Manny: The Movie To Premiere at SXSW Film Festival in Texas

The South by Southwest Film Festival and Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas recently announced that it will host the premiere of the Hollywood-produced “MANNY: THE MOVIE.”

The festival which runs from March 7 to 15 will mark the global debut of the highly anticipated documentary movie of the celebrated Filipino sports icon.

Narrated by Academy Award nominee Liam Neeson, “MANNY” chronicles the untold story of Manny Pacquiao-- from his impoverished childhood years in war-torn Mindanao, his struggle to survive in Manila by working in construction sites and warehouses after running away from home at the age of 14-- to his dramatic rise as a ten-time boxing world champion.

Peter Berg Turns Lone Survivor Book Into Searing Film

When retired Petty Officer First Class Marcus Luttrell and Patrick Robinson’s book Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 was published in 2007, it quickly rose to the top of The New York Times nonfiction best-seller list.

This true story of duty and honor in the face of extreme adversity and the heroic deeds of fallen comrades caught filmmaker Peter Berg’s attention when his production partner, Film 44’s Sarah Aubrey, gave him a copy of the book and insisted that he read it. Although in production on his then-upcoming blockbuster “Hancock,” Berg began to flip through it during a lunch break. After a few minutes, he was transfixed, locking the door to his trailer and reading the book cover to cover. Determined to win the rights and adapt “Lone Survivor” into a film, Berg became a man obsessed.

Berg offers: “When I first read Marcus’ book, what got me the most was the dilemma that these men faced: being compromised by three goat farmers and knowing that if they let them go, there was a very good chance they were going to get into a dangerous gunfight with a lot of guys.”

Inevitably, the SEALs’ journey struck the themes that the director has returned to over and over again in his projects. Says the writer/director: “This story is about working together for something bigger than our ego, bigger than our individuality. It’s about coming together as a group—protecting each other, loving each other, looking out for each other—and finding a greater strength as a team than you could ever find as an individual. Marcus wrote a book that, as much as it’s about 19 people being killed on a tragic day in Afghanistan, is about brotherhood, sacrifice and team commitment.”

Berg and Aubrey reached out to Luttrell to discuss the possibility of adapting the SEALs’ story into a film. Luttrell appreciated the filmmaker’s military-like attention to detail and guerilla-style of filmmaking and insisted to Berg that he would only grant him rights to the story if Berg truly respected and honored his brothers’ sacrifice. Indeed, Luttrell hoped that audiences around the world would begin to understand the decisions made on that mountain. After a bonding experience over many beers, and a not-so-thinly-veiled threat that Berg would have to answer to more than 1,000 SEALs if the director messed up the interpretation, Luttrell was on board.

The former SEAL discusses why he chose Berg: “There were so many directors and studios that came in and wanted to make the movie, and I interviewed with all of them. But when I saw Pete and talked to him, he’s the one that I got that certain feeling about. He was the one I thought could get it done.” Luttrell was impressed by the filmmaker’s dedication. “Pete went above and beyond. He’s done all his homework, studied it for years to get this right, and it paid off. You can tell somebody who puts the work in and you can tell somebody who didn’t. He did, and I love him for it. He’s a good man, and it’s a privilege to have him in my life.”

While Luttrell’s book is a chronicle of many events, including his 1999 enlistment and training prior to his mission in 2005, Berg realized that the screen adaptation would need to concentrate on the more dramatic tale that unfolded once Luttrell was deployed to Afghanistan. His focus for the screenplay became the unbreakable camaraderie of the team members, their valor under fire and the tragic turn that forever changed the life of sniper, hospital corpsman and SEAL Luttrell.

While Berg knew that there would be significant pressure to get their story just right, he couldn’t anticipate the depths to which he would become emotionally involved in the lives of these elite warriors and their relatives. He pauses: “There was pressure from the families, the SEAL community, and then Marcus—whether I liked it or not—announced that he was moving into my house for a month. He was going to make sure I understood what happened on that mountain.”

Just as they were about to cast the film and begin production, Berg was given more pressure than he had expected. Luttrell recalls: “I felt so sorry for Pete because he got it so bad from every team guy, from every widow. We just kept saying, ‘Don’t mess this up.’ But I think that’s also something that fueled him. That’s why the movie is great and why people are responding to it so strongly, because he put 110 percent into it…probably because he knew his life was on the line.”

Opening across the Philippines on Jan. 8, 2014, “Lone Survivor” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International.

A Bluer Optimus Prime Spotted for Transformers Age of Extinction

The first that popped in my head when I saw this 'first peek' photo of Optimus Prime for Transformers 4 aka Transformers: Age of Extinction was the song 'Bluer than Blue". 

So yeah, EMPIRE spills the beans on what's currently available regarding Michael Bay's new movie. But what really struck me here is the complete overhaul they've given for Optimus Prime. Its still too early to make assertions on the look but to say the least it looks 'different'. 

Here's the entirety of the photo:

Mark Wahlberg leads the new cast (including Nicola Peltz)  on a new adventure which will go from Detroit all the way to Hong Kong and even Cybertron. And it looks like that sword that Optimus is clutching is definitely the Star Saber. 

Credit: Superherohype 

2 Guns Movie Review

2 Guns - It's everything you really want from an action movie, maybe even more without having to go down the Michael Bay path.

2 Guns opens in a very non-linear story and it's a beautiful movie filled with beautiful people, badassery, explosions and double crosses. It's a perfect movie if you're simply looking to simmer down from all the emo-filled chick flicks that are coming out lately.

The film stars Denzel Washington as Bobby and Mark Wahlberg as Stig, two unlikely partners each carrying their own secrets. After pulling a heist things go awry and before they (and we) know it, we're running up and down the Mexican border looking for a billions of dollars worth of dirty money.

With recent turn of events, this movie might be considered as your gateway to everything that director Baltasar Kormákur has done. And why is this important you ask? Well, you see, Kormakur's name is being linked to a Hollywood adaptation of the recent Erik Matti hit "On The Job". This and "Contraband" anyway.

I like the movie for a couple of reasons. One is that it's one huge cat-and-mouse game with multiple double crosses and stuff. You can't trust anybody in the movie except maybe for Washington's character who, despite having a role that's as untrustworthy as a drug junkie in a stranger's sari-sari store, and that's actually saying a lot. 

Surprisingly there were a couple of Laugh-out-loud moments in "2 Guns". One of the best being Wahlberg's line about a certain baddie looking like a "Mexican Einstein". Again the laughs are hard to come by but when they do, you'll laugh. 

I love the posturing here and the literal Mexican standoff. You may not want to believe that somebody can be as accurate with a lowly pistol but 2 Guns suspends that belief. I mean c'mon, you seriously can't believe that a .45 caliber gun can take out an attack chopper that's flying in at a low level. That's physically impossible. And yet they do that and more. 

Other notables in the film are James Marsden and Paula Patton. Eye candy material, some tend to think that Mrs. Blurred Lines mammary glands were the real '2 Guns'. And after seeing that scene I'm inclined to say yes! 

Oh and Bill Paxton as Earl (?!) is also a welcome addition to this weird yet great film. That and that last fight scene was all the elements that made me love this movie. So good in fact that I plan on getting the DVD when it comes out locally. 

And did I mention that this was actually a loosely based adaptation of a graphic novel of the same title written by Steven Grant with art by Mateus Santolouco. 

Giving this film a -B. It did not disappoint and was actually surprisingly funny. But it did falter a couple of times. If anything it's a good subversion on the whole "buddy cop" trope we've seen millions of times on the big screen. 

2 Guns is NOW SHOWING and locally distributed by Columbia Pictures Philippines. 

Paula Patton Says Topless Scene in "2 Guns" Her Idea (Opens Sept 25)

Actress Paula Patton has revealed it was her idea to go topless for her love scenes in TriStar Pictures' new action thriller “2 Guns” -- but she got husband Robin Thicke's blessing first.

The “Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol” beauty stars opposite Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg in the film about a pair of undercover agents brought together to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel and recover millions of dollars in the film.
Paula, who has been married to chart-topper Robin since 2005, plays Denzel's character's lover and admitted she hates it when people keep their underwear on for sex scenes as it's unrealistic.

The 37-year-old actress explains, "It actually was my idea and they didn't really know I was going to do it. I kept thinking about this scene, and thinking 'Gosh, these two have been lovers for a long time, they've just made love.' It seemed odd and unnatural for her to put a shirt on.

"And one of my pet peeves is seeing people in bed with a bra on, I just don't understand it," she continues.

"So I actually called my husband and said, 'I think that I shouldn't wear anything on top for this scene', and he said, 'Go for it, it's all about the art.'
Patton's co-star and director Baltasar Kormákur weren't about to stop her either.
"I came to set and kind of surprised Denzel and Baltasar, our director," she recalled. "I said, 'No, I'm not going to be wearing a top.' I was like, 'No, I just don't think it's natural.' And then Denzel was like, 'Well, I'm taking my top off, too.'"
"Seriously?! You think I want you in that top," Kormákur claims to have told his leading lady after she'd made her decision. "For me, that's always what I wanted. It was pretty obvious – I just don't go up to women and say, 'Take off your dress.'"
Patton has worked with Washington before in 2006's "Deja Vu" (where she had a not-quite as revealing shower scene), so they obviously had a previously established comfort level.

"2 Guns" follows Bobby (Washington) and Stig (Mark Wahlberg) as literal partners in crime who each don't realize the other is an undercover federal agent. Patton plays Agent Deb Rees, Washington's handler (and longtime lover) at the DEA while James Marsden is Stig's point man in naval intelligence. After a bank robbery meant to help them infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel doesn't exactly go as planned, Bobby and Stig are forced to disavow their respective agencies and run for their lives together. Pitfalls, shootouts, and a true bromance ensue.

The attraction between Deb and Bobby is palpable in the border interrogation room, where Bobby is grilled by his handler about Bobby’s last encounter with the Mexican cartel. Their on-again/off-again relationship is best summed up by Bobby’s bedroom comment to Deb that he “really meant to love her.”

Washington is quick to remind the audience that, even though Deb is more subdued than some of Patton’s other roles, his co-star is the same ass-kicker from Mission: Impossible—Ghost Protocol. He commends: “Paula’s the toughest one in the bunch. She has a pretty face, but there’s a tough element in there. She loves competition and fighting, and was always ready to jump right into it. She’s, I dare say, one of the guys.”

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 25, “2 Guns” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

X-Men's James Marsden Takes Aim with 2 Guns

Having appeared in a wide range of films over the course of his career, James Marsden continues to carve out a distinctive place in Hollywood. Most recently seen in the acclaimed film “The Butler,” in which he portrayed the iconic John F. Kennedy, Marsden now returns to the screen in TriStar Pictures' action thriller “2 Guns” opposite Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg.

In the film, DEA agent Robert “Bobby” Trench (Washington) and U.S. naval intelligence officer Michael “Stig” Stigman (Wahlberg) have been reluctantly attached at the hip for 12 months. Working undercover as members of a narcotics syndicate, each man distrusts his partner as much as the criminals they have both been tasked to take down.

When their attempt to infiltrate a Mexican drug cartel and recover millions goes haywire, Bobby and Stig are suddenly disavowed by their respective superiors. Now that everyone wants them in jail or in the ground, the only person they can count on is the other. Unfortunately for their pursuers, when good guys spend years pretending to be bad, they pick up a few tricks along the way.

The man pulling Stig’s strings is none other than Quince (Marsden), a spit-and-polish naval officer and the undercover agent’s superior at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi. Stig considers Quince above suspicion, but Quince might not be the straight arrow he appears.

Action-film veteran James Marsden discusses his reasons for joining the film: “There’s a great sense of fun to the action, and the tone of the movie is similar to `Lethal Weapon.'”

Because Quince holds Stig’s future over his head, the undercover agent bristles whenever his superior is around. Marsden explains their dynamic: “They joined the Navy around the same time, but my character shot up the ranks through the academy, aced every test. He’s a bit of a sociopath and very into his power; he’s the puppet master, the intellectual behind the plot. Quince has got his muscle behind him, but there are times when he gets his guns out and isn’t afraid to get his uniform dirty.”

In 2011, Marsden appeared in Sony Screen Gems’ remake of “Straw Dogs” for director Rod Lurie, opposite Kate Bosworth. He was also seen in Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment’s box-office hit “Hop,” in which he played the lead role opposite Russell Brand. The film grossed more than $180 million worldwide. That same year, Marsden was honored with the Spotlight Award at the Savannah Film Festival alongside fellow honorees Oliver Stone, Lily Tomlin and Ellen Barkin.

Other film credits include the box-office smash “Enchanted,” “27 Dresses,” “X-Men,” “X2: X-Men United” and “X-Men: The Last Stand,” in which he starred as Scott Summers/Cyclops; Adam Shankman’s musical “Hairspray,”

Nick Cassavetes’ romantic drama “The Notebook,” “Superman Returns,” opposite Bosworth and “The Box,” opposite Cameron Diaz. Beyond film, Marsden appeared in NBC’s hit comedy series “30 Rock,” for a multi-episode arc as Tina Fey’s love interest.

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 25, “2 Guns” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

TRANSFORMERS 4 Gets New Title and Teaser Poster

More details 'surface' for TRANSFORMERS 4. 

Superherohype shared the new teaser poster for TRANSFORMERS 4 which will now go by TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION. 

Of course the film will be directed by the 'Exploding Man' or 'Manong Sabog' (in Filipino), Michael Bay. The movie also stars Mark Wahlberg. 

If the rumors are true then we'll also be seeing the DINOBOTS making their grand appearance in the franchise as alluded by the poster and the film's subtitle itself. 

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION opens June 27, 2014  

Undercover Agents Outwit Each Other in "2 Guns"

Two operatives (Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg) from competing bureaus are forced on the run together. But there is a big problem with their unexpected partnership: Neither knows that the other is an undercover federal agent, in Columbia Pictures' new, explosive action thriller, “2 Guns.”

Baltasar Kormakur (“Contraband”) reteams with Wahlberg to direct “2 Guns” from a screenplay that is written by Blake Masters (TV's “Brotherhood”) and based on the Boom! Studios graphic novels by Steven Grant.

Boom! Studios published the first issue of writer Steven Grant and artist Mateus Santolouoco’s explosive five-issue miniseries, “2 Guns,” in 2008. Grant told the intriguing tale of Bobby Trench and Michael Stigman, two undercover agents who discover that the amount of cash locked in the bank vault that they are robbing is not remotely what they expected. When the two find themselves double-crossed by the very men who set them up to do the job, they must go on the run from the organizations they vowed to serve.

Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Boom! Studios Ross Richie walks us through the source material: “It’s a story about characters ground up by the system, set within the framework of government agencies that pursue their goals, no matter the consequences. Steven took the familiar noir trope of an undercover cop tale, and he deconstructed that. He also included lots of comedy and action to make it incredibly entertaining.”

The series of graphic novels is written by a man with a curious take on this style of writing. “I like doing crime comics,” admits Grant, who calls “2 Guns” an “anti-buddy” story. “I don’t actually believe in good and evil. From my perspective, people walk a line, fall on this side or that, and wobble back and forth. It’s just a natural existence. I tend to view my material not as dramas, but as situational comedies where everybody in the story thinks they know what’s going on, and actually nobody in it knows what’s going on.”

Producer Marc Platt, who has shepherded to the big screen action hits such as “Wanted” and “Drive,” was keen to develop the graphic novel series brought to him by his colleague, fellow “2 Guns” producer Adam Siegel. Platt discusses his initial interest in the source material: “I always love stories where there are two characters who are seemingly very different, and the journey of the story is the way in which those two characters find their way to each other. Here were two guys who don’t want to be in the same general vicinity of each other, but who are forced to work together and learn something about each other and themselves in the process.”

Siegel recalls what drew him to the project, and the manner in which he worked with a talented screenwriter to flesh it out: “When I read Steven Grant’s graphic novel, I was blown away by the great characters and the clear concept that these were two guys who were undercover from each other.”

“2 Guns” is a natural progression of expression for director Baltasar Kormákur, a critically acclaimed actor and director in his native country of Iceland who made his American studio film debut in 2012’s hit “Contraband,” which starred Wahlberg and Kate Beckinsale.

Discussing his choice to join the team, Kormákur says: “The script had this modern Western feel, which felt like something that I could play with and be stylized in finding ways of visualizing the story. There’s a lot of humanity to the characters. We like them as we follow them, even though they’re living in an elevated, but not necessarily unrealistic, criminal world.” He sums: “Ultimately, 2 Guns is a character-driven film that pays homage to Westerns through the feel and scope of the landscape.”

Kormákur readily admits that he is drawn to action scripts, but not simply for the sake of delivering adrenaline-fueled moments. “I look at what I can add to it, and I ask myself if I connect with the material or if it will just be another day at work,” he states. “I get attached to material that I feel I can put myself into and help the actors; that gets me excited.”

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 18, “2 Guns” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit www.columbiapictures.com.ph to see the latest trailers, get free downloads and play free movie games.

Transformers 4 Set Pics Feature Mark Wahlberg Carrying Cybertronian Sword

New photos from the set of Michael Bay's TRANSFORMERS 4 features lead star Mark Wahlberg running around the set with a Cybertronian looking sword. Other photos features Stanley Tucci and Nicola Peltz.

Check out the other photos below:

I'd like to know more about this mysterious sword and why it's so important that Wahlberg's character needs to lug it around while going through the Michael Bay patented run-across-a-field-of-explosions set piece?

Raking my brain for anything and so far the only thing that relates to a sword AND the Autobot-Decepticon war is the Star Saber from Transformers: Armada.



I could be wrong though.

New Bumblebee Paintjob and Autobot Group Shot for Transformers 4

A Transformers movie will never be complete without Bumblebee and Paramount just shared the new look for the fan-favorite Autobot for Transformers 4. 

Regardless of the color, I'm still happy that they included a Camaro. Boy, that car can certainly grow on you. 

The new movie will star Mark Wahlberg together with a new set of cast. But the one constant is that it's still directed by Michael Bay. Meanwhile a new photo also surfaced featuring the complete lineup for the Autobots including what seems to be Bulkhead. 

Michael Bay Reveals Custom-Built Optimus Prime for Transformers 4

Fresh after posting the two new autobots (C7 Corvette Stingray and Bugatti Grand Sport Vitesse) Michael Bay has revealed the new, meaner look for Autobot leader Optimus Prime.

The description for this new photo depicts the heroic Transformer's vehicle mode as "completely upgraded, custom-built Optimus Prime from Western Star (a subsidiary of Daimler Trucks North America)."

Check out what it looks like after the cut.

Be Thunderbuddies with the 1/6th Scale TED figure

Oh this is hilarious, there's apparently a TED 1/6th scale figure coming out on May 2013 featuring the lovable and amoral Ted from from the movie of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis and featuring the voice of Peter Griffin himself (not to mention recent Oscar host) Seth McFarlane.

The figure comes out with some nifty accessories which we've seen Ted handling in the film. Here's the breakdown:

I LOVE U teddy

1:6 (13 cm Height)

It features the following three sounds
1. I love you
2. Drinking
3. Smoking

Multiple facial expressionsMouth x 3
Bow tie x 1
Apron x 1
Glass Hookah x 1
Beer Bottle x 1
Lanyard x 1

Check out more of the TED photos after the cut.

TED to be Released with R18 Tag for Robinson's Malls

Seth McFarlane's "Ted" is set to be released locally and will be distributed by Solar Entertainment. It's going to be R-18 and will be exclusively available in Robinsons Malls.

Redband Trailer for Ted Features Foul Language and Breast Fondling

Funnyordie features the redband trailer for the film "Ted" starring Marky Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis and Seth McFarlane as the potty mouthed teddy bear named Ted.

Ted tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish… and has refused to leave his side ever since.

Here's the trailer. It's cute and its also got a lot of swearing in it.

Mark Wahlberg and Seth McFarlane Set to Offend in "Ted"

Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth McFarlane is set to make his feature film debut with the movie "Ted" starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Giovanni Ribisi and Patrick Warburton.

Here's the official synopsis - "Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane brings his boundary-pushing brand of humor to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of Ted. In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…and has refused to leave his side ever since."