Comedy, Love, Relationships and Second Chances on MMFF 2023 Entry BROKEN HEARTS TRIP

 

Giving you tons of laughter and a couple of heartstrings is this upcoming MMFF 2023 entry called "Broken Hearts Trip" to be shown on Christmas day.

The theme of the movie lies in the characters who's part of the LGBT community, 5 individuals who are trying to find their goals on money and love. Though this will be telling much of the hurt, the sacrifices, the change in people, these are the huge factor why the film was actually chosen for MMFF 2023 according to the Director Lem Lorca.

The film stars Christian Bables, Direk Andoy Ranay, Petite, Iyah Minah and Teejay Marquez. The movie also includes award winning actress Ms. Jaclyn Jose, Jay Gonzaga, Ron Angeles, Argel Saycon, Marvin Yap, Tart Carlos, Amold Reyes, Kevin Posadas and runway fairy extraordinaire Sinon Loresca.

Christian Bables adds "We promised to make people happy and wanted them to realize something about their pain and their broken hearts, and healing. I did my best as an actor, and with the grace of God, thank you, and if I didn't get the best actor trophy, I'd be glad to see the deserving one win it. I hope we both get recognition for the hard work and we also would love if we do good in the box office. I really appreciate learning the best worth ethics from Jaclyn Jose, I believe the best actors don't want to get that pressure from her. She's a very good listener, it doesn't matter if one is new in the industry because she will give you what you need in the scenes, she's that generous and great."

Direk Lem Lorca says "Broken Hearts Trip really had some things broken in the process, it's how we heal and the characters have different ways of finding a cure. Yes, it won't be solely solving their problems in one way, they are hurt, sad, angry and even hiding their feelings. We will take you for a ride when it comes out in Christmas."

Here's our video coverage of the event, please enjoy!

 During the press conference, I personally asked them about their personal experiences. Knowing they had their fair share of first love, breakups and things they've learned, Direk Andoy Ranay shared how he was in love with an older chap who after breaking up, was able to remain friends til today. Christian Bables on the other hand talked about young love, where he had a falling out with a lady who was already working while he was only starting out. They broke up in a cab, where he got the surprise of his life after being informed that he was "the other guy" in the relationship. Petite reminisced about the reasons how she and Amir broke up, and when she knew that she was already into the fantasy, joking that after they broke up, still had to send GCash after that. Iyah Minah on the other hand shared how she felt like a woman, she was treated like one, even when she hadn't transitioned yet. She was young, but it was the first time she experienced love and romance. She's still thankful that happened.

Becoming part of the MMFF 2023 final list isn't an accident for this one. The trailer alone gives that interesting story that's not just going to give you laughter from start to finish, but a whole new reason to believe in love, relationships, even second chances. The movie comes out on Christmas Day and will have a showcase internationally in January, please stay tuned for that especially those who are in North America. For those who are in the Philippines, make sure you've got Broken Hearts Trip as part of your MMFF 2023 Holiday watch list. It'll be doubly fun if you get your family and friends with you, after all, a happy movie won't hurt especially during the Christmas and New Year's Day. They promise you, it'll be fun with the right amount of love in between.

This is produced by BMC Films and Smart Films.

LG Takes Van Gogh Alive To Next Level at BGC Art Center

I've had the pleasure of studying about his life, and his illustrious works of art back in college, and yes, Van Gogh has certainly gone through generations. At the BGC Art Center, they're doing a display called Van Gogh Alive which has been raved by art lovers these past few days, and as a partner, technology and home brand LG is taking it to another level.   

Since it's a limited run, LG will make that multi sensory experience come to life with the various displays they have like the LG OLED 83 inch (OLED83C3PSA model) and the LG QNED 75 inch (75QNED80SRA) for those drawings, accompanied by immersive sound and acoustics, you'll feel like you're in a dream or inside the actual painting. If you're in the lobby, there's various LG 50 inch UHD TV's  (50UR8050PSB model) so you could see the merch being displayed after the whole experience.

Van Gogh Alive has been in over 100 cities around the world and the inclusion of the Philippines is certainly enrich art appreciation among Filipinos, just like the those who ave already seen it elsewhere. LG promises to bring more of these technologies and innovation for a better life. You may check their official website lg.com/ph if you want to know more about their OLED products and devices, it's all there!

If you want to see it, you can get tickets via bgcartscenter.org/vga

Golden Haven Launches Own Pet Crematorium

They've always been known for having posh themed memorial parks across the country, and this time, they're giving your special furry member of the family a proper goodbye with their Golden Haven Pet Crematorium. It's located at their premier project in Las Pinas City. This is quite monumental in terms of services provided for the families this can benefit, especially for those who look at their pets differently at this day and age.

For those who would want to take a look at it, it stands at the front of Golden Haven Memorial Park. This was launched last October 21st, and was introduced via a full on motorcade in various streets off Las Pinas City. Using their fleet of vehicles, onlookers were all excited as the stretch of cars drove by. It was colorful and exciting, a perfect opportunity for them to also know about the new service created for their two or four legged friends.

The event was also witnessed by the Golden Haven President Ms. Emy Lustado, and Las Pinas Divisiion Head Ms. Iris Guazon. This is part of their plans to make sure there's a place to say goodbye to their cuddly loved ones, where the lay men and women would have a place to solemnly officiate their blessings when the time comes. Their social channels also feature the facility and has gotten fur parents excited seeing such a place dedicated for the furry ones as part of their after life services. This is compassion in action, so head on to their social channels by searching Golden Haven on FB, Twitter, TikTok etc. or their website  goldenhaven.com.ph because everything is there.

Go pay them a visit if you feel like your pets deserve the best goodbye.

Still Making Milestones: The FIGARO Coffee Group

The pandemic must have been hard for businesses and it did stay true with the Figaro Cofee Group. A few months ago, we were in the midst of their executives to see where their group is heading especially this 2024. The event was graced by Mr. Justin Liu the group's Chairman, Ms. Divine Cabuloy their CEO/President, Mr. Mike Barret their COO/EVP and Mr. Petronio Español III the Figaro Group's CFO.

Still Bullishly Expanding

During the pandemic, they have had really hard times as restaurants were either forced to close or not allowed to have dine in customers sans protocols implemented by the government. Though they have coffee shops, Chinese and other brands, their Angel's Pizza was a hit. It was so much of a hit that they had to absorb employees from different corporations who went in the verge of closing down and get them to work in their new branches. The pizza delivery industry sector went huge, and their flavor and food innovations proved positively good during those years. Today, the FIGARO Coffee Group owns 60 Figaro Coffee stores, 116 Angel's Pizza outlets, over 10 Tien Ma restaurants, and 6 Cafe Portofino branches nationwide. That's over 192 all in all, and they are strategically expanding outside the metro in places like Laguna, Pampanga, Rizal, Cebu, Pangasinan, Leyte, Bohol and Davao. They are thinking of more regions next year, and this expansion comes with careful planning and coordination so no quality would be sacrificed in any of their stores.

Financially Strong, Making Milestones

Their Chairman Justin Liu personally explained their recent milestones in terms of finances in the Figaro Group. Their 75% increase in revenues alone had our jaw dropped and they attribute it to the aggressive expansion projects they made outside Metro Manila. Aside from that, a 6% increase in existing stores has helped achieve great sales figures as compared to 2022, that's over Php 2.44 Billion albeit a decline in gross margins back in June which they attribute to inflation and expensive raw materials. Net income came at a whopping Php 462.6 Million because of their wise mitigation in costs and increase in volume (since they did expand stores), undoubtedly a really good reason to celebrate.


They also added the new Creamy Spinach Sushi Bake to the menu a few months ago. With it, is the highly successful Creamy Spinach Dip Pizza. They also launched the "Sama Sama Sa Angel's Pizza" jingle which I'm sure will add to the really good marketing ploys they launched. They also had a few more viands in their other brands plus Oat based drinks which will make the nutty success in their coffee brands.

This is just the start, and I felt there will be more stores for Angel's Pizza in the Visayas and Mindanao region in the coming months. Figaro really weathered through a storm, survived it, and is flourishing! 

Congratulations FIGARO Group!