I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a powerful and triumphant celebration of the incomparable Whitney Houston. Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Academy Award® nominee Anthony McCarten, produced by legendary music executive Clive Davis and starring BAFTA Award® winner Naomi Ackie, the film is a no-holds-barred portrait of the complex and multifaceted woman behind The Voice. From New Jersey choir girl to one of the best-selling and most awarded recording artists of all time, audiences are taken on an inspirational, poignant—and so emotional—journey through Houston’s trailblazing life and career, with show-stopping performances and a soundtrack of the icon’s most beloved hits as you’ve never heard them before. Don’t you wanna dance?
Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Anthony McCarten, produced by Anthony McCarten, Pat Houston, Clive Davis, Larry Mestel, Denis O’Sullivan, Jeff Kalligheri, Matt Jackson, Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill, Thad Luckinbill, Matt Salloway, Christina Papagjika.
The film stars Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams and Clarke Peters.
I Wanna Dance With Somebody is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #IWannaDanceMovie
The ceremony took place today in the Dallas Zoo where a sign was displayed for the day, marking the illustrious occasion. Dallas Zoo’s Lyle is a male Nile crocodile that weighs a whopping 1,000+ pounds.
Trailer courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Along with the announcement, Columbia Pictures released an exclusive clip of the film in which Hector P. Valenti (played by Javier Bardem) meets Baby Lyle for the first time. Lyle is voiced by musical artist Shawn Mendes.
Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures
About Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile
Based on the best-selling book series by Bernard Waber, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is a live-action / CGI musical comedy that brings this beloved character to a new, global audience.
When the Primm family (Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy, Winslow Fegley) moves to New York City, their young son Josh struggles to adapt to his new school and new friends. All of that changes when he discovers Lyle – a singing crocodile (Shawn Mendes) who loves baths, caviar and great music-living in the attic of his new home. The two become fast friends, but when Lyle’s existence is threatened by evil neighbor Mr. Grumps (Brett Gelman), the Primm’s must band together with Lyle’s charismatic owner, Hector P. Valenti (Javier Bardem), to show the world that family can come from the most unexpected places and there’s nothing wrong with a big singing crocodile with an even bigger personality.
Poster courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile will feature original songs performed by Shawn Mendes and written by the songwriting team behind The Greatest Showman, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul. Joining Pasek and Paul in writing original songs for the film are Ari Afsar, Emily Gardner Xu Hall, Mark Sonnenblick, and Joriah Kwamé. Directed and produced by Will Speck and Josh Gordon, the screenplay is by Will Davies. The film is produced by Hutch Parker and executive produced by Kevin K. Vafi, Dan Wilson, Robert J. Dohrmann, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Tarak Ben Ammar and Andy Mitchell.
In cinemas across the Philippines starting October 12, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #LyleLyleCrocodile
Get to know these fan-favorite characters as they make their big-screen debut in the highly anticipated blockbuster and check-out their individual posters below.
Trailer courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Teth-Adam / Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson)
Poster courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Hailed as the slave who became Champion, the mortal slave Teth-Adam was bestowed the powers of the gods. When he used his powers for vengeance, he was entombed, becoming Black Adam. Nearly 5,000 years later, Black Adam is freed from his imprisonment and finds his unique form of justice challenged by modern day heroes in the form of the Justice Society.
Carter Hall / Hawkman (Aldis Hodge)
Poster courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
With a suit constructed of gravity-defying Nth metal, Hawkman combines his physical prowess with a strong sense of morality. Instilling years of knowledge and experience into the younger members of the burgeoning Justice Society, the man known as Carter Hall fights to protect global stability–and he won’t let anything or anyone, including Black Adam, stand in his way.
Kent Nelson / Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan)
Poster courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Upon wearing the ancient alien golden Helmet of Fate, Kent Nelson transforms from kindly academic into the sorcerer Doctor Fate. One of the founding members of The Justice Society, Doctor Fate is able to use his powers to wield magic, conjure illusions and see the future.
Al Rothstein / Atom Smasher (Noah Centineo)
Poster courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
As one of the newest recruits of The Justice Society, 20-year-old Al Rothstein can transform his molecular structure to grow in size to towering heights to become the superhero Atom Smasher. What he lacks in experience, Atom Smasher makes up for with brute force and an endless well of youthful optimism.
Maxine Hunkel / Cyclone (Quintessa Swindell)
Poster courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
After being subjected to nanotechnology experimentation by evil scientists, at just 19 Maxine Hunkel is a force of nature—literally—with the ability to control the wind with her mind. As the superhero Cyclone she brings a social justice attitude and a unique power set to The Justice Society.
About “Black Adam”
From New Line Cinema, Dwayne Johnson stars in the action adventure “Black Adam.” The first-ever feature film to explore the story of the DC Super Hero comes to the big screen under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Jungle Cruise”).
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Johnson stars alongside Aldis Hodge (“City on a Hill,” “One Night in Miami”) as Hawkman, Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi (“Sex/Life,” “Rush Hour 3”) as Adrianna, Marwan Kenzari (“Murder on the Orient Express,” “The Mummy”) as Ishmael, Quintessa Swindell (“Voyagers,” “Trinkets”) as Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui (“A Million Little Things”) as Amon, and Pierce Brosnan (the “Mamma Mia!” and James Bond franchises) as Dr. Fate.
“Black Adam” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #BlackAdam
Bruce Willis is heading back to the big screen in the upcoming action film Detective Knight: Rogue! The first trailer for the film was revealed, giving viewers a glimpse of the Die Hard star as he gets back into action as Detective Knight.
Watch the trailer for Detective Knight: Rogue below:
Detective Knight: Rogue is set to be the first of a trilogy of action thrillers. It follows the veteran detective James Knight whose partner gets critically wounded by armed robbers following a heist that led to a shootout. After fleeing Los Angeles, the bandits head to New York with Knight in pursuit. But Knight’s own past will collide with his present case threatening to tear his world apart.
Directed by Edward Drake, the film also stars Lochlyn Munro, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Corey Large, Michael Eklund, and Johnny Messner. The film is scheduled for a US release in theaters and on demand this October 21.
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Based on the trailer, ‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ looks like a crazy, out-of-the-box fantasy tale involving two incredible actors – Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba – and the out of this world imagination of director George Miller.
Miller, who has shown great depth and versatility having directed both ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ and the penguin musical ‘Happy Feet’ as well as directing the delightful 80s women-centric supernatural comedy ‘The Witches of Eastwick’ and then dramatic biopic ‘Lorenzon’s Oil.’ His filmography is such that it can bring a rush of excitement over whatever project he conjures up next and what aspect of the human condition he plans to turn into some cinematic spectacle.
Photo courtesy of Go Asia Entertainment
Tilda Swinton plays Alithea Binnie, a narratologist, who discovers a djinn (genie) in a bottle during an academic conference in Turkey. As a narratologist, Alithea is vastly knowledgeable about stories of all kinds, and is an expert in mythology and ancient lore. During her conference, she exhibits hallucinations of mystical beings that engage with her but no one else can see. Are they all in her mind or are they really happening?
So when the djinn (played by Idris Elba) is freed, it doesn’t take much for Alithea to understand what is happening and what is at stake when the djinn tells her that he is obliged to grant her three wishes. But as someone who is well-versed in the stories of man, of different cultures and different eras of human civilization, Alithea is not one to be so hasty and what unravels is a story within a story, akin to The Tales of the Arabian Nights and the story of Scheherezade.
Photo courtesy of Go Asia Entertainment
What begins in a hotel room in Turkey, with Alithea in a bathrobe and the djinn eventually following suit, discussing the parameters of their arrangement, the story shifts into the many tales of both Alithea and the djinn and the scenes shift to the stories they weave.
Each story is set in a lush, extravagantly production designed wonder of that era. A story about the Queen of Sheba or a story about a prince of the Ottoman empire brings us to these moments with a casting that befits these characters and while a lot of the story is told through the narration of Elba or Swinton, when the characters do speak, it is of the language of that land and of that era. On paper, the narrative is a lonely narratologist and djinn talking in a hotel room exchanging stories but what you see are foreign lands in a different time. Miller’s playful use of the camera allows us to go into the heart of these stories, and as the title of the film suggests, they are stories about longing and love and desire.
Photo courtesy of Go Asia Entertainment
I was expecting a riotous, frenetic film filled with bombastic visuals as the trailer suggests but instead, I found myself marveling at the tender heart that is beating at the center of this film. It is visually stunning but it was unexpectedly warm and poignant. The film doesn’t only highlight the power of stories in our lives – how we use it everyday in the way with which we see ourselves and the world – but it also explores the various nature of our wishes and desires.
Swinton and Elba take this eccentric, whimsical little fairy tale and manage to infuse their characters with so much humanity, Swinton playing a caricature of the intelligent, introverted master of stories with such precision that when her character makes a sudden realisation later in the film about what it is she truly desires, the caricature almosts fades immediately and she suddenly becomes human in an instant. It’s something that happens without a cut, a sudden epiphany that happens in a sparkle of her eyes. Playing off of this is Elba, who is at home playing an otherworldly being, who possesses great power but also a sad history. It’s there in his posture, in the way he plays with his voice.
Photo courtesy of Go Asia Entertainment
‘Three Thousand Years of Longing’ is an unexpected visual feast that is more a love story than it is a supernatural, mythical adventure. It’s a modern fairytale about love and desire and the cost of such an emotion in this world, whether human or djinn. It is not afraid to be unconventional or weird. It is not afraid to be steeped into the world of its own stories and then to push back into the modernity of the narrative framework of its own film. It’s refreshing, surprising in how bold and daring it is and, as he always does, George Miller has surprised me once again.
Always make a scene. Watch the new trailer for Paramount Pictures’ Babylon starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva. In cinemas across the Philippines January 2023.
Trailer courtesy of Paramount Pictures International
To coincide with the trailer launch, Paramount has also revealed the character posters of the principal cast. Check them out below.
Paramount Pictures Presents A Marc Platt / Wild Chickens / Organism Pictures Production A Damien Chazelle Film BABYLON.
Posters courtesy of Paramount Pictures International
From Damien Chazelle, BABYLON is an original epic set in 1920s Los Angeles led by Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie and Diego Calva, with an ensemble cast including Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li and Jean Smart. A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, it traces the rise and fall of multiple characters during an era of unbridled decadence and depravity in early Hollywood.
Written and directed by Damien Chazelle, produced by Marc Platt, Matthew Plouffe, Olivia Hamilton, executive produced by Michael Beugg, Tobey Maguire, Wyck Godfrey, Helen Estabrook, Adam Siegel
Posters courtesy of Paramount Pictures International
Starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, P.J. Byrne, Lukas Haas, Olivia Hamilton, Tobey Maguire, Max Minghella, Rory Scovel, Katherine Waterston, Flea, Jeff Garlin, Eric Roberts, Ethan Suplee, Samara Weaving, Olivia Wilde
Babylon is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Connect with #BabylonMovie and tag @paramountpicsph
The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for…
The Agojie warriors were made up of women with varied backgrounds from villages across the region, who came together to form an unbreakable sisterhood. As director Gina Prince-Bythewood prepared to shoot in South Africa, she sought to mirror that in her cast. “I wanted to build an ensemble that represented the incredible diversity of our Diaspora,” she says. “We have Thuso Mbedu, who is from South Africa; Lashana Lynch, who’s Jamaican; and Sheila Atim, who comes from the UK, but is also Ugandan. We have women from West Africa, and African American women. That was all intentional, to bring us all together to tell the story of us. I love the energy that it brought to set.”
Viola Davis & John Boyega (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
Viola Davis is Nanisca, the Agojie general. “Nanisca is the leader, the grizzled warrior, the woman who has quietly risen in the ranks to a level of power. She understands how to play the political game in her world,” explains producer Dana Stevens. “She has the job to train younger warriors to come up under her to protect those young women as well to train them in a way that they can protect themselves on the battlefield.”
Thuso Mbedu is Nawi. In a village outside the walls of the palace is Nawi, a young, orphaned girl who has had to learn self-sufficiency, she has resisted all of her adoptive father’s attempts to have her married off. When he realizes that her fate is to never marry or have children, he delivers her to the palace, where she is handed over to the Agojie.
Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch & Sheila Atim (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
Lashana Lynch is Izogie. At the palace, Nawi meets Izogie, an Agojie lieutenant who also had entered the sisterhood under troubled circumstances, and – identifying with Nawi – nurtures and mentors the young girl. “In order for a Black woman to be strong – it comes from something,” says Lynch. “It comes from vulnerability, it comes from pain, it comes from trauma – and I think they did such a great job in balancing this real, strong, fierce, skilled woman, with a woman who has to advocate for herself once she’s empowered by her chosen family.”
Sheila Atim is Amenza. Once Nanisca’s captive servant, Amenza is now the general’s right hand in the Agojie army. As a result of their long-standing friendship, Amenza and Nanisca share a strong bond and a deep secret.
‘The Woman King’ Ensemble (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
John Boyega is King Ghezo. Having recently staged a successful coup – with the help of the Agojie warriors – which deposed his brother from his reign, Ghezo is new to the throne. “He is a conflicted young king who is dealing with the variance of decisions,” says Boyega. “This is a very complicated time in his history. After a controversial rise to the throne, he’s at a point where leadership and decision-making is going to mean everything for the future of the Dahomey people.”
The Woman King is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #TheWomanKing
One of the biggest anime series, One Piece, is set to release a new film this week! Aside from bringing us into another large-scale adventure with the Straw Hat Pirates, One Piece Film: Red also teases a closer look into the life of Red-Haired Shanks who, despite having a huge role in Luffy’s life and the world of One Piece in general, has remained mysterious for the most part of the series.
Watch the trailer for One Piece Film: Red below:
Below are some facts about One Piece Film: Red that you might want to know before you see it on the big screen!
1. Shanks has a daughter.
The official trailer and synopsis of the film revealed that the plot will center on Uta, the daughter of Shanks. Uta is the most beloved singer in the world whose identity remained a mystery to the public until it was announced that she’ll be holding her first live concert, which will draw pirates from different parts of the world, including the Straw Hats. The story will also reunite Uta and Luffy, as it is revealed that the two have already met 12 years ago.
Photo: One Piece Film: Red trailer
2. Eiichiro Oda works with Goro Taniguchi and Tsutomu Kuroiwa again.
There have been 14 films before Red, but this is only the second time that the manga creator, Eiichiro Oda, is serving as a producer after One Piece Film: Strong World. Also serving as supervisor for the film, Oda is joined by Goro Taniguchi who directed the film and Tsutomu Kuroiwa who wrote it.
Prior to Red, Taniguchi worked on the One Piece special One Piece:Defeat The Pirate Ganzack while Kuroiwa wrote One Piece Film: Gold and the special One Piece: Heart of Gold.
3. Oda got tired of drawing old men so he made Uta.
In a statement on the film’s website, Eiichiro Oda jokingly wrote: “I’m tired of drawing legendary old men in movies LOL! Let me draw a girl!” Adding that it was how the character of Uta was created. Oda is most likely talking about Shiki, Z, Gild Tesoro, and Douglas Bullet who headlined some of the most recent One Piece films.
Photo: One Piece Film: Red trailer
4. Uta is voiced by a famous singer who also hides her face.
Bringing Uta to life is the voice of Ado, a real-life singer who, like her character in the film, hides her identity from the public. In 2020, the 17-year-old Ado made her debut with the digital single Usseewa which garnered 100 million views on YouTube in less than five months. The new film’s soundtrack album, Uta No Uta, contains Ado’s performances of the seven songs Uta sang in the movie.
5. The film adds another huge milestone for the franchise.
This year marked multiple milestones for One Piece. Aside from celebrating its 25th anniversary, the series has also released its 1000th episode. One Piece Film: Red also adds to these milestones, being the first film from the franchise to surpass 10 billion yen box office and number 1 in ticket sales.
Photo: One Piece Film: Red trailer
— One Piece Film: Redopens in cinemas nationwide this Saturday, September 17.
When Harry Styles had his first musical fame, he could have made a smooth transition into Hollywood leading man roles. But he’s never had any interest in doing things the easy way. Instead, he made his film debut as a character actor, with a supporting role in 2017’s “Dunkirk,” the Oscar-nominated World War II drama from Christopher Nolan.
Styles says of the film, “I think, in general, this is about relationships, and trust, and betrayal, and love, and passion, and sex, and the sun, and… Palm Springs.”
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
In “Don’t Worry Darling,” Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Styles) are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. The 1950’s societal optimism espoused by their CEO, Frank (Chris Pine) anchors every aspect of daily life in the tight-knit desert utopia. But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’t help questioning exactly what they’re doing in Victory, and why.
Director Olivia Wilde says, “Casting Jack was really tricky, because we wanted to find someone who would be a worthy scene partner to Florence Pugh. We also wanted someone who wasn’t what we might typically identify as a 1950s traditional man. We wanted their relationship to seem singular. That he wasn’t a stereotypical ‘master of the house,’ that their love seemed genuine, authentic and warm—you’d immediately recognize it to be special within Victory. Jack and Alice are different.”
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Having seen “Dunkirk” and been impressed with the performance of Harry Styles, Wilde inquired after his availability for the project. “I thought, here was someone who has tremendous presence, intelligence, and honestly, fearlessness.”
After meeting with filmmakers, Styles signed on to play the role, with mutual excitement between Styles and Pugh to inhabit the couple at the center of the movie.
Styles explains, “Jack Chambers is a husband. He loves his wife, and he wants to go to work and then come home and hang out with Alice. In that way, he’s pretty run-of-the-mill. It’s the very traditional stereotype of an old-school, perfect marriage. While he works, she’s at home, cleaning and cooking. But, he loves his wife more than anything in the world. I think they’re obsessed with each other. It’s kind of an ‘us against the world’ relationship.”
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
For Styles, that world is one of both lulling, seductive beauty and an opportunity cost: “Victory represents the sheltered kind of life that allows you to stay in your ultimate comfort zone. You can ignore all the problems in the world, and some people are okay with that. I think for everyone, it’s a safe, easy, comfortable little bubble. They think everything’s perfect, but the world isn’t like that. It has consequences. People inside those kind of bubbles, they don’t want to know about the consequences. I think that’s what Victory represents—a willingness to be ignorant to the rest of the world.”
A New Line Cinema presentation, “Don’t Worry Darling” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in cinemas across the Philippines on September 28. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #DontWorryDarling
At the center of “Where the Crawdads Sing“ is Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones) – “the marsh girl” – about whom little is known and much is assumed. When Chase Andrews, once the town’s star quarterback and now heir apparent to a successful auto shop, is found dead in the marsh, most of the townspeople are quick to blame Kya. As local defense attorney Tom Milton tries to save Kya’s life, Kya slowly reveals her mysteries – abandoned by her family and left to make a life for herself in the marsh… the two loves that shaped her past… and the lengths that creatures of nature will go to survive.
“The main thing I love about Kya is how resilient she is,” says Daisy Edgar-Jones. “Her relationship with Chase ends on bad terms. When Chase is found dead in the marsh, Kya goes on trial for his murder. All eyes are on her during the trial, yet she continues to show incredible resilience and strength, and maintains her quiet curiosity and connection with the natural world.”
Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
“Kya says there’s no dark side to nature, just inventive ways to endure,” adds Edgar-Jones. “For Kya, having suffered so much abuse from her family and people leaving her, the one thing that always stuck was nature. It always there for her and I think it became her family.”
“Daisy Edgar-Jones is a once-in-a-lifetime talent,” says producer Reese Witherspoon. “She can morph herself into so many different characters. You feel her vulnerability and her ferocity in this performance. Daisy and [director] Olivia Newman worked together to create a performance that sometimes is very, very small and internal, and other times is rage-filled and ferocious. There’s no artifice, there’s no lying, she just becomes the character. And I have to say, I’m pretty tough on Southern accents, and Daisy just fell into it so beautifully, with a real respect for the language and the way that Delia wrote.”
Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
To prepare for the role, Edgar-Jones – a Londoner by birth – would have to remake herself into Kya Clark: her physical strength, her experience boating in the marsh, her talent for drawing and painting, and, of course, her Carolina accent.
“I read the book over and over and over,” Edgar-Jones says. “When I got the script, I went through every scene I had, and I wrote out the key parts of the chapter next to the script page, which was really helpful. I learned a lot about boating and the marsh – the wildlife and the landscape.”
Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Edgar-Jones worked with dialect coach Francie Brown to hide her London accent and to speak like a mid-century American woman living on the North Carolina coast. “I love working in accents, because acting in my own voice makes me very self-conscious,” says Edgar-Jones. “Because I play Kya as she ages over several years, it was important to express the subtleties of Kya’s voice as she ages from a higher register at 15 to 20 to 23. That was a real access point for me because there’s a kind of special softness to Kya’s voice that’s different from mine, which was also a really good way to separate myself from the character.”
In cinemas across the Philippines starting September 14, Where the Crawdads Sing is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #CrawdadsMovie
