Thursday, March 26, 2015

BATTLING INNER MONSTER IN “WOLFCOP”

Press release

Small town cop Lou Garou hasn't taken his job seriously in years. He drinks too much and when bad things happen he looks the other way.

Photo courtesy of Axinite Digicinema
                One night, acting out of character, Lou follows up on a disturbance call in a remote area, but shortly after he arrives on the scene, he blacks out.  When he wakes up, he can’t remember anything, his senses are heightened, he has odd markings on his body and his hair is growing at a rapid rate.  That night, Lou’s transformation from man into rage-fuelled werewolf takes shape.

                During the day, Lou struggles to remain in control, both of his drinking, his newfound powers and the dangerous situations all around him. In an attempt to uncover the truth, he enlists the help of the town's local eccentric Willie, who seems to know a lot about the werewolf's curse. Together the two work to try and uncover the mystery of who did this to Lou and for what dark reasons.  The only question is will Lou be able to make things right before his inner monster takes control again?

                From Crystalsky Multimedia, “Wolfcop” is now showing in the following cinemas:  SM North Edsa, SM Fairview, SM Marikina, SM Megamall, SM Manila, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Clark, SM Bacoor, SM Cebu, SM Iloilo, Remar Cubao, Cinerama Recto, Gateway Cineplex, Promenade, Sta. Lucia, Gaisano Davao, Gaisano Toril and Fisher Mall. 

Thursday, March 19, 2015

The first Sinag Maynila Officially Opens

March 18, 2015. SM Aura, Taguig. Sinag Manila kicked off during its opening day. Five independent movies are showcased exclusively at selected SM Cinemas(Aura, Megamall, Mall Of Asia, North EDSA, Manila, Fairview, and Southmall).
Solar Ent. Corp.prsident, Wilson Tieng officially opens Sinag Maynila

These movies are not your mainstream types but they were done by notable independent film makers our country can offer. The following movies and their directors are the following:

Balut Country - Paul Sta. Anna

Bambanti - Zig Dulay

Imbisibol - Lawrence Fajardo

Ninja Party - Jim Libiran

Swap - Rempton Zuasola

Sinag Manila is also a friendly competitive movie festival and they will be judge by:

F. Sionil Jose: National Artist, Philippine Literature

Bienvenido Lumbera: National Artist, Philippine Literature

Armando Yasin Lao: Screenwriter/ Director

John Badalu: Film Producer

Paolo Bertolin: Producer/ Film Critic

The schedule of these movies varies at each cinema daily and will run until March 24. Will be posting updates soon about the Sinag Maynila Awards Night. Be ahead among the rest by joining this movie blog's followers and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook. Sinag Maynila was made possible by Solar Entertainment Corp. and SM Cinemas.

Monday, March 16, 2015

Zoolander 2 At Valentino Show During Paris Fashion Week

PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 10: Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson reprises their role as Derek Zoolander and Hansel as they walk the runway at the Valentino Fashion Show during Paris Fashion Week at Espace Ephemere Tuileries on March 10, 2015 in Paris, France. ZOOLANDER 2 will open in theaters in the U.S. on Feb. 12 2016
Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images For Paramount Pictures.

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Saturday, March 14, 2015

Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel movie review

Namaste! That's a standard Indian greeting. Here are the reasons why should you see Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel? I consider this the best movie I've seen for the year 2015.

*It's a fun movie to watch. The humor is smart. The British has a different sense of humor.

*You can still see these seasoned British actors appealing in this movie.

*It's a cross-cultural movie. It made me want to go to India.

*It's not a Bollywood movie but it has a Bollywood feel with collaborative effort between Indian and British actors.
Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight

*Dev Patel(The Last Airbender), Maggie Smith( Harry Potter movies, the original Clash Of Titans), Bill Nighy(Jack The Giant Slayer, Underworld) and Judi Dench(James Bond movies) has pop culture representations.

*Unlike Hotel California(reference to the Eagles song), the Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is the hotel you can check in anytime and you may not want to leave.

*There is no main character. Each character has their own story.

I just found out that it is a sleeper hit sequel. It makes me want to see the first one. Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is exclusive to Ayala Cinemas. For more movie reviews, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

Thursday, March 12, 2015

RUN ALL NIGHT movie review

Reasons why you should watch Run All Night
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

-It is completely different from his Taken trilogy.

-Liam Neeson's character is called the "gravedigger" for a reason. He is a mob hitman who just wanted to protect his son.

-Despite the violent action scenes, it is still about family.

-Common plays a ruthless assassin. Common?!? The rapper?!? I was only told that he is really a rapper. He really convinced me that he is a stone-cold killer.

-Liam Neeson still kick ass.

Just one comment. Liam Neeson's character and the story itself has similarities with John Wick. Overall, it is a good action movie.

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Wednesday, March 11, 2015

The Gunman movie review

Sean Penn is one of the actors that knows which movie project he wants to do and got awarded in some of these movies he did. Here is my list why you should see The Gunman.

1. It is Sean Penn's first action movie. He even look tough and buffed in this movie.

2. The action sequences isn't like I often see in Hollywood. The movie was done more like an independent production or European influence.

3. Africa is a good location for the story.

4. Most of the cast are new to me.

7. There is substance in the story.

8. The blood and gore are not exaggerated.

9. Sean Penn's character is not the heroic type. He is an anti-hero.

The title is not that appealing but it showed more quality than what I thought. The Gunman is now showing in Philippine cinemas through OctoArts Films. For more reviews, join this blog's followers and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

Monday, March 9, 2015

EXPERIMENTING ON THE UNTHINKABLE IN “THE LAZARUS EFFECT”

Press release

For time immemorial, humans have sought the one power that has escaped our grasp:  to reverse the haunting finality of death. What if exploring the mysterious gap between life and death opens the gateway to lurking evil we never imagined? Could it be that the wondrous possibility of reversing death is actually a path to the darkest corners of the human psyche and the very height of mortal fear? 

Photo courtesy of Pioneer Films
                That is the premise behind “The Lazarus Effect,” the new film from Blumhouse Productions, the producers of such original hit horror franchises as “The Purge,” “Insidious” and “Sinister.”  The gripping, thought-provoking thrills begin with a group of renegade medical researchers who believe they may have stumbled on a breakthrough drug that could one day resurrect recently deceased patients.  But when a lab accident takes the life of one of their own, they decide to rush into a spontaneous experiment, bringing her back to life in an extraordinary medical triumph . . . and unleashing forces far beyond their comprehension. 

                In the film, the Lazarus Project Lab has been probing that daring question for a while, with promising results, at least with a dog named Rocky. They could be on the verge of the biotech coup of the century.  But even before they have collected the necessary data to proceed, they are forced to dive into the unthinkable: testing their serum not only on a human subject, but their beloved friend.   Now, they know they can bring a human being back from clinical death.   But what they do not know is where they have brought her back from – and how they are going to survive her wrath.
               
                “The Lazarus Effect is definitely a horror film but there are also elements of a medical thriller and Sci-Fi,” says director David Gelb, who turns from his award-winning documentary Jiro Dreams of Sushi to the realm of mounting fear in this new film.  Working with an accomplished cast headed by Mark Duplass and Olivia Wilde, Gelb went all in, diving into all the obsessive and often petrifying questions evoked by the prospect of manipulating the most unknowable human reality of all: death. 

                Wilde was instantly lured by the rare chance to explore the mindset of a female scientist.  “It was so fun playing a doctor and a medical researcher who has all these very grand ideas and goals,” she says.  “Zoe’s very heady and cerebral, although we also learn she’s repressing quite a bit.”   Then there is Zoe’s other side, one that was a thrilling challenge for Wilde.  “Once Zoe is brought back, all her darkest fears are manifested. For Wilde, The Lazarus Effect was also an opportunity to further explore the frontiers of brain research, an area she’s been intrigued with all her life. “I’m kind of a neuro nerd,” she admits.  “I'm really into all things neurological, I love reading Oliver Sacks’ books, and I'm fascinated by how little we know about the brain. So I loved that one of things this story explores is the idea that the Lazarus serum causes Zoe’s neural pathways to fire at an alarming rate, allowing her to access more of her brain than any person ever has.  Usually we only use 10% of our brain at a time, but what if we could use 100% at the same time?  What would that be like?”

                From Pioneer Films, “The Lazarus Effect” is now showing in cinemas nationwide.

Sunday, March 8, 2015

SAM WORTHINGTON IN THE TRUE STORY OF “KIDNAPPING FREDDY HEINEKEN”

Press release

Acclaimed actor Sam Worthington, who rose to worldwide attention with his lead role in James Cameron’s groundbreaking “Avatar” and further cemented his role as one of Hollywood’s most-sought lead stars, lends his star power in the gritty thriller “Kidnapping Freddy Heineken” along with Sir Anthony Hopkins in the titular role. 

Photo courtesy of Axinite Digicinema
                “Kidnapping Freddy Heineken” was filmed in Brussels, Antwerp, Amsterdam and New Orleans where the European leg of the production presented the producers with unusual challenges in replicating the time and place of the most notorious crime that happened in 1983 when brewery tycoon Freddy Heineken was abducted along with his chauffeur. 

                Written by William Brookfield and directed by Daniel Alfredson from the bestselling book (of true accounts) by crime scribe and Emmy Award-winning Peter R. De Vries, the movie pans back at the time when four friends planned, abducted and released Heineken after being paid a ransom that was considered to be the largest amount paid at such time.

                Brookfield finds during the writing process that the kidnappers fall on the gray area in between, since all of them are normal thriving citizens at that time.  “They had legitimate construction business, but they weren’t smart and they didn’t put reserves aside, and there was recession.  They decided, “Let’s do a crime, but let’s do a really big crime.  They weren’t serious mafia gangsters,” explains Brookfield.

                The presence of a conscience allowed for Brookfield to entertain the idea of writing the screenplay around the experience of the kidnappers.  “They never wanted to hurt anybody.  That’s the interesting part about it.  If they had been ruthless, they would have gotten away with it, and would have gotten the money, and would have never been caught.   They were more like kids.  They weren’t what they were pretending to be, and the police smelled it.  They were never physically very hard with them.  They nearly cracked up because of the tension.”

                After casting Hopkins, the rest of the ensemble fell in line.  “I think when the younger actors, like Sam Worthington, Jim Sturgess, Ryan Kwanten and Mark Van Eeuwen heard that Anthony Hopkins would be playing Heineken and that they would play opposite him in the holding cell scenes, how could they not want to do that?” producer Cairo says.  “It had huge appeal to the younger actors, and it was very thrilling to see the great relationships that they all developed on set.  Anthony Hopkins was so fabulous with the younger guys, and also had great respect for them and great encouragement for them.”

                Producing partner Michael Simpsons was in awe of the true crime story by De Vries, “I was so fascinated listening to everything I heard.  What I quickly understood in talking with Peter is that the kidnappers were very full-blooded, real people.  Very complex characters.  They were childhood friends, which I found fascinating.”

Friday, March 6, 2015

Kidnapping Freddy Heineken movie review

The story is an adaptation from a biography. I knew about Heineken because of the beer which is widely distributed globally. I never realized this event occur because I was not yet born when this was a headline.
Photo courtesy of Axinite Digicinema

Doing a biopic for a movie is a hard task. I am not surprised if I didn't enjoy much because I may be expecting action since Sam Worthington is part of the cast and Anthony Hopkins is playing the title role of the iconic beer mogul.

But it has more mind games since kidnapping was the task of the main characters since it happened in real life, you will surely know how will this end. My only comment from the movie was since it was set in the 1970's there was less effort from the main characters to look that they are from that era.  Also, they sounded Irish than Dutch. Nevertheless, it will give this generation an idea that it happened.

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Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Gangnam Blues movie review

I first heard about the place Gangnam because of the obvious sources like the Youtube video phenomenon. Gangnam Blues is not the movie I wanted to see but because I covered the launch of SineAsia week earlier, I think it was worth going to and there is a huge fan-based followers of Lee Min Ho that will make their ovaries explode just at the sight of the actor.

Here is the reason why should you watch Gangnam Blues besides the Lee Min Ho fans:

1.Gangnam movie is not just any action movie. It's a periodical piece in Korea's history about why we see Korea as it is now.

2. Lee Min Ho's character is not like any of his TV image we are familiar with. His character is not the romantic type but a darker image. Even though the target audience are his fans, they may be going to be shocked about a not-so-wholesome Lee Min Ho.

3. This movie will test the fans of Lee Min Ho whether they just wanted to see him or they also like story substance.

4. The action doesn't look choreographed. It is like they are from the slum areas and street gangs. It sure convinced me since my neighborhood also had history of violence that still exist today.

Even though I like the movie. There are some things that I didn't like. I am more after the original content but since the SineAsia movie are all Tagalog dubbed, I have to deal with that. But I still enjoy it.

Gangnam Blues is the first movie that will be screened for SineAsia. Watch out for the next movies. SineAsia Theater is brought to you exclusively by SM Lifestyle and Entertainment,Inc. and Viva Films in selected SM Malls. For more movie reviews, follow this blog or like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

“THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL” OPENS MARCH 18 EXCLUSIVE AT AYALA MALLS CINEMAS

Press release

The latest exciting destination on film is about to take the viewers to enthralling India when “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” exclusively opens at Ayala Malls Cinemas this March 18.

Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight
                In 2012, the sleeper comedy hit “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” beckoned audiences on a journey with a group of seven British pensioners who “outsourced” their retirement, taking a risk on a newly opened Indian hotel claiming to cater to the “Elderly & Beautiful.”  Though the hotel turned out to have seen better days, the fearless and optimistic residents came to realize that no matter what their age, the best might be yet to come.  The original film took audiences by surprise – breaking the mold by presenting a disparate group of ordinary, complicated, funny people embarking on a bold adventure: they also happened to be senior citizens, and were played by some of the finest actors of their generation.  The film went on to do record-breaking business in the UK and US, earning more than $136 million worldwide, garnering acclaim and accolades including Best Picture nominations from The Hollywood Foreign Press, BAFTA and Screen Actors Guild (Ensemble Award).

                “We were all surprised,” recalls Academy Award® winner Judi Dench, reprising the role of Evelyn, who arrived in India a recent widow but now confronted with an unforeseen array of possibilities.  “The first film just seemed to gather momentum and it became this huge success.  It’s been amazing how many people come up to me to talk about it.  So being back in India doing a second one was fantastic.” 

                “The Second Best Marigold Hotel” brings together the original cast, headed by Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Bill Nighy and Dev Patel, with newcomers Richard Gere, Tamsin Greig and David Strathairn. 

                Now that The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is full up with its long-term residents, co-managers Muriel Donnelly (Maggie Smith) and Sonny Kapoor (Dev Patel) have a dream of expansion, and they’ve found just the place: The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. With plans underway, Evelyn and Douglas (Judi Dench and Bill Nighy) venture into the Jaipur workforce, wondering where their regular breakfast dates will lead.  Meanwhile, Norman and Carol (Ronald Pickup and Diana Hardcastle) navigate the swirling waters of an exclusive relationship, as Madge (Celia Imrie) juggles two very eligible suitors, and recent arrival Guy Chambers (Richard Gere) finds a muse in Sonny’s mother, Mrs. Kapoor (Lillete Dubey) for his next novel. As his marriage to Sunaina (Tina Desai), the love of his life, quickly approaches, Sonny finds his plans for the new hotel making more claims on his time than he has available. Perhaps the only one who may know the answers is Muriel, the keeper of everyone’s secrets. As the big day nears, family and guests alike find themselves swept up in the irresistible intoxication of an Indian wedding.

                Bill Nighy, who returns as Douglas, now smitten with the elusive Evelyn, adds: “I always felt the original story would make a good film, but I couldn’t have imagined it would be as successful as it was.  It obviously hit the spot with people, and it’s very satisfying to get to do this a second time.” 

                “The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” opens March 18 nationwide exclusive at Ayala Malls Cinemas.

Monday, March 2, 2015

MICHAEL KEATON’S ACADEMY AWARD-NOMINATED PORTRAYAL IN “BIRDMAN” RETURNS MARCH 4 IN (PHILS.) SELECT CINEMAS

Press release

Filming this year’s Award Winner for Best Picture “Birdman” for that also won Best Director (Alejandro González Iñárritu) was one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences of Michael Keaton’s (also this year’s Oscar nominee for Best Actor) career.
Photos courtesy of 20th Century Fox

            Along with a very impressive cast, Keaton stars as Riggan Thomson, an actor who once starred as Birdman, a comic book superhero, which brought him fame and wealth but damaged his credibility whilst inflating his ego. He was a huge star but now that star is on the wane. Keaton himself played The Caped Crusader in two Batman films for Tim Burton.

            Thomson is trying to ignite his flagging career and regain some credibility – and impress his troubled daughter Sam (Emma Stone) - by staging a Broadway production of a Raymond Carver short story, What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.  Riddled with doubt and insecurity, Thomson’s fears are articulated by his alter ego – the Birdman character who appears, in full costume, to pour scorn on his efforts as a theatre director and actor and tells him, in no uncertain terms, that he is still a movie star who shouldn’t be wasting his time on a play.  When he loses his leading man in a bizarre accident, Thomson decides to recruit bad boy actor Mike Shiner (Edward Norton) who is undeniably talented but insufferably arrogant and only adds to his insecurities as opening night approaches.

            Shiner also flirts outrageously with Thomson’s daughter Sam (Emma Stone) causing even more tension between the two battling alpha males. Zach Galafianakis – usually to be found in much broader comedies like The Hangover – is pitch perfect as Riggan’s long suffering agent, Jake, who warns him that he’s in the last chance saloon and that his play needs to be a hit to save his career.  Andrea Riseborough is the neurotic Laura, an actress who is in a floundering relationship with Riggan who is less than thrilled with his reaction when she tells him that she might be pregnant. Naomi Watts is Lesley an actress who, just to add to the mayhem, is in the play and in a difficult personal relationship with Shiner. Amy Ryan plays Thomson’s ex wife, Sylvia.

            When asked about one of the most memorable scenes in the movie where he was locked out of the theatre wearing only his briefs, Keaton shares that “This is the amazing thing about actors, I think – I think; I don’t know, I guess I’d have to ask other actors, but they just do these things but maybe you don’t take it in when you first read the script. ‘Okay, I might have an idea of what to do there,’ and you turn the page and he’s locked out, in his underwear, running through Times Square, and then you go to the next scene, and you read the whole thing, and you go, ‘Oh, that’s going to be funny.’ Then you start making the movie and you’re there, and you don’t even think about taking your clothes off and then when you’re about midway through, you kind of go, ‘Wait a minute, it never occurred to me that this was a crazy idea.’ I mean, it did, but you went, ‘Oh that’s going to be funny, I think. I hope I can make that funny and be believable. It never enters your mind that you might not want to do it. You don’t even think about it. And then you do it! And you’re running through it, and people are looking at you and you go, ‘Wait, I’m walking by people in my underwear, with little black socks on, in the middle of Times Square. This is insane!’ What kind of job do I have? How crazy is that? In fact, there were other scenes that I worried about a whole lot more than that.”

            Catch “Birdman’s” return engagement on March 4 at the following theatres: Robinson’s Ermita, Robinson’s Galleria, Metro East, Gateway, Powerplant, Greenhills and Festival Mall.

Sunday, March 1, 2015

NIGHTMARISH REALM IN “THE LAZARUS EFFECT”

Press release


                From the producers of original hit horror franchise as “The Purge,” “Insidious”and “Sinister” comes the horrifying reality in “The Lazarus Effect” when a group of medical students play god to resurrect one of their own.

Photo courtesy of Pioneer Films
                Starring Olivia Wilde, Mark Duplass, Donald Glover, Sarah Bolger and Evan Peters, “The Lazarus Effect” is a gripping, thought-provoking thriller that begins with a group of renegade medical researchers who believe they may have stumbled on a breakthrough drug that could one day resurrect recently deceased patients.  But when a lab accident takes the life of one of their own, they decide to rush into a spontaneous experiment, bringing her back to life in an extraordinary medical triumph . . . and unleashing forces far beyond their comprehension. 

                Corporeal reanimation has long been part of mythology, from zombies to Frankenstein, but it has also been an enduring scientific quest.  Emergency medicine has come so far that, in some cases, people are being resuscitated from flat-lined hearts even after many hours in a state incompatible with life.  So what if we could extend that period to days or weeks … or beyond?   In the film, the Lazarus Project Lab has been probing that daring question for a while, with promising results, at least with a dog named Rocky. They could be on the verge of the biotech coup of the century.  But even before they have collected the necessary data to proceed, they are forced to dive into the unthinkable: testing their serum not only on a human subject, but their beloved friend.  Now, they know they can bring a human being back from clinical death.   But what they do not know is where they have brought her back from – and how they are going to survive her wrath. 

                The story builds on a mysterious medical reality that has resulted in more than 3 dozen documented cases of the so-called Lazarus Phenomenon – when a patient spontaneously returns to life even after resuscitation has failed, named for the Biblical figure who rose from the dead. The incidents have been shocking and macabre.  In 2010, a funeral worker in Colombia discovered a 45 year-old woman’s body, long declared dead, starting to move shortly before burial.  In 2013, an Ohio man coded for 45 minutes and doctors told his son he was gone; but when the son came to say goodbye, a slight signal reappeared on the heart monitor and the man suddenly revived. Then there is recent case of a dog euthanized twice at an animal shelter in the Ozarks, only to be found sitting up in his kennel the next morning.  (The dog was soon adopted … and named Lazarus.)

                “I loved the idea of really exploring the concept of being brought back to life,” says director David Gelb.  “What would you experience while you were gone?  How would you be different when you came back? And what might you potentially bring back with you? The young scientists in our film set out to give patients and loved ones hope, but they discover that there can be horrible consequences to playing with the power of life,” continues Gelb.  “As events begin to unfold, the story takes a sharp turn into becoming an absolutely terrifying thrill ride where you don’t know what’s going to happen, you don’t know who the next character to disappear is going to be, and the scares are pretty intense.”