PH BLOG ➹

T he third staging of the movie-marathon endurance challenge Star Movies Triathlon saw five winners sharing the coveted title. An interesting mix of yuppies and students won over the contest made more difficult by the fact that two other types of endurance challenges were added apart from the movie marathon itself. The winners were Ria Hernandez , a 28-year old interior designer, Cathleen Anderson , a restaurant owner in her early twenties, students Natalia Ortega and Dominic Cruz , and another young movie buff Lesly Yiu .

I n the new James Bond 007 adventure “ Skyfall ,” two Bond women complicate matters for the British super spy. They are played by Naomie Harris (“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest”) and French actress Berenice Marlohe . Daniel Craig who plays Bond says “We’ve just been blessed with a terrific cast. The casting of the girls: Naomie and Bérénice – finding two exceptionally beautiful women who are very serious actresses and who are intelligent and work hard. For me, it has been a joy.”

B ruce Willis returns in his most iconic role as John McClane - the “real” hero with the skills and attitude to always be the last man standing. This time the take-no-prisoners cop is really in the wrong place at the wrong time after traveling to Moscow to help his estranged son Jack. With the Russian underworld in pursuit, and battling a countdown to war, the two McClanes discover that their opposing methods make them unstoppable heroes. "A Good Day to Die Hard” opens February 13 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

C olumbia Pictures has just debuted the teaser trailer of “Evil Dead,” the much anticipated remake of Sam Raimi's 1981 cult-hit horror film “ The Evil Dead ,” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnTtPTMyCWU. In the new movie, five twenty-something friends become holed up in a remote cabin where they discover a Book Of The Dead and unwittingly summon up dormant demons living in the nearby woods, which possess the youngsters in succession until only one is left intact to fight for survival. A core cast of young, fresh talent includes Jane Levy (“Suburgatory”) as Mia; Shiloh Fernandez (“Deadgirl,” “Red Riding Hood”) as David; Lou Taylor Pucci (“Carriers”) as Eric; Jessica Lucas (“Cloverfield”) as Olivia and Elizabeth Blackmore (“Legend of the Seeker”) as Natalie.

F ans around the world are invited to tune-in and participate in a live chat with Hugh Jackman and director James Mangold from the set of The Wolverine in Sydney, Australia. This extraordinary event will take place on Monday, October 29th at 1:00 pm PT (Los Angeles time) / Tuesday, October 30th at 4:00am (Philippines) on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thewolverinemovie and the film’s official website at www.TheWolverineMovie.com. Marvel’s own Agent M will host and provide fans special access to this highly anticipated movie.

E mmy-nominated comedienne Sarah Silverman lends her voice to Vanellope von Schweetz , a scrappy little girl who’s the first to spot Ralph when he crash-lands in the Sugar Rush arcade-game in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 3D comedy adventure “ Wreck-It Ralph .” Known as “The Glitch,” Vanellope is a pixelating programming mistake in the candy-coated cart-racing game Sugar Rush. With a racer’s spirit embedded in her coding, Vanellope is determined to earn her place in the starting lineup amongst the other racers. Only problem: the other racers don’t want her or her glitching in the game. Years of rejection have left Vanellope with a wicked sense of humor and a razor-sharp tongue. However, somewhere beneath that hard shell is a sweet center just waiting to be revealed.

A cademy Award-nominee John C. Reilly (“Chicago”) breathes life to Ralph, a heavy-handed wrecking riot with a heart, in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 3D animated adventure, “Wreck-It Ralph.” For 30 years—day in, day out—Wreck-It Ralph has been doing his job as “The Bad Guy” in the arcade game Fix-It Felix Jr. But it’s getting harder and harder to love his job when no one seems to like him for doing it. Suffering from a classic case of Bad-Guy fatigue and hungry for a little wreck-ognition, Ralph embarks on a wild adventure across an incredible arcade-game universe to prove that just because he’s a Bad Guy, it doesn’t mean he’s a bad guy. Reilly was called on to provide the voice of Ralph. “When we were talking about making the main character a ‘bad guy,’” says director Rich Moore, “we knew we needed someone the audience could get behind—support and love—even though he’s kind of rough around the edges. John inhabits the characters he plays and he connects to the h...

C aught between accidental and intended hits, Sean Hayes stars as Larry in the hilarious comedy “ The Three Stooges .” Spanning more than twenty-five years since they appeared on television slapping and poking their way in 190 original comedies, the Stooges are about to be seen in a whole new dimension on the big screen. In “ The Three Stooges ,” Larry, Curly and Moe are released into the wild city landscape after spending half of their lives in an orphanage. Out to save the orphanage and raise the money to save the only home they know, they decide to tackle the world outside the only way they know how.

A s Spain's most internationally acclaimed actor, Javier Bardem has captivated audiences worldwide with his diverse performances. In 2008, Bardem received the Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for his chilling portrayal of sociopath killer, Anton Chigurh, in Joel and Ethan Coen's No Country for Old Men. Now, Bardem plays Silva, the man who puts MI6 – Britain's secret intelligence agency -- at risk, in Columbia Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures' “ Skyfall ,” the 23rd 007 James Bond installment which is the longest-running film franchise in history.

D irector Sacha Gervasi brings to life Alfred Hitchcock, an iconic and beloved filmmaker of all time in “ Hitchcock ” starring an all-ensemble cast where Anthony Hopkins plays the titular character along with Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Jessica Biel, James D’Arcy and Toni Collette. “Hitchcock,” clearly a movie within a movie buzzes about early for the yearly awaited Oscars – bringing the iconic director’s love story to the fore while filming the classic, seminal horror movie “Psycho.” Hitchcock’s wife and partner Alma Reville will be played by Helen Mirren.

W alt Disney Pictures has revealed the comprehensive character guide of its upcoming animated feature “Wreck-It Ralph” showcasing each of the film's four main "levels." “ Wreck-It Ralph ” takes moviegoers on a hilarious, arcade-game-hopping journey in which Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly)—tired of being overshadowed by Fix-It Felix, Jr. (voice of Jack McBrayer), the “good guy” star of their game—sets off on a quest to prove he’s got what it takes to be a hero. The film also features the voices of Jane Lynch and Sarah Silverman.

F ilmmaking is about taking risks, says Erik Matti , writer and director of the biggest horror adventure of 2012, Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles . What else would you call the movie’s astronomical budget, the decision to shoot it entirely on green screen and have a bad boy character as the film’s main protagonist? The concept immediately appealed to lead actor Dingdong Dantes who is playing against type in this project. “Collaborating with Erik Matti and executive producer Dondon Monteverde allowed me to break out of the stereotype of my roles on TV and in the movies.”

I n approaching Columbia Pictures’ “Skyfall,” the 23rd James Bond adventure, the filmmakers were very attuned to the fact that 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of James Bond on film. They were determined that this entry in the longest-running film franchise in history would deliver everything that has made Bond, Bond: heart-stopping action, scene-stealing villains, beautiful Bond women, exotic locations, a killer theme, the Aston Martin DB5… and, of course, 007 himself, played by Daniel Craig. But a Bond film is not a collection of puzzle pieces; these elements combine – like gin and vermouth, shaken, not stirred – to serve the story. For “Skyfall,” bringing it all together is Academy Award®-winner Sam Mendes. “I knew that Sam would put everything behind it,” says Craig, who marks his third film as Bond. “He would put all of his knowledge of movie making behind it, but also his knowledge and love of Fleming and Bond.”

T aken 2 opened (Oct. 4) to a very strong weekend in the Philippines, dominating the local box-office with its 4-day nationwide opening weekend at P64.82 million. The figure translates to an astounding 60% slice of the domestic market nationwide who came to see Neeson return as Bryan Mills, an ex-CIA whose special skills are unmatched and stops at nothing to protect his family. “ Taken 2 ’s” 4-day opening weekend at Metro Manila with a box-office of P46.32million alone amassed higher, ten times more than its predecessor. With its current box-office, Neeson’s “Taken 2” took in new records and is now the Biggest Opening Weekend for a Fox film this year. It also etched in as the 7th Biggest Opening Weekend for a Fox film All Time and is so far the 3rd Biggest 4-Day Opening Weekend for a Fox film All Time.

B en Affleck directs and stars in Warner Bros.’ acclaimed thriller “ Argo ” in which he plays real-life CIA “exfiltration” specialist Tony Mendez, an expert in getting people out of hostile spots. “Argo” chronicles the life-or-death covert operation to rescue six Americans, which unfolded behind the scenes of the Iran hostage crisis, focusing on the little-known role that the CIA and Hollywood played—information that was not declassified until many years after the event.

E mily Blunt (“The Devil Wears Prada”) stars opposite Ewan McGregor in BBC Films' inspirational comedy “ Salmon Fishing in the Yemen ,” directed by Lasse Halstrom (“Chocolat”) and penned by Oscar®-winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire”). “Salmon Fishing” opens exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas (Glorietta 4, Greenbelt 3 and Trinoma) on Oct. 10. In the film, a visionary sheik (Amr Waked) believes his passion for the peaceful pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he dreams of bringing the sport to the not so fish-friendly desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative (Blunt) to turn the dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain's leading fisheries expert (McGregor) who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable.

H elping Ben Affleck's character in Warner Bros.' new thriller “Argo” mount the daring and covert mission to rescue six Americans trapped in Iran, following the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy, is a trio of unlikely accomplices played by Bryan Cranston, John Goodman and Alan Arkin. On November 4, 1979, as the Iranian revolution reaches its boiling point, militants storm the U.S. embassy in Tehran, taking 52 Americans hostage. But, in the midst of the chaos, six Americans manage to slip away and find refuge in the home of the Canadian ambassador. Knowing it is only a matter of time before the six are found out and likely killed, a CIA “exfiltration” specialist named Tony Mendez (Affleck) comes up with a risky plan to get them safely out of the country. A plan so incredible, it could only happen in the movies.

T he Three Stooges debuted on the big screen in the 1930 black-and-white feature, "Soup to Nuts," in which they appeared opposite veteran vaudevillian Ted Healy (1896-1937). It was Healy who accidentally discovered the Howard brothers (Moses and Samuel Horwitz, nicknamed, respectively, Moe and Shemp) during a 1922 stage performance in Brooklyn (the third member, Larry Fine, whose birthname was Louis Feinberg, came into the fold in 1925). Initially billed as "Ted Healy and His Stooges," the concept had the trio (Moe, Larry and Shemp) act as foils, or "stooges" to Healy's jokes. It may have been Healy telling the jokes, but The Stooges were getting all the laughs. With the renewed popularity of the comedy trio in syndicated television in recent years, it made sense to revive the franchise in a brand new motion picture.

C olumbia Pictures has just unveiled a “ Skyfall ” video blog that highlights Naomie Harries and Berenice Marlohe, the new `Bond women' in the film. The featurette can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fsh7I-QPVXI&list=UU9vXJYvgswrEHfNveILWM2Q&index=1&feature=plcp. In this “vlog” at the making of "Skyfall," the upcoming 23rd James Bond film, the new Bond women took the challenge of being beautiful, strong and stylish at the same time. Harris -- who can be seen driving, shooting, and sultrily shaving Bond's face -- says, "I don't think it's enough to just look pretty anymore. That may well have been true in the past, but certainly not now."

T HE CROODS teaser poster has arrived! The Croods will open March 30, 2013 in Philippine cinemas -- from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox! It will star Nicolas Cage , Ryan Reynolds , Catherine Keener, Emma Stone , Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The film is set in the prehistoric era, when a man's position as a "Leader of the Hunt" is threatened by the arrival of a prehistoric genius who comes up with revolutionary new inventions like fire.

I n 1980, Studio Six Productions trumpeted a new film project that had the elements of a hit sci-fi movie: spaceships, aliens, action and adventure, all happening on an arid, distant planet. Billed as a “cosmic conflagration,” the epic feature was never greenlit by any studio chief. It could only be given a green light by America’s Commander in Chief. More than 30 years later, Ben Affleck directed, produced and stars in Warner Bros.' “ Argo ,” a film based on the true story of the covert mission to rescue six Americans trapped in Iran, following the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran that shocked the world.