but tempered with Swedish whiteness - from their smiles to their Ariel-stained costumes to the perpetual midnight sun setting. There is no night, only day in the movie.

The movie is rated R-18 and with good reason. You'll see a lot of naked people, probably the most bizarre sex scene you'll ever see in a movie (I didn't know whether to giggle at that part) good thing the guy was cute LOL), plus a lot of disembowelment that would certainly please Hannibal Lecter.

There is a wolf in sheep's clothing in the movie and it is him who lead these 'sheep' characters to their slaughter. If you're the queasy type - I don't suggest eating while watching the movie especially when the third act starts.

Movie Review: A Different Zac Efron in 'Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile'

While Zac Efron does an excellent job playing the serial killer Ted Bundy in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, the movie is actually a very sanitized version of Bundy's life, considering the dastardly acts he did.

There was almost no murder scene and except for a short period towards the ending where the brutality and gruesomeness of Ted Bundy's crimes were revealed - the movie feels like a Disneyfied version of a serial killer movie.

It's all good anyhow because unearthing the past and describing the more than 30 verified murders of college women, would've been asking the victims' families to relive their pain once again.

It is however a faithful rendition of what actually transpired in real life especially the part where Bundy was on trial, allowing the viewer glimpses of how charismatic, handsome and cunning the serial killer was - and how he possibly all lured those poor women to their deaths.

It leaves one with the sickening thought that even someone with such veneer of wit and charm can be a vacuous vessel, devoid of almost any iota of humanity and empathy.

The movie is shown from the point of view of his lover, Elizabeth Kendall, portrayed by Lily Collins, the daughter of British pop singer Phil Collins.

She wrote a memoir of her life with Bundy which has become the foundation of this movie. That's why there are long sequences of her, deep in denial with what is happening in her life.

There is a documentary on the actual interviews of Ted Bundy in Netflix. That would be a good bookmark to this movie, especially to students and people who enjoy abnormal psychology. That is because the movie did not really show why he became that way. It just showed the events as they unfolded.

For me, it was a treat to see Haley Joel Osment, the kid in The Sixth Sense, act again. He appears midway into the movie in an important role. I was quite surprised to see that it was him, now all grown up, playing an adult role. It would be great to see him in more movies in the future.

OPM Top 10 Countdown: July 19, 2019

Chocolate Factory gets their very first #1 song in my OPM Top 10 countdown this week.

Here are my ten favorite OPM songs for the week ending July 19, 2019 -

#1 Dahil Mahal Kita
     Chocolate Factory      (#2) *1 week

#2 BamBamBam
     Karencitta                  (#3)

#3 Narcissist
     No Rome / The 1975    (#4)

#4 Di Na Babalik
     This Band                      (#5)

#5 Maleta
     Gloc-9                           (#6)

#6 Amatz
     Shanti Dope                   (#7)

#7 Ikot-Ikot
     Sam Concepcion            (#8)

#8 Filipina Girl
     Billy Crawford / Marcus Davis / James Reid    (#9)

#9 Lose Control
     Ken San Jose                (#10)

#10 Mr. Nice Guy
       Iñigo Pascual / Wenge     (NEW)

International Top 10 Countdown: July 19, 2019

Robyn gets her fifth #1 hit in My Personal Countdown as Fembot moves up to #1.

Here are my ten favorite songs for the week ending July 19, 2019 -

#1 Fembot 
     Robyn                             (#2) *1 week

#2 Never Not
     Lauv                                (#3)

#3 Ease
     Troye Sivan                     (RE)

#4 Fall on Me
     Andrea Bocelli / Matteo Bocelli    (4)

#5 Better When I'm Dancing
     Meghan Trainor               (#5)

#6 Someone You Loved
     Lewis Capaldi                  (#6)

#7 Boy With Luv
     BTS / Halsey                    (#7)

#8 8 Letters
     Why Don't We                 (#8)

#9 If I Can't Have You
     Shawn Mendes                (#9)

#10 I Don't Care
       Ed Sheeran / Justin Bieber (#10)         

Lauv

Lauv has ten top 10 hits in my International Top 10 countdown.  Three of them went all the way to #1

Here are his hits -

2019 - I'm So Tired (with Troye Sivan) (#1)*1 week

2019 - The Other (#1) *1 week

2019 - There's No Way (with Julia Michaels) (#1)*1 week

2019 - Never Not (#2)

2019 - Bracelet (#4)

2019 - Easy Love (#5)

2019 - Reforget (#6)

2019 - Enemies (#7)

2019 - Breathe (#8)

2019 - Adrenaline (#9)

2019 - Drugs and the Internet (#10)

Robyn

Robyn has eight top 10 hits in my personal countdown.  Five of them went straight to #1.

1995 - Do You Really Want Me (#5)

1996 - Do You Know (#7)

1997 - Show Me Love (#1)

2007 - With Every Heartbeat (#1)*1 week

2007 - Handle Me (#1)*1 week

2007 - Konichiwa Bitches (#7)

2013 - Call Your Girlfriend (#1)*1 week

2019 - Fembot (#1)*1 week

Fabelous Hunks 2019: Gianni Paolo Goes Full Monty in 'Ma'

Gianni Paolo goes the full monty in the movie 'Ma' in a scene that changes the atmosphere of the movie in a snap.  Nice booty boy!

Fabelous Hunks 2019: Corey Fogelmanis

Corey Fogelmanis stars in the horror movie 'Ma' playing the boyfriend of the lead actress, Juliette Lewis' daughter. Corey is amazingly adorable in the movie and his chiseled features contrast sharply from the evil deeds being done upon him, LOL

Movie Review: Ma and All Her Good Looking Boys

I haven't seen a movie in a theater for sometime now because it's summer in the US and traditionally, it's the time I shy away from theaters because I don't really watch blockbuster movies.

But once in a while, some producers do counter programming (i.e. Rocketman) and they release movies which go against the tide.

Ma is one of them and although I did have a lot of fun watching the movie - (for the wrong reasons, LOL), it offered nothing original that I haven't seen before.

In the movie, Octavia Spencer is like Kathy Bates in Misery - maintaining two facades to her persona.

However, Stephen King is a master of horror fiction - and he has thought out Kathy Bates' character thoroughly that she is really a scary daughter-of-a-bitch in that movie!

Octavia, with all her acting powers, strives not to look like a caricature but she really does her best to give her character some humanity.

There was one particular scene where the audience cringed at what she did to a teenage boy - and you can hear the audience give a collective "Eeeewwwwww". That's when I knew she was doing a good job in the movie. Nasuka ang mga bata sa kanya!

As for me, I have followed Octavia's career since her Oscar-winning turn in The Help (Tate Taylor directed that and this mess of a movie as well - what happened Tate?), and her do-gooder characters in Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.

So everytime I see her, I see the 'good' Octavia, when I'm supposed to see the 'bad' Octavia.

Anyhow, for gay men, the boys in this movie are adorable. I don't know their names yet, but the two boys in the 'cool' barkada' are adorable - not in the Disney - adorable way - but in the Abercrombie & Fitch - "I have a model's profile" type of adorable.

There is a scene where you'd love Octavia with what she does to one of the boys - that actor certainly looks yum yum.

Octavia's character also does something which I have never seen in a movie before.

Was that really a d*** she was holding? Of course, the audience gasped, not because of the d*** but because she was going to Lorena Bobbit it!

I also learned later on that Luke Evans, the actor who owns the d*** is actually gay in real life. One hot gay Daddy lol - his son in the movie is not bad looking as well.

Anyway, the movie is a slow burn so relax in the first hour as the director tries to introduce everyone and their back stories (translation, nothing horrorific happens) but it quickly descends into a bloody rampage, especially in the last 30 minutes.

Wimbledon Women's Singles Finals 2019: The Aggressor and the Counter-Puncher

Ten years ago, Kimiko Date-Krumm returned to competitive tennis at the tender age of 38 and she was able to reach the 1R of the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Passing the age of 40, she was able to reach as deep as the 3R in the slams.

This year, at the tender age of 37, Serena Williams is aiming to win her 24th grand slam title as she gets into the finals of Wimbledon.

How times have changed!

If a player just takes care of her body and hires a team that can do it for her - then a female tennis player can have a long career - marriage and kids and all!

I feel this is an important victory for Serena Williams because it will give hope to Mommy athletes of all sports to not give up and continue to compete.

It has been done in track and field where Mommies have won gold after giving birth.

I guess tennis, is the next frontier.

Her opponent, Simona Halep, is no spring chicken either, and at 27, is reaching a mental maturity and quiet confidence that I've never seen before.

Halep has not been much of a factor on grass till this year. I am very surprised that she reached the final - and if she wins - she may be doing something right in her approach to the game.

It's going to be a suspenseful game because while Serena is very aggressive, Simona, like many of the great counter punchers before her - Jelena Jankovic, Kim Clijsters - can chase the ball and make Serena work for one more point - and movement is always an issue with Serena.

Either way, their victories will be a good way for Wimbledon 2019 darling Coco Gauff to reflect on her path to tennis greatness.

Would she want immediate wins that may cause her career to be shortened - or have a long illustrious career like Serena - with a billionaire husband and a beautiful baby girl.

Who says women can't have it all?

Wimbledon 2019: The Legendary Three Continue to Blaze A Trail With Bautista Agut

We are living in an incredible age in men's tennis when three disparate rivals have made mincemeat of the rest of the field.

When I was growing up, the idea of having 14 grand slam titles (c/o Pete Sampras), was mind-boggling enough.

But in a span of a decade, three men have done what was supposed to be a difficult feat (it still is - they just make it look easy) and they had to fight with each other as well, just to win a slam!

I don't know for how long this dominance will last. Conservatively, I put it at the next five years - and yes, it's very possible that Federer's 20 grand slam titles will be erased - either by him or Rafa or Novak.

That is of course, unless one of the younger guys narrow the evidently wide chasm that separates them and the legendary three.

As for now, at Wimbledon 2019, add Roberto Bautista Agut to the three other men (Tsitsipas, Pouille, Thiem) who have reached the semifinal stage of a grand slam this year.

Does he have a fair chance to win this title? I guess it's all in his mind and his feet, because he'll be running and running and returning balls like he has never done from his other opponents.

And he has to defeat Novak tonight, and come back to defeat either Rafa or Roger.

It's like dealing with the Williams sisters during their heydays. It's almost impossible to defeat both of them in one slam. You may win against one sister in one round, but you may have to deal with an equally stronger sister in the next round (I don't know if someone ever did it).

On paper, it should be a Novak - Roger final, following their pedigree on this surface - but we never know how hungry Rafa is for another grass title. And Bautista Agut has to play his 110% if he wants to keep up with the wily Novak.

As for me, I will just lie on my lazy-boy and keep my supply of popcorn going while they play in an up-and-down struggle to win three sets.

The golden age of men's tennis continues.....

Only For Those Who Truly Love Music: Create Your Personal Music World Through VIBBIDI

I love writing about music - be it a new album by a new artist or a concert I just watched, or a new release from a veteran performer.  Music has always been an important part of my life and week in week out, I am on the constant prowl for new music.

I listen to almost all genres of music - from pop to R&B to country to rock to OPM (Original Pilipino Music).  I also listen to what music specific countries are listening to so every week, I try to browse the charts from Canada, the UK, Australia, France, Germany, South Korea and of course the US.

However, my time to do this hobby is pretty limited since I have work and family duties so some weeks can go by with me missing some albums here and there and I wished at that time that there was just one portal I can go to where I can check out jazz, R&B, rap, country, and other genres.

Voila, my wish came true! Last February, I chanced upon a website portal called VIBBIDI and in that portal, all the music I ever want to listen to is interconnected!  It was like I opened my Christmas present in February!

VIBBIDI is a free web-based music streaming service that’s available on any device that has an internet connection! I admit I was a bit overwhelmed with excitement at first because of so many available artists on my fingertips. I wanted to do too many things at the same time, but soon as I got a grip of myself, I slowly created my profile and chose first the artists and albums that are sentimental to me and then slowly replicated the playlists I have on my devices and have them all in just one portal!  How exciting is that!

Here's a sneak-peak of their features.  

VIBBIDI is a unique fusion of a music streaming service and a social media platform, combining AI technology with User submission to make an experience that is fully-controlled by the User community.  They have Music Videos, Singles, Albums, Remixes, User-made Cover Videos, Lyrics, News & so much more available on every page so just click on what you want to check out at that moment and the content you’re looking for will be there.  

What makes this service exciting is that hardcore music fans like you and me can upload missing content to support our favourite Artists. How cool is that!  We all become an active part of a community of fans (whoever that lucky artist is) and share our experiences with that artist's music to the rest of our co-fans.  It can be videos of concerts we watched, our personal album reviews, lyrics, and other stuff which I might have not thought of yet but some young genius kid can think of sharing to everyone.

VIBBIDI has a vast library of content. I checked!  They have my favorite big-name Artists (Madonna, Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake) as well as some of my personal favorite acts who are not yet that famous but deserve to be (I Belong to the Zoo, Dagny, Julie Anne San Jose). 

I have been writing about music since 1983, when I was just 12 years old, inspired after seeing Michael Jackson perform that famous moonwalk of his in a TV show.  I knew I just had to write about it (and the Thriller album as well) because I got so emotional and inspired by what I saw! I wrote that piece in my diary - and it was eventually published in our school paper after Thriller won the Grammy award for Album of the Year.  That took almost 2 years to happen LOL!

You don't have to wait that long anymore and your written piece doesn't have to languish in your diary!  VIBBIDI has a new writing program called ‘Narratives’ that lets you voice your own opinion with absolute freedom!  You can write a personal story about your connection to a piece of music, an artistic reinterpretation of the album, a divisive think-piece about the quality of an album or really anything you can think of to describe your own feelings; The sky is the limit!  Whatever story you want to tell is totally acceptable, whether it’s a hobbyist perspective or a super-professional article detailing the history of a genre.  

I have contributed some of my thoughts to them and you can find some of my own writing at https://www.vibbidi.net/user?username=tonyfabelous#narratives.

I also like creating collections, and I know you love doing that too!  Before, we had to meticulously do that in our cassette tapes and labeling each cassette tape, depending on our mood!  Now, VIBBIDI allows you to make specially-curated collections of music called ‘Themes’ that are perfect selections of Albums based around a mood, genre, time-period and other styles that are guaranteed to pique your attention.  These User-created Playlists allows everyone to discover spectacular new music they’ve never heard before!

That is how I discovered lots of unknown jazz, new age, and world music artists which may have gone unnoticed if there were no VIBBIDI.

In advance of the official platform-launch this summer, VIBBIDI is running a special promotion where they’ll personally transfer any Music, Playlists & Profile details you create from the mobile App to their new web-platform, giving you a head-start on a thriving new community specially made for music lovers so you can have a say in shaping the future of music-streaming!  

If you are a true blue music lover, create your User Profile now and show off and express your music personality to the whole world!  VIBBIDI is the only music service that allows you to do that.

Let me know if you’re interested & I’ll put you in contact so you can be a part of the latest music experience to hit the scene.

VIBBIDI is passionate about becoming your next favourite vice, proudly claiming “We Are Everything For Music”.  If you want to be ahead of the curve, I’d love it if you gave them a try at https://www.vibbidi.net/.

Wimbledon 2019: The Final Four in the Women's Singles

For the first time in a long time, three of my four picks made it into the last four - in the women's game!

Serena Williams, Elina Svitolina and Simona Halep are in the the Wimbledon SFs, as I predicted - well, not really, I just used the head-to-head.

In the men's game, it is easier to predict the final four because the big three are pretty consistent, but in the women's game - it's almost a free for all every grand slam nowadays - but this Wimbledon - the stars aligned somehow and only Petra Kvitova did not make the final four - only to be replaced by another Czech player - the tenacious Barbora Strycova.

Based on their performances, Serena Williams looks set to raise her eighth Wimbledon singles crown. She looked very tentative last week but in her last two matches, we saw the old Serena back.

Alison Riske gave a spirited performance - and almost won - but Serena scored at the right moments - and with her powerful service, she can score free points. I think her strong first serves should be there when she plays, otherwise, the title will be a big if!

I am very happy for Elina Svitolina as well. As usual, she started very shaky, but soon found her form to defeat Karolina Muchova. I still have doubts though about her mental state because once she gets nervous, her game falls apart.

And her opponent, Simona Halep is one tough cookie! And Simona has been in this situation many times - and failed! However, during her fourth try, she finally won her first grand slam. Yun lang, it's in Paris - and grass is so different from clay.

Anyhow, for me, she's the only player among the ones left who can really hurt Serena. Simona is a wonderful counter puncher. I just hope that she plans more aggressive moves if she wants to win this title.

Barbora Strycova is the oldest woman to have reached a grand slam semifinal A testimony for the young Coco Gauff to just enjoy her teenage years and take it easy.

Coco Gauff, who spectacularly reached the 4th round at a tender age of 15, wants to join more tournaments but nowadays the WTA is very strict with teenagers. They do not want them to burn out early in their careers.

And Strycova's case shows that women who get more experience, can have long careers in tennis.

If Serena wins this, it will be very big for athlete-mothers - because it will show younger women that it is possible to be a mother of a baby and be at the top of one's sport!

Good thing with tennis is that these women are all millionaires - so they can hire all the assistance they need when they have to travel and compete - and well, Serena's husband is a billionaire - so she can travel on private jets with her baby to all her tournaments.

Nevertheless, it keeps the sport exciting - and allows all the players to blossom at different times of their career.

In other words, even if you are past 30 and a female tennis player - it doesn't mean you cannot play the sport you love anymore.

As for me, I love all these four women - although if I were to pick a winner, I want Elina Svitolina to finally win her first grand slam title.

It would be great for her Instagram followers like me - and nothing like some tennis romance (with Gael Monfils) to show that you can balance love and sports - at the same time!