Sunday, April 30, 2017

GIFTED movie review

Gifted is a story about Mary, pre-school age kid a hidden talent. She is gifted. She knows how to solve math problems like a Math major or even better. This is what usually described gifted children or a better term, a child prodigy. She is played by upcoming child star McKenna Grace.
 
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox
McKenna Grace will surely be noticed for this movie because her performance is fun and smart. She may be playing the role of a gifted child but you can’t expect her to say some lines unusual for a ten year old which is her real age. But what impresses me that she can pull off looking like a preschooler.

In the movie, Mary will undergo struggles. She is a seven year old kid but her intellect does not fit in with other children her age. This is the conflict that she will have in her struggle. Should she choose to have a normal life or go to a school with people at least twice her age?

Mary is raised alone by his uncle Frank Adler, played by Chris Evans; after Mary’s mom passed on. Frank wants Mary to have a normal life as his sister would. The conflict arrives when the grandmother suddenly entered their lives for the first time.

I remember back in grade school when gifted child Shaira Luna was five years old back then when she seated in in one of our batch’s classes. It was quite surreal to have a five year old sitting with a bunch of 12 year olds. Who can she talked to about her own concerns and we are surely asked to behaved properly especially in front of her.

It is also a change of scenery to see Chris Evans play serious roles besides being a superhero and he also used to play teenage roles. His character is not only the parental figure but also a single parent. Even in the new millennium, there are still conservative part of the society should think that a family is still traditionally with two parents. Frank didn’t want to be a parent but he felt that he is the right guardian for Mary. It only shows that even the non-traditional family structure can be complete.

After her successful movie Hidden Figures, Octavia Spencer played the part of the sympathetic landlady which is very protective to Frank and Mary.  Lindsay Duncan played a formidable role of Mary’s grandmother.


What makes this movie great because the story was like something that was made from the 80’s which we don’t see anymore. It also makes a good reference for those with child prodigies under their care or if you are related to one. I see more promising projects will come on McKenna Grace in the future after this movie.

I haven't seen 500 Days of Summer yet but I am curious what's the fuss besides the fact that Marc Webb directed it but judging it because of Gifted, it might be a good movie. For more quality movie reviews, follow this blog and like L.E.N.S. blogs on Facebook. Gifted opens in Philippine cinemas on May 3. Released by Twentieth Century Fox and distributed by Warner Bros.

Friday, April 28, 2017

“500 DAYS OF SUMMER” DIRECTOR MARC WEBB’S LATEST CHARMER “GIFTED”

Press release

From the director of the surprise hit “500 Days of Summer,” Marc Webb helms his latest endearing story “Gifted” - starring the world’s beloved captain Chris Evans along with the über-talented Oscar winner Octavia Spencer and rising young star Grace McKenna.   
 
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox
                  Frank Adler (Chris Evans) is a single man raising his spirited young niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) in a coastal town in Florida.  But Mary is a brilliant child prodigy and Frank's intention that she lead a normal life are thwarted when the seven-year-old’s command of mathematics comes to the attention of his formidable mother Evelyn (Lindsay Duncan)—a wealthy Bostonian whose plans for her granddaughter threaten to separate Mary and Frank.  As family tensions and disconnections flare, uncle and niece find support in Roberta (Octavia Spencer), their protective landlady and best friend, and Mary’s teacher Bonnie (Jenny Slate), a young woman whose concern for her student soon develops into a relationship with her uncle as well.

                “Gifted” began its journey to the big screen when producer Karen Lunder, who has produced an assortment of films including “Arrival,” remembers a conversation with producer Andy Cohen in which she asked: “‘What do you have that’s great and different? What is the thing you’re most excited about?’ He sent me “Gifted.”  When I read the script, it had this timeless quality to it.  It felt like the kind of movies I grew up watching: it was a throwback of sorts to films of the 70’s and early 80’s that weren’t afraid to make you laugh and cry – that were both escapist and real.”

                Like Lunder and Cohen, director Webb responded immediately to the writing. “I kept on waiting for this script to get bad, but it just kept getting better.  It was simple, warm and uncynical. The writing felt nourishing to me.  Mary and Frank are something like a comedy team with a lot of heart.  After spending so many years on bigger movies, I just wanted to hang out with these two.”

                In his career, Chris Evans has judiciously chosen a balance of blockbuster and smaller, more interior films. He picked “Gifted” for many reasons but says: “It was more the director than the role. You can have a great role and a great script. You can have a lot of pieces in place but if you don’t have a great director, you don’t have much. So for me it was Marc Webb.”

                Webb is particularly pleased that “Gifted” is a movie in which all the intellectual powerhouses are women. “It’s a movie where women are really brilliant and it’s not done as a stunt. It’s something that feels weirdly rare, I don’t know why.  I love the idea of having girls who are good at math, women who are good at math. I mean, it happens in the world but we just don’t always recognize that in cinema.”

                Webb also thinks that fathers will respond to the message of the film, if his own reaction is any example: “I’m a forty-year-old dude, and I got choked up. All the burly grips hid behind the duvateen (light blocking fabric) because they were crying.  I think men are not encouraged to feel, which I think is one of the challenges that Frank has to face, but of course men are emotional creatures too.”          


                 “Gifted” will open in cinemas on May 3 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. 

Thursday, April 27, 2017

“BAYWATCH” CAST STRIKES LIFEGUARD POSES IN NEW POSTER

Press release

Paramount Pictures has just released the new poster for its highly awaited raunchy comedy Baywatch, the big-screen adaptation of the iconic beach lifeguard show of the '90s.


Opening in Philippine cinemas on May 31, 2017Baywatch is directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses) and stars Dwayne Johnson, Zac Efron, Priyanka Chopra, Alexandra Daddario, Jon Bass, Kelly Rohrbach and Ilfenesh Hadera.

Baywatch follows devoted lifeguard Mitch Buchannon (Johnson) as he butts heads with a brash new recruit (Efron). Together, they uncover a local criminal plot that threatens the future of the Bay.

Baywatch” is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

MCKENNA GRACE TAKES TITULAR ROLE IN “GIFTED”

Press release

TALENTED NEWCOMER MCKENNA GRACE TAKES TITULAR ROLE IN “GIFTED”

                An impressive ensemble of actors led by Chris Evans along with Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, Lindsay Duncan and Jenny Slate support young multi-talented actress McKenna Grace as she takes on the titular role in director Marc Webb’s “Gifted.”
 
Photo credit: 20th Century Fox
                Evans plays Frank Adler, uncle and guardian of Mary (Grace) in “Gifted” who both lead normal lives until Evelyn (Duncan), Frank’s mom and Mary’s grandmother, decides to take custody of her grandchild.  Frank’s sister entrusted him to raise Mary after she died for fear that her daughter might also be subjected to the pressures she’s been through as a prodigy.  But as soon as Evelyn finds out about Mary’s intellectual state, Frank finds himself in a custody battle to keep Mary under his care.  

                On finding the right child-actor, director Webb insists there was a good reason for the massive search: “I couldn’t have made “Gifted” unless I found the right Mary Adler. It was the biggest hurdle to making the movie. There’s an emotional depth and sophistication you don’t see very often in an actor, but for a child, that’s a level of
virtuosity that is incredibly rare.”

                Mckenna remembers it was very stressful meeting Marc Webb for the first time. “They had given me the wrong sides (scenes) to read, so he just gave them to me in the hallway. I had five minutes to memorize them. But once the audition was over, we just talked and had a fun time. I wanted this movie more than any movie I’ve ever wanted.”  She says that she and Webb “had an amazing connection together. He was the perfect director for this job because we needed someone with a big, caring, loving, heart. He let me take my time when there was a crying scene. I would walk in, and he’d sit by the camera and he would cry with me, so then I didn’t really feel alone.”

                Mckenna says she also learned a lot from working with Evans. “He was very focused on the set, and sometimes he would sit down and help me with my script.” Evans treated her “more like a friend, like he treats Mary. I really like that he treated me that way, except he did try not to say bad words around me.”

                Mckenna proves that she has a different kind of perspective, genius or not. When asked what the message in “Gifted” means to her, she gives a most moving and simple answer: “At the end of the day, no one can tell you if your family is perfect or not. You may just have a mom, or you may just live with your daddy, or two moms and two dads, or you may live with your grandparents, or you may have an uncle like Mary does. People say that the perfect family has to have a mom and dad, a big amazing house and a lot of money. But as long as you have a loving, caring person that you live with, then I think that’s perfect for you.” 


                “Gifted” opens May 3 in cinemas nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. 

Tuesday, April 25, 2017

KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD” LAUNCHES PROPHECY TRAILER





Press release



The born king will come… it is inevitable. Warner Bros. Pictures has just launched a new trailer of its epic fantasy King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, from director Guy Ritchie.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword in Philippine cinemas starting May 17, 2017.

The film stars Charlie Hunnam, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Oscar nominee Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Oscar nominee Jude Law, and Eric Bana. Ritchie directs the film from a screenplay by Joby Harold and Guy Ritchie & Lionel Wigram, story by Joby Harold.

The bold new story introduces a streetwise young Arthur who runs the back alleys of Londonium with his gang, unaware of the life he was born for until he grasps hold of the sword Excalibur—and with it, his future. Instantly challenged by the power of Excalibur, Arthur is forced to make some hard choices. Throwing in with the Resistance and a mysterious young woman named Guinevere, he must learn to master the sword, face down his demons and unite the people to defeat the tyrant Vortigern, who stole his crown and murdered his parents, and become King.

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.www.kingarthurmovie.com

Monday, April 24, 2017

EMPOWERED LADIES ROCK THE "GALAXY" IN “GUARDIANS” SEQUEL

Press release

The women of Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2(read my non-spoiler movie review here) – Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Karen Gillan (Nebula) and Pom Klementieff (Mantis) are ready to rock the galaxy in the year's highly anticipated sequel.
Photo credits: Marvel Studios

In the film, reformed assassin Gamora hopes that her heroic deeds with the Guardians will help her atone for the sins of her past. Gamora must grapple with her own demons and the consequences of her flight from Thanos’ employ when confronted by her adoptive sister Nebula.

Saldana explains her character’s arc in the new film. “In the first ‘Guardians’ she’s on a mission to be free or die because she’s over it. There’s a selfish essence to her, and it makes prerogative very personal. Versus like in this one, she’s on a path of redemption, so she wants to be very present in trying to do good. And that also means, on a very personal and uncomfortable level, that she has to try to just let go of whatever animosity existed between her and her sister.”

The challenging part of Gamora’s evolution is getting to that place as an older sibling of accepting and being the one to let that younger sibling know their true powers,” adds Saldana. “So that’s part of her arc in trying to make peace with her sister is a part of her redemption because she is starting to realize that she is the only family member she’ll ever know, and she's worth the sacrifice, work and the pain.”

Another character with a much bigger role in the film is Gamora’s adversarial sister Nebula, played by Karen Gillan. A supreme bad-ass, Nebula will not rest until she has destroyed Gamora and anyone or anything that gets in her way.

There is no doubt in that Nebula was a bad guy in the first Guardians of the Galaxy film, but Gillan admits, “That’s what I love about her, to be honest. I love that she has this real dark side, and I get to explore that, which is really cool. In terms of the second film, she’s still a bad guy. But we’re going to get to understand her motivations for being a bad guy a little bit more.”

Elaborating, she adds, “I feel like Nebula’s a little misunderstood, like a lot of villains. She’s a bad guy, but she has a real valid reason for it and it’s because of an even bigger bad guy, Thanos. She has so much pent-up anger and so much sibling rivalry inside of her that is just bursting out. I just feel really sorry for her, actually. Whenever you’re playing a villain, you have to become their lawyer and understand why they did the things that they did and sort of justify it. And through doing that, I really began to care about her. I think she’s a great interesting character.”

To cast the role of Mantis, the filmmakers auditioned many actresses and ultimately decided on Pom Klementieff, who takes on her biggest role to date.

For Klementieff, getting the part of Mantis was the beginning of an exciting experience. “When I had the audition, I had no idea how big the character would be and that it would be a really fun and moving and special character,” the actress says. “She makes me think of a kid who had a difficult and lonely upbringing and then meets people who open a new world to her. It’s a beautiful arc for the character.”

Describing Mantis, Klementieff says, “Mantis is an alien and an empath; she has some insect elements in her. She grew up pretty much on her own and hasn’t had much interaction with people.”

But over the course of the movie, Mantis develops a friendship with Drax, played by Dave Bautista. “I think they get along because they both have a weird sense of things, and they don’t really have the same sense of humor that everyone else has,” the actress comments. “I think what is interesting is that they’re just friends. There is nothing romantic about it. They just get along.”

Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 stars Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Chris Sullivan as Taserface, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Tommy Flanagan as Tulik, Laura Haddock as Meredith Quill, with Sylvester Stallone as Stakar, and Kurt Russell as Ego.

Opening across the Philippines on April 26, 2017, Marvel' Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, is distributed in the Philippines by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Saturday, April 22, 2017

SUSPENSE THRILLER “THE BEGUILED” BEWILDERS WITH FIRST TRAILER





Press release



Universal Pictures and Focus Features has premiered the first trailer for director Sofia Coppola’s new suspense thriller The Beguiled starring Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kristen Dunst and Elle Fanning.
Photo credit: UIP

The Beguiled in Philippine cinemas this July 2017.

The Beguiled is an atmospheric thriller from acclaimed writer/director Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation, Marie-Antoinette). The story unfolds during the Civil War, at a Southern girls’ boarding school. Its sheltered young women take in an injured enemy soldier. As they provide refuge and tend to his wounds, the house is taken over with sexual tension and dangerous rivalries, and taboos are broken in an unexpected turn of events.

An official competition entry to this year's Cannes Film Festival, the film's screenplay is adapted by Coppola from Thomas Cullinan’s original novel.

The Beguiled is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Friday, April 21, 2017

IT’S GAME ON AS SHOOTING BEGINS ON NEW LINE CINEMA’S “GAME NIGHT”

PRESS RELEASE


Principal photography is underway on New Line Cinema’s action comedy “Game Night,” starring Jason Bateman (the “Horrible Bosses” films, TV’s “Arrested Development”) and Oscar nominee Rachel McAdams (“Spotlight,” “Dr. Strange”). Filming began on location in Atlanta, Georgia, under the direction of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, marking their second film as co-directors following “Vacation.”
Bateman and Adams/Chandler and Magnussen

Joining Bateman and McAdams in the cast are Billy Magnussen (“Bridge of Spies,” TV’s “American Crime Story”), Sharon Horgan (Amazon’s “Catastrophe”), Lamorne Morris (TV’s “New Girl”), Jesse Plemons (“Black Mass,” TV’s “Fargo”), Kylie Bunbury (TV’s “Pitch,” “Under the Dome”), Michael Cyril Creighton (“Spotlight”) and Kyle Chandler (“Manchester by the Sea,” TV’s “Bloodline”).

Bateman and McAdams star as Max and Annie, whose weekly couples game night gets kicked up a notch when Max’s charismatic brother, Brooks (Chandler), arranges a murder mystery party, complete with fake thugs and faux federal agents. So when Brooks gets kidnapped, it’s all part of the game…right? But as the six uber-competitive gamers set out to solve the case and win, they begin to discover that neither this “game”—nor Brooks—are what they seem to be. Over the course of one chaotic night, the friends find themselves increasingly in over their heads as each twist leads to another unexpected turn. With no rules, no points, and no idea who all the players are, this could turn out to be the most fun they’ve ever had…or game over.

Goldstein and Daley are directing the film from an original screenplay by Mark Perez (“Accepted”). John Davis (“Joy”) and Jason Bateman are producing, with Marc S. Fischer, John Fox and James Garavente serving as executive producers.

The behind-the-scenes team includes director of photography Barry Peterson (“Central Intelligence,” “We’re the Millers”), Oscar-nominated production designer Michael Corenblith (“How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “Apollo 13”), editors Jamie Gross (“Vacation”) and David Egan, and costume designer Debra McGuire (“Vacation,” “Ted”).

Game Night” is a New Line Cinema presentation and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

CHRIS PRATT REPRISES HIS ROLE AS STAR-LORD IN “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2”

PRESS RELEASE

Chris Pratt inhabits Peter Quill aka Star-Lord anew in Marvel Studios' Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (see my non-spoiler review here), as he faces a family issue that he is compelled to resolve—his true parentage. Pratt reprises the role that propelled him into Marvel fandom and leading-man status.
Photo credit: Marvel Studios

Having now saved the galaxy once, the half-human intergalactic adventurer known as Star-Lord is newly famous and keenly aware of it. When the Guardians’ newfound notoriety brings Quill’s long-lost father back into his life, his bond with the other Guardians will be put to the test.

On casting Chris Pratt as Star-Lord/Peter Quill, director-writer James Gunn says, “When I was auditioning Star-Lord the first time around I was looking for somebody who’d come in, do everything that was on the page, do it well, do it in a funny way, but also give that a little something extra that made Peter Quill a little bit of a different character. And Chris came in and did that immediately. Chris is a very unique movie star in that he is a combination of being a big, masculine guy but also a very vulnerable guy. He has a vulnerability that the classic movie stars hint at, whether it’s Humphrey Bogart or Gary Cooper. Chris really brings that to life on the screen, and I think that’s what makes him a truly modern-day movie star.”

For Pratt, Guardians of the Galaxy afforded him the vehicle to showcase both his comedic and physical talents in a way that he had not been able to do on film. “What appealed to me the most about this character was the opportunity to add my own personal brand of humor into it,” comments Pratt. “This was something that I knew I could do that was unique to me, and I had been dying for an opportunity to do that. I wanted to do something that was both comedic and physical. This role is a comfortable space to do that. What is so exciting to me is that I can just do the best version of my best stuff with Star-Lord.”

Describing where we find Peter Quill in the new story, Gunn relates, “As you know, the first ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ is about Peter’s relationship to his mother and coming to terms with that. The second movie is about Peter Quill’s relationship to his father and his other fatherly figures. Yondu is obviously a fatherly figure to him. And then he meets his actual father, Ego, played by Kurt Russell, who is in a lot of ways everything he wanted. He is coming to terms with things. His feelings of abandonment, how he feels about his real father’s life, which is very different from his own, etc.”

Pratt offers insight on the importance of Peter’s quest to find his true parentage. “Quill is desperate to know who his dad is and dreamed his whole life that his dad was somebody special, somebody important, somebody cool,” says Pratt. “So when Quill finally meets his bigger-than-life father, who’s been searching for him, it fills this giant void that he’s had in his heart his whole life.”

In the course of the film, Quill finds himself reexamining his relationship with Yondu as well. “Of course, he’s always looked at Yondu, who abducted him, as being the guy who threatened to eat him or was hard on him,” Pratt says. “But he learns through the course of this film that the relationship is more of a father/son dynamic than he could’ve ever expected to get from anyone else.”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 also stars Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Vin Diesel as the voice of Groot, Bradley Cooper as the voice of Rocket, Michael Rooker as Yondu, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Elizabeth Debicki as Ayesha, Chris Sullivan as Taserface, Sean Gunn as Kraglin, Tommy Flanagan as Tulik, Laura Haddock as Meredith Quill, with Sylvester Stallone as Stakar, and Kurt Russell as Ego.

Opening across the Philippines on April 26, 2017, Marvel's “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” is distributed in the Philippines by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.

Wednesday, April 19, 2017

“FAST & FURIOUS 8” BREAKS RECORDS WITH P110-M OPENING GROSS IN PH.

Press release

GLOBAL BOW AT $532.5-M


MANILA, April 17, 2017 – Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious 8(read my review here) smashed global box office records, earning $532.5 -million worldwide to set a new high-water mark for an opening weekend.

(Watch the new Fast & Furious 8 spot at http://youtu.be/3PmVGHemFvI.)
Photo credit: UIP

The action thriller debuted with $432.3 million internationally after bowing in 63 foreign markets; and a solid $100.2-million in North America.

In the Philippines, the Vin Diesel-Dwayne Johnson blockbuster opened at No.1 with a two-day weekend gross of P110-million. Said figure towers as the biggest weekend ever for the Fast & Furious franchise, surpassing the P98-M bow of 2015's Fast & Furious 7.

The ode to fast cars and family opened in the Philippines last Saturday, April 15, with an unstoppable P56-M and new record as the highest opening day for a Fast & Furious movie (beating 7's P48-M first-day gross).

Saturday's receipts was also the biggest opening day of the year so far, as well the best first day gross for a Universal Pictures title in history.

About Fast & Furious 8

On the heels of 2015’s Fast & Furious 7, one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide and the sixth-biggest global title in box-office history, comes the newest chapter in one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time: Fast & Furious 8.

Now that Dom and Letty are married and Brian and Mia have retired from the game—and the rest of the crew has been exonerated—the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.

From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.

Fast & Furious 8 features a returning all-star cast, as well as a star-studded array of newcomers to this world – Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Helen Mirren, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky, Scott Eastwood with Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron.

Now playing across the Philippines, Fast & Furious 8 is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

SHOOTING STARTS ON “A STAR IS BORN,” STARRING BRADLEY COOPER AND STEFANI GERMANOTTA (LADY GAGA)

Press release

Film Marks Cooper’s Directorial Debut


BURBANK, CA – April 17, 2017 – Filming begins today on Warner Bros. Pictures’ reimagining of the musical “A Star is Born,” starring Bradley Cooper and introducing Stefani Germanotta, known across the globe as Oscar-nominated music superstar Lady Gaga, in her first leading role in a major motion picture. Four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper,” “American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) is helming the film, marking his directorial debut.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.

Cooper plays Jackson Maine, a country music star who is on the brink of decline when he discovers a talented unknown named Ally (Germanotta). As the two begin a passionate love affair, Jack coaxes Ally into the spotlight, catapulting her to stardom. But as Ally’s career quickly eclipses his own, Jack finds it increasingly hard to handle his fading glory.

In addition to playing Ally, Germanotta, who earned her Oscar nod for the song “Til It Happens to You” from “The Hunting Ground,” has composed and will perform original songs in the film. The main cast also includes Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Elliott.

“A Star is Born” is being produced by Bill Gerber, Jon Peters, Bradley Cooper, Todd Phillips and Lynette Howell Taylor; with Basil Iwanyk and Ravi Mehta serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Will Fetters & Bradley Cooper and Eric Roth, based on a story by William A. Wellman and Robert Carson.

Collaborating with Cooper behind the scenes are Oscar-nominated director of photography Matty Libatique (“Black Swan”), production designer Karen Murphy, three-time Oscar-nominated editor Jay Cassidy (“American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook,” “Into the Wild”), and costume designer Erin Benach.

“A Star is Born” is being filmed entirely in Southern California.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents A Jon Peters Production, A Bill Gerber Production, A Joint Effort Production, “A Star is Born.” Slated for release beginning September 28, 2018, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Monday, April 17, 2017

Filipinos Can’t Help Falling in Love with KathNiel’s Summer Movie

PRESS RELEASE

700,000 Tweets related to #CantHelpFallingInLove


Manila, 17 April 2017 - Filipinos couldn’t help gushing over Can’t Help Falling Love, the newest summer movie of KathNiel (Kathryn Bernardo [@bernardokath] and Daniel Padilla [@imdanielpadilla]), one of the country’s premier love teams - which was premiered during the Black Saturday. The movie has captured the heart of the nation and people went to Twitter to share their thoughts and excitement. There were 700,000 Tweets related to #CantHelpFallingInLove (10-17 April 2017).

Twitter is the first place Pinoys share their thoughts and feelings when they watched this much-awaited summer movie of the year. Here are the top Tweets related to #CantHelpFallingInLove.

 Overwhelmed with the love and support they have received from fans, Kathryn expressed her sincere gratitude through her Twitter account.

Although it was premiered during a Black Saturday on 17 April, it didn’t stop fans to flock the cinemas nationwide, makingCan’t Help Falling in Love as the highest-grossing local Black Saturday movie of all time in the Philippines. On its first day, it earned PHP33 million and still counting.


To know the latest news and projects of the on-screen and off-screen couple, follow their respective official Twitter accounts: @bernardokath for Kathryn Bernardo and  @imdanielpadilla for Daniel Padilla.

Thursday, April 13, 2017

DISNEY’S “BEAUTY AND THE BEAST” NOW THE NO.1 MOVIE OF ALL-TIME IN PH, SURPASSES MARVEL’S “CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR”

Press release

MANILA, April 12, 2017 – The retelling of a classic fairytale has now rewritten the record books!  Disney's live-action “Beauty and the Beast (read my review here)” is now officially the biggest-grossing movie ever released in the Philippines. 
 
Photo credit: Disney Pictures
The romantic, fantasy musical posted a cumulative gross of a jolting P667.46-M yesterday, its 27th day of release, and effectively overtaking Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” as the No.1 movie of all-time in the country. 

This was announced today by a spokesman of Walt Disney Studios Philippines which distributed the film.  (It’s worth noting that the top five films in the all-time rankings were all distributed by Disney.  In third to fifth places are Marvel’s “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” and Marvel’s “The Avengers.”)

Disney owns Walt Disney Pictures, Disney-Pixar, Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm (Star Wars films).

Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” is still playing in cinemas across the Philippines. Like Beauty and the Beast on Facebook, WaltDisneyStudiosPH; follow us on Twitter, @disney_phil; follow us on Instagram, @disney.ph and use the hashtag #BeOurGuestPH.

About Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

The story and characters audiences know and love come to spectacular life in the live-action adaptation of Disney’s animated classic “Beauty and the Beast,” a stunning, cinematic event celebrating one of the most beloved tales ever told. “Beauty and the Beast” is the fantastic journey of Belle, a bright, beautiful and independent young woman who is taken prisoner by a Beast in his castle. Despite her fears, she befriends the castle’s enchanted staff and learns to look beyond the Beast’s hideous exterior and realize the kind heart of the true Prince within. The film stars: Emma Watson as Belle; Dan Stevens as the Beast; Luke Evans as Gaston, the handsome, but shallow villager who woos Belle; Kevin Kline as Maurice, Belle’s father; Josh Gad as LeFou, Gaston’s long-suffering aide-de-camp; Ewan McGregor as Lumière, the candelabra; Stanley Tucci as Maestro Cadenza, the harpsichord; Audra McDonald as Madame de Garderobe, the wardrobe; Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Plumette, the feather duster; Hattie Morahan as the enchantress; and Nathan Mack as Chip, the teacup; with Ian McKellen as Cogsworth, the mantel clock; and Emma Thompson as the teapot, Mrs. Potts.

Monday, April 10, 2017

"FAST" CREW TRIES TO BRING HOME ROGUE LEADER IN “FURIOUS 8”

Press release

For Fast & Furious 8, the first chapter of Universal Pictures’ record-smashing homegrown franchise’s final trilogy, Vin Diesel as the newly rogue Dominic Toretto is joined by a returning all-star cast.

Chris “Ludacris” Bridges returns as Tej, brilliant tech-tactician and automotive mechanic extraordinaire. Revisiting a character every two years is a luxury that many actors do not get in the film business but for Chris “Ludacris” Bridges who marks his fifth turn as the automotive and tech tactician Tej, it’s a welcome sign when Morgan’s newest script shows up. Gone is the afro and garage coveralls Tej sported when he made his debut as a hustler in Miami’s illegal racing circuit in 2 Fast 2 Furious. These days he’s upgraded his wardrobe, toys and tools of the trade with the best that money can buy.
Photo credits: Paramount Pictures

Nathalie Emmanuelle who made her franchise debut in Fast & Furious 7 is back as Ramsey as the brilliant hacker and God’s Eye creator Ramsey. The beautiful loner is now a more comfortable part of the team and has settled into her role alongside Tej, and has also built up her tech game now that she has unlimited resources.

Ramsey hasn’t had the history with Dom that the rest of the characters have,” reflects Nathalie Emmanuel, who rocketed to fame on Game of Thrones as Missandei. “Although she’s been welcomed into the family, at the same time she is logical. She is all about the zeroes and ones and doing the math to try to figure out from a logical point of view what happened. Also, Ramsey is not necessarily as emotional as they are, and is the only one that can ask that question ‘Did he go rogue?’”

Tyrese Gibson is back as Roman, the fast-talking ladies man who’s never met a situation he can’t charm his way out of. Roman has consistently been the source of humor to balance out the high-octane action and drama that is the bedrock of the Fast series. No matter the situation, he is the first to eschew authority and speak his mind with his filter-free take on every situation; this always elicits the biggest audience laughs.

Spanish actress Elsa Pataky is back as Elena Neves, the Rio cop who fell for Dom, then became a fugitive on the lam, in Fast Five. Connecting over their shared losses she walks away from her life in Rio to build a new one with Dom in the Canary Islands. However, their idyllic life collapses with Letty’s return. As devastated as she is, Elena knows that Dom needs to find out the truth about his soul mate.
While Elena’s loyalties will always remain on the side of who she loves…Mr. Nobody’s loyalties still remain to be seen. The iconic performer Kurt Russell—whose character is back from an almost-certain death in the last film—takes great pleasure in the mischievous government spook who keeps everyone guessing.

Coming in on Furious 7, I wanted to be able to create something that was a little bit different for this franchise,” Russell explains. “You don’t know much about Mr. Nobody, which I thought would be a fun invention for this serial approach. For now, he is proving to be a guy that the gang can trust. I don’t know how long or if that will actually remain, but that’s what is so fun about playing him. He takes everything as it comes and is very flippant about it all.”


About Fast & Furious 8

On the heels of 2015’s Fast & Furious 7, one of the fastest movies to reach $1 billion worldwide and the sixth-biggest global title in box-office history, comes the newest chapter in one of the most popular and enduring motion-picture serials of all time: Fast & Furious 8.

Now that Dom and Letty are married and Brian and Mia have retired from the game—and the rest of the crew has been exonerated—the globetrotting team has found a semblance of a normal life. But when a mysterious woman seduces Dom into the world of crime he can’t seem to escape and a betrayal of those closest to him, they will face trials that will test them as never before.

From the shores of Cuba and the streets of New York City to the icy plains off the arctic Barents Sea, our elite force will crisscross the globe to stop an anarchist from unleashing chaos on the world’s stage…and to bring home the man who made them a family.

Fast & Furious 8 features a returning all-star cast, as well as a star-studded array of newcomers to this world – Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Helen Mirren, Nathalie Emmanuel, Elsa Pataky, Scott Eastwood with Kurt Russell and Charlize Theron.

Opening across the Philippines on Black Saturday, April 15, 2017, Fast & Furious 8 is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.