‘The Nut Job’ Biggest debut of an independent animated film ever in U.S. opens January 22. Nationwide!

Breaking through the animated film industry dominated by likes of Disney and Dreamworks was apparently not a hard nut to crack for “The Nut Job”. It ranked number 3 when it raked in $27 million over the weekend making it the biggest opening for an animated film that wasn’t produced by a major studio.

With the film’s striking animation and unique storyline, it manages to impress in this competitive genre of computer generated images. It is no surprise that children to watch among the other animated films. Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Katherine Heigl and Brendan Fraser lend their famous voices and bring life to lovable characters Surly, Andie, Grayson, and Racoon.

Surly, a mischievous squirrel and his sidekick Buddy have recently been banished from their city park dwelling by the animals in the community. A freak explosion during another one of Surly’s nut stealing schemes has left the whole park without food for the coming winter, and they’re had it with his antics. Now ha and Buddy find themselves on the outskirts of the park in the unfamiliar and unforgiving streets of the city forced to fend for themselves-all while the impending winter rapidly approaches.

After a close call with a gang of sewer rats Surly and Buddy stumble upon Maury’s Nut Store, a place that could have them eating like kings have eating like kings if they can only get past a group of small time crooks who own the place and brutish guard dog named Precious.

Keeping in mind his former friends are also scavenging for food Surly devises an elaborate, highly coordinated effort to break into the store, liberate the rations and get back in the good graces of his former neighborhood.

But after ruining the town’s original savings, can Surly be trusted? Will Surly’s plan succeed, or will it keep him relegated to the depths of the concrete jungle forever?

Showing nationwide starting  January 22 nationwide. Released and distributed nationwide by Captive Cinema. In 2D and 3D formats.

Meet Khumba the half-striped zebra

A misfit zebra takes the blame for a drought, and embarks on an incredible journey to regain his dignity in this computer-animated adventure for the entire family. Born into a superstitious herd with only half of his stripes, spirited Khumba (voice of Jake T. Austin) is viewed with suspicion when the rain stops falling.

But legend has it that the first zebras got their stripes by drinking from a mythical watering hole deep in the Karoo desert, and Khumba is determined to find it so he will be accepted back into the throng. With the help of a witty wildebeest and a colorful ostrich, he just might find it, too.

 

Before he does, however, Khumba will have to prove his bravery by standing up to a fearsome leopard that could easily have him for lunch. AnnaSophia Robb, Steve Buscemi, Liam Neeson, Catherine Tate, Richard E. Grant, and Laurence Fishburne also lend their voices to this uplifting tale of acceptance and perseverance.

“KHUMBA” is released and distributed by Captive Cinema.

SHOWING ON FEBRUARY 12. NATIONWIDE!

The Midas touch of Aneurin Barnard as ‘Mariah Mundi’

The Welsh heartthrob Aneurin Barnard is Mariah Mundi in “The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box” , the lead character in the first film adaptation of GP Taylor's teen adventure trilogy, which would be his most high-profile role to date.

"I am playing the title role of Mariah Mundi, so I have to really drive through the movie. It's going to be fun, it's got a great cast," he said.

Barnard expounds on what attracted him to the role: “I read the script before I read the book and what captured my imagination was that it was a good, old-fashioned, action and adventure story. It took me straight back to my younger days, crowing up with action-adventure movies like INDIANA JONES or even the BOND films.

The one thing those films had that so few have today is they had a real story behind them. They weren’t just about people getting blown up or magic things happening. With MARIAH MUNDI, there’s an actual journey here; real people in heightened circumstances.”

For Barnard, Mariah was immediately appealing for his arc. “He’s a boy becoming a man in this era,” the 25-year-old Welshman explains. “He’s young, intelligent and a little bit naïve, but he’s also full of confidence and drive. He’s forced into a position where he has to put his life on the line to find his family, and as a result of that he has to become very brave. You’ve seen this teenage boy become a man.”

“We initially conceived the character to be much younger than he is in the film,” explains director Jonathan Newman. “He was going to be around 13 or 14, as he was written in the book. But we also wanted to remain open to the possibility of someone older, and Aneurin was recommended to us.”

Director Jonathan Newman went to see a film Barnard had done called HUNKY DORY. “I was immediately impressed not just by his acting ability but also by his on-screen charisma,” he says. “He’s mesmerizing to watch when he’s on screen and I knew then and there that I wanted him to be our Mariah.”

“These films stand or fall on the strength of their lead character,” insists Michael Sheen, Barnard’s fellow countryman, who plays the swashbuckling hero Will Charity. “And Aneurin is terrific. He looks wonderful as the character, and he’s got that strange gothic look about him. He’s a good-looking lad, but he’s also got a kind of oddness to him. And he’s got that great Welsh work ethic.”

“The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box” is released and distributed by Captive Cinema.SHOWING NATIONWIDE JANUARY 29.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES, a super horror film

The story begins in June 2012 in Oxnard, California. Recent high school graduate Jesse has a party which includes his family and friends to celebrate his graduation. One morning, Jesse finds a mysterious bite on his arm. Later, he and his friend Hector are confronted by two thugs who attack them, but the thugs are somehow knocked out by Jesse. When they show the incident to their other friend Marisol, Jesse cannot remember how it happened. After some strange activity, he realizes that he has superhuman abilities before he tests and plays with them.

Anna, the strange old witch-like neighbor of Jesse, is killed, and the police suspect that Oscar, a former classmate of Jesse, is the prime suspect. Jesse and his friend decide to find out what Anna's apartment looks like. They find black magic rituals and a picture of Jesse. They also discover several VHS tapes - including tapes of Katie & Kristi (from the third film). The next day, Jesse and Hector meet Penelope. Penelope finds a trap door in the apartment leading to a basement and is grabbed by an arm before she breaks free and runs away, while Oscar emerges from it and hides himself in the bedroom. Jesse arrives back and chases Oscar upon seeing him, who reveals that he did kill Anna because his arm had been bitten by her. Oscar then commits suicide by jumping from a building onto the top of a car.

Jesse is becoming even more dark and his homicidal actions become uncontrollable. More horrifying events take place one after another as Jesse is slowly being possessed by something or someone, that time seems to melt and characters from past episodes come alive once more. Watch how this installment of paranormal activity unfolds and horrifyingly ends.

The cast of Paranormal Activity: Marked Ones include Andrew Jacobs as Jesse, Richard Cabral as Arturo, Carlos Pratts as Oscar Hernandez, Gabrielle Walsh as Marisol, Jorge Diaz as Hector, Catherine Toribio as Penelope, Noemi Gonzalez as Evette, Gigi Feshold as Natalie, David Saucedo as Cesar Arista, Julian Works as Pablo, Molly Ephraim as Ali Rey , Katie Featherston as Adult Katie, Chloe Csengery as Young Katie, Jessica Tyler Brown as Young Kristi, and Micah Sloat as Micah.

“Paranormal Activity: Marked Ones” is directed by Christopher Landon and is distributed by United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corporation. Showing on January 29, 2014 at your favorite theaters.

Heartbroken? Tama na yan. #AyosMagMoveOn!

If love is like riding a bicycle, then the first few tries must’ve hurt quite a bit. Just like Ramon Bautista of hit web-series Tales from the Friend Zone Zero, maybe you have gone through your share of heartbreaks that made you say “’di na ako naniniwala sa pag-ibig.”

(Welling up with feelings but missed the melo-dramatic launch of #TFTFZero? You can watch the complete series here: http://www.bit.ly/TFTFZero WARNING: masyadong maraming feelings sa TFTFZero)

But don’t lose hope, there’s more to life when you move on. Tama na ang semplang, magmove-on ka na lang. #AyosMagMoveOn

Take it from broken hearted Spanky Rigor-Mortiz (Ramon Bautista) who sold a pre-loved tandem bike on AyosDito.ph to move on from the kilig moments he shared with Zooey de Leon (Nikki Veron Cruz), the girl who broke his heart; now you can Post Share Move On from the pain too!

Every time you do, you get the chance to win Instax Mini cameras, to create better memories with; limited edition #TFTFZero shirts and exclusive advice from Ramon Bautista, so you won’t be friend zoned next time you try it again with love.

To join,

1. Post an ad selling an item that reminds you of a feeling, person, or moment in life that you want to move on from: a gift from your ex (para sa mga heartbroken), your old K-Pop collection (kasi professional ka na), a friendship bracelet (more than friends na kayo), and more.

For any type of moving on in life, you can let go of the pre-loved on AyosDito.ph! (For more examples, go here: http://bit.ly/MoveOnSamples)

2. Share your ad on Facebook and Twitter. Use #AyosMagMoveOn when you do. The more you share your ad, and the more your friends click on your ad, the more chances of winning.

3. Win Instax Mini cameras, #TFTFZero shirts and a Ramon Bautista love tip every week from January 9 to February 7, 2013. Five winners will be announced every week!

And what’s more, at the end of the promo, the most viewed ad will win the featured Tandem Bike from the web-series, Tales from the Friend Zone!

Ayos ‘di ba?

For more info, visit http://blog.ayosdito.ph

EX-WIFE BLOGS ABOUT HUBBY IN THE ROMANTIC COMEDY “THE RIGHT KIND OF WRONG”

Meet Leo Palamino, a guy whose ex-wife, Julie, created a blog which became a huge internet entitled “Why You Suck” and who meets the girl of his dreams on the day she is going to be married. Right? Wrong? In the romantic comedy, “The Right Kind of Wrong,” the ultimate underdog story begins as Leo, a fearless dreamer, risks all to show the girl of his dreams, Colette and the whole wide world all that is right with a man famous for being wrong.

Leo Palamino (Ryan Kwanten) has dedicated his life to what some may call impossible dreams. At least his ex-wife Julie (Kristen Hager) would call them that. But Leo is an expert at not listening to her criticism or anyone else’s for that matter because Leo is a stubborn romantic. An idealist. A dreamer. And to dream big, impossible dreams you can’t listen to the people who tell you that’s what those dreams are.

It is precisely this refusal to listen to criticism that drove his ex-wife Julie to blog about Leo’s flaws as their relationship broke down. A blog … called Why You Suck that would become a cultural phenomenon. And so when we meet Leo Palamino, he is a romantic dreamer, a dedicated writer, a dishwasher in a tourist trap, and a celebrity…a man famous for his flaws.

Infused in the story is a realism about love; Colette (Sara Canning) is not Leo’s first love – Julie was, except she did not appreciate his artistic aspirations. She was a pragmatist in the purest sense. Things did not go well and the marriage ended - or at least, Leo thought it was over. Julie wasn’t nearly finished with him.

While most estranged spouses exact their revenge in the courts of law, Julie opted for the court of public opinion. People blog for many reasons: creativity, community, wealth, fame, even identity. Julie was motivated by spite and her own heartbreak about their failing relationship. As much as Leo’s artistic integrity made him the immovable object that logic and reason could not budge, Julie became the irresistible force, the unstoppable mouth. She found her voice in his flaws.

“The blog became an outlet for Julie to just write about her feelings and her frustrations with her husband,” explained Kristen Hager who plays the ex-wife. “She starts sharing the blog with her friends, initially as a joke. At first, Why You Suck is just a funny title that Julie uses to get a reaction from Leo. He’d been indifferent for so long that she wants to hurt him, thinking this will motivate him to pay attention and make an effort to fix what's wrong with the relationship.” It doesn’t work.

One of Julie’s main complaints that she trumpets in the blog is that when Leo gets a potential book deal from a big publisher, he rejects their edits, and the deal dies – something else Julie trumpets in the blog. “Leo writes with a single goal, a single purpose,” Kwanten noted. “He did things his way because if it wasn't his work, he’d disown it.

To survive, he is a dishwasher in Mount Yalo, an upscale resort town. “He takes dishwashing seriously. He’s a zen dishwasher - when he washes dishes, he’s fully in the moment. People come from other restaurants to watch him wash dishes because he turns it into a performance like Tom Cruise did in Cocktail. He has no embarrassment of any kind,” observed Lantos.

Kristen Hager is originally from Red Lake, Ontario, Canada and has made quite a name for herself in American and Canadian film and television. Hager first garnered attention with a starring role on the popular Lifetime summer miniseries “Beach Girls” opposite Rob Lowe and Julia Ormond. Following the success of “Beach Girls,” Hager landed recurring roles on the CBS series “CSI: Miami” and the CW series “Runaway” before landing supporting roles in the Universal Studios feature Wanted opposite Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy, and then in Todd Haynes’ Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There” alongside Cate Blanchett and Richard Gere. Hager’s starring role as the title character in the Charles Manson themed thriller “Leslie, My Name is Evil” received rave reviews after premiering at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. She also starred in the Strause Brothers’ Fox feature film “Alien VS. Predator:Requiem.” Additionally, Hager starred in the MTV produced Web Series “Valemont” with Nikki Blonsky and Eric Balfour and is currently a series regular on SyFy’s “Being Human.”

The perfect date movie “The Right Kind of Wrong” will open in Philippine cinemas on February 6, simultaneous with its U.S. opening – from Axinite Digicinema, Inc.

FANTASTICALLY REAL IN “THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY”

Ben Stiller directs and stars in THE SECRET LIFE OF WALTER MITTY(opening January 22 in Phils.), James Thurber's classic story of a day-dreamer who escapes his anonymous life by disappearing into a world of fantasies filled with heroism, romance and action. When his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.

In 1939, when James Thurber first published “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” he brought a playful, modernist style to the story that lured readers directly into the experience of Walter Mitty’s fantasy life. In Ben Stiller’s latest adaptation, he hoped to do something similar, using modern cinema to open the story up visually in a way that couldn’t have been imagined in Thurber’s day. He knew there were several ways to approach Mitty’s fantasizing. But there was only way he felt that was right for what he wanted audiences to feel: using a deftly crafted hyper-reality that merges Mitty’s inner stream of consciousness into the fabric of what’s going on in his outer world.

Check out the movie’s latest featurette with Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig talking how the movie is about courage and going into the unknown…

 

“Everybody can connect with the idea of talking to somebody while actually having this crazy, imaginary fantasy going on in your head of where you’d rather be in that moment,” he explains. “That’s what we wanted to capture.”

Stiller thought intensively about how to achieve that. Creating Walter’s fantasies would certainly involve many moving parts, and a sense of spectacle, but Stiller used his effects judiciously, with an eye towards unbroken integration into the flow of the action. “In terms of visual effects, we wanted the overall approach to be very photo-real,” he says. “I’ve always found that the best results come from doing as much as you can practically in real-life situations and then just tickling that with the digital effects.”

Ultimately, Stiller would put together a visual design team including Oscar-nominated director of photography Stuart Dryburgh(“The Piano”), production designer Jeff Mann (“Tropic Thunder,” “Zoolander”), editor Greg Hayden (“Tropic Thunder,” “Zoolander”), costume designer Sarah Edwards (“Salt,” “Michael Clayton”) and visual effects supervisor Guillaume Rocheron (“Life of Pi”).

The constant yin and yang of dreams and reality in “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” made for an extremely ambitious production – one which would take on the rigors of shooting in the middle of New York City then jet off to the other-worldly environs of Iceland, where cast and crew moved from volcanoes to helicopters to the middle of the frosty ocean.

Each location would host scenes that could not have been filmed elsewhere in the world. In New York, Stiller had the chance to shoot the epic chase between Walter and Ted in the live-wire dynamics of a typical crowded day in the city.

In Iceland, Stiller would shoot a scene that pushed him to new edges both as director and actor: when Walter jumps into the raging waves of the North Atlantic, which Stiller simulated with his own plunge into the ocean. “It was really important for me that we not do that scene in a tank,” he recalls. “I felt we had to shoot in real high seas, with a real boat there, a real helicopter and real waves,” he explains.

“That’s when Mitty literally dives into life,” muses John Goldwyn. “It’s the big transition moment of the movie, and it looks incredibly real, because most of it is.” The scene turned out, just as it does for Walter Mitty, to bring a bit more reality than even Stiller anticipated.

“We were about a mile out at sea with seven-foot swells -- which, when you’re in the water, are really big,” admits Stiller. “The boat with the camera in it went away to come back and do the shot, but there was this two-minute period where I was just in the North Sea with nobody around. I was in the ocean just by myself with a briefcase, floating there waiting for the camera to come back and was thinking, ‘I hope they can find me when they come back for the shot,’” he laughs. “There was a real sense of danger and it was one of those moments when I thought, ‘oh, this is what real filmmaking is all about.’”

Step out and live your dream. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” opens January 22 in cinemas nationwide from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.