To live in Barbie Land is to be a perfect being in a perfect place. Unless you have a full-on existential crisis. Or you’re a Ken.
From Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig comes “Barbie,” starring Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as Barbie and Ken, alongside America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman and Will Ferrell. The film also stars Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlin and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren.
Gerwig directed “Barbie” from a screenplay by Gerwig & Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on Barbie by Mattel. The film’s producers are Oscar nominee David Heyman, Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, with Michael Sharp, Josey McNamara, Ynon Kreiz, Courtenay Valenti, Toby Emmerich and Cate Adams serving as executive producers.
In Philippine cinemas starting July 19, “Barbie” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company.
Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #Barbie #BarbieTheMovie
Marvel Studios has released today the first trailer for the highly anticipated film “The Marvels,” now available for fans to enjoy.
In “The Marvels,” Carol Danvers, also known as Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the oppressive Kree and avenged herself on the Supreme Intelligence. However, her actions lead to unforeseen consequences and a destabilized universe.
Carol’s duties take her to a mysterious wormhole connected to a Kree revolutionary, where her powers become entwined with those of Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel) from Jersey City and her estranged niece, S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. This unlikely trio must join forces and learn to work together to save the universe as “The Marvels.”
The film stars Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Samuel L. Jackson, Zawe Ashton, and Park Seo-joon. Nia DaCosta directs, with Kevin Feige producing. Executive producers include Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Mary Livanos, and Matthew Jenkins. The screenplay is written by Megan McDonnell, Nia DaCosta, Elissa Karasik, and Zeb Wells.
“It’s more than an exorcism; it’s a conspiracy.” So says director Julius Avery about The Pope’s Exorcist, the terrifying new horror thriller opening in cinemas April 19. “There’s something much bigger going on. The stakes are massive,” To give the audience the feeling of how big the stakes are, Avery shot the film in larger-than-life international locations that reflected everything the characters uncover. “We shot on location in Rome. We shot in Ireland. We found amazing, old architecture, where we built some of the biggest sets I’ve been involved in,” he adds.
Building an abbey in Ireland
Central to those is the abbey. In the film, Vatican’s chief exorcist Father Gabriel Amorth (played by Russell Crowe) has to cast out the demonic possession of a young boy named Henry (Peter DeSouza-Feighoney), whose family had just moved to an old and abandoned abbey in Spain, as a fresh start and a new project for his recently widowed mom Julia (Alex Essoe).
Director Avery specifically wanted a Northern European gothic milieu – grey, cold, and foreboding – and they decided to look for locations in Ireland. Following an extensive search around the country, they settled upon an abandoned castle in Limerick. “It was a gothic type building structure, deep in the woods. It offered us an elevated site, a clear skyline behind us, and an approach road,” explains location manager Eoin Holohan. The design team dressed the grounds with dead vegetation and built an exterior entrance gate and a cloister.
The filmmakers captured the interiors of St. Sebastian Abbey on stages in Ardmore Studios outside Dublin, Ireland. “We created a composite set of what a Spanish abbey might have looked like, and built a huge set with multiple bedrooms, a giant entryway, a bunch of hallways, catacombs and chapel, all to create the reality of the environment,” recalls producer Doug Belgrad.
Henry’s bedroom, site of the demonic possession, was a crucial set at Ardmore Studios. This space incorporated a vaulted ceiling, a large window (which matched the exterior of the castle), and a mirror. “The room has the shadows of its former life as an abbey,” explains production designer Alan Gilmore. “There are religious symbols on the windows, a gothic arched vault; architecture from a bygone era, 400 years ago. In the movie, poor Henry gets possessed and a horrible transformation happens to him in his bed.”
Designing for the Devil
During pre-production for The Pope’s Exorcist, director Avery and director of photography Khalid Mohtaseb discussed the film’s visual language, tone, color scheme, and style. He and production designer Gilmore pulled together photography references and used mood boards to craft a muted world where colors are quashed and serene.
Costume designer Lorna Mugan helped achieve this aesthetic. “Color plays a huge role in the Catholic Church,” she explains. “From the humble black of priests, which represents poverty and simplicity, to the Pope in pure innocent white. In between, cardinals wear blood-red to represent shedding their blood or sacrifice for Christ. Their purple comes from the old notion of royalty.”
The characters were enhanced not only with their clothing, but with prosthetics. From the beginning of his involvement with the project, director Avery did not want to rely heavily on CGI. “The hardcore horror fans and audiences can smell something fake. They know it from a mile away when it’s not real,” says producer Michael Patrick Kaczmarek. “It was important to make these effects grounded in reality.”
Practical effects and prosthetics required DeSouza-Feighoney to spend three hours in the makeup chair, giving the young actor a crooked nose, a prosthetic forehead with no eyebrows, and a jaw glued to his neck. “I also had an evil grin prosthetic, which made me look constantly smiling,” he recalls. “I loved getting the prosthetics done, because the finished product was really cool.”
About The Pope’s Exorcist
Inspired by the actual files of Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican (Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe), The Pope’s Exorcist follows Amorth as he investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.
The film is directed by Julius Avery, screenplay by Michael Petroni and Evan Spiliotopoulos, screen story by Michael Petroni and R. Dean McCreary & Chester Hastings, based on the books “An Exorcist Tells His Story” and “An Exorcist: More Stories” by Fr. Gabriele Amorth.
The cast is led by Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alex Essoe and Franco Nero.
In cinemas starting April 19, The Pope’s Exorcist is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #ThePopesExorcist
The highly-anticipated The Super Mario Bros. Movie has taken the world by storm, earning a staggering $378 million in its opening week and setting multiple box-office records. The film now holds the title for the Biggest International Opening Weekend of 2023, Second-biggest animated opening weekend of all-time, Biggest Illumination opening of all-time, Biggest Video Game Adaptation opening of all-time, Biggest Japanese IP opening of all-time, and No. 4 Universal Opening of all-time.
Mario (Chris Pratt) in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
For the first time, iconic global entertainment brands Illumination and Nintendo join forces to create The Super Mario Bros. Movie, a new, big-screen adventure starring pop culture’s most prominent plumber of the past four decades. Based on the world of Nintendo’s Super Mario games, the film invites audiences into a vibrant, thrilling new universe unlike any created before in an action-packed cinematic comedy event.
Luigi (voiced by Charlie Day) in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, from Nintendo and Illumination.
Mario is voiced by Chris Pratt, who has been a fan of The Super Mario Bros. games since he was a kid. Mario is a guy from Brooklyn with big dreams. He’s the classic ‘big brother’ brimming with charm and confidence. We catch up with Mario right as his newly launched plumbing business has gone off the rails. Just when things couldn’t get worse, he is unwillingly transported to the Mushroom Kingdom and separated from Luigi. Here, and with the help of Princess Peach, it’s up to Mario to save his brother and discover his courage, resolve and perseverance.
(from left) Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Mario (Chris Pratt) in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
Princess Peach, voiced by Anya Taylor-Joy, is the capable leader of the Mushroom Kingdom, sworn protector of the Toads and a master of the magical Power-Ups. Together, Peach and Mario embark on an adventure to stop Bowser and rescue Luigi. When Bowser threatens her kingdom, Peach will stop at nothing to defend it and its citizens.
(from left) Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Mario (Chris Pratt) and Toad (Keegan-Michael Key) in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. Movie, directed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic.
Luigi, voiced by Charlie Day, is Mario’s devoted (and anxious!) little brother and business partner. Where Mario is calm and confident, Luigi is…not. After the brothers fall into the Warp Zone, Luigi is captured by Bowser. When the world is in danger, Luigi must face his fears head-on and find the courage to finally step out of his older brother’s shadow.
Don’t miss this record-breaking film from Universal Pictures International, The Super Mario Bros. Movie opens April 19 in PH theaters.
Ben Affleck’s latest directorial venture, “AIR,” is set to hit Philippine cinemas on April 19, and it’s a project that hits close to home for the passionate sports fan. The film showcases the undeniable impact of basketball legend Michael Jordan, not as a biopic, but as an influential presence that shaped the sports world and the rise of Nike’s Air Jordan brand.
For Ben Affleck, an avid sports fan, directing “AIR” was an honor. Plus, he got to work directly with the Greatest of All Time, Michael Jordan. In creating “AIR,” Affleck expressed his fascination with human excellence and genius, qualities he believes Michael Jordan embodies. He was determined to involve Jordan in the project, grateful for his insights and guidance throughout the filmmaking process.
“I really believe that human excellence is a beautiful thing,” says Affleck. “The concept of genius is one of the things that’s most fascinating to me, and Michael Jordan is nothing if not a genius.”
However, “AIR” is not Michael Jordan’s story, “but there is no story without him,” explains the director. “I would not have made this movie without first reaching out to him. And I’m grateful to Michael for sharing what was important to him. His presence and influence is felt throughout the film, though we don’t see his face. Because he is such an icon—an undisputedly important and meaningful figure, someone everyone holds in such high esteem—we didn’t want to shatter the illusion, but rather let the audience invoke their own memories and experiences of what Michael Jordan means.”
One key suggestion from Jordan was the casting of Academy Award®-winning actress Viola Davis to play his mother, Deloris. “It turns out that Michael is a genius casting director as well” Affleck laughs. Talking more about his meeting with the sports legend, the director shares, “He was gracious enough to sit down with me, and he had a couple of things that were important to him. Michael wanted to honor the contributions that people made, and he was quite adamant that Viola play his mother. I guess that’s very in keeping with Michael Jordan—to set the bar as absolutely high as possible and then expect to reach it.”
The Perfect Choice
Producers and screenwriter Alex Convery agreed that Affleck was the perfect choice to direct “AIR.” “Ben Affleck is whip-smart and a fantastic director,” producer Jon Weinbach, whose previous producing credits include “The Last Dance,” states. “This story clearly connected with him on multiple levels: as a legit sports fan, as a child of the ’80s, and as an astute interpreter of modern American history in films like ‘Argo.’ He also had the gravitas to elevate this story, attract an unbelievable cast, bring in some of the best professionals in the industry, and—perhaps most importantly—to approach Michael Jordan and get his thoughts on it. None of that was possible without Ben at the helm, and it was wildly exciting to see him make it all happen.” His love for sports, keen understanding of modern American history, and ability to attract a stellar cast made him the ideal candidate. His involvement was crucial in securing Michael Jordan’s input and bringing the story to life.
About “AIR”
“AIR” also stars Ben Affleck and boasts an impressive cast, including Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Chris Messina, Marlon Wayans, Chris Tucker, and Viola Davis. “AIR” reveals the unbelievable game-changing partnership between a then-rookie Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division, which revolutionized the world of sports and contemporary culture with the Air Jordan brand.
Affleck directed from a screenplay by Alex Convery. “AIR” is produced by Peter Guber, Jason Michael Berman, David Ellison, Jeff Robinov, Madison Ainley, Damon and Affleck.
In Philippine cinemas April 19, “AIR” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #AIRMovie
Get ready to step into the vibrant and hilarious world of Barbie land! The official trailer for the much-anticipated film “Barbie” has just been released, and it promises a delightful adventure filled with laughter, fashion, and rollerblading.
Directed by Oscar-nominated writer/director Greta Gerwig, “Barbie” stars the talented Oscar-nominees Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as the iconic duo, Barbie and Ken. The star-studded ensemble also features America Ferrera, Kate McKinnon, Michael Cera, Ariana Greenblatt, Issa Rae, Rhea Perlman, Will Ferrell, Ana Cruz Kayne, Emma Mackey, Hari Nef, Alexandra Shipp, Kingsley Ben-Adir, Simu Liu, Ncuti Gatwa, Scott Evans, Jamie Demetriou, Connor Swindells, Sharon Rooney, Nicola Coughlan, and Oscar-winner Helen Mirren.
Gerwig, known for her unique storytelling and compelling characters, brings her signature touch to the screenplay she co-wrote with fellow Oscar nominee Noah Baumbach, based on the iconic Barbie dolls by Mattel. Produced by Oscar nominee David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Robbie Brenner, “Barbie” promises to be an unforgettable cinematic experience.
The film takes audiences on a rollerblading adventure through the colorful and quirky world of Barbie Land, where they will join Barbie, Ken, and their friends on a journey filled with laughter, love, and self-discovery. With its stellar cast, witty humor, and dazzling visuals, “Barbie” is set to become an instant comedy classic for all ages.
Mark your calendars, as “Barbie” is set to hit Philippine cinemas on July 19, 2023. Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company, this film is an event you won’t want to miss!
Join the conversation online and use the hashtags #Barbie and #BarbieTheMovie to share your excitement for this much-awaited film!
Get ready for an adrenaline-fueled adventure with Medellín, the latest action comedy film. Prime Video has revealed the teaser art and the trailer for Medellín, the new action comedy film by Franck Gastambide (Pattaya, Taxi 5, Validé), starring Gastambide, Ramzy Bedia (La Tour Montparnasse Infernale), Anouar Toubali (Pattaya), Brahim Bouhlel (Validé), Raymond Cruz (Breaking Bad), and Essined Aponte (S.W.A.T.), with a special appearance by Mike Tyson (The Hangover). Medellín will launch exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on June 2, 2023.
In the movie, Reda (Ramzy Bedia) assemble a team, travels to Colombia and plan a raid to rescue his brother from a dangerous cartel on Medellín, but his plan spirals out of control when he decides to kidnap the cartel leader’s son in order to exchange him for his brother’s life.
Based on an original idea of Franck Gastambide, and co-written by Gastambide and Charles Van Tieghem (Validé), the French Original film is produced by Kowloon Film (Eric Altmayer and Nicolas Altmayer).
Medellín will join the thousands of TV shows and movies in the Prime Video catalogue, including hit movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, The Terminal List, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Star Trek: Picard, Carnival Row, American Gods, and The Boys, as well as French Originals Overdose,LOL: Qui Rit, Sort !, Mixte, Le Bal des Folles, Orelsan : Montre Jamais Ca à Personne, Celebrity Hunted, and exclusives such as BDE, Coeurs Noirs, Darknet-sur-Mer, Connectés, Je te Veux Moi Non Plus,all available on Prime Video at no extra cost for Prime members.
Don’t miss out on this exciting addition to the Prime Video catalogue.
Get ready for Miles Morales’ return in the new Spider-Man movie! Check out the latest trailer for “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, and fans can now catch a glimpse of the action-packed adventure in the newly released trailer. The highly anticipated sequel swings into cinemas on May 31.
About Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Miles Morales returns for the next chapter of the Oscar®-winning Spider-Verse saga, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters a team of Spider-People charged with protecting its very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must redefine what it means to be a hero so he can save the people he loves most.
Directed by Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, and Justin K. Thompson, the film boasts a screenplay by Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and David Callaham, based on the Marvel comic books.
Produced by Avi Arad, Amy Pascal, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Christina Steinberg.
The star-studded cast includes Shameik Moore and Hailee Steinfeld, Jake Johnson, Issa Rae, Daniel Kaluuya, Jason Schwartzman, Brian Tyree Henry, Luna Lauren Velez, Greta Lee, Rachel Dratch, Jorma Taccone, Shea Whigham and Oscar Isaac.
Don’t miss Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, distributed by Columbia Pictures, the local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Join the conversation using the hashtag #SpiderVerse
DC fans, brace yourselves for a new superhero to grace the big screen! Warner Bros. Pictures has just released the official trailer for “Blue Beetle,” featuring Xolo Maridueña (“Cobra Kai”) as the titular character. The much-anticipated superhero film will hit Philippine cinemas exclusively starting August 16.
From Warner Bros. Pictures comes the feature film “Blue Beetle,” marking the DC Super Hero’s first time on the big screen. The film, directed by Angel Manuel Soto, stars Xolo Maridueña in the title role as well as his alter ego, Jaime Reyes.
From Ordinary Life to Extraordinary Destiny
Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab. When the Scarab suddenly chooses Jaime to be its symbiotic host, he is bestowed with an incredible suit of armor capable of extraordinary and unpredictable powers, forever changing his destiny as he becomes the Super Hero BLUE BEETLE.
A Star-studded Cast
The film features an ensemble cast, including Maridueña (“Cobra Kai”) are Adriana Barraza (“Rambo: Last Blood,” “Thor”), Damían Alcázar (“Narcos,” “Narcos: Mexico”), Elpidia Carrillo (“Mayans M.C.,” the “Predator” films), Bruna Marquezine (“Maldivas,” “God Save the King”), Raoul Max Trujillo (the “Sicario” films, “Mayans M.C.”), with Oscar winner Susan Sarandon (“Monarch,” “Dead Man Walking”), and George Lopez (the “Rio and “Smurf” franchises). The film also stars Belissa Escobedo (“American Horror Stories,” “Hocus Pocus 2”) and Harvey Guillén (“What We Do in the Shadows”).
A Hero’s Journey Begins
Soto (“Charm City Kings,” “The Farm”) directs from a screenplay by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (“Miss Bala”) and based on DC characters, “Blue Beetle” is produced by John Rickard and Zev Foreman, with Walter Hamada, Galen Vaisman, and Garrett Grant serving as executive producers. Get ready to embark on an extraordinary adventure with Jaime Reyes as he discovers his true purpose and embraces his destiny as the Blue Beetle.
Mark your calendars and catch “Blue Beetle” in Philippine cinemas starting August 16, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #BlueBeetle to share your excitement for this thrilling new superhero film!
In cinemas starting August 16, “Blue Beetle” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Discovery company.” Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #BlueBeetle
As someone who used to play the popular tabletop role playing game back in the 80s and 90s (and reintroduced to the world and made popular again by ‘Stranger Things’), seeing the trailer of Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves tickled my childhood fantasies. In the trailer, I saw creatures I’ve fought in the game like The Displacer Beast and the Gelatinous Cube. It’s all geekdom and nerd-lore but that’s the realm by which ‘Dungeon & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ is trying to strike a chord with. And by all means, it works.
There’s an almost improvisational structure to the narrative of the film, which reminds me of how it’s like to actually play the game. Rather than laying down and establishing all the moving parts early on, we discover side quests that are needed to beat the big boss of the film. There are even three stories told within the main story – again, very reminiscent of the actual tabletop role playing game – but you don’t have to have played the game to enjoy this movie. The characters, most especially the duo of Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, is actually enough to carry the movie through.
‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ is a fantasy action heist movie with Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez as Edgin and Holga, partners in both petty crime and raising Edgin’s daughter Kira (Chloe Coleman). When one job goes horribly wrong, Edgin and Holga find themselves in prison and take on a quest to get free and find Kira. The first part is easy but the second part, means they’d have to go against a former ally Forge Fitzwilliam (played by Hugh Grant, who is obviously having a blast) and their former client Sofina (Daisy Head), who happens to be a powerful wizard.
So the narrative shifts from a simple rescue mission to a complicated caper that includes mystical items to break through a very powerful kingdom. Along the way they gather the sorcerer Simon (Justice Smith, a shape-shifting druid (Sophia Lillis), and the Paladin Xenk (Rege-Jean Page).
It’s a team caper film with a lot of moving parts and each segment is hinged upon the special skills of one of the main characters or a magical item that happens to be in their arsenal. It’s not particularly clever plot-wise, in fact, there’s very little friction or true struggle in the film. You get this feeling that they’ll figure it out regardless of what obstacle gets in their way. ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ is lightweight and easy in tone and mood and that’s actually its charm.
‘Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ is not out to put you through a ringer. Instead, it’s out to give you a good time and enjoy a hassle-free adventure. It’s generous in its gags and jokes and plenty of battle sequences. It’s a by-the-numbers adventure film where the stakes aren’t that high but the enjoyment level is still quite high.
And surprisingly, it manages two very touching scenes, both involving Pine, Rodriguez, and Coleman, which serve as the heart of the film. For all its lightweight charm and its incessant use of one-shot techniques and CGI effects to showcase the full extent of a shapeshifting druid’s abilities, the film surprises you with tender moments full of heart. The dynamic and relationship that the film manages to establish between Edgin, Holga, and Kira surprises us with a strongly beating heart at the center of this movie.
More than anything, it’s just nice to see a totally different world in the cinema that’s not superhero related nor some reboot of some old tv show or movie. It’s a completely new set of characters and adventure and while it is set in a familiar world – familiar to those who know the world of Dungeons & Dragons, most specifically the Forgotten Realms campaign setting – it still feels new and refreshing.
