Avi Arad set to produce Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid, and Mass Effect movies

Avi Arad, who is the founder of Marvel Studios and producer of the earlier Marvel movies, is now moving on to producing video game movie adaptations. UNCHARTED, METAL GEAR SOLID, and MASS EFFECT have all been stuck in development hell for quite a time now. UNCHARTED seems to be the one that will easily get made the earliest because of its storyline potential. Plus, it's been a while since we saw a good Indiana Jones type movie (even the last Indy movie was awful). METAL GEAR SOLID has potential too, but it will be requiring a longer negotiation time with the studios, and may take three years till it could take off. MASS EFFECT, on the other hand, could take around five or six years away before it will take off.
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American Remake of THE RAID: REDEMPTION being developed

Hollywood is about to get its hands on Gareth Evans' Indonesian Martial Arts Masterpiece THE RAID: REDEMPTION and develop a Hollywood Remake for it. According to Bleeding Cool, an American remake has been in the works with Sony for a while now with the original’s director, Gareth Evans, attached as an executive producer. And this week, we learned that Jon and Erich Hoeber (both writers of Battleship and Red 2, two of Hollywood's most childishly awful movies), are in the early stages of rewriting the script.
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SCARFACE to be Screened at the UPV Cinematheque

In observance of Crime Prevention Week, the UPV Cinematheque will be screening the 1983 Brian De Palma movie SCARFACE which stars Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. The event will be RSVP Essential, so visit their facebook page first [CLICK HERE to go to the page] if you intend to go and watch it.

SCARFACE tells the story of a Cuban refugee who comes to Miami in 1980 with the Mariel Boatlift, and becomes a drug cartel kingpin during the cocaine boom of the 1980s.

In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Scarface was acknowledged as the tenth best in the gangster film genre. Empire Magazine placed it among the top 500 films of all time, at #284.

NOTE:THIS FILM IS NOT SUITED FOR CHILDREN*. This screening is not endorsed or sponsored by UPV Cinematheque, nor is UPV Cinematheque liable for any content screened by third-party exhibitors or any groups holding events on the premises. All external interest groups, clubs, or organizations are required to comply with guidelines set out by UPV Cinematheque for use of the facility.

James Spader is Ultron

Speculations have been put to rest as actor James Spader has been named to be the one who will bring the super villain character ULTRON to life. Ultron is expected to be the main villain for the next Avengers movie. A big question is that since Ultron is a humanoid robot, will Spader do motion-capture, or will he just be providing the voice? Anyway, I think Spader will be awesome, especially with a director such as Joss Whedon calling the shots. [hit the jump to read the full article]

ON THE JOB has a deal with France and the US

Erik Matti's movie ON THE JOB which was lauded with a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in France has just been released this week here in Philippine theaters, but it is already being set up to be shown in other countries, and become a powerful Pinoy film in the international movie market.

After its fame at Cannes and at the Puchon Filmfest in South Korea, ON THE JOB has been having deals with France’s Wild Side (DVD/Blu-Ray Publishers) and Wellgo USA Entertainment, in a deal which covers theatrical release and DVD/Blu-Ray and VOD (video on demand) production.

SPAWN Reboot will be a Horror Movie

Todd McFarlane’s comic creation SPAWN has had the misfortune of having been picked up for a movie adaptation in a time when superhero movies were not yet fully accepted by the mainstream and by big studio executives as a material for a good serious movie. the 1997 adaptation of SPAWN was ridiculous, silly, dull, and bastardized McFarlane's creation.

A movie reboot of SPAWN has been talked about for many years, first as a sequel to the 1997 movie which starred Michael Jai White in the lead role, then later as a full reboot. Now it seems that Spawn could be the R-rated anti-hero to lead the comic book bad boy revolution, as McFarlane says that he’s set deadlines to turn in a script by the end of the year, and to begin filming in 2014. [hit the jump to continue]

THE ACT OF KILLING to be Screened in Iloilo

In commemoration of this year's International Day of the Disappeared, the Save Luisa and Nilo Movement (SLNM) will be screening the documentary film THE ACT OF KILLING.  This controversial yet critically acclaimed documentary by Joshua Oppenheimer is about members of a death squad who were responsible for genocidal killings in Sumatra, Indonesia during Suharto’s time. In 1965, around half to 2.5 million people died in Indonesia in a genocide directed at "communists". In the film, the director made his subjects, the perpetrators themselves, reenact their crimes complete with pro

This will be held on August 31, 2013 Saturday 3:30 PM at the FDCP Cinematheque Iloilo, Solis Street, Iloilo City. This event hopes to encourage deep and meaningful discussions about impunity and propaganda that engenders human rights violations such as enforced disappearance. It is in collaboration with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)

The event is Free Admission which is courtesy of Final Cut for Real. There will be a discussion after the movie where viewers can share their reactions.
sthetics they themselves made. As such, the film becomes very telling about how the murderers feel about their acts of violence, years after it happened. By making them retell their version of the story by acting it out, the film transgresses genre and ethical conventions based on distinctions between subjectivity and objectivity, fact or fiction. Of course, the murderers exaggerate and embellish their own stories, obvious “lies that make us see the truth”, as Picasso once said about art in general.

Syowing this Week

It's a very interesting movie week because there are two big Filipino movies that will be opening; one is an Indie Comedy that pits one of the country's most brilliant comediennes with a respected Japanese actor co-star. The other movie has already made audiences at the Cannes Film Festival give it a standing ovation. These two Filipino movies really deserve to be watched this week. This week, we've also got a biopic, a serial killer thriller, and some other B-movie type never-heard movies that you may want to ignore. Then there's also extended runs of movies from last week. [hit the jump to continue]

Trailer Tuesdays: On The Job, Jobs, Salvi: Ang Pagpadayon, How I Live Now, Pompeii

Our Trailer Tuesdays this week brings forth some trailers for the highly-acclaimed indie Pinoy action film by Erik Matti which was shown and strongly-applauded to in the Cannes Film Festival; ON THE JOB which opens this week, beginning August 28. We also have the Ashton Kutcher-starrer autobiography about Steve Jobs, simply titled JOBS, also opening August 28. We also bring you the Official Trailer for the Post-Apocalyptic Ilonggo Movie SALVI: ANG PAGPADAYON, which will be part of the the Film Development Council of the Philippines' 2013 Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival All-Masters Edition. In addition, we got the trailer for the realistic sci-fi HOW I LIVE NOW, and a teaser for Paul W.S. Anderson’s POMPEII [hit the jump to continue]

Lav Diaz's NORTE screened in Toronto, Paul Sta. Ana's OROS wins award in Iowa

After Cannes, Lav Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” goes to the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The fest’s website hails “Norte” as a “masterpiece because of its scope and rigor…layered and emotionally powerful (and at times horrifying)…astonishing and deeply mature.”

Meanwhile, off from Canada, we go to the US where Filipino filmmaker Paul Sta. Ana’s “Oros” won honorable mention for Best Narrative Feature at the recent Landlocked Film Festival, held in Iowa City. “Oros” was an entry in the 2012 Cinemalaya fest where it won Best Actor for lead star Kristoffer King. Now on its seventh year, the Landlocked fest celebrates independent movies from all over the world.

Source: inquirer.net

'Dead Men Tell No Tales' is the title of the new Pirates of the Caribbean movie

The full title for the fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie will be PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES. This Pirates sequel is set to open on July 10, 2015. It will be directed by the directing duo of Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, who are best known for their work in the Norwegian historical drama film Kon-Tiki, which was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards. Jeff Nathanson (Rush Hour 3) wrote the screenplay, producer Jerry Bruckheimer, Disney, and Johnny Depp have all signed on for the sequel. [hit the jump to read about the obstacles this movie is about to face]

Conjuring a Box Office Success

THE CONJURING opened this week in Philippine cinemas, and it seems that it is garnering such hype, promising strong numbers at the box office. I watched the movie on its opening day, this Wednesday; at a theater that was packed with audiences, so much so that we did not get to sit at our usual favorite spot. I was actually impressed as to how Warner Brothers Philippines seem to have played their cards with the local release of this movie. The Conjuring opened in US theaters last week of July. And from that time, with its blitzkrieg success at the US box office, there had already been the buzz and the hype that has been created. But not everybody here in the Philippines would usually care about US box office hype, or film analysis coming from American write-ups. [hit the jump to read the rest of the article]

Ben Affleck is Batman

The wait is finally over. We now have a new Batman. Ending weeks of speculation, Ben Affleck has been set to star as Batman, a.k.a. Bruce Wayne.  Affleck and filmmaker Zack Snyder will create an entirely new incarnation of the character in Snyder’s as-yet-untitled project—bringing Batman and Superman together for the first time on the big screen and continuing the director’s vision of their universe, which he established in “Man of Steel.”  The announcement was made this week by Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio has slated the film to open worldwide on July 17, 2015.
[hit the jump to read the full article]

THE EXPENDABLES 3 has begun Shooting

THE EXPENDABLES 3, the third installment of THE EXPENDABLES action-thriller franchise, has begun production shooting on location in Bulgaria and at Nu Boyana Studios in Sofia. Nicolas Cage, Jackie Chan, Milla Jovovich, and Mickey Rourke were reportedly on board according to various sources, but they’re not mentioned in the movie's official press release which was released just recently. [hit the jump to check out the press release from Lionsgate and Millenium Films]

Fox's X-Men and Fantastic Four are in the Same Movie Universe

Marvel's AVENGERS movie proved that nurturing a comicbook-based universe in movies results in potential franchise blockbuster success. While the DC movies have been making really sad attempts of launching their own Justice League franchise, 20th Century Fox seems to be making good decisions with their own X-Men universe, what with the established link between first three X-Men movies with X-Men First Class, and a planned X-Force movie. Now Fox's own superhero universe will be expanding with the other Marvel property which they own the rights to; The Fantastic Four. And Fox’s creative consultant Mark Millar has confirmed that, yes, Fox's X-Men universe is in the same universe as that with the Fantastic Four's. [hit the jump to continue]

SALVI Poster Revealed Online

TM Malones and Dark Media Creations has unveiled online the poster for the upcoming Ilonggo post-apocalyptic movie SALVI: ANG PAGPADAYON. The poster also confirms the release date of the film; September 11 to 17, 2013 at the SM City Cinemas Nationwide. [hit the jump to continue]

Trailer Tuesdays: The Conjuring, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Ang Huling Henya, The Butler, R.I.P.D., Planes

Our Trailer Tuesdays this jampacked week brings forth some trailers for the upcoming supernatural-horror movie directed by James Wan; THE CONJURING which is already a hit in the US Box Office. We also have the trailer for the film adaptation for the young adult fantasy novel THE MORTAL INSTRUMENTS: CITY OF BONES, The Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges supernatural action R.I.P.D., Rufa Mae Quinto's return to the silver screen with ANG HULING HENYA, the animated PLANES, and then there's also THE BUTLER which stars  Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, John Cusack, David Oyelowo, Alan Rickman, Robin Williams, Nelsan Ellis, James Marsden, and Liev Schreiber. [hit the jump to continue]

TED 2 Set to Return April 2015

The 2012 comedy TED was such a hit that we sure are getting a sequel. Comedy writer, producer, and director Seth MacFarlane returns with Mark Wahlberg to bring life to the dirty-talking, wise-cracking teddy bear in TED 2 which is planned for an April 2015 release. [hit the jump to continue]

Filipino Documentaries in Japanese Festival

Three Filipino documentaries will compete in the New Asian Currents section of the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, set on Oct. 10-17 in Japan: Jet Leyco’s “Ex Press,” Jewel Maranan’s “Tondo, Beloved: To What are the Poor Born?” and Adjani Arumpac’s “War is a Tender Thing.” The section “introduces emerging filmmakers” from the region, and serves “as a meeting place [for] raw, youthful, energetic” artists, says the fest website.
[source: Philippine Daily Inquirer]

Vin Diesel set to lead the SOLDIERS OF THE SUN

Vin Diesel has been busy lately (looks like he's successfully saved his career). What with Riddick set to open this September and his scret involvement with Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy. The Hollywood Reporter has now revealed that Vin Diesel is adding another sci-fi franchise to his busy resume. Diesel is set to be the lead in an original screenplay from Arash Amel (Grace of Monaco) entitled SOLDIERS OF THE SUN, which may possibly be a potential series for Universal Pictures.
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Christopher Nolan's INTERSTELLAR has begun Filming

After creating such a gigantic reputation with movies like INCEPTION and his DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY, there would obviously be much anticipation as to what Christopher Nolan would be doing next. Nolan, is now about to embark on a sci-fi project entitled INTERSTELLAR, which is based on a script that his brother Jonathan Nolan initially conceived and put together for Steven Spielberg to direct. Years later, Chris Nolan retooled his brother’s draft, and incorporated his own ideas into the script, now he's the one set to direct it, with its release planned for a November 7, 2014 release date. This week, Paramount and Warner Bros. Pictures has announced that principal photography on INTERSTELLAR is officially underway in Alberta, Canada. The film will be released in IMAX and regular 35mm theaters. Paramount Pictures will distribute domestically, Warner Bros. Pictures internationally. [hit the jump to continue]

Erik Matti's ON THE JOB Set for Nationwide Release August 28

Erik Matti's latest movie ON THE JOB has been getting raves at the recent Cannes Film Festival and the Puchon  International Fantastic Film Festival in South Korea where it won in as the Jury's Choice. The US' variety.com which is also a US magazine, also gave the film a review full of praises, calling it "A gritty, convoluted but steadily engrossing crime thriller from Filipino genre maven Erik Matti"

ABS-CBN's Star Cinema has recently confirmed that ON THE JOB will indeed have a local commercial release set to open nationwide this August 28, 2013.

Farewell, Behn Cervantes

Legendary Artist Behn Cervantes dies at 74
Stage actor and director Behn Cervantes has passed away on Thursday, August 15, 2013. He was 74. Cervantes died at 10:15 a.m. due to pneumonia with diabetes complications, his eldest sister, Lengleng, told ABS-CBN News. Relatives, friends and supporters may not be able to pay their last respects to Cervantes as the stage actor-director does not want any wake to be held. "Behn wanted no wake," Cervantes' brother, Tony, said in a text message to ABS-CBNnews.com. Cervantes would have been 75 years old this August 26.
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Kick-Ass 2 Review

Just like the first movie, it is not easy to classify KICK-ASS 2; it could perhaps be best described as a comedy with some really dark action elements, and cold-blooded violence. A more simple way to describe it is that it's a violent superhero comedy that will most probably find its market among teens and lovers of the superhero genre. The comedy elements and the colorful costumes may be bothersome for audiences who are not open-minded towards this genre. But it really is a well-made story about characters who are trying to find their true identity and the consequences of whatever reckless lives they live.

KICK-ASS 2 is a strong superhero movie. Much of the movie's strength lies on how good the source material is. Mark Millar (the writer of the comicbook/graphic novel) has a material that creates twists, turns, and action suspense that can keep your balls sweating. [read the FULL REVIEW, CLICK HERE]

Neill Blomkamp's Next Movie CHAPPIE gets a Greenlight

Neill Blomkamp’s ELYSIUM opened in Number 1 in the US Box Office, and is still yet to open on September 4 here in the Philippines. Blomkamp seems to be on a roll, as this week, it was reported that Sony and MRC has agreed to finance the director's next film CHAPPIE. This sci-fi film tells the story of a robot imbued with artificial intelligence who is stolen by two local gangsters who want to use him for their own nefarious purposes. The film will star Sharlto Copley as the voice of Chappie, with Ninja and Yolandi Visser, voices of the South African Zef counter-culture movement and members of rap-rave duo Die Antwoord, as the two gangsters. The script for CHAPPIE was written by Blomkamp along with co-writer Teri Tatchell (with whom he co-wrote District 9 with). [hit the jump to continue]

TM Malones' SALVI: ANG PAGPADAYON to be Screened with the Masters at the National Filmfest

Looks like Ilonggo filmmaker TM Malones' movie SALVI: ANG PAGPADAYON is already done, and will definitely have a grand splash as it will be screened during the Film Development Council of the Philippines' 2013 Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival All-Masters Edition which will exclusively be screened in 45 branches of SM Cinema across the country from September 11, 2013 to September 17, 2013. SALVI was chosen to be the film under the festival's New Breed cinema. SALVI: ANG PAGPADAYON is the feature-length version of Malones' short film SALVI which won the FDCP’s local film competition last January. [hit the jump to continue]

CHRONICLE Sequel to be Made, But Not with the Original's Director and Writer

CHRONICLE was one of the most awesome and one of best films of 2012. Because it was such a success (the film  grossed ten times its original budget at the box office), of course its studio 20th Century Fox is planning to make a sequel. Unfortunately, it looks like Chronicle's director Josh Trank and it's writer Max Landis won’t be involved at all in the sequel. Landis' tweet on twitter says "I've been off Chronicle 2 for months now. Fox had a different direction they wanted to take the series, Josh was never attached." He also says "Chronicle 2 is still probably happening, just not with my involvement as of now. It's a bummer, but there are no real hard feelings" [hit the jump to continue, and to check out Landis' vision for the sequel which was rejected by Fox]

Lav Diaz & Brillante Mendoza included in the Venice Film Fest's "Venezia 70 - Future Reloaded"

The 70th anniversary of the Venice International Film Festival will be held in Italy this Aug. 28, 2013 to Sept. 7, 2013. Filipino filmmakers Brillante Mendoza (Kinatay, Serbis, Lola) and Lav Diaz (Batang West Side, Melancholia) are set to join in on the Festival's “Venezia 70 - Future Reloaded” program which features 70 Directors and their short films. Lav Diaz's short film “The Firefly” (which runs 83 seconds short) and Brillante Mendoza's short "Kamera" (which runs 90 seconds) are included in the "Venezia 70"
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The Docu BLACKFISH and How it Changed the Ending of Pixar's FINDING DORY

The upcoming sequel of Finding Nemo, entitled FINDING DORY is going through a last-minute edit/alteration because of the recent revelations and expose of the documentary BLACKFISH. BLACKFISH is a documentary about the unethical treatment of animals in the popular marine park chain SeaWorld. A significant portion of FINDING DORY will deal with a scene that has something to do with a marine park which may have similarities with SeaWorld. Pixar (producers of FINDING DORY) are obviously trying to stay away from reminding its audiences about the nasty things revealed in BLACKFISH. [hit the jump to read the full formal report]

Trailer Tuesdays: Ekstra, Kick-Ass 2, The Internship, Dragonball Z Battle of Gods, Captain Phillips, Her

Our Trailer Tuesdays this week brings forth some trailers for the upcoming sequel to the movie adaptation of the popular graphic novel, KICK-ASS 2 brings back Kick-Ass and Hit Girl into the crime-fighting bloodbath along with some new costumed heroes, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson on THE INTERNSHIP, the anime movie DRAGONBALL Z: BATTLE OF GODS, and the award-winning movie that stars Vilma Santos as an EKSTRA.We also have trailers for the Paul Greengrass movie starring Tom Hanks, entitled CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, and a Spike Jonze film entitled HER which stars Joaquin Phoenix and Scarlett Johansson.
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Paranormal Activity to Continue Haunting with Sequels/Spin-off

Just when you thought the PARANORMAL ACTIVITY movies have become repetitious and terrbily formulaic, take it easy now coz there will be more of them coming. As reported by several sources, there will be a Latino-centric spin-off, now titled Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, which will open on January 3, 2014. The film is helmed by series scribe Christopher Landon.
[hit the jump to continue reading]

Jude Law to lead the BLACK SEA

Two-time Academy Award nominee Jude Law captains the cast of BLACK SEA, the suspenseful adventure thriller being directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Macdonald (One Day in September) and produced by Charles Steel for Cowboy Films. Filming has commenced in the U.K. Black Sea will have its release in 2014.

BLACK SEA centers on a rogue submarine captain (Jude Law) who, after being laid off from a salvage company, pulls together a misfit crew to go after a sunken treasure rumored to be lost in the depths of the Black Sea. As greed and desperation take control onboard their claustrophobic vessel, the increasing uncertainty of the mission causes the men to turn on each other to fight for their own survival. [continue after the hitting the jump]

Now You See Me Sequel being Planned

One of the biggest box office surprises of 2013 thus far has been director Louis Leterrier’s magician heist pic Now You See Me.  The $75 million film went on to gross $115.6 million domestically, and it’s international total now stands at $119.3.  When you consider that some major studio tentpoles (ahem The Lone Ranger) have failed to cross the $100 million mark stateside, that is an incredibly impressive performance; obviously this means it’s time to make a sequel.  THR reports that Lionsgate and Summit are moving forward with a follow-up film, with production currently “penciled in” for 2014.

The director and cast members for the new movie have not yet been confirmed. Neither story details are being revealed for the moment. But it's still very early on, and if things go smoothly, this sequel may get a 2015 release date.
[source Collider]

The Expendables 3 Cast Round-up

Looks like the cast for EXPENDABLES 3 is looking as good as complete. It is now confirmed that Harrison Ford, Antonio Banderas, and Mel Gibson who is confirmed to be playing the villain, are joining the cast of THE EXPENDABLES 3. They will be joining the other new cast members Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Kellan Lutz, and Milla Jovovoich, who all have confirmed earlier that they are joining in on the movie. The new movie will be directed by Patrick Hughes who directed RED HILL.
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Tarsem Singh to direct action-thriller The Panopticon

Director Tarsem Singh has lined up another project.  The visually-inclined IMMORTALS and MIRROR, MIRROR helmer has signed on to direct the action-thriller THE PANOPTICON.  Written by Craig Rosenberg (After the Sunset), the story centers on “a seemingly ordinary man who receives a mysterious package containing a pre-recorded message from himself, warning that the world is about to end and only he can save it. He must race against the clock to piece together the puzzle before time runs out for mankind.” [continue after the jump]

Percy Jackson Sea of Monsters Review

In PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS, Percy Jackson, son of Greek god Poseidon, embarks on a journey with his friends to retrieve the Golden Fleece to save a magical tree containing the spririt of Zeus's daughter Thalia who died at the gates of Camp Half-Blood whilst saving Annabeth and Luke and Grover. This tree protects their training ground, Camp Half-Blood. They must travel to the Sea of Monsters to save it, and find the challenges that may await them.

I have not seen the first movie, nor have I read the book. Regardless of which, I enjoyed SEA OF MONSTERS nonetheless. The few references to the previous movie did not pose as a hindrance to understanding the movie. One has just to use some common sense to understand that many of these characters do know each other from the previous adventure, and some may have existing qualms to settle.
[to read the FULL REVIEW, CLICK HERE]

Korean Film "No Breathing" will have Scenes Shot in Davao

The leading stars'
arrival in Davao City
[from the movie's
facebook page]

An upcoming South Korean movie entitled NO BREATHING is set to have Davao City featured in their movie. The Philippine Star reports that the South Korean filmmakers chose the Davao City for what would be around 15 minutes of the movie. Its Producers have "discovered" Davao when a contingent from the city participated in the Korean World Travel Fair in Seoul last June. This is according to Department of Tourism-XI Regional Director Art Boncato, who also said "They will bring in around 72-man crew with about 15-20 actors." Boncato added that their producers were impressed with the cleanliness and natural resources of Davao when they had their pre-production ocular visit.
[continue reading after the jump]

The Legend of Zelda Video Pitch which Nintendo Turned Down

Animation studio Imagi (TMNT, Astro Boy) has proposed and put together a pitch reel for an animated film adaptation of the popular Nintendo game THE LEGEND OF ZELDA. Unfortunately, Nintendo has turned down the proposal (probably because it still hasn't gotten over the trauma of how bad Hollywood adapted the SUPER MARIO BROTHERS movie around 20 years ago). Fans of The Legend of Zelda should remain contented with what the game has to offer, and not look to hope for a movie version to come anytime soon. [Hit the jump to check out the video]

ELYSIUM Philippine Release Moved to September 4

The upcoming Neill Blomkamp movie ELYSIUM which stars Matt Damon and Jodie Foster was originally, widely advertised for several months now, scheduled to have its Philippine release on August 9, 2013. Earlier this week, we noticed that the ads which had the schedule of the movie were removed from various websites such as clickthecity. Last Tuesday, Columbia Pictures Philippines has released a press statement announcing that ELYSIUM is now scheduled for a September 4 Philippine release date. No additional explainations have been provided. [hit the jump to read the press statement which gives data about the movie, and at the end goes directly to the point which states the Philippine release date]

After 3 Decades, SCARFACE gets a New Remake

Paul Muni as Tony
Camonte, The Scarface
of the original 1932
version

Brian De Palma‘s 1983 movie SCARFACE, which starred Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino in his unforgettable role as the highly influential gangster, was not exactly a good movie. But over the years, it has become this iconic gangster movie that has become embedded in various forms of media (especially in hip-hop culture). That 1983 movie was itself, a remake of the 1932 movie of the same title (which many critics refer to as the better version of the two)

Now, it's going through the remake mill again as Universal is working on bringing back SCARFACE and take the ethnic and geographical aspects of the previous two movies, and then reposition them into a 21st century context. [continue after the jump]

A Young Merlin Movie is being developed by Warner Bros.

perhaps a more teeny version of this

MERLIN is one popular fictional character which is most interesting and most attractive to studios that are looking for the next fantasy franchise to cash in, as much as the Harry Potter series did. A Young Merlin movie is now being developed into a movie (and possibly a movie series). Warner Bros.has tapped Dave Hill (Game of Thrones) and David Farr (Hanna) to script a new take on the original wizard, Merlin. [continue after the jump]

WARCRAFT Plot Details Revealed; will Center More on the Classic Warcraft Storylines

WARCRAFT is definitely one of the biggest, highly anticipated movies, currently being developed. Duncan Jones, via the website Bleeding Cool, has recently revealed some details about what we can expect from WARCRAFT. [hit the jump to continue]

LARONG BATA gets Iloilo Screening this September

An indie film, “LARONG BATA” will be shown on September 14, 2013 (Saturday), 5 pm, at SM Iloilo Cinema 6, in the hopes of raising additional funds for the chemotherapy of the children that KKK takes care of. The film will be a very good form of educating students on the very touchy issue of “bullying”. The movie features Melai Cantiveros, Jason Francisco and Makisig Morales and is directed by Niel Tan. The whole story is presented comically, highly amusing and entertaining for minor audiences but the message of bullying is emphasized and addressed. [hit the jump to continue]

Trailer Tuesdays: Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Smurfs 2, Brutus, Kinatay, Tulad ng Dati, Killing Season, Raketeros, Elysium, We're the Millers, Lone Survivor,

Our Trailer Tuesdays this week brings forth some trailers for the upcoming sequel to the Percy Jackson movie, the new one entitled PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS, another fun-filled sequel which is THE SMURFS 2, the action film KILLING SEASON with Robert De Niro and John Travolta, and RAKETEROS which reunites comedians Herbert Bautista, Dennis Padilla, Andrew E. , Ogie Alcasid, Joey Marquez, Long Mejia, and Tippy Dos Santos. Then there's also ELYSIUM which was originally scheduled to open locally this Friday August 9, but it seems that Local Cinema websites have removed ELYSIUM from this Friday's skeds (Just keep visiting this site for updates). Then we also have the irreverently hilarious comedy WE'RE THE MILLERS, and also a military action drama that just looks emotionally powerful; Peter Berg's LONE SURVIVOR. We also have the trailer for the magnificent film by Ilongga Tara Illenberger entitled BRUTUS, also TULAD NG DATI which is about the band The Dawn, and the film which Brillante Mendoza won Best Director in the 62nd Cannes Film Festival; KINATAY [hit the jump to check out the trailers]

Akira Live-Action Film Adaptaion Moves Ahead

For years, Warner Bros.has been trying to develop the popular manga/anime AKIRA for a live-action film adaptation, but time and again, they have failed. But most recently, Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown) was attached to direct with a cast that plans to include Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Helena Bonham Carter, and Ken Watanabe.  Collet-Serra and WB had managed to reduce the budget down to somewhere between $60 million and $70 million. [continue after the jump]

Universal Planning to Continue the Bourne Legacy with Renner

Jeremy Renner will return as Aaron Cross in the sequel to THE BOURNE LEGACY, which is a spinoff of the Bourne series. Universal Pictures is set to make this follow-up movie and hired Sherlock Holmes and Invictus screenwriter Anthony Peckham to write the script. Ever since the end of the third Bourne movie, Universal has been trying to get Matt Damon back to the series (and the spinoff), there were even rumors that both Damon and Renner should both appear (possibly as allies or rivals) in the movie after 'Legacy. But it looks like Damon will not be around for more Bourne, and this new movie is just going to feature Renner as the main character. [continue after the jump]

PUSONG WAZAK wins at the Puchon Filmfest

The Inquirer reports that Filipino filmmaker Khavn de la Cruz’s “Pusong Wazak” won the It Project Award at the Network of Asian Fantastic Film, the project market of the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival held in South Korea recently. De la Cruz relayed the news to the Inquirer. The English title of “Pusong Wazak” is “Ruined Heart! Another Love Story Between a Criminal and a Whore.” The Puchon prize comes with 10 million won (US$8,956).
For more info about the movie, check out their facebook page: www.facebook.com/pusongwazak

source: The Philippine Daily Inquirer

The Real Auntie Terry's Reunion with ILO ILO director Anthony Chen

The Singaporean movie entitled "ILO ILO" was based upon the true-to-life experiences of director Anthony Chen and his family's relationship with a Pinay OFW Nanny from the City of Iloilo, Philippines.

Weeks ago, we reported that the real Auntie Terry, the Pinay OFW who inspired the story of ILO ILO had a reunion with the director of the movie Anthony Chen. Finding Auntie Terry was a story which brought about a flood of media attention and excitement, especially from Iloilo.

The Facebook page of the movie has provided the (translations of the) report of the Singaporean newspaper which had covered the event, which.was a very low-key event with no other media, as requested by Anthony and his family. [hit the jump to read the report]

Sōjirō & Aoshi Roles Been Cast for Rurouni Kenshin Sequel/s

There is much anticipation for the upcoming RUROUNI KENSHIN Sequel "Rurouni Kenshin: The Great Kyoto Fire Arc" The role of the main villain Shishio has already been named (we reported some time ago that it was gonna be Tatsuya Fujiwara), now fans are asking: who will portray the characters Aoshi Shinomori And Sōjirō Seta? Now we have an answer; Ryunosuke Kamiki will play Sōjirō Seta, the right-hand man of the former government assassin Shishio. While Yusuke Iseya will play Aoshi Shinomori, the head of the Oniwabanshū ninja. [hit the jump to continue]

Miramax & Disney reunite to develop ARTEMIS FOWL

The young adult fantasy book series ARTEMIS FOWL is about the adventures of a 12-year-old criminal mastermind who kidnaps a fairy in order to harness its magic to save his family. This book series currently spans eight novels. Miramax has since been trying to develop it into a film ever since the company has acquired rights for the book back in 2001. Now, Miramax has reunited with Disney to bring ARTEMIS FOWL to the big screen, hoping it could spawn a new fantasy movie franchise the way Harry Potter did.
[hit the jump to read the press release from Disney]