DUE DATE character posters

Warner Bros. releases the character posters of its upcoming blockbuster comedy “Due Date” starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis as two unlikely companions who are thrown together on a road trip that turns out to be as life-changing as it is outrageous.

The individual posters feature Downey as Peter, Galifianakis as Ethan, the Dog and curiously...the Can (that contains the ashes of Ethan's father).

In the film, Downey plays Peter Highman, an expectant first-time father whose wife’s due date is a mere five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at her side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when a chance encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan—on what turns out to be a cross-country road trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, numerous friendships and Peter’s last nerve.

Directed by Todd Phillips (“The Hangover”), “Due Date” also stars Michelle Monaghan (“Made of Honor”), Oscar® nominee Juliette Lewis (“Cape Fear,” “Whip It”) and Academy Award® winner Jamie Foxx (“Ray”).

Opening soon across the Philippines, “Due Date” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Want to receive more stuff from me? Enter your email address and click the button:

Read More

tracking the origins of Facebook in THE SOCIAL NETWORK

Columbia Pictures brings to the screen The Social Network, the controversial and acclaimed film detailing the Harvard dorm room origins of social media megasite Facebook -- the most revolutionary social phenomenon of the new century -- which is valued today at a staggering $16 billion.

On a fall night in 2003, Harvard undergrad and computer programming genius Mark Zuckerberg sits down at his computer and heatedly begins working on a new idea. In a fury of blogging and programming, what begins in his dorm room soon becomes a global social network and a revolution in communication. A mere six years and 500 million friends later, Zuckerberg is the youngest billionaire in history. But for this entrepreneur, success leads to both personal and legal complications.

What follows is a drama rife with both creation and destruction; one that purposefully avoids a singular POV, but instead, by tracking dueling narratives, mirrors the clashing truths and constantly morphing social relationships that define our time.

Drawn from multiple sources, the film moves from the halls of Harvard to the cubicles of Palo Alto as it captures the visceral thrill of the heady early days of a culture-changing phenomenon in the making -- and the way it both pulled a group of young revolutionaries together and then split them apart.

In the midst of the chaos are Mark Zuckerberg, the brilliant Harvard student who conceived a website that seemed to redefine our social fabric overnight; Eduardo Saverin, once Zuckerberg’s close friend, who provided the seed money for the fledgling company; Napster founder Sean Parker who brought Facebook to Silicon Valley’s venture capitalists; and the Winklevoss twins, the Harvard classmates who asserted that Zuckerberg stole their idea and then sued him for ownership of it.

Each has his own narrative, his own version of the Facebook story – but they add up to more than the sum of their parts in what becomes a multi-level portrait of 21st Century success – both the youthful fantasy of it and its finite realities as well.

Directed by the Oscar-nominated David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), The Social Network stars Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland) as Zuckerberg, Justin Timberlake (Shrek The Third) as Sean Parker, who became Facebook's founding president; and Andrew Garfield (Lions for Lambs, Spider-Man 2012) as Eduardo Saverin, the Facebook co-founder who fell out with Zuckerberg over money.

The film is written by Aaron Sorkin (A Few Good Men) based on the novel The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook -- A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius, and Betrayal by Ben Mezrich.

Opening soon across the Philippines, The Social Network is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Want to receive more stuff from me? Enter your email address and click the button:

Read More

RYAN KWANTEN joins the PURE ONES

Popularly known as the amorous Jason Stockhouse in the HBO original hit series True Blood, Ryan Kwanten now provides the voice of wayward owl, Kludd, in Warner Bros.’ fantasy adventure in 3D, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole.

The film follows Soren (voice of Jim Sturgess), a young owl enthralled by his father’s epic stories of the Guardians of Ga’ Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father’s favor from his younger sibling. But Kludd’s jealousy has terrible consequences—causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones.

Emerging as a rival sibling, Kludd envies Soren’s natural talent for flight and finds his enthusiasm for their dad’s tales of the Guardians tiresome. “When Kludd is taken by the Pure Ones, he quickly becomes enamored by the idea that he can be a great soldier for them, that he can be the more important brother now,” producer Deborah Snyder says. “He embraces their ways because he likes the attention, which starts him on this dark path. But Soren still wants to believe in Kludd’s salvation, that he can bring Kludd back around.”

“Kludd is sort of a tortured individual,” Kwanten comments. “He’s the oldest sibling, but he doesn’t have the natural abilities of his younger brother; he feels like he’s not living up to expectations. When he’s approached by the Pure Ones’ queen, Nyra, who praises him just for being a tyto owl, he’s vulnerable and easily manipulated into joining their efforts.”

Ryan Kwanten can currently be seen starring in the acclaimed series True Blood, based on the books by Sookie Stackhouse, for which he received a Screen Actors Guild Award® nomination for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.

He spent his hiatus from the popular Golden Globe-nominated show working on feature films, playing a police officer in the modern-day revenge western Red Hill, which debuted at this year’s Berlin Film Festival to rave reviews, and crafting the title role of secret agent and part-time superhero Griff the Invisible. He is currently in production on the film The Knights of Badassdom, alongside Steve Zahn. His other film credits include Don’t Fade Away; the title role in American Brown, which received the Audience Award for Best Film at the Montreal Film Festival; Liquid Bridge, nominated for Best Picture at the Australian Film Festival; and James Wan’s Dead Silence.

Kwanten appeared in numerous films and television shows while earning his business degree at Sydney University , gaining international notoriety when he joined the cast of his native homeland’s long-running popular Australian series Home and Away. Among his other credits are the critically acclaimed series “Summerland” and the ESPN original movie The Junction Boys.

An accomplished athlete, Kwanten qualified for the world Biathlon in Sweden in 2006 and Italy in 2007 after winning the Los Angeles Biathlon series two years running.

Opening across the Philippines on Friday, Sept. 24 in IMAX 3D, Digital 3D and regular format, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Want to receive more stuff from me? Enter your email address and click the button:

Read More

LEGEND OF THE GUARDIANS movie review

the story of The Legend of the Guardians talks about how Soren became a hero and one of the Guardians of the sacred tree in Ga'Hoole. based on Kathryn Lasky book, we follow the epic journey of Soren.

dreamer as he be, his brother Kludd resists this and gets into practicality and being realistic. one day as they were practicing to fly, they fell on the ground and ended up kidnapped by the Pure Ones. then they knew that the legends are true and the Pure Ones have something planned to destroy the Guardians.

Kludd, jealous of his brother who is a positive-dreamer, joined the Pure Ones and even kidnapped their own sister to be with the Pure Ones. kidnapped owlets gets "moonblinked" and before they knew it, they are following the orders of the evil owls to take over the whole owl kingdom. and that's what Soren's mission is - to save the innocent from the dark plans of the Pure Ones.

the road might not be easy for Soren to get to the sacred tree of Ga'Hoole. however, he found new friends that helped him to rescue his brother and the other owlets. this epic journey may not be too successful for Soren to save Kludd but he is able to stop the plans of the Pure Ones.

this story inspires all those who will watch it to bring an open-mind, believe in dreams and to have a strong will for sacrifice. this also opens the curios mind of why owls get moonblinked and the variety of owls in the cast.

CGI is well-crafted and best to see in 3D for effects. kids and adults will love the cute owlets and will be able to tell the differences in the different species of owls. a good scientific and literary piece for the whole family.

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole takes flight in cinemas starting September 24. distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, a Warner Bros Entertainment company.

Want to receive more stuff from me? Enter your email address and click the button:

Read More

BLAKE LIVELY in THE TOWN

From playing the socialite Serena in the hit series Gossip Girl, Blake Lively does a turnaround as she portrays the blue-collar working girl Krista, in Warner Bros.’ new U.S. No. 1 hit thriller The Town.

Indeed, Lively is interested in lives that are worlds apart from hers. "I love this character because of the challenge," she says. "She was written to be a 37-year-old, OxyContin-addicted, drug-muling mother from Boston. It was a character that they didn't want to read me for because I was 21 and had been acting for a few years but hadn't proven myself much."

In the film, Krista is the ex-childhood sweetheart of Ben Affleck’s character, Doug -- the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who wants to leave town and turn a new leaf. “All Krista wants is for Doug to love her and take her away from there,” Lively says. “She’s grown up around these tough guys who are doing everything wrong, but they were her only role models. Now she’s a single mom who does what she has to do to get by.”

Lively adds that Krista’s mix of street smarts and fragility was what drew her to the role. “She has layers of darkness and vulnerability and toughness and desperation. Krista could easily appear to be not very redeemable, but I was chomping at the bit to play her because I knew she could be portrayed in a way that made her a sympathetic character, and you could understand her behavior.”

Producer Basil Iwanyk says, “Blake brought a perfect combination of pathos, sexiness, sadness and aggression to Krista.”

“When I met Blake,” Affleck recalls, “I said, ‘Here’s something you don’t hear much in Hollywood: we’re really looking for someone older and less attractive,’” smiles the actor who also directs the film. “But she was incredible. She spent time with people in Charlestown and really invested herself in understanding the character and the depths to which Krista goes to survive.”

“In many ways, Krista is her own worst enemy,” Lively confirms. “And she’s pretty good at dragging Doug down, too, without realizing that’s what she’s doing. When another woman comes into the picture, Krista isn’t even aware of her, but she feels Doug pulling away and she’s fighting against the waves so hard.”

Blake Lively also spent time in Charlestown, picking up both the accent and the attitude of the Townie women. Contrary to the popular stereotype, it’s not just about dropping your Rs. “It’s fairly nuanced, so the accent can be pretty hard to get,” Affleck says. Nevertheless, he recommended that his cast to do more listening than learning, so to speak.

“I spent some time hanging out with them,” Lively relates, “but instead of asking questions or trying to imitate their accent, I ended up just being silent and taking it in. I realized that if I was talking, I wouldn’t be listening. I also watched how they connect with one another and how their speech changes, depending on who they’re talking to. It was interesting to watch how some of them balanced their sexuality with being tough, like, ‘Don’t mess with me.’”

Lively will next be seen in the much-anticipated action adventure Green Lantern, in which she stars opposite Ryan Reynolds under the direction of Martin Campbell. The film is slated to open in June 2011.

Opening across the Philippines on Oct. 6, The Town is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Want to receive more stuff from me? Enter your email address and click the button:

Read More

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

Theater Down South brings an award-winning musical made by Stephen Sondheim entitled A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. this is inspired by the collection of Roman playwright Plautus entitled Forum, it has garnered around 8 Tony Awards, an Academy Award, a Pulitzer Prize and several Grammy Awards.

this musical started in 1962 and still enjoying the stage with 2 revivals to date. and Theater Down South made sure that it plays on the 80th birthday of Stephen Sondheim to praise his beautiful work.

the show is directed by veteran stage actor Michael Williams (who is also the company’s Artistic Director) and will be running at the Insular Life Theater, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang on October 2, 3, 8, 9, 24 and 30. Tickets will be available beginning August 1 at all Ticketworld outlets and from www.ticketworld.com.ph.

here's an excerpt from the Broadway version entitled, Everybody Ought to have a Maid:

Want to receive more stuff from me? Enter your email address and click the button:

Read More

JOSH DUHAMEL is an accidental dad in LIFE AS WE KNOW IT

Josh Duhamel (When in Rome) reinforces him romantic hero status in Warner Bros.’ new comedic love story, Life as We Know It.

Everyone has a different plan for their perfect life. For Eric Messer (Duhamel), it’s moving up from being a broadcast technician to a full-fledged director in national sports television. But life as we plan it is seldom life as we live it. Such is the case when Holly’s (Katherine Heigl) and Messer’s plans are put on hold by the sudden and tragic death of their mutual best friends. Holly and Messer have always tolerated, rather than enjoyed, each other’s company, but now they find themselves co-guardians to baby girl, Sophie.

Duhamel says, “They both love this little girl, and they both feel obligated to at least try to do what their friends wanted…even though they’re both going in completely different directions in their own lives, and they really don’t like each other.” Backed into a corner, Holly and Messer will have to make it work…somehow.

“I thought this script was special,” explains the actor. “The story was very funny, but also tragic and sad at the same time. In my opinion, those are the best movies. I think that every man who is making that transition from singlehood to fatherhood will be able to relate to this movie.”

Messer is on a track to move up in his career, before things get derailed. “He’s basically the guy that pushes the button, but he’s waiting for his shot to finally direct, which, not to be cliché, is what he’s always wanted to do,” Duhamel continues. “When he does get his chance and things don’t go quite as planned, he blames Holly and that adds to the tension between them.”

Co-star and producer Heigl was key in getting Duhamel on board as Messer. The friends had been hoping to work together for some time when Life As We Know It came their way. “I thought he’d be perfect for Messer—even though Messer is a bit of a scruffy, baseball cap-t-shirt-and-jeans kind of guy and Josh is really polished. I just knew he should play this role.”

Duhamel spent a lot of time discussing the character with his director, Greg Berlanti. “Greg and I felt it would be easy to fall into the trap of just playing him as a charming womanizer who needs to learn about love, but we wanted him to be a lot more than that. We both felt that it was okay if he was unapologetic or says or does things that the audience may not like right away. Face it, guys can be like that.”

“Josh Duhamel is too good-looking, has too much hair, is too tall, too nice, too charming, too good at what he does,” producer Paul Brooks deadpans. “Seriously, though, he was a bit of a revelation. Great instincts, great timing. And I think the chemistry between him and Katie was just brilliant.”

Berlanti couldn’t agree more. “Josh is one of those guys’ guys who men would want to hang out with and women love, which is exactly what we needed him to be in this role.”

Opening soon across the Philippines, Life As We Know It is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Want to receive more stuff from me? Enter your email address and click the button:

Read More