Top 10 Movies for 2013

Since 2013 is about to end and as we welcome 2014, I decided to give you MY top 10 movies for 2013 (in no particular order mind you). This of course wouldn't be possible if not for our friends from 20th Century Fox, Dreamworks, Warner Bros. Pictures, Solar Entertainment and new additions like Captive Cinema, CrystalSky and Axinitte Digicinema. 

10. Gravity 

Nothing can be more compelling than humanity overcoming anything being thrown at them including space debris and burning space shuttles. Add to that some stellar acting from Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and Alfonso Cuaron just paved his way to an Oscar.

9. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug 

The continued saga of Thorin Oakenshield together with the rest of his dwarf company and Bilbo Baggins continues and it's being shown in magnificent HFR IMAX 3D. Great adaptation and butchering of the J.R.R. Tolkien classic kids book and great way to give the ladies another fellow to swoon over in the form of Thranduil. 

8. Captain Phillips 

The only 'realistic' movie in my list. Captain Phillips is all about humanity in the face of adversity. It's a play on morals and decisions and compassion and it's got Tom Hanks in it playing the titular Captain Phillips. You'll also be amazed at the military tactics and precision that is the US Coast Guard and Navy Seals.

7. This is the End 

This one's on my list for all the sheer hilarity and dirtiness of the characters particular James Franco. I hated that they were pushing too much of the bromosexuality but that's all forgiven the moment you see the Backstreet Boys dancing in heaven to the tune of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)".

6. Thor: The Dark World

Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Tom Hiddleston return for another serving of Asgardian goodness. There's so many things to love about this sequel. More humor and more Hiddleston however are the top reasons. And they got the ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston to play the bad guy Malekith the Accursed too.

5. Iron Man 3

Never have I ever thought that Tony Stark could actually be twice as good as the Iron Man armor. Shane Black delivers a really good and solid Iron Man movie focusing equally on the massive array of Iron Man armor as well as the man inside the shell. Robert Downey Jr. truly rocked this performance. Great cast too and despite the debacle of The Mandarin, it's still a good movie to watch.

4. Man of Steel

Director Zack Snyder shows us a radically different Superman in Man of Steel. This man really punches hard and even breaks necks (literally!). The world is different and the acting was OK. Henry Cavill also shows us why he was born to play the role of Clark Kent/ Kal El/ Superman. It sucks though that there's very little chemistry between him and Lois Lane Amy Adams. Still, a pretty great movie. It's like Dragonball Z only with DC's main hero in it.

3. Frozen

A DISNEY MOVIE THAT WILL MAKE YOU SING?!?! How long has it been since that were the case. usually it's just there to make us cry but it hasn't made us sing and hum. Frozen does that and delivers a wonderful story that's loosely based on the legend of "The Ice Queen". It's a love story but it's not played out entirely like that and while the main pull might be a love angle between Christoph and Anna, it's really the sisterly love between Elsa and Anna that gets the main spotlight. Massive props too for the addition of Olaf who's quickly become a favorite character of mine.

2. Mama / The Conjuring

Can't figure which of the two I liked best so I'm chucking them as a special two-in-one deal. Guillermo Del Toro has Jessica Chastain playing a reluctant surrogate mother/ aunt whose kids brought along the diabolical 'Mama'. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson on the other hand are real life paranormal experts Ed and Lorraine Warren. Both movies are scary and both have some sense of royalty among other horror movies that came out this year. 

1. Pacific Rim 

Giant fighting robots? Check! Giant monsters called Kaiju? Check! Two brooding and awesome pilots? Check! 3D monster-robot fights?! Check! Fuck the intricacies of the story and just watch this like 5 year old boy and you will surely enjoy this film. Nuff Said!

So there we go. Here's to more movies for 2014 and many more reviews! 

Insidious: Chapter 2" Conjures Original Cast for More Hauntings (Opens Sept 18)

The new terrifying horror thriller “Insidious: Chapter 2” features a multi-generational family dealing with ghosts—from grandmother and parents all the way down to young children and a baby.

Directed by James Wan (“The Conjuring”) and written by Leigh Whannell (“Saw”), the sequel to the 2011 blockbuster “Insidious” reteams the original cast to play the family, including Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne (“X-Men: First Class”), Barbara Hershey (“Black Swan”), Lin Shaye (“There's Something About Mary”) and Ty Simpkins (the child actor in “Iron Man 3”).

The father of the family is Josh Lambert, played once again by Patrick Wilson, who marks his third collaboration with Wan. In addition to “Insidious,” Wilson also starred in Wan’s recently released box-office hit “The Conjuring.”

The Josh Lambert of “Chapter 2” is hardly the same person he was in “Insidious,” however, according to Wilson. “He’s literally vacant because he’s possessed. We know that he’s possessed, but will his wife, Renai, find out? It’s structured like a murder mystery with this husband and wife not getting along and her trying to figure out why that is. She wants to believe her husband, but he’s acting bizarrely.”

Australian native Rose Byrne reprises her role as Josh’s wife, Renai. At the start of “Chapter 2,” her character is still shaken by the events that transpired in the first film and is spiraling into depression.

“It’s literally a day later and she’s on the verge of a nervous breakdown,” Byrne explains. “She’s thrown into action and, because of the events around her, that takes all her energy—she’s just trying to keep it together.”
The filmmakers brought back Academy Award®-nominee Barbara Hershey to portray Josh’s mother and the Lambert family matriarch, Lorraine Lambert. The actress notes it’s the first time in her distinguished career that she has been cast in a sequel to one of her own films (the same is also true for Wilson and Byrne).

“Coming back is definitely easy because we all know each other and are relaxed with each other now,” says Hershey. “I really think having good actors and a good script allows audience members to get more involved with and identify with the characters.”

The return of character actress Lin Shaye in the role of hypnotist and supernatural expert Elise Rainier may come as a surprise to “Insidious” fans, given that her character was mysteriously killed at the end of the original.

“During the first movie, James [Wan] was going back and forth about having me killed at the end because he wanted me back if there was a sequel,” Shaye recalls. “And then he remembered that because we were making a ghost movie, of course there was a place for me to come back.”

For the role of the Lambert’s eldest son, Dalton—who was the main subject of “Insidious”—the filmmakers brought back Ty Simpkins. As often happens with young actors, there was some concern about how much Simpkins and the actor playing his younger brother, Andrew Astor (“The Hangover”), would have grown since completing “Insidious.”

“The fact that the story picks up directly from the first one was difficult,” Wan confesses. “Luckily, at their young ages, they still hadn’t changed too much.”

Wilson concurs, joking, “We added a couple of inches to their pajamas and they were good to go!”
For Simpkins, returning to the role after three years was made easier by the genuine emotions evoked on set.
“I basically play myself, but with a little twist,” says Simpkins. “Even when we’re not filming and the ghosts are around, I start getting scared. But when they say ‘action,’ that’s when I get really scared. So it’s kind of easy for me to get into character.”

Opening across the Philippines on Sept. 18, “Insidious: Chapter 2” 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.

THE CONJURING Review

Reviewing THE CONJURING from Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. Stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga and directed by James Wan.

I've reached my quota for Horror Movies this year as I only promised myself that I'll only catch "The Conjuring" and "Mama" and now I'm through and what a send off the former is.

The movie follows the story of the Perron family who moves in to their new home and start to experience a lot of weird stuff going on such as clocks stopping at 3:07 in the morning, the family dog dying all of a sudden and much, much more. The haunting goes on until the mother Carolyn (Lili Taylor) decides to seek the help of Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) Warren in their case to save her family.

Let's play "Hide and Clap"

I'm not entirely sure where the POV comes from as details are contradicting. Some claim that the film was based on the Warrren's POV while others claim that it's the Perrons. What's clear though is that they experienced the same things and they witnessed the same horror that tormented the family for days.

Effects wise, the movie did not scrimp on anything. It's nice that they still use practical effects and makeup in a few scenes and not rely solely on CGI. Much props for making Bathsheba a really scary force of demonic nature. The same thing can be said for possessed Carolyn who makes a big splash at the film's climax. Her's is also a source of inspiration for future collectible figures soon.

The suspense and horror aspect is fresh. Director James Wan knows that we're all sick and tired of all the mindless, useless CGI effects to scare the hell out of moviegoers so he takes a step back and employ all the tactics and strategies he used in films like "Saw" and "Insidious" to bring out the gasp factor. And it works brilliantly. Wan knows better that a film will work if you go and screw with the audience's minds before bringing out the A-Game.

Allow me to elaborate through this trailer...



Consider it mindblowing foreplay before sex. The subtle use of creepy music, the building of dread and the sense of doom and gloom made THE CONJURING such a great win for the horror movie genre.

The casting was great and Patrick Wilson shows why he's kicking ass in this genre (Wilson also appeared in that other massively popular flick INSIDIOUS as well as playing Night Owl II in Zack Snyder's WATCHMEN adaptation). Vera Famiga was also beautiful here. I don't know why she's suddenly this cute. Her other films sort of didn't cast her in the spotlight I guess.

James Wan knows what he's doing and crafted a brilliant horror movie that's BASED on a true story. There might be a few inaccuracies in the film's depiction from the Warren's case files and from the books that the Perrons released but this is as close as we could get to the actual events that occured with the Perrons and the Warrens and from Bathsheba...

Those moments when I can only ask "WHY?"

... unless of course you want her to stay by your side tonight.

Perhaps one of the best scenes here in the movie was the teaming up between the ghostly Bathsheba with the rest of the spirits locked away in the Warren's home particularly the sinister Anabelle doll which is used heavily in marketing the film.

The unholyalliance of Bathsheba and Annabelle 

Great movie. Great, creepy, scary movie.

VERDICT: "A" 

THE CONJURING is such a great movie but be sure to leave the lights on before you sleep and chuck away your old dolls at home. Oh and no matter how 'brave' you are you will let out a loud scream with all the creepy stuff in the movie.

Photos appear courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. Special thanks to WB Philippines for the passes. The Conjuring opens AUGUST 21. 

The Conjuring Sets Sneak Previews Aug 12 & 13

MANILA, Aug. 8, 2013 – One of the most eagerly anticipated films of the year, New Line Cinema's horror thriller “The Conjuring” will hold special sneak previews on Monday and Tuesday, Aug. 12 & 13 in selected theaters nationwide.

This was announced today by Francis Soliven, General Manager of Warner Bros. Philippines, the film's local distributor. Soliven relayed the good news in response to the public's exceedingly high interest in the film, stoked by the movie's recent record-breaking bow in the U.S. and sensational internet buzz.

“The Conjuring” has surpassed $100 million at the North American box office on only its third weekend in theatres, crossing the milestone on Saturday, Aug. 3, and has earned an estimated $108.6 million domestically to date, and still climbing.

The terrifying supernatural horror thriller, from director James Wan, opened to rave reviews from critics, as well as audiences, a fact that was reflected in the film’s A- CinemaScore—an extremely rare mark for the genre. “The Conjuring” had an extraordinary $41.9 million opening weekend at the domestic box office, the largest opening ever for an original horror film.

“The Conjuring” is also off to a great start internationally, opening in just 13 markets thus far. The film opened in the UK this weekend, taking the #1 spot on Friday and Saturday, and it is also holding extremely well in other early release markets, particularly in Australia and Spain. The international total to date is an estimated $28.6 million, with many major markets yet to open, including the Philippines, France, Italy, Belgium, Holland and Mexico.

Based on the true life story, “The Conjuring” tells the tale of how world renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives.

From New Line Cinema comes a feature film drawn from the case files of married demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. “The Conjuring” stars Academy Award® nominee Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air”) and Patrick Wilson (“Insidious”) as the Warrens, and Ron Livingston (HBO's “Sex and the City”) and Lili Taylor (“The Haunting”) as Roger and Carolyn Perron, residents of the house. Joey King, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Mackenzie Foy and newcomer Kyla Deaver play the Perrons’ five daughters, and Sterling Jerins is the Warrens’ little girl, Judy.

James Wan (“Saw,” “Insidious”) directed the film from a screenplay by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes (“The Reaping”).

Opening wide across the Philippines on Aug. 21, “The Conjuring” is a New Line Cinema production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

"The Conjuring" Has Record-Breaking Opening in U.S.

The Warner Bros. Pictures release conjures up $41.9 million weekend

BURBANK, CA – July 22, 2013 – New Line Cinema’s “The Conjuring,” from director James Wan, rode a wave of strong critical and audience acclaim to an extraordinary $41.9 million opening weekend at the domestic box office.

The film broke records for:

The largest opening for an original horror film
Warner Bros.’ largest 3-day opening for a horror film
The largest opening for director James Wan, who created the “Saw” franchise.

In addition, “The Conjuring” earned an A- CinemaScore, one of only three horror movies in the last 10 years to earn such a high mark from moviegoers (with no horror movie ever receiving a higher grade).

Based on the true life story, “The Conjuring” tells the tale of how world renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most horrifying case of their lives.

From New Line Cinema comes a feature film drawn from the case files of married demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. “The Conjuring” stars Academy Award® nominee Vera Farmiga (“Up in the Air,” TV’s “Bates Motel”) and Patrick Wilson (“Insidious”) as the Warrens, and Ron Livingston (“The Odd Life of Timothy Green”) and Lili Taylor (TV’s “Hemlock Grove”) as Roger and Carolyn Perron, residents of the house.

Joey King, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Mackenzie Foy and newcomer Kyla Deaver play the Perrons’ five daughters, and Sterling Jerins is the Warrens’ little girl, Judy. Rounding out the cast are Marion Guyot, Steve Coulter, Shannon Kook, and John Brotherton.

James Wan (“Saw,” “Insidious”) directed the film from a screenplay by Chad Hayes & Carey W. Hayes (“The Reaping”). The film is produced by Tony DeRosa-Grund, Peter Safran and Rob Cowan, with Walter Hamada and Dave Neustadter serving as executive producers.

New Line Cinema presents a Safran Company / Evergreen Media Group Production of a James Wan Film, “The Conjuring.” The film is being distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

(“The Conjuring” will open across the Philippines on August 21.)

Horror Master Director James Wan Prepares "The Conjuring"

Truth is stranger than fiction…and a lot more frightening. No one knew that better than Ed Warren and his clairvoyant wife, Lorraine, whose lifelong personal experiences combating inhuman forces garnered them respect in the field of demonology long before the immense popularity of the paranormal on the screen. And long before Ed and Lorraine tackled the foreboding menace in a little place called Amityville, they encountered the most perilous evil even they would ever come up against. This terrifying case is the subject of the new horrror film “The Conjuring” from New Line Cinema.

James Wan, who had known of the couple’s work prior to taking the directing reins of “The Conjuring,” relates, “I've always been a big fan of the Warrens. I really admire them. They pioneered the modern-day style of ghost hunting with technical equipment, capturing evidence on film and audiotape. Since they've inspired so many stories, books and films, it was cool to actually make a movie where who they are is as much the focus as the family’s home they are investigating.”

The film reveals the real horrors lurking within a secluded centuries-old farmhouse in the seemingly peaceful countryside of Harrisville, Rhode Island, bought in 1970 by Carolyn and Roger Perron. However, the couple and their five daughters soon find themselves directly in the path of extreme, yet indefinable, danger. When Ed and Lorraine meet the family and the unnatural enemy waging war against them, they know they are in for the battle of their career...and lives.

Producer Peter Safran believes the case was seminal for the Warrens because they wanted not only to safeguard the Perron children, but their own young daughter, Judy. He conveys, “I think what they went through with those girls really laid the groundwork for their life path, including Amityville and beyond. I was particularly drawn to the events because I also have a daughter, and I can't even think of a limit to what I would do to protect her.”

Producer Rob Cowan comments, “Everybody identifies with the notion that something’s under your bed or in the closet, but this really happened, so it makes it all the more chilling.”

Screenwriters Chad Hayes and Carey W. Hayes had a unique take—telling the story via the tandem points of view of the Warrens and the Perrons. Chad remarks, “What we loved about writing this script is the contrast between two couples: there are the Warrens, who are devout Catholics and respected demonologists, and the Perrons, who aren’t at all religious. And then their lives collide. Who fixes what and how does it get fixed?”

“These strangers crossed paths over some very ugly entities,” Carey adds. “They took a very daunting journey, and going through their steps, we just got hooked. It became an obsession.”

Wan remembers, “When I read the script, I said, ‘Wow, this is great, here is a chance to do something different.’”

During the project’s development, Wan and the Hayes brothers went through the Warrens’ files—some 4,000 cases. “We found a lot of great material,” says Wan. “My goal was to incorporate some of the wildest things they'd encountered in their lifetime, yet still stay true to this particular family’s story. We drew a lot of inspiration from the Perrons’ recollections as well. I thought it was even more frightening to show the scares through the eyes of the pros along with the perspective of this family that has no inkling of the supernatural world.”

“We wanted to honor both families,” says Cowan, “so it was really rewarding when they said we’d achieved a genuine level of accuracy.”

Wan concludes, “Most people will, at some point, relate that they know someone who has, or that they themselves have, experienced something paranormal. On my other films, it was comforting to tell myself those things weren’t real, I’d just made them up…but for ‘The Conjuring’ I didn't have that luxury.”

Opening across the Philippines on August 21, “The Conjuring” is a New Line Cinema production and will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Insidious 2 is Definitely Happening

Ever seen Insidious? The film came out well before my full-on movie reviewer mode but I managed to catch this great horror movie a couple of times including on a bus ride home. It was creepy as f*** and it had a good cliffhanger ending. Now we get this:

I'm 80% sure that's the demon that's been terrorizing Patrick Wilson's household in the first movie. Speaking of which, this is slated for next year; but if you want another Wilson-centric horror flick, check out all the stuff I posted about The Conjuring.

New Poster and Official Trailer for The Conjuring - Nightmare Fuel

New promotional materials for The Conjuring will probably give you a hard time sleeping in the dark. Here's the poster followed by the trailer I saw when I attended the press screening for The Great Gatsby.

Man the poster has everything that'll creep you out. It's got a creepy kid, a creepy house, a creepy clown-ish doll, creepy doll which resembles creepy kid AND creepy, creeky chair.

The Conjuring Has a New Poster and a New Trailer, Scarier than Insidious

New Line Cinema has released the main poster and second trailer of its upcoming horror thriller “The Conjuring” starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. Catch the poster below and the trailer at http://youtu.be/ajGDL21ijhw.

Based on a true story, “The Conjuring” tells the horrifying tale of how world renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.

New Line and Warner Release Poster and Trailer for The Conjuring

New Line Cinema has rolled out the teaser poster and trailer of its upcoming horror thriller “The Conjuring” starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga.

Based on a true story, “The Conjuring” tells the horrifying tale of how world renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren were called upon to help a family terrorized by a dark presence in a secluded farmhouse. Forced to confront a powerful demonic entity, the Warrens find themselves caught in the most terrifying case of their lives.