"THE WOLVERINE'S" ADAMANTIUM-STRENGTH OPENING at P95 MILLION

The Wolverine reaches box-office highs

"The Wolverine" ripped through new box-office highs earning P95 million on its four-day opening weekend in the Philippines and has now seized the Biggest Opening Weekend title for a Fox film all-time and is now the Highest Opening Weekend in the X-Men franchise.

Hugh Jackman's 6th donning of the adamantium-clawed hero evidently drew a stronghold of supporters and fans when "The Wolverine" yielded a solid P19 million earn on its opening day (July 25) with a tallied admission of 105, 045 in more than 300 screens in the country.  The first opening day figure of "The Wolverine" ebbed down "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith's" hold as the Biggest Opening Day for a Fox film All-Time.  Likewise, "The Wolverine's" opening day box-office also surpassed "Captain America," "Iron Man," "Thor," "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," "X-Men First Class" and "X-Men: The Last Stand."

The movie's setting in Japan and Wolverine being vulnerable for the first time amplified the movie's unique tone encouraging repeat views and positive reviews across the nation.  Indestructible as adamantium, "The Wolverine's" impressive performance on its first 4-day weekend opening clawed in the larger percentage of the market share at 72% over all other films that played on the same week.

"The Wolverine's" highest opening weekend box-office receipts came from SM Mall of Asia with a gross of P4.9 million.  Next top grosser listed is SM Megamall with P4.5 million followed by SM North Edsa/The Block with P4.03 million while Newport (P3.8 M) and Ayala Cinema's Trinoma (P3.71 M) completed the top five grossing cinemas.

Still included within "The Wolverine's" top 20 grossing cinemas are Glorietta4 (P3.4 M); Powerplant (P2.7 M); Greenbelt3 (P2.43 M); Gateway Cineplex/Ali Mall (P2.19 M); Theatremall (P2.18 M); Alabang Town Center (P2.08 M); Eastwood (P2.02 M); SM Cebu (P1.9 M); Shang Cineplex (P1.88 M); Robinson's Galleria (P1.83 M); Robinson's Magnolia (P1.73 M); Ayala Cebu (P1.62 M); Robinson's Ermita (P1.61 M); SM Fairview (P1.34 M) and Market!Market! (P1.32 M).

Rediscovering the hero inside and on a perilous journey set in Japan amidst the maze of deceit, betrayal and honor, Logan aka Wolverine will truly come to know the price of a life without end. 

"The Wolverine" is a 20th Century Fox offering still showing in cinemas nationwide in 2D and 3D format.

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TOOTHLESS AND HICCUP SOAR ONCE AGAIN “HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2” Trailer

How to Train your Dragon 2 trailer released

The recent release of DreamWorks Animation’s “How To Train Your Dragon 2” trailer thrilled fans worldwide as the faithful dragon Toothless and his best friend Hiccup soared on air once again.  (View latest trailer here:  http://youtu.be/BsFdEt_OAhI).

At the tail of the success of the first movie, Toothless and Hiccup are back for bigger adventures, laughs and battles as additional voice cast were revealed in this year’s Comic-Con event.  From the phenomenal series “Game of Thrones,” Kit Harrington voices an amusing dragon-trapper named Eret whom he describes as very cocky and brazen; Cate Blanchett who’s known for her role in “The Lord of the Rings” franchise also joins the cast as Valka, a savior of dragons while Djimon Hounsou (“Blood Diamond”) is cast as the voice of Drago Bludvist who chases dragons for personal vendetta.

Directed by Dean Deblois, “How To Train Your Dragon” soars five years after best friends Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) and Toothless united dragons and Vikings on the island of Berk.   DeBlois shared that the film starts where the first one left off – the Vikings are now on the backs of the dragons with the entire world in front of them.  When one of their adventures leads to the discovery of a secret ice cave that is home to hundreds of new wild dragons and the mysterious Dragon Rider, the two friends find themselves at the center of a battle to protect the peace. Now, Hiccup and Toothless must unite to stand up for what they believe while recognizing that only together do they have the power to change the future of both men and dragons.

Landing June 2014 in theaters, “How To Train Your Dragon 2” is a DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox presentation to be distributed by Warner Bros. (Phils.).

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RYAN REYNOLDS: FASTEST SNAIL IN “TURBO”

Catch "Turbo 3D" Now playing in cinemas

In the delightful 3D animated film, “Turbo,” Ryan Reynolds stars as a snail with an extraordinary dream: he wants to be fast.  Very fast.  It’s a contradiction in terms but that doesn’t stop this tenacious creature from pursuing his ambition. Despite a series of obstacles along the way, (including opposition from his own brother, played by Paul Giamatti) the turbo-charged mollusk enlists the help of an unusual crew of supporters who cheer him on.

“Turbo” is the story of an unusual hero, an ordinary garden snail with big dreams. He may be one of the slowest creatures on the planet but he longs to be fast, speedy enough to win a legendary car race. With heart-stopping action and lively characters, the family film from DreamWorks Animation and Twentieth Century Fox centers on the engaging Theo (he changes his name to Turbo) ,voiced by the talented Ryan Reynolds, who lives in the yard of a house in Southern California. He sneaks into the garage at night to watch racing on an old TV set and is obsessed with French-Canadian world champion,Guy Gagné, (Bill Hader) the five-times winner of the historic Indy 500: [The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race] one of the world’s most prestigious car races that is held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

The fact that the race is for cars not mollusks is irrelevant to the tiny creature. Turbo has a clear vision, although like every underdog (or under snail) he faces a series of formidable obstacles along the way. It seems like a ludicrously impossible goal, but Turbo’s adventure kicks into high gear on the freeway in Los Angeles when a freak accident gives him the power of super-speed: he can travel at 230 miles per hour! The turbo-charged snail embarks on a thrilling adventure, assisted by a crew of racing snails anda few human characters too. His cautious brother Chet (Paul Giamatti) believes Turbo should stay at home with his family and forget the whole idea. The intrepid snail remains undeterred.

“Ryan just seemed like the perfect fit to play Turbo,” says director David Soren. The ironic thing was that he had just been chosen as (America’s) People Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive before we met him to pitch the role. I was nervously waiting for him to arrive at our lunch. Then he showed up and the first words out of his mouth were: ‘I can't wait to be a snail. ’So you've got to hand it to the guy, he is willing to try anything. He has no ego, he is so talented and he was a joy to work with and incredibly committed to the part.”

“Turbo is a guy who sees himself on the wrong side of destiny. Unfortunately he's a garden snail. And garden snails usually fail to register even the tiniest blip on the spectrum of greatness. Turbo is completely disillusioned with his lot in life and with the perception of his life as ‘ordinary’. He sees himself as a guy who is on the very cusp of true greatness. He views himself not just as the fastest snail on earth, but the fastest anything on earth,” explains Reynolds of his character.

Further, Reynolds notes, “I think kids see the world as a vast expanse in which ANYTHING is possible. I think they typically relate to larger than life characters like Turbo because they themselves are larger than life. Kids haven't internalized the false message that they're limited in some way. The idea that a garden snail might beat an Indy car in a race isn't altogether farfetched to kids. It's possible. It's exciting. And it means they too are capable of shattering moulds in their lives, achieving their goals and realizing dreams.”

“Turbo” is now playing in theaters nationwide from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox distributed by Warner Bros. in the Philippines.

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“THE WOLVERINE” in a maze of powerful foes and allies

The most iconic character in the X-Men universe embarks upon on an epic journey in modern-day Japan in “The Wolverine.”  Inspired by the celebrated Marvel comic book arc, Logan (Hugh Jackman), the century-old mutant known to the world as Wolverine, is lured to a Japan he hasn’t seen since World War II – and into a shadowy realm of Yakuza and Samurai. 

Director James Mangold embraced the opportunity to take Logan directly into the heart of present-day Japan, which is as full of sleek, high-tech modernity as it is rife with deep traditions and hidden codes of honor.  “This story takes Logan into a kind of fever dream of today’s Japan, full of Yakuza, Ninja, Samurai, Industrialist crime, mystery and mysticism,” the director explains.

The Japanese setting allowed director Mangold and Jackman to re-imagine Logan in a fresh guise:  as a Rōnin. “In feudal Japan, the Samurai belonged to a master, and a Rōnin is a Samurai who no longer has a master to serve.  So, he is a kind of a warrior without a purpose, without a cause,” Mangold explains.  “Many of the people who made Logan feel part of a cause are now gone.  So, he’s essentially a lost man, capable of doing anything, with no mandate. That’s an iconography that American Westerns and Samurai films share and now we’re bringing a comic book character into it.” 
   
First-time actor Rila Fukushima, plays Yukio - the fiery, sword-wielding bodyguard of Logan.  A native of Tokyo, Rila Fukushima says it was Yukio’s colorful intensity that intrigued her.  “What interested me were her physicality and her ruthless nature,” she muses.“I was really excited to have the chance to do such strong action sequences– but I also saw great potential for humor with her.”

Fukushima threw herself into the high spirit and trials of the role.  “It was an amazing, challenging journey for me,” she says.  “I trained with our terrific stunt team, learned all the physical stuff, including sword work, kick-boxing and fighting, and also did lots of weight training.  I’d never done anything like this before, but it was great fun.”

Tao Okamoto plays out Mariko’s complicated love story with Logan.  Okamoto was drawn to the background of her character as the daughter of a powerful industrialist who was never there for her, and has arranged a marriage for her to a man she does not love.  “Mariko could never be a normal woman,” Okamoto observes.  “At the start of the story, she is someone very desperate. Then she meets Logan, and she starts to realize what she wants in life, and she begins to change.  That transformation was very interesting to me.”
   
Another powerful and complex woman is brought to life by Svetlana Khodchenkova, who takes on the green-eyed Viper, a cunning and treacherous mutant.  Khodchenkova, who hails from Russia, is best known in the West for her recent breakout role in the acclaimed spy story Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, as the Soviet operative Irina. 

“The Wolverine” in 3D opens July 25 in more than 200 screens nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Check out “THE WOLVERINE’S” heart-stopping action here http://youtu.be/Kx9JhjtM3Rk

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Ken Jeong voices an old woman in Team "Turbo"

Ken Jeong in Team Turbo

In the 3D family comedy adventure “Turbo,” a snail learns that it takes more than talent to get to the top and that there’s no substitute for friends and family in the pursuit of a dream.

It’s a lesson that the little snail at the heart of the new animated 3D film TURBO discovers when he sets out to become a champion racing driver.  Turbo (Ryan Reynolds) has determination, drive and a sense of adventure but is an outsider within community of ordinary garden snails. He is dissatisfied with his lot; moving through life at a snail’s pace doesn’t suit his temperament.

Turbo has an outlandish fantasy of traveling over 200 miles per hour – just like his hero, a champion French Canadian racing driver. It doesn’t sound possible for a creature known for being one of the slowest on Earth, but an accident on the freeway gives the little snail incredible speed. Turbo-charged, he embarks on a wild adventure in search of racing glory. Initially Turbo has no support at all. His goals are regarded with disdain by his brother Chet (Paul Giamatti), who thinks he should settle down and forget all about racing.  Along the way he ends up with a group of racing snails in a rundown strip mall called Starlight Plaza.  The humans whom he also met became an integral part of his journey who backed him up in doing the impossible – to race in the Indy 500.
                
The Starlight team broadens the film’s world, says director Soren.  “We begin in the snail universe and the film’s scope and visuals gradually expand to encompass a much more expansive environment.”

The leader of this group is Tito, who is co-owner, with his brother Angelo, of a struggling taco business they call Dos Bros Tacos.  Tito’s true passion rests not with ground meat and tortillas, but with the snail races he hosts along with his fellow shop owners at the Starlight Plaza, as a means to gain exposure for their businesses.  When Turbo zooms into Tito’s life at 200 miles per hour, Tito is inspired and the two kindred spirits head off to chase their impossible dreams.

The senior member of the Starlight Plaza group is Kim Ly, a cantankerous and elderly nail salon owner who doesn’t mince words voiced by Ken Jeong (widely known for his character in “The Hangover” trilogy).  Her expert manicurist skills come in handy when, as a member of Turbo’s pit crew, she paints, buffs and polishes Turbo’s racing shell.

“Kim Ly is menacing, but mostly adorable,” says Jeong who’s anything but typecast as an elderly woman.  “She has a little bit of a mean streak and can talk smack with the best of them.”  Kim and the other shop owners bankroll Turbo’s trip to Indianapolis, hoping to cash in when he crosses the finish line.  But by journey’s end, “she really cares about Turbo and the rest of the crew,” says Jeong.

About his unexpected casting as an aged Vietnamese woman, Jeong says that when he saw the film, “Somehow it just fit!”   But Soren knew he had the right actor for the part after watching Jeong on a national talk show.  “He was imitating his mother and mother-in-law, and he sounded like an elderly woman,” Soren remembers.  “And I said to myself, ‘That’s Kim Ly.’  I talked to Ken about it, and he loves the fact that he’s sort of channeling his mother-in-law for the role.”
              
“TURBO” (in 3D and 2D) opens July 19 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Check out Turbo’s latest trailer here:  http://youtu.be/sVZzVIjVhso

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TURBO 3D - latest trailer released

Turbo 3D releases latest trailer

From the makers of "Madagascar," "Kung Fu Panda" and "The Croods," "TURBO" is a high-velocity 3D comedy about an underdog snail whose dreams kick into overdrive when he miraculously attains the power of super-speed. But after making fast friends with a crew of streetwise, tricked-out es-car-goes, Turbo learns that no one succeeds on their own. So he puts his heart and shell on the line to help his pals achieve their dreams, before Turbo-charging his own impossible dream: winning the Indy 500.

Check out TURBO'S latest trailer here where no dream is too big and no dreamer too small 

"Turbo 3D" features a stellar voice cast - Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Samuel L. Jackson, Snoop Dogg, Michelle Rodriguez, Michael Pena, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz, Richard Jenkins and Ken Jeong.

"Turbo" is from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox to open on July 19 in theaters nationwide.

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Turn up "The Heat"!

Turn up "The Heat"

Budding comedy scribe Katie Dippold loved cop movies growing up.  Now a grown up, her love for cop movies continues and had successfully penned the latest Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy starrer “The Heat” directed by Paul Feig.   The estrogen-filled comedy features Sandra Bullock as the uptight FBI agent Sarah Ashburn and Melissa McCarthy as the unorthodox Boston police officer paired together to hunt down a ruthless drug lord.

“The Heat” is the first produced screenplay by Katie Dippold, who has written for television shows like Parks and Recreation and MadTV.  The film was born from Dippold’s love of buddy-cop movies.  She has many favorites, but singles out the 1986 comedy-action film Running Scared, starring Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines as wisecracking Chicago street cops.  “I’ve always enjoyed those kinds of movies,” says Dippold, who recently signed a deal to write another comedy for director Paul Feig.  “The characters and actors always seemed like they were having so much fun.”

Dippold’s love of buddy-cop films provided the foundation for a script that ultimately transcended the genre with outrageous humor and heart.  Feig sparked to the script, calling it “one of the funniest I’ve ever read.”

“It turns the genre on its head by adding some breasts,” jokes Bullock.  “It’s gonna surprise people what women with breasts can do.”

When the filmmaker told Dippold that “The Heat” was going to be his next film, the neophyte screenwriter was flummoxed. “I thought I was being pranked,” Dippold admits.  “I got an email saying that Paul wanted to have lunch with me.  After reading the email, I sat there frozen for several minutes.  Then, I thought it was a joke.”  “Well, that’s Katie,” says producer Jenno Topping.  “She’s incredibly humble and real.”

With Dippold’s first draft in hand, Feig moved at warp speed to cast the film, a task facilitated by his visualizing his “dream team” in the script.  “I’ve always been a fan of Sandra Bullock, and as I was reading I was just like, okay, Ashburn is Sandra.  Ashburn felt like her.  Sandra is so funny in movies and in real life.  She’s confident and cool, but she’s also analytical about things to a point where it’s comical, and which I love.  And that’s how I felt about the Ashburn character.”

“Sandra brings a sweet quality to what could have been an unlikable character,” adds Katie Dippold.  “She really nails that ‘A+-student’ vibe, and she’s hilarious.”  And McCarthy notes that, “Sandra is great, funny and weird.  We are very much in sync.”

It didn’t take much convincing to bring Bullock aboard. She was a big fan of “Bridesmaids,” and eager to work with its director, Feig.  “Watching Bridesmaids was one of those rare moments when I thought to myself that this is a person [Feig] I want to work with because you know he is going to make you better – and that he could turn “The Heat” into something memorable.”

The strength of the Bullock-McCarthy dynamic, evident even then, inspired additional script fine-tuning.  “By the end of that first read, it was obvious that Sandy and Melissa really inhabited these characters, and that it was up to Katie Dippold and me to take all that magic and get it into the script – and really let the women fly,” says Feig.
   
For Dippold, the process was liberating.  “Sandy and Melissa took what was on the page and made it funnier than I thought it could ever be,” she says.  A particular favorite came during a Mullins’ tirade against her captain (played by Tom Wilson) – accusing him of lacking a set of testes – when he refuses her demand to boot Ashburn from the case.  “Melissa really ran with the one scripted line, ‘Have you seen the captain’s balls?’ and turned it into something spectacular.”

Rated R-13, “The Heat” opens June 27 in theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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All systems go for "Turbo" 3D

"Turbo" 3D coming to you!

Audiences love to root for courageous dreamers who pursue their goals when the odds are stacked firmly against them.   It’s a tradition that has stood the test of time and one that has a powerful appeal for filmmaker David Soren, who tells the story of an unusual underdog – or under snail –in the animated 3Dfilm, “Turbo.”

Voiced by Ryan Reynolds, Turbo dreams of being fast, fast enough to compete against champions in one of the world’s toughest car races.  Defying logic, physics, nature and critics (including his own brother) the small snail sets out on a thrilling adventure.

Director David Soren describes Turbo in the new movie from DreamWorks Animation, as the ultimate underdog’, for obvious reasons. “ Turbo is a snail and snails are constantly faced with challenges. They are smushed, salted and stepped on; they're eaten in some parts of the world,” says Soren who set his story in Southern California where he lives with his family. The filmmaker became fascinated with the snails he observed in his own front yard.  “Mother Nature has dealt them a bad hand,” he says. “When it seems impossible for a character to have any chance of success, that's exactly what makes a great underdog story. And that’s what it is like for Turbo.”

Turbo dreams of escaping the mundane confines of his sluggish community. Frustrated with life in the slow lane, he has a fantasy of racing glory and an adrenaline-fueled life that’s a far cry from the yard where he lives with his cautious brother Chet (Paul Giamatti). Frustrated by his own physical limitations, Turbo wants to move at high speed and is inspired by his hero, a French Canadian racing driver.

Like “Turbo,” all the best underdog stories are inspirational and exciting. They invariably revolve around decent people (or animals) who don’t come from privilege (it’s hard to find arich underdog) and are driven to succeed in the face of what appear to be insurmountable obstacles, within themselves and in the world around them.  Underdog tales remind us that we have the power to change our own destiny. And that’s an intoxicating theme.

It’s a theme that is close to director David Soren’s heart. “Underdog stories for me are some of my favorites out there. Inspirations for me on “Turbo” were “Rocky” and “The Karate Kid.” They have become part of my DNA.  In the time-honored tradition of the underdog, Turbo’s ultimate goal is ambitious:  to compete in the Indianapolis 500 (one of the world’s most famous car races). Like all underdogs, Turbo is single-minded.

“He lives in the front yard of a house in the San Fernando Valley and sneaks into the garage every night to watch racing on an old dusty TV,” says David Soren. “Early in the movie Turbo has a freak accident and gains the power of incredible speed, he can move at 200miles per hour. People love to root for the little guy like Turbo. When I see a good underdog movie I get fired up. It makes me want to crack five eggs into a glass and swallow them whole, then go and work out. That kind of movie makes me want to work harder and push myself to do better and go farther. That is ideally what I hope this movie does for people.”

“I think everybody feels like an underdog to some degree. It's why DAVID AND GOLIATH is such a relatable story and such a great parable. Overcoming enormous obstacles in order to achieve a goal is what makes an achievement mean something. It's the key ingredient,” says the actor Ryan Reynolds, who voices TURBO. Currently at the top of his game as an actor, Reynolds says he can identify with the hero of the film.

“Turbo is a guy who sees himself on the wrong side of destiny. Unfortunately he's a garden snail. And garden snails usually fail to register even the tiniest blip on the spectrum of greatness. He is completely disillusioned with his lot in life and with the perception of his life as ‘ordinary’. He sees himself as a guy who is on the very cusp of true greatness. My favorite underdog story? I loved ROCKY,” says Reynolds. “It is one of the greatest ever told.”

“Turbo” 3D features an all-star voice cast including Paul Giamatti, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph, Ben Schwartz and Samuel L. Jackson -  opens July 19 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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ACTION AND COMEDY SIZZLE IN “THE HEAT”

 "The Heat" is on!!

Director Paul Feig reinvigorates the buddy cop genre by pairing Oscar-winner Sandra Bullock and breakout star Melissa McCarthy as law enforcers with wildly different styles in “The Heat.” 

Set in Boston, the movie follows Sarah Ashburn (Bullock), a rigid FBI agent forced to team up with Shannon Mullins (McCarthy), a brash undercover Boston street cop to track a ruthless drug lord.   Ashburn is a straight-laced, patient, methodical investigator known for her excellence, while Mullins is very short fused and none has ever had a partner or a long time friend.  This wildly dysfunctional duo must try to catch this high-powered criminal without killing one another in the process.

Director Feig enthused on Bullock’s and McCarthy’s pairing, “I’m excited about doing a female buddy cop comedy because I can only think of a couple that have come along in the last 20 years and I don’t think they were particularly great. To me, though, I’m not looking at it as two women - it’s just two of the funniest people I know. Melissa, who I’ve worked with and is hilarious, and then Sandy who I’ve always been a fan of who is also hilarious. What I like is they have two different senses of humor and two different styles of comedy and the two complement each other.”

In a genre mostly dominated by men, Feig shares that the pairing is an ideal mix.  “Sometimes you come up with these combos in your head and then you put them together and they don’t work at all. But we had a little rehearsal down in Atlanta when Melissa was doing another movie, and the minute they started reading together, I thought, “Okay, this is funny.”Now they’re actuallythe best of friends and onscreen the chemistry between them is great because of this, and they both bring aspects of themselves to each of their characters – they balance each other out great. Sandy’s so funny at playing the uptight nerdy-but-officious person and then Melissa’s character is just all street smarts and brawn and force. I set them loose and then just get to sit behind the monitor and laugh – I’m amazed at what they’re discovering and coming up with,” Feig continues.

Directing the raucous comedy that is “The Heat” has its unwritten rules too according to Feig.  “My criteria for comedy is it has to have an emotional core, first and foremost.  It also has to have believable characters, even if they’re doing big crazy things or they’re big personalities. It’s not necessarily about jokes – it’s the behavioral aspect of it, and the way they’re reacting off each other.

Jokes sometimes land like lead because they just sound very written, but a funny reaction to something makes it funnier. With the Internet and YouTube we’re seeing so much real live comedy just in these videos of people with their friends - that is funnier to us than a very overwritten story. So we have our great script, and although we don’t deviate from it too much, we try to do it in a way where the actorsmake it their own and they’re talking like people do to each other in real life,” shares Feig.

“The Heat” opens June 27 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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"WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (3D)" TRAILER REVEAL - PUSHING ADVANCES IN 3D EVEN FURTHER!

Walking with Dinosaurs (3D) Trailer Reveal

"Walking With Dinosaurs" (3D) is a CGI action adventure set in real epic environments that breathes to life the most glorious and realistic of the dinosaur era never before seen on the silverscreen. 
 

Set 70 million years ago, “Walking With Dinosaurs” (3D) sees the birth of a baby triceratops, the smallest of its herd brought forth into a wild, unpredictable world filled with the most ferocious of predators.  In this world, the young dinosaur learns to discover his innner courage as he butts head with all other dinos and predators alike.  Along with his friends and family, his adventures are filled with humor and often face hair-raising challenges that each of them must face to prove their worth within the herd.   

Experience another movie-making breakthrough when "Walking With Dinosaurs (3D)" opens in (Phils.) theaters January 2014 from 20th Century Fox.

Check out the amazing trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCujPCX4wog&list=UU-JrjBL_iZAn5wjEsw9nRYA&index=2

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LATEST REVEAL: "The Wolverine" Character poster and trailers

 The Wolverine characters poster and trailers

The latest "The Wolverine" art gives us another look at the villainous Silver Samurai, along with the mysterious Viper and Yukio – using the Japanese brush stroke style.

“The Wolverine” is directed by James Mangold from Mark Bomback and Christopher McQuarrie’s screenplay. Starring Hugh Jackman, Svetlana Khodchenkova, Will Yun Lee, Brian Tee, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rila Fukushima.

"THE WOLVERINE" (3D) opens this July 25 in theaters nationwide!  Check latest trailer here:  http://youtu.be/AwLH2mXj61E

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Turbo zooming in theaters July 19

From the makes of Madagascar, Kung Fu Panda comes Turbo, the fastest snail in town...Check out their latest trailer and watch for it as it zooms to theaters July 19th.

Catch Turbo in 3D, staring Ryan Reynolds.  Brought to us by 20th Century Fox.

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“EPIC” Characters in 3D

"Epic characters in 3D"

Known for their grandiose storytelling and visual effects in “Ice Age” and “Rio,” Blue Sky Studios brings a world unlike any we’ve seen before in the 3D wonder “Epic.”

In “Epic,” MK (voiced by Amanda Seyfried) returns to her childhood home and reconnects with his father Prof. Bomba (Jason Sudeikis) who believes that out there are unseen people who live in the woods.  She finally believes when she is magically transformed into the size of the people his father had been looking for all his life.   Transported into the magical world of Leafmen where soldiers live to protect the forest, MK meets Nod (Josh Hutcherson), Ronin (Colin Farell) and Queen Tara (Beyonce).  Together, she must unite with them in order to save the forest against the evil Boggans led by Mandrake (Christoph Waltz).

The filmmakers envisioned the Boggans as the creators of decay in the natural world.  Wedge explains: “You might take a walk in the woods or in a park, and see something that looks like a cancerous knob growing out of a tree.  That’s the handiwork of the Boggans.”  Theircapital of decomposition is called Wrathwood, whose dark, twisty and claustrophobic tunnels provide a sharp contrast to Moonhaven’s openness and light. 

The chief force behind the darkness and destruction is the Boggans’ ruler, Mandrake.  Gifted, or cursed, with the ability to bring destruction to anything he touches, Mandrake and his Boggan minions are the arch-nemeses of the Leafmen.  Mandrake is tired of hiding in the shadows, and with his son Dagda (played by Blake Anderson) by his side, he plans the ultimate revenge – to claim the forest he believes should have always been his.

As portrayed by two-time Academy Award®-winning actor Christoph Waltz (Django Unchained, InglouriousBasterds), Mandrake is devious, dangerous, erudite, droll, and ironic.  His eloquent and sharp musings and threats are complemented by his vampire-like appearance.  He even sports a bat cape, “like the Native Americans wore buffalo skins,” says Wedge. “They would conquer the soul of the animal and wear its skin, and Mandrake does the same” with the nocturnal and feared rodents.  Bats are also the Boggans’ preferred mode of transport.

Wedge embraced the opportunity to work with Waltz, and got more collaboration than he expected when the directorread lines opposite Waltz during recording sessions.  “Christoph wanted to play the scenes at all times, so our podiums were set up across from each other. He’d perform Mandrake, and I’d read whichever character he was playing against. Every time I’d look up from my script page, there was Christoph staring me down, in true Mandrake style.  He was in the scene completely. It was intimidating and thrilling.”

If Queen Tara and the Leafmen embody the forces of light, and Mandrake and the Boggans the forces of darkness, then the character Bufo straddles both worlds.  A tough-guy toad, Bufo is a wheeler and dealer who plays all the angles: he profits no matter which side wins or loses.   

In yet another example of inventive casting, rapper/singer/songwriter Pitbull is Bufo.  “We were looking for a certain archetype, and asked ourselves, where do you go?” Wedge explains.  “Well, you don’t go to the normal field of actors; you go to musical artists.  Pitbull brings something special to the role.”

Pitbull, whose current hit (performed with Christina Aguilera) is “Feel this Moment,” likens musicianship to the experience of a team of animators, designers and actor joining forces to create a film character. “When I make records I can hear a beat and know exactly what I’m going do and how it’s going to come about,” he explains.  “So for an animator to see me and my expressions and translate those to a character…that’s amazing.”

“Epic” (3D) opens May 24 in theaters from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Check “Epic’s” latest video here:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-MsMM8nNoQ&feature=youtu.be

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AMANDA SEYFRIED AND JOSH HUTCHERSON IN AN “EPIC” (3D) JOURNEY

Amanda Seyfried and Josh Hutcherson in Epic

The 3D animated adventure “Epic” will take audiences on an amazing and magical journey through a secret world of hilarious creatures, visually spectacular locations and incredible aerial battles.  The ground-breaking, photo-real animation from the creators of “Ice Age” and “Rio” will make audiences wonder if this hidden world might really exist…perhaps even in their own backyard.

“Epic’ is introduced through the eyes of Mary Katherine (she prefers M.K.) voiced by Amanda Seyfried, a smart, spirited and headstrong 17-year-old who finds herself on the journey of a lifetime.  After returning to her childhood home to connect with her estranged father, Professor Bomba, M.K. loses patience with his endless stories of unseen people who live in the woods.   But when she is magically transported into the Leafmen’s world, she gains a new perspective.  To find her way home, M.K. must do more than believe in this world; she’ll have to help save it.
   

Amanda Seyfried, the versatile and popular star of movies such as “Les Miserables” and “Mamma Mia,” portrays M.K., whom the actress describes as “strong-willed and disconnected from her father to the point where she thinks there’s no way she’s going to be able to even live with him.”

But M.K.’s incredible journey to a secret universe in her own backyard changes many things about her, not the least of which is her feelings about her dad. “She ultimately comes to believe in him,” says Seyfried.  “He was right about so many things.”

The other man in M.K.’s life is a resident of this unseen realm, named Nod.  Josh Hutcherson, who stars as the warrior Peeta Mallark in the blockbuster “The Hunger Games” trilogy, portrays Nod. Rakish and handsome, Nod is all about bucking the rules and flying solo.  But his brazen individualism doesn't square with the Leafmen’s ideals of teamwork and unity, so he quits the squad.   After M.K. enters his world – and when the stakes are high – Nod discovers what it takes to be a true hero.

M.K. and Nod concurrently undergo transformative journeys, which bring them together, and which in turn trigger romantic fireworksthat are initially mixed with suspicion and resistance.  Part of their attraction to one another stems from their feelings of being disconnected to anything else – M.K. by the circumstances of her unsuccessful reunion with her father, and Nod by his rebellious nature, which he directs mostly toward his father figure, the Leafmen’s leader, Ronin (Colin Farrel).

“Epic’ (3D) opens very soon this May 24 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox.

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Aerosmith's Steven Tyler role in "EPIC" (3D) reminds him of his younger years

Well-loved music icon Steven Tyler, who's coming to Manila to have a concert with his group Aerosmith, gives voice to a very affable caterpillar character named Nim Galuu in the upcoming family adventure 3D movie "Epic."    

"EPIC" is a 3D CG adventure comedy that reveals a fantastical world unlike any other. From the creators of" Ice Age" and "Rio," "EPIC" tells the story of an ongoing battle between the forces of good, who keep the natural world alive, and the forces of evil, who wish to destroy it. When a teenage girl MK (Amanda Seyfried)  finds herself magically transported into this secret universe, she teams up with an elite band of warriors and a crew of comical, larger-than-life figures, to save their world…and ours.

Having brought to life one of the most beloved and successful animated motion picture franchises, Ice Age, director Chris Wedge and his teams at Blue Sky Studios (of which Wedge is a co-founder) achieve new heights of realism, action, adventure and detail, with EPIC.              

Very much on the side of the Leafmen – is NimGaluu (vocied by Tyler).  Nim is the consummate party animal, but don’t let this larger than life caterpillar fool you – his wisdom and practical know-how make him a key behind-the-scenes player in the epic battle to save the forest.

Nim possesses a broad frame, six arms, four legs – and signature smoking jacket, whose pattern was inspired by butterfly wings.  Portraying Nim is Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler.  At first glance, the choice of a rock and roll icon to essay the avuncular (though fun-loving) forest sage is unexpected, but Wedge notes that the idea to cast Tyler “just came to us and we ran with it.  Listen to Steven’s voice; it has all the necessary texture for Nim, who like Steven is a fun character with lots of energy.”

For Tyler, the role reminded him of some his experiences as a youngster.  “I grew up in the wilds of New Hampshire and I always thought there was something to be said for the quiet of the woods,” he explains.  “At the same time, I was afraid of the woods, but I grew to love it.  So I think EPIC is the perfect story to tell.”

"No matter what age, you're bound to fall in love with Epic. With the wisdom of my character, Nim Galuu and the beauty of Beyonce as Queen Tara as well as the humour of Mub and Grub, EPIC is a film that has something for everyone,"  says Tyler.

"Epic" (3D) opens May 24 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Check Epic’s trailer here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXbAzFqL7Gw&list=UU-JrjBL_iZAn5wjEsw9nRYA&index=5

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The Internship latest trailer

LATEST TRAILER SHOWS 40-YEAR-OLD GOOGLE INTERNS on “THE INTERNSHIP”

Hollywood-Based Filipino Actor Tobit Raphael Included in Cast With Wilson and Vaughn

Nick (Owen Wilson) and Billy (Vince Vaughn) battle it out with the techies in “The Internship” as two old-school salesmen in their 40s who use old fashioned charm and brilliant sales technique to sell watches.  On the night that they try to close a big sale with a client, to their shock, they find that their company has been shut down because kids don’t wear watches anymore.  Suddenly, they find themselves unemployed as two dinosaurs in the digital world.

After an exhaustive job search online, Billy chanced upon an opportunity for them to reinvent themselves – an internship program with Google. 

20th Century Fox now brings the latest trailer of “The Internship” tracking the misadventures of Wilson and Vaughn as they try to pass an internship interview at Google.  As seen on the trailer, the interview is conducted via Google Hangout and the two being first-time online interviewees get too close to the camera and shout loudly into the microphone.  As luck would have it, the two passes the internship interview through common sense, imagination and charm.

At Google, where it’s worlds away from anything they have experienced before, they find themselves in a sea of tech-savvy 20-year-olds who they need to compete against to win a full-time employment at Google. 

They eventually team up with a sexually curious nerd, a mobile phone obsessed geek,  and Yoyo (Raphael) a genius Asian kid who lacks social and common life skills and Lyle who is an underdog who wants to fit in.  Going through training and competing with kids half their age, they are hell-bent to prove that it’s never too late to reinvent yourself.  The movie also stars Rose Byrne, John Goodman, Dylan O’Brien and Josh Gad.

 “The Internship” opens August 14 (Philippines) from 20th Century Fox.

Check out “The Internship’s” latest trailer here at 20th Century Fox’s YouTube channel  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1oNE7jE0uk&list=UU-JrjBL_iZAn5wjEsw9nRYA&index=1

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Rosario Dawson recovers stolen memories in "Trance"

Rosario Dawson in Trance

In the psychological caper “Trance” directed by Academy Award winner Danny Boyle, Rosario Dawson delves deep into her role as Elizabeth Lamb, a hypnotherapist that she says has broken every mold of a character she’s ever played.

Stolen memories will resurface in “Trance.” Simon (James McAvoy), a fine art auctioneer, teams up with a criminal gang to steal a Goya painting worth millions of dollars.  After suffering a blow to the head during the heist, he awakens to discover he has no memory of where he hid the painting.  When physical threats and torture fail to produce answers, the gang’s leader Franck (Vincent Cassel) hires hypnotherapist Elizabeth Lamb (Rosario Dawson) to reach into the darkest recesses of Simon’s psyche.  As Elizabeth begins to unravel Simon’s broken subconscious, the line between truth, suggestion, and deceit begin to blur.   

Boyle brings a fresh take on the iconic femme fatale in the character of Dawson as Elizabeth Lamb, the beautiful hypnotherapist who proves to be every bit the equal of the men playing power games around her.   The most alluring leg of the movie’s triangle belongs to Lamb which Dawson molded to become a very modern re-model of the classic femme fatale.  At first she seems like she might be just an eye-catching, over-confident pawn in an all-male game, but Elizabeth’s true power begins to emerge as the story unravels.
 

Known for her previous notable works in “Sin City,” “Rent,” “Seven Pounds” and “He Got Game,” Dawson has worked with many of the world’s leading directors, from Spike Lee to Quentin Tarantino, Chris Columbus and the late Tony Scott – but this role is totally different from her previous ones.  “I’ve never played anyone even remotely like her,” says Dawson of Elizabeth Lamb.  “Elizabeth is totally different because she’s hiding everything.  You only get hints of her emotion through her doing things with her hair to show her restraint but when she lets her hair down, she really lets her hair down.  Then, you get to see a different side of her.  It’s subtle; it’s completely unspoken. And she’s a wonderful presence to have between these two guys,” Dawson explains.

One of the most intriguing aspects of “Trance” for Boyle was the chance to present a woman as an equal player in a crime thriller.  “You make all these films and you have great women in them, but they’re basically about guys - Ewan McGregor, Cillian Murphy, Dev Patel, James Franco or Leonardo DiCaprio. So what I love about “Trance” is there’s a woman most definitely right in the thick of it, holding her own.”

He knew he needed an actress capable of evoking Elizabeth’s underlying strength.  “I’d always had Rosario in mind for the role,” he says.  “I’d always wanted to work with her. She won’t thank me for saying this, but everything I’ve seen her in, I don’t think people have used her fully; I don’t think her talent as an actor has been fully exploited.  We wanted someone who had a real commanding presence: an ability with words and an independence – a stand-alone quality.” 

Dawson researched her character’s profession by attending hypnosis classes and poring through books on hypnotherapy and psychology. “I met with a couple of hypnotherapists.  I even got hypnotized,” she explains.  “I noticed that every single person in the profession that I met exuded this confidence.  They give off this feeling of ‘I know the secrets to your brain, and you don’t understand how you think or why you behave that way but I do and I can help you.’  So that was really interesting and it wasn’t an accident I played her that way.”

“Trance” opens May 1 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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Blue Sky Studios breaks new grounds with animated spectacle "Epic" (3D)

Epic in 3D

Prepare to be hurtled along in a journey to the fantastical, spectacular world of “Epic” from Blue Sky Studios, the studio that brought to life the most beloved and successful motion pictures “Ice Age” and “Rio.” 

Filmmaker Chris Wedge helms the upcoming larger-than-life “Epic” based on the beloved children’s book “The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs” by William Joyce which introduced Samurai-like warriors, the Leafmen– and a war being waged in our own backyards between the forces of life and the forces of decay.

In the thick of adventure in “Epic” is a smart, spirited and headstrong 17-year-old named Mary Katherine but prefers to be called MK (voiced by Amanda Seyfried).  She returns to her childhood home to reconnect with her estranged father, Professor Bomba (Jason Sudeikis), M.K. loses patience with his endless stories of unseen people who live in the woods.   But when she is magically transported into the Leafmen’s world, she gains a new perspective.  To find her way home, M.K. must do more than believe in this world; she’ll have to help save it.

The film’s visual wonders breaks new ground in animated spectacle, realism, action and adventure, but it is Epic’s characters and the actors who portray them that take center stage.  Along with Seyfried’s and Sudeikis’ voices in “Epic” are Beyonce Knowles, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson, Pitbull, Blake Anderson, Aziz Ansari, Chris O’Dowd and Christoph Waltz.

The ongoing battle between good and evil in “Epic” transports MK in a secret universe where she teams up with an elite band of warriors headed by Ronin (Farrell), Nod (Hutcherson), a crew of comical creatures including a snail named Grub (O’Dowd), a slug named Mub (Ansari)  and the Leafmen’s queen, Queen Tara (Knowles).  Together they fight to save the forest from the Boggans headed by Mandrake (Waltz) and his son Dagda (Anderson).  In the midst of it all is a caterpillar named Nim Galuu (Tyler), a consummate party animal whose practical know-how make him a key player to save the forest.  Between the forces of light and darkness is Bufo (Pitbull), a tough-guy toad who is a wheeler and a dealer who likes to play all the angles no matter which side wins or loses.

“Epic’s” world is lush and alive through Michael Knapp’s supervision, the movie’s art director in charge of designing characters, colors, environments, textures, story and lighting.  Working with Chris Wedge and artists to transform the familiar environs of a woods into a kind of alien universe, where the colors are more vivid, the light more expressive, and vegetation sways as if it were consciously alive.

With these departments achieving unprecedented levels of realism and spectacle, Wedge singles out “pushing the animation further than ever before” as another formidable creative challenge.  “Our characters in EPIC are the most sophisticated-looking and human-looking of all our Blue Sky Studios projects,” he says. 

Colin Farrell who voices Ronin enthuses on making the film, “The film is epic by name, epic by nature and epic by experience.”   The Blue Sky Studios team has no bigger fan than Beyoncé Knowles, who says, “The animators based much of their work on footage of the actors recording our lines, so my facial expressions and body language have become part of Queen Tara. 

   

“I was blown away by the detail in the animation,” she continues. “It’s very hard to even tell it’sanimation; it looks so lifelike. I’ve always imagined being in an animated film, so to see that happen was really exciting for me.”
Action is also king – or, in this case, Queen – in EPIC, which features two spectacular battles, including the climactic confrontation in which the Leafmen, M.K. and Bomba face off against Mandrake and the Boggans that will decide the fate of Queen Tara’s Moonhaven.  It’s grand storytelling, giant action, and bigger than life heroes and villains in the ultimate war between good and evil. 

It’s EPIC.  And it’s all happening in a world you’ve never seen before – but is as close as your own backyard.

Opening across the nation on May 24, “Epic” in 3D and 2D is from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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