Kenneth Branagh to direct Marvel's THOR

Kenneth Branagh is in negotiations to direct Thor for Marvel Studios, reports Variety. The comic book adaptation is scheduled for a June 4, 2010 release.

Branagh is the latest in a string of directors -- such as Jon Favreau (Iron Man), Christopher Nolan (the Batman franchise) and Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) -- with arthouse roots taking on big-budget comic book fare.

Marvel will set a distributor for Thor shortly.
Thor, written by Mark Protosevich, follows disabled medical student Donald Blake, who has an alter ego as the hammer-wielding Norse god Thor.

STEPHEN CHOW will direct & star in GREEN HORNET [news]

Stephen Chow, one of Asia's most popular box-office draws as the award-winning star and director of such films as Kung Fu Hustle, CJ7, and Shaolin Soccer, will direct Seth Rogen and star opposite him as Kato in Columbia Pictures' The Green Hornet, set for release June 25, 2010, it was announced today by Doug Belgrad and Matt Tolmach, presidents of Columbia Pictures. The screenplay is by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg, who will also executive produce. Neal H. Moritz is the producer through his Original Film production company.

In tapping Chow to helm The Green Hornet, Sony Pictures Entertainment continues a long association with the star and director. Under its local language initiative, Sony co-produced and released Chow's Kung Fu Hustle, which went on to gross over $100 million worldwide and received a Golden Globe® nomination as well as six Hong Kong Film Awards and five Taiwan Golden Horse Awards. Sony also released CJ7.

Commenting on the announcement, Tolmach said, "When Seth, Evan, and Neal said they wanted Stephen Chow to be part of 'The Green Hornet,' it was a fantasy. Now that it's happening, it's almost too good to be true. Stephen's been a very important part of the Sony family for many years, so it's truly serendipitous for us to be moving forward with him directing the movie and starring as Kato."

Chow added, "I'm excited to be taking on 'The Green Hornet' -- obviously, I've been a huge fan of the show since I was a kid. The idea of stepping into Bruce Lee's shoes as Kato is both humbling and thrilling, and to get the chance to direct the project as my American movie debut is simply a dream come true. I'm grateful to my friends at Sony, who have shown so much faith in me for so many years. I'm looking forward to working with Seth, Evan, Neal, and the team at Sony, and I'm eager to get started."

Moritz said, "'The Green Hornet' is a dream project and it's come together in a dream way. Seth will be fantastic in the lead role, and Stephen was the only name on the list for Kato. The material is a perfect match for his sensibilities -- Stephen in the director's chair is the best thing for the film."

Rogen said, "Stephen was always my and Evan's first choice for director and to play Kato. We just hope that he never finds out we're not the Wachowski Brothers."
Ori Marmur will serve as the Executive Producer of the film.

Chow previously told us of his interest in the project. "When I saw the program, I thought it was a great role and thought it was outstanding, because I'm Chinese and it's Bruce Lee, but I'd be happy to play that role," he said.

Later, we asked Seth Rogen about approaching Chow, who answered, "It's a very intense action movie and the relationship between Green Hornet and Kato, a lot of comedy comes from that. At first actually, we weren't even sure going in we could be more of a Jet Li type guy who maybe isn't the funniest guy in the world, but he's physically very impressive, or whether it would be more of a Stephen Chow type guy who can do martial arts, but clearly has a sense of humor. In the version that we've made it seems like a Stephen Chow type guy would be more suitable for the role. Again, until they officially greenlight it, it's hard to make any of those decisions."

Edward Norton, Hulk No More? [news]

zenlike Norton knows now what to do

The Incredible Hulk star Edward Norton tells MTV he is uncertain about the green fella's future. "The minds of Marvel are sometimes opaque," Norton said. "I won't say [they're] obtuse, but I don't have any idea what they want to do."

He added he was not sure if he would be asked back for Marvel Studios' planned team-up project, The Avengers, scheduled for a July 2011 release. "They've got this notion of collecting the Marvel characters," Norton said. "Who knows where they'll go?" You may also remember some months ago when news came out about creative conflicts on the Incredible Hulk set. You can read about it here

Yogs! I really loved Norton for the part of Bruce Banner. I wasn't very fond of how Leterrier's Incredible Hulk turned out. But having Edward Norton for the role of Banner has always been something me and my geek buddies have had in mind. As far as 1999 we've always been geeking out in discussions on who would be the best actor to play Bruce Banner, and it had always been Norton. With Norton indeed cast as Banner in the latest Hulk flick, it was casting dream come true. Now, that's not gonna carry on?! Linti!

HIMALA is among CNN's Best Asian Films Of All Time [news]

The Pinoy film classic HIMALA which was directed by Ishmael Bernal and stars Nora Aunor is included in what CNN UK considers as the Best Asian Films of All Time. This 1982 Pinoy film classic is about a young woman named Elsa, who believes that she had witnessed a Marian apparition and goes on a healing crusade. In the events that followed, the sleepy town where she lived in came to life as multitudes of faithful followers come to her for healing help and for prayers. But along with it comes the corruption of the town and the people, and what is revealed is nothing more than a circus of false spirituality. It is in this movie where one would find the famous lines by its main character played by Nora Aunor "Walang Himala!" The writer of the CNN article Mairi Mackay cites the film's "austere camera work, haunting score and accomplished performances sensitively portray the harsh social and cultural conditions that people in the third world endure." (click here to go to the article)

To those who have not yet seen this timeless classic, HIMALA is now available on DVD & VCD. If you don't have enough cash, go rent it at your nearest video rental shop. It really is worth it. (Hey check out this custom-made poster I made for HIMALA. It's just something I did a couple of months ago. You see, I bought the original DVD of HIMALA & I was not very happy with its DVD cover, so, I designed one)

Cinemanila 2008 Coming this October

Cinemanila 2008 will be held from October 16 to 29, 2008
The Cinemanila International Film Festival is the premiere Film Festival of the Philippines which features THE best movies the Philippines has to offer, and also focuses international movies as well. It is an annual film festival held in Manila, & was founded by Filipino filmmaker Amable "Tikoy" Aguiluz in 1999. Since that time, Cinemanila has become the launching pad for the country's new breed of filmmakers. (The picture by the way, is shamelessley, a picture of yours truly at last year's Cinemanila. I hope I can come again this year. Although I kinda doubt it)

CINEMANILA 2008 will run from October 16-29, 2008 at Gateway Cineplex 10, 4th floor of Gateway Mall, Araneta Center, Quezon City.
The 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival is presented by the Independent Cinema Association of the Philippines (ICAP), in cooperation with the Araneta Center, National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)

SOURCE: Philippine Entertainment Portal

Un-Funny "Disaster Movie" scores a double ZERO

As expected, Disaster Movie (from the morons who directed "Meet the Spartans" & "Date Movie")scores a pure double zero at the crtics consensus at the Rotten Tomatoes Website. This should serve as a warning to audiences to think twice before watching this idiotic movie. Here is one review that talks about it.

Disaster Movie: Does what it says on the tin
By Christopher Tookey

The spectacularly untalented writer-directors Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, creators of the groanworthy Date Movie, Epic Movie and Meet The Spartans, have come up with another no-effort collection of failed gags.

The model for the plot is mainly Cloverfield without the monster, but this is not so much a parody as a succession of witless references to many other films, from 10,000 BC to Juno, which Friedberg and Seltzer either haven't seen or haven't understood.
Disaster movie

It's the kind of flick in which a man comes on dressed as the bad guy from No Country For Old Men and we're meant to point at him, say to each other 'Hey - that's the bad guy from No Country For Old Men!' and laugh our stupid heads off.

It's not even value for money if you're a moron. Even the unfunny out-takes at the end stretch it to a barely feature-length 75 minutes.

The only good news is that this puerile farrago has failed to be a hit even among stoned and drunken American rednecks, so perhaps Disaster Movie marks an end to this uniquely dreadful series.

Verdict: Aptly titled

Vin Diesel Returning as xXx [news]

Latino Review has reported that Vin Diesel will be re-uniting with director Rob Cohen for the third xXx movie, entitled "xXx: The Return of Xander Cage" Check the full news story here

This really isnt good news for me though. The first xXx movie felt like a very disposable dose of fun for me. Rob Cohen's movies are like that; flashy, explosive, and forgettable. Many may not agree with me, but the sequel "xXx: State of the Union" which was directed by Lee Tamahori felt so much bad-ass than the first movie. I wonder if Ice Cube will make an appearance in this third xXx movie

Death Race (2008)

DEATH RACE: A TWISTED METAL GUY FLICK
By Reymundo Salao

The original movie; DEATH RACE 2000 was a B-movie; one of the best, excellently fermented B-movies to survive out of the 70's and 80's. It became a classic not only because it was very entertaining, but also because it was one of the earliest movies to tackle the subject matter of a dystopian future, and also serves as a sort of social satire. Now comes its remake entitled DEATH RACE, directed by Paul W.S. Anderson (Soldier, Event Horizon, Mortal Kombat) and stars Jason Statham. Because this movie is just a remake, of course, you don’t expect DEATH RACE to be more than a thrilling, hard-action thrill ride. But you will never regret watching it...especially if you’re a guy.

As the main protagonist, Jason Statham plays a masked man known as Frankenstein, a character played by David Carradine in the original Death Race 2000. In fact, Carradine's voice is heard in the first part of the movie as the "first" Frankenstein. Statham embodies what is now rare in the movieworld: a true action hero. Not the prettyboy crap other actors are made of. Statham's presence is always respected in the field of action, and in this movie, he seemed to have buffed himself just like one of the 300 Spartans, making your average heavy metal bodybuilder envious. Tyrese Gibson plays Machinegun Joe, which is the role played by Sylvester Stallone in the original version. Ian McShane plays the Coach. Joan Allen who used to play sweet frail pure ladylike roles plays the possessive and deliciously evil villainess Hennessey. But the best character in the movie is the babe; the charming Natalie Martinez as Case, actually, because after the carnage and the bloodlust, there’s still a beautiful foxy chick to look for in this movie.


Critics usually hate Paul W.S. Anderson, maybe because he only makes action movies (3 of them are video game adaptations) and some of them have been unsatisfactory. Sure, Anderson does tend to make lousy shots with the first Resident Evil movie and Alien vs Predator. But Anderson gets the job done and is true to the macho spirit of kick-ass action. He's like an imperfect son of John Carpenter, and a more practical version of Michael Bay. DEATH RACE is not deep, and there is a hole in the end part in terms of script and storyline. But aside from this mentioned, Anderson runs the movie smoothly with sound consistency, except for some few lapses in terms of storyline clarity and absence of character development. Despite such, the movie delivers what you expect from a "new millenia" remake of DEATH RACE: Twisted Metal Biting, Blood-splattering, gun-powder stenching action. This is a man's movie.

Do you know why I hate race movies? Do you know why I don’t like those Fast & the Furious movies? It’s because all they got are pretty boys who talk like disco-dancing brats obsessed with their cars and their love of racing. Do you know why I love DEATH RACE? Because here, the ones driving the cars are scarred, freaky-looking hooligans, and their cars are armed with gattling guns, RPGs, and napalm bombs. And on this movie, their concern is not just some dumb f%%k boyband vanity... it's coz they want to survive. For a movie that will burn the roads, DEATH RACE will show your nice ugly smiles, with a big fat thumb-up.

HUPA & the MoonRise Film Festival Movies

MOVIES THAT WILL SAVE THE PLANET
By Reymundo Salao

One of the most important social issues of our times which have been focused on by many documentaries like “An Inconvenient Truth” and “The 11th Hour” is the issue of Global Warming and Climate Change. Sometimes we need to watch full length documentaries about issues like these in order to get a detailed and a somewhat internally interactive reflection on issues that are of great importance, not only to our environment, but to ourselves as well. I was surprised to find that what’s showing here in one of Iloilo’s big mall cinemas this week is The Moonrise Film Festival, which features documentaries on the world's foremost cultural, environmental, and social issues. This environmental documentary film fest aims to make the public aware of the issues surrounding the environment through the film medium.

The highlight of the Moonrise Filmfest movies line-up is HUPA, not only because it's a purely Ilonggo film documentary, but also because it is the winner of The Grand Charlie Award at this filmfestival. ON Creative's HUPA is produced and directed by Oscar Nava, with the help of ABSCBN Iloilo and Aksyon Radyo. It is a documentary that chronicles the Flood Tragedy that was caused by Typhoon Frank last June. With the aid of news files, footages, and reports from sources like ABS-CBN News Iloilo and Aksyon Radyo, Oscar Nava and ON Creative was able to make this documentary which surely will serve as a sort of official documentary piece about the said tragedy.

Ranging from footages taken in the actual flood scenes, up to news broadcasts, and even up to scenes of what was going on in the Mayor's office during the height of the calamity, along with interviews and scenes of the aftermath; the docu weaves several viewpoints which make it a rich and complete docu in itself. The tragic events of that time were indeed such a heart wrenching drama of real life horrors. Among the scenes which gave much impact were the scenes of families in a state of panic and desperation, many of them, in a traumatic state of despair, but the one which was most shocking was the scene wherein rescuers discover the remains of a family which was trampled by a cement wall which collapsed upon them. It was such a grim and very sad scene as rescuers were left with no choice but to wash the muddy remains of these dead bodies in the floodwater. The docu is a must-see for those who live and love Iloilo because this event will forever be one of the most haunting episodes of this city's history; a reminder and a warning that should make us not take our environment for granted.

Along with the number of movies included in the Moonrise Festival is the docu by the Presidential Task Force on Climate Change (PTFCC) "PANAHON NA!" which is a very informative documentary that serves as a tool in order to educate people about Climate Change; how it affects the environment, and how to solve it. Hosted by Nikki Gil and Dingdong Dantes, along with interviews from many resource persons, the docu makes sure that the audience will have a solid understanding of this global risk.

In this documentary, the municipality of Dumangas, Iloilo (and the mayor of Dumangas Mayor Golez) was also able to cross the centerstage as it was praised for spearheading one of the best environmental projects that is very beneficial to farmers; Their Climate Field School educates farmers in anticipating the changes in the weather, making them more efficient farmers who can wisely monitor their crops.

"PANAHON NA!" by the PTFCC warn us of the factors that destroy the planet; from basic reckless littering up to reckless negligence of power consumption, factories, industries, and power plants. It also provides for solutions and even basic tips that the normal Pinoy can take note of. I strongly urge you all to watch this documentary, along with the other environmental features from this Moonrise Filmfestival.

Moonrise Film Festival Comes to Iloilo City

Opening here in Iloilo this week is The Moonrise Film Festival, which features documentaries on the world's foremost cultural, environmental, and social issues. This environmental documentary film fest aims to make the public aware of the issues surrounding the environment through the film medium. The winner of The Grand Charlie Award at this filmfestival is a product of Iloilo City: The film HUPA directed by Oscar Nava, is about the effects of the Flood caused by Typhoon Frank. The Moonrise Film Festival will be shown here in Iloilo City at Robinsons Movieworld from September 10 to September 16, 2008. [for more info on the festival, please visit www.ceae.org or e-mail at moonrisefilmfest@gmail.com ] The Schedule are as follows...

MOONRISE FILMFEST SCREENING SCHEDULES
--------------------------------
September 10
11 AM -
Hangga't Meron (Until There's One!)
Sayaw sa Alon (Dancing on Waves)
Panahon Na!
1:45 PM -
Unos sa Ka-ugmaon
Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa
Panahon Na!
4:10 PM -
Bamboo Lake (Kawayang Bato)
Ugnayan (Correlation)
Panahon Na!
6:25 PM -
Taaw: Buhay at Karanasan ng mga Mangingisda sa Anda
Hupa (Nightmare)
Panahon Na!
--------------------------------
September 11
11 AM -
Lawa ng Bato (The Lake)
Katutubo at Lupaing Ninuno
Panahon Na!
1:40 PM -
Hangga't Meron (Until There's One!)
Sayaw sa Alon (Dancing on Waves)
Panahon Na!
4:25 PM -
Unos sa Ka-ugmaon
Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa
Panahon Na!
6:50 PM -
Bamboo Lake (Kawayang Bato)
Ugnayan (Correlation)
Panahon Na!
--------------------------------
September 12
11 AM -
Taaw: Buhay at Karanasan ng mga Mangingisda sa Anda
Hupa (Nightmare)
Panahon Na!
1:45 PM -
Lawa ng Bato (The Lake)
Katutubo at Lupaing Ninuno
Panahon Na!
4:25 PM -
Hangga't Meron (Until There's One!)
Sayaw sa Alon (Dancing on Waves)
Panahon Na!
7:10 PM -
Unos sa Ka-ugmaon
Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa
Panahon Na!
--------------------------------
September 13
11 AM -
Bamboo Lake (Kawayang Bato)
Ugnayan (Correlation)
Panahon Na!
1:15 PM -
Taaw: Buhay at Karanasan ng mga Mangingisda sa Anda
Hupa (Nightmare)
Panahon Na!
4 PM -
Lawa ng Bato (The Lake)
Katutubo at Lupaing Ninuno
Panahon Na!
6:40 PM -
Hangga't Meron (Until There's One!)
Sayaw sa Alon (Dancing on Waves)
Panahon Na!
--------------------------------
September 14
11 AM -
Unos sa Ka-ugmaon
Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa
Panahon Na!
1:25 PM -
Bamboo Lake (Kawayang Bato)
Ugnayan (Correlation)
Panahon Na!
3:40 PM -
Taaw: Buhay at Karanasan ng mga Mangingisda sa Anda
Hupa (Nightmare)
Panahon Na!
6:25 PM -
Lawa ng Bato (The Lake)
Katutubo at Lupaing Ninuno
Panahon Na!
--------------------------------
September 15
11 AM -
Hangga't Meron (Until There's One!)
Sayaw sa Alon (Dancing on Waves)
Panahon Na!
1:45 PM -
Unos sa Ka-ugmaon
Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa
Panahon Na!
4:10 PM -
Bamboo Lake (Kawayang Bato)
Ugnayan (Correlation)
Panahon Na!
6:25 PM -
Taaw: Buhay at Karanasan ng mga Mangingisda sa Anda
Hupa (Nightmare)
Panahon Na!
--------------------------------
September 16
11 AM -
Lawa ng Bato (The Lake)
Katutubo at Lupaing Ninuno
Panahon Na!
1:40 PM -
Hangga't Meron (Until There's One!)
Sayaw sa Alon (Dancing on Waves)
Panahon Na!
4:25 PM -
Unos sa Ka-ugmaon
Pag-ibig sa Tinubuang Lupa
Panahon Na!
6:50 PM -
Bamboo Lake (Kawayang Bato)
Ugnayan (Correlation)
Panahon Na!
-----

Judy Ann's PLONING chosen for Oscar Awards Derby

The Judy Ann Santos semi-independent movie "Ploning" which is directed by Dante Nico Garcia has been officially selected as the Philippine entry to the 2009 Oscar Awards' best foreign language film category. The movie was selected by a special committee of the Film Academy of the Philippines and it beat the other movies Caregiver, Tribu, and Endo for the honor of representing the country in the Oscars derby. [source: Philippine Entertainment Portal, & GMA News]

This very beautiful and very Pinoy movie PLONING has been shown here in Iloilo last April of this year, I saw it and it was a wonderful experience. One of those obramaestras that is full of art and beauty.
International screenings of Ploning are scheduled on September 18 to 20 at San Antonio, Texas; September 29-30 at Los Angeles, California; and October 3-4 at San Francisco, California.


In the above interview, it is interesting to note Judy Ann Santos' angst and grievances towards experiences on big studio film productions. I applaud her because, at least, she knows what she really wants as an actress who takes her craft seriously. With her dabbling on projects away from the big studios, I see a bright future for Judy Ann.

SERBIS

SERBIS: X-Rated with a Gold Standard
by Reymundo Salao
Just like this movie, this review is x-rated; for adults only please. I usually get bored of erotic art films. But SERBIS really caught my attention because it was able to be included in this year's nominees for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), which is the most prestigious award given out at the Cannes Film Festival. And yes, it really was a very interesting film to watch.

SERBIS is an oftentimes grotesque but realistic view of a more nasty side of urban subculture, with a smut moviehouse as its main character, and the shady "things" that happen inside it. While the story may spotlight on the family running it, the moviehouse itself is the main character. Its architectural style shows that it used to be a place of high-brow cinematic events, its interior designs show a 60's or 70's era class. Its stair designs and the building sections connect in a stylish labyrinth fashion. And with the rotting and deterioration, the building becomes a perfect setting for a noir film.

The first scene shows a young lady standing beautifully naked in front of a mirror practicing the words "I love you" The first scene is blatant nudity, with nipples and pubic hair in the stark brightness of the scene. Symbolically, it seems that the first scene shows us what the external side of the movie is; just like the exteriors of the movie theater, we see the posters of alluring, sex-starved ladies, similarly showered with beauty, but as the film progresses, we see what is inside the movie theater; dilapidated interiors, filthy corners, male prostitutes and creepy perverts who patronize these shady movie theaters.

The entire movie is like a slice of life in this dark corner of urban society; of what happens in this moviehouse ironically named "Family" moviehouse, obviously assuming that it was indeed a family-friendly place in its heyday. In this dark place we see many things like male prostitutes offering handjob and blowjob services inside the theater, we see an immoral affair between a married woman and a young man, and we see how recklessly a kid becomes an innocent witness to all these ugly things.

Some of you might be afraid to watch this because of the "gay" scenes. But while there may be some oral sex scenes, these are darkened scenes and most of them are silhouette shots. You men will get your satisfaction when you see a sex scene with the lovely Mercedes Cabral and the glorious nude scene of the cute young lady (Roxanne Jordan) I stated earlier. I am tempted to think that foreigners love how we transform the ugly sides of our society into some form of art, what with Kubrador and Maximo Oliveros, which were awarded bountifully, turned our ugly corners of society into large canvasses of award-winning artistic expressions.

While Jaclyn Jose seems to be the main character of this movie, it is Gina Parreño who shines in her role here as the head matriarch of the family running the movie house business. It is interesting to note how she injects a subtle element of majestic grace in her role even though her character lives, not in a mansion, but in the same dilapidated moviehouse. It is because her role is a matriarch, a seemingly former Doña who used to own three moviehouses; two of which have now closed down due to bankruptcy. And even though her family is falling into outright poverty, she still focuses her attention on a seemingly futile and impractical case of adultery she filed against her husband.

SERBIS’ director Brillante "Dante" Mendoza whose credits include "Foster Child" and "Tirador" has once again crafted something that gives dignity to Philippine cinema. SERBIS is well-executed. Its seamlessness tells us that this is not a big studio picture (because here in the Philippines, ironically, the mark of a big studio movie is bad editing and awkward pacing) SERBIS is gritty, vulgar and artistic. Despite its grungy setting, it deserved to have been a Golden Palm nominee. This is not some kind of exploitative pornography that wraps itself in the alibi of “art film”, unlike other “erotic-art” films that do so. SERBIS is a peephole into a place that exists that some of us fear to explore. Come take a peek if you dare.

Johnny Depp to be Riddler? "Fun Gig!" he responds [news]

Following the success of DARK KNIGHT, a feverish run of rumors ran boiling in the news vines of movie news; speculations on who would be the next featured villain would appear on the next Batman movie and who the actors/actresses would be chosen for the role/s.

One of the rumors is that the next villain would be The Riddler, and along with that rumor is the idea that Johnny Depp would be the "best" choice to play the cryptic villain. In a recent interview on a radio show, Johnny Depp may have stated that nobody has officially approached him yet for that role BUT he did express that it would be a "fun gig for a while" Click HERE for the full news story.

In my opinion, MY "best" choice for The Riddler would be Ethan Hawke. Just think of all the roles he's had where he plays intellectual-type characters, add it up with his wild look in the first scene of "assault on Precinct 13"... I believe all this would add up for a great Riddler.

Sean Penn vows to help Pinoy Movie "SERBIS"

Among the films showing this week is SERBIS, a film by Brillante Mendoza about a dilapidated old moviehouse that shows smut and all the nasty things that happen inside it. This controversial X-rated movie was actually one of the 22 nominees for the Palme d'Or (Golden Palm), which is the most prestigious award given out at the Cannes Film Festival. Last June, ABS-CBN news posted a news saying that Hollywood actor and film director SEAN PENN vows to help this Pinoy film SERBIS. Click HERE to get the FULL STORY.

WATCH OUT FOR MY REVIEW FOR "SERBIS" THIS WEEKEND.
Check out the trailer: