CATCH THE GOLDEN-SNITCH-MAN IN “THE INTERNSHIP”

The world over have seen the airfield battle to capture the golden snitch in one of the most phenomenal (recently) wrapped-up teen-wizard movie “Harry Potter.”  In another universe called Google campus where great thinkers converge to create something new being  featured in the movie “The Internship,” they have found a way to reinvent the game of quidditch on ground.

Starring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn, “The Internship” finds Nick (Owen Wilson) and his partner Billy (Vince Vaughn), as two newly unemployed watch salesman trying to find employment with a limited skill-set in a world that appears to have passed them by.

“As salesmen they are incredibly good at what they do,” says director Shawn Levy, “but the whole profession of selling in person, in an age where most people are increasingly buying their goods on the Internet, is on the wane. So they are downsized, suddenly unemployed, and Vince's character comes up with this idea of applying for an internship at Google, a company that represents the vanguard of the new economy. It's a long shot, but this possibility of self-reinvention is exciting to Billy and Nick and they take their shot.”

It required a certain amount of Googliness on the part of Levy and production designer Tom Meyer to reimagine a world where innovation intersects with fun and purpose.  “We scouted Google a number of times.  It's quirky, idyllic, strange, and very specific,” says Levy.  “But, it was clear to us that there's no way the production could shoot at Google for an entire month and a half, because they're an ongoing business.  So we needed to find a way to replicate Google in Atlanta, which I initially thought would be impossible.”

But infrastructure alone does not a Google campus make. “When you go to Google, the most important thing that you take away from it is its non-traditional aspect and out of the box thinking,” says Meyer.  “Google reps said to me when I was trying to recreate it, ‘Do it, but keep the spirit of what Google is about.’”

                

“For each one of the sets we did a photo-real illustration, or a model, or both, then sent it off to Google, and had conversations back and forth,” adds Meyer.  “I tried to capture that feeling that you take away when you’re an employee or visitor there.  There’s a huge sense of playfulness.  And the idea of a healthy body and mind is central to Google.”

“This isn’t Owen and Vince being interns at Corporate Office Number 5.  This is Google; this is Oz,” adds Meyer.  “So, the film starts off in the first act at a normal, almost retro-office environment, which we call Kansas [as in the “Wizard of Oz” setting], our black and white atmosphere.  And then, when you go to Google, you hit those primary colors, the clean glass, white walls, and wacky, crazy objects, which provided a real sense of a pop and wonder.’”

                

 Ultimately, “The Internship’s  Googliness is that it’s not just about life at Google.  “It's about every one of us who'd like to believe that another shot is possible,that another kind of chapter in the story of you is possible,” says Levy.  “I don't know anyone who doesn't relate to that; whether you're 16, 22, or 40, we all want to believe that we can change our lives – that it’s never too late.  And so, the movie is really about possibility.”

In other words, we must dare to search.  Billy and Nick remind us that the best is yet to come, and that old dogs are capable of learning new tricks.  With guts, grit and Googliness, everyone has a chance.  So, dream big, dream again, dream some more.  Because the world loves second acts.

                 

“The Internship” opens August 14 in theaters from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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NEW+GOOGLE = NOOGLERS OF "THE INTERNSHIP"

Both trying to catch up with the digital world, Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn did not look far for reference in the tech-comedy "The Internship." Instead, admittedly they drew from their own experience how it's like to swim in the digital age.

“This was not a difficult role to prepare for.  I don't know that much about computers, only in the past few years, I discovered how to work the internet,” says Wilson.  “And Vince had to be one of the last people in the world to get a cell phone, so he might be even further behind than me.We’re both trying to catch up with the digital world.”

Confronted with that world’s lightning-fast pace, Billy and Nick must somehow excel at Google amidst an army of today's breed of geeks and super-achievers.

Up and coming young star Dylan O’Brien portrays Stuart, a Noogler who is too cool for school.  “Stuart is the cynical one,” says O’Brien, who recently landed the central role in 20th Century Fox’s thriller "The Maze Runner." "He doesn’t want anything to do with the life around him. At the beginning, he is very much only involved in his technology,” says O’Brien. “Bill and Nick teach Stuart to live amongst the world and everyone around him.”

One Noogler with a keen disinterest in Billy and Nick (apart from his quest to humiliate them) is Graham.  Everyone loves a juicy antagonist, and Graham is as opportunistic, if not downright mean, as they get. “He is the kid in class who is the know-it-all," says Wilson. “Graham is the evil intern who is trying to sabotage their plans,” says Max Minghella, who portrays Graham.

 Holding her own against Graham, as well as her own teammates, Neha Patel, played by Tiya Sircar, is a closeted nice girl with a deceptive naughty streak.  “Neha tends to say things that make people raise their eyebrows,” explains Sircar.  “She says some pretty crazy things, but it’s all talk.  Neha is actually a good, studious girl." Like her counterparts, Neha, is displeased when the team is saddled with the technologically inept salesmen.  “The younger members of the team feel like they are working with two dead weights,” she points out.

Another teammate of Nick and Billy’s is Yo-Yo Santos, played by (Fil-Am) Tobit Raphael in his film debut.  Yo-Yo is an anxiety-riddled perfectionist and a dutiful son. “He has a very oppressive Asian mother who wants him to succeed and wants him to have that perfect job,” says Raphael. “And he takes out a lot of it on himself.” Through Yo-Yo’s relationship with Billy and Nick, he conquers his inner demons to emerge as a confident young man.

The filmmakers selected the young actors who would reflect the generational divide, embody the Google personae, and possess a comedic constitution that complements Vaughn’s and Wilson’s improvisational dexterity.

“The Internship" is also about these two generations melding and the culture of Google.  We wanted a supporting cast that adds strength to the duo at the center,”says Vaughn.

Take a peek into the world of Google when "THE INTERNSHIP" opens August 14 in theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Check out the Nooglers video here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmB-BvwdvTk&list=PLcZs6n5iZPx8sLDZNgZyEDrrY0DgIKAP

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Teen Demigod's latest perils unleashed in "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"

Get ready for "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters"

The much adored teen demigod Logan Lerman aka Percy is back in "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" to face his most perilous adventure based on Rick Riordan's best-selling second book of the same title.  Following the successful wave of the first movie "Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief," the latest adaptation, 'Sea of Monsters" brings Percy along with his friends in uncharted waters to battle terrifying creatures and the ultimate Evil to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back in time to save their world.

Directed by Thor Freudenthal, Lerman reprises his role as the titular hero, the demigod son of Poseidon, who embarks on his own, modern-day Odyssey.  “At the beginning of this film, Percy is not living up to his potential and he doubts himself,” says Lerman.   “Percy feels abandoned by his father, the Greek god Poseidon, and then, he finds out that he has a brother.”

              

If shocking family revelations weren’t enough, Percy must deal with Polyphemus, an enormous and powerful Cyclops; Charybdis, the sea monster; the raging Colchis Bull, a giant, metallic and fire-breathing creature that attacks Camp Half-Blood; the Manticore, a formidable monster with a lion’s body and a long, scorpion-like tail; and the ancient Oracle, an ancient mummified mystic with empty eye sockets and skeletal features.  The Oracle further complicates Percy’s sense of self and duty, says Lerman, when it tells him he “is either going to destroy Olympus or save it.  He’s not sure if he can rise to the occasion.”

Lerman remembers three months of fight training on the first Percy Jackson film, so was grateful all of that knowledge was inherent to begin with, and the time didn’t need repeating for "Sea of Monsters." “It was insane,” he says. “It was our first time doing anything like this so we really had to figure it out. I’d never held a sword before. But now we kind of know what we’re doing and it was much, much easier to jump back into it.”

Lerman says that after two movies playing Percy he knows his way around a sword. So is he a dangerous man to be around? "I think so," he laughs. "But then, I think anyone would probably be. I think it's pretty easy. You just chop."

Percy has a lot at stake, according to Freudenthal.  “He’s trying to save Camp Half-Blood and prove himself as a hero.  He’s grown distant from his father, who is not really responding to his requests for help.  Percy embarks upon his ‘odyssey’ for two reasons: to save his home, and to ascertain if he is indeed a hero.”

The demigods return when "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" opens August 7 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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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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MICHELLE RODRIGUEZ: Fast and furious in "Turbo"

Michelle Rodriguez is too hot for "Turbo"

DreamWorks Animation’s upcoming action adventure movie “Turbo” starring Ryan Reynolds, Paul Giamatti, Michelle Rodriguez, Ken Jeong and Samuel L. Jackson is a mash-up of superhero and racing film genres.  It turns a garden snail into a mighty mollusk who travels at super-speed. 

When we meet Turbo, he’s somewhat of an outcast in the snail community, which is less about big dreams and more about punching a time clock at their place of employment (and principal source of nourishment) – the [tomato] “plant.”   Leaving the plant behind, Turbo begins his journey to fulfill his dreams when he is swept from a freeway overpass onto the hood of a sports car, and is then propelled into the muscle car’s air intake valve.  Explosive nitrous oxide charges every atom of Turbo’s body, altering his molecular structure.  The freak accident infuses Turbo with incredible speed – he can reach 200 miles per hour – and he now blazes across the streets of Los Angeles like a neon bullet.

But even a turbo-charged Turbo can’t accomplish miracles on his own.  Luckily, Turbo meets the “Racing Snails,” a ragtag group with shells that look like mini-street racing cars.  Their pimped-out exteriors are complemented by their trash-talking personalities.  The Racing Snails make fast friends with Turbo, and together they begin a journey of adventure, bonding and family.

Another team – this one human –becomes an integral part of Turbo’s journey. Meet the colorful shop owners ofthe rundown Starlight Plaza in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, who become reluctant and then fervent backers of Turbo’s quest to race in the Indy 500.   The leader of this group is Tito (Michael Pena), who is co-owner, with his brother Angelo (Luis Guzman), 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. 

An equally tough, though considerably younger member of the Starlight ensemble is Paz voiced by Michelle Rodriguez, who owns and runs an auto repair shop.  Street-smart and scrappy, Paz’s passion is cars and she’s put every penny she has into the garage.  She’s sharp, has a dry sense of humor, and prefers to cut to the chase.
   
Michelle Rodriguez, who has starred in several of the Fast and Furious films, portrays Paz.  Her connection to that blockbuster franchise and casting in TURBO is no coincidence, according to Soren.  “It’s absolutely an homage to my love of those movies and a way for us to capture a little part of them, and show our respect for them.  Michelle has a great voice – distinct and raspy, and perfect for Paz.”
   
“Turbo” opens July 19 in theaters nationwide from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox.

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Percy Jackson - Sea of Monsters 2nd trailer up!

 "PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS" 2ND INTERNATIONAL TRAILER

Based on the best-selling book, PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS continues the young demigod’s epic journey to fulfill his destiny.  To save their world, Percy and his friends must find the fabled and magical Golden Fleece.  Embarking on a treacherous odyssey into the uncharted waters of the Sea of Monsters, they battle terrifying creatures, an army of zombies, and the ultimate Evil.  

"Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" opens August 7 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

 

Watch all the action with their latest trailer

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SANDRA BULLOCK IMPROVS IN “THE HEAT”

Academy Award winner Sandra Bullock stars in “The Heat” and tries on improv comedy for the first time under director Paul Feig.  

Bullock stars as Sarah Ashburn, an FBI agent hoping for a promotion and high-tails it from her home base in New York City to Boston, to help solve the mystery behind several murders.  Standing in Ashburn’s way is a hard-hitting Boston police officer, Shannon Mullins played by Melissa McCarthy, who’s not happy that the FBI – especially the stuck-up Ashburn -- is treading on her turf.  Ashburn is determined to wrestle the case away from Mullins, but the disheveled, foul-mouthed, in-your-face cop is a formidable adversary.  They’ll soon discover they have more in common than they ever thought possible, including their misfit status and complementary skill sets. 

“Ashburn’s effectiveness as an FBI agent comes from her meticulousness, stubbornness and thoroughness,” says Bullock.  “But she’s completely inept when it comes to any kind of social interaction.  She’s trying so hard to make up for that particular weakness that she becomes insufferably arrogant on the job.  Ashburn is respected but not liked because she isn’t a team player.  Every time she opens her mouth, people cringe.”

The improvisational nature fueled the fun and on- and off-screen bonding. “It is great working with Melissa,” enthuses Bullock. “She comes through the door and improv is the way that she does things. Then we had a director who comes from that world too and nearly everyone in the cast was also from that world. The world of comedy that I had been familiar with was always very controlled. There was the script and you had to go through 27 people and the studio before you could change a line.  I always wanted to do this kind of comedy that we have in THE HEAT (which I have done in real life, sort of free form,) but I was never really allowed to experience what it was like before on a film. 

Walking onto the set of THE HEAT it took me a couple of days to realize: ‘I’m allowed to do it.’ It was very liberating. When you are around that, you take it in and you want to improve your game. It is a muscle that you have to exercise and if you haven’t had much time exercising that muscle, it gets stale. Watching these people work is exciting and inspiring, but daunting sometimes too.”

               

“Melissa has great moves,” says Bullock,” discussing McCarthy’s comedic skills. “When I saw her dance, I knew we were going to be fast friends.  We did the dancing with no practice whatsoever,” she continues.

“We said: ‘let’s not rehearse anything,’ ”interjects her co-star. “Let’s just be as terrible as we’re capable of being. Poor Paul turns around and we both have our faces taped,” laughs McCarthy,  “and he’s like, ‘What’s happening?’ It was a weird descent into controlled madness. It was really fun. There was a lot of ruined tape,” she says. McCarthy adds: “Yeah, I got the moves, but I don’t have the sense to stop whatever is going on.”

“We really hit it off, she is like my sister,’’ adds Bullock. “I’d say it’s rare that actors get together and have the kind of chemistry and connection we have together. It somehow just works and it’s something inexplicable that is bigger than what is on the page.”

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

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THE HEAT - REDBAND TRAILER

"The Heat" sizzles with redband trailer

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 by-the-book FBI agent forced to team up with Shannon Mullins (McCarthy), a brash undercover Boston street cop to track a ruthless drug lord.   This wildly dysfunctional duo must try to catch this high-powered criminal without killing one another in the process.

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

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"The Wolverine" latest trailer is up

Hugh Jackman returns in THE WOLVERINE: the definitive story about the hugely popular adamantium-clawed hero. From director James Mangold, this thrilling, 3D epic adventure is set against a backdrop of intrigue and betrayal in Japan.

At his most vulnerable,Logan/Wolverine travels to Tokyo, reconnects with a mysterious individual from his past and faces a host of deadly enemies.

"THE WOLVERINE" opens July 25 (Thursday) in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox.  Available in 3D and 2D format.

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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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JAMES MCAVOY in “TRANCE”

James McAvoy in Trance

Updating the whole noir idea, Academy Award winner filmmaker Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) brings together a trio of today’s finest and thrilling actors- James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson and Vincent Cassel in “Trance,” where betrayal, moral uncertainty, sexual tension and lurid instincts lurk beneath each of them.

“Trance” begins with an adeptly-planned heist at an auction house which goes violently awry when the auctioneer inside man takes a blow to the head leaving him with no memory of where the stashed the stolen Goya painting.  The story quickly turns into a high stakes triangle – the painting’s amnesiac thief (James McAvoy), his fearsome partner in crime, gang-leader (Vincent Cassel), and the alluring hypnotist (Rosario Dawson) hired to help recover his lost memories – as they all become trapped together in a brain-bending puzzle of their own making.  The more they search for the missing Goya, the more it becomes clear that what is hidden is not just a priceless work of art, but fractured fragments of secrets, temptations, and treacheries that all add up to the truth. 

Taking the role of Simon is James McAvoy, who came to international acclaim from his previous roles in “X-Men: First Class,” “The Last King of Scotland,” “Wanted,” and in “Atonement.”

McAvoy felt a magnetic attraction to the role.  “I was completely blown away by this mind bending, genre bending, psychological heist movie,” he says.  “When I auditioned for Danny, he was incredible.  I’ve rarely been directed in an audition so interestingly. That made me desperate to get the part.  Luckily for me he phoned up and said, ‘Would you like to do it?’  Every day on set has been like that - just discovering this script, which is brave, bold and challenging for a performer.”

Boyle was surprised by McAvoy.  “I thought he might be a bit young for it, but when we met, it was really interesting because the part makes him seem older,” the director observes.  “It was fantastic the way he grew into it.  I also wanted him to do it with his natural Scottish accent because I have a real love of the Scottish voice.  He tells me that he doesn’t get asked to do it that often.  So that was lovely for both James and Vincent to use their natural voices. I find myself entirely addicted to James, who does a wonderful job.  It’s a very complicated part because we’re never sure where his conscience lies.”

Simon’s confusion about his own identity, actions and conscience accelerates throughout the film, building to a fever pitch, exhilarating McAvoy as he took on the role.  “Normally, we remember what we’ve done – the brain does that as a full-time job -- and that’s how we identify and see ourselves.  But Simon can’t remember who he is properly.  He’s had a bang on the head and something is missing.  Things don’t make sense.  All he knows is that there’s something huge not right in his life.” 

All of this internal chaos demanded a highly creative reaction from McAvoy.  “It’s a film where you really get to explore the boundaries of what’s strange and odd,” he summarizes.  “All of the situations Simon finds himself in are slightly off and unexpected, altered in some way.  And as he gets closer to his lost memories, it has huge repercussions for everyone involved.” 

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

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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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