ISLA FISHER IN “KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES”

Press release

ISLA FISHER SPIES ON NEIGHBORS IN “KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES”

                Multi-talented Isla Fisher, noted for her roles in “Confessions of a Shopaholic”, “Now You See Me” and “The Wedding Crashers”  will next be seen in the high-octane action-comedy “Keeping Up with the Joneses” which also stars Gal Gadot, Zach Galifianakis and Jon Hamm.

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Fox

                Directed by Greg Mottola, one of comedy’s most popular directors in recent times (“Superbad”), his latest helmer “Keeping Up with the Joneses” is about an ordinary suburban couple (Zach Galifianakis, Isla Fisher) who discovers it’s not easy keeping up with their impossibly gorgeous and ultra-sophisticated new neighbors, the Joneses (Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot)  – especially when they discover that Mr. and Mrs. “Jones” are really covert operatives. 

                Fisher takes on the role of Karen Gaffney, blissfully married to Jeff (Galifianakis) on a quiet cul-de-sac neighbourhood.  With their kids out on summer camp, Karen clicks away time by redesigning bathrooms and waiting on Jeff to come home from work...until the Joneses moved in.  Upon meeting the gorgeous couple, Tim (Hamm) and Natalie (Gadot) Jones, Jeff and Karen instantly bonded with the Joneses.  But after noticing that the Joneses’ lives are somehow too perfect, Karen pushes Jeff to investigate further by crashing into the couple’s house. It turns out that Karen is right…about the Joneses. Ultimately, they become a happier and more fulfilled couple, thanks to their misadventures with the covert duo.

                Despite Karen’s initial misgivings, Jeff sees in Tim the coolest best friend he could only dream of having – while Karen, too, is soon seduced in Natalie’s glamorous and sexy approach to suburban life.   But as soon as the friendship seems to be cemented, The Gaffneys find themselves in the center of a storm of international espionage that will give them a breathtaking glimpse of life “outside the cul de sac” --  and will show both couples what “being a good neighbor” really means.  

                Isla Fisher explains:  “The Gaffneys need to get in touch with one another, romantically and emotionally.  They eventually get there, but in the craziest kind of ways.”   The actress further notes that she embraced the story’s premise because “there’s so much comedy inherent in a suburban couple with their noses pressed to the glass, envying their neighbors’ glamorous lives.”

                “One of the things getting in the couple’s way is Karen’s obsession with the Joneses; she’s convinced there’s something …off…about them.  Why would people who look, act and dress like they do move to their neighborhood, she wonders.  It’s a way for Karen to avoid looking at herself or the marriage, or consider what she and Jeff could be doing to make things better now that the kids are away,” director Mottola shares. 

                While comedy gold is mined from the chasm separating the two couples’ lifestyles, demeanor and professions, there is indeed an important commonality between the two pairings: the Gaffneys eventually learn that the picture-perfect Joneses share the same kinds of problems endemic to their union—and to virtually all marriages.

                A fun-filled date movie for all couples, rated PG by the local censors board.

“THE ACCOUNTANT” INVENTIVE SCRIPT ADDS UP TALENTED CAST

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The cleverly constructed screenplay of Warner Bros. Pictures’ new thriller The Accountant drew the film’s impressive acting ensemble, led by Ben Affleck (Batman v Superman), Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash), Jon Bernthal (TV's The Punisher), Jeffrey Tambor (TV's Transparent) and John Lithgow (Interstellar).

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

“It kept me guessing until the very last page,” Affleck states, “and I thought it was very smart, rich in detail and in character depth, and inventive in its evolution.”

“Part of my job as a director,” Gavin O’Connor says, “is surrounding myself with people who are really good at what they do—people who are going to constantly lift up the material and make me better and make the movie the best it can be. All of these actors are of that caliber.”

In “The Accountant,” Christian Wolff (Affleck) is a math savant with more affinity for numbers than people. Behind the cover of a small-town CPA office, he works as a freelance accountant for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organizations. With the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, run by Ray King (Simmons), starting to close in, Christian takes on a legitimate client: a state-of-the-art robotics company where an accounting clerk (Kendrick) has discovered a discrepancy involving millions of dollars. But as Christian uncooks the books and gets closer to the truth, it is the body count that starts to rise.

Anna Kendrick plays Dana Cummings, a junior accountant who uncovers a problem in a robotics firm in which Christian was called in to fix. “She’s intrigued by him because he’s sort of a dorky accountant, but there’s something mysterious, too, which becomes even more obvious when things take a frightening turn. Basically, nerding it up with Chris is the most exciting thing that’s ever happened to her,” she laughs.

J.K. Simmons plays Ray King, head of the Treasury Department’s Crime Enforcement Division, who is determined to find the identity of the underworld numbers cruncher known only as “the Accountant.” “What fascinated me about Ray is that he’s this real alpha male when we meet him and then, as the story develops, we find different aspects to him, as we do with most of the characters. It adds a lot of depth and some surprises.”

Jon Bernthal plays crack hitman named Brax, whose deadly skills rival Chris’s own. Bernthal describes Brax as “highly unpredictable and extremely dangerous and he seems to enjoy what he does. He’s a lone wolf who is quite capable of taking care of business by himself.”

Living Robotics is headed by its founder, Lamar Blackburn, played by John Lithgow. “Lamar’s great passion is helping people who have lost limbs by making what he calls ‘neuro-prosthetics,’ which connect mechanical limbs with the actual muscles and nervous system of the body,” Lithgow says. “He’s a technological genius, so you have these two people, Lamar and Christian, both with extraordinary minds, who are put together.”

Christian Wolff’s background and distinctive skill sets are largely established through flashbacks, beginning as a child, and later including a stint in prison. There, he forms a bond with a fellow inmate and former black money accountant named Francis Silverberg, played by Jeffrey Tambor. Tambor affirms, “Francis is Chris’ mentor in prison and, in a way, it’s a very loving father-son relationship. It was a wonderfully written script with a beautiful puzzle to it, and I think everyone will really enjoy trying to work it out.”

Opening across the Philippines on Nov. 02, “The Accountant” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

“OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL” TELLS NEW, TERRIFYING HORROR STORY

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It was never just a game.

Inviting audiences again into the lore of the spirit board, this Halloween, Universal Pictures’ Ouija: Origin of Evil—from Platinum Dunes and Blumhouse—tells a terrifying new tale as the follow-up to 2014’s sleeper hit that opened at No. 1.

Photo courtesy of UIP/Columbia Pictures

In 1967 Los Angeles, widowed mother Alice Zander (Elizabeth Reaser of the Twilight franchise) adds a new stunt to bolster her séance scam business and unwittingly invites authentic evil into her home. When the merciless spirit overtakes youngest daughter Doris (Lulu Wilson of Deliver Us from Evil), this small family confronts unthinkable fears to save her and send her possessor back to the other side.

A year and a half after her husband was killed, financially strapped Alice finds herself raising 15-year-old Paulina (“Lina”) (Annalise Basso of Oculus) and 9-year-old Doris alone.

Fortunately for her struggling business, the occult runs in Alice’s blood. Her mother was a fortuneteller and passed down the tricks of the trade, allowing Alice to put on an extravagant sideshow for clients who wish to speak with lost loved ones. The aspiring clairvoyant doesn’t feel she’s a fraud. Instead, she believes she’s peddling closure—the elusive kind she prays to find for herself.

With mounting unpaid bills, Alice purchases a Ouija board to spice up her charade and rivet her customers. But once the game is brought into her home, strange things begin to happen: inexplicable noises, daily nightmares and, most disturbing of all, Doris actually starts communicating with the dead, including her father.

Initially, the revelations seems like a gift. Alice’s business booms and clients find comfort connecting to those who have passed on, until the true history of the house is unearthed. Decades prior, a deranged surgeon performed grotesque experiments on mental patients under the same roof. Now, to make their screams of anguish heard, one of the tortured has taken possession of Doris.

The girls’ school principal’s, Father Tom (Henry Thomas of Gangs of New York), deep concern for Alice’s family leads him to investigate the case. But when the four of them must face a supernatural power (Doug Jones of Pan's Labyrinth) for which even the priesthood could not prepare Tom, they will see that the spirits who’ve opened the portal have no intention of closing it without a deadly fight.

Ouija: Origin of Evil is produced by Platinum Dunes partners MICHAEL BAY, BRAD FULLER and ANDREW FORM (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Purge series, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Blumhouse Productions’ JASON BLUM (The Purge and Insidious series, upcoming Get Out), alongside Hasbro’s BRIAN GOLDNER (Transformers and G.I. Joe series) and STEPHEN DAVIS (Ouija).

MIKE FLANAGAN (Oculus, Hush) directs from a screenplay he wrote with his Oculus and Before I Wake collaborator, Jeff Howard.

Opening across the Philippines on Oct. 26, “Ouija: Origin of Evil” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales teaser trailer

Press release

Walt Disney Pictures has released the first trailer (first posted in https://marktemplar.blogspot.com/2016/10/teaser-trailer-and-poster-reveal.html ) for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, the fifth installment in the hugely successful Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

Thrust into an all-new adventure, a down-on-his-luck Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) finds the winds of ill-fortune blowing even more strongly when deadly ghost pirates led by his old nemesis, the terrifying Captain Salazar (Bardem), escape from the Devil’s Triangle, determined to kill every pirate at sea…including him. Captain Jack’s only hope of survival lies in seeking out the legendary Trident of Poseidon, a powerful artifact that bestows upon its possessor total control over the seas.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg (Oscar Best Foreign Language Film nominee Kon-Tiki).

The cast also includes Orlando Bloom, Kaya Scodelario, David Wenham, Geoffrey Rush and Brenton Thwaites.

Photo courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures

Watch the film when it opens in the Philippines in May 2017. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is distributed in the Philippines by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Use the hashtag #APiratesDeathForMe

“SHELTER” MOVIE EXCLUSIVE AT STARMALL AND VISTA MALL CINEMAS

Press release

 Best known as Jarvis/Vision in the blockbuster Marvel movies “The Avengers,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and in “Captain America: Civil War,” Paul Bettany, who has also rendered an unforgettable performance in “A Beautiful Mind,” takes the director’s chair in his (directorial) debut in the movie “Shelter” which he also wrote, about two homeless people and their harrowing plight to survive.

                “Shelter” stars Jennifer Connelly opposite Anthony Mackie (who has also appeared in “Avengers” movies as Sam Wilson aka Falcon).  In “Shelter” Connelly takes on the character of Hannah while Mackie stars as Tahir.  Both come from two different worlds. But when their lives intersect, they’re at the same place: homeless on the streets of New York.  

                Bettany’s directorial debut is a love letter to the great New York dramas of the 1970s, “Shelter” is an unmerciful story of loss, love, sacrifice, redemption and, ultimately, hope.  At the backdrop of New York, Connelly as Hanna is a heroin addict and wanders the streets day in, day out begging for money while holding out a sign that says ‘I used to be someone.”  Nigerian immigrant Tahir whose visa has already expired performs on the streets drumming on plastic buckets to draw people in to drop in coins and bills.  Their lives began to intertwine when Tahir spies his stolen jacket around her waist and eventually saves her from killing herself.

                “Shelter” will open on October 12 exclusively at Vista Mall Cinemas and Starmall Cinemas from CrystalSky Multimedia.  Vista Mall Cinemas and Starmall Cinemas’ “Movie Date Night” promo will offer 50% off for every movie ticket of “Shelter” purchased on Friday and Saturday (night screenings only).

                “Shelter” will open in Starmall Edsa-Shaw, Starmall Las Pinas, Starmall Alabang, Starmall San Jose, Vista Mall Taguig and Vista Mall Sta. Rosa.

TRUE STORY OF SURVIVAL AND GREED IN ACTION-PACKED DRAMA “DEEPWATER HORIZON”

Press release

From Lorenzo Di Bonaventura, producer of memorable blockbusters such as “The Matrix,” “The Perfect Storm,” “Ocean’s Eleven” and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” comes another thrilling edge-of-your-seat drama thriller “Deepwater Horizon” starring an impressive cast led by Mark Wahlberg along with Dylan O’Brien, Kate Hudson, Kurt Russell, John Malkovich and Gina Rodriguez (“Jane The Virgin).

                Directed by Peter Berg, known for his cerebral and visceral thrillers such as “Very Bad Things,” “The Kingdom” and “Hancock,”  “Deepwater Horizon” is based on the true events that occurred on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico on April 20, 2010, the story chronicles the courage of those who worked on the Deepwater Horizon and the extreme moments of bravery and survival in the face of what would become one of the biggest man-made disasters in world history.

                Wahlberg takes on the role of real-life Transocean chief electronics technician Mike Williams, a devoted family man who was overseeing the rig’s computers and electrical systems on April 20th, when everything he imagined could go wrong … did. 

                After the explosion, Mike Williams aligns himself closely with 23 year-old rig worker Andrea Fleytas, who is played in a departure by Golden Globe® winner and “Jane The Virgin” star Gina Rodriguez.  Rodriguez had to explore both a woman’s deepest fears and greatest courage for the role.  “The true life Andrea is a real character and Gina brings great energy and an essential goodness to who she is as a person,” says di Bonaventura.  “She also captures what it’s like to be a 23 year old woman in the middle of a crazy, ultimately catastrophic situation.” 

                Says Rodriguez of embodying Fleytas: “Pete was all about trying to be as authentic as possible, so I did a lot of my own research and even went to dynamic positioning officer training in Houston.  It was quite the experience.” 

                Also joining the ensemble are two-time Oscar® nominee John Malkovich as BP company man Donald Vidrine; Dylan O’Brien as the young floorhand Caleb Holloway and Oscar® nominee and Golden Globe® winner Kate Hudson, who coincidentally is starring in a film for the first time alongside Kurt Russel. Hudson portrays Mike Williams wife, Felicia. Says Hudson:  “What’s exciting about this film is that people will not only understand more about what happened on the Deepwater Horizon but also get to know these people and the actual experience of how terrifying and challenging it was.”

                The challenges of working on these intricate sets brought cast and crew closer – but also were a constant reminder of just how much greater the difficulties were to those who found themselves trying to survive the most destructive oil rig disaster in history.  Sums up director of photography Enrique Chediak: “There are many emotions people have about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. This movie makes you aware of what the people on the rig had to go through – and that is the part that is so incredible.”

                “Deepwater Horizon” opens in cinemas on October 5 from Pioneer Films.

“HANGOVER’S” ZACH GALIFIANAKIS GIVES COMEDY-ACTION ROLE NEW TWIST IN “KEEPING UP WITH THE JONESES”

Press release

Zach Galifianakis, who came to worldwide attention with his recurring comedic role in the highly-successful “Hangover” franchise reveals another side of comedy-in-action in the upcoming espionage movie “Keeping Up with the Joneses” that also stars Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, “Shopaholic’s” Isla Fisher and “Mad Men’s” Jon Hamm.

Photo credit: 20^th Century Fox

                “Keeping Up with the Joneses” sees Jeff and Karen Gaffney (Galifianakis and Fisher) for the first time in 11 years, find themselves facing a challenge that all parents eventually face: the empty next.   With their kids away for the first time at summer camp, the Gaffneys hope to spend some quality alone-time and reignite the romantic fire that has started to flicker.    This proves easier said than done when Karen’s imagination is distracted by the sudden arrival of new neighbors on the cul-de-sac:  The Joneses, played by Gadot and Hamm whose stunning looks are only matched by the worldly sophistication of their lives.  Soon Karen asks, “Why would people this attractive and accomplished ever want to live here?”

                Jeff Gaffney is one of those guys, says Zach Galifiankis, who “puts a positive face on everyone and everything, so it’s fun to watch him lose it when faced with real danger.  I loved playing a character that starts coming unraveled, thanks to the spies he’s becoming friends with.”

                Jeff even puts a positive spin on his mid-management job in human resources, arguably one of the least respected professions in our corporate culture.  “It’s clear Jeff is good at what he does in what many people would describe as a less-than-desirable position,” says Galifiankis.  “But he approaches it like it’s the job he was chosen for.  Jeff even has a deeply patronizing “HR face”—a representation of him thinking, processing and doing what HR managers do.  And it works for him!  He does a great job of getting people to share and open up,” says Galifiankis.

                “I created the HR face,” he continues, describing it as “a mix of boredom and intense understanding of the issue that has brought the employee to HR.  Jeff is trying so hard to listen to whoever is complaining to him and make them believe he cares.  A perfect blend of laser-like concentration and I’m-drifting-off ennui, concluding. It’s this—how Jeff listens to people when he’s trying to act intelligent.” 

                Director Greg Mottola holds a little more caustic view of Jeff and his profession.  “The people who have to show up in his office are often in a foul mood.”  But he loves the job, anyway, right?  “Jeff is an eternally optimistic guy, so, yes, he’s tried take pride in being in HR.  But I think Jeff isn’t fully aware of how much his life sucks until the Joneses come along and point that out to him.”

               

                Producer Laurie Macdonald says that Galifianakis took full advantage of the opportunity to play Jeff.  “Zach approached the film and the role very much as an actor.  This isn’t a comedian who’s acting; this is an actor who’s bringing tremendous comic gifts to a role.  He’s the emotional heart and soul of the film.”

                “Keeping Up with the Joneses’ opens October 19 in cinemas nationwide from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.