Beyonce Tops My International Top 10 Countdown Anew

 

Beyonce tops My FABE International Top 10 countdown this week with 'Cuff It'.

Here are my ten favorite songs by international artists for the week ending January 27, 2023.

#1 Cuff It                                    Beyonce (#2) 

#2 Lie Like This                         Julia Michaels (#3)

#3 Bejeweled                              Taylor Swift (#4) 

#4 For the Lover that I Lost     Celine Dion (#5)

#5 The Colour of the Earth      PJ Harvey (#6)

#6 Young James Dean              Girlyman (#8)

#7 One Thing at a Time            Morgan Wallen (#9)

#8 Sideways                               Carly Rae Jepsen (#10)

#9 Take It Back                          JAWNY / Beck (NEW)

#10 Hard to Love                       Blackpink (NEW)

Jrldm and Chyno with a Why Top My OPM Top 10 Countdown

 Jrldm and Chyno with a Why top My FABE OPM Music Top 10 countdown this week.

Here are my ten favorite OPM songs for the week ending January 27, 2023 -

#1 Fade Away                                      Jrldm / Chyno with a Why (#2)

#2 Di Na                                               Kurt Fick (#3)

#3 Lamang Lupa                                Unique Salonga  (#4)

#4 Sun Laulu                                       Fin and Fil  (#5)

#5 Para Natong Duha                        Joseph Gara (#6) 

#6 Maghihiwalay Din Kayo              Eugene Layug (#7)

#7 Isayaw Tika                                     Mary Anchit (#8)

#8  Hawid                                            John Erscel (#9)

#9 Da Vao                                            Kent Charcos (NEW)

#10 My Baleleng                                 Mic Kindica (NEW)

AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN'S SINGLES BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER

This fantasy award is given to the player ranked outside the top 100 who reaches the deepest round in the Australian Open.  The lowest ranked player in the deepest round wins this award.

Here are the yearly winners -

2023 - Alexei Popyrin (AUS) #113

AUSTRALIAN OPEN MEN'S TEAM AWARD

This is a fantasy award I give to the country with the most number of players in the fourth round of the Australian Open.  If there is a tie, the rankings of the qualified players will be added and the least sum wins.

2023 - UNITED STATES - Tommy Paul, JJ Wolf, Ben Shelton, Sebastian Korda

2022 - ITALY - Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini

2021 - RUSSIA - Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Aslan Karatsev

2020 - SWITZERLAND - Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka

2019 - SPAIN - Rafael Nadal, Pablo Carreno Busta, Roberto Bautista Agut

Gregory Douglass Gets His Second #1 Song in my International Top 10 Countdown

 

Gregory Douglass gets his second #1 hit in My FABE Music International Top 10 Countdown.  

Here are my ten favorite songs by international artists for the week ending January 20, 2023 -

#1 Valiant Heart                      Gregory Douglass (#2)

#2 Cuff It                                    Beyonce (#3) 

#3 Lie Like This                         Julia Michaels (#4)

#4 Bejeweled                              Taylor Swift (#5) 

#5 For the Lover that I Lost     Celine Dion (#6)

#6 The Colour of the Earth      PJ Harvey (#7)

#7  Closer                                    H.E.R. / Saweetie (#8)

#8 Young James Dean              Girlyman (#10)

#9 One Thing at a Time            Morgan Wallen (NEW)

#10 Sideways                               Carly Rae Jepsen (NEW)

KaixAaron and Maki top My FABE Music Top 10 countdown

 

KaixAaron and Maki top My FABE Music Top 10 countdown this week.

Here are my ten favorite songs by OPM artists for the week ending January 13, 2023 -

#1 Thinkin' 'Bout Your Smile        KaixAaron / Maki (#2)

#2 Fade Away                                    Jrldm / Chyno with a Why (#3)

#3 Di Na                                               Kurt Fick (#5)

#4 Lamang Lupa                                Unique Salonga  (#6)

#7 Sun Laulu                                       Fin and Fil  (#7)

#8 Para Natong Duha                        Joseph Gara (#8) 

#9 Maghihiwalay Din Kayo              Eugene Layug (#9)

#10 Isayaw Tika                                   Mary Anchit (#10)

#10  Hawid                                            John Erscel (NEW)

Morgan Wallen Tops My FABE Music International Top 10 Countdown

 

Country music tops My FABE Music International Top 10 countdown this week as Morgan Wallen's 'Sand in My Boots' moves to the top.

Here are my ten favorite songs by international artists for the week ending January 13, 2023 - 

#1 Sand in my Boots              Morgan Wallen (#2)

#2 Valiant Heart                      Gregory Douglass (#3)

#3 Cuff It                                    Beyonce (#4) 

#4 Lie Like This                         Julia Michaels (#5)

#5 Bejeweled                              Taylor Swift (#7) 

#6 For the Lover that I Lost     Celine Dion (#8)

#7 The Colour of the Earth      PJ Harvey (#10)

#8  Closer                                    H.E.R. / Saweetie (NEW)

#9 Shut Down                             Blackpink (NEW)

#10 Young James Dean            Girlyman (NEW)

Gary Valenciano and Julie Anne San Jose top My FABE OPM Top 10 countdown

 

Gary Valenciano and Julie Anne San Jose top My FABE Music OPM Top 10 countdown this week.

Here are my ten favorite OPM songs for the week ending January 13, 2023 -

#1 Di  Ka Sa Akin                            Gary Valenciano / Julie Anne San Jose (#2)

#2 Thinkin' 'Bout Your Smile        KaixAaron / Maki (#3)

#3 Fade Away                                    Jrldm / Chyno with a Why (#4)

#5 Di Na                                               Kurt Fick (#5)

#6 Lamang Lupa                                Unique Salonga  (#6)

#7 Sun Laulu                                       Fin and Fil  (#7)

#8 Para Natong Duha                        Joseph Gara (#8) 

#9 Maghihiwalay Din Kayo              Eugene Layug (#9)

#10 Isayaw Tika                                   Mary Anchit (#10)

#10  Hawid                                            John Erscel (NEW)

My Personal Votes for the 2023 Golden Globe Awards

 

This 2023 edition of the Golden Globes is a big deal for Filipinos as we finally have homegrown Filipino talent, nominated in a major category - Best Actress in a Supporting Role, so we are sending our love and support for Dolly de Leon!  Just work the red carpet dear and smooch with all the Academy voters so they remember you during voting time LOL.

Anyway, here are my personal votes for all the categories in this year's edition of the Golden Globes -

Drama Motion Picture - Tar

Musical or Comedy Motion Picture - Triangle of Sadness

Director of a Motion Picture - Baz Luhrmann - Elvis

Actor in a Drama Motion Picture - Austin Butler - Elvis

Actor in a Musical or Comedy Film - Daniel Craig - Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Actress in a Drama Motion Picture - Cate Blanchett - Tar

Actress in a Musical or Comedy Motion Picture - Michelle Yeoh - Everything Everywhere All At Once

Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture - Dolly de Leon - Triangle of Sadness

Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture - Barry Keoghan - The Banshees of Inisherin

Screenplay of a Motion Picture - Todd Field - Tar

Animated Feature film - Pinocchio

Foreign Language Film - All Quiet on the Western Front

Original Score - Pinocchio - Alexandre Desplat

Original Song - Pinocchio - Ciao Papa - Alexandre Desplat

********************************************************

Drama TV Series - Better Call Saul

Musical or Comedy TV Series - Only Murders in the Building

Actor in a Drama TV Series - Bob Odenkirk - Better Call Saul

Actress in a Drama TV Series - Laura Linney - Ozark

Actor in a Musical or Comedy TV Series - Steve Martin - Only Murders in the Building

Actress in a Musical or Comedy TV Series - Kaley Cuoco - The Flight Attendant

Miniseries or TV Film - The White Lotus

Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture TV - Jessica Chastain - George & Tammy

Actor in a Mini-series or Motion Picture TV - Evan Peters - Dahmer: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story

Supporting Actor in a TV Series - Jonathan Pryce - The Crown

Supporting Actress in A TV Series - Julia Garner - Ozark

Supporting Actress in a Limited Series - Jennifer Coolidge - The White Lotus

Supporting Actor in a Limited Series - F. Murray Abraham - The White Lotus

H.E.R. and Tauren Wells Bring Gospel Back to the Summit of my FABE Music Top 10 International Countdown

Gospel moves back to the top of my FABE MUSIC Top 10 countdown, this time represented by H.E.R. and Tauren Wells in their collaboration entitled 'Hold Us Together'.  Here are my ten favorite songs by international artists for the week ending January 6, 2023.

#1 Hold Us Together             H.E.R. / Tauren Wells (#5)

#2 Sand in my Boots              Morgan Wallen (#3)

#3 Valiant Heart                      Gregory Douglass (#4)

#4 Cuff It                                    Beyonce (#10) 

#5 Lie Like This                         Julia Michaels (NEW)

#6 Talking to Yourself              Carly Rae Jepsen (NEW)

#7 Bejeweled                              Taylor Swift (NEW) 

#8 For the Lover that I Lost     Celine Dion (NEW)

#9 Pink Venom                            Blackpink (NEW)

#10 The Colour of the Earth      PJ Harvey (NEW)

Markus Tops My FABE Music OPM Top 10 Countdown

 

Markus gets his very first #1 song in my FABE Music OPM Top 10 countdown.

Here are my ten favorite OPM songs for the week ending January 6, 2022 -

#1 For J                                             Markus (#2)

#2 Di  Ka Sa Akin                            Gary Valenciano / Julie Anne San Jose (#3)

#3 Thinkin' 'Bout Your Smile        KaixAaron / Maki (#4)

#4 Fade Away                                    Jrldm / Chyno with a Why (#5)

#5 Di Na                                               Kurt Fick (#6)

#6 Lamang Lupa                                Unique Salonga  (#7)

#7 Sun Laulu                                       Fin and Fil  (#8)

#8 Para Natong Duha                        Joseph Gara (#9) 

#9 Maghihiwalay Din Kayo              Eugene Layug (#10)

#10 Isayaw Tika                                   Mary Anchit (NEW)

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: All Secrets and Lies in 'My Father, Myself'

 

When I first saw the trailer of 'My Father, Myself', I was not surprised by the immediate backlash it had because of the salaciousness of the material.  However, for a jaded soul like me, I immediately thought of Woody Allen as probably the source material for this movie, although here, the main characters are, well, closeted homosexuals.  

To those who are not privy to Woody Allen, just google Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen and find out that reality is more f***ed up than fiction.

The secrets and lies that the characters in this movie are keeping are all potential time bombs which could explode now that the central protagonists are already adults.  The script though sounded tedious and repetitive and I think this type of movie would've worked better if it followed a "show, don't tell" format. Subtlety could've helped in putting tension among the family members but instead, scene after scene is the usual "Why haven't you told Papa yet" and explanations that are quite redundant.

Anyhow, that is one part which I think could've improved the movie immensely - showing it in the actions of the characters and just allowing the viewer to figure things out - maybe like what Luca Guadagnino did in "Call Me By Your Name" - he just allowed the two male leads to fall in love - and the younger man's father figured it out - as he dished that amazing dialogue towards the end of the movie.

I like Dimples Romana's performance although she could've done more if they just allowed her character to show her feelings as she continues to discover what a creep her husband is.

I also like Tiffany Grey although she had the most repetitive parts of the script.  Her cluelessness and naivete showed throughout the movie before the part where she discovers the truth.

For a gay man like me, I could sense that Jake Cuenca was still deciding how he could portray the Dad with secrets.  Sometimes his 'gayness' shows, sometimes, he becomes straight.  I don't think gay men have that 'faucet' in ourselves to just turn it off at will.  There will always be uneasiness and awkwardness when we have to be who we are not.

This is the first time I have seen Sean de Guzman and he's palaban considering he's acting with Jake who's a seasoned actor.  His gay character though is a bit butch and it would've been fun if the screenwriter added a bit of real gayness to him which he has to hide - like maybe a crush on another handsome lawyer - or listening to Beyonce or Taylor Swift - or knowing Prada and LV.  I know they can be cliches but gay men are cliches and we have common interests which kind of show that we are 'queens'. It would've been fun to see how Sean would navigate that more complex character.

Even then, I still like the movie.  Now that I've seen the work of the younger directors, admittedly, the directing style of Joel Lamangan can be a bit dated and flat.  In a younger director's hand, the movie may find the freshness of context and point of view because as I said, this is a ticking time bomb story.  You could go either way - use Mike Leigh's understated style or Luca Guadagnino's show not tell style - or go full blast and do Todd Field's style of letting the character crash and burn. 

MOVIE REVIEW: There's More to 'Nanahimik Ang Gabi' Than What I Initially Thought

 

I actually did a cursory glance at the trailer of 'Nanahimik ang Gabi' and I thought it was based on the Stephen King novel, 'Gerald's Game' which is about a lovers' tryst  in a secluded house gone wrong.

I was greatly mistaken.

On the surface and at the start, it would seem that the movie was just that - maybe up to the point where Ian Veneracion's character puts a pair of cuffs on Heaven Peralejo's hands.

When Mon Confiado's character enters the movie, it slowly changes the tone of the movie as well as its premise.  What I thought was a sexy movie about a young airhead and her sugar daddy metamorphoses into a serious movie about police corruption and duplicity.

The movie may seem like a slow burn but based on the audience's reactions to it, many were really scared for Heaven and there were several tense scenes in the movie which elicited reactions of resignation at the fate of Heaven's character.  That her character changes from that of naivete and frivolousness to full-blown disgust is amazing to watch.  I even asked my brother who acted better, Heaven or Nadine Ilustre (in Deleter), and he said Nadine may have won because she was the more popular actress.

Kudos too to Ian Veneracion who deserves his Best Actor award for this movie.  It's really hard to see him as a despicable human being because he's so handsome and charming - like the Pinoy version of Keanu Reeves - very likeable and difficult to hate.  But Ian's character when first you see him and the way he shows off the real color of his character towards the end is fascinating to watch.

This movie has adult themes and may not appeal too much to the general public during the Christmas season.  I think the right marketing push geared towards the older demographic would've helped the movie achieve better box-office.  I just hope this team produces more adult-themed movies since I am really bored with all the teenybopper BS that our local cinema churns out.

MOVIE REVIEW: 'Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris' is Delightful and Inspiring

 

Like Mrs. Harris in the movie, most of us have had this moment of awe gaping and looking at designer goods.  In the movie, 'Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris', Lesley Manville plays a house cleaner who learns that her husband is certified dead and embarks on a trip to Paris after encountering a beautiful dress called 'Ravissante' in one of her client's closets.

She is undeterred even after learning that the dress costs a hefty 500 pounds, a hefty sum, even in today's money, hefty just for a frock.  Anyhow, this dress becomes her dream and she saves all her money, even betting on a dog race, to make sure she achieves her dream.

This is a well-acted movie and it has the right zest to cheer up anybody who is feeling low right now.  Its theme of making dreams come true is well-structured and there are enough obstacles along the way that would make the viewer really cheer for Mrs. Harris.

Lucas Bravo of 'Emily Goes to Paris' is here, reprising yet another handsome French man! Isabelle Huppert plays the haughty Mdme. Colbert and Jason Isaacs plays Archie, one of Mrs. Harris' devoted admirers.  They and a strong support cast make the movie a delight to watch.

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: Guillermo del Toro Puts His Own Stamp in His Vision for 'Pinocchio'

 

I was supposed to watch another movie in Netflix tonight but since it had no subtitles (que horror!) I decided to switch to Guillermo del Toro's 'Pinocchio' since it had several nominations from the Golden Globes.

I rarely watch animated feature films but since I am a big fan of Guillermo del Toro, this was an opportunity not to miss.  To those unfamiliar with his work, Guillermo del Toro has imagined a different world in 'Pan's Labyrinth' and the Oscar-winning 'The Shape of Water', using his very fertile imagination.

'Pinocchio' is no different and it is quite easy to discover which ideas are del Toro's and which is from the original story.

This is actually the first time I got to know the story of Pinocchio so I was not familiar with its general story, except its famous idea that if he lies, his nose will get bigger and bigger.

I thought that would be the main idea of the story but del Toro widens the canvas and includes his personal commentaries on war, children in war, fascism, animal rights, animal cruelty, and a host of other advocacies that come tumbling one after another as the movie progresses.

My favorite gist of the movie though is the relationship between Gepetto and Pinocchio.  I was close to tears in many scenes in the movie especially when Pinocchio sang 'Ciao Papa', and when Gepetto died.  Movies about fathers and sons make me cry easily.

This is a great movie and I strongly suggest you watch it.  del Toro has stamped his genius in the movie so it is greatly entertaining and the pacing is fast.  Even Mama, who watched it with me, never felt there was a dull moment.

AN UPDATE ON MY 2023 RESOLUTIONS

 

It's already the -ber months and I reread my resolutions and I admit I have not been this religious with doing all of them.  It should just remind me to implement it once again.  

So here goes -

* Pay yourself first.  Pay AXA and SSS first.

* Eat one serving of fruit and vegetable everyday.

* Go to gym everyday.

* Attend mass and pray the rosary everyday.

* Pray before sleeping and when you wake up.

* Start your calamansi plant. Make a garden on the porch.

* Write everyday either for the blogs or the novel.

* Hire a graphic artist for Mama's book

*  Post an IG pic everyday in tonyfabejr. Bring Iphone.

*  Continue learning French, Spanish and Indonesian.

*  Tweet something interesting everyday.

MY FABE FILM AWARDS 2021

 

BEST PICTURE

Belfast

Don't Look Up

The Power of the Dog

BEST DIRECTOR
Belfast

Don't Look Up

The Power of the Dog

BEST ACTOR

The Power of the Dog - Benedict Cumberbatch

BEST ACTRESS
Kathryn Bernardo - Hello Love Goodbye
Lupita Nyong'o - Us
Florence Pugh - Midsommar
Octavia Spencer - Ma
Cho Yeo-Jeong - Parasite

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali - Green Book
Jamie Bell - Rocketman
Ricardo Darin - Wild Tales
Anupam Kher - Hotel Mumbai
Choi Woo-Shik - Parasite

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Park So Dam - Parasite
Jang Hye Jin - Parasite
Jennifer Lopez - Hustler
Elisabeth Moss - Us
Erica Rivas - Wild Tales

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Hello Love Goodbye - Carmi Raymundo, Crystal San Miguel, Cathy Garcia Molina
Midsommar - Ari Aster
Parasite - Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-Won
Rocketman - Lee Hall
Wild Tales - Damian Szifron

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Downton Abbey - Julian Fellowes
Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Vile and Evil - Michael Werwie
Green Book - Peter Farrelly, Brian Currie, Nick Vallelonga
Hustlers - Lorene Scafaria
The Upside - Olivier Nakache, Jon Hartmere, Eric Toledano

MY FABE FILM AWARDS 2023

 

This is an ongoing post.  Everytime I watch a 'new movie', it will be included here and it can compete in all the categories.

There will be 8 nominees per category because it will be combined with Filipino films.

January 1, 2023 - All Quiet on the Western Front

January 2, 2023 - Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

January 4, 2023 - Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

January 5, 2023 - Nanahimik ang Gabi

January 5, 2023 - My Father, Myself

BEST PICTURE

All Quiet on the Western Front

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Nanahimik ang Gabi

BEST DIRECTOR

All Quiet on the Western Front

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Nanahimik ang Gabi

BEST ACTOR

Ian Veneracion - Nanahimik ang Gabi

BEST ACTRESS

Lesley Manville - Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

Heaven Peralejo - Nanahimik ang Gabi

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Felix Kammerer - All Quiet on the Western Front

Albert Schuch - All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Tiffany Grey - My Father, Myself

Dimples Romana - My Father, Myself

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

All Quiet on the Western Front

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

My Father, Myself

Nanahimik ang Gabi

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM

All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

All Quiet on the Western Front

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN

All Quiet on the Western Front

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE

All Quiet on the Western Front

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

Nanahimik ang Gabi

BEST ORIGINAL SONG

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio - Ciao Papa

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris

BEST FILM EDITING

BEST MAKE-UP AND HAIRSTYLING

All Quiet on the Western Front

Nanahimik ang Gabi

BEST SOUND

All Quiet on the Western Front

Nanahimik ang Gabi

TONY'S MOVIE REVIEW: 'All Quiet on the Western Front' Puts Us Front and Center in the Battlefield

 

Germany's entry to this year's Oscars, 'All Quiet on the Western Front' is a brutal depiction of what happens in a war and it was quite an uneasy watch for me since the movie's director decided to bring the fighting needed in this movie front and center.  I was tempted to press forward many times but I stuck with my guns, pardon the pun and absorbed the movie's quiet moments, its funny moments, and all the gunfire and explosion scenes while the family had its post New Year dinner LOL

This is the first movie I have seen in 2023 and will qualify for My FABE Movie Awards for 2023 already, as I use the calendar year as a rule.  Anyhow, this is an impressive movie, and we were all heartbroken as we watched one of the soldiers lose his life AFTER the armistice was signed.  It gets even more sad when an idiot leader forces his already very tired troops to one last fight.  I guess the director's point after watching this all is that no one ever wins in a war - and he drives it like an arrow straight to our hearts.  For our generation who has been lucky never having to engage in a real war, we fully understand the folly of dying of honor for one's country when your leaders are ensconced in the comfort of their homes - safe, warm, and smug.