True blue Manileños, recent transplants, and visitors to our city all know — there is never a lack of things to do in Manila. This is Coconuts Manila’s guide to all things good and great happening over the coming weekend. Peruse it, take note of everything that interests you, and hit us up on our Facebook page or on Twitter @CoconutsManila to sound off on what you think.
Catch a screening of Bong Joon-ho’s acclaimed dark-comedy thriller Parasite in select cinemas
Date: Jan. 29, Wednesday to February 5, Wednesday
Venue: Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Century Mall, Glorietta 4, and select cinemas nationwide
Parasite, the acclaimed 2019 South Korean dark-comedy thriller (which is still not streaming on Netflix) from Bong Joon-ho is getting another round of screen time in select cinemas nationwide from today until next Wednesday.
The film explores the strange relationship between the wealthy Parks and the struggling Kims. The two families forge a curious and chill-inducing symbiotic relationship that gives the film its name. Directed by the same guy who helmed Okja and Snowpiercer (in other words, not easy-viewing films), Parasite’s other accolades include being the first Korean film to nab a Palm d’Or (the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival), winning a Golden Globe, and being nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars.
Ticket prices vary depending on the cinemas. For a complete list of where Parasite is screening, visit Viva International Pictures’ Facebook page.
Swing by this Makati City gallery for an exhibit about modern-day nightmares
Date: Jan. 29, Thursday to Feb. 1, Saturday
Venue: Underground Gallery, 2F, Makati Central Square, 1232 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City
Jayson Oliveria’s solo exhibit about modern-day nightmares, tersely titled “Boo” continues it’s last run this weekend at the kitschy Makati Central Square‘s Underground Gallery.
The Manila-based Cultural Center of the Philippines Thirteen Artists awardee’s work features thickly rendered paintings, including an upside-down image of a man at work in “Day Dream Nightmare,” or mixed-media prints on a panel that repeat the word “Again,” or another densely layered painting that asks “What kind of wine goes with a dead rat?”
Show runs until Feb. 1. For details, visit Underground Gallery’s Instagram page.
Ogle non-illegal graffiti at an enclosed space
Date: Jan. 29, Thursday to Feb. 9, Sunday
Venue: Kanto Artist-Run Space, 2F, Makati Central Square, 1232 Chino Roces Avenue, Makati City
Meanwhile, next door from Underground Gallery, “Commissioned Vandalism” is still on view today until the first week of February at Kanto Artist-Run Space.
The 15-man artist exhibit sees the gallery’s walls covered with spray-painted graffiti tags, pasted-on zines, and DIY posters, alongside framed pop art. Mixed-media installations are also on display as a skate video plays on a loop. Works from local graffiti artists Glimp, Sasagasa, Toyo, Imbuh, Zente, and Tsarlyboy, among others, are on view.
Show runs until Feb. 9. For details visit Kanto Artist-Run Space’s Facebook page.
Catch a 3D film adaptation of this Japanese manga-based cult franchise
Date: Jan. 30, Thursday to Feb. 7, Friday
Venue: Cinema Centenario, 95 Maginhawa Street, Diliman, Quezon City
Dubbed the “world’s most wanted gentleman thief,” Lupin the Third first premiered in the Philippines in 1999 on GMA Network. The suave but bumbling comedic crook earned his way into our hearts, enough to spawn a 2007 live-action drama simply named Lupin loosely based on the Japanese series, which aired 95 episodes on the same network.
Flash forward to 2020 — doesn’t this iteration of the nostalgic cult classic leave you feeling something? In the 2019 film Lupin III: The First, the anti-hero goes on another adventure to uncover the secrets of a coveted diary, which is tied to the legacy of his famous grandfather, also his namesake.
Tickets are priced at PHP200 (US$4). For details, visit Cinema Centenario’s Facebook page.
Catch a one-night-only free advanced screening of this pre-Valentine’s romcom
Date: Jan. 31, Friday
Venue: U.P. Film Institute Cine Adarna, Osmeña Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City
New romcom flick On Vodka, Beers, and Regrets may have a suspiciously cheesy title and serve as a conspicuous vehicle for uniting stars JC De Vera and Bela Padilla — whose 100 Tula Para Kay Stella (“100 poems for Stella”) turned out to be a hit — but the good news is, you can formulate your opinions about the film by seeing it for free.
The one-night-only free screening will run this Friday night at the University of the Philippines’ massive 800-seater Cine Adarna. If you need a brush-up on the Irene Villamor film about a cutesy complicated relationship set to the tune of Up Dharma Down’s “Tadhana” (“Destiny”) then watch the teaser here.
Registration starts at 3pm and the film screens at 7pm. Seats are on a first-come, first-served basis. For more details, visit the U.P. Film Institute Film Center’s Facebook page.
Read more about places to eat and drink in the metro here.
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