Movies: Pedro Pascal Shares A Breotherhood With Denzel In “The Equalizer 2”

Narcos and Game of Thrones standout Pedro Pascal now stars opposite Denzel Washington in Columbia Pictures’ nail-biting action-thriller The Equalizer 2.

Pascal plays York, one of four former colleagues of Washington’s character, McCall.

In the film, as McCall begins to take vengeance on the people who killed his former handler and adviser – he is brought back in contact with the people who were once closest to him: his former cell of operatives.  “They were an operation of five highly skilled individuals tasked with going overseas, killing or kidnapping high value targets,” says screenwriter Richard Wenk. “They are the most skilled assassins on earth. Robert McCall was a part of this team which involved four other men.  But after losing his wife, McCall decided he wanted no more of this – and when a car bomb exploded, he took the opportunity to walk away and let the world consider him dead.”

Movies: Narcos’ Pedro Pascal Whips New Game In Big Screen Role - “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”

“Game of Thrones” and “Narcos”’ notable star Pedro Pascal stars in the upcoming theatrical release of “Kingsman: The Golden Circle”, sequel to the blockbuster action “Kingsman: The Secret Service” that reinvented and introduced the world to a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program.

Back in their lead roles as part of the Kingsman organization are Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Mark Strong and Sophie Cookson with new cast members Channing Tatum, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal and Jeff Bridges who belong to the Statesman, the counterpart of Kingsman in the United States.

Directed by Matthew Vaughn, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” sees our heroes face a new challenge. When their headquarters are destroyed and the world is held hostage, their journey leads them to the discovery of an allied spy organization in the US called Statesman, dating back to the day they were both founded. In a new adventure that tests their agents’ strength and wits to the limit, these two elite secret organizations band together to defeat a ruthless common enemy, in order to save the world, something that’s becoming a bit of a habit for Eggsy.

Movie Review: The Great Wall

There are many stories and legends surrounding "The Great Wall of China" and it has often been the subject of many films. It was only a matter of time before critically acclaimed director Zhang Yimou, takes it on, while putting his own unique flare for colors and breath taking sequences. 

Adding monster mythology amidst a historical backdrop, "The Great Wall" becomes humanity's last hope, protecting the world from the "Tao Tei" -a horde of ravenous green monsters which attach every sixty years. Devouring and destroying everything in its path. 

The Nameless Order is a secret society whose members have dedicated their lives in fighting the "Tao Tei". Zhang Yimou transfers his signature love and use of colors on the armor and weapons of the "The Nameless Order". I personally enjoyed the different military techniques used in the movie (being a bit of a History / war geek myself). 

Much of the controversy surrounding the film comes at the casting of Matt Damon in the film, with accusations of white-washing. Damon was cast as William Garin a mercenary in search of black powder (gun powder) alongside Pedro Pascal who plays-Pero Tovar. Critics of the film have said that Damon's casting follows the 'white savior complex' -when in fact there are also a number of different characters in the film. Such as Jing Tian (Commander Lin), Andy Lau (Strategist Wang) and Lu Han (Peng Yong) and Damon's character is not necessarily the 'hero' of the movie but rather helps in the plot. He is also 'schooled' on some ancient Chinese principles by the feisty Lin. 

Zhang Yimou had said that, "for the first time a film deeply rooted in Chinese culture, with one of the largest Chinese casts ever assembled is being made at tentpole scale for a worldwide audience. I believe that this is a trend that should be embraced in the industry." He was also quoted at saying how amazed he was at the scale of people of different races (with so many translators), were working together. How I wish that people could see that in the film. Instead of just blindly accusing it as being "white washed". (God knows we need broader minds, these days). 

"The Great Wall" is an honest to goodness epic historical fiction action-adventure film, kudos to Legendary for the awesome job on those "Tao Tei" -those are some frightening monsters indeed. It is a thrilling action-adventure that will have you at the edge of your seat. I will have to agree on some critics on the cardboard characters in the film. Jing Tian was a bit awkward to watch as Commander Lin (but still beautiful) - especially her scenes with Matt Damon. Was not really a fan of Damon in this one, I enjoyed Pedro Pascal's performance more. Even if he was the comic relief in the film, he did so well that the audiences just loved him. Shout out to fans of K-Pop, Lu Han is a former member of the of the South Korean-Chinese boy group EXO. He plays an underappreciated (yet brave) soldier in the Nameless Order. If you are a fan, you wouldn't want to miss his Hollywood debut on the big screen.  

7.5 out of 10. "The Great Wall" delivers as promised. I love that Zhang Yimou tried a new formula, which is very different from his past works. He did not repeat any of his past tricks or techniques, even using new ones to keep you at the edge of your seat. 

MOVIES: GAME OF THRONES” STAR PEDRO PASCAL IS BOUND TO “THE GREAT WALL"

Chilean-American actor Pedro Pascal (Netflix’s Narcos, HBO’s Game of Thrones) stars in Universal Pictures' new fantasy adventure The Great Wall as Pero Tovar, a tough, sword-wielding Spaniard who has become a brother-in-arms to Matt Damon's William Garin.

Directed by Zhang Yimou, the epic film tells the story of Garin, a battle-scarred mercenary in China and master archer taken captive by a secret army of elite warriors known as The Nameless Order. In a vast military outpost called the Fortress City, they fight to protect humanity from supernatural forces upon one of the greatest defensive structures ever built: The Great Wall.

Damon describes William Garin and sidekick Pero Tovar as “mercenaries, basically. We’re the modern day version of the elite Blackwater-type guys who’ve been paid to come to Northern China to steal this Black Powder that we’ve heard about. We know that we could do very interesting things with it in the West if we could just get our hands on it.”

Pascal was also the only actor the filmmakers sought for William’s “soul mate,” as producer Peter Loehr labels the character. “Tovar’s origins are Spanish, and we wanted to be true to that when casting,” Loehr states about their interest in actor Pascal, a Chilean by birth raised in the U.S. who speaks fluent Spanish. “We started to look at actors that fit that profile. At the time, we were fortunate that Game of Thrones was at the point of its season when Pedro’s character was about to get crushed. We presented that to Zhang Yimou; it was a show he had also been enjoying, so he knew exactly who Pedro was and loved him for the role.” 

MOVIES: FAMED ASIAN DIRECTOR ZHANG YIMOU TAKES YOU TO “THE GREAT WALL”

One of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time, Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers) directs the Universal Pictures and Legendary Pictures' action-fantasy The Great Wall, marking his first English-language production and the largest film ever shot entirely in China.

In the film, when a mercenary warrior (Matt Damon) is imprisoned within The Great Wall, he discovers the mystery behind one of the greatest wonders of our world. As wave after wave of marauding beasts, intent on devouring the world, besiege the massive structure, his quest for fortune turns into a journey toward heroism as he joins a huge army of elite warriors to confront this unimaginable and seemingly unstoppable force.

Zhang Yimou is one of the planet’s most celebrated filmmakers. Among his two dozen feature credits, he directed the first Chinese production to earn a Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award® nomination, Ju Dou (1990), with two more nominations for Raise the Red Lantern (1991) and Hero (2002).

Among many career triumphs, he won global accolades for his magnificent staging of the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympiad, a feat that fan and fellow filmmaker Steven Spielberg called “the grandest spectacle of the New Millennium from this creative genius.” That accomplishment landed Zhang as runner-up for Time magazine’s 2008 Person of the Year.

Producer Charles Roven raves, “The Great Wall has all the visual splendor and spectacle of an extravagant film, and it is shot amazingly by one of the most iconic filmmakers working today. His visuals are stunning, the colors that he uses are incredible, and the shots that he designs—whether they’re regular 24 frames or slow-motion—are art.”

Movies: FANTASY ADVENTURE IMAGINES WHAT LIES BENEATH “THE GREAT WALL”

Legendary Pictures and Universal Pictures, along with China Film Co., Ltd. and Le Vision Pictures, present The Great Wall, an epic action-adventure depicting a monstrous threat hidden for centuries behind one of the greatest manmade wonders of the world.

Directed by Zhang Yimou, The Great Wall stars Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau.

Set in an alternate vision of ancient China (circa 1100 A.D., during the Song Dynasty), the story imagines that The Wall was built to defend against a mythical Chinese creature called the Tao Tei (historical spelling, “Taotie”), a malignant species and gargoyle-like figure from Chinese mythology that rises every 60 years from the heart of the Jade Mountain to attack in vast, swarming armies and feed on humankind.

“I remember being told when I was young that the magnificent Great Wall of China was the only manmade object one could see from space,” says producer and Legendary CEO Thomas Tull. “True or not, I never forgot that, and when I set out to create a company known for its monster movies, I wanted to make one that combined my love of the genre set against this magnificent structure.

“I always wondered what was so important and compelling to have a country build a structure that big, that incredible,” Tull continues. “At Legendary, we like monsters, so my geeky brain went to work on the idea of a country building this wall to keep monsters out.”

Movies: EPIC BATTLE ERUPTS IN “THE GREAT WALL” FIRST TRAILER

Am a big fan of "Hero" looking forward to seeing Zhang Yimou's latest release!

Universal Pictures and Legendary have unveiled the first trailer for the epic adventure “The Great Wall” starring Matt Damon, and due in Philippine cinemas on January 2017.

The trailer may be viewed at http://youtu.be/vu_NKqX4D9w.

Starring global superstar Matt Damon and directed by one of the most breathtaking visual stylists of our time, Zhang Yimou (“Hero,” “House of Flying Daggers”), “The Great Wall” tells the story of an elite force making a valiant stand for humanity on the world’s most iconic structure.

The first English-language production for Yimou is also the largest film ever shot entirely in China. “The Great Wall” also stars Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau.

“The Great Wall is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.