From dying to being more alive than ever… but there’s a catch. Jared Leto talks about the incredible transformation of Dr. Michael Morbius in the newly-released vignette for Columbia Pictures’ upcoming Marvel action-thriller Morbius.
Check out the ‘Transformation’ vignette below and watch Morbius exclusively in cinemas across the Philippines on March 30.
One of the most compelling and conflicted characters in Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters comes to the big screen as Oscar® winner Jared Leto transforms into the enigmatic antihero Michael Morbius. Dangerously ill with a rare blood disorder and determined to save others suffering his same fate, Dr. Morbius attempts a desperate gamble. While at first it seems to be a radical success, a darkness inside him is unleashed. Will good override evil – or will Morbius succumb to his mysterious new urges?
Dr. Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) in Columbia Pictures’ MORBIUS Photo Credit: Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures presents in association with MARVEL, an Avi Arad / Matt Tolmach production, Morbius. Starring Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona, Jared Harris, Al Madrigal, and Tyrese Gibson. Directed by Daniel Espinosa. Produced by Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Lucas Foster. Screen Story and Screenplay by Matt Sazama & Burk Sharpless. Based on the MARVEL Comics.
Morbius is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #Morbius
Directed by Michael Bay, it follows adoptive siblings turned bank robbers. They then find themselves in a hijacked ambulance with a police officer in critical condition while the authorities are on their tails. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Eiza González, Garret Dillahunt, and many more.
Directed by Cal Bunker, Ryder and the heroic pups of PAW Patrol must join forces with a savvy dachshund to save Adventure City from their biggest rival Humdinger. It features the voices of Ian Armitage, Marsai Martin, Ron Pardo, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian, Randall Park among others.
Time to turn up the heat as the final trailer of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 has arrived. Check out the trailer below and watch the action-adventurein cinemas across the Philippines on March 30.
The world’s favorite blue hedgehog is back for a next-level adventure in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. After settling in Green Hills, Sonic is eager to prove he has what it takes to be a true hero. His test comes when Dr. Robotnik returns, this time with a new partner, Knuckles, in search for an emerald that has the power to destroy civilizations. Sonic teams up with his own sidekick, Tails, and together they embark on a globe-trotting journey to find the emerald before it falls into the wrong hands.
From the filmmakers behind The Fast and the Furious and Deadpool, Sonic the Hedgehog 2 stars James Marsden, Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic, Tika Sumpter, Natasha Rothwell, Adam Pally, and Jim Carrey returning, alongside new additions Shemar Moore, with Idris Elba as the voice of Knuckles, and Colleen O’Shaughnessey as the voice of Tails.
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is distributed by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Connect with #SonicMovie2
The Caped Crusader is back on the big screen, and if you have yet to see Matt Reeves’ take on the famous DC superhero, then you’re surely in for a treat! Aside from the promising performance of Robert Pattinson as the new Dark Knight, the superhero movie also doubles as a compelling noir thriller perfect for fans of the genre!
Whether you’ve seen the film or are still contemplating it, here are some offscreen facts about The Batman that you will surely find interesting!
1. Robert Pattinson auditioned in George Clooney’s Batsuit.
In an interview with Comicbook.com, The Batman actor Robert Pattinson revealed that he actually auditioned for the role wearing the infamous Batsuit of George Clooney from Joel Schumacher’s 1997 Batman & Robin film– yes, it’s the one with the nipples.
“It was incredible,” Pattinson said during the interview. “I mean, I remember when I was doing the screen test, because it was really fun and it was really, really long. I mean, I literally did a screen test in it for about eight hours and the entire time was just pouring sweat so much with Matt saying, ‘What can we do about this sweat?’ I’m like, ‘There’s nothing to be done. The only way past this is not drinking any liquids.’”
“I remember sneaking a little selfie in it when everyone left the room thinking if this doesn’t work out… I’ll always have this. I’ll always have a picture of me and my nipples!” added Pattinson.
Photo: Batman & Robin on Netflix
2. Paul Dano’s Riddler is based on the Zodiac Killer.
While the common depiction of the Riddler is a grinning criminal who likes to throw taunts, Paul Dano’s Riddler in the film gives off a terrifying impression. This is because director Matt Reeves actually based his take on the character on the infamous and unapprehended serial killer Zodiac, who in real life taunted the authorities with ciphers and coded messages.
“I read Mindhunter. It made me think of the Zodiac killer, and how he actually wore this primitive costume that really is a primitive superhero costume… a rogues’ gallery costume,” director Reeves told Total Film, via Games Radar. “And I was like, ‘Oh, that’s really scary, the idea of people really wearing masks, and withholding their identities, and terrorizing people, and how scary that is.’ And so I started thinking, ‘Well, it could be an origin tale for the Riddler, and it could be an origin tale for some of these other characters.’”
Paul Dano suited up as the Riddler. (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)
3. Pattinson didn’t know that Batman was a detective.
Throughout his long history, Batman has been called many names like the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, and the Defender of Gotham, but Pattinson revealed that he didn’t know that the superhero was also called the “World’s Greatest Detective” before filming.
Pattinson shared with GQ that when Reeves told him that he wanted to do a ’70s noir detective story, Pattinson didn’t know that detecting is actually what Batman does.
“I kind of assumed that meant the mood board or something, the look of it. But from the first shot, it’s, ‘Oh, this actually is a detective story.‘ And I feel like an idiot because I didn’t even know that Batman was ‘the world’s greatest detective’; I hadn’t heard that in my life before—but it really plays. Just ’cause there’s a lot of stuff where he’s in amongst the cops. Normally, when you see Batman, he arrives and beats people up. But he’s having conversations, and there are emotional scenes between them, which I don’t think have been in any of the other movies.”
Jeffrey Wright’s James Gordon investigates alongside Batman. (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)
4. Matt Reeves tried to turn down the project.
As it turns out, while Matt Reeves has always been a fan of Batman, he wanted to say no to the project when Warner Bros. pitched it to him. This is because the original script, penned by Ben Affleck who was also supposed to play the role, was filled with action and rooted in Batman’s role as part of the DC Extended Universe.
“I read a script that they had that was a totally valid take on the movie. It was very action-driven. It was very deeply connected to the DCEU, with other major characters from other movies and other comics popping up. I just knew that when I read it this particular script was not the way I’d want to do it,” Reeves told Esquire.
“I said look, I think maybe I’m not the person for this. And I explained to them why I love this character. I told them that there have been so many great movies, but if I were to do this, I’d have to make it personal, so that I understood what I was going to do with it, so that I know where to put the camera, so that I know what to tell the actors, so that I know what the story should be. This take, I told them, pointing at the script, is a totally valid and exciting take. It is almost James Bond-ian, but it wasn’t something that I quite related to,” added Reeves. In the end, Warner Bros. allowed Reeves to have his own take on the film and it definitely delivered.
Director Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson in the Batman suit. (Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures)
5. In the making of the film, Reeves was inspired by Nirvana & Hollywood films.
As both writer and director of the film, Matt Reeves takes a lot of credit for the creation of this new Batman flick. Sharing his many inspirations, Reeves cited Nirvana and even revealed how his Batman was inspired by the band’s Kurt Cobain.
Reeves told Esquire, “Early on, when I was writing, I started listening to Nirvana, and there was something about ‘Something in the Way’, which is in the first trailer, which is part of the voice of that character. When I considered, ‘How do you do Bruce Wayne in a way that hasn’t been seen before?’ I started thinking, ‘What if some tragedy happened, and this guy becomes so reclusive, we don’t know what he’s doing? Is this guy some kind of wayward, reckless, drug addict?’ And the truth is that he is a kind of drug addict. His drug is his addiction to this drive for revenge. He’s like a Batman Kurt Cobain.”
Other inspirations for the movie according to Reeves are the films The French Connection, Taxi Driver, All The President’s Men, and Klute.
Set in Toronto in 2002, ‘Turning Red’ is an unapologetic, no-holds-barred exploration into the world of a Chinese Canadian 13-year-old named Mei Lee. The narrative leans into the familiar characteristics of her demographic: Mei has a tiger mom, who only wants the best for her, and so Mei is an overachiever with the best grades and full of extra-curricular activities. But she’s also 13, so she and her friends – Miriam, Priya, and Abby – are also infatuated with the boyband 4*Town. At the onset, it looks like every other coming-of-age story of four teens who may be outsiders of the school hierarchy (but not as severe as this is Canada and not America) and have to navigate this awkward part of life. But the story interweaves Asian mysticism and spirituality into the mix for incredible results.
Because Mei’s family, through her mother’s line, has a mystical gift (or curse) that transforms the women of the family into giant red pandas when feeling strong emotions. This becomes the source of all the character growth and comedy for the story.
The story, written and directed by Domee Shi and co-written Julia Cho and Sarah Streicher, is not even coy about how this supernatural transformation is a metaphor for puberty that is centered on the female experience. The mood swings, the rebelliousness, and even the color red are indicators of this apparent symbolism.
And so as Mei has to deal with this transformation happening in her body, she’s beginning to explore the facets of her personality that she didn’t know were there.
In the process, the film explores the Chinese cultural bonds of family that can be very familiar to a lot of the Asian audiences — the expectations and high demands, the controlling, the conservatism – and the vast generational gap of first and second (and even third) generation immigrants to Western countries.
So while ‘Turning Red’ is a supernatural story with Mei Lee transforming into a giant red panda at the funniest moments (and also sometimes at very serious events), the film is grounded by very serious issues about family ties and the generational trauma caused by the gap in morals and values between generations.
And as heavy as these topics might be, ‘Turning Red’ manages to do so in hilarious ways. The four friends’ love of the boyband 4*Town is exactly alike to Generation X’s love for the Backstreet Boys and N*Sync or the new generation’s love for Kpop idols and boy groups. The language and verbal quips of the four friends are masterfully written with some hilarious lines while the tonal shifts of the older members of Mei’s family are clearly different. It’s quite amazing.
And the way with which it captures the frenetic energy of the teenage years and the things they obsess over and think about (that seems so trivial to us now that we are older) is so on point. Director Domee Shi is also quite gifted in being able to shift focus, playing around with the images for wonderful visual comedy, highlighting the film’s verbal wit, and giving moments to really define each character and make them unique.
Each friend is marked by an individual personality, but you can see why this group are friends.
So as much fun as it is to watch Mei navigate the rigors of high school as she has to stop herself from getting triggered from transforming into a giant red panda, what we have in this film is a deep exploration of a vivid world of teenage girls at the brink of change. And the ironic thing is that as precise as this film feels in presenting a world set in 2002, a lot of the issues are still prevalent today.
‘Turning Red’ is funny and charming and relatable and surprising at every turn. It makes really good use of excellent storytelling and lavish visuals to tell a really moving story about generational gaps and coming to terms with your identity.
Pixar does it again.
My Rating:
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Turning Redis now showing in Philippine cinemas. Buy tickets here.
To celebrate National Women’s Month, the CCP Film, Broadcast, and New Media Division (CCP FBNMD) will have a special film screening that highlights the different facets, strengths and braveries of Filipino women.
Tagged “Women and the Camera” the featured films are: full-length film “Ronda (Patrol)” by Nick Olanka and short feature “Gutab” by Mary Andrea Palmares, on view starting at 3pm, March 11 until March 18, at the CCP Vimeo Channel.
“Ronda” follows the story of a policewoman, named Paloma, who is torn between the realities of her job and being a mother to a teenage son. Despite her son Leo missing for two days, she continues to patrol around the city every night.
The movie presents a slice of her life as she deals with her regulars — crooks that roam the night and crooks that litter within the police force, characters that test her values and validates her ideals as an enforcer of the law, as a mother, and ultimately as a human being.
Meanwhile, “Gutab centers on two young women, Jo-an and Sabel, who live two different lives in a small provincial town.
Known for winning different local beauty pageants, Jo-an is the epitome of an innocent and beautiful young woman. On the other hand, Sabel is a mat weaver’s daughter who dreams to be free from certain societal constraints. Their last encounter together before Sabel leaves home urges Jo-an to make a life-changing decision.
Members of the CCP Film Society will enjoy the exclusive screening of “Babae” by Sigrid Andrea Bernardo.
The coming-of-age short feature tells about the two women who grow up together in a slum community beside the railroad tracks and become best friends during childhood. They share their dreams during teenage years, and eventually start their own family during adulthood when a child accidentally enters their lives. Real stories of a woman and a woman are added to give color to this black-and-white film.
Watch “Ronda” and “Babae” at vimeo.com/showcase/ccparthousecinema, available worldwide. Info on how to access the CCP Film Society Exclusives for the month of May will be emailed to the members.
For more updates on film-related events, follow the Cultural Center of the Philippines and CCP Film, Broadcast and New Media social media accounts.
Directed by Patrick Hughes, it is a sequel to the 2017 film The Hitman’s Bodyguard. It follows suspended bodyguard Michael Bryce who must again team up with hitman Darius Kincaid and his wife to stop a madman from launching a terror attack on Europe. It stars Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Salma Hayek, Morgan Freeman, Antonio Banderas, Frank Grillo, and more.
Directed by Ayako Kōno, it is based on the Sword Art Online: Progressive light novels written by Reki Kawahara. The film focuses on Asuna and her friend Misumi as they find themselves trapped inside the VR death game Sword Art Online. It features the voices of Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Haruka Tomatsu, and Inori Minase to name a few.
Directed by Domee Shi, the film centers on 13-year-old girl Mei Lee who is torn between being her mother’s obedient daughter and the chaos of youth. One morning, she finds out that whenever she gets too excited or stressed, she “poofs” into a big red panda.
Ambulance takes Oscar nominee Jake Gyllenhaal (Zodiac, Spider-Man: Far From Home, Brokeback Mountain), Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Candyman, The Matrix Resurrections) and Eiza Gonzales (Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, Baby Driver) across the streets of LA under scorching heat in an intense high-speed, breakneck chase with the authorities after a bank heist turned awfully wrong.
Director-producer Michael Bay helms Ambulance, who is also known for bringing unprecedented cinematic experience with blockbuster films such as Transformers, A Quiet Place and 6 Underground. In his latest movie Ambulance, the filmmaker pits the characters under a series of extreme situations when Gyllenhaal’s character Danny, a career criminal plans the biggest bank heist in Los Angeles’ history. At the same time, Danny’s brother Will, played by Abdul- Mateen II is trying to raise money for his wife’s medical bills and desperately asks Danny as his last resort. Confident of his plan, Danny takes Will to be his designated driver and most trusted ally in what could be the last and most dangerous heist he will take on. Soon enough, with all crew, vehicles and weapons in place, Danny’s team sets out in stealth for the 32-million-dollar bank theft in broad daylight. But unforeseen incidents derail their plan that resulted in an all-out battle of brawn and wits against the police force, the desperate brothers soon encounter an ambulance driven by Cam Thompson (Gonzalez) with a wounded cop. Escaping a massive and merciless hunt from the authorities, Danny and Will execute the craziest of escapes while trying to keep the injured hostage cop safe and alive.
Ambulance’s screenplay is by Chris Fedak (Prodigal Son, Chuck), based on the original story and screenplay for the 2005 Danish thriller Ambulancen by Laurits Munch-Petersen and Lars Andreas Pedersen.
Eiza González as Camille “Cam” Thompson in Ambulance, directed by Michael Bay.
A Universal Pictures International release, Ambulance runs in Philippine cinemas (nationwide) starting March 16, ahead of US release.
Raise your PAWs up if your kids can’t stop talking about PAW Patrol! Check out the newly released featurette below on how the kids of the voice cast (led by Kim Kardashian, Dax Shepard, Tyler Perry and Jimmy Kimmel) love PAW Patrol: The Movie.
The gripping, inspiring animated adventure from Paramount Pictures opens exclusively in cinemas across the Philippines on March 16.
Kim-Kardashian as Delores
Tyler-Perry as Gus
Jimmy-Kimmel as Marty-Muckracker
The PAW Patrol is on a roll! When their biggest rival, Humdinger, becomes Mayor of nearby Adventure City and starts wreaking havoc, Ryder and everyone’s favorite heroic pups kick into high gear to face the challenge head on. While one pup must face his past in Adventure City, the team finds help from a new ally, the savvy dachshund Liberty. Together, armed with exciting new gadgets and gear, the PAW Patrol fights to save the citizens of Adventure City!
Joining the PAW Patrol in their thrilling first big screen adventure are members from the original series’ cast along with Iain Armitage, Marsai Martin, Yara Shahidi, Kim Kardashian West, Randall Park, Dax Shepard, with Tyler Perry and Jimmy Kimmel and introducing Will Brisbin.
Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies and Spin Master Entertainment Present A Spin Master Entertainment Production.
Directed by Cal Brunker, screenplay by Billy Frolick and Cal Brunker & Bob Barlen, story by Billy Frolick, based on the television series created by Keith Chapman.
Produced by Jennifer Dodge, p.g.a., Paw Patrol: The Movie is distributed in the Philippines by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. Connect with #PAWPatrolMovie and tag paramountpicsph.
Batman works alone, or does he? Find out in the new trailer of Warner Bros. Pictures’ DC League of Super-Pets which has just been launched by the studio.
Dwayne Johnson stars as the voice of Krypto the Super-Dog in Warner Bros. Pictures’ animated action adventure feature film “DC League of Super-Pets,” from director Jared Stern.
The film also stars the voices of Kevin Hart (the “Jumanji” and “Secret Life of Pets” films), Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live,” “Ferdinand”), John Krasinski (the “Quiet Place” films), Vanessa Bayer (“Saturday Night Live”), Natasha Lyonne (“Show Dogs”), Diego Luna (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story”), Marc Maron (“Joker”), Thomas Middleditch (“Godzilla: King of the Monsters”), Ben Schwartz (“Sonic the Hedgehog”), and Keanu Reeves (the “Matrix” and “John Wick” films).
In “DC League of Super-Pets,” Krypto the Super-Dog and Superman are inseparable best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack—Ace the hound, PB the potbellied pig, Merton the turtle and Chip the squirrel—to master their own newfound powers and help him rescue the superheroes.
Stern, a veteran writer/consultant on the “LEGO®” movies, makes his animated feature film directorial debut, directing from a screenplay he wrote with frequent collaborator John Whittington, based on characters from DC, Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The film is produced by Patricia Hicks, Dwayne Johnson, Dany Garcia, Hiram Garcia and Jared Stern. The executive producers are John Requa, Glenn Ficarra, Nicholas Stoller, Allison Abbate, Chris Leahy, Sharon Taylor and Courtenay Valenti.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents A Seven Bucks Production, “DC League of Super-Pets.” The film will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures in Philippine theaters on May 18, 2022.
Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #DCSuperPets
