Star Trek: Into Darkness (2013)

I'm not a Trekkie. I'm not steeped in the Star Trek canon. I'm not even a sci-fi fan. But I did casually enjoy Star Trek as a kid whenever it came on TV. I could point out Spock. And I knew who Leonard Nimoy is. 

J.J. Abrams rebooted the Star Trek movie franchise in 2009, like Christopher Nolan and his Christian Bale-Batman, but I only got the chance to see the second installment: Star Trek: Into Darkness. Not in 3D nor in IMAX-3D, but in an old-fashioned reel that sometimes skipped a second. So, did a non-fan like me enjoy Star Trek: Into Darkness?

J.J. Abrams' brand of Star Trek has young Chris Pine with his prominent forehead as the rebellious Captain James T. Kirk; Zachary Quinto as Spock; the ultra-slim Zoe Saldana as Lieutenant Uhura, Karl Urban as Doctor Bones—all of them reprising their roles in this sequel.

Star Trek: Into Darkness opens and jumps right into action. In the gaudy-pink alien planet Nibiru, Captain Kirk of the intergalactic explorer U.S.S. Enterprise ignores Prime Directive in order to rescue Spock from a volcano. And so he is demoted to first officer. However, a super London bombing perpetrated by an ex-Starfleet agent, John Harrison, propels a quick series of events, which reinstates Kirk as captain of the ship and the gang races to chase the villain...and soon uncovers a conspiracy. Who is John Harrison, really? And why is he angry and scarily invincible? And why did he bomb the  secret Section 31 in London? 

Star Trek: Into Darkness delivers action-packed adventure, but it's more memorable for the drama. Here we see the characters shed moving tears in close-up shots, lots of engaging Kirk-Spock bromance, entertaining captain-crew dynamics and bickering, logic versus emotions, and tales of death, sacrifice and betrayal. And comic relief brought on by Scotty (Simon Pegg).

And what makes an action movie rise even more and take hold of you is how powerful the villain is. And John Harrison, who is actually Khan (oops, spoiler?), the super-human, genetically engineered bad guy (or is he really the bad guy?) is played exceptionally well by Benedict Cumberbatch (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), delivering the perfect combination of cold, precise and invincible, with a gripping, ominous voice of a manipulative villain. Pine, on the other hand, is aptly cast as our protagonist Kirk, convincing and charming in his confidence and captain-characteristics.

Star Trek: Into Darkness is refreshingly entertaining, dramatic without being too melodramatic, a science fiction with a heart, and a cast ensemble that have chemistry together, and they will immediately grow on you. It's visually and emotionally satisfying. Enjoyable even in reel.

4.5 out of 5 stars

In Philippine Cinemas May 15, 2013, also available in 2D and 3D

Pizza Hut's Cheese Burger Pizza

They call it the ultimate 2-in-1 experience. Pizza Hut's Cheese Burger Pizza.

Shaped like an intergalatic starship, the Cheese Burger Pizza is your regular bacon pizza, but topped with all the ingredients of the classic cheeseburger: cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, mayonnaise and ketchup. Then as you are inching your way towards the bread end of your slice, like a finale to your experience,  your taste buds meet the main event: the burger patty.

So the next time you're torn between grabbing a pizza and a cheeseburger for lunch, Pizza Hut will solve it for you. When I bit into it, I knew I was holding and biting into a slice of pizza, but I was actually munching on a cheeseburger! It's a spot-on cheeseburger experience....and classic Pizza Hut bacon pizza experience. Recommended for cheeseburger fans who are also pizza lovers, and pizza fans who definitely enjoy cheeseburgers. Try it and delightfully confuse your brains!

Available now in Pizza Hut outlets nationwide.

Visit Pizza Hut Philippines' official site
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ANGRY BIRDS FEATURE FILM NESTS AT SONY PICTURES

Animated 3D Comedy Slated For July 1, 2016


CULVER CITY, Calif., May 15, 2013 – Sony Pictures Entertainment has won the exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the eagerly anticipated Angry Birds animated film, making it one of the most high-profile deals of the year. The 3D film is being developed, produced, and financed by Rovio Entertainment and will be released worldwide by Sony Pictures on July 1, 2016. Several major studios pursued the global film rights in recent weeks, with Sony Pictures Entertainment emerging as the winner.

Michael Lynton, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures Entertainment, Amy Pascal, Co-chairman of Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Mikael Hed, CEO of Rovio Entertainment jointly announced their partnership today. John Cohen and David Maisel – producer of Despicable Me and executive producer of Iron Man, respectively – are both on board for the new Angry Birds feature film. Cohen will serve as producer and Maisel is executive producer.

Commenting on the announcement, Mikael Hed said, “Sony impressed us with their great attitude, determination, and professionalism. They convinced us that we have found the right partners and team to help us market and distribute our first motion picture. Michael, Amy, Jeff Blake, Sony's marketing and distribution head, and their teams will be the best possible collaborators as we get set to take our franchise to the next level.”

Lynton and Pascal said, “Every studio in town would love to add Angry Birds to their slate. There are few titles out there that bring this kind of excitement, brand awareness and built-in audience to the table. We’re thrilled to be distributing this film and we hope this is just the beginning of what will be a long relationship with Rovio as we look for ways to work on future projects together.”

David Maisel and John Cohen said, “We are very excited to join with Sony Pictures in presenting this movie to the world in 2016 and we will have many more announcements as we begin production in the coming months.”

Angry Birds is one of the world’s biggest entertainment franchises, starting in 2009 with the original mobile game that remains the number one paid app of all time. Angry Birds has expanded rapidly into entertainment, publishing, and licensing to become a beloved international brand.

Angry Birds has been praised for its great value and simple, casual gameplay. Players use a slingshot to launch birds at green pigs in an attempt to get their eggs back, with the game setting the model for what is possible in terms of game development and commercial success. To date, the Angry Birds and Bad Piggies games have been downloaded more than 1.7 billion times across platforms and versions.

The upcoming movie marks Rovio Entertainment’s first foray into feature films, although fans have already been introduced to the Angry Birds world with the weekly Angry Birds Toons animated series. Rovio launched the series in March through its Angry Birds apps as well as on select video-on-demand channel providers, Smart TVs, connected devices, and on select TV networks around the world. Paving the way for a full-length feature film, Angry Birds Toons has been a massive success for Rovio clocking in over 150 million views from the Angry Birds apps alone within the first six weeks.

While known for distributing world renowned motion picture franchises such as Spider-Man, Sony Pictures has been building a strong reputation in contemporary animation through its house production unit, Sony Pictures Animation, and hit films including Hotel Transylvania, The Smurfs, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Surf’s Up, Open Season, and Aardman’s Arthur Christmas and The Pirates! Band of Misfits. (PR)

“AFTER EARTH” EXAMINES FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN

Columbia Pictures’ “After Earth,” the new futuristic thriller starring Will Smith and Jaden Smith, examines the themes of courage and fear in telling an astounding story of survival. “I’m fascinated by the question of why human beings fear the unknown,” says writer-director M. Night Shyamalan.

In the film, a crash landing leaves teenager Kitai Raige (Jaden Smith) and his legendary father Cypher (Will Smith) stranded on Earth, 1,000 years after cataclysmic events forced humanity’s escape. With Cypher critically injured, Kitai must embark on a perilous journey to signal for help, facing uncharted terrain, evolved animal species that now rule the planet, and an unstoppable alien creature that escaped during the crash. Father and son must learn to work together and trust one another if they want any chance of returning home.

“In our earliest days as cave-people, fear of the unknown was really important – fear could keep us safe. Fear could keep you alive,” explains Shyamalan. “ But now, we’ll fear a new job or a new relationship, because we don’t know what’s going to happen – and that’s not necessarily a good thing. Playing with that in a movie is a fun thing, and in this movie, it’s about a father teaching a son how to overcome that. It’s a wonderful lesson, because if you can learn how to control your fear of the unknown, you can do anything.”

The concept of fear is expressed literally, as the alien planet has bred a dangerous species – the Ursa – that can sense humans’ fear and use that to track and kill its prey. The only way to kill the beasts is not to fear them, as Shyamalan explains. “It becomes very metaphorical,” says Shyamalan. “In the movie, we have a young man whose fear is chasing him – and when he can overcome his fear, he becomes invisible to the Ursa. The Ursa can be in the same room, but it’s no threat because it cannot sense his fear.”

After writing the story for “After Earth,” Will Smith – also a producer of the film – would turn over the screenwriting reins to Gary Whitta and Shyamalan. Smith called Shyamalan on the latter’s birthday, and Shyamalan told Smith how great Jaden Smith was in “The Karate Kid.” Will Smith said, “Well, we do have a movie idea in the works…” and they took off from there.

“Night is a master of building suspense and fear,” Will Smith says, explaining why Shyamalan was the perfect choice for “After Earth." “If there were a single thing that I would say is clearly Night’s genius, it’s how to take a single, still image and terrify you with it. There can be no movement – nothing happening, really – and still, you’re riveted. He is so good at setting the shot, setting the lighting, and setting the moment.”

“Night puts everything into the movie,” says Jaden Smith, noting that Shyamalan’s style of direction is, often, sleight of hand: “He’ll get you caught up in the story – you’ll be invested in the relationship between this father and his son – and then – bam! Something pops up. I love the way he shoots – the long shots, not too many cuts, capturing the emotion of the scene without saying what’s really going on, and leaving you in the audience time to wonder.”

Opening across the Philippines on June 5, “After Earth” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. 

Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. 

Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests. (PR)

"WALKING WITH DINOSAURS (3D)" TRAILER REVEAL - PUSHING ADVANCES IN 3D EVEN FURTHER!

"Walking With Dinosaurs" (3D) is a CGI action adventure set in real epic environments that breathes to life the most glorious and realistic of the dinosaur era never before seen on the silverscreen.

Set 70 million years ago, “Walking With Dinosaurs” (3D) sees the birth of a baby triceratops, the smallest of its herd brought forth into a wild, unpredictable world filled with the most ferocious of predators. In this world, the young dinosaur learns to discover his innner courage as he butts head with all other dinos and predators alike. Along with his friends and family, his adventures are filled with humor and often face hair-raising challenges that each of them must face to prove their worth within the herd. 

 
Experience another moviemaking breakthrough when "Walking With Dinosaurs (3D)" opens in (Phils.) theaters January 2014 from 20th Century Fox.

Check out the amazing trailer HERE

“MONSTERS UNIVERSITY” ISSUES GLOBAL ALL-CHARACTER POSTER

Disney/Pixar has issued a new “Monsters University” poster dubbed `Global All-Character' which features the film's entire cast of monsters.

Screaming with laughter and oozing with heart, “Monsters University” is directed by Dan Scanlon (“Cars”), produced by Kori Rae (“Up,” “The Incredibles,” “Monsters, Inc.”) and features music from future Rock-and-Roll-Hall-of-Fame–inductee and award winning composer Randy Newman (“Monsters, Inc.,” “Toy Story 3”).

In the film, ever since college-bound Mike Wazowski (voice of Billy Crystal) was a little monster, he has dreamed of becoming a Scarer—and he knows better than anyone that the best Scarers come from Monsters University (MU). But during his first semester at MU, Mike’s plans are derailed when he crosses paths with hotshot James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of John Goodman), a natural-born Scarer. The pair’s out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. To make matters worse, they realize they will have to work together, along with an odd bunch of misfit monsters, if they ever hope to make things right.

Opening across the Philippines on June 26 in Disney Digital 3D, 2D and regular theaters, “Monsters University” is distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures International through Columbia Pictures. (PR)

“BATTLE OF THE YEAR” GETS A NEW TRAILER

Columbia Pictures' new 3D dance film “Battle of the Year” launches its new trailer and can be viewed HERE.

With compelling characters and vibrant dance sequences, “Battle of the Year” is set in the international world of B-boying – the urban dance more commonly known as “breakdancing.”

The film stars Josh Holloway (“Lost,” “Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol”) and recording artist Chris Brown (“Takers”).

“Battle of the Year” is the Olympics of break dancing, a tournament held every year that attracts all the best teams from around the world, but the Americans haven't won in fifteen years. Los Angeles Hip Hop mogul and former B-Boy Dante (Laz Alonso) wants to put the country that started the Sport back on top. He enlists his hard-luck friend Blake (Holloway), who was a championship basketball coach, to coach his team.

Armed with the theory that the right coach can make any team champions, they assemble a Dream Team of all the best b-boys across the country. With only three months until Battle of the Year, Blake has to use every tactic he knows to get twelve talented individuals to come together as a team if they're going to bring the Trophy back to America where it started. Inspired by the actual World championship held yearly in France.

Opening soon across the Philippines, “Battle of the Year” 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. 

Like us atwww.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests. (PR)