Movie News: SM Cinema joins GMovies roster of theater partners

Yehey! SM Cinema is now part of the roster of theater partners of GMovies! I've used GMovies before and I know the convenience of just going through the app to buy your tickets in advance, 

Was also featured as a member of their week way back in 2014! You can read on that here. 

SM Cinema, the country’s largest chain of movie houses, has joined GMovies roster of theater partners, giving users of the mobile movie booking app a faster and easier way to buy tickets from any of over 300 SM theaters nationwide anytime at their convenience.

For the SM Cinema partnership, Globe Telecom’s mobile money solution GCash will initially be the exclusive payment gateway for GMovies users. GCash will be used in tandem with ePLUS, SM’s integrated e-wallet and loyalty system to give SM Cinema patrons another way to enjoy the movies.


At present, SM Cinema operates over 300 2D and 3D screens, 8 IMAX Theaters and 13 Director’s Club Cinemas for a total market share of over 50 percent.

“We are always looking for ways to provide the best experience for our customers, thus, it is a big win for GMovies to have SM Cinema on board since it gives our users from all over the Philippines more options to choose from.  With SM Cinema as a partner, GMovies now covers 77 percent of movie theaters nationwide,” said Glenn Estrella, Vice President of Globe Digital Ventures which offers GMovies.

“This is just the start of a more dynamic partnership with Globe and its services. Both our companies are committed to providing a more convenient and rewarding access to entertainment. ePLUS with SM Cinema and GMovies with GCash will work together towards building a cashless society,” said Sahara Jean Garnica, Assistant Vice President, SM Lifestyle Entertainment Inc. managing ePLUS.

GMovies is an all-in-one solution for movie tickets on the go. It is the only platform in the Philippines that aggregates movie ticket booking capabilities for multiple cinema chains. The mobile app allows users not only to purchase movie tickets and reserve seats at their favorite cinema whenever they want and wherever they may be but also keeps them updated with the latest and upcoming blockbusters to hit the theaters. It can be downloaded for free from App Store and Google Play.   

To purchase seats from SM Cinema, simply select the movie schedule, branch, and preferred seat/s; select GCash as payment option; and input your GCash account information and confirm transaction. The user will receive an e-ticket via email which will also be saved in their phone gallery. For ease of access, patrons can just go straight to the cinema and tap their e-ticket at the ePLUS reader. This is all made possible through the integration between GCash and ePlus. 

SM Cinema will go live in GMovies website and Android app beginning June 22. The iOS app will follow after two weeks. For more information about GMovies, please visit www.gmovies.ph.

Start enjoying blockbusters at SM Cinema via GMovies!

G Movies Feature!

Was happy to be featured as GMovies featured member of the week! ^_^ 

We love GMovies! It's this amazing app which allows you to buy and reserve movie seats online right at the comfort of your homel you can already choose your seats hours before your movie starts! 

Screenshot from my iPad for our Big Hero 6 Movie Tickets - the checked seats are ours!

We love tha app and you would too! You can download it on the Apple Store and Google Play :) 

So they gave me the exciting news that I would be their first Member of the week feature on their website ^_^ When they sent me their list of questions, I answered them as I usually would - with long essay-like answers :p 

Unfortunately they only needed short answers (about 300 characters per answer) since it was going up the site there was some technicalities to consider :p So I edited and shortened my answers for the post but I still wanted to share with you guys my original answers ^_^ 

Here's the link to the feature: http://gmovies.ph/member-of-the-week

Whole name: Marica (Ica) Hontiveros-Cheng

Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/marica.cheng

Instagram: ica_cheng

Twitter: ica_cheng

Blog Link: www.pchengphotography.blogspot.com 

Favorite movie of all time:

It's funny when I say I'm a Movie Buff but I can't say that I have a favorite movie of all time. I'm the type of person who generally anticipates movies that are about to come out, see them then talk a lot about them through Social Media but I can't say I have an all time favorite movie. 

Most of the movies I like to watch though are action, suspense, thrillers, romance, comedy, adaptations -there should be a genre like that, with all the adaptations today. I'm not a big fan of the horror genre though as I already mentioned in my The Walking Dead post but my favorite Zombie movie would definitely be Zombieland (2009) -there's always a work around :) 

It's like there are movies the I can watch over and over again (Forrest Gump (1994), The Italian Job (2003), Speed (1994), Rush Hour (1998), Fight Club (1999), The Shawshank Redemption (1994), while as a book lover I wouldn't miss out on adaptations as well- we're fans of J.R.R Tolkien and the movie adaptations are six movies! 

Paul and I make it a point to watch the extended DVDs and special features to learn all about the magic that goes on in creating awesome movies. For 2014 - my favorites so far are Guardians of the Galaxy and Big Hero 6. ^_^ While I can go on and on and prattle on and on about movies, it really goes back to me not having an all time favorite movie which is frustrating but I guess that's just how I am. ^_^ 

Most memorable quote from your fave movie: 

Not my ultimate favorite but definitely a favorite of Paul and myself:

Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in Fight Club

"You're not your job. You're not how much money you have in your bank. You're not the car you drive. You're not the contents of your wallet. You're not your f*cking khakis. You're the all singing, all-dancing cr*p of the world."

-Tyler Durden

Fight Club 

What is your earliest movie memory?

My earliest memory of watching movies; would be the movies that my Dad watched. I'm a big Daddy's girl so I absorbed everything that he admired and being a genuine geek himself, my Dad easily passed that in to me. 

"Luke, I am your Father" 

I remember watching the first Star Wars Trilogy (1977-1983) on VHS Tape (over and over again) some of the scenes that made an impression on me were of course the infamous: "Luke - I am your Father - NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!" exchange and with Luke loosing his arm. As a kid I despised  antagonists like Jabba the Hut and adored critters like the Ewoks. It was awesome to get to watch the special features on the original trilogy all these years later. I'm sure my Dad would have loved that. 

I can never forget the "monkey brain dessert" in Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom (1984) and will always remember Arnold Schwarzenegger in a leather jacket and shades on as The Terminator (1984) before any of his other roles. 

Another early movie memory was the bathroom-scene in Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park (1993) the one with the line that goes: "When you gotta go-you gotta go." If you've seen the movie you would know it's not your typical bathroom scene :P 

When this meme of Sigourney Weaver being chums with the eponymous Alien came out and I was laughing about it, Paul said - "You couldn't have seen that! You weren't born yet!"

Alien came out in 1979. I might not have been born yet but I am my father's daughter after all. ^_^ 

Which movie changed your life and why?

This is a tough one but I would have to say Shawshank Redemption (1994). It changed my life because of the themes of the movie such as hope and maintaining hope in a hopeless situation, which I think is very important. It's a shame that I have yet to read the Stephen King novella on which the movie is based on. (I'll have to put that on my to-read list). 

Keep Calm and Watch Movies

Every one loves movies - no matter what genre of movie you are into. You can always invite someone, anyone for that matter to catch the latest flick playing. I believe that's because movies and films in general can speak a universal language which viewers can understand and relate to. Of course it's a question of finding the right movie for the right people. 

But whoever you are, whatever your interests are and whatever your background is - there will always definitely a movie for you. Whether it is a movie that you can laugh with, a movie that you can cry with or a movie that will have you biting your nails and seating at the edge of your seat - there is a movie for everybody. 

All of these thinking about movies actually got me, thinking about my own experiences with movies and what made me into the movie buff that I am today. 

Well, I tried to think back as hard as I could and I finally decided that the Walt Disney Classic Beauty and the Beast was the movie that made me fall in love with watching movies. 

Like any kid it was the movie that I watched over and over and over again. If you have younger siblings you would know what I mean by having that movie/tv show that they would watch again and again and well for my case it was Beauty and The Beast. 

The film came out in 1991 (I was 6 years old then) and it sure left an impression on me. I remember my Aunt from the US sending us a copy of the Movie in VHS format. (Kids, if you don't know what that is - feel free to Google.) The cover of the VHS tape is the very image you see above. 

Until now, I still have the lines memorized in my head...

Long ago, in a far away land, a young Prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the Prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind... 

and yes I typed all of that in without the help of Google. I can probably go on until the first Bonjour song where the sequence confuses me. Give me a scene in the movie and I can say the lines and dialogue until my brain rusts over that is. 

Thinking back at the reasons why I was so captivated with the movie, was because it had everything: music, romance, action, comedy - I remember watching the movie with my childhood friends and cheering as Beast battled the evil Gaston on the Castle roof. :P 

While I have gone beyond the classic Disney movies and have settled into my Geek girl mode when catching movies, I can pretty much enjoy Romantic Comedy flicks (nothing too cliche please). 

I wear my heart on my sleeve and I think that as a blogger that's very important, because after all, you harness your writing from what you are feeling. You draw inspiration from your experiences and with this inspiration you can start writing and blogging. 

Whether it's a movie made just to entertain you for 2 hours and make you help forget problems and concerns or if it's a movie that gets you thinking and makes you question things and inspires you - it will always be an amazing movie experience which you can take to the next level with the GMovies App! 

 We have already used the app - twice already - so I know what a great app it is and that it is the ultimate pocket app for your movie fix!

A first in our country - GMovies is an app that allows you to check on movie schedules right at the comfort of your own home but the fun doesn't stop there since you can actually already book your seats even before you leave the house! 

Pcheng Photography Give Away! Movie Passes through GMovies

It's been some time since we've had a blog give away - so I'm really excited for this one! :) 

You've probably seen me post about the amazing app that is GMovies - well We're giving away TWO free movie passes! 
(Any movie you want! - That is showing now of course). 

And it's easy! You just need to do the following: 

Like us on our Facebook page: Pcheng Photography. 
Follow us on Twitter: 
@ica_cheng
@pchengphtgraphy 
Follow us on Instagram: 
@pcheng311 

Of course you also have to download the GMovies App - it's already on iTunes and on the Google Play store. Send us a screenshot of the app on your smartphone or device. 

Make sure that you also follow GMovies App on Twitter and Instagram
Twitter: @GMoviesApp   
Instagram: @gmovies  

Email us at paulcheng311@gmail.com and tell us which movie you want to see and who you want to see it with and why!  

Include in your email your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram usernames and handles as well. 

Hurry! Deadline for entries is until April 27, 2014! 

Movie Review: Transcendence

Belonging to the Man Vs. Machine genre of movies i.e The Terminator, AI (Artificial Intelligence), Transcendence takes the battle further by asking and raising questions of morality that will be running through your head as you watch the two hour movie.  

While some may think that this is a good thing since it gets the wheels and cogs inside your head turning, this can actually be a double edged sword since unfortunately, not everyone is made up to absorb the breath taking visuals, the unimaginable possibles that an advanced technology can bring and the profound moral questions and responsibilities that go with it. Paul and I were sitting in the movie house and unfortunately beside us was a group of guys who just didn't get the whole movie. They kept on asking questions and talking among themselves in an obvious struggle to keep up with the movie. 

Now I don't want to sound condescending or anything but the movie is simply not for everybody. It is set in a time where anti-technology radical groups exist and are bent on destroying any advancement in Artificial Intelligence. In the movie this group is known as R.I.F.T and they are radical enough to be considered to be at the terrorist level. 

Warning Contains SPOILERS

Artificial Intelligence scientists and husband and wife team Will and Evelyn Caster (Johnny Depp (queue in the swooning) and Rebecca Hall) have developed a collective intelligence of all things known. This has of course made them along with other Artificial Intelligence scientist colleagues the target of R.I.F.T. 

In a simultaneous attack across Artificial Intelligence labs all over the country, Will Caster is shot with a bullet laced with a radioactive isotope ensuring him a slow and painful death. As she watches her husband wither away to the pain of cancer. Evelyn is determined to upload Will's 'conscience' in an effort to keep him alive -so to speak.  

With the help of Will's best friend Max (Paul Bettany) another favorite actor, they shave off Will's hair, implant chips in his brain and plugs him up with cables, that coupled with his deteriorating body makes him look like that guy from The Cell. 

After Will passes away, it seems as if he is able to communicate to Evelyn and Max through the system where they uploaded his consciousness to, without the dust even settling, Will asks for more power and to be uploaded to the Internet. (Which is never really a good sign in movies).   

From here - things take a bizarre turn as Max doesn't think it's a good idea to give Will access to infinite knowledge and power and wants to shut him down but a blinded Evelyn follows her husband's request. 

Will is uploaded on to the Internet, Max is captured by R.I.F.T and Evelyn is on the run and acting on Will's instructions to build a research facility in the small, quiet and undeveloped town of Brightwood. 

In Will's unending thirst for knowledge he becomes an omniscient, omnipresent (as long as there's wifi) Artificial Intelligence that soon develops a never-before-seen Nanotechnology so far advanced he is able to heal and give sight to the blind and build his own super zombie army in the process. 

Recognizing how real the danger is, Joseph Tagger (Morgan Freeman) a fellow researcher and friend of the Casters teams up with the FBI led by Donald Buchanan (Cillian Murphy- the Scarecrow in The Dark Knight Trilogy, remember Christopher Nolan is the Executive Producer of Transcendence) and making an exception to their rule joins forces with R.I.F.T who has already turned Max to their side. Make up a team to take down the ever growing threat that is Will Caster.