CAREY MULLIGAN, DRAGGED INTO THE UNDERWORLD IN “DRIVE”

Carey Mulligan in Drive

One of the most talented young actresses working today, Oscar Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan (“Never Let Me Go,” “Money Never Sleeps”) stars opposite Ryan Gosling in FilmDistrict's critically acclaimed thriller “Drive.”  

Winner of the Best Director prize in this year’s Cannes Film Festival, “Drive” will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas (Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3 & Trinoma) starting Nov. 9. The film is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and adapted from James Sallis's 2005 novel of the same name. 

            In the film, Driver (Gosling) is a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). 

            Mulligan had been a fan of Refn’s past films “Bronson” and “Valhalla Rising” and had even mentioned to her agent that she wanted to work with a director like Refn, but it was only after she expressed interest in the script that she learned who was helming “Drive.” 

The actrees’ enthusiasm was matched by Refn's, who immediately ordered small rewrites of Irene's backstory so he could cast Mulligan. In the novel, ‘Irene’ is a Latina. Director Refn confirms, “Originally I was looking for a Latina actress. He continues, “I hadn’t seen Carey’s films, but the minute she walked in the door, I knew we had our ‘Irene.’ It just cemented the love story in a much more interesting way. It made it more of a ‘Romeo & Juliet‘ kind of love story without the politics that would in this day and age be brought into it if you had different nationalities or different religions.”

Mulligan explains her interest in the part: “Irene's character was a challenge because she's really the pivot point for the film's secondary plot, which is literally about the love triangle between her, Driver and Irene’s husband Standard but dramatically is about where they'll all end up in the most meaningful sense. And it's not an easy decision for her. Driver certainly seems like Irene's knight in shining armor, but Standard is drawn very sympathetically, as someone who's made mistakes but is genuinely trying to turn his life around. Plus she's loved him since she was 17. So to be able to play those two impulses off of one another, especially after Standard and Driver form an uneasy alliance, gave me so much to work with.” 

Says Refn: “Since I was a teenager, I've been a big fan of `Sixteen Candles.’ I've always wanted to remake that film one way or another and, in a very unlikely way, I've done that with `Drive.’ Carey has all the intelligence and charm of a young Molly Ringwald. The romantic scenes she has with Ryan make for a very delicate and beautiful contrast to the brutality in the rest of the film.”

HALLOWEEN-THEMED FIRST-LOOK: “FRANKENWEENIE”

Disney has just unveiled the first photos of Tim Burton's upcoming animated feature, “Frankenweenie” which hits Philippine theaters October next year, just in time for Halloween 2012.

            From creative genius Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” The Nightmare Before Christmas”) comes “Frankenweenie,” a heartwarming tale about a boy and his dog. After unexpectedly losing his beloved dog Sparky, young Victor harnesses the power of science to bring his best friend back to life—with just a few minor adjustments. He tries to hide his home-sewn creation, but when Sparky gets out, Victor’s fellow students, teachers and the entire town all learn that getting a new “leash on life” can be monstrous.

            A stop-motion animated film, “Frankenweenie” was filmed in black and white and rendered in 3D, which will elevate the classic style to a whole new experience.

            With a screenplay by Burton and John August, the film's voice cast is lead by Winona Ryder, Martin Short, Catherine O’Hara, Martin Landau, Charlie Tahan and Atticus Shaffer.

In Time

Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake in In Time

Story: In this not so distant future, time  is the universal currency. When you ran out of time, you ceased to exist. The monetary unit changed but society didn't. The upper class have 100 years and keep on accumulating more that makes them almost immortal while the poor has only 25 years and forced to beg, borrow, steal to make it through the day. Will Salas is one of the unlikely ones. Waking up every morning with 23 hours left on his literal body clock to work and so he will live to see the next day. Will's fortune took a different turn when a wealthy stranger ends up dead and finds himself 100 years richer.

My thoughts: This gives us a grim idea of a future. It actually reminds me of credit cards or better example is money transactions done through SMS services but with your own life at stake. This movie will make you learn how to value time. A professor of mine once said that we are living liminal lives. How are you going to spend it. That is why Carpe Diem has been my motto ever since I first heard it in another movie, Dead Poets' Society. It is Latin for "Seize The Day" meaning living your life to the fullest. It is maximizing your life as if you were living your last.

This kind of society is not perfect. But no society has ever been perfect. The American Dream does not exist anymore for those who want to migrate or already migrated. China and Russia tried to build an utopian society but failed because there is still corruption. Remember the story "Animal Farm"? The animals overthrown their human oppressors which was masterminded by the pigs but the pigs became the next oppressors. This is actually true when socialist educator Paolo Freire said that when you overthrow the oppressors to change the society but when they are overthrown, there is always a tendency that the oppressed will turn oppressor. Karl Marx may have an ideal society but human nature always been what Charles Darwin sees our society: The strong will survive, the weak shall fall.

As for the movie, Justin Timberlake is having a lot of movie breaks recently. After his supporting role in the movie adaptation, The Social Network, he became also had a wonderful performance in romantic comedy, Friends With Benefits and now in this sci-fi action. Since then, Justin Timberlake is becoming multitalented following the footsteps of Will Smith who was also a performer like him.

Amanda Seyfried is also a revelation. She proved she can also do action movies. This is also a movie debut from a couple of TV stars. Johnny Galecki(The Big Bang Theory) leaves his dorky glasses and Matt Bomer cuts off his "White Collar" temporarily for the supporting role. This may also be a big break for them in movie career. The movie will not only entertain you but also stimulate your thinking cap which is also suits me.

Opens today in cinemas nationwide from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Puss In Boots Review

Advance screening took place last October 26, 2011 at IMAX SM City North. Thanks to Solar Entertainment Corp. for the invitation.

Story.Long before he met Shrek, the notorious fighter, lover and outlaw Puss in Boots sets off on an adventure with the tough and street smart Kitty Softpaws and the mastermind Humpty Dumpty to save his town.Starring the voices of Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Billy Bob Thorton.

Review:After the Shrek quadrilogy closed the final curtain, Dreamworks quickly made a spin-off movie with none other than Puss In Boots for a prequel story. It was a good idea for Dreamworks because of all the characters in the Far Far Away, Puss In Boots would make a great spin-off, full-length movie. Puss In Boots was first created in the late 18th Century by Charles Perrault. Although Dreamworks changed Puss from the Perrault original, both are just as clever. Just like in the Shrek movies, you can identify Antonio Banderas because Puss reflects hBanderas' previous role of Zorro and his characteristics. Just like Zorro, Puss is also charismatic and a romantic swashbuckler. You might expect that the humor will be lessen now without Shrek and Donkey but it is just as hilarious. Puss In Boots is a movie that a whole family can enjoy. Best viewed at IMAX or 3-D cinemas.

Puss In Boots is released and distributed by United and International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp. Opens October 28, 2011 in 2-D digital, 3-D digital, and IMAX 3D in selected cinemas nationwide.

"This is the true story of The Cat, The Myth, The Legend...The Boots."

30 Minutes Or Less

Plot: Nick is small town pizza delivery guy who's ordinary life collides with two wannabe criminal masterminds and forces him to rob a local bank.

My thoughts: The film reunites Jesse Eisenberg with director Ruben Fleischer. The two first worked together in box-office hit, Zombieland, which propelled Jesse Eisenberg into stardom. Jesse Eisenberg trademark persona reflects the mundane character of pizza delivery boy Nick, which also seen in his performances in previous roles especially The Social Network where he portrayed real-life character of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg which are my favorites. 30 Minutes Or Less was so fast-paced that I never thought the running time was less than 90 minutes. The movie never failed with its adult humor and antics. Jesse Eisenberg was joined by the Danny McBride and Nick Swardson which is known for supporting roles in Adam Sandler films. This was the first time they are in major roles even if they are the playing the criminal duo. Playing the part of Nick's best friend, Chet is Aziz Ansari. Ansari already established himself as a stand-up comedian and appeared in acting roles in Funny People and I Love You, Man and now landed in a supporting role of this film. The movie is rated R-18 and opens October 26 in selected Philippine cinemas. 30 Minutes Or Less is distributed by Columbia Pictures Philippines.

Chronicle Full Trailer

What are you capable of? "Chronicle" stars Michael B. Jordan, James Dehaan and Alex Russell as high school kids who developed extra special powers after being exposed to a mysterious substance in the woods.  Beyond their understanding, their powers direct them to incredible discoveries and use them to their advantage as their lives start to spin out of control while their darker sides begin to take over. Directed by Josh Trank, "Chronicle" is reminiscent of hit thrillers shot in real time documentary-style such as "The Blairwitch Project" and "Cloverfield." 

CHRONICLE opens March 2012 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros. in the Philippines.

“HAPPY FEET 2” DANCES AWAY TO THE BIG SCREEN

Director George Miller wasn't looking to make back-to-back cartoons about the environmentally fragile residents of Antarctica.  But Mother Nature can be a wicked executive producer, Miller has learned.

"I was all set to do another `Mad Max’ in Australia," he says. "And it kept raining. And raining. And raining. After about 12 months, we decided to do `Happy Feet 2’ instead."

Miller, a chameleon director whose credits include the `Mad Max’ series, the `Babe’ franchise and now the `Happy Feet’ story, says he plans to return to the post-apocalyptic world of `Mad Max’ when he's done with the pre-apocalyptic world of `Happy Feet 2’ in 3-D.

The movie, starring the voices of Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Robin Williams and Elijah Wood as rug-cutter Mumble, centers on Mumble being a new father while still navigating the perilous ice world around him, which is melting frighteningly fast.  "Climate change is why we're doing this movie now," Miller says. "The desert we wanted to shoot in in Australia? It's covered in flowers."

The first film, a 2006 surprise hit at $190 million, was initially to be shot in 3-D, Miller says. "But we simply ran out of time. This one is shot in 3-D, and the landscapes we could create are just spectacular."

Where the first film followed Mumble "from infancy to adulthood, now we see him as a parent," Miller says. "But it could be any of us. He's trying to figure out how to be a parent to his little son in a world that's changing way too rapidly."

Miller says he enjoys animation. But the director of `Dead Calm’ and `Lorenzo's Oil’ also looks forward to destruction. He's built more than 150 cars that he plans to destroy for `Mad Max: Fury Road,’ the continuation of his dystopian hellscape, this time starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron. It's scheduled for a 2012 release.

But there's one benefit to making kids' movies that you just don't get from carving people up on highways, Miller says.  "One of my favorite things about making `Happy Feet’ was sneaking into the theater to watch the kids," he says. "I can see the parents are getting the other messages, but the kids are just lost in the dancing and the little animals. They'll dance in the aisles. What filmmaker doesn't dream to see that kind of thing?"

            Opening across the Philippines in IMAX 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “Happy Feet 2” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

RYAN GOSLING TAKES YOU FOR A SPIN IN “DRIVE”

Ryan Gosling in Drive

Fresh from the commercial and critical success of his first-ever romantic comedy “Crazy, Stupid, Love,” Ryan Gosling now returns to psychological thriller in the Cannes Film Festival winner, “Drive.”

            Winner of the Best Director award at this year's Cannes, “Drive” will be shown soon exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas (Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3 & Trinoma). The film is directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and adapted from James Sallis's 2005 novel of the same name. 

            In the film, Driver (Gosling) is a Los Angeles wheelman for hire, stunt driving for movie productions by day and steering getaway vehicles for armed heists by night. Though a loner by nature, Driver can't help falling in love with his beautiful neighbor Irene (Carey Mulligan), a vulnerable young mother dragged into a dangerous underworld by the return of her ex-convict husband Standard (Oscar Isaac). 

            “I was really intrigued by the role of Driver because the performance demanded this very complex dramatic counterpoint,” Gosling explains. “On the one hand, he's really self-contained, really laconic. There's an economy of movement in the way he carries himself, an economy of words in the way he speaks. He keeps his cards close to his chest and there's an almost poker-faced inscrutability to his reactions. All of which ties into his character, because this is the kind of mechanical self-control he achieves in the flow-situation of driving. [Director] Nic kept saying to me, 'The Driver is half-man, half-machine.' 

            “On the other hand,” Gosling continues, “Driver is literally psychotic, you know? A Travis Bickle, Taxi Driver-kind of character. Beneath all of that eerie outward calm, there is this reservoir of raging energy and hair-trigger violence. It's like when you're cruising in an automobile and the ride feels so smooth, so stable, so safe—then another car crosses your path. BAM. All that energy, all that mass-times-velocity momentum, is released in a flash of physical violence. And that's basically the character of Driver. He navigates around most obstacles with some very flawless trick-driving, literally and figuratively escaping without a scratch. But when the moment of impact unexpectedly arrives, it is violent and it physically slams you. The challenge is making the audience feel that tightly-coiled energy when Driver is ticking along as smoothly as a stopwatch.” 

            “Ryan is a real rarity,” says director Nicolas Winding Refn. “He has the charisma and good looks of a leading man and the gravity of a Method-trained, master class performer. For the role of Driver, the film needed an actor who could convey the explosive violence and emotional loneliness of that lone-wolf character, yet also make his personal transformation through love authentic and believable. Few movie stars have that range. Ryan is one of them.”

Salma Hayek is Sexy Ms. Kitty Softpaws in Puss in Boots.

Academy Award Nominee SALMA HAYEK has proven herself as a prolific actress, producer, and director, in both film and television. She received an Academy Award Nomination, a Golden Globe Nomination, a SAG Nomination, and a BAFTA Nomination for Best Actress for the title role in Julie Taymor's "Frida."   Hayek is currently filming Oliver Stone's "Savages," with Benico del Toro, John Travolta, Uma Thurman and Blake Lively.

 Hayek will next be heard lending her voice in DreamWorks' "Puss In Boots," a prequel of sorts to "Shrek 2," as Antonio Banderas' love interest, "Kitty.”

“Salma Hayek is Kitty Softpaws,” supplies Director Chris Miller, “and in her performance, she’s beautiful, strong and sensual, but most importantly, she’s funny—Salma’s a really funny actress and she gets to really show that off in this.  Because she brings this working relationship with Antonio to the character [this is their fifth film together], it feels really authentic.  You can tell that they are good friends, because they fight really well together, which brings sparks to their onscreen romantic relationship.  They’re a great duo.  I love Salma’s voice, it’s rich and deep, and it works so well for Kitty,”

             

            Hayek was thrilled to voice the strong, independent and funny feline:  “Everything about this film is fun and exciting.  To start with, it’s the first time I’ve worked  with animation, and I’ve been wanting to do one for a long time.  It could not have come at a better time, because now I get to share this one with my daughter.  I have become an animation expert since she was born…and I say with a lot of pride that even though I think I’ve seen every animated movie that’s ever been done, I think this one’s in the top ten for sure.”

            There were logistical points that also worked for Hayek:  “There was a convenience that I really liked.  I could work in my pajamas.  And because I travel a lot, I was able to record in about five cities.”

                        Hayek loved her character and describes her:  “She’s a very good verbal fighter, and also a very good physical fighter.  She’s also an amazing thief, one of the best that are out there.  And she’s proud of it.  I enjoy that she always wins, and that she’s always right.  And even though Puss keeps fighting her and continues to try and prove her wrong, he can’t.  It’s really a joy to be this kind of a cat.”

            So symbiotic is the back-and-forth performance between Banderas and Hayek that Antonio made a request of the filmmakers.  “I’ve worked with Salma since the beginning of the ‘90s, and she’s a dear friend.  Normally, in animation, we work alone.  But this is the only time that I asked for a session with an actor, because with Salma, I know that we have such chemistry, and especially, we fight very well on camera.  We have a kind of rhythm and we can improvise.  So I asked them to bring her here with me, and we did a session together.  And we got a number of things from it.  It was great to work with her again.”

            “Antonio is wonderful in this role,” responds Hayek.  “He was born to play this cat.  We’ve been working together for a long time, and we’ve done many movies together.  It’s always a pleasure and a joy.   We were lucky to have a recording session together, even though they usually don’t happen - everybody’s so busy and in different places, but we managed to schedule it.  We were both improvising and some of the stuff that we did actually ended up in the film.  He is so much this character, and I know him so well by now, that when I was recording without him, I could feel him there like a ghost saying the other lines.  I love him in this part, and know exactly what he would say as Puss, even when he is not in the room.” 

Bad Kitty, ANTONIO BANDERAS

From the outset, one of the keys to the popularity of the character of Puss in Boots was the voice that came out of the outlaw hero—Antonio Banderas.

Director Chris Miller:  “Puss in Boots is played by Antonio Banderas, or is Antonio Banderas played by Puss in Boots?  I don’t know, sometimes it’s hard to tell the two of them apart.  But one thing’s for sure, one could not exist without the other, because Antonio brings such passion to the role.  This tiny little creature should have, you would think, a squeaky voice—but out of his mouth comes this deep sound.  There some real humor created in the juxtaposition of the two.  Here’s this great actor with a massive voice, and he’s voicing this cute, furry animal.  What I love about Antonio’s performance is when he takes himself the most seriously, and Puss is doing something truer to his nature, like chasing a point of light.”  

Joe Aguilar comments, “I think the attraction to the character starts with Antonio.  His performance is fun, charismatic, full of machismo, mystery and adventure.  And then, you look at the cat, and then you hear that deep sound coming out of his mouth—you start cracking up and you want to know more.” 

Banderas himself says, “He’s such a great character.  There are so many different colors that we’ve been discovering since I started giving him my voice in 2002.  He’s romantic and he’s an epic hero.  He’s got a great heart.  He’s got a sense of honor and loyalty—along with a little bit of something mischievous that I think just adds an edge that is interesting.  The kids love that, too, that side of him.  But when he started in the Shrek movies, we really didn’t know much about him.  He was and still is a bit mysterious.  For me, actually, the character is a dichotomy and that’s what makes him funny.”

Waxing somewhat philosophic, the actor looks at the larger things that the tiny cat stands for:  “You know for me, it’s not a cat.  For me, it’s a being that has the capacity to express things.  It’s an honor and a privilege, in the very difficult times that we are living in, to have the capacity and the opportunity to make people laugh, all around the world.  It’s a gift.  For almost 10 years now, even from the beginning, Puss started having his own space, if you will, in the American pop culture and then, in the world.  I have seen the effects that the cat produces in other countries, too.  Because I am from Spain, I have also the opportunity to do the character for a wider range of people, around 800 million people more, because I do the character in two versions of Spanish—one version goes to South and Central America, with its special idioms that they use for humor, and then I do a Castilian version for Spain.”

The performer shares a number of skills with his onscreen counterpart:  Banderas can wield a sword (a skill he learned while portraying Zorro in two films), can hold his own on the dance floor (something he demonstrated on Broadway, as well as in movies), and he has more than proved himself able to portray the archetypal ‘Latin lover’ (in film after film after film):  “I am taller, to be certain, but in many ways, Puss in Boots and I are very much alike.” 

“Puss in Boots” is released and distributed United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp. Showing on Oct. 28, 2011 in 2-D digital, 3-D digital and IMAX-3-D in selected theatres nationwide!

Sneak Peek: “PUSS IN BOOTS”

Long before he even met Shrek, the notorious fighter, lover and outlaw Puss in Boots becomes a hero when he sets off on an adventure with the tough and street smart Kitty Softpaws and the mastermind Humpty Dumpty to save his town.  This is the true story of The Cat, The Myth, The Legend…The Boots.

Starring  Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris

“Puss in Boots” is released and distributed by

United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp.

“REAL STEEL” OPENS AT NO.1, GROSSES P48.28-M IN 5 DAYS

MANILA, Oct. 17 – DreamWorks Pictures' robot-boxing action ride “Real Steel” punched up a no. 1 opening in the country, grossing a knockout P48.28-million nationwide opening weekend for the Oct. 12-18 frame.  This was announced today by Victor R. Cabrera, managing director of Walt Disney Studios Philippines, the film's local distributor.

With that spectacular opening, “Real Steel” broke the record for all-time biggest October weekend, beating 2008’s “High School Musical: Senior Year” at P31.6-M and 2009’s “Michael Jackson's This Is It” with P26.2M.

The Hugh Jackman-starrer also posted the 5th biggest live action opening from Disney, right after “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” (P71.3M), “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (P65.6M), “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (P62.3M) and “Prince of Persia” (P60.8M).

“Real Steel” predominantly captured the family market as its Saturday (Oct. 14) and Sunday (Oct. 15) grosses surged to P13.9M and P15.2M, respectively.  It’s Wednesday to Friday bow collected a strong P19.2-M from the male and teen demographics.

Bowing in 184 screens nationwide, “Real Steel” reaped its biggest receipts from SM Mall of Asia (P3.39-M), Trinoma (P2.78-M), SM North EDSA (P2.18-M), SM Megamall (P1.87-M), Power Plant (P1.61-M), Glorietta 4 (P1.58-M), SM Cebu (P1.50-M), Newport Cinemas (P1.33-M), Eastwood Mall (P1.17-M) and Alabang Town Center (P1.11-M).

Rounding up the Top 20 cinemas are Robinsons Ermita (P1.10-M), Greenbelt 3 (P1.04-M), Gateway Mall (P1.03-M), Greenhills (P1.00-M), Shang Cineplex (P940,077), Robinsons Galleria (P895,021), Ayala Cebu (P841,220), SM Fairview (P795,470), Festival Mall (P794,553) and Market! Market! (P679,813).

            In “Real Steel,” Jackman stars as Charlie Kenton, a washed-up boxer in the near future who, because his sport has been taken over by 8-foot steel robots, now lives in a world where he doesn’t fit in. With no fights and no prospects, Charlie is forced to hustle as a small-time robot fight promoter. He earns just enough money to survive by piecing together low-end “bots” and traveling from one seamy underground boxing venue to the next for whatever prizefight he can wrangle for his automatons. Just when things can’t become any more desperate and complicated, his estranged, tough-beyond-his-years son Max (Dakota Goyo) suddenly and unwillingly comes back into his life.

            The alienated duo reluctantly team up to rebuild and train a scrap-heap robot and turn it into a boxing contender. As stakes in the brutal, no-holds-barred fighting arenas are raised, against all odds Charlie gets one last shot at a comeback.

            Still playing across the Philippines in IMAX, 2D and regular theaters, “Real Steel” is a DreamWorks Picture distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.