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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AVATAR UNIVERSE EXPANDS TO THREE SEQUELS

James Cameron Hires Writers to 
Collaborate with Him on the Films

Marking a significant expansion of his already ambitious plans for the much-anticipated AVATAR sequels, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker James Cameron announced that the films have grown in number from two to three.

Additionally, to help bring his growing AVATAR universe to life and to expedite the process, Cameron has hired screenwriters Josh Friedman (War of the Worlds), Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver (Rise of the Planets of the Apes), and Shane Salerno (Savages, Salinger) to collaborate with him on the screenplays for the three films.

The three pictures will be filmed simultaneously with production beginning next year.  The release of the first sequel will be in December 2016, with the second to follow in December 2017, and the third a year later. AVATAR 2, 3, and 4 will be produced by Cameron and Jon Landau through their Lightstorm Entertainment banner. Like the original film, Lightstorm will work with Joe Letteri and his team at WETA Digital to realize the worlds of the sequels.

Commented Cameron:  “Building upon the world we created with AVATAR has been a rare and incredibly rewarding experience.  In writing the new films, I’ve come to realize that AVATAR’s world, story and characters have become even richer than I anticipated, and it became apparent that two films would not be enough to capture everything I wanted to put on screen. And to help me continue to expand this universe, I’m pleased to bring aboard Amanda, Rick, Shane and Josh -- all writers I’ve long admired -­ to join me in completing the films screenplays.”

Commented 20th Century Fox chairman and CEO, Jim Gianopulos: “We at the studio have no higher priority, and can feel no greater joy, than enabling Jim to continue and expand his vision of the world of AVATAR. The growing breadth and scale of Jim Cameron’s plans for his magnificent fantasy worlds continue to amaze us all.”

AVATAR is the highest grossing film of all time, and is also the top-selling Blu-ray disc of all time. The film won Golden Globe® awards for Best Motion Picture and Best Director; and was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, and won Oscars for art direction, visual effects and cinematography.

AVATAR was written by Cameron from an idea he nurtured for over a decade, while working on the technology necessary to realize its wholly imagined world. Working with WETA Digital, Cameron created a fully immersive 3D cinematic experience of a new kind, where revolutionary technology that was invented to make the film disappeared into the emotion of the characters and the epic nature of the story.

           

The three AVATAR sequels will mark Cameron’s latest collaborations with 20th Century Fox, a relationship that spans nearly 30 years and marks one of the most successful filmmaker-studio alliances in motion picture history. Cameron and Fox first joined forces in 1985 for Aliens, which became a sci-fi classic. Next came The Abyss, which revolutionized visual effects technology; then came the blockbuster, True Lies. In 1996, Fox greenlighted Cameron’s Titanic, which became the most successful film in history, and won a record-breaking eleven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.

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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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DIRECTOR SHAWN LEVY REVEALS GOOGLE FOUNDER CAMEO IN “THE INTERNSHIP”

From his blockbuster works such as “Real Steel,” “Cheaper By The Dozen,” “Night at the Museum 1 & 2,” and “Date Night,” filmmaker Shawn Levy brings in the outcasts, the obsolete and the nerds in the upcoming comedy movie “The Internship” starring Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson.

“The Internship” finds Nick (Wilson) and his partner Billy (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 Levy, “but the whole profession of selling in person, in an age where most people areincreasingly 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.”

“If you're going to team Owen and Vince, a duo that is arguably one of the most special in comedy, you need to build characters that exploit their natural personalities. So you haveOwen’s character Nick, who is a bit more laconic, very positive, very much - to quote his character - 'a blue sky artist'. He’s an optimist, but we meet him in a moment when he's been thrown back on his heels. Although he is working for a rather unlikable character, he is still soulful and has an original perspective on life. Vince, meanwhile, plays Billy who is a fast talker, a big dreamer, makes lots of plans, has alot of big ideas, but can't always put it all together. They've been friends since they were kids, and we get a real sense of that history, and they have a very easy rapport that mirrors the chemistry and rapport between Vince and Owen in real life,” narrates Levy of the duo’s characters.

Director Levy further reveals that Sergey Brin, founder of Google made cameo appearances, “I've got him in there twice. The cameo that everyone recognizes is at the end when he says, ‘Congratulations boys,’ to Owen and Vince. But if you look closely, when Vince and Owen arrive at Google and they're looking around at this fantastical strange workplace, there's a point of view shot showing a man in yoga clothes on an elliptical bicycle wearing big neon green fluffy slipper shoes and a pair of futuristic glasses with a computer screen above the eyebrow. That too is Sergey Brin.”

“Here’s more, we had a sign-up sheet for real Googlers - which is what they call themselves - to be extras in the movie and we had hundreds of people who wanted to play background performers. So most of the extras you see in the exteriors at Google are real Googlers, and they were the most directable and intelligent extras I've ever had in my life. Probably because they were wildly over qualified and over educated,” enthuses Levy. 

“The Internship” will open in cinemas starting August 14 from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

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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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FEEL THE FURY OF “THE WOLVERINE”

The Wolverine

Set in Japan and directed by James Mangold Logan aka Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman is back in the ultimate story about the adamantium-clawed hero, “The Wolverine.”

“The Wolverine,” vulnerable and alone at the start of the movie, is searching for meaning in his life.  Logan travels to Tokyo where he is embroiled in a mysterious web of tangled loyalties, deceit and intrigue, fighting bloody battles against deadly adversaries in a world that is entirely foreign to him.

The most iconic character in the X-Men universe embarks upon on an epic journey in modern-day Japan, the century-old mutant known to the world as Wolverine, is lured to Japan that he hasn’t seen since World War II – and into a shadowy world of Yakuza and Samurai. 

Suddenly finding himself on the run with a mysterious, beautiful heiress and confronted for the first time with the prospect of true mortality, Logan will be pushed to the physical and emotional edge – further than he’s ever been. On a perilous journey to rediscover the hero inside, Logan will be forced to grapple not only with powerful foes, mutant and human alike, but with the ghosts of his own haunted past, as well. As The Wolverine crosses his adamantium claws with Samurai swords, striking out through a maze of love, betrayal and honor, he will truly come to know the price of a life without end. 

“This story takes The Wolverine into a world that is vastly different from any seen before in the X-Men series,” says Hugh Jackman, who also serves as a producer on the film.  “It’s visually different and the tone is different.  There are a lot of battles in this story, but the greatest battle of all is the one within Logan between being a monster and a becoming a human being.”   Jackman saw in this untold part of the character’s history a rare chance to dive even deeper beneath The Wolverine’s indestructibility, and to illuminate his darkest aspects in a new way. 

“One thing I find particularly interesting about Wolverine is his immortality, the fact that with his healing factor he can go on forever like a god, and because of that he also experiences the loneliness of a god.  Even when Logan loses those he loves, he knows that he will keep going on,” director James Mangold observes. “He’s been going on for a century now, through wars and battles and deaths of his loved ones and he’s come to a point of great weariness.  It’s a classic theme– the man who can live forever but suffers because of it. Logan is a damaged hero, and this story is very much about him looking to reclaim something he’s lost in himself.” 

“Jim Mangold knows how to make a movie that is fun, has incredible action, and yet also delivers all the finer elements of character and storytelling,” says Jackman. “He pushed me to go deeper, angrier, heavier, more berserk in every way and in every take.”

From the start, Mangold wanted to break the mold of the comic book-based film. Explains the director:  “What interested me about The Wolverine was doing something quite different from the standard superhero movie, where it’s about stopping a villain’s diabolical plot. In this story, the action and suspense are built more on character, and are woven into a world that makes for a completely different kind of experience, one that you haven’t seen before.”

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

Check out “The Wolverine” latest trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kmen81o56H8&list=PLcZs6n5iZPx-mV61RRZAnQhLCCaV2C9lj

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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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"THE COUNSELOR" TEASER TRAILER

The Counselor - teaser trailer

From Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott comes "The Counselor" starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, John Leguizamo, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz.  

Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Cormac McCarthy, "The Counselor" follows lawyer (Fassbender) who he decides to get involved in a drug deal worth millions. Thinking that his involvement in the deal with a friend (Bardem) and a drug broker (Pitt) will never suck him down, he soon learns that such decision will lead him on a desperate trail of survival.

"The Counselor" will open November 15 in theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

View the teaser trailer here:  

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Turbo 3D - a High Velocity animated adventure movie

Get ready for Turbo 3D

Meet Turbo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), an underdog snail who dreams to overdrive just like his idol who races in the Indy 500.  At the start, Turbo is 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.

Training tirelessly all his life, he miraculously gained speed at an opportune time he met a crew of streetwise, tricked-out es-car-goes. Learning that no one can make it on their own in the fast lane.  He and his newfound pals help each other achieve their impossible dream of racing in the Indy 500.

"Turbo," says director and co-screenwriter David Soren, is a mash-up of superhero and racing film genres, but “at its heart, TURBO really is an underdog story.  The character Turbo has all the hallmarks of an underdog.  You expect nothing of snails, whose lives are stacked with obstacles, like being really, really slow.  But once you dig into it, a snail is the perfect character to have at the center of an underdog story.”

               

But turning an everyday, garden snail into a mighty mollusk who travels at super-speed? “Turbo’s dream of becoming something that’s completely in opposition to its nature is ripe for conflict, surprises and a satisfying payoff” when the dream becomes reality,” says Soren.

Soren came up with the idea for "Turbo" almost a decade ago.  He described it to DreamWorks Animation management at one of the company’s “pitch program” conclaves, at which DreamWorks employees can pitch their ideas for possible future projects.   “At the time it was a very complex idea – the ‘Fast and Furious with Snails,’” he remembers.

As he developed the idea, Soren was inspired by events and people very close to home.  His primary muse, he notes, “was my young son, who since before he could talk has been obsessed with toy cars and racing, and could identify virtually any car on the street by its make and model.”

               

Soren also found motivationin his own front yard, which had a “snail problem” that was eating away at his tomato plants.  “This marriage of the slow [the snails] and speed [his son’s preoccupation] was the catalyst that led me to the bones of the story centered on a snail who dreams of racing glory.”

Luckily,the requisite comedic and dramatic acting chops, and bigger-than-life persona, are embodied by Ryan Reynolds, whom Soren describes as “the perfect match” for Turbo.  “It all really sounded amazing, and I fell in love with its classic underdog story, which TURBO takes to a new level,” Reynolds continues.  “It takes a unique if not insane perspective to bring a snail to life in this way. What I love most about Turbo is his tenacity and refusal to give up on his dream.  In fact, it doesn’t even occur to him to give up. Talent is a collision between hard work and luck, and that’s what Turbo is.”

"Turbo" also features a stellar voice cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph and BEn Schwartz.

"Turbo" (3D) opens July 19 in theaters nationwide from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century  Fox.

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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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Runner Runner staring Justin Timberlake and Ben Affleck

In the sexy, sultry thriller RUNNER RUNNER, Richie (Justin Timberlake), a Princeton college student who pays for school with on-line gambling, bottoms out and travels to Costa Rica to confront the on-line mastermind, Ivan (Ben Affleck), whom he believes has swindled him. Ivan sees a kindred spirit in Richie and brings the younger man into his operation. When the stakes get incredibly high and dangerous, and Richie comes to fully understand the deviousness of his new boss, he tries to turn the tables on him.

"Runner Runner" will open very soon this September from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

See the trailer here.

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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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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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"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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"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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FIRST LOOK: JENNIFER LAWRENCE'S MYSTIQUE IN "X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST"

First Look : Jennifer Lawrence in 

X-Men: Days of Future Past

"X-Men: Days of Future Past" director Bryan Singer has tweeted a great photo of Jennifer Lawrence in her Mystique costume.  The movie will open in cinemas July 17, 2014.  Can't wait for 2014.

http://t.co/0boreCvsS4

https://twitter.com/BryanSinger/status/336532069167542272

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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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Return to Grand in “RIO 2” – teaser trailer debut

Rio 2 Teaser Trailer

Nigel is about to crash…into the grandest party as Blu, Jewel and friends return in “Rio 2.” 

Jesse Eisendberg and Anne Hathaway return in “Rio 2”  along with Jemaine Clement,  Will.I.Am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann,Rodrigo Santoro, Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto, Jake T. Austin, and Jamie Foxx.

“Rio 2” brings back Blu, Jewel along with their three kids living the perfect domesticated life in that magical city.  When free-spirited Jewel thought it best that time is ripe for their chicks to go into the wild – Amazon that is, Blu’s steady world began to shake. As Blu tries to fit in with his new neighbors, he worries he may lose Jewel and the kids to the call of the wild.

Carlos Saldanha, who was inspired to create “Rio” based upon his experiences growing up in that city, is back as director, as are producers John C. Donkin and Bruce Anderson.

Joining the “Rio 2” team are Oscar® nominee Andy Garcia, Grammy® winner Bruno Mars, Emmy®/Tony® winner Kristin Chenoweth, Oscar®/Emmy®/Tony®/Grammy® winner Rita Moreno, "The Hunger Games'" Amanda Stenberg, singer/actress Rachel Crow, "Looper's" Pierce Gagnon, and "Today" news anchor Natalie Morales.

“Rio 2” arrives April 2014 in cinemas nationwide from 20^th Century Fox – check teaser trailer here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsQzrsQPTuU

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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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