MOVIES: BEHOLD CREECH, THE LOVABLE “MONSTER” INSIDE THE “TRUCK”

Paramount Pictures' new family adventure Monster Trucks centers on young, smalltown hero, Tripp (Lucas Till) and a strange, `monster' appropriately named Creech, one of an undiscovered species of oil-consuming underground sea creatures.

The film presented several challenges in bringing Creech to life, with the use of computer-generated imagery.

Director Chris Wedge shares, “The concept of our movie, in case it hasn’t occurred to you, is really silly. It’s just big and fun, and I wanted to make the contrast between reality and our monster as crisp as I could. I wanted to ground the live-action, I wanted to ground the movie. So I set it in this North Dakota boom town, and I put a kid that was down on his luck in a gritty junkyard, and I wanted the creature to seem as real as I could, but as impossible as I could. So we used reference from everything—from an octopus to a walrus to a seal and a beluga whale.

“And I wanted it to emote like an animal, not like a character,” continues the director. “It has the range of expression that maybe your dog does. I knew it was all going to be in the eyes. I wanted the limbs to all feel heavy and labored under gravity in the world, so everything that he did when he was out of the water was difficult and I wanted to convey that. You got most of it from his attitude, from his head poses, and the expression you get from his eyes.

On top of that, a lot of emotion comes from the truck itself, which Creech has took possession of.

MOVIES: START YOUR ENGINES FOR THE NEW “MONSTER TRUCKS” TRAILER

This February, take a ride with a real monster as Paramount Pictures has just unleashed the new trailer for its new comedy adventure Monster Trucks.

Check out the trailer at http://youtu.be/8wNQUDjwrcU and watch Monster Trucks in Philippine cinemas starting February 1st, 2017.

Directed by Ice Age’s Chris Wedge, Monster Trucks stars Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Apocalypse), and Jane Levy (Don't Breathe).

Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp (Lucas Till), a high school senior, builds a Monster Truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town and a most unlikely friend.

Melding cutting edge visual effects and state-of-the-art CGI, Monster Trucks is an action filled adventure for the whole family that will keep you on the edge of your seat and ultimately touch your heart.

Monster Trucks is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

MOVIES: GEAR UP FOR THE TEASER POSTER OF “MONSTER TRUCKS”

Paramount Pictures has revealed the teaser poster for its new comedy adventure Monster Trucks from Ice Age director Chris Wedge and starring Lucas Till (X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Apocalypse), and Jane Levy (Don't Breathe).

Take a look at the teaser one-sheet below and watch the film when it opens in Philippine cinemas on February 01, 2017.

Looking for any way to get away from the life and town he was born into, Tripp (Till), a high school senior, builds a Monster Truck from bits and pieces of scrapped cars. After an accident at a nearby oil-drilling site displaces a strange and subterranean creature with a taste and a talent for speed, Tripp may have just found the key to getting out of town and a most unlikely friend.

Melding cutting edge visual effects and state-of-the-art CGI, Monster Trucks is an action filled adventure for the whole family that will keep you on the edge of your seat and ultimately touch your heart.

The film also stars Barry Pepper, Amy Ryan, Rob Lowe, Danny Glover, Thomas Lennon and Holt McCallany. Written by Matthew Robinson and Glenn Berger & Jonathan Aibel and Derek Connolly
Monster Trucks is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Movies: WITH “DON'T BREATHE,” JANE LEVY AINT THROUGH WITH HORROR-THRILLERS YET

We loved watching her as the sassy Tessa in TV's "Suburgatory" but more than that and after her breakthrough performance in 2013's “Evil Dead,” Jane Levy plays another strong but flawed female character in Columbia Pictures' terrifying suspense thriller “Don't Breathe.”

Determined to escape her abusive mother and save her younger sister from the dead-end existence that seems inevitable for them both, Rocky (Levy) will do whatever it takes to get away. She and friends Alex (Dylan Minnette) and Money (Daniel Zovatto) have pulled off a series of elaborately planned burglaries in order to come up with enough cash to escape their dire Detroit hometown. Their petty crimes have netted meager rewards, however, so when the trio learns that a blind man (Stephen Lang) living in an abandoned neighborhood has a small fortune stashed in his house, they agree to go for their biggest and final heist. But their plan goes dangerously wrong when their intended victim turns out to be more frightening than they ever anticipated.

“Don’t Breathe” reunites director Fede Alvarez with Jane Levy, whose unforgettable turn as the demonically possessed Mia in “Evil Dead” has inspired graphic tattoos of the character’s blood-drenched image around the world.

“This is a completely different character on some levels, but Rocky definitely shares some similarities with Mia,” says Alvarez. “She’s a fighter, that’s for sure. She has a purpose for going after that money and nothing will stop her. But the Blind Man is pulling from the opposite direction with the same fierce resolve.”

Levy was the director’s first choice for the role from the beginning, but it appeared initially that she would be unavailable for the shoot. “We went through a lengthy process of trying to find the right girl,” Alvarez says. “No one lived up to our expectations. And then suddenly Jane became available and everything fell into place.”

After “Evil Dead,” Levy says she had decided she was through with horror-thrillers. “But here I am, and it is because of Fede. He is the perfect director to bring the story to life and make it so much more than a genre film. It has an epic, mythological feeling for me. It’s been elevated in a way that only Fede could. This movie reminds me of a graphic novel in many ways. The palette is really beautiful — grey with pops of color.”

In order to get away from her mother, Rocky has started committing small-time burglaries with her friends Alex and Money. “They do it partially for the thrill, but mostly because they don’t have money,” says Levy. “They start out stealing whatever little things they find, but then they hear that the Blind Man is sitting on a whole bunch of cash. If they can get their hands on that money, they can get out of Detroit.”

Alvarez, she says, has created four characters that subvert the idea of good guys versus bad guys, upending easy expectations. “You’re rooting for Rocky, even though she’s doing something dishonorable,” Levy says. “It was a challenge to make her likable, but Fede has created archetypal characters who are complex mirrors of humanity. In this situation, Alex is the brains, Money is the drive and Rocky is the heart, so you can root for her.”

Opening across the Philippines in August 31, “Don't Breathe” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.

Movie Review: Don't Breathe

"A man can do anything when he no longer believes in God" 

Reminiscent of "The Panic Room" director Fede Alvarez and Producer Sam Raimi's "Don't Breathe" brings the 'home invasion-suspense-thriller' genre to a whole new level and gives it a unique twist-with the intruders who are the ones cowering in every corner for fear of their lives. 

Three teenagers, Rocky (Jane Levy - who I loved in 'Suburgatory'), Alex (Dylan Minnette) and Money (Daniel Zovatto) wish to leave their crumbling city of Detroit for greener pastures and in doing so have been robbing houses to help fund their dreams. 

When they get the tip that there is a blind man who lives alone at home with a  large amount of money, they simply can't resist breaking in. Thinking that it would be an easy hit, they are surprised when the tables are quickly turned when their supposed victim is revealed to be an able killer, with a dark secret he is willing to kill for.  

Taking a play on senses, "Don't Breathe" highlights the use of lights and sounds. From the dorp of a pin, the creak of a floor board to the roar of a washing machine, it is impressive how all of these sound effects played into the film. Even the shallow breathing of frightened teenagers will bring you right in the middle of the story. 

The absence of light is also featured in the film, based on the trailer you'd think that the whole movie would be 'hide and seek' in the dark but let me assure you dear reader, that there is more to the lot than just robbing a blind man in his home. 

Beneath this man's supposed weakness is a strength and determination so great he will make sure those who have done him wrong will pay the price. 

Commendable performances to the entire cast who gave life and more layers to their characters. a special mention to Stephen Lang as the blind man. I'd honestly be more afraid of him than a lot of the movie monsters out there. 

Alvarez was able to make use of the confined space to bring horror and terror at every corner. 

8.5 out of 10, "Don't Breathe" is the kind of movie you watch, at the edge of your seat and your heart up in your throat. Watch with friends for an even more exciting time. 

"Don't Breathe" is in cinemas on August 31 but if you can't wait to see the film then you are in luck! There will be sneak peeks on August 22 and 23! 

Movies: HOME INVASION TURNS INTO HORRIFIC NIGHTMARE IN “DON'T BREATHE”

In Columbia Pictures' new suspense thriller “Don't Breathe,” three young friends break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect heist. They’re wrong.

Directed by Fede Alvarez (“Evil Dead” 2013) and written by Alvarez & Rodo Sayagues, “Don't Breathe” stars Jane Levy (“Evil Dead” 2013), Dylan Minnette (“Goosebumps”), Daniel Zovatto (“It Follows”) and Stephen Lang (“Avatar”). The film is produced by Sam Raimi (“Spider-Man” trilogy), Rob Tapert and Fede Alvarez.

Three young robbers (Levy, Minnette and Zovatto) invade a blind man's Detroit home — teenagers who are targeting vulnerable properties in the city as they bid to harvest enough cash to flee the area and start new lives elsewhere. Once they enter the Blind Man’s home, however, the tables begin to turn.

Director and co-writer Fede Alvarez, who shot to international renown with his 2013 remake of the Sam Raimi-directed classic “Evil Dead,” explains his inspiration. “We wanted to make something that was very, very suspenseful,” he says. “And we thought, ‘What is one of the things that creates a lot of suspense?’ For me, it is when you have a character walking into someone else’s domain because there you are under their rules.”

In “Don't Breathe,” when the three young robbers enter the Blind Man’s domain they find themselves very much under his rules – the house is set up in a way that suits the owner, giving him the upperhand.

“I love movies that force me to pick sides but which don’t give me the answers to the questions,” says Alvarez. “And that’s what I’m trying to do in this movie — not give the audience good guys and a villain. They all are villains. They are all doing something that is very wrong, all four of them. So it’s really up to the audience to choose whom they are going to root for.”

“The benchmark that this film tries to reach, and this is about as high a benchmark as one can get, is, of course, Psycho,” he adds. “Is Psycho a thriller or a horror film? It’s really a thriller. But also it’s somewhere in between because it has horror elements,” states Alvarez.

The filmmaker also believes that the audience is in for a groundbreaking experience. “There are some pretty f—ked up choices that we make,” Alvarez says with a smile. “You’ll see them when you see the movie. There are some things that happen that are pretty particular. They have definitely never been done before and there is a definite scene that I have never seen before. You’ll know what it is when you see it.”

Asked how the title “Don't Breathe” came about, Alvarez points to one crucial moment in the film. “There’s a scene where one of the home invaders gets hurt so then, suddenly, he’s trying to hide, but the problem is he has hurt his ribs, so every time he breathes in, he makes this sound. So either he gets found or he stops breathing, and stopping breathing is not an option. It generates a lot of strange and fun opportunities for me.”

Opening across the Philippines in August 31, “Don't Breathe” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.