Tuesday, July 31, 2012

The Dictator

Story: The fictional Republic Of Wadiya ruled by the Admiral General Aladeen with an iron fist. From the same person who brought you the mockumentaries Borat and Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen.
Courtesy of UIP.

Review: Sacha Baron Cohen is known for his style of comedy called mockumentaries. His previous work was Bruno and Borat, of which he was really popular for. In "The Dictator", Cohen plays Aladeen, the dictator who wants to make sure that democracy will come to his country he loves to oppressed.

Cohen's adult humor is nothing new but the focus of his humor is innovative. Since he written and directed this movie, it just shows that he could has background in stand-up comic act. Also, his Jewish features proved to be an advantage.

Back to his humor, it only has a specific audience. His humor is not for the younger viewers. It also may be offensive to some. Cohen already had some controversies and criticism and some were considered racist.

Wadiya is a fictional South African country was created to avoid those controversies. If it was real country, Wadiya will be surely be a subject of mockery and people will talk about it. Cohen also add some slapstick to make it more interesting. 

Aladeen surely adds the character impressions of Cohen on his list just like he recently to promote the film. Be sure to prepare to get stomach ache laughing throughout the film. The Dictator is now showing in cinemas and is released and distributed by Solar Entertainment Corp.

Monday, July 30, 2012

The Healing is R-18 in Ayala Cinemas

Star Studio and Governor Vilma Santos in her 50th year in show business  brings you this year's horror-suspense movie, The Healing. The Healing was given two ratings. R-13 and R-18 in Ayala Cinemas and other selected cinemas.
Block screening at Trinoma

Governor Vi handpicked a talented ensemble forming the cast of The Healing including Kim Chiu, Pokwang, Janice De Belen, Alan Paule, Daria Ramirez, Robert Arevalo and more. This will be the first time the Star For All Seasons is going to work with Kim Chiu in a production.

Director Chito Rono said that the script was tailored made for the governor. Governor Vi is trying out a new genre which she haven't done before so this is the first time she is doing a horror film. Most of good horror films comes from Asia recently like Japan, Bangkok and the Philippines is trying to go with that flow.

The two ratings are for specific audience. If you are concerned about the gore and if you have a heart problem, go for the cinema with R-13 rating. If you like to see the director's cut, go for the cinema that with R-18 rating.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

ACTING ROYALTY EMMA THOMPSON PLAYS QUEEN ELINOR IN “BRAVE”

Two-time Oscar-winner Emma Thompson provides the voice of Elinor, the Scottish Queen who has her own plan in mind for her daughter Merida—a plan that’s been predestined since long before either of them was born, in Disney/Pixar's new 3D animated feature, “Brave.”
Emma Thompson as Queen Elinor
 
             A vision of grace, wisdom and strength of character, Queen Elinor is fiercely dedicated to the well-being of her family and kingdom. As the measured, diplomatic counterpoint to her more impulsive husband, King Fergus, Elinor carries the weight of the kingdom on her shoulders in order to maintain the fragile peace between the volatile clans. Elinor strives to instill in Merida the knowledge and manner of a royal, expecting complete commitment to Elinor’s standards. But her vision of her daughter’s future is at odds with Merida’s rebellious spirit and desire to forge her own path, which ultimately causes Elinor to face calamitous consequences. 
Photos courtesy of Walt Disney Studios

             “Elinor is beautiful, but under a great deal of pressure,” says production designer Steve Pilcher, “which is tough to showcase visually. We added a shock of white hair that really shows her backstory—this woman has suffered some stress in her life, her daughter’s rebellion is likely just the tip of the iceberg. That unspoken history and bit of imperfection makes Elinor more interesting.”

             According to Pilcher, the design team studied paintings of Lady Macbeth, among other tragic heroines, incorporating the heavy robes and thick fabrics they observed to illustrate the weight Elinor bears. Emma Thompson says it’s that attention to detail and intense research that makes Pixar successful. “I was terribly pleased to be asked to come and work for Pixar, because their films are works of genius and extraordinary art,” she says. “And the thing that really made me want to do ‘Brave’ even more than my worship of their work is that it was set in Scotland. I’m half Scottish, and I live there for three or four months of the year. Scotland to me is the land of the free, the land of the brave. The Scottish landscape is epic and lends itself to epic emotion. 

             “Scotland is really a character in the film,” Thompson continues. “The filmmakers didn’t just look it up in a book. They went off and spent all this time in Scotland looking at different landscapes, addressing the landscape with the story. There’s a real connection with the countryside—they loved it as everyone does because it’s the most beautiful country in the world.”

             Thompson also had an affinity for her character. “Queen Elinor is a character I like very much because at one time she was quite feisty—Merida’s spirited personality comes not only from her father but from her mother as well—but Elinor has managed to put that stuff she had when she was young in a box and she’s stitched it up nicely. The two of them have to work out which bits of the other they’re okay with containing and becoming.”

             Co-director Mark Andrews says Thompson captured the essence of Elinor. “Emma is royalty in the acting world and she knows exactly what Elinor needed to be. She is queenly and regal and noble, but at the same time, she can be bawdy and funny. She can be very serious and theatrical—then crack a joke. That’s exactly who our queen is. Emma gives Elinor just the right amount of emotion, earthiness and humor.”

             Animators often reference video footage of the actors recording their lines and sometimes incorporate subtle gestures, expressions and mannerisms into the characters’ physical performances. Thompson could see a bit of herself in Elinor. “I love the way they’ve captured my eyebrows in my character. My eyebrows are always in this kind of questioning, slightly worried shape, and they got that just right.”

             Thompson concludes, “‘Brave’ is full-hearted, exciting, adventurous and very funny in many places, yet emotionally rooted in reality. The calibrations of the story and the way it moves emotionally is pure Pixar; it’s real and beautiful. It has everything I would want in a story, including just enough magic to make trouble.” 

             Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International, “Brave” takes aim at Philippine theaters on August 01, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

“LIFE OF PI” MOVIE TRAILER


Based upon the bestselling book by Yann Martel, LIFE OF PI tells the story of a young man’s incredible survival at sea against impossible odds. A remarkable technological breakthrough in 3D epic adventure, PI is an emotionally captivating experience that will inspire, touch and transport audiences to a place of discovery that they will never forget.

Winner of the pretigious Literary Awards Hugh Maclennan Prize for fiction in 2001 and the Man Booker Prize in 2002, Yann Martel's "Life of Pi" is now a movie adaptation by 20th Century Fox helmed by filmmaker Ang Lee and is starred by newcomer Suraj Sharma as the titular character Pi Patel.


When Pi Patel, a son of a zookeeper turned sixteen, his family emigrate from India to North America aboard a Japanese cargo ship due to the prevalence of political unrest.  An extraordinary God-loving boy whose passion for stories is unmatched, has an encyclopedic knowledge of animal behavior and practices his native Hinduism along with Christianity and Islam. 

When the ship capsized due to a massive storm, Pi finds himself in the company of a hyena, an orangutan, a wounded zebra and a 450-pound Bengal tiger aboard a lifeboat in the middle of the ocean.  Finally reaching the shores of the coast of Mexico, the Bengal tiger who goes by the name of Richard Parker flees to the jungle and Pi left on his own is interrogated by the Japanese authorities who refuse to believe his account.

On board the titular character is Suraj Sharma as Pi who debuts in the film.  Suraj Sharma, 17, is a student who lives with his mathematician parents in Delhi, India.  He has no previous acting experience and was cast following an extensive, months-long search. Over 3000 young men auditioned for the part.

  Sharma landed the role of the lead role after a worldwide talent search headed by the film’s director Ang Lee, Academy Award®-winning filmmaker for his work in “Brokeback Mountain.”  “Suraj is Pi,” Lee continued. “During his audition, he filled the room with emotion, much of which he conveyed simply through his eyes. His natural ability to believe and stay in the world of the story is a rare treasure.”

Lee, whose many other honors include an Oscar nomination for his direction of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” and whose “Sense and Sensibility” was a Best Picture nominee, shot “Life of Pi” in 3D, utilizing groundbreaking techniques to capture the story’s epic scope.

Since Ang Lee came aboard the project at the end of 2008, he has worked to create a singular vision of Martel’s unforgettable tale.  The all-audience experiential movie event will take us through a young man’s incredible adventure – at turns thrilling and spiritual; joyous and harrowing; humorous and tragic. Audiences will follow Pi Patel as he travels from an exotic zoo in India on a voyage across the Pacific, where he survives a shipwreck and is cast adrift in a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger as his only company. Adrift in an endess expanse of ocean, Pi struggles to survive and train his companion, landing on a magical island that offers the two their only respite on their desperate journey. 


Commented Yann Martel: "I'm thrilled that Ang is adapting “Life of Pi” to film. He's a brilliant, versatile director, with a stunning visual sensibility. He can capture the most intimate emotion as well as the most dynamic action. He's the perfect filmmaker to bring Pi’s epic journey to the screen”

David Magee (“Finding Neverland”) adapted Martel’s book. Gil Netter (“Marley & Me,” “The Blind Side”) is producing. The director of photography is Claudio Miranda, who collaborated with David Fincher on several films, including “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.”  Miranda recently shot “Tron: Legacy” in 3D. Avy Kaufman is the casting director. 

Commented Ang Lee: “It has been a daunting and exciting process to develop a motion picture that brings Yann Martel’s fascinating, mind-boggling story to the big screen.  Casting the sixteen-year old Pi was particularly challenging.  We searched throughout India for a young man who had the innocence to capture our attention, the depth of character to break our hearts, and the physicality needed to embody Pi on his journey.

Fox 2000 Pictures president Elizabeth Gabler stated:  “It has been an honor and a privilege to work alongside Ang Lee as he and his team brings this amazing film to life. We believe that “Life of Pi,” with its tremendous scope, groundbreaking visuals, and a story that embraces the triumph of the human spirit will be a cinematic event for audiences of all ages, all over the world.”

One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, Fox Filmed Entertainment produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world.  These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of FFE:  Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

“Life of Pi” is a Twentieth Century Fox release to be distributed nationwide by Warner Bros. on January 8, 2013.

TOTAL RECALL” -- A FUTURISTIC ACTION-THRILLER ON REALITY, MEMORY

Columbia Pictures assembles a powerhouse cast led by Colin Farrell, Kate Beckinsale, Jessica Biel, Bryan Cranston, John Cho and Bill Nighy for the big screen re-imagining of “Total Recall.” 
Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

             Directed by Len Wiseman (“Underworld,” “Live Free and Die Hard”), “Total Recall” is an action thriller about reality and memory, inspired anew by the famous short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick.

             In the film, Rekall is a futuristic company that can turn your dreams into real memories. For a factory worker named Douglas Quaid (Farrell), even though he's got a beautiful wife (Beckinsale) who he loves, the mind-trip sounds like the perfect vacation from his frustrating life - real memories of life as a super-spy might be just what he needs. 

             But when the procedure goes horribly wrong, Quaid becomes a hunted man. Finding himself on the run from the police – controlled by Chancellor Cohaagen (Cranston), the leader of the free world – Quaid teams up with a rebel fighter (Biel) to find the head of the underground resistance (Nighy) and stop Cohaagen. 

             The line between fantasy and reality gets blurred and the fate of his world hangs in the balance as Quaid discovers his true identity, his true love, and his true fate.

Total Recall’s” re-imagined journey to the silver screen began in 2008 when producer Toby Jaffe was perusing a bookstore, looking through the sci-fi shelf. “I was looking at all the books I read as a young guy, and I picked up a Philip K. Dick anthology and read the short story ‘We Can Remember It for You Wholesale,’” he recalls. “I remembered it was a great sort of wish-fulfillment fantasy.”

Of course, Dick’s story had been adapted for the screen once before, in 1990, under the title “Total Recall.” Jaffe began thinking that the time might be right to revisit Dick’s story for the screen and brought his idea to producer Neal H. Moritz, who read the short story and re-watched the 1990 film. 

We just felt like we could make a fresh version of the original story,” Moritz says. “By reimagining the story, we thought that there was so much more to the characters and story that we could investigate. That felt fresh to us.”

The reason is that Dick’s story feels as cutting edge as when it was first published in the 1960s. “The genius of the story is this idea that you can implant a memory into somebody’s head and when they wake up, they will feel they’ve lived it,” says Jaffe. The set-up opens up a treasure trove of questions: what is memory? How do we know what really happened in the past? 

That concept of Rekall, as Philip K. Dick created it in his story, is what made me want to direct this movie,” says Len Wiseman, who also has an art department background, having worked on such big budget sci-fi hits as “Independence Day” and “Stargate.” Wiseman’s take on the film was to delve deeper into the main character by creating a hybrid of a psychological thriller and an action film that just happens to be set in the future.

Instead of events occurring on Mars, Wiseman keeps the action on a far-in-the-future earth dominated by two nation-states – United Federation of Britain and The Colony. Like Dick’s story, Wiseman’s says, “There’s a whole other kind of experience on Earth with which to take this character.”

When we reminded ourselves that Philip K. Dick didn’t send his characters to Mars, that really opened up the possibilities,” says Jaffe. “Once we were freed to keep the character here on Earth, like Dick does, we weren’t constrained by the setting, the era, or the hows and whys of getting him off the planet.”

             Opening across the Philippines in August, “Total Recall” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

MORE TEENAGE MISADVENTURES IN “DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: DOG DAYS” MOVIE


Greg Heffley, the kid who made “wimpy” cool, is looking forward to his summer vacation in “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days” but when his dad (Steve Zahn) decides they should spend more time together, Greg does everything he can to keep his father from ruining his summer vacation.
Zachary Gordon as Greg. Photo courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox

In “Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days,” which combines elements of both the third and fourth of the “Wimpy Kid” books, the good news is that school is out for the summer and Greg is looking forward to a vacation spent playing video games, hanging out with his best friend, Rowley, and working his way into the affections of the girl he has a crush on, Holly Hills. The bad news is that Greg Heffley being Greg Heffley, nothing is going to go as planned.

“At the start of the film Greg’s dad takes away all of his video game privileges and basically decides Greg should spend all his summer hanging out with him and doing outdoor stuff like camping and swimming,” explains Zachary Gordon, the thirteen-year-old actor who plays Greg.

In school or out of school, Greg also has a tendency to get himself into painfully embarrassing situations; Zachary says that this time round his on-screen alter ego plumbs new depths of humiliation. In “Dog Days”, Greg goes one step further and loses his swimsuit in a crowded pool. Greg also has what Zachary delicately refers to as a “mishap” on a roller coaster, meaning, we’re pretty sure, that Greg throws up on his fellow passengers. For the record, Zachary admits he was a bit nervous himself when it came time to shoot the film’s roller coaster scene but after a couple of time around, he was hooked. “I went on six times in a row,” the young actor says, “It was awesome.”

“And playing Greg for a third time, I feel like I settled into it as soon as I saw the rest of the cast again. It was more like a ‘Wimpy’ reunion than coming back to work,” Zachary says, “because everyone feels like part of my family now.”

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days” will open August 15 in theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Friday, July 27, 2012

KELLY MacDONALD CHANNELS HER INNER TEEN FOR “BRAVE”

In “Brave,” Scottish actress Kelly Macdonald (TV's “Boardwalk Empire,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2”) gives voice to the passionate, rebellious teen Merida — the first lead female hero to carry a film in Pixar's 26-year history. And by all accounts, she hit the bull's-eye.

             "Kelly has a true Scottish spunkiness in her," says Brenda Chapman, one of “Brave's” directors. "And that really comes through. Princess Merida is a girl with a great spirit. And Kelly is able to depict that. There's a sweetness and an appeal in Kelly that she infuses in Merida. Yet there's a strength. Kelly has it in spades."

             “Brave” follows the heroic journey of Merida, a skilled archer and headstrong daughter of King Fergus (voice of Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (voice of Emma Thompson). Determined to carve her own path in life, Merida defies an age-old custom sacred to the unruly and uproarious lords of the land: massive Lord MacGuffin (voice of Kevin McKidd), surly Lord Macintosh (voice of Craig Ferguson) and cantankerous Lord Dingwall (voice of Robbie Coltrane). 

             Merida’s actions inadvertently unleash chaos and fury in the kingdom, and when she turns to an eccentric Witch (voice of Julie Walters) for help, she is granted an ill-fated wish. The ensuing peril forces Merida to harness all of her skills and resources—including her clever and mischievous triplet brothers—to undo a beastly curse before it’s too late, and discover the meaning of true bravery.

             Though Pixar has featured its share of strong female characters, the story of Merida's turbulent relationship with her by-the-royal-book mother, breaks through as an action-filled fairy tale set along a female story line.

             "The fact Merida is the first lead heroine was sort of news to me well after I started working," Macdonald says. "When I do think about it, it gives me the fear slightly. But I am very proud to be that person.

“Merida was such a fun character to play and her voice isn’t too removed from mine,” the actress continues. “I amped up the teenage thing that’s never quite left my life—I just had to pretend my mom was in the room. Nothing winds you up like your parents.”

Co-Director Mark Andrews saw a great connection between Macdonald and Merida. “Kelly is so alive and vibrant with a great charm, wit and quirkiness that totally works for Merida. The character is funny and goofy and can laugh at herself, but has this Scottish teenage angst. Kelly Macdonald is the soul of the character and she makes Merida truly appealing.”
Macdonald certainly shares Merida’s love of her homeland. “This is going to sound a bit biased, but Scotland is the most beautiful country in the world,” concludes the actress. “The filmmakers have got it down to the tiniest bit of heather—the settings are so lush and verdant, it can make you homesick.”

Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International, “Brave” takes aim at Philippine theaters on August 01, and will be presented in Disney Digital 3D™ in select theaters.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Manila According To Tony Gilroy


During preproduction, of The Bourne Legacy director Tony Gilroy toured Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) in Vietnam, Jakarta in Indonesia, and Manila in the Philippines.  Ultimately, Manila’s history as a shooting location won over the team.  Major Hollywood features, such as Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July and Brokedown Palace, were shot in the Philippines in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.  “They had a 25-, 30-year run of making movies there,” says Gilroy, “and they have this huge infrastructure that was built up from all the films made about Vietnam.”
Scene in Sta. Mesa. Photo courtesy of UIP.

            The filmmaker  called upon LOPE V. JUBAN, JR., president of Philippine Film Studios, who has worked on most of the films that have come to the Philippines over the past few decades, to give them a tour of Manila.  Not only could Juban—who came on as a line producer—offer locations that Gilroy was looking for, but his contacts with government entities would also be vital for a shoot that involved major stunts on city streets.  “Juban said, ‘We can talk to the president about that,’ or ‘We can talk to the minister of transportation and the police department about that.’  They’re all people that he knew,” Crowley explains.  “I couldn’t have gotten that in Jakarta or in Ho Chi Minh City.” 
 
            In fact, The Bourne Legacy would be the first Hollywood film in which Manila plays Manila.  “The Philippines has played almost any country—Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Panama,” says Juban.  “It is only now that we are filming Manila as Manila, which is great for us.”   

It was important to the locals to show off the progress the country had made and their big new areas of development.  The Philippines also offered the advantage of a mainly English-speaking local crew.  English, the legacy of the American presence for 50 years before World War II, is widely spoken in the country. 

Filming in Manila began in the San Andres neighborhood, its ramshackle houses and dark alleyways typical of the city’s lower- and middle-class areas.   The San Andres neighborhood has grown organically over the years as locals have kept constructing additions to existing buildings.  The casual visitor will find many a residential area that resembles a rabbit-warren maze of alleyways that have been cobbled together. 

With its tangled web of utility lines and drying laundry overhead, and pleasant cooking smells merging with other odors of the city, the labyrinthine San Andres neighborhood is where Aaron and Marta find a place to hide from their pursuers: this time, the Philippine authorities.   

San Andres was also the setting for a stunt in which Aaron played  by actor Jeremy Renner to save (Rachel  Weiz) Marta from capture after she is cornered by the police, makes a daring slide three stories down a narrow opening between two buildings.  Because of very specific requirements, this set, a narrow three-story structure that the filmmakers called “the chasm,” had to be built by Thompson and his team.

The production’s metro Manila locales also included the Ninoy Aquino International Airport; the historic Intramuros district, known for its Spanish colonial architecture; the Manila Yacht Club; the Marikina covered market; and the Metropoint MRT train station in Pasay City.  The crew also traveled approximately an hour by plane from Manila to El Nido, located on the stunning Philippine island of Palawan, for scenes that take place amidst the magnificent islands of the South China Sea.  The dramatic islands, with their limestone cliffs that emerge directly from the water, are more often associated with the landscapes of Malaysia and Thailand.  

For several days the crew also filmed part of a chase at Navotas Fish Port, known as the fishing capital of the Philippines, situated north of the city on Manila Bay.  In the evenings, the location is a working fish market—1,000 feet long and 200 feet wide—that sells more than 100,000 fish every night.  Every morning during the shoot, the crew had to scrub, steam and dry the market.  Thompson and his team removed hanging tarps, added skylights and supporting posts, and scrubbed the floor to lessen the overpowering fish smell.  This also served a practical purpose: to make the location safe for the complex stunt work that was to be performed there. 

No Bourne film would be complete without its fair share of action.  Still, emphasizes producer Frank Marshall: “Our rules that we have been very consistent with through all the movies is that we don’t have action for action’s sake.  We don’t have a formula where every 10 minutes there has to be a fight scene or an action scene.  The action has to be driven by the story.  That’s what makes this series unique: These characters get into situations that lead to an action scene or a chase scene, but it all has a story point.” 

Unit director Dan Bradley traveled to Manila months before shooting began in order to tailor the action sequences to the locations.  “When we looked at the locations, he was with us, and then he said, ‘I’m going to stay behind for a week,’” producer Patrick Crowley recalls.  “We waited for Dan to just sit and meditate and come up with great ideas.  He’s come up with some things that have never been done before.”

Bradley’s biggest task was to choreograph a motorcycle chase that takes place on the crowded streets of Manila, much of it filmed with Renner in the rider’s seat.  “When you’re doing something in which there’s somebody on a motorcycle and they’re not wearing a helmet, you have to have the principal actor do that,” says Crowley.  “So we had Jeremy very much involved, and Rachel as well.” 

Luckily for the production, Renner is an avid motorcyclist. “When I first met Jeremy, we were going to have some practice sessions, and he showed up on one of the fastest motorcycles in the world, which was one of 10 that he owned,” remembers Crowley.  “We felt comfortable that we didn’t have to train him.  He has the bones of an action hero.  When I see him, I see that silent strength of Steve McQueen.  When he gets on a motorcycle, then he becomes even more like him.” 

Renner also put Weisz at ease as they worked with Bradley.  “Being on the back of a bike with Jeremy, I felt completely safe,” she says.  “He was doing wheelies, skids and slides—those kind of stunts that he’s very good at.” 

The filmmakers were also impressed when Weisz displayed a previously unseen side: that of an action star.  “She’s a great actress and has shown all this incredible talent playing characters who are typically not action characters,” says Crowley.  But Weisz insisted on as much rehearsal on the motorcycle as possible and performed much of the stunt work herself.  Laughs the producer: “Your heart still goes into your throat when you see her going 45, 50 miles an hour on the motorcycle with Jeremy.”  

Prior to filming in Manila, Bradley’s team spent several weeks rehearsing the motorcycle stunts, while special equipment was brought in, including Bradley’s own “Go Mobile,” a custom-made vehicle upon which several cameras may be mounted.  Bradley also recruited several expert motorcyclists, including professional stunt driver JEAN-PIERRE GOY, arguably one of the best in the world, to double on the most dangerous stunts.  All were pleased to have an actual Batman on board for the production, as Goy was the only one able to drive the two-wheeled street machine called the Bat-Pod for scenes in The Dark Knight.  Indeed, he returned to his key role for this summer’s The Dark Knight Rises.  

Bradley’s team also retrofitted several jeepneys, a minibus that is the most common form of transportation in the Philippines.  “The jeepneys were our heritage from World War II,” Juban explains.  “When jeeps were left behind by the Americans, the Filipinos made the body longer.  From that time on, it has ended up our main public utility vehicle.  That’s iconic Manila.”

Each painted in a bright, unique style to entice passengers to hop aboard, jeepneys are ubiquitous throughout the country, numbering around 100,000 in Manila alone.  The long and narrow vehicle is a cheap and easy form of transportation, ideally shaped for navigating narrow roads that full-size buses cannot.  Open windows provide its only form of air conditioning, and its passenger seating consists of two padded benches facing each other in the back, each seating six to 10 people.  When the seats are full, additional passengers ride outside, hanging onto the back as best they can.  

Jeepneys are featured in a key chase sequence with Renner, Weisz and Changchien that was filmed on one of Manila’s major roadways, Ramon Magsaysay Boulevard, the main route to the presidential palace.  Approximately 90 cars and more than 300 extras were used for the sequence, which shot on a mile and a half stretch of Magsaysay Blvd. through three major intersections over several weekends.   Helping manage the shoot were local authorities including the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Manila Traffic Bureau and the Presidential Security Group.
 
“Just on the MMDA, there were about 120 guys working with us—not just in the area, but in the peripheral surroundings to control and help ease the traffic,” Juban recounts.  “The Manila police have a contingent of about 50, and the Presidential Security Group has about 20, and then there is the local barangay [district] police.”

A densely populated city of more than 11 million people, Manila was not the easiest place to shoot.  “Manila’s a tough city to work in: There are traffic jams, and it’s hard to move around,” ends Crowley.  “But the people are so gracious and excited about films.  They know more about the Bourne movies than I know about the Bourne movies.”

“The Bourne Legacy” is released and distributed
by United International Pictures
through Solar Entertainment Corp.
Showing on August 8, 2012.
Nationwide

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

“THE CAMPAIGN” RELEASES NEW U.S. POSTERS

Warner Bros. has just released two new U.S. posters for its upcoming comedy “The Campaign” starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis.
Poster courtesy of Warner Bros.

             Directed by Jay Roach, “The Campaign” also stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott and Katherine LaNasa, with John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd and Brian Cox. The election comedy bows in the Philippines this August.

             In the film, when long-term congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district.  Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center.  

             At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about. 
 
             As election day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking comedy that takes today’s political circus to its logical next level. Because even when you think campaign ethics have hit rock bottom, there’s room to dig a whole lot deeper.

             “The Campaign” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.