The Empowered Women Of Rurouni Kenshin

A young, fencing mistress devoted to a reformed assassin. A beautiful healer making amends for her past. A young Oniwabanshu operative that leads a double life as an innkeeper. And a former courtesan madly in love with a psychopath. Meet Kaoru, Megumi, Misao and Yumi, the strong women characters who make their mark in Warner Bros.' “Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends,” the final chapter to director Keishi Otomo's blockbuster “Rurouni Kenshin” trilogy.

Popular Japanese actress Emi Takei plays Kaoru Kamiya. As the young fencing mistress of the Kamiya Dojo, which she inherited from her father, she teaches the sword as ‘a way of life, rather than of death’. She is strong-willed but also capable of great consideration for others. She refuses to ask about hero Kenshin Himura’s past; ‘Everyone has things they don’t want to talk about,’ she says, but she is terrified that Kenshin will return to his old ways, and wants him to keep his vow.

“Director Keishi Otomo asked me this time to play a Kaoru who has matured a little,” explains Takei. “And this time, Kaoru fights, too! Not with a wooden sword, but with a halberd. They let me do some real stunts, so it was a lot of fun. People love the character of Kaoru, so I’ve tried to play her as someone who deserves that. On these shoots, you have to be living in the world of the film, and the director gives hints, but he never tells me exactly what the answer to any questions that arise might be. You have to find it in yourself and express that. I’m really honored to be in a film like that.”

Multi-awarded actress Ya Aoi portrays Megumi Takani. A brave, determined, and also beautiful physician, the descendant of a long line of doctors whose family was wiped out in the wars accompanying the end of the Shogunate. She began making opium to keep herself alive, but reformed after Kenshin Himura saved her life, and now dedicates herself to the service of those in need. She is enraged when the new government puts pressure on Kenshin to help them by threatening to reopen her past in the opium trade. Her habitual sarcasm masks a warm heart, and she encourages Kaoru to follow Kenshin to Kyoto by suggesting that she will regret not going. When Sanosuke is setting out as well, she gives him a healing salve, the secret of which is known only to her family.

Filipino-Japanese star Maryjun Takahashi appears as Yumi Komagata. A bewitchingly beautiful woman, deeply in love with Shishio, and always by his side. Originally a courtesan in Edo’s Yoshiwara pleasure quarter, she took great pride in her work there, but when the new government, under Western influence, declared the sale of women to be barbaric, she was forced to leave. Declaring the new government to be comprised of sub-human animals, she joined Shishio in his hatred of it. As one of his inner circle she benefits greatly from his care, but in her heart she regrets that she cannot be of more use to him in his battle.

Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Japan

Tao Tsuchiya is no stranger to Japanese pop culture. She was in Jin-Roh, Ouran High School Host Club and Ultraman Retsuden. She plays Misao Makimachi, a young girl who was raised as part of the Oniwabanshu, an elite guardsmen during the Togukawa era that specializes in information gathering and covert operations similar to ninjas. She harbors a hidden love for Aoshi Shinomori, one of the last surviving Oniwabanshu member that guarded Edo Castle.

Based on the Kyoto arc of the popular manga series written & illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki, the “Rurouni Kenshin” sequels follow the story of Kenshin Himura (Takeru Satoh), a legendary swordsman in the wars accompanying the turbulent fall of Japan's Shogunate in the 19th century. Once feared as 'Battosai the Killer', he has adopted a peaceful life since the arrival of the 'new age'.

But Makoto Shishio (Tatsuya Fujiwara), the 'Shadow Killer' and successor to Kenshin's position as the deadly assassin, has since then been scheming in the Kyoto underworld, raising an army of disaffected former samurais with the aim of overthrowing the new regime.

“Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends” stars Takeru Sato (Kenshin Himura), Emi Takei (Kaoru Kamiya), Munetaka Aoki (Sanosuke Sagara), Kaito Oyagi (Yahiko Myojin), Yu Aoi (Megumi Takani), Yosuke Eguchi (Hajime Saito), Min Tanaka (Nenji Kashiwazaki), Tao Tsuchiya (Misao Makimachi), Ryunosuke Kamiki (Soujiro Seta), Maryjun Takahashi (Yumi Komagata) and Tatsuya Fujiwara (Shishio).

“Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Bloggers note: Most of this material are from the publicist of Warner Bros. Philippines. I just included my own material about Tao Tsuchiya who played Misao. Follow my blogs and like my Facebook page, L.E.N.S. blogs. 

Diane Keaton In "And So It Goes

Academy Award-winner Diane Keaton plays a beautiful singer who changes the life of her obnoxious next-door- neighbor (Michael Douglas), in Castle Rock Entertainment's new romantic comedy, “And So It Goes.” The film will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting Sept. 24.

Photo courtesy of Castle Rock Entertainment

In the film, there are a million reasons not to like realtor Oren Little (Douglas), and that's just the way he likes it. Willfully obnoxious to anyone who might cross his path, he wants nothing more than to sell one last house and retire in peace and quiet -- until his estranged son suddenly drops off a granddaughter he never knew existed and turns his life upside-down.

Clueless about how to care for a sweet, abandoned nine-year-old, he pawns her off on his determined and lovable neighbor Leah (Keaton) and tries to resume his life uninterrupted. But little by little, Oren stubbornly learns to open his heart - to his family, to Leah, and to life itself.

"I've known Diane over the years and have always been a huge fan, but I'd never worked with her," director Rob Reiner says. In the film, Leah is a singer, so though various names had been tossed around to play the character, Keaton's beautiful singing voice made her the perfect choice for the part.

"Plus, I've always thought of her as an incredibly gifted comedian," Reiner adds. "And she's also really sexy. And for a film like this, you have to find two people who are in that age range that also have a romantic quality - that you believe that there's a romantic, sexual part to them."

Keaton was drawn to the project from the beginning. "Everything was appealing to me with this project. I got to play opposite Michael Douglas, the script, the chance to sing. When I was young, I had a fantasy that I wanted to be singer, and I thought that I was going to try to be in musical comedies, but to have this given to me - the opportunity to sing four songs in the movie - is just a dream come true. But to be sixty-eight years old and to be in a romantic comedy where I get to kiss the guy? To me, that's beautiful. And the subject matter: love, life, second chances, opening up, letting go, discovering something you never expected."

Not only was the opportunity of working with Douglas and Reiner a major selling point, but Keaton also felt a connection to her character. "Leah is somebody that I aspire to be: kind, caring, maternal. But she's also strong, and she has strong values, and she stands up for them. She's also insecure and sensitive, and she cries a lot. But she's open to people."

Douglas and Keaton had a mutual admiration for one another before they ever started working together, which turned into a friendly affection as the shoot wore on. "Michael Douglas is a pro, and I'm a complete slob, so it was really a nice mix. I really like playing around with him; I like teasing him a lot. It really made the set fun for me. And he can take a joke, and he can also dish it out, too. It was a great warring effort." She adds, "The movie's funny. The main thing you can say about the movie, the number one thing, is comedy. It's a comedy, and Michael Douglas was born to play this part."

"Diane was the exciting unknown for me, because we had never worked together before," Douglas states. "She's so quirky and unpredictable - you never know exactly what's gonna come out of her mouth. She might vary a line if she finds something's better, which was always great." The veteran actor also found Keaton's work style fascinating. He adds, "She listens to music through a pair of earphones right up until the moment they say, 'Roll - action.' Then she just takes them off. . . and she goes."

Cinemalaya X's Hari Ng Tondo Opens In Cinemas October 1

It's good thing that quality movies from independent filmmakers are being given the liberty to do their own movies and it is better if these movies are given chance to be seen in the public. Thanks to Star Cinema, Hari Ng Tondo is now in cinemas.

Robert Arevalo got the Best Actor Award from the recent Cinemalaya and making her after her long absence in the screen, Cris Villonco also got an award as best supporting actress. Not only that it got two awards but it also marks the return of Carlos Siguion-Reyna in the director's chair after fourteen years.

Hari Ng Tondo tells the story about a patriarch who returns to his old house in Tondo along with his two grandchildren. Bibeth Orteza wrote this story based on the late comedian Dolphy of Tondo he knew.

Ms. Orteza said that the movie is about family. Most people have a misconceptions about Tondo but the movie will show you that. This movie also marks the first time Rafael Siguion-Reyna works with his father in a movie. He plays one of the grandchildren.

Ms. Villonco is very active in theater productions. Before this movie, she worked with Robert Arevalo in Nick Joaquin's Mga Ama, Mga Anak by Tanghalang Pilipino. She said that it's hard for her to erase the memories of people who knew her as a teen star but she hopes that this movie will show that she is a different person now when she gives her take on movies with her background in stage plays.

This just shows that there are still people who still wants to make quality movies in mainstream cinemas. Robert Arevalo said it better when he ask to support the movie because regardless of mainstream and independent movies, these are all quality Pinoy movies. Hari Ng Tondo also stars Rez Cortez , Aiza Seguerra, Ciara Sotto, Ali Sotto, Eric Quizon, Liza Lorena and more. For more movie press launch coverages, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs. 

“RUROUNI KENSHIN: THE LEGEND ENDS” TEASER POSTER

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MANILA, August 22, 2014 – Kenshin Himura is washed ashore and found by a mysterious man holding a sword in the teaser poster of Warner Bros. Pictures' “Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends,” the final chapter to director Keishi Otomo's blockbuster trilogy, “Rurouni Kenshin.”

The second installment, “Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno” is now playing to capacity crowds in Philippine theaters, and is trending to open at No.1 for the weekend box office.

Asked if “The Legend Ends” will be the same as “Kyoto Inferno,” director Keishi Otomo replies, “The theme of Kenshin’s atonement for the many people he’s killed does not change. A man who lives in atonement, and a man who does not, must inevitably do battle. But I want Kenshin to be falling apart. Kenshin doesn’t face Shishio as a straight-down-the-line champion of justice. He gets confused; his certainties are shaken.”

Based on the Kyoto arc of the popular manga series written & illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki, the “Rurouni Kenshin” sequels follow the story of Kenshin Himura (Takeru Satoh), a legendary swordsman in the wars accompanying the turbulent fall of Japan's Shogunate in the 19th century. Once feared as 'Battosai the Killer', he has adopted a peaceful life since the arrival of the 'new age'.

But Makoto Shishio (Tatsuya Fujiwara), the 'Shadow Killer' and successor to Kenshin's position as the deadly assassin, has since then been scheming in the Kyoto underworld, raising an army of disaffected former samurais with the aim of overthrowing the new regime.

“Rurouni Kenshin: The Legend Ends” also stars Emi Takei (Kaoru Kamiya), Munetaka Aoki (Sanosuke Sagara), Kaito Oyagi (Yahiko Myojin), Yu Aoi (Megumi Takani), Yosuke Eguchi (Hajime Saito), Min Tanaka (Nenji Kashiwazaki), Tao Tsuchiya (Misao Makimachi), Ryunosuke Kamiki (Soujiro Seta) and Maryjun Takahashi (Yumi Komagata).

MARRIAGE UNDER MEDIA’S SCRUTINY IN “GONE GIRL”

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The bestselling page-turner “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn gets film treatment from director David Fincher, known for his thrilling works in acclaimed hits “Fight Club,” “Se7en,” “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” “Zodiac” and “The Social Network” where Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike star as the afflicted couple when the Mrs. disappears on the day of their fifth year wedding anniversary. 

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

                One of the most anticipated movie of the season, “Gone Girl” is also written for the screen by the book’s author (Flynn) that explores a troubled marriage and how the media played a major part on Nick and Amy’s marriage.   Affleck plays Nick Dunne, a man who becomes the prime suspect in a murder when his wife Amy (Pike) is nowhere to be found on their fifth wedding anniversary.

                Nick and Amy are both journalists when they met each other at a party in New York, Nick a writer for a magazine while Amy writes personality quizzes for different publications.  After getting married and with the surge of online publishing,  both eventually lost their jobs leading them to move to Nick’s hometown in North Carthage to take care of his ailing mother and father.  They easily slipped into their new life, Amy being home most of the time while Nick opened up a bar with his sister Go (Carrie Coon) and secured a teaching post in the local college.

                Nick’s usually quiet town is suddenly abuzz when Amy disappeared on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary.   In his usual morning routine, Nick goes to The Bar and Amy stays at home.  Hours later, Nick receives a call that prompted him to come back home but couldn’t find Amy anywhere near their house.  Confused, Nick found broken glasses, overturned coffee table and streaks of blood all over the house. But clearly no sign of broken doors and windows.      

                Once news from the neighbourhood broke and reached the media, Nick finds himself under the court of public opinion where media anchors and reporters try to interpret and report whatever details they picked up from the investigation.  As the investigation deepens, Nick and the police slowly discover clues left by Amy, in the tradition of their yearly anniversary and tried to use it to get to the bottom of Amy’s disappearance.  The investigators, Amy’s parents, friends and the media guess that Nick is the prime suspect of his wife’s curious disappearance .  Even worse, Nick has to fend off attacks from a talk show host whom everyone in town believes in and all other national media reporters who stalk him everywhere trying to get him to admit to his wife’s disappearance.

                Find out what happened to Amy when “Gone Girl” opens in cinemas nationwide on October 8 from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

KAYA SCODELARIO’S UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL IN “THE MAZE RUNNER”

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 In the highly anticipated action-adventure “The Maze Runner,” based on the hugely successful book series of the same title by James Dashner,  Kaya Scodelario stars as Teresa in the movie within the midst of teenage boys confined in a place called The Glade where she is the only girl in the mix and where they have no idea who they are except for their names.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

Teresa’s arrival into the mysterious Glade takes her fellow teenage captives by surprise: she’s the first girl in their midst. It’s immediately apparent that she has a connection to Dylan O’Brien’s Thomas; a connection that may well explain the Gladers’ confinement. Teresa came into the Glade just right after the movie’s lead protagonist, Thomas (played by Dylan O’Brien) – among the boys, only both of them have repetitious dreams of a mysterious organization of which only the acronym WCKD flashes within their memories.  

                “The Maze Runner” opens up on a vast space where teenage boys thrived for three years, each having their own group and responsibilities to attend to in order to survive.  Within The Glade is the mysterious, dangerous and massive maze where predators await.  All of the boys have awaken inside an elevator that has ascended from somewhere that led them into The Glade and has since then accustomed and resigned themselves to survive.  Until the last of them was delivered, alas, Teresa, a girl has finally found her way into the Glade. 

                “Teresa is every bit as tough as the guys,” Scodelario affirms.  “She’s independent, feisty and tough and definitely has a ‘don’t-mess-with-me’ vibe.”  Moreover, says Ball, “she’s every bit as mysterious as the Glade and Maze, and when she comes up on that elevator, it all goes really bad.” 

Kaya Scodelario came to mainstream attention via British TV’s with her first role in E4’s SKINS, which started in 2007. Then 14, Scodelario had never acted before, but she overcame nerves at the audition and became one of the show’s most enduring characters, starring alongside Nicholas Hoult and Jack O’Connell in the show’s four seasons.

She appeared in her feature film debut in 2009, in Duncan Jones’s sci-fi indie “Moon,” and followed it up in 2010 with roles in “Shank” and “Clash of the Titans.” She earned critical plaudits for her turn as Cathy in Andrea Arnold’s stripped-back retelling of “Wuthering Heigths” in 2011 and starred alongside Dakota Fanning and Jeremy Irvine in the romantic drama “Now is Good” in 2012.

And So It Goes movie review

I last saw Michael Douglas in the movie Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give.These two movie veterans are not new in comedy. For Douglas, my favorite is War Of The Roses where he played husband to Kathleen Turner's character that tried to kill each other. For Ms. Keaton, the Father Of The Bride movies and The First Wives Club.

Photo courtesy of Castle Rock Entertainment

For these two, comedy is never too old. In this movie, they showed that they still got what it takes to be casts as the protagonists.  Usually, it is the younger who gets casts into comedies as protagonists but it requires older actors to play the the main roles because of the emphasis of a family struggle.

As Oren Little, Michael Douglas gave emphasis what his character's scope of influence in the story. His was the center of the conflict. His son is serving prison term and he is the only blood relative who can take care of the granddaughter that he never met.

As Oren's neighbor Leah, Diane Keaton is the ideal choice of parent figure. It is not surprising that she has this roles especially in Father Of The Bride movies. For new actress Sterling Jerins, it is good she is having good movie breaks. Most of her movies becomes my favorites like World War Z and The Conjuring. It's not every day that a little girl can work with Brad Pitt in a blockbuster movie. I can see promising projects heading her way in the future. She plays the granddaughter Sarah. This is probably her best performance yet in my opinion.

The neighbors also provide a comic bunch situations for the main characters. The story is something even a Filipino can relate. I am not surprise if it can be given a Pinoy version because it is also something Pinoy does in a TV series.

I highly recommend this movie but it is only exclusive to Ayala Cinemas. For more quality movie reviews, follow this blog or like my Facebook page, L.E.N.S. blogs. And So It Goes opens exclusively in Ayala Cinemas.

The Maze Runner Featurette :Meet The Gladers

 “The Maze Runner” is set to turn things in a dizzying blur as the teenage captives in a virtual prison known as The Glade run for a chance to save their lives.   Headed by “Teen Wolf’s” heartthrob Dylan O’Brien along with a group of talented young actors including Kaya Scodelario, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee and Blake Cooper,  “The Maze Runner” is directed by Wes Ball based on James Dashner’s hugely successful (trilogy) tome.

                At this year's Comic Con, the cast attests that the movie will be shocked on how the book’s famous baddies known as the Grievers, were depicted.                Director Ball further stressed that the audience will definitely be in for a pretty terrifying ride.

Published in October 2009, “The Maze Runner” became a New York Times Best Seller and captured the imaginations of readers around the world, who described it as a combination of “Lord of the Flies,” “ The Hunger Games,” and the legendary television series “Lost.” Dashner understands those comparisons, especially to Lord of the Flies, but notes that THE MAZE RUNNER is at its heart a very different story.  “I don’t think characters would react they way they do in Lord of the Flies,” he explains.  “I think they’d be more civilized, orderly, and determined to survive and escape.  THE MAZE RUNNER is an adventure story that’s also about hope and the potential of the human spirit.”

               

The book caught the attention of producers Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Lee Stollman from the management/production company The Gotham Group.  “We see a lot of young adult novels,” Stollman explains. “And you always look for something that has a big world creation with characters that are identifiable and something we haven’t seen before,” which is what they found in Dashner’s book.

                Leading man Dylan agrees, "That’s something that might separate this, I think, being like one of those YA movies that are coming out. I so genuinely don’t think it’s like that. It totally exists in its own right and like he said, it could easily be taken as a kid’s movie just objectively, but there is a real sense- there’s this gravitas to it It’s really, really mature in that aspect of performances and just the story."

                Reflecting on the story’s appeal, Dashner notes that much of it stems from the “constant state of not being able to predict what’s going to happen next.  I wanted my readers, and now the moviegoing audience, to feel like Thomas when they enter the Glade.”

MARRIAGE UNDER MEDIA’S SCRUTINY IN “GONE GIRL”

Movie release material

The bestselling page-turner “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn gets film treatment from director David Fincher, known for his thrilling works in acclaimed hits “Fight Club,” “Se7en,” “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo,” “Zodiac” and “The Social Network” where Ben Affleck and Rosamund Pike star as the afflicted couple when the Mrs. disappears on the day of their fifth year wedding anniversary. 

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

                One of the most anticipated movie of the season, “Gone Girl” is also written for the screen by the book’s author (Flynn) that explores a troubled marriage and how the media played a major part on Nick and Amy’s marriage.   Affleck plays Nick Dunne, a man who becomes the prime suspect in a murder when his wife Amy (Pike) is nowhere to be found on their fifth wedding anniversary.

                Nick and Amy are both journalists when they met each other at a party in New York, Nick a writer for a magazine while Amy writes personality quizzes for different publications.  After getting married and with the surge of online publishing,  both eventually lost their jobs leading them to move to Nick’s hometown in North Carthage to take care of his ailing mother and father.  They easily slipped into their new life, Amy being home most of the time while Nick opened up a bar with his sister Go (Carrie Coon) and secured a teaching post in the local college.

                Nick’s usually quiet town is suddenly abuzz when Amy disappeared on the day of their fifth wedding anniversary.   In his usual morning routine, Nick goes to The Bar and Amy stays at home.  Hours later, Nick receives a call that prompted him to come back home but couldn’t find Amy anywhere near their house.  Confused, Nick found broken glasses, overturned coffee table and streaks of blood all over the house. But clearly no sign of broken doors and windows.      

                Once news from the neighbourhood broke and reached the media, Nick finds himself under the court of public opinion where media anchors and reporters try to interpret and report whatever details they picked up from the investigation.  As the investigation deepens, Nick and the police slowly discover clues left by Amy, in the tradition of their yearly anniversary and tried to use it to get to the bottom of Amy’s disappearance.  The investigators, Amy’s parents, friends and the media guess that Nick is the prime suspect of his wife’s curious disappearance .  Even worse, Nick has to fend off attacks from a talk show host whom everyone in town believes in and all other national media reporters who stalk him everywhere trying to get him to admit to his wife’s disappearance.

                Find out what happened to Amy when “Gone Girl” opens in cinemas nationwide on October 8 from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

ASHLEY JUDD IN “DOLPHIN TALE 2”

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She most recently co-starred in Neil Burger’s sci-fi hit “Divergent,” with Shailene Woodley and Kate Winslet, and Antoine Fuqua’s actioner “Olympus Has Fallen,” with Gerard Butler and Aaron Eckhart. Now, Ashley Judd returns to her role of the big-hearted mother, Lorraine, for Warner Bros. Pictures' eagerly anticipated sequel, “Dolphin Tale 2.”

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Ashley Judd says of the premise of the new film, “It’s always wonderful when young people find their voice and their autonomy, and it’s great to watch the kids in this film begin to act on the courage of their convictions. In the first ‘Dolphin Tale,’ Lorraine was mostly concerned about her son, Sawyer, and then was relieved that he was going to be okay. Now, maybe he’s gonna be too okay because he’s getting ready to leave for several months. Of course, as a mom she wants him to go out and do big things.”

The actress, who is an outspoken animal advocate, adds, “I was so pleased to discover that so much of this film focuses on the animals. To be on set with Winter and see the range of her emotions—from the unbelievable gentleness with which she interacts with both children and adults with disabilities to her mischievousness and humor—is one of the most profound experiences of my career. As Dr. McCarthy likes to joke, with intentional inaccuracy, ‘She’s a hell of a fish,’” Judd laughs.

Morgan Freeman returns as Dr. Cameron McCarthy, the ingenious prosthetics doctor who devised the artificial tail that saved Winter’s life in the first film. “Dolphin Tale 2” also marks his fourth collaboration with Judd, whom he says is “one of the women I love most in the world. “She is super smart, she is gorgeous and she has a beautiful soul. What’s not to love?”

He and Judd also share an admiration for their aquatic co-stars. “Dolphins are extremely bright creatures; the fact that they don’t make computers or cars doesn’t diminish that fact,” he observes. “I think their intelligence is part of what draws us to them and them to us. And that’s also part of what makes the ‘Dolphin Tale’ movies such terrific family affairs. We have to remember, as filmmakers and storytellers, that children do not listen to what we say; they’re watching what we do. So if we make movies about caring for the environment and its animals, that’s what they learn. We should be joyous when something good comes along that will resonate with people who are concerned about taking their children to the movies.”

In “Dolphin Tale 2,” it has been several years since young Sawyer Nelson (Nathan Gamble) and the dedicated team at the Clearwater Marine Hospital, headed by Dr. Clay Haskett (Harry Connick, Jr.), rescued Winter. With the help of Dr. Cameron McCarthy (Morgan Freeman), who developed a unique prosthetic tail for the injured dolphin, they were able to save her life. Yet their fight is not over. Winter's surrogate mother, the very elderly dolphin Panama, has passed away, leaving Winter without the only poolmate she has ever known. However, the loss of Panama may have even greater repercussions for Winter, who, according to USDA regulations, cannot be housed alone, as dolphins' social behavior requires them to be paired with other dolphins. Time is running out to find a companion for her before the team at Clearwater loses their beloved Winter to another aquarium.

Opening across the Philippines on Oct. 08, 2014, “Dolphin Tale 2” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

'Kristy' Is A Nerve Shredding, Nail-Biting, Fight For Survival Thriller

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There moments in life more terrifying than being alone at college for the first time, but what if you were absolutely cut off from the rest of the world - and being chased by a masked psychopath?

Photo courtesy of Captive Films

When a college girl who is alone on campus over the Thanksgiving break is targeted by a group of outcasts, she must conquer her deepest fears to outwit them and fight back.

“With the rest of the campus home for the Thanksgiving holiday, Justine(Haley Bennett) and a few of her friends spend the weekend in their college dormitory: studying, relaxing and blissfully unaware of the terror that is about to unfold outside in the cold. Suddenly, confronted by a gang of violent outcasts, Justine’s quiet long weekend becomes one long lesson in survival as her and her classmates are terrorized in increasingly bizarre and brutal ways, leaving it up to her to figure out who her attackers are…and if they can be stopped. “

The movie stars Haley Bennett, Ashley Greene, Erica Ash, Chris Coy and Lucas Till.

“KRISTY” is released and distributed by CAPTIVE CINEMA.

SHOWING OCTOBER 1. NATIONWIDE!

DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND: “THE MAZE RUNNER” NOW IN CINEMAS

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 Can W.C.K.D. be good? Find out in the thrilling and out-of-your-breath action adventure film “The Maze Runner” starring a group of amaze-ing young boys and a girl – headed by Dylan O’Brien, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Will Poulter, Aml Ameen, Blake Cooper and Kaya Scodelario. 

                Directed by Wes Ball, the movie opened in Philippine cinemas (last September 17) with fever-pitch anticipation from movie enthusiasts especially from the young adult crowd from whom the book has enjoyed immense success catapulting it to one of YA bestselling series of all time.

                In the movie, Thomas (O’Brien) wakes up trapped in a massive maze with a group of other boys, they call it the Glade, he has no memory of the outside world other than strange dreams about a mysterious organization known as W.C.K.D.  Within the glade stands a massive series of walls that forms a dangerous maze where their only hope to escape lies at the end of each cluster, but the walls change every single day, as such they assign runners, the fastest of the bunch to track and take mental notes of the maze’s secrets.

                “The Maze Runner” also brims with a cast full of talent within its action-packed and visually stunning production, director Ball and producer Wyck Godfrey assembled an impressive cast to form a highly functional society as they perform their daily jobs, look out for each other and engage in power struggles as they try to solve the mystery of the Maze. Godfrey says, “The casting was one of the most exciting things about the project.  The actors really believed in this world, and we went far afield to find them.”    

Thomas, played by Dylan O’Brien is the boy who takes that step forward when everybody else takes a step back.  He’s curious and comes to learn that he is just one of many who have come up on that elevator once a month over a three year period.

The leader of these Gladers is Alby, who’s the closest thing to a father figure.  “Alby is the main dude,” says Ball.  “He was the first Glader, the first boy sent up the elevator, and he had to survive an entire month by himself not knowing where he was and without any help. Then the next guy showed up.  Alby figured out that order and discipline were necessary to survive in this world.  He’s very protective of it.”

Thomas’s nemesis in the Glade is Gally.  Smart and intimidating, Gally wants to maintain the status quo and clashes with the new arrival.  “But Gally and Thomas are really two sides of the same coin,” notes Ball.  “Thomas fully embraces and charges into the unknown and Gally is all about self-preservation and keeping things safe and normal.” 

Alby’s lieutenant, Newt, is played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster (voice of Ferb in “Phineas and Ferb”), who appears in the hit HBO series “Game of Thrones” and first gained attention for his performance in “Love, Actually.”  Newt walks with a limp that’s not fully explained because it’s something he’d prefer not to talk about.  Nevertheless, Brodie-Sangster says the character is “the fun one of the group, the one that everyone gets along with.  The Gladers come to Newt with their problems because they like and trust him.”

British actress Kaya Scodelario plays the only young woman among the Gladers, Teresa, who has a mysterious connection with Thomas. Having made her name with the UK TV series Skins, Scodelario impressed the filmmakers by being “one of the guys,” as Godfrey puts it. “She’s badass, which is what you need to be if you’re going to be thrust into the world of the Glade with all these young men.”

The elite among the Gladers are called Runners, whose athleticism propels them through the Maze each day, which helps them compile a map of the foreboding structure and, maybe, figure out a way to escape.  Their captain is Minho, played by Ki Hong Lee.  The young actor grew to understand his position of leadership among the Gladers in a very individual way.  “I looked at the Marines and the Army and, and I consider Minho like a general of the Gladers,” Lee explains, “It’s his job to rally the troops.” 

“The Maze Runner” is now playing in cinemas across the Phils. from 20^th Century Fox distributed by Warner Bros.

“THE PYRAMID” UNLOCKS ANCIENT TERROR (POSTER AND TRAILER REVEAL)

In "The Pyramid," a team of U.S. archaeologists unearths an ancient pyramid buried deep beneath the Egyptian desert. As they search the pyramid's depths, they become hopelessly lost in its dark and endless catacombs. Searching for a way out, they become desperate to seek daylight again. They come to realize they aren't just trapped, they are being hunted.

                Produced by Alexandre Aja and directed by Gregory Levasseur (known for their thrilling works in "The Hills Have Eyes," "P2," "Mirrors") "The Pyramid" is a horrifying, hair-raising tale of explorers cursed who dared to enter the ancient wonder.  The movie stars Ashley Hinshaw, Denis O'Hare and James Buckley. 

                The film follows a cast of characters who enter a newfound pyramid in the Egyptian desert. However, as they begin exploring the labyrinthine structure, they quickly realize that what they are actually standing in is a sort of prison – and what that prison is keeping trapped inside is something more nightmarish than any of the explorers could’ve imagined.

                Alexandre Aja shared in this year’s Comic Con that the movie is too intense such that they preferred to retain the movie’s effective scares.  “During prep on “Horns” I was going to Morocco to help Greg. The Pyramid was was too intense and we didn’t want to change the movie. The movie’s really cool. The story is based on true fact. American archeologists use a satellite to X-ray the Egyptian desert. In the film, they find an Egyptian pyramid, bigger than any one we know, buried in the sand and they find a way to get in. The Egyptian authority asks them to leave and they have 24 hours to go see what’s inside and they shouldn’t do that. It’s an adventure type movie, but pretty intense. This is The Descent with an Indiana Jones vibe,” Aja said.

"The Pyramid" opens December 10 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Kate Hudson in "Wish I Was Here"

As someone who has starred in her fair share of romantic comedies, Kate Hudson has had to pucker up to her fair share of hunky leading men, from Matthew McConaughey to Jon Hamm. The 35-year-old actress, who’s currently co-starring with Zach Braff in  Wish I Was Here.

Photo courtesy of Captive Cinema

Kate Hudson plays Aidan Bloom (played by Zach Braff) beleaguered wife Sarah. For Hudson choosing to sign on to Wish I Was Here was as easy decision. She and Braff have known each other for years and have searched for the right opportunity to work together. “Zach has been a friend of mine for many years now,” Hudson says. “When he started to get this project going. I read it and I connected so much to the story and the script. It felt like some of it was a slice out of my own life. It was one of the best things Zach has ever written, and I’ve read pretty much everything that he’s written. Braff had been a fan of his leading lady for some time.”

“When I saw Kate in Almost Famous , my jaw dropped,” he remembers. “I had that excitement you feel when a new giant talent has been discovered. I’ve been trying to work with her ever since.”

Braff also knew that this his comfortable relationship with Hudson would translate to the screen. “We became friends some back years back,” she recalls, “We have fun friendship, and a fun repartee, and it was great to dive into a movie with that already and not have to fake it. I love Kate and she genuinely makes me laugh. I knew that would come across the characters and in the relationship.”

“Sarah is supporting the family. She’s the one with the steady job, and she’s miserable,” Hudson says for her character, “And yet she loves her husband, but she realizes she has been supporting his dream, which is not really happening.”

“When you trying to keep things afloat and you’ve got all these plates spinning, the struggle starts to beat you down,” Hudson says of Aidan and Sarah’s relationship. “You don’t have time for each other . You don’t the opportunities to connect like you wish you could. It can be difficult. Sarah backs up and let’s Aidan take the reins to see how he can handle connecting and being fully responsible for the kids. Any parent will find story relatable. This is the real version of a family.”

“I prefer the pace on independent films, like anything, when you’re an actor, momentum is important, you get a little lazy when you’re sitting around the set. When you’re shooting a low budget film, you’re moving really fast. There aren’t a bunch of people waiting in trailers. You don’t have any divas on set,” Hudson comments.

For Hudson , seeing Braff direct Wish I Was Here was especially rewarding, given her closeness to the actor and filmmaker. “I love seeing friend manifest their dreams and desires , especially creatively, ” Hudson says. “ When you hear someone talk about what they want to be doing over a period of years, and then you see it happen and you’re a part of it, you do have a sense of pride for your friends. You feel so proud of them.”

“What interesting to me is to see his professional side.” Hudson says. “We definitely do not have a professional relationship, though, creatively we were always connected watching him in action has been inspiring to me ”

‘Wish I Was Here’ is released and distributed by CAPTIVE CINEMA.

SHOWING ON SEPTEMBER 17. NATIONWIDE!

DENZEL WASHINGTON'S GOT YOUR BACK AS “THE EQUALIZER”

Movie release material

Two-time Academy Award®-winning actor Denzel Washington is a man constantly on the move. Never comfortable repeating himself or his successes, Washington always searches for new challenges through his numerous and varied film and stage portrayals. From “Glory” to “Cry Freedom”; from Shakespeare's “Richard III,” to “Training Day,” to his most recent critically acclaimed performance in “Flight,” Washington has amazed and entertained audiences with a rich array of characters distinctly his own.

Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures

Now, Washington stars in Columbia Pictures' action-thriller “The Equalizer” as the mysterious Robert McCall whose driving force is an innate sense of justice.

“Robert McCall has done a lot of bad things in his past, and he’s trying to get beyond that – he’s not proud of his past, and he’s trying to do better,” Washington explains. After leaving that past behind to lead a quiet life, he finds that desire for justice reawakened when a young girl – abandoned by the rest of the world – needs his help. “He didn’t like himself – he never lost his skills, he made a conscious decision to put that behind him. It’s when he meets an innocent young girl who is being abused, that he decides to do something about it.”

“McCall’s motivation is simple,” says Todd Black, a producer of the film. “When there is an injustice to an ordinary person, someone who can’t defend themselves, because they’re not capable or they don’t even know where to start, he will take care of it – violently or nonviolently.”

“We’d all like to believe that there’s a guy out there who could help us, if only we could find him,” says producer Jason Blumenthal. “If somehow we could reply to an ad on the Internet, desperately pleading for help when no one else would take that call. I’d like to believe that in my hour of need, somebody out there would listen to me – somebody would drop everything and help me, just because. And that’s the Equalizer.”

In his role as a producer, Washington worked with screenwriter Richard Wenk to realize the role he wanted to play. He says they kept asking the basic questions – “Who is he? What makes him tick? What are his flaws? What is he trying to get over? I think that long ago, he started out as a man who wanted to help people, and it turned into something else. He had to put that all behind him, to shut the door. And this young innocent opens that door again.”

Similarly, Washington felt great confidence in his director, Antoine Fuqua. “He’s very talented,” says the actor. “We sent him the material and he responded – we sat down and he had tons of ideas – and it was a done deal.” Later, on set, that confidence paid off. “Antoine had the vision for the film – he was doing close work with specialized cameras, all of that stuff. But I never worried about any of that. The camera is Antoine’s area of expertise – I don’t have to worry about that. I just worry about the acting,” he smiles.

Since “Training Day,” Fuqua and Washington have had several opportunities to re-team, but “The Equalizer” is the first that actually brought them back together. “We didn’t force it,” says Blumenthal. “It wasn’t ‘Let’s get the guys that did Training Day together.’ That’s not a reason to make a movie. I think Antoine was looking to make a movie where he could get back into character and really understand what makes a person tick. You can only build a great character if you’ve got an unbelievable actor, and of course, we had Denzel. So the challenge then became finding a character that Denzel could sink into and a world that Antoine could bring to life.”

Opening across the Philippines in October 01, 2014, “The Equalizer” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.