DANGEROUS WALTZ IN “WATER FOR ELEPHANTS”

Christoph Waltz

Oscar winning actor Christoph Waltz stars opposite Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson in “Water For Elephants” based on the book of the same name by Sara Gruen.  The movie tells of a thrilling tale of adventure and forbidden love, set against the vibrant backdrop of circus life in the 1930s.

Waltz plays the circus’ ringmaster August who is married to the circus’ star, Marlena played by Reese Witherspoon. Charismatic and charming, August is also dangerous, duplicitous and cruel. Pattinson plays Jacob, the young veterinary student who gets a job in the circus taking care of the animals after his parents died and falls for the beautiful Marlena..

August runs ‘The Benzini Bros. Most Spectacular Show On Earth,’ outwardly all charming and charismatic, he is wildly unpredictable and abusive towards his wife and the animals, including Rosie the graceful and noble elephant who is central to the story.  “Water For Elephants” is an exciting love story about two people from vastly different walks of life who find love against the odds, but are thwarted by the man who is intent on keeping them apart.  Both have developed a special bond with an elephant that draws them closer together.

Director Francis Lawrence shares why casting Waltz is the perfect choice for the character August, “Christoph is the greatest. He came to us with such a love for the character and the story and the world and the themes. He was perfect because of his electric charm and the danger he portrays. He is intelligent, sharp and funny.” 

            “I really liked the depression era setting a lot. I liked the fact that these people had a job when most people didn’t have work. They had to take upon themselves certain hardships that we would consider unbearable today in order to maintain their lives. The responsibility to keep the circus running in the interests of everybody was enormous and that is something that one tends to neglect when considering August. They say ‘oh August is such a villain’ when he throws people off the train and then just leaves them lying there. But sacrifices have to be made individually in order to keep the whole thing going and that is what I found interesting,” says Waltz of his character. 

Cristoph Waltz has had a long and varied career, doing extensive and highly praised work in television and film in Europe. His formidable talent came to the attention of world-wide audiences when director Quentin Tarantino cast him as Colonel Hans Landa in “Inglorious Basterds in 2009.  Waltz won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his role in the film, as well as many other awards including the Golden Globe for Best supporting Actor and the BAFTA Best Supporting Actor Award.

“Water for Elephants” opens May 4 in theaters from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

THIS TIME, BIG BROTHER RODRICK RULES!

Greg, the wimpy kid is back on the big screen taller and wiser but still has a lot to deal with to score points against his big brother Rodrick.  In the upcoming heartwarming family-oriented movie based on the best-selling book by Jeff Kinney of the same title “Diary of  A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules,” Greg deals with Rodrick’s attempts to ruin his whole summer. 

            Much like his electrifying drumbeats, Rodrick fries Greg in a series of unprecedented pranks enough to make Greg’s whole summer an episode of fear and embarrassment.

            Devon Bostick, returning as eldest sibling Rodrick, was thrilled the character is front and center in this second Wimpy Kid story. “The title is ‘Rodrick Rules,’ so that means, a lot more Rodrick this time,” says the young actor. “In this movie, you get to see a brighter side of Rodrick, but also a darker and goofier side.

“Rodrick torments Greg 24/7,” Devon continues. “But he feels like he’s teaching Greg some tough lessons about life.  Rodrick thinks that if Greg can get past the pranks, then he can do anything.”   The brothers eventually bond over a shared secret; are they actually becoming…friends?  “Rodrick wants to take Greg under his wing,” adds Bostick.  “Rodrick rules in a few ways: the first is ruling by being an awesome role model to his younger brother – despite the pranks Rodrick plays on Greg.  The other is that he has a set of rules that he considers the way to an easy life and he teaches these to Greg.”

Rodrick’s Rules – the worldly advice he shares with his little brother – include such pearls of wisdom as: Don’t be good at anything you don’t want to do; always lower Mom and Dad’s expectations; and never do something when someone else can do it for you.  Rodrick’s primary interest – apart from making life miserable for Greg – is the elder sibling’s band Löded Diper, in which he serves as drummer.  The band members are neither polished nor innovative, but they are enthusiastic, and Rodrick is its heart and soul. He spends more time practicing his twirls and looking good as a drummer than he does on drumming. 

Like his on-screen alter ego, Devon embraced being a rock-n-roller.  Says Simpson: “Devon really studied the drumming intensely because, even though we wanted him to be a not-great drummer, he had to play with conviction.”  For a month, Devon squeezed in as many drumming lessons as possible.  He proudly notes, “In real life, I became better than Rodrick, and in only seven days of practicing!”  

Simpson notes that when they were originally casting the role of Rodrick, “A lot of people played him as a classic bully.  But Devon had a great sense of humor about the character and had fun being the evil, torturing older brother. Once we had Devon, we knew fans would accept Rodrick because Devon makes us feel that there is some love underneath Rodrick’s attitude toward Greg.  Rodrick is just doing what older brothers do.”

“Diary of  A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules” opens April 23 in Metro Manila and Cebu theaters from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Hall Pass

What will you do if you were given a week off marriage? This is the general idea of a "hall pass". Warner Bros. brings you another movie by the Farrelly brothers, the same people who brought "There's Something About Mary". I first heard about the movie when I saw a teaser last year in their website and post a blog about it. Since then, I was looking forward to watch it. It opened last February in U.S.

What I like about the movie is that the slapstick humor is not hard to grasp for Filipino audience. Owen Wilson has been a usual actor when the Farrellys make a movie. Jason Sudeikis also made a great tandem with Wilson. I look forward to see him in another movie whether he is paired again or solo. The idea of a Hall Pass seem good to be true especially when there's no regrets about it but I am not sure if this could be the solution when marriage gets shaky. I have yet to ask people I know who are married about this. But the hall pass idea is exciting. Hope I get one when I am settled. Ha-ha-ha!

My hall pass

Hall Pass is now showing in cinemas and is distributed by Warner Bros.

BRANDON JACKSON’S MAKEOVER IN “BIG MOMMA’S: LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON”

Big Momma is back and this time he has big backup: his teenage stepson Trent.  Martin Lawrence returns as FBI agent Malcolm Turner and as Turner’s deep-cover alter-ego Big Momma. Turner is joined by Trent (Jackson) as they go undercover at an all-girls performing arts school after Trent witnesses a murder.  Posing as Big Momma and as hefty coed Charmaine, they must find the killer before he finds them.

            The Malcolm-Trent dynamic is central to the series’ new direction.  As the film opens, Malcolm is thrilled when graduating high school student Trent is accepted to Duke University.  But Trent has other ideas; he wants to pursue a career as a rapper.  That conflict ultimately leads Trent to take a detour into the family business: going undercover by dressing up as a woman.   Trent joining Malcolm as a Big Momma and their ensuing generational battles not only double the comedy, they add an emotional resonance because Malcolm must come to terms with Trent’s desire to follow his dreams, even as Malcolm goes to extreme lengths to keep Trent safe. “I love playing Big Momma,” says Lawrence, “but it was really the energy of the script and having Brandon as my partner in the story that brought me back.  Malcolm looks at Trent as a son but Trent is becoming a man and wants to do his own thing.  Everyone can relate to that.”

Jackson says being cast as Trent/Charmaine was a dream come true. “Martin Lawrence is one of my idols and it was exciting to work with him,” says the young star, who had standout roles in “Tropic Thunder” and “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”  “And when it came to wearing the [weighty prosthetics, as Charmaine], Martin gave me some good advice: ‘Sit down whenever you can, chill out, and have a good time.’ It’s my nature to run around the set and talk to everybody, so the suit made me focus on my performance.”

Trent, says Jackson, is “your average teenager who knows exactly what he wants to be; in his case, it’s a successful rapper.  He also sees himself as a ladies’ man, but it’s tough to be a ladies’ man in a woman’s body! So he undergoes all these dynamics of learning about women – and about himself.”

Jackson adds that his biggest challenge was making sure Trent could “shine through” the formidable prosthetics that transform the character into Charmaine.  Trent’s learning curve in acting like a woman is a steep one, made exponentially more difficult because he’s also trying to woo one of his fellow students, Haley (Jessica Lucas), a beautiful singer and composer.  As himself, the cocky and clueless Trent struck out with Haley.  But as Charmaine, he’s getting a unique perspective on dealing with the opposite sex – and he becomes a better man in the process. 

            “Big Momma’s: Like Father, Like Son” opens April 13 in theaters from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Rio

From the makers of Ice Age, Rio is a 3D animated feature set in the colorful city of Rio de Janeiro and the virgin rainforest of Brazil. Blu(voice by Jesse) is a rare breed of blue macaw under the care of a bookstore owner named Linda(Leslie Mann) until Blu found out that he is one of the last of his kind and has to travel to Rio to meet Jewel(Anne Hathaway), the female blue macaw.

Review: This is entirely a new world and new characters that is different from Ice Age. But it is a good transition to leave the Ice Age for the colorful, active city of Rio de Janeiro where the society is more modern and the comedy provided by the characters were just as great as to what made Ice Age popular. What suprises me is that Jamie Foxx and Will I.Am are a revelation. They were good comic tandems and didn't know Will I.Am has a knack of acting even if it's just voicing in animation.

The story is also ideal for the whole family. The film also stars Tracy Morgan, Jake T. Austin , Jane Lynch and more. The story is not only wholesome but it also has lessons to learn about friendship and awareness for endangered species.Feel the rhythm and beat of Rio. Rio opens April 7 in 3D and select cinemas and is distributed by 20th Century Fox.

Behind The Scenes Of A Music Video of Rio

Featuring Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx and Will I.Am.

FIRST-LOOK: “THE HANGOVER PART II” POSTER

            Warner Bros. has just unveiled the first poster of “The Hangover Part II” !

            The film is director Todd Phillips’ follow-up to 2009’s smash hit “The Hangover,” which became the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time and also won the Golden Globe for Best Film – Comedy or Musical.

            Reprising their roles from “The Hangover,” Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, and Justin Bartha star in the film. Ken Jeong, Jeffrey Tambor, and Mike Tyson also rejoin the cast.

In “The Hangover Part II,” Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can’t even be imagined.

            Opening across the Philippines in June 2011, “The Hangover Part II” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.