PH BLOG ➹

T he much anticpated action adventure “ Jurassic World ” is opening exactly one year away, so Universal Pictures has released three new images from the upcoming sequel to mark the occasion. The movie takes place 22 years after the horrific events of the original “Jurassic Park” and is set on a fully functional park on Isla Nublar.

I f Maleficent has long been a symbol of the dark feminine, the character Aurora has always symbolized the light and innocent. In casting the role of the Princess who falls under Maleficent’s spell, the filmmakers of Walt Disney Pictures' “ Maleficent ” chose one of the most talented actresses of her generation, Elle Fanning. “Elle is Aurora,” comments Angelina Jolie, who plays the title character. “From the moment I met her, she is just sunshine. She’s a wonderful, sweet, intelligent young woman.”

C olumbia Pictures taps the best talents (Brad Pitt, Denzel Washington, Channing Tatum, Andrew Garfield, among others) to star in high-concept and interesting films that the studio will rollout in 2014. From original ideas to re-imaginings, from anticipated sequels to clever adaptations, Columbia's solid slate for the year promises to inspire, enlighten and entertain. “ RoboCop .” When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) – a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit – is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees its chance to build a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice.

W alt Disney Pictures has released the new international trailer for “ Muppets Most Wanted ,” opening in Philippine theaters on March 21, 2014. You can view the trailer here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuT_9W_Vohc.

W alt Disney Animation Studios (“Tangled,” “Wreck-It Ralph”) presents “ Frozen ,” a stunning big-screen comedy-adventure inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Snow Queen.” In the film, fearless optimist Anna sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa, whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

A cademy Award®-nominated actress Julianne Moore plays a troubled girl's ultra-religious and controlling mother, in Columbia Pictures' gripping thriller “Carrie.” A reimagining of the classic horror tale, “ Carrie ” tells the story of Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, who unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. Says director Kimberly Peirce, “Having Julianne play Margaret was a dream come true. She’s a brilliant stage and film performer with an extraordinary intelligence, sensuality, and playfulness to her and her work. She deepened the entire film, making it more fun, emotional, and powerful.”

C olumbia Pictures has announced that its critically acclaimed hostage thriller “ Captain Phillips ” will have special sneak previews on Monday and Tuesday, October 14 & 15, in selected theaters nationwide. (Please see list of participating cinemas below.) Starring two-time Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks in the title role, the film is Oscar®-nominated director Paul Greengrass’s multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.

F rom director Kimbery Peirce (TV's “The L Word”) comes Columbia Pictures' new thriller “ Carrie ” based on the Stephen King novel and starring Chloe Grace Moretz and Julianne Moore. “Carrie” is a reimagining of the classic horror tale about Carrie White (Moretz), a shy girl outcast by her peers and sheltered by her deeply religious mother, Margaret (Moore). The teenaged girl unleashes telekinetic terror on her small town after being pushed too far at her senior prom. The filmmaker talks about the eagerly anticipated remake in the following interview.

M etro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and Columbia Pictures have just released the teaser poster for they're upcoming action thriller “ RoboCop .” Directed by Jose Padilha, “RoboCop” stars Joel Kinnaman (TV's “The Killing”), Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton, and Samuel L. Jackson, as well as Abbie Cornish, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael K. Williams, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, and Marianne Jean-Baptiste. The screenplay is by Josh Zetumer and Nick Schenk, based on the 1987 motion picture written by Edward Neumeier & Michael Miner.

F or the fimmakers of TriStar Pictures' new action thriller “ 2 Guns ,” there's only one actor working today who could wholly embody the complex, lead character Bobby Trench, whose motto is “When this is over, I’m going to kill you.” And he's none other than two-time Academy Award® winner Denzel Washington . After portraying a series of intense characters in recent years, Washington was searching for some humor in his next role. He found that in agent Bobby Trench. “I was looking to depart from heavier roles, and when I read this script it really made me laugh,” the performer reports. “Bobby does whatever is necessary to get the job done. He says there is no code; you do whatever you got to do, whatever it takes. I think he is an honest cop, but he doesn’t live by the honor codes.”

M att Damon takes on the lead role of Max in TriStar Pictures' futuristic action thriller “ Elysium ” whose socio-political message underneath the gripping action scenes isn't lost on the actor. “I like to think it’s a hopeful message,” Damon says. “Even in a future where it’s every man for himself, it’ll be possible for a human being to hold on to his humanity.”

A haunted family struggles to uncover a terrifying secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world in “ Insidious: Chapter 2 ,” the latest nerve-twisting horror thriller from director James Wan (“The Conjuring”) and screenwriter Leigh Whannell (“Saw,” “Insidious”). Produced by “Paranormal Activity's” Jason Blum and Oren Peli, the sequel reteams the cast of the first film, including Patrick Wilson (“The Conjuring”), Rose Byrne (“X-Men: First Class”), Barbara Hershey (“Black Swan”), Lin Shaye (“There’s Something About Mary”) and Ty Simpkins (“Iron Man 3”).

F rom Neill Blomkamp, the acclaimed director of the Oscar Best Picture nominee “ District 9 ,” comes the futuristic action-thriller “ Elysium ” starring Matt Damon and Jodie Foster. In the year 2154, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy, who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined planet. The people of Earth are desperate to escape the crime and poverty that is now rampant throughout the land. The only man with the chance to bring equality to these worlds is Max (Damon), an ordinary guy in desperate need to get to Elysium. With his life hanging in the balance, he reluctantly takes on a dangerous mission – one that pits him against Elysium’s Secretary Delacourt (Foster) and her hard-line forces – but if he succeeds, he could save not only his own life, but millions of people on Earth as well.

M eet the characters of Walt Disney Animation Studios' upcoming animated feature “Frozen,” a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) is more daring than graceful and, at times, can act before she thinks. But she’s also the most optimistic and caring person you’ll ever meet. She longs to reconnect with her sister, Elsa, as they were close during their childhood. When Elsa accidentally unleashes a magical secret that locks the kingdom of Arendelle in an eternal winter, Anna embarks on a dangerous adventure to make things right. Armed with only her fearlessness, a never-give-up attitude and her faith in others, Anna is determined to save both her kingdom and her family.

C olumbia Pictures' new comedy “ Grown Ups 2 ” reunites Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade from the original “Grown Ups” which grossed $271 million worldwide, making it Sandler's most successful film to date. Let's check on in the guys and how their characters have evolved since the 2010 film.

A crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige ( Jaden Smith ) and his legendary father Cypher ( Will Smith ) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape, in Columbia Pictures' new, futuristic action-adventure “After Earth.” With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

E mmy and Golden Globe-winner Jane Lynch (“Glee”) lends her voice to Sergeant Tamora Calhoun, the woman who runs the platoon of soldiers in the popular game Hero’s Duty, in Walt Disney Animation Studios' 3D adventure comedy “ Wreck-It Ralph .” In the sci-fi battle zone of Hero’s Duty, Sergeant Calhoun is more than just a pretty face—she is the tough-as-nails, take-charge leader who fights for humanity’s freedom. When she’s not offering in-game intel, she’s training her troops for the next attack wave. This unrelenting commander is driven by a personal vendetta and will stop at nothing to protect the player and the arcade from a virulent Cy-Bug invasion.

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.”

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...