Fresh from the release of his new film Operation Fortune, Guy Ritchie unveiled the trailer for his next movie The Covenant, teasing a military thriller led by Jake Gyllenhaal. Watch the trailer for Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant below:
The movie follows US Army Sergeant John Kinley and Afghan interpreter Ahmed. After they were ambushed, Ahmed saved Kinley’s life, but when the Sergeant discovers that Ahmed and his family were not given safe passage to America as promised, it’s Kinley’s turn to get back to the war zone and save them.
Joining Gyllenhaal are stars Dar Salim, Alexander Ludwig, Antony Starr, Jason Wong, Bobby Schofield, Sean Sagar, Sina Parvaneh, Emily Beecham, Cyrus Khodaveisi, and Christian Ochoa. Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant is set for a US release on April 21, 2023.
Academy Award-nominee Salma Hayek Pinault (“House of Gucci,” “Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard”) stars opposite Channing Tatum in Warner Bros. Pictures’ new musical comedy “Magic Mike’s Last Dance,” the third installment of the blockbuster “Magic Mike” film franchise.
Watch the film’s trailer below:
In the film, “Magic” Mike Lane (Tatum) takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. For what he hopes will be one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite Maxandra Mendoza (Hayek Pinault) who lures him with an offer he can’t refuse…and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, once Mike discovers what she truly has in mind, will he—and the roster of hot new dancers he’ll have to whip into shape—be able to pull it off?
Hayek Pinault was excited to sign on, having observed the unexpected similarities between her character and Mike. “Maxandra meets Mike in a moment where she, too, feels a little bit lost. It happens out of the blue, and she does something out of character, just once, she thinks, because she’s going through so much in her life. But something happens to her, and she gets inspired by him; he reminds her of a part of her she had lost, and he gives her the strength to explore another side of herself.”
And it’s not just Mike and Max who connect—Tatum and Hayek Pinault formed a fast friendship on set. “Salma is a force to be reckoned with,” he smiles. “She made every single scene better and she’s beyond special. It’s not a surprise at all that she’s the icon she is. She came to work every day with real passion.”
“I love working with Channing,” she returns. “He’s professional and extremely kind, and also just really fun to act with, really such a joy. His brilliance is in how easygoing and natural he is, nothing feels pushed. He’s also very thoughtful, a great partner, and we enjoyed discovering our characters together. There’s a real, solid love story in this film. I think that women in the audience will of course love the sexiness, but also the romance and the complex aspects of the relationship.”
Soderbergh says the chemistry between the two leads is palpable on camera. “There is an early scene, when Mike and Max first meet, and they still have their clothes on, but Channing and Salma made it very sensual. In American cinema it’s not exactly typical to find that level of sensuality and eroticism in a film without being explicit, but they really conveyed it beautifully.”
A Warner Bros. Pictures Presentation, “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” slides into theaters across the Philippines beginning February 8.
Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #MagicMikesLastDance
Student filmmakers from Far Eastern University recently got the lion’s share of the awards in “REALIFILM 2023 | Haze of Truth: Underlying Gap of Life,” an interschool film competition organized by Silip@Lente Adamson University (SILAU), in collaboration with the AdU Cultural Affairs Office.
Josh Van Ulric Campo and his production team from Recto Pictures led the winners from FEU Department of Communication by bagging Best Director, Best Screenplay, Award of Virtue, Award of Excellence, and the Gold Award for “All the Things Left Unsaid.” In Campo’s short film, a boy narrates his life as a queer individual, speaking about his inner child in a very mundane setting.
Campo, who also designed the film’s sound, collaborated with producer, assistant director, and editor Sophia Amoyen, production manager and script supervisor Jamelah Tumanguil, cinematographer and animator Samantha Lorraine Ramirez, co-cinematographer Roen Cueto, camera operator and sound recordist Sean Ballesteros, production designer, co-animator, wardrobe, and hair and makeup artist Gener Pescadero, lighting director CJ Ablaza, set designer and talent coordinator Kyle Estrella, location manager and set designer Nell Dariane Villareal, and production coordinator and clapper Mikka Llarena.
Fellow FEU DepComm student Rianne Martinez brought home Best Production Design for “Save the Last Dance for Me” from Sine Sibol and TaraTahak Productions. The film follows the story of a young man (Aristedes Lamorena, Jr.) who meets a mysterious woman (Bjorn Pestaño) in the middle of a forest.
FEU Film Society president Patrick Pangan won Best Editing for “If You Leave Me, Please Let Me Know” from Sine Sibol, peliksmata projects, and Pelikula Persona. In the film, which Pangan also wrote and directed, a young boy (Kaloy Estrella) finds a connection with a giant tree in front of their house.
FEU also bagged the Best Supporting Actor award for Ron Gabriel Yu from Project Horsemen’s “Hilahil,” Best Musical Scoring for “Banaag” from SinagTala Films and TaraTahak Productions, and Best Poster for Mar-ian Ejandra from “Ang Babayi” of 120 Frames Production, Bluelight Production, and Talahib Films.
The other winners of REALIFILM, which had “Romanticizing Life and Social Issues” as its theme, are “Sa Mga Mata ng Bata” by Chauncy Cruz of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Silver Award, Award of Virtue, SILAU’s Choice Award, and Best Actor for Kenshin Lagutan; “Hindi Kita Malilimutan” by Vahn Pascual, DLS-CSB, Bronze Award, Award of Virtue, and Best Cinematography for Reeve Ducusin; “Malikmata” by Jean Evangelista, DLS-CSB, Best Supporting Actress for Czarina Sinio; and “Papa, Huwag Po” by Ron Ruzzel Valencia of Bulacan State University, Best Sound and Best Actress for Abygayle Magcasi. The awarding was held last January 27 at the AdU Theater.
Other FEU films which made it to the finals of the competition include “Akin ang Buhok Ko” written and directed by Luke Salazar, “Baka Búkas, Bukás Na” by Ely Baculo, and “Heels On” by Daniel John Sanchez.
FEU DepComm program chair Herwin Cabasal lauded the FEU finalists for being “proud to tell the stories of the unheard and explore the gaps in today’s society.”
There’s an old-school simplicity to M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin, a film he co-wrote with Steve Desmond and Michael Sherman (and based on the novel of the same name by Paul Tremblay). Even at the opening credits, he uses the old logo of Universal Pictures and uses an old-style font and presentation of the opening credits. With further reading, he even used 90s-era lenses to give the film “an old-school thriller look.” And what you see in the trailer is exactly what this movie is about: a family is taken hostage by four strangers in a cabin in the woods, with the hopes that the family will choose one member to sacrifice to stop the apocalypse.
It’s as simple as it sounds, with a bit of dipping into the psychological thriller genre as it questions the veracity of the four strangers’ claim that the fate of the world rests upon the sacrifice of this one family. Most of the 110-minute running time is spent on that premise. While the film’s plot revolves around this conundrum – does the family believe them or not and can they escape from this situation unharmed or not? – it does go into flashbacks to create an emotional throughline for the family that serves to complicate things.
Because what contrasts that old-school simplicity of this simple narrative is the fact that the family is that of queer parents (two gay dads) and is multi-racial, as their daughter was adopted in Asia.
And it is in this character design setup where the film finds its profundity.
Photo: Knock at the Cabin trailer
It’s not often that we see the main characters of a commercial psychological thriller to be led by gay parents. There was even an impulse that I had to fight back to question the sincerity of the choice. “Was it a checklist for progressive identity politics?” This is what happens when there’s not enough positive representation for the queer community that anything of the sort done in such a mainstream release is met with suspicion. Why can’t gay parents be the protagonists of any movie – regardless of genre?
And that the issues surrounding gay people and gay parents are at the crux of ‘Knock at the Cabin.’ As the film shifts to flashbacks to round out the history of this couple – Andrew and Eric played by Ben Aldridge and Jonathan Groff – we see the cruelty of asking any member of such a persecuted minority like the queer community to sacrifice a member of their chosen family for the sake of the world.
Photo: Knock at the Cabin trailer
What makes it even more cruel is the fact that the apocalypse might not even hinge on their sacrifice and that these four strangers – led by the gentle giant Leonard, played by a transformed Dave Bautista – may just be psychotic or part of some strange and dangerous cult.
The film never goes into the easy scares and all the tension is predicated upon that premise: does the fate of the world hang in their sacrifice? Are these four strangers really telling the truth about their visions or are they crazy and out of their minds? And if it is the former, how does one even begin to make that decision?
Photo: Knock at the Cabin trailer
There’s a lot of earnestness in the performances with incredible performances by Bautista, Groff, Aldridge and Kristen Cui, who plays the young daughter Wen, and Nikki Amuka-Bird, who plays one of Leonard’s associates. Always, there are very human moments presented by the four strangers that push the boundaries of what you can believe and then you must bear witness to what they are able to do for the family to make that choice.
Within this whole narrative, the issues of the queer community are really put into an emotional grinder (pun intended). For all the persecution and hate that they have taken for years, if the fate of the world was left to us having to make another sacrifice, would we do it? Would Andrew and Eric and Wen?
Photo: Knock at the Cabin trailer
Shyamalan is in fine form here with his camera going in really close to his actor’s faces as if their humanity (and maybe even their sanity) is in full view. He focuses on the little details of each moment while at the same time moving the camera away from all the gruesome acts of violence. It’s all implied rather than the focus. It’s as if he doesn’t want us to get distracted by the choice, whether it is real or not.
There are no surprise twists here as one would expect from a Shyamalan film. The story reaches its resolution as best as it could but one thing is certain: it’s so wonderful to see gay parents at the center of this story and how their love is depicted as universal. The film never questions it and this movie is out there.
I hope more movies present queer characters as smoothly as this so that I’ll never have to be suspicious again.
The Boogeyman is real in the new horror-thriller movie from the mind of best-selling horror author Stephen King! 20th Century Studios has just revealed the trailer for the upcoming film from the producers of Stranger Things, featuring the spooky monster that stalks the children.
Watch the trailer for The Boogeyman below:
The new film follows the siblings Sadie and Sawyer whose mother just died, and are not getting much support from their therapist father who is dealing with his own pain. When a patient visits their home seeking help, a terrifying supernatural entity is left behind, preying on the suffering of its victims.
Based on the short story by Stephen King, The Boogeyman is directed by Rob Savage (Host) with a screenplay by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (A Quiet Place) and Mark Heyman (Black Swan). It stars Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair, Marin Ireland, Madison Hu, LisaGay Hamilton, and David Dastmalchian. The Boogeyman is set for release in June 2023.
This week, Babylon is coming to the big screen, telling a story of the decadence, depravity, and outrageous excesses of Hollywood at a time when silent movies are being taken over by the “talkies” or films with sound, following individuals who are affected by this huge shift in the entertainment landscape. Check out the trailer for Babylon below:
Before Babylon hits theaters this week, we’ve rounded up a few facts about the movie that you might want to know. Check them out below:
1. It stars Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tobey Maguire, & more.
Babylon creates a picture of Hollywood through the rise and fall of several characters during its transition from the silent film era to the talkies. These characters include Brad Pitt’s Jack Conrad, an experienced silent film actor; Margot Robbie’s Nellie LaRoy, a self-proclaimed star; Diego Calva’s Mexican film assistant Manny; Tobey Maguire’s drug-addled James McKay; Jean Smart’s Elinor St. John, an established gossip columnist; Jovan Adepo’s jazz trumpet player Sydney, and Li Jun Li’s Lady Fay Zhu, a Chinese American title card writer and cabaret singer.
“I went back and studied [silent films],” Brad Pitt shared in a featurette for the film, talking about how he prepared for the role. “I watched a lot of Gilbert, Fairbanks, and Valentino. There’s a real charm in those performances,” says Pitt. “Silent films didn’t have dialogue to rely on, they only had the occasional title card, so the performances have a style to them that’s different than what we have now.”
2. It comes from the director of ‘La La Land’, Damien Chazelle.
Babylon comes from French-American filmmaker Damien Chazelle who directed the musical movie La La Land, which won multiple Academy Awards in 2017 including Best Director. While La La Land follows the people who are trying to make it big in Hollywood, Babylon depicts the opulence and debauchery of Hollywood and the madness that comes along with it.
3. There are some pretty shocking scenes that might surprise you.
Babylon didn’t hold back in depicting an era of excesses in Hollywood with certain scenes that would shock moviegoers. One of these scenes include a party-turned-orgy, which Margot Robbie described as “mad” in an interview with The Independent.
“When I read the script, I was like, this is like La Dolce Vita and Wolf of Wall Street had a baby – and I love it. But I was like, are we allowed to show that? Are we allowed to show that? There were so many scenes where I was like, a) I have no idea how I’m going to do that, and b) are we going to get away with this?” Robbie explained.
Photo: Paramount Pictures International
4. Margot Robbie improvised a kiss in the film.
In an interview with E! News, Margot Robbie reveals that the scene where Nellie kisses Brad Pitt’s Jack Conrad was not in the script, and that she was the one who suggested it.
“”I said, ‘Damien, I think Nellie would just go up and kiss Jack,’” Robbie explained. “And Damien was like, ‘Well, she could—wait, hold on. You just wanna kiss Brad Pitt.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, so sue me. This opportunity might never come up again.’ And he was like, ‘It does work for the character,’ and I was like, ‘I think so.’”
Photo: Babylon trailer
5. The film’s characters were inspired by real-life people.
While the film is fictional, the characters were inspired by real people that also made their mark in Hollywood. Jack Conrad was inspired by John Gilbert, one of the silent movie era’s biggest actors whose career suffered after the talkies boomed; Nellie was originally inspired by Clara Bow, who was also starred a big name silent films and transitioned to the talkies; and Lady Fay Zhu pulls inspiration from the legendary Chinese-American actress Anna May Wong. Other characters are also inspired by real-life celebrities that the Hollywood history-savvy might recognize.
Photo: Babylon trailer
Babylon opens in cinemas nationwide this Wednesday, February 1. Book your seats in advance and buy your ticketshere.
Damien Chazelle seems to have directed and co-written a companion piece to his highly celebrated and award-winning movie ‘La La Land’ with his latest offering, Babylon. While ‘La La Land’ explores and navigates through the idealism and hopes of a couple trying to make it big in Hollywood and the music industry in Los Angeles as it comes crashing into reality, ‘Babylon’ feels more like a celebration and a condemnation of that same world. While ‘La La Land’ is tempered and controlled, ‘Babylon’ is wild and excessive, given to moments of grand spectacle and reveling in the chaos of its narrative. While ‘La La Land’ is personal and intimate, ‘Babylon’ brushes with big strokes and can feel very cold and uncaring.
Set during the time in Hollywood when the innovation of sound movies (also known as ‘The Talkies’) had come crashing in on the silent film era, ‘Babylon’ is the story of several characters who try to find their footing in the changing landscape of entertainment. They range from the experienced silent film actor Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt), to the self-proclaimed star Nellie LaRoy (a bombastic Margot Robbie), a Mexican film assistant with big dreams named Manny (that arresting Diego Calva), the established gossip columnist Elinor St. John (by a riveting Jean Smart), a jazz trumpet player named Sydney (Jovan Adepo), and a Chinese American cabaret singer and title writer for films, Lady Fay Zhu (played wonderfully by Li Jun Li). These six (and a whole lot more) come crashing into each other in what is supposed to be both a fairy tale and a cautionary one at the same time.
Photo: Paramount Pictures International
Not only is the cast huge, Chazelle goes on overdrive, trying to out-Baz Lurhmann in grand spectacles by filling his camera frames with a mass of people in the throes of chaotic frenzy. The movie is over three hours long (188 minutes, approximately) and the first act alone is a 40-minute party scene where Chazelle introduces all the characters. There’s a huge orgy – graphic nudity, an overabundance of drug taking, and a lot of dancing – which is to set the tone of the film regarding Hollywood’s excesses. The whole sequence is just an exercise in indulgence (both thematically and filmmaking-wise). But amidst this madness, there is a very interesting, very human moment that occurs: when Manny and Nellie meet and in a cocaine-driven scene end up talking about their hopes and dreams and their love for Hollywood and what the movies mean to people. It’s a very strong scene that manages to nicely contrast the wild debauchery outside their room.
Photo: Paramount Pictures International
From that first meeting, we discover Manny and Nellie’s rising through the ranks, we get a full 360-degree view of the madness of movie-making, from Jack Conrad’s multiple marriages and the inevitable decline of his career, we see Sydney find success, and then face the brutal fact of racism (in the most painful of ways), and Lady Fay, a lesbian, meets the pushback of conservative voices in the latter part of Hollywood’s evolution. And in the center of this is the rise and fall of Manny and Nellie, whose love for this world is not enough to surmount the obstacles ahead.
Photo: Paramount Pictures International
Throughout its running time, ‘Babylon’ is excessive and big. It can get exhausting but it is filled with moments of hilarity and large-scale cinematic moments that would wow anybody. It’s so extra in everything that when it does slow down and quiet down, those moments become so golden. These are most noticeable in Manny’s scenes of self-reflection and a brilliantly written and acted scene between Brad Pitt and Jean Smart as the fading actor goes head-to-head with the columnist on the power and price of fame and glory and immortality.
Photo: Paramount Pictures International
Without a doubt, there’s a lot of love about the industry in ‘Babylon’ but there’s also a lot of hate. What the film lacks is some underlying message that can somehow take all this chaos and bring it to a proper catharsis. The ending attempts at a ‘Cinema Paradiso’ sort of poignancy but the madness and the horrible parts of the film tend to float to the surface and overshadow the good. The ending doesn’t feel as cathartic or as powerful as it is intended because, in the process of going hyper-real and crazy throughout the film, the love and the humanity of it are completely stamped out by the finale.
Magnificent performances from the cast and Justin Hurwitz did a brilliant job with the musical score but while Chazelle was filling up his screen with a spectacle, he failed to land the emotional punch. It’s enjoyable but you have to have the stomach for it.
My Rating:
.
— Babylon opens in cinemas nationwide on February 1. Buy your tickets here.
After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Adam Driver) quickly discovers he’s actually stranded on Earth…65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa (Ariana Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures in an epic fight to survive.
From the writers of A Quiet Place and producer Sam Raimi comes 65, a sci-fi thriller starring Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, and Chloe Coleman. Written and directed by Scott Beck & Bryan Woods and produced by Sam Raimi, Deborah Liebling and Zainab Azizi. Also produced by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.
65 is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #65movie
After greeting the year 2023, we are now to celebrate the season of love this February! This month, cinemas are offering an exciting lineup of films you’ll love, from a new M. Night Shyamalan thriller to a star-studded flick about the early years of Hollywood!
On this list, we’ve rounded up the movies you can catch in cinemas this month of February. Check them out below:
Starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tobey Maguire, and Diego Calva, this film follows the rise and fall of ambitious dreamers during an era of decadence, depravity, and outrageous excess in Hollywood.
From M. Night Shyamalan, this thriller follows a young girl and her parents whose vacation at a remote cabin turns into a nightmare when four armed strangers appear, forcing them to make an unthinkable choice to stop the apocalypse.
Based on the hit sports manga and anime Slam Dunk, this film follows Hanamichi Sakuragi and the Shohoku team as they face off against the Sannoh High basketball team.
In celebration of the film’s 25th anniversary, revisit the tragic tale of Jack and Rose as they meet, fall in love, and fall victim to the sinking of the Titanic.
After a business deal that went bust, a struggling Mike Lane is given an opportunity he can’t refuse, prompting him to return to the stage one last time with a hot new roster of dancers to train.
After an attempt to communicate with the Quantum Realm, Scott Lang, his daughter Cassie, and Hope and her parents are pulled inside where they encounter the dangerous Kang.
From Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, Empire of Light is a compelling drama showcasing the human connection’s power during turbulent times.
—
[Note: release dates for movies in Philippine cinemas this February 2023 and film lineup are subject to change without prior notice. For more upcoming movies, click here.]
New Line Cinema has just revealed the brand new trailer and poster of the superhero adventure, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.” Check it out below and watch the film only in cinemas across the Philippines starting March 15.
From New Line Cinema comes “Shazam! Fury of the Gods,” which continues the story of teenage Billy Batson who, upon reciting the magic word “SHAZAM!,” is transformed into his adult superhero alter ego, Shazam.
Bestowed with the powers of the gods, Billy Batson and his fellow foster kids are still learning how to juggle teenage life with having adult Super Hero alter-egos. But when the Daughters of Atlas, a vengeful trio of ancient gods, arrive on Earth in search of the magic stolen from them long ago, Billy—aka Shazam—and his family are thrust into a battle for their superpowers, their lives, and the fate of their world.
“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” stars returning cast members Zachary Levi (“Thor: Ragnarok”) as Shazam; Asher Angel (“Andi Mack”) as Billy Batson; Jack Dylan Grazer (“It Chapter Two”) as Freddy Freeman; Adam Brody (“Promising Young Woman”) as Super Hero Freddy; Ross Butler (“Raya and the Last Dragon”) as Super Hero Eugene; Meagan Good (“Day Shift”) as Super Hero Darla; D.J. Cotrona (“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”) as Super Hero Pedro; Grace Caroline Currey (“Annabelle: Creation”) as Mary Bromfield / Super Hero Mary; Faithe Herman (“This Is Us”) as Darla Dudley; Ian Chen (“A Dog’s Journey”) as Eugene Choi; Jovan Armand (“Second Chances”) as Pedro Pena; Marta Milans (“White Lines”) as Rosa Vasquez; Cooper Andrews (“The Walking Dead”) as Victor Vasquez; with Djimon Hounsou (“A Quiet Place Part II”) as Wizard.
Joining the cast are Rachel Zegler (“West Side Story”), with Lucy Liu (“Kung Fu Panda” franchise) and Helen Mirren (“F9: The Fast Saga”).
The film is directed by David F. Sandberg (“Shazam!,” “Annabelle: Creation”) and produced by Peter Safran (“Aquaman,” “The Suicide Squad”). It is written by Henry Gayden (“Shazam!,” “There’s Someone Inside Your House”) and Chris Morgan (“Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw,” “The Fate of the Furious”), based on characters from DC; Shazam! was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. Executive producers are Walter Hamada, Adam Schlagman, Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Marcus Viscidi and Geoff Johns.
New Line Cinema presents A Peter Safran Production of A David F. Sandberg Film, “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” is distributed in the Philippines by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #ShazamMovie
