MAN OF STEEL review

'Epic' is easily a term that best describes the movie. A storyline that starts in incredible chaos, boils in emotional character development laced with a script very rich in heart and thought, and follows the journey of a protagonist that embraces the ideals of being a savior.

The storyline is more rounded, and makes perfect sense. Everything that felt so ridiculous before in the Superman mythos, now made sense; from his superhero costume, to the reason why Superman's weakness can be caused by Kryptonite is even addressed. It feels like all the characters are properly fleshed out. The villain has a reasonable motivation, and the back characters have their own opinions to share, that all made sense. Click Here to READ THE FULL ARTICLE

"Kiki's Delivery Service" currently being made into a live-action movie

Hayao Miyazaki is one of the most popular icons (perhaps even greater than Walt Disney) in the world of animation and animated cinema. In some aspects, he can be considered as a god when it comes to animated cinema. One of his timeless cinematic gems "Kiki's Delivery Service" has now been adapted into a live-action movie. Director Shimizu Takashi who is known for directing Ju-On and The Grudge (Hollywood version/remake of Ju-on) will be taking time away from his horror roots into the more light, fun and fantastical world of Kiki's Delivery Service. The movie is currently in active production, and is set for a 2014 release. [more details, such as a production still, after the jump]

Superman's 7 Best Onscreen Adaptations

SUPERMAN'S 7 BEST ONSCREEN ADAPTATIONS
by Reymundo Salao

MAN OF STEEL opens today, and I cant help but talk about the legacy of the Superman movies and enumerate his finest onscreen moments. SUPERMAN has had various iterations onscreen (on TV and Movies); from the serials and TV series of the 1940s, 1950s, to the cartoon series of the 1960s, 1970s, to the Christopher Reeve Superman movies of the 1980s, to the TV series Lois & Clark in the 90's and till the present, with the reboot and relaunch of Superman via director Zack Snyder and producer supervisor Christopher Nolan. Most of them were popular iterations. But, dare I say; only a handful of them stand out as decent adaptations of who or what Superman is. Let me share with you what is THE BEST of Superman (And I'm sorry, because for me, the Christopher Reeve Superman movies are weak, and are excluded from this list). These are the finest iterations of Superman onscreen...[read the rest of the article after the jump]

Snyder, Goyer, Cavill, and Warner Brothers already setting their sights on Man of Steel sequel

MAN OF STEEL has been gathering strong positive buzz, what with the convincing trailers heating up hype, and the overall consensus of critics and audiences who got to screen the movie ahead of its scheduled release. MAN OF STEEL promises critical and box-office gold. So much so that Warner Brothers is greenlighting the sequel to this new Superman franchise with the same team; writer/director team of David S. Goyer and Snyder will return as the creative team behind the sequel. Not only that, WB is also positive about getting onboard with the idea of Justice League movie this time. [full article after the jump]

THE RAID 2 is in production and is now filming

THE RAID was one of the surprise hits of 2012 and has instantly kicked its way into action cinema history as one of the best action flicks ever made, not to mention, elevated the reputation of Indonesian cinema. Soon after the movie was exported to international cinemas and to Hollywood, its producers and director Gareth Evans had announced that a sequel will be made. And indeed production and filming has already begun.[read the rest of the article after the jump]

The Little Prince set to be an Animated Movie

The Little Prince, the classic French novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, is set to be made into an animated movie. Mark Osborne, who directed Kung Fu Panda, is helming the project, which is being produced by Onyx Films’ Aton Soumache (who also produced the stylish 2006 animated film Renaissance0 and Dimitri Rassam. James Franco, Rachel McAdams, Jeff Bridges, Marion Cotillard, Benicio Del Toro, and Paul Giamatti have all signed on to lend their voices to the movie. Production and target release dates are yet to be announced. [read more about The Little Prince after the jump]

FDCP launches Scriptwriting Contest for Genre Films

Calling all Philippine scriptwriters! The Film Development Council of the Philippines has now laid the groundwork for Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival for June 2014. The festival will focus on ‘genre’ filmmaking with 12 entries exploring the possibilities of an entire spectrum of cinematic types with vast domestic and global appeal. The genres included are confined to: action, comedy, fantasy, horror, thriller, futuristic and a hybrid of any two or three.

For the purpose of the festival, the limelight centers on all writers as a nationwide scriptwriting contest is hereby launched. A call for entries is made effective immediately, with winners to be announced on December 2013. [read the rest of the article after the jump]

Alejandro González Iñárritu's BIRDMAN is now filming

If you thought this new movie entitled BIRDMAN that stars Michael Keaton, is a superhero action movie, then think again. Alejandro González Iñárritu is the director of this black comedy that stars Michael Keaton who plays an actor - famous for portraying an iconic superhero – as he struggles to mount a Broadway play. In the days leading up to opening night, he battles his ego and attempts to recover his family, his career, and himself. The play in the film is an adaptation of Raymond Carver's What We Talk About When We Talk About Love. This is kind of an interesting new route for Keaton, who is well-known as the actor behind Batman during Tim Burton's run on the franchise. If you're not much of a Keaton fan, then check out the rest of the cast that includes Emma Stone, Edward Norton, Zack Galifinakis, and Naomi Watts! Director Alejandro González Iñárritu himself is no small fry as he is notably known to have won the Prix de la mise en scene or best director award at Cannes (2006), the second one being Carlos Reygadas in 2012. His four feature films Amores perros (2000), 21 Grams (2003), Babel (2006) and Biutiful (2010) have gained critical acclaim worldwide including 12 Academy Award nominations. [read more about this after the jump]

Will ATTACK ON TITANS finally get a live-action movie adaptation?

'Shingeki no Kyojin' (Attack on Titans) is an anime series, based on a popular manga, that just begun airing in Japan April this year, yet it has already gathered a large fandom, not only in Japan, but here in the Philippines as well. Before the manga was adapted into anime, there had already been talks of a live-action movie; something that its large fanbase will surely go crazy over. This poster has been spreading around the internet and has generated so many rumors filled with excitement. Is this indeed the poster for the live-action movie adaptation of Attack on Titans? Unfortunately, no. It's a hoax. [details after the jump]

"Bwakaw" and "Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay" to be screened at the Taipei Film Festival

Never minding the current tension between the two countries, Taipei will be screening two Filipino movies in their Taipei Film Festival in Taiwan from June 28 to July 2. The two movies which will be featured will be Jun Robles Lana’s “Bwakaw” which is included in the Window on Asian Cinema section, while Antoinette Jadaone’s “Six Degrees of Separation from Lilia Cuntapay” is featured in the Viva La Cinema program. [Details, Synopses, and Screening Schedules after the jump]

FABLES set for a Film Adaptation

One of the best comic books, and one of the most highly-praised comics series (and winner of 14 Eisner Awards), to come out of DC's Vertigo is FABLES. The series deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore – referring to themselves as "Fables" – who have been forced out of their Homelands by "The Adversary" who has conquered the realm. The Fables have traveled to our world and formed a clandestine community in New York City known as Fabletown. Fables who are unable to blend in with human society (such as monsters and anthropomorphic animals) live at "the Farm" in upstate New York. Now, FABLES is set to be adapted into a film. [read the rest of the article after the jump]

Sam Mendes back to direct Bond 24, Penelope Cruz marked as the next Bond Girl

The 23rd James Bond movie SKYFALL was such a success in the box office and among critics and fans as well, that many of us were disappointed when we heard that director Sam Mendes would not be back to do Bond 24. Initially, Mendes had earlier stated that he would be busy with his career in theater (stage productions of Charlie and the Chocolate Factor and King Lear). And for a while, we had been hearing news about some possible director choices being eyed by EON Productions and Sony for the job; such as Christopher Nolan, among several other names. But recent developments has brought back Sam Mandes to the negotiating table. And we may get to see that Mendes-helmed follow up with Bond 24, and possibly Bond 25 as well. Buzz on this upcoming project is fast gathering steam, as Penelope Cruz has already been marked to be the next Bond girl. [details after the jump]

Blade Runner Sequel Script undergoing Rewrites

BLADE RUNNER is widely regarded as one of the best, and one of the most important movies in sci-fi history. This 1982 futuristic sci-fi movie starred Harrison Ford and directed by Ridley Scott. It has been years since producers have been trying to develop a sequel for this timeless classic. Now, Alcon Entertainment is in negotiations with writer Michael Green to pen the Blade Runner sequel rewrite for director Ridley Scott. [details after the jump]

Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, Nicolas Cage, and Milla Jovovich join The Expendables

It seems like the goal of The Expendables movies is to put together a dream-team action cast, and then figure out the plot.  Audiences have been pleased with the line-ups of the past films, and producer/star Sylvester Stallone is hoping to keep fans happy.  We previously reported that Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, and Nicolas Cage were all circling The Expendables 3, and now it looks like Stallone has got them.  According to Deadline, the three actors are in “advanced negotiations” to join the film, and Milla Jovovich is also in talks to fight in the boys’ club.  Jovovich could be a fun addition to the mix, and the series has definitely run short on female firepower.  Audiences love her in the Resident Evil franchise, and I don’t think they’ll have any problem seeing her kicking ass alongside Stallone, Statham, et al.
[source: Collider]

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5 will be directed by KON-TIKI's Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg

A Fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie is set to be made, and Disney has finally chosen a director for this sequel. Pirates 5 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. [read the full article after the jump]