unSAULicited

20th Century Fox and New Regency give us a peek into the intriguing premise of the upcoming psychological thriller “A Cure for Wellness” with its recent trailer reveal: “A Cure for Wellness” is directed by Oscar winner Gore Verbinski (“Rango”) and stars an impressive cast that includes Jason Isaacs “(Harry Potter,” “Fury”), Dane DeHaan (“Amigo,” “Chronicle,” “The Amazing Spiderman 2”), Mia Goth (“Nymphomaniac Vol. 2”) and Adrian Schiller (“The Danish Girl”). The movie takes the audience to a “wellness spa” in a picturesque remote location in the Swiss Alps. The facility promises a cure for what ails modern society, but all is not as it seems, as an ambitious young executive (played by DeHaan) uncovers its terrifying secrets and fights to save his life – and sanity. An intense, edge-of-your-seat thriller, “A Cure for Wellness” opens in Philippine cinemas February 15, 2017 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

The latest brand new trailer of “Assassin’s Creed” starring Academy Award® nominee Michael Fassbender reveals a much more dangerous world as it puts the audience in the middle of an ancient war between two age old factions - the Assassins, who fight to protect free will among the populace, and the Templars, who aspire to impose a New World Order. Throughout history, these two groups have been fighting for the fate of humanity. In the present, the Templars are close to realizing their dream of dominion by using ancient artifacts (created by an extremely evolved First Civilization) known collectively as Pieces of Eden. Among other things, these artifacts have the power to optimize the human mind. Based on the highly-successful and popular Ubisoft video game series, “Assassin’s Creed” sees Fassbender plays dual roles as Callum Lynch, a Death Row convict spared execution by the Templars, as well as his 15th Century ancestor, Aguilar de Nehra, a Master Assassin who fought the Spani...

Clad in a business suit, the youngest member in the family has arrived in “The Boss Baby.” In DreamWorks Animation’s latest trailer reveal, there’s no question who the boss is in this family – the one who wears the suit and throws an enormous fit of tantrums when things don’t go his way, ergo, “The Boss Baby.” The titular character, “The Boss Baby” is voiced by talented veteran actor Alec Baldwin, and from the day the baby arrived, seven-year-old Tim (Miles Bakshi) knew this fast-talking, briefcase-carrying baby was trouble – after all, there’s only so much love to go around, right? But as Tim embarks on a mission to win back the sole affection of his parents, voiced by Liza Kudrow and Jimmy Kimmel, he stumbles upon a secret plot that threatens to destroy the balance of love in the world – and this brash baby executive masquerading as his new brother is at the center of it all. Now, they must come together as true brothers to stop the dastardly scheme, save their parents, restore...

The much anticipated feature film adaptation of Lauren Kate’s worldwide bestselling young adult novel, “Fallen” comes to the big screen with a cast of exciting young stars and directed by award-winning Australian director Scott Hicks. Starring Addison Timlin (“Stand Up Guys”), Jeremy Irvine (“War Horse”, “The Railway Man”) and Harrison Gilbertson (“Need For Speed”) alongside Joely Richardson (“The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”), Lola Kirke (“Gone Girl”), Sianoa Smit-McPhee (“Hung”), Daisy Head (“Endeavour”), Hermione Corfield (“Maleficent”) and Malachi Kirby (“My Brother the Devil”), “Fallen” is seen through the eyes of Lucinda “Luce” Price, a strong-willed seventeen-year-old living a seemingly ordinary life until she is accused of a crime she didn’t commit. Sent off to the imposing Sword & Cross reform school, Luce finds herself being courted by two young men to whom she feels oddly connected. Isolated and haunted by strange visions, Luce begins to unravel the secrets of he...

The short film “Caretaker,” directed by advocacy filmmaker Seymour Barros Sanchez and produced by Red Room Media Productions, recently won second place in the short fiction category of the sixth CAM International Festival for Short Films in Cairo, Egypt. The film, which is co-written by Kristine Camille Sulit and Sanchez, is about a newly hired custodian of a vacation house who finds the gruesome conclusion of a fraternity’s initiation rites too much to handle. Rolando Inocencio plays the title role with John Paul Duray, Raymond Rinoza, Jomari Angeles, Luis Ruiz, Ryan Sy, Vince Rillon and Ron Nacianceno providing support. The film festival, organized annually by the Egyptian Arab Society for Culture, Media and Arts, aims to promote cinema as a means of combating ignorance, terrorism and poverty. “Plankton” by Russian filmmaker Giovana Olmos edged “Caretaker” for the top prize in the short fiction category while “Jasmenco” by Syrian director Wathec Salman placed third. “The Da...

The best holiday treat in our music scene is the forthcoming arrival of the internationally famous Vienna Boys Choir for a one-night only concert this November. Considered as one of the oldest choirs existing in the world best known for their boy sopranos and altos between the ages of ten and fourteen, the Vienna Boys Choir are selected mainly from Austria, but also from many other nations around the world. Come and watch “ THE VIENNA BOYS CHOIR LIVE IN MANILA ” on November 11, 2016 – 8 pm at the PICC Plenary Hall. “THE VIENNA BOYS CHOIR LIVE IN MANILA” is a non-profit charity event of the Alumni Association of Xavier School, for the benefit of the Fr. Tritz ERDA Tech School and the health fund for retired teachers of Xavier School. The VIENNA BOYS CHOIR had its last performance in Manila back in 2004. After twelve years, this comeback concert is the choir’s 2016 Asian Tour with sold-out performances in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta, China, Taiwan and final...

Naaalala mo ba yung tamis ng unang halik ? Eh yung pait ng una ‘mong break-up ? Yung first date mo ? Yung huling beses na masaya kayo ? Yung maliliit na away na biglang lumalaki? Nung tight budget ang dates niyo pero ang saya-saya niyo parin ? Hayaan niyong iparanas namin sa inyo ang first love, first break-up, first toot, first away, at lahat ng iba ‘pang first sa inyong buhay pag-ibig. Sama-sama tayong maglakbay sa nakaraan, kasalukuyan at hinaharap. Umiyak, Tumawa, Magwala, Humugot, Ma-sawi, Mag-reminisce, at Mag-ultimatum kayo sa pinakabagong handog ng DALANGHITA PRODUCTIONS. Tunghayan ang inyong Past, Present at Future selves sa usapin ng pag-ibig! Sama-sama tayong umibig sa loob lamang ng tatlong linggo. Oo, Tatlong linggo lang! Dalanghita Productions proudly presents its 2016 production “Tatlong Linggong Pag-ibig” – a three weekend theater treat of six original one-act Filipino productions in a musical or a play featuring the country’s noted playwrights, directors, musical...

The Philippine Suzuki Association (PSA) proudly presents the one-night-only first Philippine concert titled " PASSION FLIGHT” featuring ISKANDAR WIDJAJA, Berlin-based violin virtuoso and ITAMAR GOLAN, world-renowned collaborating pianist on November 30 at 4 pm - Fleur de Lis Theater, St. Paul University Manila, Pedro Gil, Malate. " PASSION FLIGHT " is a Fundraising Concert of the benefit of PSA Teacher Development Program, Scholarships, and the forthcoming 2018 Asia Region Suzuki Conference in Manila.. Born in Berlin, Iskandar Widjaja began playing violin at the age of four, at first with the Suzuki method under Susan Mann. At eleven, he was accepted as an extraordinary student at the College of Music in Berlin, where he studied with Ursula Scholz and Joachim Hantzschk. Furthermore, he studied at the Julius Stern Institute Berlin– the pre-college division for the highly musically gifted. After completing secondary school, he studied violin at the University of t...

“Pitch Perfect” actress Anna Kendrick sings to life one of the most beloved toy figures in the latest musical animation “Trolls,” starring alongside an ensemble of equally talented artists such as Justin Timberlake, James Corden, Gwen Stefani, Zooey Deschanel, Russell Brand, Christine Baranski, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Swedish pop music duo of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo, Kunal Nayyar and Ron Funches. Kendrick is the voice of Poppy, the feisty and fearless leader of the Trolls, who are naturally cheerful and optimistic. They love to sing and dance, and they have rainbow-colored hair. Justin Timberlake voices Branch, a gray and fearful troll. He is convinced that the Trolls’ mortal enemies, the Bergens, will track them down in their forest Utopia and capture them. The Bergens are miserable monsters and they are only happy when they eat Trolls. The film was inspired by the quirky cute/ugly looking dolls with brightly colored hair that were invented by a Danish woodcutter in 195...

The latest teen heartthrob hero rises in the toy-to-movie “Max Steel” based on Mattel’s most popular action figure of the same name. Starring in the titular role is Ben Winchell, best known for his roles on Disney Channel’s "A.N.T. Farm" and USA’s "Necessary Roughness”. Director Stewart Hendler and screenwriter Christopher Yost (who also wrote the screenplay of “Thor: The Dark World”) adapt “Max Steel” for the big screen. “Max Steel” is a live action feature-length origin story that combines identifiable characters, familiar terrestrial settings and innovative use of technology to create a realistic re-interpretation of the traditional superhero film. Teenager Max McGrath (Winchell) and his mother (Maria Bello) have recently moved back to Copper Canyon, the town where Max was born and his scientist father died under mysterious circumstances. Adjusting to a new school is not easy for Max, and becomes even more complicated when his body starts to generate strange ...

In Ballet Philippines’ “Crisostomo Ibarra” and “Simoun”, the protagonists of Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere” and “El Filibusterismo” leap off of the page and onto the CCP Main Theater stage for one weekend only. Both shows feature original music by Jed Balsamo, choreography by Paul Alexander Morales, and the live performance of the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra – a quintet for “Crisostomo Ibarra” and the full orchestra under the baton of Maestro Gerard Salonga for “Simoun”. Told through the language of dance, the narration takes the audience into the psychological worlds of the novels’ protagonists and strips bare the epic story that underscores the continuing relevance of Rizal’s work. The year 2016 marks the 120th death anniversary of the national hero, and the 125th anniversary of the publication of “El Filibusterismo”. This production is supported by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines. Paul Alexander Morales Jed Balsamo Paul Alexander Morales and ...

Multi-talented Isla Fisher, noted for her roles in “Confessions of a Shopaholic”, “Now You See Me” and “The Wedding Crashers”  will next be seen in the high-octane action-comedy “Keeping Up with the Joneses” which also stars Gal Gadot, Zach Galifianakis and Jon Hamm. Directed by Greg Mottola, one of comedy’s most popular directors in recent times (“Superbad”), his latest helmer “Keeping Up with the Joneses” is about an ordinary suburban couple (Zach Galifianakis, Isla Fisher) who discovers it’s not easy keeping up with their impossibly gorgeous and ultra-sophisticated new neighbors, the Joneses (Jon Hamm, Gal Gadot)  – especially when they discover that Mr. and Mrs. “Jones” are really covert operatives.  Fisher takes on the role of Karen Gaffney, blissfully married to Jeff (Galifianakis) on a quiet cul-de-sac neighbourhood.  With their kids out on summer camp, Karen clicks away time by redesigning bathrooms and waiting on Jeff to come home from work...unti...

Hugh Jackman finally revealed the official title of the latest Wolverine movie as “Logan” along with a teaser poster showing his bruised claw held by a much smaller hand. “Logan” director James Mangold (directed “The Wolverine”, 2013) also shared page 2 of the movie’s screenplay on Twitter that read “In this flick, people will get hurt or killed when shit falls on them. They will get just as hurt or just as killed if they get hit with something big and heavy, like, say, a car. Should anyone in our story have the misfortune to fall off a roof or out a window, they won’t bounce. They will die.” Director Mangold further revealed that Logan being older and in a drunken state, engages in action with his claws extended but is soon pounded with knives, guns and fists. “Logan” is Hugh Jackman’s last donning of the Wolverine character and from his recent interview with Collider, Hugh Jackman admitted that he feels the pressure has gone the highest notch ever. "I feel that I...

From the creators of “Shrek” comes DreamWorks Animation’s “Trolls,” a smart, funny and irreverent comedy about the search for happiness, and just how far some will go to get it. The film transports audiences to a colorful, wondrous world populated by the overly optimistic Trolls, who have a constant dance in their step and a song on their lips, and the comically pessimistic Bergens, who are only happy when they have Trolls in their stomachs. After the Bergens invade Troll Village, Poppy (Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the overly-cautious, curmudgeonly Branch (Justin Timberlake) set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Their mission is full of adventure and mishaps, as this mismatched duo try to tolerate each other long enough to get the job done. Happiness was foremost in the minds of “Trolls” director Mike Mitchell and co-director Walt Dohrn, even during the earliest stages of story discussions with screenwriters/co-producers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berge...

The much-awaited yearly Spanish Film Festival, now on its 15th year, showcases the best of contemporary Spanish and Latin American films exclusive at Ayala Malls Cinemas’ Greenbelt 3 from October 5 to 16. Twenty (20) films will be featured in this year’s edition coming from countries such as Spain, Colombia, Argentina, Chile and Venezuela. The festival will kick off on October 5 with the screening of “Truman”, a bitter comedy directed by a notable Spanish film maker Cesc Gay which garnered best film, best director, best original screenplay, best actor and supporting actor in the 2016 30th Goya Awards. It also raked other awards from International award giving body. Among the films of the are “Perdiendo el Norte”, “Techo y comida (Food and Shelter)”, “Much Ado about Nothing”, “Azul y no tan rosa (My Straight Son)”, “Anacleto (Spy Time)”, “A Esmorga”, “Cien años de perdón”, “The Clan”, “My Big Night”, “Isla Bonita”, “El Rayo”, “Palm Trees in the Snow”, “Sidetracked”, “La Tropa de T...