Here Comes the Bride

Ok, as elitist as this sounds, I am not a fan of local films especially comedic ones, because I seriously still think people needed that wonk-wonk-wonk score to cue the laughter. (Hey they also thought Willie or those old farts at Eat Bulaga are funny/entertaining, so I don't just believe ANYONE) But when smart friends start raving about Here Comes the Bride, I sit up and take notice.

The storyline is pretty lame. A convoy crashed their cars on some electromagnetic field during a solar eclipse and then 5 personalities woke up not quite themselves. How Jaime Fabragas, Eugene Domingo, Angelica Panganiban, John Lapus and Tuesday Vargas brought life to their characters was the highlight of the film - Angelica especially, for one, played her role of gay image consultant trapped in her body really well.

I give 4 stars for for Here Comes the Bride because it's funny all throughout that I didn't realise 2 hours had passed, but  I think the writer thought of the characters and then create a story out of it. So watch it for the laughs, but don't expect nods from the local award-giving bodies. Then again I heard MMFF and others have a questionable reputation so...

Full Circle: Creativity Moving Through Generations

If you're looking for something different to do this weekend, check out the Yuchengco Museum, one of my favorite museums in Metro Manila. It may be small, but I love the layout, accessibility (it's in the Makati CBD and mere minutes away from my place) and occasional special exhibits. Yesterday was the opening of the exhibit Full Circle which features a few Chinese-Filipino families who are artists, working in various fields: visual arts, interior design, fashion, and so on.

 My favorite would have to be the Lim-Higgins section, featuring clothes by the late Salvacion Lim-Higgins and mixed-media artwork and costumes by her son Mark Lewis Higgins. Salvacion (aka Slim) was a famous couturier who clothed Manila's high society in the 1950s up until the 1980s. Her clothes are flamboyant, rich and dramatic. I saw an exhibit of her designs at the National Museum and was delighted. Only a few of her designs are at the Yuchengco, but there are enough to give you an idea of what her work is like. I was also happy to see the costumes of Aslan and Mr. Tumnus from the 1998 Trumpets production of The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, designed by Mark. I really liked the works from his "Invisible Cities" collection, being a fan of both Calvino and gouache.

There are other nice works there as well that you have to see for yourself. One question the exhibit poses to visitors would be - is artistry or creativity inherited or learned? Whatever you think the answer is, it is interesting to see how what various generations come up with, as well as the similarities and differences between themes, mediums and style.

Here's the press release from the Yuchengo Museum about the exhibit:

Full Circle: Creativity Moving Through Generations

April 13 – June 30

Exhibit Opening:

April 13, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Does creativity run in the family? Or is it a matter of elders passing on their trade or inspiring their children?

The Yuchengco Museum highlights Tsinoy and artists and designers through a special exhibit titled Full Circle: Creativity Moving Through Generations, which opens on April 13. Full Circle brings together five families of Sino-Filipino artists whose works highlight the flow of creativity from one generation to the next.

Full Circle presents the creative expressions of an older generation of Filipino-Chinese artists and designers juxtaposed against the creations of their sons and daughters. Illustrating both common themes and individual styles, the exhibit also examines the artists’ work within the context of their times and pursuits. Among the featured creative kin are the Cobonpue, Goy, Lim-Higgins, Magsaysay-Ho, and Syjuco families.

Full Circle: Creativity Moving Through Generations runs until June 30. The Yuchengco Museum is at RCBC Plaza, corner Ayala and Sen. Gil J. Puyat Avenues, Makati City. Museum hours are Monday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. To RSVP and for more information, call 889-1234 or e-mail info@yuchengcomuseum.org.

Bravissime Gelato!

OK, summer came way too early this year and I'm royally pissed because I bought a lot of coats from my fave store in HK, but I digress. So with the mercury currently hitting as high as 33C, we needed to cool off. My brothers introduced me to Gelatissimo and I've been hooked since. It's also a refreshing break from all the damn fro-yos. (By the way, adding cheesecake and brownies doesn't mean that those sinful sweets become healthy, so stop being a hypocrite) 


More after the jump.

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-Kristine

Don't Expect Royal Service here

When my mom took us to CheonSan, Imperial Palace's Chinese restaurant. I didn't have high hopes. For one, I really don't expect much from hotel food. Second, we weren't exactly welcomed by the guard. My mom has been to Imperial Palace just a couple of days before our visit, but even if she didn't we found it strange that we're even having this kind of convo with the stupid guard. (Read more after the jump)

Art to Wear

 

A dress from Freeway’s National Artist Collector’s Series

There are currently two National Artists featured: Nick Joaquin (for Literature) and Ang Kiukok (Visual Arts). There are shirts, bags and accessories that feature Kiukok figures/paintings, and bags, as well as wallets and dresses that have excerpts from Joaquin’s work (The Summer Solstice, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, etc). Above is a dress with text from The Summer Solstice. At about P1,500+ the dress is affordable enough, and can be worn in a lot of different places/events (the office, a small party, poetry recital, and so on). The tag is cute too. It says “Read verses to dry”.

I think it’s commendable what Freeway is trying to do here – mix fashion with both visual art and literature. It’s a great way to get people interested in local artists from different fields. My only complaint is that for the Joaquin stuff, the text is not that legible. I hope that Freeway continues to feature other National Artists, perhaps experimenting a bit. For example, they can create a piece of clothing inspired by a specific painting/poem/story as opposed to using text as decoration. Imagine using the imagery in (National Artist for Literature) Edith Tiempo’s “Bonsai” to create a skirt, or something along that line.

See the link above to view more pieces from the Freeway National Artist Collector's Series.

Michellan Rating: 3 Stars

Can satisfy both artsy-fartsy girls and girly girls!

- Michelle

I've seen that collection. While I love the whole concept of collaborating with National Artists, I wish Freeway would at least use better fabrics and that they were more creative instead of just stamping the works of these artists on their wares.
- Kristine

I agree with the being more creative part, that's why I hoped they would experiment a bit more. As for the fabric... good point! I wasn't thinking of that, actually. But Joel (my husband) actually pointed out that some of the stuff was cheap looking. Thus, I take back one star.
-Michelle

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