20TH CENTURY FOX ANIMATION & REEL FX ANIMATION STUDIOS Cast CHANNING TATUM AND ZOË SALDANA STAR in “THE BOOK OF LIFE”

20th Century Fox Animation and Reel FX Animation Studios announced casting for the companies’ animated comedy “The Book of Life,” which 20th Century Fox releases in theaters worldwide on October 2014.

“The Book of Life” stars Channing Tatum, Zoë Saldana, Diego Luna, Christina Applegate, Ice Cube, Kate del Castillo and Ron Perlman, produced by acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and directed by Jorge Gutierrez. Gutierrez also wrote the screenplay with Doug Langdale.

Also joining the cast are Cheech Marin, Hector Elizondo and legendary tenor Placido Domingo, plus Ana de la Reguera (“Nacho Libre”, “Eastbound and Down”), Eugenio Derbez (“Instructions Not Included”), comedian Gabriel Iglesias (“Stand-up Revolution”), radio personality Ricardo (“El Mandril”) Sanchez, and Danny Trejo (“Machete”).

An animated comedy with a unique visual style, “The Book of Life” is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favorites, “The Book of Life” encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.

The film’s original score and songs are by two-time Academy Award®-winner Gustavo Santaolalla (“Brokeback Mountain”, “Babel”). Santaolalla is also a Grammy® winner and a noted music producer. He is currently touring with the popular Argentine band Bajofondo, which was just nominated for a Latin Grammy.

“The Book of Life” is being overseen by Oscar®-winner Aron Warner (“Shrek”), who now serves as President of Animation for Reel FX, and producer Brad Booker. Vanessa Morrison, President of 20th Century Animation, and Elizabeth Reddy, Vice President of Production at 20th Century Fox Animation, are supervising for the studio. Aaron Berger and Carina Schulze are also producing.

Visit 20th Century Fox (Philippines) Facebook page for more of the latest news from the studio.



About 20th Century Fox Film
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, 20th Century Fox Film produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of 20TH Century Fox Film: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Productions, Twentieth Century Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studios.

About Reel FX
Reel FX is a movie studio that develops and produces animated films. The company’s growing slate kicks off with its first feature film Free Birds, which debuts in theaters on November 1, 2013.

Pacific Rim Review

Pacific Rim is a movie that no self respecting anime/mecha/sci-fi fan should miss. It's got all the workings of a truly great and entertaining movie.

Guillermo Del Toro once again proves that he is a master of his craft with this heavy metal brawler of a movie. On one corner you've got the invading forces, the Kaiju, wanting to remove humans from the face of the Earth. To counter this, us humans created the Jaegers to combat the kaiju and ensure our future.

On the story: Storywise, this one literally lifts up some key moments from just about any mecha anime/series we've ever seen. The nearest I can think of when it comes to this is the anime series Shinkon Gattai Godannar. Pilot goes on hiatus after tragedy, but is recalled to active service, meets new partner and potential girlfriend. Enemy suddenly gets stronger, show of courage and fortitude, wins the day. People who are looking for more than anything beyond the plot/trope I just mentioned will surely be lacking.

The story has a couple of plotholes but it's something that can be overlooked, after all, this is a movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters from beneath the sea.

On the cast: Del Toro did not cast any big name for the film. And after seeing it, I can understand why. He's not out to reel in fans of big Hollywood stars, they only second fiddle to the real stars of the movie which were non other than the Jaegers.

Only gripe (which could be a major issue depending on what type of moviegoer you are) is that it's really hard to actually RELATE to Charlie Hunnam's Raleigh Beckett. Yeah he's Mr. All American right but the moment he goes on drama mode, you're mind starts to wonder.



Idris Elba as Stacker Pentecost however is another issue. The man is all for brooding and stoicism. Love the accent and the catchy one-liner he delivers towards the end of the movie. The inclusion of "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Charlie Day was also an inspired number as he gives some of the funniest lines in the film.

I have to give it to Rinko Kikuchi who really shined in this movie. She's frail looking but kicks ass the moment she needs to do so. Sad though that she and Hunnam never had an existing chemistry; which also ended up looking very confusing onscreen. Are they friends? lovers? Something in between? Or is Beckett simply looking out for Mako Mori (Kikuchi) on a brother-sister kinda thing.

And then there was Ron Perlman who plays blackmarket guy Hannibal Chau; his was Hellboy minus the red makeup and the gun (although he's still in red). He had some great moments in PR as well but what really bugs me is that fact that his role is a somewhat an extended cameo, a 'hey there' to Del Toro fans who stood with the director.

On the visuals: THE VISUALS WERE SPECTACULAR. The Jaegers were dirty and messy and it's just perfect. Much like how Metal Gear director Hideo Kojima stated in his tweet barrage, The kaijus were terrifying and seeing 'Knifehead' in Alaska took me back to the first time I saw the T-Rex in Spielberg's "Jurrasic Park". Everything was designed to look so gritty, heck even the Bone City in Hong Kong looks beautiful.

The whole visuals are beautiful gets magnified fifty times over once the fighting in the ocean floor or in a busy Hong Kong street. There's a lot of stuff going on but you'll be transfixed. I know I did.

Again, I cannot stress how important it is to see this film on an IMAX screen. It's not because of the 3D but because it truly becomes BIG when you see it projected in a huge ass screen.

Finally, I loved the touches of anime in this film. It was very evident that they knew what people loved about those Mecha Romance trios such as giant swords, one-liners before a finishers, breathtaking fisticuffs.

Overall, I think the film was superbly crafted and well paced. It had a couple of blips but if you truly love grand robot movies (which is very rare even in Hollywood standards), then you really should catch the movie. 

Pacific Rim is now showing nationwide and it's distributed locally by Warner Bros. Philippines. If you're still hesitant, here's trailer # 3 for the film to reel you in. 

Five Good Reasons to See Pacific Rim

Guillermo Del Toro's Pacific Rim is about to hit theaters in a few days so I wanted to write something as to why it's important that you see this movie which stars Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam, Charlie Day, Ron Perlman and Rinko Kikuchi.

1. Guillermo Del Toro directs

Master director Guillermo Del Toro put his heart into this project. And whenever Del Toro puts his heart into a project, you can bank on it being great. Look at the two Hellboy movies plus Pan's Labyrinth. Heck just read my review of Mama and you'll see that all his works are stunningly beautiful in one way or another.


2. There's Kaiju or Giant Monsters in it

Honestly, will you ever even doubt for a second that a movie which will feature half a dozen or so 'kaijus' or giant monsters is not worth seeing. Hell, we all lined up to see J.J. Abrams' Cloverfield despite the fact that we only have a total of 15 minutes worth of 'widescreen' footage of the monster? Pacific Rim is a movie of gargantuan proportions and destruction. Not worth seeing? Not bloody likely.

3. Giant Robots are here to cancel the apocalypse

Sure calling the mechs "jaegers" might not be as hardcore as a different name but hey a giant robot is still a giant robot. And  they have pilots to control their actions. Also from a production/ technical standpoint, the mechs that they use in "Pacific Rim" are well designed and visually appealing. Not so horrendous as those B-movie robot films from the 90s. Oh and the word "jaeger" is German for "hunter"; so how's that not badass?

4. Stars of their own caliber. 

People may argue that actors like Idris Elba, Charlie Hunnam and the rest of the movie won't draw in crowds in theaters like say Brad Pitt and World War Z. But you can't go and argue that these guys and gals have their own crowd. Elba's a staple in a lot of superhero movies, he's not yet the stereotypical black guy in the movie so that's good. Charlie Hunnam is kicking butt in "Sons of Anarchy" which is enjoying a good run on TV. His co-star on "Sons" Ron Perlman is also in this flick. The same goes for  comedian Charlie Day and actress Rinko Kikuchi.

5. Hideo Kojimo among others swear by the movie.

Metal Gear boss man Hideo Kojima did an eight round tweet session after seeing the movie. Here's what he said:

Other celebs who swear that this movie is epic include: Kanye West, Emma Watson and more.

Catch "Pacific Rim" when it opens July 11. Distributed locally by Warner Bros. Pictures Philippines. 

More Screenshots from the New Pacific Rim Trailer

Adding more screenshots from the trailer of Guillermo Del Torro's "Pacific Rim" simply because they're just to bad-ass not to share.I originally added three screenshots when I posted the Pacific Rim trailer hours ago, but I decided to post more so here they are. 

More images after the cut.

The mere fact that these bad boys can fight underwater teases a lot of possibilities

Nothing spells widescreen better than a widescreen style delivery

Pacific Rim opens July 11 and is locally distributed by Warner Bros. Philippines.

More Robot and Kaiju Destruction for the New Pacific Rim Trailer

Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures kicks things up a notch with the new trailer for the Guillermo Del Torro helmed Pacific Rim starring Charlie Hunnam, Rinko Kikuchi, Idris Elba, Charlie Day and Ron Perlman.

The new trailer shows us the origins of the Kaijus, a more intact battle scene between the gigantic Jaegers and the Kaijus. This also features some neat underwater scenes and a closer look at the monstrous alien invaders from the sea. Anyway, enough talk check out the WonderCon trailer for Pacific Rim after the cut.

News Bits for Pacific Rim with Viral Video and Jaeger Blueprints

Haven't checked on the news bits for Warner's "Pacific Rim" so imagine my pleasant surprise when I did find some new info. Take for example, these fine looking blueprints for the "Jaegers" the robots tasked to fight the kaiju menace...

Here's Gipsy Danger....

.... followed by the obviously Russian Cherno Alpha...

.... the very Yankee Striker Eureka... 

...  Plus the Japanese Coyote Tango.

Also in the list is a quick viral video featuring the very first Kaiju attack in San Francisco...



So as you can see from the opening scene, it looks like the US managed to snag the skeletal remains of a kaiju...

If you look closely at the video, you may also scratch your head at this...

Yeah what the heck was the creature that hit that building? Anyway here's the official synopsis from Warner Bros.

From acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ epic sci-fi action adventure “Pacific Rim.”

When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces defending mankind have no choice but to turn to two unlikely heroes—a washed up former pilot (Charlie Hunnam) and an untested trainee (Rinko Kikuchi)—who are teamed to drive a legendary but seemingly obsolete Jaeger from the past. Together, they stand as mankind’s last hope against the mounting apocalypse.

Oscar® nominee Guillermo del Toro (“Pan’s Labyrinth”) is directing “Pacific Rim” from a script by Travis Beacham (“Clash of the Titans”). Thomas Tull, Jon Jashni and Mary Parent are producing, with Callum Greene serving as executive producer.

The film stars Charlie Hunnam (TV’s “Sons of Anarchy”), Idris Elba (“Thor”), Rinko Kikuchi (“The Brothers Bloom”), Charlie Day (“Horrible Bosses”), and Ron Perlman (the “Hellboy” films). The ensemble cast also includes Max Martini, Robert Kazinsky, Clifton Collins, Jr., Burn Gorman, Larry Joe Campbell, Diego Klattenhoff, and Brad William Henke.

Del Toro’s behind-the-scenes team includes Academy Award®-winning director of photography Guillermo Navarro, production designer Andrew Neskoromny, editor Peter Amundson, and costume designer Kate Hawley.

Slated for release in Summer 2013, “Pacific Rim” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures. The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.