Moives: Will Arentt, Allison Brie Back As Batman & Unikitty In “The LEGO Movie 2”

Reprising their popular roles as the gravelly-voiced icon Batman and fan-favorite Unikitty in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “The LEGO Movie 2” are Will Arnett (“TMNT: Out of the Shadows”) and Allison Brie (Netflix’s “GLOW”).

If change is an issue, the last place anyone would look would be in Batman’s direction.  As he himself would surely attest, this is one rock-steady dude who does his own thing and doesn’t change for anyone.  He doesn’t even alter his color palette. It’s strictly black, and sometimes very, very dark gray.  But oh, Batman fans, there are some incredible plot twists ahead for this beloved minifigure, as the filmmakers continue to delight in messing with him.

Movie Review: Ocean's 8

In the words of the great Cyndi Lauper "Girls just wanna have fun" and that is what the beautiful (really, who does their wardrobe and makeup?) and hilarious cast of "Ocean's 8" bring to the screen. Unfortunately for me, that's all that they bring-a "fun heist movie". It may lack that edge of your seat suspense I was looking for and the whole 'revenge plot' was just 'meh' and uninspired for me but its more than able stellar cast make up for it.   

Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) is the younger sister of the legendary con-man himself Danny Ocean (George Clooney) who makes a cameo in the movie in a framed photograph and of course as a name on a tombstone. We don't really know if he's dead. 

Debbie is just let out of prison on parole, she leaves dressed in a stunning gown (more on that later in the movie) and with only $45.00 to her name but she somehow manages to go in a high end department store and exit with a whole bag of expensive make up and get a room in a luxury hotel. I'd love to get to do that but I'd probably end up in jail.  

She doesn't waste time and gets her old crime partner Lou, an androgynous Cate Blanchett (whom I love and who for me is the best thing in the movie) to bring in a new team of mistress criminals (because master criminals is just too preconceived Hey! Girls can be criminals too!) to pull off the most glamorous heist in history. 

Debbie has been planning to rob the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual gala (so posh, its pronounced Gaahh-la) and so long it will henceforth be known as simply the 'Met Gala'. 

Well, not really any piece in the museum but a legendary Cartier necklace, the Toussaint which is about $150 million worth of diamonds. Because cash is nice but diamonds are a girl's best friend after all. Now all they have to do is to get the diamonds on the neck of a certain Hollywood "It" girl, Daphne Kluger (Anne Hathaway) and in order to do that, they hire Rose Weil, (Helena Bonham Carter) an 80's has been fashion designer drowning in debt with the IRS. She's my second favorite thing about the movie, Carter's kooky and seemingly meek character is on point.  

We then have of course the 'gathering of thieves sequence' (which is always a favorite in a way, you do have to have your "Merry Men" again, with the one-sided terminologies!) Mindy Kaling is Amita, a jeweler who just wants to get out of being constantly pressured by her mom to get married. Sarah Paulson is Tammy a suburban mom and profiteer. I would have liked to have seen more of her and of her story on screen. Probably because I am a mom myself and I was hoping for her to raise the flag for us moms, you know. 

Rapper, Awkwafina (Nora Lum Ying) is Constance, your go to watch wrangler AKA thief while Rihanna plays hacker Nine Ball, nope, not Eight Ball but Nine Ball. 

As the fourth movie in the franchise it has that same Ocean's brand of sleight of hand, deception on top of deception sequence that you either believe the whole way through or just go, "wait a minute-is that even possible?" -then comes the best part is when everything and I mean everything is revealed because nothing is ever what it seems in an Ocean's movie right? 

"Ocean's 8" goes up to second gear but fails to go full throttle; it lacks the edge of your seat excitement which makes for an effective heist movie. It doesn't bring that drop jaw 'delighted surprise' it once did.


If you're a fan of the Ocean's type of plot and twist though, then you shouldn't miss this, especially since it is it's stellar cast that carries the film. Its your girls night out movie to enjoy and laugh at because of the comedy and to 'oohh' and 'ahhh' at all the pretty clothes but that doesn't mean guys won't enjoy it too! Because they will. It has great cast chemistry, celebrity cameos and that good old Oceans brand of a fun caper movie. 

Then of course there's that montage that shows how everyone of the team is shown enjoying their hard earned money. What I want to know is, how do they explain that to the IRS? 6/10. 

Movies: Production Underway For Tim Burton’s “Dumbo”

Live-Action Reimagining of Walt Disney’s 1941 Classic Animated Film 

Stars Colin Farrell, Danny DeVito, Eva Green and Michael Keaton

London, England (July 15, 2017) -- Production is underway for the live-action reimagining of Disney’s 1941 animated classic “Dumbo.” Directed by visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”), the film stars Golden Globe® winner Colin Farrell (“In Bruges,” “The Lobster”), Golden Globe winner Michael Keaton (“Birdman,” “Beetlejuice”), Emmy® and Golden Globe winner Danny DeVito (“Batman Returns,” “Big Fish”), BAFTA Award winner and Golden Globe nominee Eva Green (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” “Dark Shadows”), and introduces Nico Parker and Finley Hobbins in their first film roles. The cast also includes Roshan Seth, DeObia Oparei, Sharon Rooney and Douglas Reith. Katterli Frauenfelder (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” “Big Eyes”), Derek Frey (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” “Frankenweenie”), Ehren Kruger (“Ophelia,” “Dream House”) and Justin Springer (“TRON: Legacy”) are producing from a screenplay by Kruger. Nigel Gostelow (“Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” “Dark Shadows”) is the executive producer. “Dumbo” is slated for release on March 29, 2019.

Disney’s new live-action feature film “Dumbo” introduces Holt Farrier (Farrell), a former circus star who finds his life turned upside down when he returns from the war. Circus owner Max Medici (DeVito) enlists Holt to care for a newborn elephant whose oversized ears make him a laughingstock in an already struggling circus. But when Holt’s children (Parker and Hobbins) discover that Dumbo can fly, persuasive entrepreneur V.A. Vandevere (Keaton) and an aerial artist named Colette Marchant (Green) swoop in to make the peculiar pachyderm a star.    

Walt Disney’s classic animated tale “Dumbo,” which opened Oct. 23, 1941, won an Oscar® for best scoring of a musical picture and was nominated for best original song for “Baby Mine.”

The creative team includes cinematographer Ben Davis, BSC (“Doctor Strange,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”), Oscar® winning production designer Rick Heinrichs (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” “Dark Shadows”), four-time Oscar®-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”), editor Chris Lebenzon, ACE (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Maleficent”) and BAFTA Award-winning make-up designer Paul Gooch (“Alice in Wonderland,” “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children”).

Utilizing state-of-the-art visual effects to portray Dumbo and many of his four-legged counterparts, “Dumbo” will be filmed entirely in England, both at Pinewood Studios and Cardington Studios.

Movies: Thor Enters Battle Arena In Official “Thor: Ragnarok” Teaser Trailer

Watch Thor go up against an old friend in the first official teaser trailer for Marvel Studios' Thor: Ragnarok at http://youtu.be/v7MGUNV8MxU.

Directed by Taika Waititi from a script by Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost and Stephany Folsom and Eric Pearson, Thor: Ragnarok picks up after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron.

In Marvel Studios’ Thor: Ragnarok, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok—the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization—at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela (Cate Blanchett). But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger—the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).

If that isn’t enough, feast your eyes on the Asgardian god in his gladiatorial garb in a brand new poster below!

The film also stars Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban with Mark Ruffalo and Anthony Hopkins.

Thor: Ragnarok hits Philippine theaters like a hammer on November 3, and is distributed by the Walt Disney Company (Philippines).

Movies: Love Always Wins In Dreamworks Animation’s Highly-Imaginative “The Boss Baby”

DreamWorks Animation’s latest and 34th movie, “The Boss Baby” is inspired by the best-selling book of the same title by Marla Frazee - the film tags us along on a young boy’s colourful adventures as he discovers that his new baby brother is not what he seems.

Directed by Dreamworks veteran Tom McGrath (“Megamind,” “Madagascar”), “The Boss Baby” is a family comedy featuring the voices of Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Lisa Kudrow and Jimmy Kimmel and Miles Bakshi.  Exploring the wonders of a child’s imagination and celebrating the precious bond that can form between siblings in a family, “The Boss Baby” (Baldwin) and his older brother Tim (Bakshi) discover that love isn’t finite after all.  

The heartfelt nature of the story and the remarkable charm of the main characters were immediately appealing to producer Ramsey Naito.   “The story mirrored my life.  My oldest son was seven years old when my youngest arrived, and he was really jealous, just like our main character, Tim.  I related to the brother’s story instantly,” says Naito.    “I love that we celebrate the power of children’s fantasy and imagination in this film.”

Movies: Kristend Bell, The Ex-Wife You'd Love To Hate In “Chips”

Frozen and Bad Moms star Kristen Bell dives into the role of Karen, the undeserving object of rookie cop Jon Baker's (Dax Shepard) self-improvement efforts, in Warner Bros. Pictures' new action-comedy CHIPS.

In the film, Jon Baker is still reeling from the breakup of his marriage. Karen is a trophy from his heyday as a pro motorbiker that he can’t let go. He’s convinced he can get her back once he gets out of his slump, so he continues to live in the tiny guest room behind the luxury home they once shared, and that Karen still occupies, just to remain close. And, in spite of her total lack of interest, Shepard offers, “he continues to attend couples therapy. Alone.”

Marking her fourth big-screen collaboration with real-life husband, Shepard, Bell says, “Karen needs to be the person audiences don’t want for Jon. They should be shouting, ‘No, don’t do it!’ Karen is vain and all about appearances, and she thinks she’s the ultimate prize. Things started going south in their marriage the day he stopped placing first in his events. That’s the kind of person she is.

Movies: Narnia’s William Moseley All Grown Up In Latest Movie “Carrie Pilby”

William Moseley, widely known to be the older son (Peter) in the highly-successful “Chronicles of Narnia” is all grown-up in his latest romantic comedy movie “Carrie Pilby.”

Starring opposite Bel Powley who takes on the titular role “Carrie Pilby,” Moseley plays Cy, Carrie’s neighbour and match to her intellectual ability.  Carrie is a 19-year old genius, a year out of Harvard, four years ahead of her peers, living in New York City. Burdened with an overactive moral compass and self-consciously aware of her uncommon intellect, in a city full of people she considers oversexed, deceitful hypocrites, Carrie finds herself isolated, friendless, dateless and unemployed.

To coax Carrie out of her shell, her psychiatrist, Dr. Petrov (Nathan Lane), makes a list of goals she is to achieve between Thanksgiving and the end of the year: 1. Go on a date. 2. Make a friend. 3. Spend New Year’s Eve with someone. 4. Get a pet. 5. Do something you loved as a child. 6. Read favorite book. At first Carrie resists, but when her goal-oriented prodigy brain kicks in, she embraces the task with a vengeance. She has the time, anyway. Her father, (Gabriel Byrne), who has always joined her for the holidays in New York, isn’t coming this year.

Movie News: “Beauty And The Beast” Posts Year's Biggest 1st Day Gross With P47.2-M

MANILA, March 17, 2017 – Disney's “Beauty and the Beast” put a spell at the Philippine box-office, grossing an enchanted P47.2-M on its first day, March 16, and effectively breaking the record for the industry's biggest opening day for 2017. This was announced today by a spokesman of the Walt Disney Studios Philippines.

“Beauty and the Beast” is expected to dominate the coming weekend, as ticket sales are being driven by nostalgia for the original 1991 Disney animated classic, and the recent popularity of live-action fairy tales.

The top five performing cinemas for “Beauty and the Beast” are SM North EDSA (P1.97-M), SM Megamall (P1.92-M), SM Mall of Asia (P1.70-M), Robinsons Magnolia (P1.14-M) and Trinoma (P1.13-M).

Rounding out the top ten are Glorietta (P924,983), Ayala Cebu (P887,006), SM Iloilo (P810,629), Greenbelt (P 784,796) and SM Cebu (P756,706).

Making it in the top twenty are SM Lanang (P752,254), Power Plant (P698,056), Alabang Town Center (P654,840), SM Bacolod (P602,910), SM Seaside (P602,202), UP Town Center (P597,165), SM Clark (P 593,540),
Shang Cineplex (P587,780), Robinsons Galleria (P586,096) and Gateway Cineplex (P582,283).


About BEAUTY AND THE BEAST:

The story and characters audiences know and love come to spectacular life in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, a live-action adaptation of the studio’s animated classic featuring an extraordinary ensemble cast, including: Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans, Kevin Kline, Josh Gad, Ewan McGregor, Stanley Tucci, Audra McDonald, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Hattie Morahan and Nathan Mack with Ian McKellen and Emma Thompson.

Directed by Bill Condon and based on the 1991 animated film Beauty and the Beast, the screenplay is written by Stephen Chbosky and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Alan Menken provides the score, which includes new recordings of the original songs written by Menken and Howard Ashman as well as three new songs written by Menken and Tim Rice. The film is produced by Mandeville Films’ David Hoberman, p.g.a. and Todd Lieberman, p.g.a with Jeffrey Silver, Thomas Schumacher and Don Hahn serving as executive producers.

Beauty and the Beast is now playing in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D cinemas across the Philippines. Like Beauty and the Beast on Facebook, WaltDisneyStudiosPH; follow us on Twitter, @disney_phil; follow us on Instagram, @disney.ph and use the hashtag #BeOurGuestPH.

Also check out our review on the movie here.

MOVIES: BRIE LARSON CHANNELS HER INNER ACTION HERO IN “KONG: SKULL ISLAND”

Oscar Best Actress-winner for 2015’s Room, Brie Larson now stars as Vietnam War photojournalist Mason Weaver in Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures' Kong: Skull Island, an epic action-adventure that reimagines the origins of one the most powerful monster myths of all.

A compelling, original tale from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the film tells the story of a diverse team of scientists, soldiers and adventurers uniting to explore a mythical, uncharted island in the Pacific, as dangerous as it is beautiful. Cut off from everything they know, the team ventures into the domain of the mighty Kong, igniting the ultimate battle between man and nature. As their mission of discovery becomes one of survival, they must fight to escape a primal Eden in which humanity does not belong.

Larson’s Mason Weaver is a street-smart investigative photojournalist and self-described “anti-war photographer” who has seen the monster of humanity at war. Her suspicions sparked, Weaver’s curiosity about the mission’s true purpose drives her to maneuver her way onboard as team photographer. But once they cross over onto Skull Island, she is plunged into the biggest story of her life – one that will confront all her journalistic instincts and ethics.