The Star Wars Refresher: What has happened before Star Wars: The Force Awakens

The first official teaser-trailer for the new Star Wars movie "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is out now. This upcoming epic sequel is directed by J.J. Abrams, stars Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Mayhew, Anthony Daniels, and Kenny Baker, along with new cast members John Boyega, Andy Serkis, Max Von Sydow, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, and Daisy Ridley, and is set for release December 18, 2015.  with this in mind, perhaps it is time to look back at the original trilogy (and forget that the awful prequels ever existed). Just as a refresher, we've listed some notes about what we know so far, after the events in the last movie "Return of the Jedi" [hit the jump to continue]

Guillermo Del Toro Teases Tiny Details About Pacific Rim 2

It's not really a surprise that Pacific Rim would get a sequel. It is, after all, one of 2013's biggest sci-fi action movies. The visionary director of this monster hit, Guillermo Del Toro will be going in a very different direction with Pacific Rim 2. The sequel picks up a few years after the events of the first. The story will begin in a Kaiju-free world, and this will indeed create a restart scenario when the horror re-emerges. There will be a lot of new Kaiju in Pacific Rim 2, according to Del Toro, and of course, the Jaegers will indeed rise to fight the threat once again. Some favorite characters from the first film, like Geiszler played by Charlie Day and Gottlieb played by Burn Gorman, will return. But others wont re-emerge till at the end of Pacific Rim 2 in an effort to heat things up for a third film. [hit the jump to continue]

Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead director Michelle MacLaren Helms the Wonder Woman Movie

Michelle MacLaren who is well known for directing episodes of “Breaking Bad”, “The Walking Dead” and "Game of Thrones" (probably three of the greatest series that hit TV recently) has been picked to both develop and direct the "Wonder Woman" solo film with Charles Roven and Zack and Deborah Snyder producing. Gal Gadot is already set to play Wonder Woman, who will also be making her first screen appearance in 2016 with "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice". Wonder Woman herself may be expected to make additional appearances in other DC cinematic universe movies, and most especially, a major role in "Justice League Part One" which is expected to hit theaters November 10, 2017. "Wonder Woman" is targeted for a June 23, 2017 release date. [hit the jump to continue]

Schwarzenegger and Stallone's Interaction with Pacquiao Sparks Rumors of the Pinoy Champ Joining The Expendables

The Expendables 4 to be More Violent IF Greenlighted

During last sunday's big fight night between Chris Algieri and the Filipino champion Manny Pacquiao, action superstars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone visited the locker room of Pacquiao to wish him well before his fight. When that happened, the internet along with action movie fans blew up with speculation, giving birth to the rumor that the Pinoy boxing champion was going to be part of "Expendables 4". But, that's not enough reason to bring out that big bag of popcorn. Because despite the fact that various sites have fueled the idea, the whole Pacquiao joining Expendables hype is still just a rumor. [hit the jump to continue]

Oscar Isaac set as titular villain in "X-Men Apocalypse"

The actor to play the villain for the next X-Men movie has now been chosen. Oscar Isaac, who is best known for his role in "Inside Llewyn Davis" will be playing the titular villain for the upcoming "X-Men: Apocalypse". Apocalypse is one of the biggest villains in the X-Men comics universe. His real name is En Sabah Nur, and he is one of the oldest mutants who was considered a god during the time of ancient Egypt. [hit the jump to continue]

Keanu Reeves to star in Tarsem Singh's "The Panopticon"

Visionary filmmaker Tarsem Singh who has been known to direct such visually wild movies such as "The Cell" and "Immortals" is set to film a sci-fi thriller "The Panopticon" and Keanu Reeves is in talks to star in the film. [hit the jump to continue]

"The Stand" will be a Four-Movie Epic

Writer/director Josh Boone (The Fault in our Stars) has announced that his film adaptation of Stephen King's horror classic "The Stand" will now be four movies. [hit the jump to continue]

Attack On Titans Posters Unleashed

Attack On Titan fans have been insanely craving for a film adaptation, and now they're getting it finally. Shinji Higuchi's upcoming live action film adaptation of "Attack On Titan" now have character posters to tease fans with. Toho has finally announced the cast line-up, along with several key art posters of each character in their costumes. [hit the jump to continue]

Mike Nichols Rests at the Age of 83

Very sad news this week in the world of cinema. Legendary director (behind movies like "The Graduate", "The Birdcage", "Closer", among several others) Mike Nichols has died at the age of 83. Several sources report that Nichols died of a cardiac arrest. The writer-director’s work spanned several decades of movies, television, and Broadway. In the mid 1960s, his feature directing debut "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" revolutionized mature themes and highly relevant topics in cinema. His second film "The Graduate" was a film that transitioned Old Hollywood into New Hollywood. And ever since then, his various works had been great thought-provoking masterpieces. His diversity earned him awards in various fields. He won 8 Tony awards, he won Emmys for "Angels in America" and "Wit", and a Best Director Oscar for "The Graduate". Nichols and fellow University of Chicago student Elaine May became skilled improvisers and the duo’s act eventually resulted in three best-selling comedy albums, one of which won a Grammy.  Although his filmography ended with 2007′s Charlie Wilson’s War, he continued to direct for the stage, and his recent productions included 2012′s Death of a Salesman starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Andrew Garfield, and Betrayal starring Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz. He is survived by his wife, ABC News Anchor Diane Sawyer, as well as three children and four grandchildren. The legendary Mike Nichols will live with us through his various masterpieces forever.

The Israeli Film Festival at the FDCP Cinematheque this week

This week, the FDCP Cinematheque presents the 2014 Israeli Film Festival. This will run from November 18, 2014 till November 21, 2014 at the Cinematheque Iloilo, all screenings scheduled at 3:30 PM. And it is free of charge. The FDCP Cinematheque is located at the B&C Square Bldg., Solis St., Iloilo City (near BPI Iznart, East West Bank Iznart, and Landbank Iznart). [hit the jump to continue]

Guy Ritchie Developing a King Arthur Film Epic

Guy Ritchie, director of "Snatch", "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels", and the recent Robert Downey Jr. "Sherlock Holmes" movies, was looking to direct his own long-range epic series with a new version of the King Arthur tale at Warner Bros., envisioned as a tentpole fantasy epic that would ambitiously span six feature films.  There’s no telling if the franchise will indeed stretch to six films, but Warner Bros. has announced a July 22, 2016 release date for the first step, the Ritchie-helmed King Arthur. [hit the jump to continue]

UNCHARTED hires "Horrible Bosses" director and "The Hurtlocker" writer

The upcoming film adaptation for the video game "Uncharted" looks like its getting a top-caliber writer to pen its screenplay. Oscar-winning screenwriter Mark Boal (The Hurt Locker) is being brought in to work on the screenplay. Seth Gordon, who directed "The King of Kong" and "Horrible Bosses", is set to helm this adaptation. "Uncharted" is targeting a June 10, 2016 release date. [hit the jump to continue]

Doctor Doom backstory for Upcoming Fantastic Four Movie Revealed

With what we know now, the new film's
Doctor Doom may not even look like this

As many of you already know, 20th Century Fox's Fantastic Four movie will not be based on a single issue of the Fantastic Four comic books. And in addition to that is the recent revelation about the movie's villain, Doctor Doom. In a recent interview, Toby Kebbell who plays Doom in this upcoming Fantastic Four movie have revealed the backstory of this character.

Here's what Kebbell stated...
"He’s Victor Domashev, not Victor Von Doom in our story.  And I’m sure I’ll be sent to jail for telling you that.  The Doom in ours—I’m a programmer.  Very anti-social programmer.  And on blogging sites I’m “Doom”. [hit the jump to continue]

Spanish Film Festival at the FDCP Cinematheque this week

This week, the FDCP Cinematheque presents the 2014 Spanish Film Festival. This will run from November 12, 2014 till November 16, 2014 at the Cinematheque Iloilo, and it is free of charge. The FDCP Cinematheque is located at the B&C Square Bldg., Solis St., Iloilo City (near BPI Iznart, East West Bank Iznart, and Landbank Iznart). [hit the jump to continue]

Margot Robbie is Harley Quinn for WB and DC's SUICIDE SQUAD; Jared Leto eyed to be The Joker

Warner Bros and DC are gradually developing their own DC Cinematic Universe with their line-up of superhero-related films coming soon. Among them is "Suicide Squad" which will be directed by David Ayer (Fury, Street Kings, End of Watch). Will Smith, Tom Hardy, and Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) were in negotiations for roles in the movie. But now, we have received confirmation that Margot Robbie is in the movie and will be playing the Batman villainess and Suicide Squad member, Harley Quinn. In addition, we also have word that Jared Leto is being courted to play The Joker. [hit the jump to continue]

THE HATEFUL EIGHT Synopsis Revealed; Channing Tatum and Demian Bichir Officially Join Cast

After "Django Unchained" many of us already know that Quentin Tarantino is not done with making movies with gunslinging cowboys yet, as he readies his next Western; "The Hateful Eight" which will start production in January. The cast will include Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen, and Bruce Dern. And now, reports have confirmed that Channing Tatum and Demian Bichir (A Better Life) has joined the cast. The Weinstein Company has now released the official synopsis for "The Hateful Eight" [hit the jump to continue]

Warcraft Teaser Posters Unveiled; UPDATE: Characters Revealed!

Universal Pictures has released the first two Warcraft movie posters for director Duncan Jones’ (Moon) upcoming adaptation of the incredibly popular video game World of Warcraft.  The two teaser posters were unveiled at the recent WoW convention BlizzCon, and they tease the two major factions of the Warcraft world. [UPDATE: The characters for the movie have been revealed! Hit the jump, after the posters!]

STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS is the official title of Episode VII

Just days ago, we reported that principal photography for the latest Star Wars movie has wrapped. Now, Lucasfilm has revealed the official Star Wars: Episode VII title, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" and of course, the title makes sense, considering that this will be a return from the supposed-happy ending that "Return of the Jedi" (Episode VI) had. We have yet to get an official synopsis for this upcoming epic.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is due in theaters on December 18, 2015 and stars John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Harrison Ford, Adam Driver, Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Lupita Nyong’o, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Gwendoline Christie and more.

Matt Damon set to work with Alexander Payne in DOWNSIZING

Matt Damon's filmography has long been very impressive, having worked with directors such as Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Paul Greengrass, Anthony Minghella, Steven Soderbergh, Terry Gilliam, and The Coen Brothers

Damon is now set to work with director Alexander Payne who helmed the award-winning "Nebraska".  Payne's new film is entitled "Downsizing" which is described as a social satire and revolves around a guy who “realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself.”  Payne co-wrote the film with his Sideways co-writer Jim Taylor.

Further plot details for the film are unknown for now, the "shrink himself" part is unclear if it means something that's a figure of speech, or something that will literally be having sci-fi elements. What is clear, though, is that the film is a “social satire” so it would not be too far off from his previous films "Nebraska" and "The Descendants", but may be closer to his other movie "Election". [hit the jump to continue]

Star Wars Episode VII Just Finished Filming

After months since it principal photography in May, production on STAR WARS Episode VII, which is set to debut in theaters on December 18, 2015, has recently officially wrapped. The cast and crew recently finished their final days of shooting at England's Pinewood Studios. The end of photography was marked by a warm thank you card signed by director J.J. Abrams as well as producers Kathleen Kennedy and Bryan Burke, which James Rose tweeted a pic of alongside a crew hat. [hit the jump to continue]

Gambit will be penned by Robocop Scribe Josh Zetumer

20th Century Fox is officially moving forward with the Gambit movie.  Months ago, reports came in that Fox was developing an X-Men spinoff featuring the card-wielding mutant with Channing Tatum set to star, and now Fox has hired screenwriter Josh Zetumer to get to work on a script while Tatum is indeed officially attached to lead the feature.  But earlier, Marvel Comics writer Chris Claremont apparently wrote the treatment for the Gambit movie, which will form the basis of the screenplay. 

According to several sources, Fox has set screenwriter Josh Zetumer to pen the Gambit movie script based off of Claremont’s treatment.  Zetumer only has one produced feature under his belt, this year’s RoboCop remake, but apparently Fox thinks he’s the right man to tackle Gambit.  The storyline for the film is being kept under wraps, but the Gambit character has been a fan-favorite for sometime.  A native of New Orleans, Gambit aka Remy LeBeau has the power to control and manipulate kinetic energy, with a propensity for card throwing. [hit the jump to continue]

At the Cinematheque this Week: "Illustrated By" and "Ang Mga Aswang"

It's an incredibly and amazingly interesting week at the FDCP Cinematheque, as it shows two features that are a must-see for you and me. First is the documentary "Illustrated By: Filipino Invasion of US Comics" which is pretty self explanatory by its title; and then there's the Ilonggo full-length film "Ang Mga Aswang" by JR Macahilas. Admission is only at P100. The FDCP Cinematheque is located at the B&C Square Bldg., Solis St., Iloilo City (near BPI Iznart). [hit the jump to continue]

Cinekasimanwa 2 Facbook Site launched and Extension of Entry Deadline

We are at the doorsteps of November and December is getting really close now; The second Cinekasimanwa: The Western Visayas Film Festival is fast approaching. We dropped by last weekend at the FDCP Cinematheque office and found out that there have already been a number of entry films that have been submitted for the festival.

This week, the official facebook site of Cinekasimanwa 2, along with its beautiful new festival posters were launched. The new facebook site [www.facebook.com/cinekasimanwa2014] has also announced the extended deadline for entries, now set on or before November 25, 2014. The festival itself will be held on December 8 to 14, 2014. The event will have three venues at the same time; it will be at the SM City Cinemas, the FDCP Cinematheque, and the UPV Cinematheque; same as last year. [hit the jump to continue]