Tag: Philippines

With Zsazsa Zaturnnah Here, Hope Is Not Lost!

Sometimes, checking out the original film helps too before catching the animated version of Zsazsa Zaturnnah, which is just as campy, hilarious and fun! This is the other superhero movie that must be seen this year!

Zsazsa Zaturnnah
Played at Fantasia Film Festival on July 20, 2026 at the Salle J.A. De Sève

Some newcomers may wonder whether Zsa Zsa Gabor and Zsazsa Zaturnnah are one and the same. They are not. Although both are glamorous queens capable of making many hearts flutter, there’s far more to the latter than meets the eye. Created by Filipino comic book artist Carlo Vergara, this superheroine became a cultural sensation and an important champion of LGBTQ representation in the Philippines.

Outside the country, she remains relatively unknown, and that’s where the 2026 self titled animated movie comes in. It retells her origin story for a new generation while shifting the focus towards themes that have followed the character since her 2002 debut. For those unfamiliar with her history, this alternative to Wonder Woman first appeared in the graphic novel Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah.

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More Than Just A Tribute: With Eraserheads Combo on the Run, The Show Must Go On

Eraserheads Combo on the Run gives the Beatles of the Philippines space to tell their own story, tracing their rise, tensions, and lasting influence on Filipino music.

Eraserheads Combo on the Run Official PosterNow playing at select theatres across North America. For venues, please visit www.eraserheadsfilm.com

For a band often called the Beatles of the Philippines, the Eraserheads have cemented a legacy few will forget. Director Maria Diane Ventura’s Eraserheads Combo on the Run offers a rare reckoning, giving the band a chance to set the record straight in their own words. Their message of hope lives in what they deliver best: songs about love, friendship, and student life.

This tribute follows Ely Buendia, Raymund Marasigan, Marcus Adoro, and Buddy Zabala from their origins as university kids at UP Diliman in 1989 to their rise as the defining voice of a Filipino generation. Also included is their parting of ways and an examination of what led to their 2022 Ang Huling El Bimbo reunion concert. According to this work, a quarter of a million people attended!

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Combo on the Run Primed and Ready to Showcase The Eraserheads and Their Amazing Legacy

Abramorama have acquired the Eraserheads documentary Combo on the Run, fast-tracking it for a North American theatrical release on April 24, 2026. The film explores the band’s legacy, reunion era, and cultural impact.

Eraserheads Combo on the Run DocumentaryRelease Date: April 24, 2026

AB2 Media Group and Abramorama have acquired the Eraserheads documentary Combo on the Run, fast-tracking it for a North American theatrical release. For many Filipino music fans, signature tracks like “Ang Huling El Bimbo” and “With a Smile” remain cultural touchstones. While the band may not be widely known in North America, their impact in the Philippines is undeniable, and this film explores the depth of that legacy.

Director and producer Maria Diane Ventura calls the partnership with Abramorama a natural fit. Known for distributing culturally significant music documentaries, the company brings experience and reach to a story that extends beyond music. Ventura notes that although the film centers on the band’s catalog, it also speaks to division, reconciliation, and healing during politically turbulent times.

Though rooted in the Philippines’ social realities, the themes of unity and rediscovery resonate globally.

From the Press Release:

Eraserheads: Combo on the Run chronicles the full arc of the Eraserheads phenomenon — from their formation as UP Diliman students in 1989, in the wake of the EDSA People Power Revolution that restored democracy in the Philippines, to becoming the defining soundtrack of a generation and staging a historic reunion run that drew nearly a quarter of a million fans. This marks the first Philippine music documentary distributed by Abramorama.

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Taking A Quick Look at Fantasia’s Short Film Selection, 2024 Edition

What’s offered here is a brief taste of Fantasia’s Short Film programs. There’s 17 different collections that’s still continuing to play. They may well appear at your local film festival next!

Fantasia Film Festival 2024 - Fantasia's Short FilmAs Montreal’s most beloved genre film festival enters its last week of celebrating an eclectic range of genre cinema, Fantasia’s short film celebration will have me keeping an eye out on these up-and-coming talents! Although I didn’t view everything in this category, what I saw so far is a great way to see what may get dreamed up to become feature length works in the future!

These filmmakers have come up with some fairly cool concepts. The following reviews do not make up a top five list, but are a sampler of what is there. I’m thankful to those who provided me with a screener, and I wish them all the best.

The True Shape of a Daisy

George MacDonald‘s narrative, “The Day Boy and the Night Girl,” provides the foundation for the cinematic The True Shape of a Daisy, and I’m fairly sure no one has ever compiled this tale into a book. This short story is available online.

What’s presented is a faithful adaptation, where we meet a witch named Watho, who would shape Photogen and Nycteris’ environments. True to their namesakes, one would live in perpetual daylight and the other at night. They don’t get to meet until later, and in this anime, they don’t live in enormous rooms. Instead, they are from a world of contrasts. The girl is from a beautiful forest, and the boy lived most of his life in a dark dungeon.

As an anime by Naoki Arata, I hope what she produced is more than just a tease, but an examination of how opposites can get along.

True Shape of Daisy

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When Ghost Hunting Cartoons Get Global in This Top 10 List on What to Binge!

The theme for this year is a list of ghost hunting style cartoons from around the world, and where to find them!

The Real Ghostbusters Samhein introducing Ghost Hunting Cartoons with SlimerHalloween is not always about trick or treating. While it may be fun for some to go chasing after ghosts, others may well be preparing for that last harvest before winter sets in. In what I like watching are ghost hunting cartoons. It beats trying to find them for real, since there’s no proof positive method for an experience. As for what lurks in that cornfield, well….

What I offer is a list of animated series I often like to revisit as the nights get cold, and I don’t want to go out. The theme for this year is a list of ghostbusting style cartoons. Sometimes, peace with the supernatural can be made. At other times, they are chance to communicate. While the best thing is to work out those grievances, mileage will vary depending on the creator’s beliefs on whether to preach or simply entertain. By that definition, I begin with the series that inspired this top ten, which begins after talking about The Real Ghostbusters!

The Real Ghostbusters Creatures of the NightThis unofficial sequel about New York’s finest paranormal investigators is just good ol’ fashioned fun! And what makes this series shine is in how the stories show how they function as a team, deal with personal issues and resolve those conflicts.

Although there are a few episodes which bring back some recurring nasties, namely The Boogieman and Samhain, these spectres are so powerful, they often need help. Because the series wasn’t designed to be a serial, there’s no grande plan. When considering the official Ghostbusters YouTube page often adds to or prunes the list of episodes, perhaps there is a huge story arc to be found. Only the dedicated may find it!

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Press The Button! Day Zero is Upon Us in this Crazy Zombie Mayhem Flick.

The nature of leaving some bits of the narrative in Day Zero open-ended suggests there’s more story to reveal.

Day Zero Blu-Ray Disc Case
Available to stream on Amazon USA

Well GO USA
Release Date: July 11, 2023.

Sometimes, it’s not tough to determine just where a Filipino zombie flick will go when it’s titled Day Zero. After ex special forces’ agent Emon (Brandon Vera) gets freed from prison, the carnage begins right away! We don’t have to ask why he’s been put there. Instead, we just have to wonder how he managed to not get infected by the Dengue virus that’s caused many to turn into mindless human eating creatures.

This movie isn’t like Train to Busan with its better defined characters and sweeping cinematography. But what’s presented here shows just how much the hero wants to be together with his family. He’ll stop at nothing to get to this endpoint, and what’s presented is like a videogame, like Last of Us. This grungy world also shows a side of the Philippines rarely seen.

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