Cry No Fear sounds like a motto or a battle cry. Actually, it is a suspense-thriller showing in cinemas from VIVA Films.
And who are the lead stars of this film by one-time “indie film” director Richard Somes? No, they’re not big movie stars, neither big TV stars. They are Viva’s wards that the entertainment company is pushing to full stardom. And they are Ella Cruz and Donnalyn Bartolome. Do their names ring a bell?
Cruz and Bartolome take the lead roles of antagonistic half-sisters, Wendy and Kaycee. Their father (Lito Pimentel) is well aware that the two cannot stand each other, but he has to leave them at home together for three days in the company of their nanny Dory (Sheree).
In the middle of a raging storm, unwanted guests begging for food and medicine amplify the tension at home.
The sisters drive the strangers away, but their safety, now compromised, find themselves in the hands of ruthless intruders (Lander Vera Perez, Christopher Roxas, Patricia Javier) who will not think twice about killing them. For once in their lives, Wendy and Kaycee must unite to escape.
Somes got his directorial break in one of the segments of Shake, Rattle & Roll.
Cry No Fear shows the usually perky Ella and Donnalyn in a different light.
Though fans have already seen them terrified in the 2017 horror movie Darkroom, this time, they see them in nasty roles, which is a far cry from Ella’s previous roles, just like in the movie Fangirl, Fanboy, and Donnalyn’s roles in various movies and TV series.
One thing that these talented artists share is their passion for singing and dancing.
Ella is known for her trending dance videos on YouTube, earning her the title “Millennial Dance Princess.”
Donnalyn, who started out as an Internet sensation known for writing her own songs, is aptly called “Social Media Sweetheart”.
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MOR 101.9 is still the FM radio of choice for most listeners in Mega Manila, and together with 16 other MOR stations nationwide, is set to become a bigger and stronger FM radio station for kaMORkadas in different parts of the country with MOR Philippines.
According to a recent survey by Kantar Media in Q1 of 2018, MOR 101.9 Manila got the highest average audience share of 33 percent among all FM stations in Mega Manila. This is 12 percentage points higher than its closest competitor’s 21 percent.
Aside from MOR Manila, most MOR stations in the country have also conquered the radio airwaves in their respective regions. Thus, a stronger MOR network will soon go on air with MOR Philippines.
Under MOR Philippines, 17 MOR stations will unite to bring listeners from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao one vibe and one sound.
Aside from quality radio entertainment, MOR also champions original Pinoy music or OPM and honors the talents of Filipino artists and songwriters via its annual MOR Pinoy Music Awards.
Among the nominees for Song of the Year this year are “Titibo Tibo” by Moira Dela Torre, “Demonyo” by JK Labajo, “Sampu” by Jona, and “Shanawa” by Maymay Entrata.
Maymay, Moira, Alexa Ilacad, and Yeng Constantino compete in the Female Artist of the Year category, while JK, Inigo Pascual, Christian Bautista, and Noven Belleza battle it out in the Male Artist of the Year category.
For Album of the Year, the nominees are Rivermaya’s “Sa Kabila ng Lahat,” Gloc 9’s “Rotonda,” Jona’s self-titled album, and JK Labajo’s “JKL.”
Gracenote and Chito Miranda, Jona and Boyband PH, and Elisse Joson and Mccoy De Leon are all vying for the Best Collaboration of the Year award.
The popular McLisse loveteam is also nominated in the OPM Revival of the Year category for their song “Opposites Attract,” up against Moira Dela Torre’s “Sundo,” JK Labajo’s “Beautiful Girl,” and Kaye Cal’s “Why Can’t It Be.”
BoybandPH, meanwhile, makes their second appearance on the nominees list with their song “Boyfriend,” which is up for LSS Hit of the Year. The group is competing with TJ Monterde’s “Tulad Mo,” Noven Belleza’s “Tumahan Ka Na,” and Kim Chiu’s “Okay Na Ako.”
“Cebuana” by Karencitta, “Waray Love Bisaya” by Polzkee and Ai, “Yayay” by Piyaok Band, and “Dvoena” by Pao Lofranco are nominated for Regional Song of the Year, while Kisses Delavin, Maris Racal, Tony Labrusca, and Noven Belleza are competing for Best New Artist.
Last but not the least, MOR also honors digital artists with the Digital Artist of the Year Award. Among the nominees are Agsunta, Karencitta, Ex Batallion, and Ben&Ben.
The MOR Pinoy Music Awards 2018 is set to happen on July 21 at the Araneta Coliseum.
Watch out on MOR’s Facebook for more details on how to get tickets to the #MORPMA2018.
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It’s the Metro Manila Film Festival season again. It’s the second semester of the year, and movie companies are certainly getting their acts together for this year’s MMFF.
The biggest, most popular and the widely supported and anticipated Metro Manila Film Festival is underway as the MMFF Secretariat accepted 24 scripts from 23 producers on its fixed May 31 deadline.
Personally, I don’t subscribe to choosing entries to a festival based on unproduced screenplays. Though some may be written brilliantly, the finished film is still dependent on the direction, acting, and other elements that translate the written word to images on the screen. But on second thought, the MMFF is not a real film festival. It is only called as such because no other films in other languages apart from Filipino (Tagalog) and other Philippine dialects are shown in commercial screens for the last 10 days of the year.
Several of the script titles submitted are from co-productions and collaborations of various groups.
From the 24 scripts, the members of the Selection Committee will choose four based on the following criteria-Artistic Excellence–40 percent, Commercial Appeal–40 percent, Filipino Cultural Sensibility –10 percent and Global Appeal–10 percent.”©”©
The chosen scripts will be announced on June 29 and they will form part of the Official 8 entries to the MMFF. The next four will be selected from among the finished films whose deadline will be on Sept. 21.
