Thursday, May 30, 2019

Disney's ALADDIN flies high in Philippine box office on its opening weekend




(Media Release)
Much like the movie’s thrilling magic carpet ride over the port city of Agrabah, Disney’s ALADDIN, the live-action adaptation of its animated classic, flew high and soared above every other movie as it posted as the No. 1 film during its opening weekend.

Continuing Disney’s success in providing quality entertainment through live-action remakes, the exciting tale of the charming street rat Aladdin and the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine opened in 494 cinemas nationwide last May 22 and raked in an impressive Php 212,197,892 (USD 4,014,776) on its first six days, making it the number one film over the weekend.

Film director and screenwriter Guy Ritchie lends his flair for fast-paced and exciting action to tell the adventures of the charming scoundrel Aladdin, played by Mena Massoud, and the beautiful and self-determined Princess Jasmine, played by Naomi Scott. Will Smith joins the cast as the larger-than-life Genie.

Aladdin is now showing in cinemas nationwide. Join the conversations online using #AladdinPH.

Saturday, May 25, 2019

SM Cinema Presents A Whole New World with Darren and Morissette and The Magic of Aladdin Exhibit



(Media Release)
Experience the magic of Aladdin with SM Cinema as Morissette and Darren Espanto team up for a special rendition of the Disney classic, "A Whole New World".

To give moviegoers and fans alike the complete Aladdin experience, SM Cinema together with the Walt Disney Company Philippines, has brought Filipino artists Morissette and Darren Espanto, to sing their version of “A Whole New World” live at SM by the BAY and SM City North EDSA!

In time for the release of the much-awaited live-action remake of Disney’s Aladdin, the two recently performed the Disney classic hit live at the Aladdin Wish 107.5 Bus. Fans were also taken to a magic carpet ride as Morissette and Darren performed live at The Magic of Aladdin exhibit at SM City North EDSA, The Block.


Taking the movie experience to a new level, SM offers moviegoers a real Aladdin experience with an exhibit at SM City North EDSA The Block Atrium where the streets of Agrabah come alive. From May 17 until May 31, kids and kids-at-heart can marvel at the mystery-filled world of Aladdin which features Cave of Wonders, Genie’s Magic Lamp, the Sultan’s Shoes and of the Magic Carpet as seen in the movie.


Disney’s “Aladdin” is a thrilling and vibrant live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated classic, which is the exciting tale of charming street rat Aladdin, the courageous and self-determined Princess Jasmine and the Genie who may be the key to their future. Starring Will Smith, Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen and Numan Acar, “Aladdin” is directed by Guy Ritchie from a screenplay by John August and Ritchie based on Disney’s ALADDIN animation screenplay by Ron Clements & John Musker and Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio.

Catch Disney’s Aladdin, now showing at SM Cinema, IMAX, and Director’s Club Cinema branches nationwide. Skip the lines and get the best seats in the house through www.smcinema.com or the SM Cinema App. Join the discussion online by using the hashtags #AladdinAtSMCinema and #SMCinema. Never miss an update about the latest movie promos and online activities by subscribing to SM Cinema on facebook.com/SMCinema, twitter.com/SM_Cinema, and Instagram.com/SM_Cinema.

Wednesday, May 15, 2019

POKÈMON DETECTIVE PIKACHU - Gotta Catch 'em All!


This is the first live-action adaptation of the worldwide phenomenon called Pokémon. However, it's not the story that we all know - that of Ash with his co-pokemon trainers, and their adventures with all the pocket monsters. It's based on a new video game called Detective Picachu.

When super sleuth Harry Goodman mysteriously disappeared, his son Tim went to look for him in Ryme City. There he met his dad's former pokemon partner, Pikachu. But the yellow furball just lost his memory. Finding that they are able to communicate with each other, Tim and Pikachu began their adventure on finding out the truth.


I have been a fan of the animé series since 1997, and Pikachu has always been my favorite among all of the pokemons. He was cute in the cartoon, and he's even cuter in live-action. It's fascinating to see Pikachu come alive, and this time he can even speak English. He's got the voice of Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds), but without the four-letter words. 

The filmmakers did a great job in building Ryme City. The metropolis looked real where pokemons and humans lived together. It's a thrill just seeing all those pokemons and guessing their names. I immediately wanted to go there. 
The combination of live-action and CGI is reminiscent of 1988's "Who Framed Roger Rabbit ?".   And Justice Smith who did lots of scenes with the pokemons should be commended for his work. There were times when he was acting with basically nothing on set. But the best part of the film is Ryan Reynolds as the voice of Pikachu. He gave Pikachu more emotions thereby making him more believable.  

Whether you're a fan or not of the pokemons, you will enjoy this film. And it was made for both kids and adults in mind. Co-written and Directed by Rob Letterman. Rated PG. From Warner Bros. Pictures.

Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Experience John Wick 3 in SM Cinema !



Lock and Load as ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ Hits SM Cinema Theaters

(Media Release)
It’s time to gear up as legendary hitman John Wick returns with more action at SM Cinema!

The third installment of the John Wick film series picks right up after the events of John Wick: Chapter 2. After killing Santino D'Antonio on Continental grounds, John Wick is declared excommunicado and goes on the run with a $14 million global contract for his death. With a horde of the world’s top assassins on his tail, John Wick must find his way around the city of New York and try to make it out alive.


Can’t get enough of that John Wick action? SM Cinema has prepared a little something for the fans as they launch the John Wick III Experience. Transform into the infamous hitman as you shoot targets at the Shoot Like John Wick shooting range and get a chance to win John Wick merchandise. You can also cool down afterwards by browsing through an artwork exhibit of John Wick himself and other cast members.  SM Cinema also hosted an action-packed Lazer Tag Tournament at SM Megamall, where teams competed to win exclusive and limited-edition John Wick merchandise and tickets to the movie premiere

Be sure to check out all these exciting happenings at the SM Megamall Cinema Lobby from May 11 to May 19 for tons of fun brought to you by SM Cinema!

Get even more out of your John Wick experience when you watch at SM Cinema as they offer two (2) Lazer Arena passes when you buy at least two (2) John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum movie tickets and two (2) Php99 combo meals from SnackTime. The promo is applicable from May 15 to May 19 for all movie schedules before 1PM.

Catch John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum starting May 15 at SM Cinema branches nationwide. Book your tickets through the website, www.smcinema.com or download the SM Cinema mobile app.  You may also follow /SMCinema on Facebook and @SM_Cinema on Instagram for updates!

Thursday, May 9, 2019

Eastern Communications introduces how to create an Intelligent Office



(Press Release)
Digital transformation in today’s business environment has resulted in companies that need to be more agile and interconnected. Businesses are no longer limited by their location and operation schedules are no longer held to an 8-hour window. To take advantage of the growth opportunities offered in this fast and exciting environment, businesses need to incorporate new technology and tailored services that has a holistic long-term digital perspective.

Discussing the latest IT trends and updates at the recent industry-based forum called “Cutting Edge” held in Manila and Bridgetowne, Eastern Communications in partnership with tech experts Trend Micro Philippines, Cisco Philippines, and Rhipe Philipines identified the four critical ingredients of an Intelligent Office and shared how companies can transform their workplace into an Intelligent one.

Robust and Resilient Connectivity Solutions – Connectivity is key to an intelligent office. For businesses that have a lot of bandwidth needs, companies can adopt Managed Software-Defined Networking in a Wide Area Network or SD-WAN or Managed WiFi Mesh.

Managed SD-WAN enables enterprises to dynamically route traffic across a hybrid WAN. Perfect for multi-site and multi-branch businesses, Hybrid WANs allow for improved routing of bandwidth and the optimization of network transport services. It also results in better network visibility and control, security, and improved network planning and operations as companies can control the entire network through a single interface.

Managed WiFi Mesh, on the other hand, is a technology that works by spreading a network connection among several or wireless mesh ‘nodes’ that share the network connection across a large area. It basically eliminates dead spots, sending every corner of a particular space a network connection. Without the hassle of cabling and setting it up, WiFi Mesh provides rich interconnection beyond concrete walls and multi-stories and maximum signal power with Mesh Technology.

Redundant systems and infrastructure – Having redundant systems and infrastructure helps ensure business continuity. Companies with multiple branches and offices can definitely benefit from this, such as banking and finance, manufacturing, transport and distribution, ICT and business process outsourcing companies. Through a data center solution, large companies can store, manage, or disseminate confidential and crucial data which they can recover in times of disasters such as earthquakes.

Business-grade Productivity and Collaboration Software – Cloud computing can help companies attain work agility as it can provide their workforce with freedom to access their office IT anytime, anywhere, and any device with minimal maintenance cost. 

Among the cloud services companies can look at are Microsoft Azure Virtual Machines, one of the most well-known on-demand scalable cloud computing services, and Microsoft 365. Azure is a comprehensive set of cloud services that developers and IT professionals use to build, deploy, and manage applications through Microsoft’s global network of datacenters. Azure offers the ability to instantly provision computing resources on demand. Compared to the task of planning and building an on-site data center, along with the requisite hardware upgrades, maintenance costs, server cooling requirements, electricity costs, and use of floorspace—particularly for offices with associated real estate costs— using Azure can lead to significant savings for a company.

Meanwhile, Office 365 is a subscription plan that include access to Office applications plus other cloud-based productivity services, making work accessible anywhere at any time. 

Reliable data protection tools – As connectivity solutions constantly upgrade, so does the threat landscape. An intelligent office should be able to protect its confidential data.

One threat companies should watch out for are Distributed Denial of Service or DDos Attacks, which targets servers with very large numbers of requests, causing it to crash or get blocked. Businesses can look into Anti-DDoS Solutions to help maintain website and application performance while deflecting even the largest DDoS attacks.

For widescale cyber-attacks, companies can utilize Smart Protection Suites, created by multinational cybersecurity company Trend Micro. Smart Protection Suites offers a unique blend of cross-generational threat defense techniques and market-leading global threat intelligence that protect more effectively across the broad range of threats. This service adapts to protect against future attacks and evolve to find new threats by sharing threat intelligence amongst the security layers. The solution minimizes impact by keeping users running smoothly and reducing management time with centralized visibility across endpoints, email, web, and SaaS services.

As business environments continue to evolve, Eastern Communications, one of the country’s premier telco companies, has also continued to innovate in order to help companies transform their workplace into an Intelligent Office.

Aside from Voice, Data and Internet Services, Eastern Communications is now providing Managed Services, Cloud, Data Centers, and Cybersecurity Solutions to provide strong connection, creating better business productivity. The company has also added EIPL (Ethernet International Private Line) and Global MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) to its data portfolio for faster and safer data transmission across the country or abroad. 

Also part of their new portfolio are secure cloud services, Microsoft Azure and Office 365 and Cyberdefense Services such as Anti-DDoS Solution and Smart Protection Suites, can protect companies from potential threats and malwares for more secure and smoother business operations.

For more information about Eastern Communications products and services, visit www.eastern.com.ph

Monday, May 6, 2019

Nonoy Zuñiga back with a new single - Waray Waray



One of the countries' premiere balladeer and OPM Icon, Mr. Nonoy Zuñiga, is back on the recording scene. He's got a new single - Waray Waray, an OPM classic done with a modern twist. He chose this song because it captures his Waray roots. The song is produced by seasoned record producer, Paulo Zarate.  

I remember during the 80's when Nonoy Zuñiga came out with hits like Doon Lang, Kumusta Ka, Never Ever Say Goodbye, Ako Ay Ikaw Rin, Much More, etc. I used to sing those songs whenever there's a karaoke. So it was a delight when we had the chance to interview him, and basically talk about anything under the sun during the presscon held recently at Pamana restaurant along Mother Ignacia st. in Quezon City.


This time around, after more than three decades in his singing career, one of Nonoy's plans is to record a popular song which represents a province of the Philippines. And he plans to record these songs by doing collaborations with fresh or current singers of this new generation. Previously he released a Cebuano song entitled Pero Atik Ra, which he recorded with a very talented Cebuana singer, Jolliane Salvado. 

Fresh from the success of his "Nonoy : Through The Years" concert held last March 2019 at Resorts World Manila, Nonoy continues to hold regular gigs here and abroad, and hopes to discover new talents whom he can work with in his future projects.
Waray Waray will be out on digital formats soon, and watch out for his upcoming album.    

TRANSFORMERS ONE is what most fans wanted to see, making it the best film in the franchise !

  By : Edgar Allan E. Yu  TRANSFORMERS ONE is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece that revitalizes the beloved franchise by diving deep...