Shot in Istanbul, Turkey and directed by Olivier Megaton , “Taken 2” reunites Liam Neeson with his co-stars Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace in this rocket-paced action sequel that rivals some of the greatest gun-handlers in cinema history.

Neeson reprises the role of Bryan Mills, a father and an estranged husband who would do anything for his family in the movie.  Mills’ daughter having been kidnapped the first time. But he faces a different kind of conflict in “Taken 2.”  Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills, the retired CIA agent with a particular set of skills who stopped at nothing to save his daughter Kim from Albanian kidnappers.  When the father of one of the kidnappers swears revenge, and takes Bryan and his wife hostage during their family vacation in Istanbul, Bryan enlists Kim to help them escape, and uses the same advanced level of special forces tactics to get his family to safety and then systematically take out the kidnappers one by one.

“In the first movie he’s really a guy with nothing to lose. He’s divorced, he’s lost his daughter, and you see his reaction when she’s kidnapped,” explains Megaton. “In this movie, he’s got that relationship back and he’s even flirting with his ex-wife. It’s almost cheesy, but that makes him all the more human at the beginning of the movie, because he’s not thinking about his training, he’s thinking about his family.”

But being kidnapped once is unfortunate; twice is just careless. Rest assured, then, that things play out differently in this sequel. “The powers-that-be–namely our gracious leader Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen—have come up with a much better plot than that,” assures Grace. “Someone has the notion of attempting to abduct Bryan. It’s a personal vendetta; someone bent on extracting recompense from a man with a particular set of skills, as ill-advised as that might be. So it’s not a random second abduction of my character, Kim, which I think would be everyone’s first concern.”

“Taken 2” opens October in theaters from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Continental phenomenon male group The Wanted have joined forces with Twentieth Century Fox and Blue Sky Studios to celebrate the return of one of the world’s most beloved franchises when “ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT” hits cinemas on July 12 in Phils. theaters.

Following the success of their single “Glad You Came”, which was a number one hit in the UK & has sold over 2 million copies in the US alone, the UK pop sensation announce their brand new single ‘Chasing The Sun’ will be a featured track on this year’s most anticipated animated feature film.

In “ICE AGE 4: CONTINENTAL DRIFT,” Scrat’s nutty pursuit of the cursed acorn, which he’s been after since the dawn of time, has world-changing consequences – a continental cataclysm that triggers the greatest adventure of all for Manny, Diego and Sid.  In the wake of these upheavals, Sid reunites with his cantankerous Granny, and the herd encounters a ragtag menagerie of seafaring pirates determined to stop them from returning home.

From schools tours to arena tours, since they burst on to the pop scene just 2 years ago, The Wanted have rapidly become one of the world’s biggest and best pop bands.  They’ve sold over 4 million records, 1 million albums and have sold out venues all over the world including London’s O2 Arena.

IMAX Corporation and Sony Pictures Entertainment announced that the sci-fi, action comedy Men In Black 3 will be released to IMAX 3D theatres in the Philippines simultaneously with the film’s grand opening in Digital 3D and regular theaters on May 23.

Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, Men In Black 3 is the first in the franchise to be released in IMAX. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reunite as the title chatracters. The film also stars Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, and Emma Thompson.

In Men In Black 3, Agents J (Smith) and K (Jones) are back… in time. J has seen some inexplicable things in his 15 years with the Men in Black, but nothing, not even aliens, perplexes him as much as his wry, reticent partner. But when K’s life and the fate of the planet are put at stake, Agent J will have to travel back in time to put things right. J discovers that there are secrets to the universe that K never told him — secrets that will reveal themselves as he teams up with the young Agent K (Brolin) to save his partner, the agency, and the future of humankind.

“Releasing a film in IMAX 3D signals an event release, and Men In Black 3 on Memorial Day weekend certainly qualifies in a big way. We couldn’t be more excited about how MIB 3 will look and sound in IMAX theatres,” said Rory Bruer, president of Worldwide Distribution for Sony Pictures Releasing.

“Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Barry Sonnenfeld have made the Men In Black franchise a fan favorite and we’re excited to feature the return of this iconic title in IMAX,” said Greg Foster, Chairman and President, IMAX Filmed Entertainment. “Men In Black 3 is another strong addition to our 2012 film slate and we’re looking forward to continuing to work with the talented team at Sony Pictures.”

The IMAX release of Men In Black 3 will be digitally re-mastered into the image and sound quality of The IMAX 3D Experience(R) with proprietary IMAX DMR(R) (Digital Re-mastering) technology. The crystal-clear images coupled with IMAX’s customized theatre geometry and powerful digital audio create a unique environment that will make audiences feel as if they are in the movie.

Men In Black 3 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.

Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis join the political fray in Warner Bros.’ new comedy “The Campaign” from director Jay Roach (“Meet the Fockers”).

Catch the movie’s new trailer here which has just been premiered by Warner – http://youtu.be/VucUaJnWYG4

Synopsis: When long-term congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) commits a major public gaffe before an upcoming election, a pair of ultra-wealthy CEOs plot to put up a rival candidate and gain influence over their North Carolina district.  Their man: naïve Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), director of the local Tourism Center.

At first, Marty appears to be the unlikeliest possible choice but, with the help of his new benefactors’ support, a cutthroat campaign manager and his family’s political connections, he soon becomes a contender who gives the charismatic Cam plenty to worry about.

As election day closes in, the two are locked in a dead heat, with insults quickly escalating to injury until all they care about is burying each other, in this mud-slinging, back-stabbing, home-wrecking comedy that takes today’s political circus to its logical next level.  Because even when you think campaign ethics have hit rock bottom, there’s room to dig a whole lot deeper.

“The Campaign” stars Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott and Katherine LaNasa, with John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd and Brian Cox. Directed by Jay Roach and written by Chris Henchy & Shawn Harwell, from a story by Adam McKay & Chris Henchy & Shawn Harwell, it is produced by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Jay Roach and Zach Galifianakis. Amy Sayres, Jon Poll and Chris Henchy serve as executive producers.

Opening across the Philippines this August, “The Campaign” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Warner Bros. has just released the main one-sheet art of its upcoming blockbuster “The Dark Knight Rises,” the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy.

Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake.

Returning to the main cast, Oscar® winner Michael Caine plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman reprises the role of Lucius Fox.

The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer.

In helming the film, Christopher Nolan is utilizing IMAX® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was partially shot with IMAX cameras.

“The Dark Knight Rises” is a presentation of Warner Bros. Pictures, in association with Legendary Pictures. Slated for release beginning July 19, 2012, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

The first role cast was also the wickedest: Queen Ravenna in Universal Picture’s Snow White and the Huntsman. The daughter of a sorceress, Ravenna slowly found her way to the dark side. Abducted by a vicious master when she was a girl, the only power Ravenna wielded was her astonishing beauty. Though her mother bestowed upon her an enchantment to protect her from the ravages of time, Ravenna is forced to maintain it by consuming the life force of young maidens. After she bewitched and killed Snow White’s father, King Magnus, Ravenna stalled her death and threw off the balance of life with an evil that spread like cancer across the kingdom. But her cruelty did not end there. White…the moment her stepdaughter becomes the fairest in the land.

Reflects director Rupert Sanders on the power of this creature in our minds, as well as her role in this interpretation of the iconic story: “The Queen symbolizes death, and she is trying to stop her own from arriving. She is seeking immortality, so everything in the kingdom is thrown off balance. Oppositely, Snow White is the beating heart of life, and the Huntsman’s job is to take that life. If the Queen fails, life and death may fall back in sync and the kingdom will return to how it once was.”

Academy Award® winner Charlize Theron was brought aboard to play the fabled monarch. Discussing his decision to cast Theron, Sanders commends: “Charlize has given such staggering performances in her career, but she is also such an incredibly beautiful woman. She encompasses, more than any other actor out there, both power and beauty personified. She is Margaret Thatcher-meets-Kate Moss.”

Expounding upon the film’s symbolism and Theron’s decisions in bringing those To become truly immortal, Ravenna must consume the heart of Snow tropes to life, Sanders adds: “When you are dealing with archetypes, you can play them big. People want to relish when the Queen says, ‘Mirror, mirror, on the wall.’ We want to see them coming from someone of this stature and beauty.”

Producer Joe Roth walks us through the team’s casting process: “Choosing Charlize was the idea right from the start. I’d worked with her in the past. We went over to the commercial shoot she was on and waited for her to take a break. When she came over, in four-inch stiletto heels and dressed in a very commercial way, I thought, ‘Rupert is going to be blown away!’”

The producer was just as pleased when she arrived on set to begin filming and was game for the most intense of situations to get into character, including an uncomfortable swim in a tub of black oil. “Charlize gives a performance as ferocious as the one she was asking for,” adds Roth. “It’s an interesting amalgam: She’s always in control, she’s magnificent to watch and she’s fearsome.”

Theron was attracted to the part because of the complex humanity of a betrayed and wounded creature—one that easily could have been drawn as a screeching stereotype. She explains a bit of the Queen’s backstory: “Ravenna’s mother instilled into her at a very young age that she can only be her true best self if she remains young and stays beautiful. She realizes that her magical powers are her survival. And that’s the road she travels.”

Though Ravenna has, according to Theron, “brutal instincts” and “an obsession with needing Snow White’s beating heart to give her immortality,” the reigning monarch hasn’t completely lost all traces of her humanity. Like Sanders, the actress appreciated the difficult lessons inherent in this timeless story. Theron shares: “Ravenna realizes that she wants something that, if she made different choices in her life, she could have had. But because of how she decided to live and the bed that she made for herself—one that she’s lying in right now—she can’t. It’s not even an option for her.”

When Snow White’s mother died and her father married Ravenna, the young princess found her innocence and compassion to be qualities the new Queen loathed. Locked away in a tower for seven years, Snow White grew up watching her father’s murderer rule the kingdom with an iron fist. But the young beauty, who had begun training as an archer, falconer and horsewoman, has escaped and now trains with an uneasy ally. The time has come for her to defend her people from the one who’s been crippling them. She makes an oath that she will become their weapon and challenges her fellow outcasts to ride with her against Ravenna.

Sanders knew that they had to walk a fine line with the character of Snow White. In adapting the centuries-old fairy tale, originally about a little girl who is more victim than fighter, it was important to the filmmakers that Snow White and her journey remain identifiable for contemporary audiences across the world. The hurdles and problems that she faces are issues with which girls and women grapple in modern day: loneliness and maturation, plus issues of trust, love and the power (as well as the ultimate fading) of beauty.

Columbia Pictures has just announced that a never-before-seen footage from The Amazing Spider-Man™ will be shown as an added attraction to Men In Black 3 when it opens across the Philippines on Wednesday, May 23 in Digital 3D and regular theaters.

One of the world’s most popular characters is back on the big screen as a new chapter in the Spider-Man legacy is revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man™.  Focusing on an untold story that tells a different side of the Peter Parker story, the new film stars Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Campbell Scott, Irrfan Khan, with Martin Sheen and Sally Field.

The film is directed by Marc Webb from a screenplay written by James Vanderbilt, based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko.  Laura Ziskin, Avi Arad, and Matt Tolmach are producing the film in association with Marvel Entertainment for Columbia.

The Amazing Spider-Man is the story of Peter Parker (Garfield), an outcast high schooler who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Sheen) and Aunt May (Field).  Like most teenagers, Peter is trying to figure out who he is and how he got to be the person he is today.  Peter is also finding his way with his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (Stone), and together, they struggle with love, commitment, and secrets.  As Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase that belonged to his father, he begins a quest to understand his parents’ disappearance – leading him directly to Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (Ifans), his father’s former partner.  As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

Opening across the Philippines on June 29 in 3D and regular theatres, “The Amazing Spider-Man” 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.

Columbia Pictures has just revealed the teaser poster for the highly anticipated James Bond film, “Skyfall” – the 23rd adventure in the longest-running film franchise of all time. The poster launch teases the global launch of the first trailer, which unveils in the afternoon of May 21^st in the Philippines.

Daniel Craig once again stars as the British super spy, his third Bond movie in a row coming off “Quantum of Solace” and “Casino Royale.”

Joining Craig in the cast are Javier Bardem, Dame Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, Ben Whishaw and Bérénice Marlohe.

In “Skyfall,” James Bond’s loyalty to M (Dench) is tested as her past comes back to haunt her. As MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

“Skyfall,” from Albert R. Broccoli’s Eon Productions, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, and Sony Pictures Entertainment, is directed by Academy Award® winner Sam Mendes (“American Beauty,” “Road to Perdition”).

The screenplay is written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade and John Logan. “Skyfall” opens October 31 in the Philippines and on November 9 in the United States.

“Skyfall” 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 at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.