Category: Movies

‘Scream’ Rated R-16 Without Cuts to Hold Sneak Previews at Select PH Cinemas

Paramount Pictures has just announced that its US No.1 box-office hit Scream will hold special sneak previews in selected cinemas nationwide on Tuesday, February 1. Horror fans are advised to check with their favorite theaters for the screening hours and ticket prices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnUeWdf3T6I

Scream, which opens wide in Philippine cinemas on February 2, has been rated R-16 Without Cuts by the Movie & Television Review & Classification Board (MTRCB). Fans are guaranteed to see the film in its integral, original version, complete with all the “strong language, gore, and graphic depiction of murders.” As Ben Travis of Empire Magazine writes, “In an era of elevated horror, it’s a gloriously gory basement party.”

Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in “Scream” alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar.

Scream is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett of the filmmaking group Radio Silence (Ready or Not, V/H/S). The film is written by James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick, based on the characters created by Kevin Williamson.

Scream is a long-running genre-busting horror franchise which generated four feature films including Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000) and Scream 4 (2011). Directed by famed “maestro of horror,” the late Wes Craven, the films went on to gross more than $600 million in worldwide box office receipts. Williamson wrote the original film as well as Scream 2 and Scream 4.

In Philippine cinemas February 2, Scream is distributed by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. Connect with #ScreamMovie and tag paramountpicsph.

January 25, 2022
Unmask The Truth: ‘The Batman’ Reveals Two New Posters

“Unmask the truth.” Warner Bros. has just unveiled two posters for its eagerly anticipated action-adventure The Batman. One features a close-up of Robert Pattinson as the Caped Crusader, while the other showcases a sunset-bathed pairing of Pattinson and Zoe Kravitz as Catwoman.

Check them out below and watch the film exclusively in Philippine cinemas on March 2.

From Warner Bros. Pictures comes Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” starring Robert Pattinson in the dual role of Gotham City’s vigilante detective and his alter ego, reclusive billionaire Bruce Wayne.

Two years of stalking the streets as the Batman (Robert Pattinson), striking fear into the hearts of criminals, has led Bruce Wayne deep into the shadows of Gotham City. With only a few trusted allies—Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis), Lt. James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright)—amongst the city’s corrupt network of officials and high-profile figures, the lone vigilante has established himself as the sole embodiment of vengeance amongst his fellow citizens.

When a killer targets Gotham’s elite with a series of sadistic machinations, a trail of cryptic clues sends the World’s Greatest Detective on an investigation into the underworld, where he encounters such characters as Selina Kyle/aka Catwoman (Zoë Kravitz), Oswald Cobblepot/aka the Penguin (Colin Farrell), Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), and Edward Nashton/aka the Riddler (Paul Dano). As the evidence begins to lead closer to home and the scale of the perpetrator’s plans becomes clear, Batman must forge new relationships, unmask the culprit, and bring justice to the abuse of power and corruption that has long plagued Gotham City.

Starring alongside Robert Pattinson (“Tenet,” “The Lighthouse”) as Gotham’s famous and infamous cast of characters are Zoë Kravitz (“Big Little Lies,” “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald”); Paul Dano (“Love & Mercy,” “12 Years a Slave”); Jeffrey Wright (“No Time to Die,” “Westworld”); John Turturro (the “Transformers” films, “The Plot Against America”); Peter Sarsgaard (“The Magnificent Seven,” “Interrogation”) as Gotham D.A. Gil Colson; Jayme Lawson (“Farewell Amor”) as mayoral candidate Bella Reál; with Andy Serkis (the “Planet of the Apes” films, “Black Panther”); and Colin Farrell (“The Gentlemen,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”).

Reeves (“The Planet of the Apes” franchise) directed from a screenplay by Reeves & Peter Craig, based on characters from DC. Batman was created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger. Dylan Clark (the “Planet of the Apes” films) and Reeves produced the film, with Michael E. Uslan, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo and Simon Emanuel serving as executive producers.

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents a 6th & Idaho/Dylan Clark Productions Production, a Matt Reeves Film, “The Batman.” The film is set to open in Philippine theaters on March 2; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #TheBatman

January 20, 2022
Buckle Up! Here’s When You Can Watch ‘F9’ on The Big Screen

Catch Vin Diesel and crew when Fast and Furious 9 aka F9 opens in local cinemas on January 26. The limited engagement theatrical release unleashes the highly successful franchise’s latest jaw-dropping innovative stunts best viewed in theaters for that ultimate adrenaline boost we all need to break the monotony from being cooped up inside our homes.

Franchise patriarch Vin Diesel is back for more action as Dominic Toretto. One of the driving forces behind the Fast films, Diesel has made it his mission to help bring fans bigger and better experiences.

As the film begins, Dom is at a crossroads. Living on his farm with Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) and taking care of Little Brian brings a wealth of new responsibilities, and while Dom feels the weight of it all, Letty, too, is struggling in her new role. Their relationship is feeling the strain and is thrown into further chaos with the arrival of Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel), Roman (Tyrese Gibson) and Tej (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges), who inform Dom and Letty that the plane of Mr. Nobody (Kurt Russell) has gone down in the Central American jungle with the notorious Cipher (Charlize Theron) in his custody. The team has come to Dom and Letty expecting the couple to join them and get back into the espionage game. Letty is up for it, but, to everyone’s shock, Dom opts out.

Bold, over-the-top, hyper-real action has become the hallmark of every Fast film, and F9 ups the game yet again. “For every Fast film we follow what we call ‘The Gattaca Rule’: Leave nothing for the swim back,” producer Jeffrey Kirschenbaum says. “In other words, we approach every new Fast movie as though it were our last and we don’t hold back on anything when it comes to coming up with new and inventive ways to integrate cars with action. Long story short—there is no such thing as too crazy or too big when it comes to Fast.” The goal with F9 was to surpass an already high standard of in-your-face fight choreography, and a key component to their approach was to shine a klieg light on the women of the franchise.

Rodriguez, Brewster and Sawai put in the hard work, logging in weeks of training with the stunt team. “On a personal level, I’ve had to fight for a female voice most of my career,” Rodriguez says. “But the Fast films are a big part of my evolution in this industry and have provided me with the greatest opportunity to have a voice and to really shed light on the female perspective in action movies. In F9 there is a lot more respect and attention to that female voice. So, I’m just super excited about fans being able to see all the girls getting to play. It’s so much fun to watch and I feel so proud, like a mama or an auntie.”

“F9’s action makes for that much more a visceral experience and we were just fighting for that authenticity, but we didn’t know in 2019 when we were making the movie that it would be so needed to drive or to support the theatrical experience we’ve missed for so long. No one anticipated watching all these movies from a couch in isolation for a year! And no one could have predicted how much they longed for that theatrical experience that’s like nothing else in the world where you can see a movie that warrants a whole audience all unified, cheering as one, engaged in the same story. That’s the magic of Fast & Furious, and I’m proud of Universal for being so bold, because – man do we need it – and here it is… Fast 9! This is gonna be one that is so special to share,” says Diesel.

January 20, 2022
Meet the Next Generation of ‘Scream’ Stars
Just as the original 1996 Scream film starred a group of young actors who would go on to achieve enormous success, the makers of the 2022 Scream set out to fill their movie with an equally talented group of up-and-comers destined for stardom.

Melissa Barrera (In the Heights) plays Samantha “Sam” Carpenter, who returns to Woodsboro after a long absence when her younger sister Tara is attacked by Ghostface. Like the character she portrays, Barrera has a younger sister in real life and says she identified with Sam’s protective instinct.

Jenna Ortega (Netflix’s You) plays Tara Carpenter, Sam’s younger sister.
Jack Quaid (The Hunger Games, The Boys) plays Sam’s devoted boyfriend Richie. Quaid describes Richie as a supportive boyfriend to Sam in her hour of need. When viewers first meet Richie, he’s working with Sam in a bowling alley, and when she learns that her sister has been attacked, Richie goes with Sam to Woodsboro to keep her safe.

Every Scream movie needs a resident film expert to explain the intricacies of the genre, and in the 2022 Scream, that character is Mindy, played by Jasmin Savoy Brown (The Leftovers). Gillett describes Mindy as an obsessive horror buff who speaks in a rapid-fire delivery and can be snarky and overly honest at times.
From the moment the filmmakers met Mason Gooding (Booksmart), they knew he was the only actor to plays Mindy’s athletic twin brother Chad. Throughout his career, Gooding has played many jocks and student athletes, and what he enjoyed most about playing Chad was being able to satirize those tropes.

Rounding out the cast are new additions Dylan Minnette (13 Reasons Why) as Wes, Sonia Ammar (Jappeloup) as Liv, Mikey Madison (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) as Amber, and Kyle Gallner (Ghosts of War) as Vince.

Minnette — whose character’s name is an affectionate tribute to Craven — was such a fan of the Scream series, he personally reached out to the filmmakers and lobbied for the role. Although at first glance Minnette’s character might appear to be the traditional nerdy member of the group, the actor didn’t see him that way at all. “What’s interesting about Wes is that he’s actually kind of cool,” Minnette says. “He’s just a little bit sheltered by his mom. But he’s very well developed in other ways.”

Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in “Scream” alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar.

Scream is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett of the filmmaking group Radio Silence (Ready or Not, V/H/S). The film is written by James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick, based on the characters created by Kevin Williamson.

Scream is a long-running genre-busting horror franchise which generated four feature films including Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000) and Scream 4 (2011). Directed by famed “maestro of horror,” the late Wes Craven, the films went on to gross more than $600 million in worldwide box office receipts. Williamson wrote the original film as well as Scream 2 and Scream 4.

In Philippine cinemas February 2, Scream is distributed by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. Connect with #ScreamMovie and tag paramountpicsph.
January 20, 2022
WATCH: Star-Studded Whodunit ‘Death on The Nile’ Unveils Special Look Clip & Posters
To celebrate the upcoming release of 20th Century Studios’ Death on the Nile exclusively in Philippine cinemas on February 9, 2022, the studio has released a special look at the tale of passion and jealousy directed by and starring five-time Academy Award® nominee Kenneth Branagh. In addition, the first set of character posters of the all-star ensemble cast of suspects is also available.

Based on the 1937 novel by Agatha Christie, “Death on the Nile” is a daring mystery-thriller about the emotional chaos and deadly consequences triggered by obsessive love. Kenneth Branagh, back as the iconic detective Hercule Poirot, is joined by Tom Bateman, four-time Oscar® nominee Annette Bening, Russell Brand, Ali Fazal, Dawn French, Gal Gadot, Armie Hammer, Rose Leslie, Emma Mackey, Sophie Okonedo, Jennifer Saunders and Letitia Wright. “Death on the Nile,” which reunites the filmmaking team behind 2017’s global hit “Murder on the Orient Express,” is written by Michael Green, adapted from Christie’s novel, and is produced by Ridley Scott, Kenneth Branagh, p.g.a., Judy Hofflund, p.g.a. and Kevin J. Walsh, with Mark Gordon, Simon Kinberg, Matthew Jenkins, James Prichard and Mathew Prichard serving as executive producers.
Belgian sleuth Hercule Poirot’s Egyptian vacation aboard a glamorous river steamer turns into a terrifying search for a murderer when a picture-perfect couple’s idyllic honeymoon is tragically cut short. Set against an epic landscape of sweeping desert vistas and the majestic Giza pyramids, this dramatic tale of love gone wrong features a cosmopolitan group of impeccably dressed travelers and enough wicked twists and turns to leave audiences guessing until the final, shocking denouement.
Filmed with 65mm Panavision cameras in late 2019, “Death on the Nile” transports audiences to the 1930s, recreating many of the locations that served as inspiration for Christie’s glamorous, high society thriller.
January 18, 2022
Lady Gaga’s Award-Winning Portrayal of Italy’s Black Widow in ‘House of Gucci’ is Worth Seeing in Cinemas

Lady Gaga’s latest work in House of Gucci earned her the Best Actress Award in the latest New York Film Critics Circle ceremony as Patrizia Reggiani, also known to Italian press as the Black Widow who plotted the murder of her husband Mauricio Gucci (played by Adam Driver).

Lady Gaga and the film are also currently nominated for various major categories in this year’s Golden Globe Awards, Screen Actors Awards, Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and Satellite Awards. With the buzz on Lady Gaga’s transformation as one of the major highlights of the movie utilizing hair, make-up and fashion, Vietnamese-Filipino Frederic Aspiras (who’s been Lady Gaga’s personal hairstylist for more than 13 years), according to an article from Variety, could make Oscar history since he would be the second Asian American to be nominated in the category, should the film finally land a nomination in makeup and hairstyle awards category.

House of Gucci is from visionary director/producer Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, The Martian), a true-life dynastic saga and a riveting tale of ambition, greed, betrayal and murder set against the glamorous backdrop of high fashion and high finance.

The visually stylish film, which spans three turbulent decades in the Gucci family empire boasts a star-studded ensemble cast headed by Oscar® nominees Lady Gaga (A Star is Born) and Adam Driver (Marriage Story), Oscar® winners Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scent of a Woman), Jared Leto (Dallas Buyers Club) and Jeremy Irons (Reversal of Fortune). Oscar® nominee Salma Hayek (Frida) and Jack Huston (American Hustle) round out the powerhouse cast.

Among the elements that attracted Lady Gaga to the project was the complexity of Patrizia Reggiani, a fallible and, at times, morally compromised woman who is, at the same time, sincerely in love with Maurizio Gucci and eager to help him forge his way ahead in the family’s fashion business. “Before they see the film, some people might think Patrizia is a gold digger,” says Lady Gaga. “But when they got married, his family had turned their back on him. So, she didn’t marry for money, she married for love.”

And while Patrizia’s retaliation proved to be tragic, the actress found a way to love the character for all her imperfections. “I believe that trying to better her situation in life came from an innocent place, not a guilty place. Tragically, by the end, not only did she not achieve her goal, she wound up way below where she was when she started.”

She has nothing but praise for the director with whom she embarked on this journey. She describes Scott as an “architectural visionary. He’s painterly in the way that he approaches his films. He also understands the emotional quotient of a script and how to work with the actors and navigate what they’re trying to say.”

Lady Gaga’s grasp of the role and level of commitment were evident to everyone on the production. Co-star Jared Leto remarks that Lady Gaga brought a certain bravery and dedication to playing Patrizia. “She owned that character,” adds co-star Al Pacino. “It’s so different from what she did in ‘A Star is Born.’ It’s a total revelation.”

“Part of the secret of her talent is that she is special in everything she does,” says co-star Salma Hayek. “It’s what makes her a true artist. She goes beyond just being a singer, or just being an actor. There’s a level of commitment and passion and strength. She throws herself completely into everything she does.”

House of Gucci opens January 19 in Philippine theaters from Universal Pictures International.

January 14, 2022
WATCH: A24’s New Horror Film ‘X’ Reveals Trailer

A24, the studio that brought us the highly-acclaimed horror films Hereditary, Midsommar, and The Witch, has a new movie to terrify fans of the genre. Simply titled X, the new movie follows an adult film crew as they try to shoot a movie while being terrorized by an old couple.

Watch the trailer for X below:

In the trailer, we see the crew arriving on an isolated house owned by an old couple. The group then secretly uses the place as the setting for their adult movie, but the longer they stay in the couple’s ominous home, something sinister begins to stalk them.

Written and directed by Ti West, X stars Mia Goth, Jenna Ortega, Brittany Snow, and Scott Mescudi. It is set for release on March 18 this year.

January 14, 2022
WATCH: ‘Scream’ Final Trailer Features Early Rave Reviews

“Horror fan or not, this movie is just awesome.” Watch the final trailer for Paramount Pictures’ all-new Scream and see what critics are screaming about!

Twenty-five years after a streak of brutal murders shocked the quiet town of Woodsboro, a new killer has donned the Ghostface mask and begins targeting a group of teenagers to resurrect secrets from the town’s deadly past. Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) and David Arquette (“Dewey Riley”) return to their iconic roles in “Scream” alongside Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding, Mikey Madison, Dylan Minnette, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Jasmin Savoy Brown, and Sonia Ammar.

Scream is directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett of the filmmaking group Radio Silence (Ready or Not, V/H/S), executive produced by Kevin Williamson, Chad Villella, Gary Barber, Peter Oillataguerre, Ron Lynch, Cathy Konrad, Marianne Maddalena; produced by William Sherak, James Vanderbilt, Paul Neinstein.

The film is written by James Vanderbilt & Guy Busick, based on the characters created by Kevin Williamson.

Scream is a long-running genre-busting horror franchise that generated four feature films including Scream (1996), Scream 2 (1997), Scream 3 (2000), and Scream 4 (2011). Directed by famed “maestro of horror,” the late Wes Craven, the films went on to gross more than $600 million in worldwide box office receipts. Williamson wrote the original film as well as Scream 2 and Scream 4.

In Philippine cinemas February 2, Scream is distributed by Paramount Pictures through Columbia Pictures. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. Connect with #ScreamMovie and tag @paramountpicsph.

January 13, 2022
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ Director to Reboot ‘Final Destination’ Franchise

Spider-Man: No Way Home has finally arrived in Philippine theaters, and while we’re still wondering what’s next for Spidey and the whole MCU, we know that its director, Jon Watts, is bringing another movie franchise back to life.

According to Hollywood Reporter, the director has joined the creative team behind New Line’s relaunch of the famous horror franchise Final Destination. Watts serves as the producer and wrote a treatment and story for the project titled Final Destination 6, which will head straight to HBO Max.

Guy Busick, who worked on Ready or Not and the Scream reboot is writing the new project’s screenplay with Lori Evans Taylor. Also on the producing team are Craig Perry, Sheila Hanahan Taylor, and Dianne McGunigle, Watts’ wife and manager.

After its huge success, the first Final Destination film from the early 2000s quickly became a famous horror film franchise, spawning four sequels, novels, and even a comic book series. Each story revolves around an individual who cheats death through a premonition, also saving several people around him or her. But Death is never done with them, as an unseen yet unstoppable force kills them off one by one.

Further details about the upcoming reboot of the film series are yet to be revealed.

—
Homestream image from Final Destination on Facebook.

January 12, 2022
Is EDSA in the Matrix? ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ Billboards Tell Motorists to Follow the White Rabbit

Is Manila inside The Matrix? Motorists could have asked that question last January 5 when major billboards along EDSA flashed “Return to the Source” and “Follow the White Rabbit” and iconic green digital rain for a literal Matrix takeover. This “roadblock” activation is in celebration of The Matrix Resurrections which opens in Philippines today.

The EDSA billboards that participated in the “roadblock” are strategically located in Magallanes, Boni, Guadalupe Bridge, Shrine (Ortigas) and Cubao. Check out the The Matrix – EDSA Takeover vignette below.

From visionary filmmaker Lana Wachowski comes “The Matrix Resurrections,” the long-awaited next chapter in the groundbreaking franchise that redefined a genre. The new film reunites original stars Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss in the iconic roles they made famous, Neo and Trinity.

In “The Matrix Resurrections,” return to a world of two realities: one, everyday life; the other, what lies behind it. To find out if his reality is a physical or mental construct, to truly know himself, Mr. Anderson will have to choose to follow the white rabbit once more. And if Thomas…Neo…has learned anything, it’s that choice, while an illusion, is still the only way out of—or into—the Matrix. Of course, Neo already knows what he has to do. But what he doesn’t yet know is the Matrix is stronger, more secure and more dangerous than ever before. Déjà vu.

Reeves reprises the dual roles of Thomas Anderson/Neo, the man once saved from the Matrix to become the savior of humankind, who will once again have to choose which path to follow.

Moss portrays the iconic warrior Trinity… or is she Tiffany, a suburban wife and mother of three with a penchant for superpowered motorcycles?

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (the “Aquaman” franchise) plays the wise and worldly Morpheus who, as always, serves as a guide to Neo while also fulfilling his own greater purpose on a very singular journey of self-discovery.

Jessica Henwick (TV’s “Iron Fist,” “Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens”) plays the hacker Bugs, the proverbial white rabbit on a mission to discover the one who sacrificed himself for humankind–and willing to take any risk necessary in search of the legend she idolizes.

Jonathan Groff (“Hamilton,” TV’s “Mindhunter”), plays Thomas Anderson’s business partner, a slick, confident corporate type with insouciant charm, a disarming smile and an eye on the bottom line–everything Mr. Anderson is not.

Neil Patrick Harris (“Gone Girl”) plays Thomas’ therapist, working closely with his patient to understand the meaning behind his dreams and to distinguish them from reality.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas (TV’s “Quantico”) plays a young woman with a wisdom that belies her years and an ability to see the truth, no matter how murky the waters.

And Jada Pinkett Smith (“Angel Has Fallen,” TV’s “Gotham”) returns as Niobe, the fierce General who once fought for the survival of Zion and who now sees to the welfare of her people with a familiar fire in her eyes, despite a sense of disbelief and suspicion upon Neo’s return.

Lana Wachowski directed from a screenplay by Wachowski & David Mitchell & Aleksandar Hemon, based on characters created by The Wachowskis.

In Philippine cinemas January 12, “The Matrix Resurrections” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a WarnerMedia company. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #TheMatrix

January 12, 2022