It's Me, Gracee: Viva International Pictures

Confidential Assignment 2 showing in PH cinemas on October 12

Confidential Assignment 2 Monday, October 10, 2022

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Love Wins in Japanese film ATHLETE starring JOE NAKAMURA and KONDO YOHDO

Athlete Cast Saturday, September 21, 2019

In a constantly changing world, we are forced to challenge our old beliefs. We are forced to adapt and change -- change in our career, lifestyle, interests, or in some instances, a change of hearts. We, also ask ourselves, “Will this change be good for us? Will it affect the people around us? Will this change be accepted by society?”

Change is often good, but sometimes we feel alienated, misunderstood or despised because we embraced it. The Japanese movie “Athlete” is a story of two lost souls who, in the midst of solitude, find peace and comfort in a relationship that most people would consider forbidden. No, This is not a tale about infidelity, or the “right love at the wrong time” story - it is much more complex and complicated.

Meet the cast of ATHLETE: JOE NAKAMURA and KONDO YOHDO

Also part of the film is Maria Theresa Gow “GOWchan” who also served as the interpreter during the Media Conference of ATHLETE at Botejyu Robinsons Galleria

A former swimming athlete, Kohei is living a normal life with his wife and daughter. Suddenly, his world is turned upside down when his wife asks for a divorce. Hopeless and broken, he meets Yutaka, a handsome young man who has big dreams in spite of doing odd jobs.

A deep friendship developes between them and, eventually, no matter how much they fight it, Kohei and Yutaka develop romantic feelings towards each other. As their love and affection grow, so do their struggles in making their relationship work for they both fear that their respective families will be horrified and scandalized by their unconventional setup.

Learn more about the characters and they were able to portray the role given that the Japanese culture is a bit conservative and how the Filipino audience will embrace the film once they watch it.

The freedom to choose and the courage to accept yourself is a gift. And the movie “Athlete” bravely shows us how to unwrap that gift. It is a movie that honestly reveals what most people would find difficult or terrifying.

From VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment, “Athlete” will be in cinemas September 25, 2019, exclusively in Robinsons Movieworld.

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Gerard Butler returns in ANGEL HAS FALLEN now showing!

Angel Has Fallen Saturday, August 24, 2019

He had been down a few times, but nothing could ever take him out. That’s Gerard Butler as Secret Service Agent Mike Banning in the global box office hits “Olympus Has Fallen” (2013) and “London Has Fallen” (2016).

This year, this agent who is referred to as “the President’s top guardian angel” is going to get beat up yet again, the question is, how will Butler’s Banning rise from this fall?

Angel Has Fallen is the third entry to the “Fallen” franchise. Mike Banning is selected by U.S. President Allan Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) to be the director of the Secret Service. But before he could assume his new appointment, Banning finds himself in a crucial position to protect the president as they are attacked by explosive drones.

The next thing he knows, he is already in the hospital, handcuffed and being charged with the attempted murder of President Trumbull. FBI Agent Thompson (Jada Pinkett-Smith) is convinced of Banning’s culpability because he is the only one in his team who survives the tragedy.

Hellbent on proving his innocence and bringing the real culprit to justice, Banning escapes capture. As the FBI and his own agency are hot on his trail, Banning tracks down his father (Nick Nolte) to get his help.

Just like in all his previous battles, he must keep his family from harm, keep the president alive, and save the country from imminent danger. The big difference is, he is also fighting for his life.

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh (Snitch, Shot Caller), “Angel Has Fallen” offers non-stop action while taking the audience to what Butler describes as a “much deeper, darker journey” of Mike Banning. Reports have it that two other scripts had been scrapped in favor of this story, which is said to have been inspired by The Fugitive, The Bourne Identity, and Taken.

Butler said in an interview back in 2017, ''I couldn’t even see a way to make a third (Fallen film), you know we’d joke about it ‘What, Tokyo? Hong Kong? What is it going to be!?’ …Until this idea came along and until Ric came along – now I’ve gone from not knowing what to do with it, to thinking this is going to be the best one.”

In the same interview, Butler shared that Waugh told him that he wanted to make a movie with him “that’ll be remembered for three generations”. In response to that, Butler said, “Well what about Has Fallen 3?”, and Waugh said, “That’s not what I was thinking!” Butler said to the reluctant director, ‘Read this script, it’s kind of like The Fugitive, take it and let’s put your spin on it’.

Fast forward to May 2019, Waugh posted the trailer of “Angel Has Fallen” on Twitter and wrote, “For years @GerardButler and I have been wanting to collaborate. Damn glad it was this one. It was definitely worth the wait!”

MOVIE REVIEW

For and foremost, I will be a little bias because I am really a big fan of Gerard Butler. I've seen most of his film and he is really a good actor no matter what role he portrays and action films is really his forte. The special effects and the action has come a long way since the days of Olympus Has Fallen (2013) or London Has Fallen (2016) but in its essence, the film still makes you look forward to what will happen to Mike Banning this time around and how will he save the President, his family and himself.

I also love Jada Pinkett-Smith in the film plus Mike Banning's father too, for his age, he can very well kick some ass even though he isolated himself for quite some time. I am wondering if they will still have another installment after this film.

“Angel Has Fallen” is now showing in cinemas nationwide. From Viva International Pictures and MVP Entertainment.

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HELLBOY: David Harbour stars as the demonic hero ready to save the world

David Harbour as Hellboy Friday, April 12, 2019

The long wait is over! The latest Hellboy film is here after almost 11 years. The first HELLBOY movie was released in 2004 loosely based on the Dark Horse Comics graphic novel Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. The sequel was later on released in 2008 entitled Hellboy II: The Golden Army, both films were directed by no less than Guillermo del Toro.

Fast forward to 2019, “Hellboy”, the legendary half-demon superhero is back this April, this is not a continuation of the first two sequels of Hellboy though. Instead, this movie reboot has a darker tone, much more grounded in horror (Rated R in America), and is composed of a new cast and a new creative team that includes Mike Mignola, the creator of the “Hellboy” comic books, acting as a co-executive producer.

Special thanks to Viva International Pictures, I was able to watch the special advance screening of the film at Robinsons Galleria.

I've watched both Hellboy films in 2004 and 2008 and we really can't deny the fact that we will compare the latest film. Hellboy 2019 has plenty of hell raising scenes, bloody and gore yes but what can you expect if Hellboy is battling with giants and a Blood Queen. I love the photo realistic CGI and solid special effects and how perfect the cast is specifically Mila Jovovich, she is such a goddess in the film I completely forgot she is the villain but there's also come scenes that will make you appreciate your relationship with your father. Aside from the action-packed scenes, there are also laugh-out-loud scenes in the movie.

Now directed by award-winning director Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers, The Descent, Game of Thrones), and stars two-time Emmy Award Best Supporting Actor nominee David Harbour (Chief Jim Hopper in Stranger Things) in the titular role.

Hellboy is seen being called to the English countryside to battle a trio of rampaging giants. This is part of his job in the government organization called B.P.R.D. - Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense.

While in pursuit of the giants, Hellboy encounters Nimue the Blood Queen, played by the stunning Resident Evil star Milla Jovovich. This vengeful 5th century sorceress wants to get him on her side so that together they can end mankind.

While the movie will show some explanation on the background of Hellboy – that he was summoned from the depths of hell on a stormy island off the coast of Scotland – it begins right in the middle of the action. It is also “truer to the comic” , says Mike Mignola, “in that Hellboy’s been out in the world, not a top-secret, hidden away guy”. He has a “been there, done that vibe”, a trait that Mignola patterned after his father, a Korean War veteran.

David Harbour says, “In our movie, he’s very much dealing with his own being ostracized from society.” He is a lot more “emotionally explosive” compared to the Hellboy version of Ron Perlman. Harbour expounds, “It’s a classically complicated hero. He’s a creature that was meant to bring about the end of the world, and he just sort of wants to be a good guy. He’s got that complexity to him. He’s also a monster who lives among human beings, so he’s in a sense fighting for human beings against his fellow monsters, and yet the humans hate him because they fear him and they think he’s weird-looking and everything.”

Having a big role in Hellboy’s life is Trevor Brutteholm, his adoptive father and founder of the B.P.R.D. Played by Golden Globe Best Actor Ian McShane (Deadwood), his version of Brutteholm is “a much harder character who doesn't sympathize with Hellboy questioning his place in the world”.

McShane calls it “nice and bittersweet” taking over the role from “his dear old friend” John Hurt, but he was pleased to have worked with Harbour in Bulgaria for three weeks. He is proud to say that the filmmakers “picked the right guy” in Harbour.

As for Nimue the Blood Queen, she is depicted in the comics as a witch from Arthurian Britain who was cast out and trapped underground for 1500 years. This could be the reason she’s thirsting for vengeance.

In response to what kind of power her character has, Jovovich says, “She is able to throw plague and sickness on people.” In spite of this, the actress believes that the Blood Queen is “terribly misunderstood”. She explains, “The Blood Queen’s plan is so beautiful, something that all people want to achieve and it’s actually very relevant to what’s happening in our world. It’s trying to bring people together even though they are very disparate communities, monsters and humans, and bring the world into one so that everybody is protecting each other…I come in peace. It’s not my fault I’m a strong woman.”

Being “a powerful and strong woman” was actually Harbour’s first impression of Jovovich whom he had only known from movies like The Fifth Element. And because of that, the actor admitted to be “a little worried” working with her, but upon meeting her, he discovered that “she is such a pro” and he enjoyed the “level of love” she has for making a movie.

Other characters that are appearing for the first time are Alice Monaghan, played by Sasha Lane (American Honey) and Ben Daimo, played by Daniel Dae Kim (Lost, The Divergent Series: Insurgent), Hellboy’s companions in saving the world.

Monaghan is depicted as a woman of Irish descent who retained some magical abilities after she was kidnapped by fairies as a baby. In the comics, she was rescued by Hellboy from her kidnappers.

Daimo is a Japanese-American military member of B.P.R.D. who acquired the power to transform into a jaguar when angered or in pain after a supernatural encounter.

“Hellboy” is filled with incredible action and Harbour prepared well for it, saying that “It’s the most physical role (he’s) ever played.” Hollywood trainer Don Saladino put him through “a rigorous 10-week boot camp, involving kettlebells, medicine balls, machine weights, dumbbells, and weighted sleds—and that was just to kick things off”.

Harbour says, “I put on a lot of muscle and I got really strong and a lot of the training was power, because there’s a lot of stunts in the movie. There are two amazing Bulgarian Olympic wrestlers who did most of the Hellboy stunts, but there still was a lot of close up stuff that I had to do.”

As for his weapons, Harbour shares, “He’s got this big hand cannon and he’s also got this big Right Hand of Doom, so there’s a lot of big fights and there’s a lot of swinging that big right hand around.”

“Hellboy” now showing in cinemas nationwide. From VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment.

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HA JUNG-WOO STARS IN A NEW WORLD WAR IN 'TAKE POINT'

Entertainment Monday, March 18, 2019

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Matthew McConaughey & Anne Hathaway teams up for the second time in SERENITY

Anne Hathaway Tuesday, February 12, 2019

VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment proudly present “Serenity”, a film filled with thought-provoking scenes that will give its viewers more sense of mystery than serenity.

Serenity had a advance special screening last February 11 at Robinsons Galleria and some of the Entertain bloggers including myself got the chance to watch the film.

Matthew McConaughey (Academy Award Best Actor for Dallas Buyers Club) plays Baker Dill, a fishing boat captain leading a quiet life in Plymouth Island until his ex-wife Karen shows up with what Matthew has described in an interview as ”a very indecent proposal” .

Karen, played by Anne Hathaway (Academy Award Best Supporting Actress for Les Miserables), is now married to a multi-millionaire named Frank, played by Jason Clarke (Zero Dark Thirty, Terminator Genisys).

Talking about her character, Hathaway says that she’s “in a desperate situation” because she is “trapped in a toxic and abusive marriage”. She wants Baker to get rid of Frank by taking him out on a fishing tour and dropping him in the ocean for the sharks.

Hathaway reveals that she and Baker “got together when Karen was quite young”. They had a child, but he went to war and it tore their family apart. “And so she has to figure out what she’s gonna do, being a single mom. She finds this guy (Frank) who kinda reminds her of Dill. He likes to fish. She starts to think like maybe she can build a life with him, and then he turns out to be her worst nightmare come true.”

Baker, who is now romancing Constance, a moneyed beauty of Plymouth Island, played by Diane Lane (Academy Award nominee for Unfaithful), is still trying to move on from his troubled past. But can he truly turn his back on his ex-wife? What will it take for him to forget about his conscience and help her out?

Director Steven Knight (Lock, Redemption), who also wrote the screenplay, attests that “Matthew is the best there is” when it comes to playing Baker Dill. He explains that the character “doesn’t give of himself too readily, someone who’s closed in and I thought that was Matthew. Because of the nature of the twist I want beautiful people…and he’s also beautiful.” As a writer, two of Knight’s best known works are Seventh Son and The Girl in the Spider's Web.

Serenity is McConaughey and Hathaway’s second movie together. The first was

Interstellar in 2014.

Asked what drew them to do this movie, Matthew replies, “I saw a character that I could be very personal with, really find an identity that I can understand.” It’s also a well-written story, plus Knight is a writer/director that he trusts.

Hathaway agrees with McConaughey about the story being creative and extraordinary. “I got half-way through (reading) and I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m completely in and I just let it carry me away. And I wind up in a place that was very different than I thought it was going to, but it was a place of feeling and intelligence and soulfulness.”

Serenity was filmed in Mauritius, an island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa. It opens in cinemas on February 13 distributed by Viva International Pictures.

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Jennifer Lopez is back in the big screen with SECOND ACT, now showing!

Entertainment Wednesday, January 30, 2019

"I just wish we live in a world where streets smarts equal book smarts." - Maya

J.Lo is definitely back and her comeback in the movie scene is sweet and so real!

Jennifer Lopez plays a Whole Foods-type grocery store’s assistant manager who is passed over for promotion, only to trick her way into a fancy new job under false credentials.

Hired as a consultant for a major beauty company, Lopez's character, Maya, finds herself going head-to-head with hotshot young executive Zoe (Vanessa Hudgens) in a race against the clock to create a new skincare line. Can Maya prove her lack of tertiary education doesn’t prevent her from excelling? And what of her relationship with boyfriend Trey (Milo Ventimiglia), who is tried of waiting to start a family?

Jennifer Lopez learned a long time ago that in the entertainment business, you can’t just sit around waiting for opportunities, you have to make them for yourself. It’s the simple reason “Second Act,” her first film in three years and her long-awaited return to the glossy, modern-day fairy tale, exists.

“I’m quite particular,” Lopez said in a recent afternoon in Los Angeles. “I’ve been offered movies over the past couple of years, but unless it’s the right type of opportunities, I’d rather create them. That’s mine and Elaine’s mantra. We don’t force things, but we don’t wait around, either. If no one is giving us the stories we want to tell, we’ll create them ourselves.”

Elaine is Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Lopez’s longtime friend and producing partner. They have worked together on projects like “The Boy Next Door” and “Shades of Blue.”

“Second Act” was Thomas’ idea. She thought that Lopez would be the right woman to play the 40-year-old big box store worker with business savvy but no degree who gets a chance to prove herself to Madison Avenue’s elite. A little bit “Working Girl,” a little bit “It’s A Wonderful Life,” and it was right up Lopez’s alley.

“People need inspiration. They need to believe in a fairy tale,” Lopez said. “I think that’s the evolution of the romantic comedy. It’s not so much about falling in love with Prince Charming, it’s about falling in love with yourself and realizing that you have to be the love of your life.”

Lopez, 49, said she even cried describing the story in a pitch meeting to STXfilms chair Adam Fogelson (“Our great champion,” she said), who agreed on the spot to make the movie. “(He) believes in these types of movies and believes in women producers,” she said.

They signed on a director, Peter Segal (“50 First Dates”), carved out some time in Lopez’s busy schedule (“I literally think she’s the busiest person on the planet,” Segal laughed) and got to filming in New York City, which proved to be its own kind of challenge.

Another big twist and revelation in the film is about Vanessa Hudgens role in Second Act. Hudgens got the part in Second Act after auditioning and doing a chemistry read with Lopez, who she says insisted on casting the High School Musical actress. It was indeed a good move.

Viewers will also enjoy the witty and funny remarks of Leah Remini who plays Joan, the reliable friend of Maya (J.Lo) in the movie. Joan and her two sons surely made the film even more colorful.

One person who already found himself quite emotional about the film is Lopez’s boyfriend Alex Rodriguez, who related to being self-conscious about not having a college degree.

“He didn’t get to go to college because he went into the big leagues at 18 years old, and he always missed that,” Lopez said. “When he saw it, he was like ‘I felt inadequate because of that.’ He’s one of the greatest baseball players of all time who has made some of the biggest contracts, but it’s not about that, you can feel inadequate being measured up to others because of their privilege and intelligence.”

Lopez herself only attended one year of college, but for her, that was a choice that was necessary to jumpstart her performing career.

Check out the trailer of Second Act below:

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Mark Wahlberg stars in the intense and explosive film Mile 22 now showing!

Entertainment Wednesday, October 10, 2018

VIVA International Pictures and MVP Entertainment proudly present “Mile 22”, the fourth film collaboration between director Peter Berg and two-time Academy award nominee Mark Wahlberg after their blockbuster movies “Patriots Day”, “Deepwater Horizon” and the Oscar-nominated “Lone Survivor”.

“Mile 22” follows an elite paramilitary team called the “Ground Branch” who must travel 22 miles in 38 minutes to transport a foreign intelligence asset from an American Embassy in Southeast Asia to an airfield where he will be extracted and brought to the United States. This asset possesses highly classified information which could prevent terrorists from attacking and making at least six major cities uninhabitable.

As the Ground Branch risks life and limb in Southeast Asia, with the city’s military, police, and even street gangs closing in on them to reclaim the asset, its counterpart called “Overwatch” is tasked to aid them from thousands of miles away. Overwatch has mad hacking skills, monitoring the Ground Branch agents involved in the operation and communicating with them in real time to help keep them alive, in motion and on mission, as the action unfolds and the city quickly becomes a battleground.

Mark Wahlberg portrays James “Jimmy” Silva, the brilliant senior officer and leader of this small but lethal group. His brain is like a shark, always moving, always working, and seemingly incapable of slowing down; he is incapable of separating himself from his work. He feels a tremendous amount of responsibility to protect his country and his team, who know him to be direct, gruff, unpredictable, sarcastic, and all business.

When asked what drives Jimmy Silva, Wahlberg answers, “His upbringing, his youth…He has no family, no ties to anybody. (For him) the mission comes first, last, and in between. So, it’s a very unique kind of skill set that these guys have that are requirements for the job.”

Ronda Rousey (Furious 7, The Expendables 3) plays Samantha “Sam” Snow, a member of Silva’s group. This former UFC women’s bantamweight champion fighter excited shares, “They put the script in my lap and it was a completely fresh and different role for me, and I absolutely loved it. My role was not so dependent on being physical and fighting; it was like completely the opposite.” In this film, Rousey’s character exhibits extreme loyalty to her friends.”

Playing the foreign intelligence asset named Li Noor is Indonesian actor and martial arts master Iko Uwais, best known for his starring roles in the acclaimed action film series The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2. “Mile 22” marks his American film debut.

According to Peter Berg, “Iko is a big reason for me wanting to do this movie; he’s probably what started it.” The director reveals that he was mesmerized by Iko after watching The Raid. Iko has been referred to as “the next Bruce Lee”, and Berg began formulating plans for an action film to bring Uwais to a worldwide audience. That film became Mile 22.

Although “Mile 22” is a work of fiction, it’s standard practice for Berg to engage a group of consultants with real world experience – from Navy SEALs and Army Rangers, to CIA officers and computer experts – to assist the cast and filmmakers in creating accurate character depictions in terms of both actions and dialogue in any given situation. So viewers can expect a realistic and thrilling movie.

This intense and explosive film opens in cinemas on October 10.

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ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE LAST 49 DAYS NOW SHOWING!

Along with the Gods: The Last 49 days Thursday, September 06, 2018

Su-hong and his 3 Afterlife Guardians journey through 7 hells in order for all them to be reincarnated, while a household god defies all rules to help ordinary people in the living world. And the afterlife guardian’s tragic lives on earth thousand years ago are uncovered one by one during their battle against the god in human world.

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds became a box-office sensation, writer-director Kim Yong-hwa has delivered a second, even more ambitious chapter in his celestial saga.

Following on immediately from events of the previous film, The Last 49 Days also explores the backstories of its three guardian protagonists.

Guardian Gang-lim (Ha Jung-woo) must now “ascend” Su-hong (Kim Dong-wook), the younger brother of his previous ward, through the underworld trials that end in either reincarnation or being banished to hell.

Gang-lim claims that Su-hong’s murder gives him paragon status, which would grant him reincarnation if proved correct. However, Su-hong’s trial will be far from simple, and Gang-lim’s own unorthodox methods come under heavy scrutiny.

Meanwhile, fellow guardians Deok-choon (Kim Hyang-gi) and Hewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) are assigned the task of ascending an elderly man, only to discover household god Sung-ju (a sadly underused Ma Dong-seok) has sworn to protect him, at least until a new home can be found for the man’s young grandson. In return for their patience, Sung-ju recounts to the guardians their own human pasts, and how their lives were tragically intertwined.

Also, you must stay and watch the end credits because there's an amazing twist regarding Kim Yeomra's character that you will surely love.

Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days boasts the lavish production design and eye-popping CGI dreamscapes as its predecessor, I didn't get the chance to watch the first movie though so I don't know how I will compare this movie to the first one but clearly, they really make fantasy films come to life. Although throughout the film, they have running jokes about the economic downturn and mutual fund investments in Korea, it actually makes sense because it made the movie relatable because of this.

I also enjoyed the flashbacks, which is set a thousand years earlier in the war-torn Goryeo era, the back story of each of the characters gave me an introduction before I watch the first part. This made me understand their characters which are intertwined with each other from past to the future.

ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE LAST 49 DAYS NOW SHOWING in cinemas nationwide under VIVA INTERNATIONAL PICTURES

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