DANIEL RADCLIFFE GOES UNDERCOVER COP IN “IMPERIUM” [R13]

Daniel Radcliffe, who rocketed to worldwide stardom in the phenomenal “Harry Potter” films, stars anew in the intense action thriller “Imperium.” Inspired by real events, the movie is directed by Daniel Ragussis and also stars Toni Collette, Tracy Letts, Devin Druid, Pawel Szajda with Nestor Carbonell and Sam Trammell.



In “Imperium,” Radcliffe takes on the role of Nate Foster, a young, idealistic FBI agent who goes undercover to take down a radical right-wing terrorist group. The bright up-and-coming analyst must confront the challenge of sticking to a new identity while maintaining his real principles as he navigates the dangerous underworld of white supremacy.



“Imperium” co-writer Mike German has the kind of pedigree that commands respect: he served in the FBI for 16 years, 12 of them as an undercover agent tasked with infiltrating dangerous white supremacy groups in order to prevent domestic terrorist attacks. German successfully embedded himself with extremist groups on multiple occasions, leading to criminal convictions. German’s real life experiences infiltrating homegrown white supremacist terror cells intent on starting race wars, form the basis of the “Imperium” screenplay.

Setting the movie in the present day was something German and Ragussis quickly agreed on, believing the film could better address important law enforcement and terrorism prevention issues that have dominated the national conversation. Therefore, the film brings attention to the FBI’s seldom discussed racial-ethnic mapping program, in which American Muslims and other minority populations are controversially targeted. IMPERIUM also explores the challenges faced by FBI agents working with limited resources to prevent domestic terrorism from white supremacists and other right-wing extremist threats. With the government prioritizing the fight against the Islamic terrorist threat, FBI agents working on battling domestically cultivated perils often must fight for funding and proper support.



In the end, Mike German expressed admiration for Ragussis’s efforts to create a film of thematic and emotional integrity true to what he experienced in the field, commenting, “Daniel’s unique vision and dedication to telling this story in an accurate, non-sensationalistic manner impressed me from day one. The final product depicts the inner workings of the FBI and undercover agents in particular, more accurately than any film I’ve seen. I couldn’t be more pleased.”

“Imperium” opens September 14 in cinemas nationwide from OctoArts Films International. 

 Trailer link:https://www.facebook.com/octoartsfilms.international/videos/1100549676692648/

OctoArts Films International - MODERN DAY ROBIN HOOD IN “MARAUDERS” [R13]

“Marauders” reels into action when a bank is hit by a brutal heist, all evidence points to the owner (Bruce Willis) and his high-powered clients. But as a group of FBI agents (Christopher Meloni, Dave Bautista and Adrian Grenier) dig deeper into the case — and the deadly heists continue — it becomes clear that a larger conspiracy is at play. 

Bruce Willis portrays Jeffrey Hubert, president and owner of Hubert National Bank, and the target of repeated heists. An air of entitlement and authority, he goes ballistic when the local newspaper smells a scandal beyond simple robbery.

“Marauders explores the idea of to what lengths you go to right a wrong, and then where does that place you. Does that place you on the side of wrong? It’s almost revenge. And then when does revenge go wrong, or is revenge ever right, or are you avenging something?” Meloni states.

“I knew that I wanted Marauders to be gritty and dark and to have a lot of rain,” recalls director Steven C. Miller, of his first read through the script. “As soon as I got to Cincinnati, it really matched what I wanted to see. I love movies that always have rich architecture and everything in the scene has got a lot of substance to it. You can almost touch the texture in the scenes. Cincinnati is just rich with that; I mean the history of the city, the buildings and the architecture are just a great backdrop.

Miller’s previous film with Bruce Willis proved invaluable, “I understood his process and how he’s gets into the character and moves through a scene.” When casting the rest of the roles, Miller found that a lot of the actors he liked were on producers Randall Emmett and George Furla’s list. A few nights before each actor arrived, Miller gave them a call. “We kind of hashed out what their character was about, their arc and where they were going in the story, and really what they as actors wanted to do. Bringing their own style to the mix, their own thing to the game, gives the movie its own personality.”

Shooting in Cincinnati was somewhat of a homecoming for Bautista. “I not only spent a lot of time here wrestling, but my MMA coach is from here, my boxing coach is from here, so throughout the years training I’ve spent a lot of time in the city and the arenas. It doesn’t feel like I had to leave home and come to a strange town; as soon as I got here I went straight from the airport to the grocery to stock up on food. It is a comforting to see familiar places and familiar faces.”

“We’re running and gunning, its very high paced, high energy and we just have to be on top of it, and the style of film making and the production really reflects the energy that you’re going to feel on the screen,” assures Grenier. “One thing I really love about this particular shoot and working with Steven Miller is he’s nimble, he’s lean and it really does allow for a vitality, a sort of visceral quality to the filmmaking and in this day and age, you don’t need a lot of fancy lights or set ups to get good story and good action. He’s almost like a Special Forces operative – he gets in, gets the job done and gets out. That’s really exciting to watch that kind of energy; it’s guerilla film making, but on a high, high level,” adds Grenier.

“Marauders” opens July 13 in cinemas from OctoArts Films International. 

OctoArts Films International - BRUCE WILLIS IN BANK HEIST FILM “MARAUDERS” [Rated-R13]

Iconic action star Bruce Willis of “Die Hard” franchise and Dave Bautista (“Guardians of the Galaxy”) star in the frenetic heist film “Marauders” about an untraceable group of elite bank robbers chased by a suicidal FBI Agent who uncovers a deeper purpose behind the robbery-homicides.

FBI Special Agent Jonathan Montgomery (Christopher Meloni) is on the trail of an untraceable group of elite bank robbers who give the stolen loot to charity. As he delves further into the investigation, the lawman discovers a deeper purpose behind the robbery-homicides and a trail of secrets protected by the bank’s owner (Bruce Willis). Featured alongside Meloni and Willis in the high octane, smoldering thriller are Dave Bautista, Adrian Grenier, Johnathon Schaech, and Lydia Hull.

Christopher Meloni and Bruce Willis

In “Marauders,” Willis is once again in the midst of a heist where everybody is a suspect. His role as a bank manager, Jeffrey Hubert, has just guided an aging woman to the Hubert National exit when a shotgun chambers and he’s blown through the inside glass door. Four Kevlar clad bank robbers: Tornado, Hurricane, Thunder, and Squall, rush inside and rough up security and customers. Thunder draws a pistol on a teller and activates a creepy order from his smart watch: open the draw, do not hit the alarm or your manager will die. Tornado staunches the manager’s wound and drags him toward the safe; a key-code is entered revealing three million in cash. While Squall bags the cash, Hurricane places a high-tech device on the floor and a cold audio repeats with crystal clarity over restrained sobs that any attempt to leave or call police will activate the sleek explosive. The well-honed team makes their exit, discretely concealing weapons. Eyeballing a security camera, Squall drags the manager toward the entrance, raises his shotgun, and blows off the man’s head. Job finished.

Dave Bautista and Christopher Melonin

Bruce Willis portrays Jeffrey Hubert, president and owner of Hubert National Bank, and the target of repeated heists. An air of entitlement and authority, he goes ballistic when the local newspaper smells a scandal beyond simple robbery. “There’s a lot of power struggle and I think the power of money and control is one of the major themes. Hubert is trying to take from the rest of us. And of course there’s tension between the FBI and the on the ground cops, the detectives trying to take control of this investigation and who gets to make the decisions,” Grenier reveals.

 

“Marauders” opens July 13 in cinemas from OctoArts Films International.

OctoArts Films International: UNSUSPECTING COUPLE TACKLES UNLIKELY MARITAL WOES IN “OUR KIND OF TRAITOR”

 Ewan McGregor and Naomi Harris star as a married couple thrown in the obscure world of espionage and dirty politics in “Our Kind of Traitor.” Based on the acclaimed tome by John le Carré’ of the same title, the movie finds ordinary English couple Perry (McGregor) and Gail (Harris) on holiday in Marrakech, Morocco who meet the flamboyant and charismatic Russian, Dima (Stellan Skarsgård). He befriends them over games of tennis and lavish parties at his villa before revealing he is the top money launderer for the Russian mafia and wants to defect with his family to Britain. When Dima asks for their help to deliver classified information to the British Secret Services, the couple is propelled on a perilous journey through Paris and Bern, a safe house in the French Alps, to the murky corners of the City of London and an alliance with the British Government via a ruthless and determined MI6 agent played by Damian Lewis.

The relationship between the attractive, comfortably-off Perry, a university lecturer in poetics, and Gail, a very successful barrister, starts in a very broken place. That was an interesting dynamic for the two actors to play. Everyman superstar Ewan McGregor was the first of the film’s high-powered cast to join the project. “Ewan was on early and first as Perry,” says producer Gail Egan. “He was involved from quite an early stage of development and stayed with us through many drafts. He was perfect.”

Director Susanna White praises McGregor’s ability to engage with audiences. “He liked the idea of scrutinizing what it felt like to be slightly emasculated by a wife who’s more powerful than you are. In theory if you ask Perry whether he thought it would be good to have high achieving women, he would say ‘of course, women deserve that.’ But when he is faced with his own situation he starts to feel threatened by Gail and challenged by it. Part of the challenge was keeping audience appeal while seeing his weakness at the beginning of the film and his journey to rediscovering himself, who he is and redefining his relationship of with Gail.”

Co-star Naomie Harris describes McGregor as the ideal co-star. “He’s such a phenomenal actor and just a great guy,” she enthuses. “From the very first moment I met him he was incredibly down to earth. He has a really great sense of humour and is very hard working.”

“Naomi is a phenomenal actress. The relationship is very interesting and layered and detailed, it’s not a sort of ‘movie’ relationship and they both have their part to play in this story and how the story unfolds. Their relationship is damaged at the beginning as Perry has cheated on her. She’s terribly upset and hurt and he’s trying very hard to fix that and to move forward and be happy again. That’s all really interesting stuff to play as it’s not the usual movie marriage. Interestingly, the two arcs of those storylines go hand in hand. Through it all Perry and Gail find each other again and remember what it is they love about each other. By the time the film ends they are in a much better place,” McGregor relates of his co-star and on the film’s theme.


“There are bumps in whatever relationship, no matter how good. It is nice to see a mature relationship which is going through a very serious hiccup and is managing to find a way through,” Harris concludes.

 

“Our Kind of Traitor” opens June 8 in cinemas nationwide from OctoArts Films International. 

OctoArts Films International: TOM HANKS IN THE FACE OF RECESSION IN “A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING” [R13]

Award-winning actor and filmmaker Tom Hanks stars in “A Hologram for the King” set in recession-ravaged 2010 as an American businessman named Alan Clay adapted from the book of the same title by acclaimed author Dave Eggers. 



Hanks’ role in the movie is a broke, depressed and freshly divorced man who arrives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to close what he hopes will be the deal of a lifetime. His mission: sell a state-ofthe-art holographic teleconferencing system to the Saudi government. Adrift and alone in an unfamiliar land, Alan befriends taxi driver Yousef (Alexander Black), who chauffeurs him through the desert to the “King’s Metropolis of Economy and Trade,” a surreal ghost town of vacant skyscrapers and half-completed construction projects. Baffled by the bureaucratic reception he gets at the so-called “Welcome Center,” Alan struggles to figure out why his small IT support team is being forced to spend its days in a sweltering tent as it preps for the big presentation. Worse, because of the Saudi way of doing business, he’s unclear if the king will ever show up for the long-scheduled meeting.

Clay arrives in Saudi Arabia without any prior knowledge of the place, other than his own cartoonish, stereotypical concept, according to Hanks. “Though he’s not a happy guy, when Alan tries to sell the upbeat nature of the 3-D hologram and rally his team, he becomes this other guy, the former Alan Clay, a man with energy and vibrancy. That’s where the comedy comes from.”

In addition to emphasizing the book’s humor, Tykwer bolstered the romantic elements as he translated Eggers’ story from page to screen. “The longer I worked on the script, the more profound the love story became because it connects to this whole third-act decision where the movie becomes a more optimistic tale,” Tykwer says. Alan is coaxed out of his funk by Zahra Hakem, an alluring, talented surgeon portrayed by London-born Sarita Choudhury. In her role as CIA Division Chief Saul Berenson’s long-suffering wife Mira on the Emmy-winning series “Homeland,” the half-Indian, half-English actress developed an avid following that included Hanks himself. “I remember seeing Sarita for the first time on ‘Homeland’ and thinking, ‘Alright, I don’t know who she is, but that woman is riveting. I don’t know where she comes from but I can’t take my eyes off her.”

In Hollywood’s finest black-comedy tradition, “A Hologram for the King delivers laughs spiked with bittersweet undertones. “We’ve made a crisis comedy that points the finger at the fact that our economic structure is falling apart and the apocalypse seems to be looming just around the corner,” Tykwer says. “We use comedy as a tool to embrace tragedy like a balloon you stick with a needle so it explodes and the energy that comes out is cheerful. Despite all of Alan’s problems, I hope this movie cheers people up.”

For Hanks, who’s earned iconic status and five Academy Award® nominations by playing regular, good-hearted Americans who triumph overhard luck circumstances, A Hologram for the King is the story of a man who stumbles upon an emotional and spiritual oasis after wandering in the desert. “Why make a movie about a guy where nothing ever works out for him? That might work fantastically as a piece of literature but as far as the cinema goes, the story requires this other thing — for want of a better word, let’s just call it hope.”

 

“A Hologram for the King” opens June 1 in cinemas from OctoArts Films International. 

 

 

EWAN MCGREGOR CHARGED WITH MONEY LAUNDERING IN “OUR KIND OF TRAITOR” from OctoArts Film International

Money moves the world in the espionage thriller “Our Kind of Traitor” starring Ewan mc/gregor and Naomi Harris based on the hit novel of the same title by celebrated novelist John le Carré. 

Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Susann White, “Our Kind of Traitor” is a taut thriller about an unsuspecting married couple, Perry (Ewan McGregor) and Gail (Naomie Harris) on holiday in Marrakech, who meet the flamboyant and charismatic Russian, Dima (Stellan Skarsgård). He befriends them over games of tennis and lavish parties at his villa before revealing he is the top money launderer for the Russian mafia and wants to defect with his family to Britain. From that moment on, Perry and Gail are thrown into the fractured, dangerous world of international spies and dirty politics as they endeavor to save Dima and his family, and ultimately themselves. Indeed, “Our Kind of Traitor” captures a very British fascination with espionage, international double-dealing and Britain’s place in the world.

McGregor, who boasts an eclectic career with memorable roles in films including “Moulin Rouge,” the “Star Wars” franchise, and most famously as the heroin addict Renton in his break-out film “Trainspotting,” plays regular guy Perry, a man in his mid-40s whose life has not turned out how he hoped it would. He is a little bit lost and looking for a way back to his life, not entirely unlike the hopeless souls recruited by the Russian mafia in jail to the Vory, a real-life organised crime cohort.

For the actor it was, as always, about the quality of the script. “It’s harder and harder to find movies like this,” McGregor admits. “But it’s what le Carré does best in that his characters are very real, very human characters and in this case even more so because he’s put two civilian people into the world of espionage. He’s plonked them right in the middle of this thriller. That’s interesting because you think, ‘What would I do in this situation? How would I react?’”

McGregor read the script before going to the book. “Perry is more serious and quiet and withdrawn in the book and he’s been brought forward a little bit in the screenplay but he’s still quite a thoughtful, quiet character,” McGregor says. “Gail absolutely holds her own and it’s a very modern marriage in that respect, there’s nothing traditional about it and there’s no husband and wife roles. They’re both in this thing together and she gives as good as he does. You see the consequences of what they’re doing and how it affects both of them. It’s quite nice as it’s quite unusual.”

For screenwriter Amini, McGregor is the perfect Perry, dressed in vintage-looking jeans, boots and leather jackets. “I love the idea of Ewan playing Perry, because as an actor what I’ve always admired in his work is that there’s an edge and a toughness but there’s also something incredibly vulnerable and innocent,” says the screenwriter. “Perry is thrown into this world and copes with it pretty heroically but at same time is almost wide-eyed in his purity and his reaction to the moral compromises and the darkness in people he is witnessing.

“What’s great about Ewan is that he feels morally so solid,” Amini continues. “You really sense his outrage and his disappointment in people, but also the toughness and an edge that allows him also to be an action hero, and that’s required too. It’s that combination that makes him so ideal.”

Susanna White praises McGregor’s ability to engage with audiences. “He and I talked early on about the challenges of playing a real relationship of people whose marriage is in trouble,” she says. “He liked the idea of scrutinizing what it felt like to be slightly emasculated by a wife who’s more powerful than you are. In theory if you ask Perry whether he thought it would be good to have high achieving women, he would say ‘of course, women deserve that.’ But when he is faced with his own situation he starts to feel threatened by Gail and challenged by it. Part of the challenge was keeping audience appeal while seeing his weakness at the beginning of the film and his journey to rediscovering himself, who he is and redefining his relationship of with Gail. It was a very interesting journey with Ewan. He wasn’t afraid to play a character that was weak at the beginning of the film but who gains in strength.

“Our Kind of Traitor” opens June 8 in theaters from OctoArts Film International.

AWARD-WINNING TOM HANKS STARS IN NOVEL-TO-MOVIE DRAMEDY “A HOLOGRAM FOR THE KING”

Adapted from the novel by Dave Eggers, “A Hologram for the King,” starring Tom Hanks is set in a rising Saudi Arabian city, far from weary, recession-scarred America, a struggling businessman pursues a last-ditch attempt to stave off foreclosure, pay his daughter’s college tuition, and finally do something great. In A Hologram for the King, author Dave Eggers takes us around the world to show how one man fights to hold himself and his splintering family together in the face of the global economy’s gale-force winds. This taut, richly layered, and elegiac novel turned movie is a powerful evocation of our contemporary moment — and a moving story of how we got here.

This latest Tom Hanks starrer is directed by Tom Tykwer who has solidly established himself as a young Spielberg for this well-endowed type of international co-productionalism that basically milks state funds on a global scale. What Tykwer likes about “A Hologram for the King” Tykwer is its tacky surrealism, and he indulges in it. Tom Hanks is the fool in the dunes, but he gets a nice bath in the end, and even romance. When was the last time anyone thought of putting Hanks in a sex scene? That must have been Philadelphia, again. But then Saudi-Arabia is so strait-laced that even Everyman has an edge.

After Tom Hanks gave Dave Eggers' National Book Award-nominated novel A Hologram for the King a rave review on his Twitter feed in 2012, only one issue remained unresolved for the two-time Oscar-winning actor. "I was already a big fan of Dave Eggers' work, having read a bunch of his stuff including things he did with McSweeney's literary review," Hanks says. "Then I read A Hologram for the King in one sitting and my only question when I finished it was whether or not he wanted a movie made out of his book."

German filmmaker Tom Tykwer, who co-directed Hanks in the 2012 sci-fi epic “Cloud Atlas,” felt just as strongly about the source material. "A Hologram for the King hit a very particular nerve in me," Tykwer recalls. "It was the most contemporary novel I'd read in a very long time so I felt like it couldn't wait: this story had to be made into a movie. It's very much about now, yet it still it has the sense of a classic novel in that it's a book for all times. I found that to be a brilliant mix so I turned into this very pushy machine trying to put the movie together as fast as I could."

Tykwer, who had worked with author Eggers previously on a miniseries adaptation of the San Francisco-based author's novel “What Is the What: The Autobiography of Valentino Achak Deng,” arranged a meeting with Hanks and Eggers at a Los Angeles hotel. After pitching his ideas for the book's cinematic adaptation, Tykwer and Eggers came to a very un-Hollywood-like agreement. "Dave and I trust each other," the director explains. "I love that he offered to get rid of all the contract stuff and just write on some piece of paper 'I promise not to be an asshole' and then we would both sign it. We're very much on the same page when it comes to artistic exchange. Dave understands that once you let somebody take over your vision, you have to keep some distance."

Tykwer was equally excited about partnering once again with Hanks. "Working with Tom is liberating for a filmmaker because he's so open-minded to every moment and every situation," Tykwer says. "He's like a super-intelligent child who comes into a room and says, 'Okay, what are our toys?' And then, 'Let's explore what we can do with them!' That's super inspiring because when you come up with a new idea, he picks it up really greedily and does something with it in a wonderfully playful way."

“A Hologram for the King” opens June 1 in cinemas to be released by OctoArts Films International.

INTERGALACTIC ADVENTURE FOR THE WHOLE FAMILY IN “RATCHET AND CLANK” from OctoArts Films International

The latest out-of-this-world family movie “Ratchet and Clank” stars Award winning Sylvester Stallone along with a talented voice cast including Paul Giamatti, John Goodman, Bella Thorne, Rosario Dawson, Jim Ward, James Taylor and David Kaye. 

In “Ratchet and Clank,” two unlikely heroes struggle to stop a vile villain named Chairman Drek from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet is the last of his kind, a foolhardy “Lombax” who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colorful heroes called the Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way, the will learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one’s own identity.

Ratchet, voiced by James Taylor, is the only Lombax anyone has ever seen. A typical impulsive teenager, Ratchet is a gifted mechanic and quite acrobatic. When danger calls he prefers to jump in feet first and to figure things out as he goes. His confidence always leads him into trouble but his quick reflexes and agile mind get him out of it most of the time.He is a bit of a loner, not wanting to rely on anyone but himself. However, he is extremely loyal to friends that he has. Over the course of the film, he comes to consider Clank his one true ally and closest friend.

 

His true friend, Clank, voiced by David Kaye, is the personification of innocent book smart. He is a living computer filled with tons of data that he accesses freely. However, he has only lived in the universe for a short time and retains a lot of the child-like curiosity one would expect from a creature only days old. Clank’s strongest traits are his sense of morality and his heart of gold. He knows right from wrong and will go to any lengths to ensure justice is served. However, he doesn’s just jump in with both feet – he is cautious and mindful, using his considerable powers of reason to form a plan of attack first. In this sense, he is Ratchet’s opposite.

Bella Thorne, who rose to prominence in the television series “Shake It Up” and starred in memorable teen movies such as “The Duff,” “Perfect High” and “Frenemies” lends her voice to Cora in “Ratchet and Clank,” a very tough, competitive and driven Galactic ranger. Though she’s in her teens, her maturity is way beyond her age and that of every other Galactic Ranger (with Clank’s exception). A no-nonsense teen, she has little or no time for humor or childishness but cares deeply for her teammates once they’ve earned her respect.

Family adventure starts in cinemas nationwide when “Ratchet and Clank” opens on May 26 (Thursday) from OctoArts Films International.

Now Showing: Precious Cargo from OctoArts Films International [R16]

“Precious Cargo” is now showing from OctoArts Films International.

PLAYSTATION’S ICONIC “RATCHET AND CLANK” NOW A MOVIE TO OPEN IN LOCAL CINEMAS ON MAY 26

One of the long-running PlayStation video game series of all time, “Ratchet and Clank” steps out of the console and springs to life in a CG-animated movie of the same title that will open on May 25 in local cinemas nationwide.

 

 

“Ratchet and Clank” is based on the iconic PlayStation video game where two unlikely heroes Ratchet (voiced by James Arnold Taylor) and Clank (David Kaye) struggle to stop a vile villain named Chairman Drek (Paul Giamatti) from destroying every planet in the Solana Galaxy. Ratchet is the last of his kind, a foolhardy “Lombax” who has grown up alone on a backwater planet with no family of his own. Clank is a pint-sized robot with more brains than brawn. When the two stumble upon a dangerous weapon capable of destroying entire planets, they must join forces with a team of colourful heroes called the Galactic Rangers in order to save the galaxy. Along the way, the will learn about heroism, friendship, and the importance of discovering one’s own identity.

 

 

 The movie also features the voices of John Goodman as Grimroth, Bella Thorne as Cora, Rosario Dawson as Elaris, Jim Ward as Captain Qwark, and Sylvester Stallone as Victor Von Ion. 

Ratchet, having crash landed on Veldin as an infant, grew up alone and used his well earned street smarts to keep himself alive. Grimroth, a local ship mechanic, took Ratchet in and employs him on his garage. Ratchet has a tough exterior but also has the heart of a dreamer and feels he is destined for great things in the universe.

Born out of a Zoni-aided warbot factory malfunction, Clank is the personification of innocent book smart. He is a living computer filled with tons of data that he accesses freely. However, he has only lived in the universe for a short time and retains a lot of the child-like curiosity one would expect from a creature only days old.

Directed by Kevin Munroe, who studied animation and began his career in the games industry and whose recent directorial job was that of 2007’s reboot of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” says he’s remained true to the source material when it comes to making “Ratchet and Clank.”

"My whole approach to it has been, If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Ratchet was one of the first games where you actually wanted to watch and you would get a laugh out of the cut-scenes. I think there's a lot of feeling, especially with video games, that you have to go in and reinvent a lot of stuff," shared Munroe. 

 

Game on when “Ratchet and Clank” opens May 26 (Thursday) in cinemas from OctoArts Films International

BRUCE WILLIS PITTED AGAINST MICHELANGELO OF THIEVES IN “PRECIOUS CARGO” [R16]

Actor Bruce Willis, who practically invented the gleeful and gritty action hero playing the wise-cracking police detective John McClane in the classic “Die Hard” film series is back on familiar ground playing crime boss Eddie Filosa in “Precious Cargo” which also stars Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Claire Forlani.   

                

After a botched heist, Eddie, a murderous crime boss goes after Karen (Forlani), a duplicitous femme fatale who recruits her ex-lover Jack to steal a cargo loaded with precious gems.  “Precious Cargo” is set in a world of double crossing professional thieves where a crime boss tries to score the profits from another crook’s heist.

                

“Jack is a man who tries to make easy money the hard way,” said Gosselaar about the charming, laid-back thief and con artist he plays.  “He’s always trying to go for the score.  He dreams of retiring to a far-off tropical location, opening up a dive shop and enjoying the good life, however, he’s still working these high-risk jobs to make money, so he’s not there yet.”

                

Gosselaar was thrilled to be working with one of his screen idols. “It was fantastic to work alongside somebody that you’ve followed from a young age, although I supposed he hates to hear that,” said the 41-year-old actor.  “Bruce was one of the action heroes I grew up with, so to watch him and work alongside him was remarkable.”

                

“It was an absolute pleasure to have the opportunity to collaborate with Bruce on this project,” said director Max Adams.  “I’m a big fan of Bruce Willis and his work.  As a first time director never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined standing in front of him – Detective John McClane from Die Hard, The Last Boy Scout – you name it! – hearing my words come out of his mouth.”

                

The relationship between Jack and Karen is a complex and ambiguous which both actors have strong opinions about.    “Jack will always have a love for Karen,” said Gosselaar.  “We see it throughout the film– as well as we see why they shouldn’t be together.  More times than not, they should be together. Although Jack may not trust the unpredictable, manipulative Karen, it’s clear he loves her.  And while Karen clearly trusts Jack, it’s not so clear she cares about him—much less loves him.  In fact, is When Eddie reveals the depth of Karen’s lies to Jack, one wonders if Karen is Karen capable of caring about anyone?

               

“I think it’s totally ambiguous and that question is what makes it so much fun,” said Forlani.  “I think the audience projects things on to characters and make their own decisions about whether she does or she doesn’t care about Jack.”    According to Forlani, one of the best things about the characters and story in Precious Cargo is the inter-changeability of the roles of the men and women in the film.

               

“Max has written the part in a fascinating way because the women could be men – and vice-versa.  The roles are interchangeable,” she said.  “It’s so rare you read that level of equality in women’s roles where you could interchange the men and women without changing anything else. I thought that was absolutely brilliant.  I think it’s a sign of the times to get to play women like this. It’s great.”

“Precious Cargo” opens May 11 from OctoArts Films International. 

A-LIST CAST IN A HEARTWARMING TRIBUTE TO THE ONE THAT CONNECTS US ALL IN “MOTHER’S DAY” MOVIE

Expectant moms, single moms, stepmoms, gay moms, estranged moms, long-lost moms and mothers of all kinds get their due in an emotional tribute to the tie that can’t be broken in “Mother’s Day,” an endearing and entertaining romantic comedy about everyone’s first love, our mothers. 

 

 

Director and producer Garry Marshall once again brings together an all-star cast for a joyous holiday celebration in his new film, “Mother’s Day.” Marshall tackles the complicated connection between mother and child through a series of deftly interwoven stories that salute the sometimes maddening, often conflicted and always powerful bond of maternal love in a movie about the impact mothers have on their children’s lives — even when they don’t mean to.

Jennifer Aniston ( “Friends”), Kate Hudson (“How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days”), Julia Roberts (“Pretty Woman”), Jason Sudeikis (“We’re the Millers”) and Britt Robertson (“Tomorrowland”) star in interwoven stories about a group of women with one important thing in common- mothers. In the week before the one day of the year when Mom comes first, the lives of a group of strong, loving and wildly imperfect women, from a divorced mother dealing with her kids’ new stepmom to a young mom trying find her own birth mother, provide an emotional and humorous reminder that every mom is her own kind of hero. 

 

Julia Roberts, marking her fourth appearance in a Garry Marshall film, was the first star on board, agreeing to play Miranda, the queen of a ubiquitous home shopping network. Sleekly coiffed and impeccably turned out, Miranda has a secret that will be revealed by the end of the film.

Jennifer Aniston plays recently divorced Sandy with two sons. She and her ex-husband, Henry (Timothy Olyphant), are on exceptionally good terms until he impulsively weds his much younger girlfriend and Sandy finds herself struggling with the idea that she’s replaceable. “It comes out of the blue,” says Aniston. “She suddenly has to share her children with their new stepmom. It’s a complete game changer when another person comes in as a co-parent to your children.”

Shay Mitchell, from the television series “Pretty Little Liars,” plays Henry’s new wife, Tina. Tina is young and naive, but her affection for both Henry and his children is authentic, says the actress. “She really does care so much for the kids and is trying genuinely to play the role of being their other mom. She doesn’t think Sandy will be upset at all. They’re going to work as a team and raise these kids as best they can.”

Kate Hudson plays Jesse, a happily married mom who is estranged from her own mother. “Jesse and her sister Gabi cut off their parents because they have both made lives they know their parents wouldn’t approve of. Gabi is married to a woman. Jesse married an Indian man and has a child with him.” Hudson explains.

The film also introduces a “Mister Mom” Bradley (played by Jason Sudeikis), the father of two girls is facing his first Mother’s Day without his wife, a Marine killed in combat. It has been almost a year since her passing and the kids are trying to move forward, but Bradley has only scratched the surface of his mourning. The storyline adds a note of poignancy to the movie as he struggles to let go of the past for his children’s sake.

Britt Robertson, who recently starred opposite George Clooney in the blockbuster "Tomorrowland," plays Kristin, a new mom who has never met her birth mother. Kristin’s British boyfriend Zack (Jack Whitehall) wants very much to marry her, but she’s not sure. Adopted as an infant, Kristin fears that because she’s never known her birth mother, she doesn’t know what kind of woman she’s going to be. “I immediately said yes to this project,” Robertson recalls. “I just loved all the different story lines and the different kinds of relationships between mothers and children. I think everyone will find a character they can relate to.”

“Mother’s Day” opens May 4 in cinemas from OctoArts Films International.

BRUCE WILLIS’ LATEST HEIST MOVIE “PRECIOUS CARGO” DIRECTED BY FORMER ARMY OFFICER MAX ADAMS [R16]

Bruce Willis plays merciless crime boss in the gritty action heist movie “Precious Cargo” also starring Claire Forlani and Mark-Paul Gosselaar. In “Precious Cargo” Eddie (Willis) hunts down the seductive thief Karen (Forlani) who failed him. In order to win back Eddie’s trust, Karen recruits her ex-lover and premier thief Jack (Gosselaar) to steal a cargo of rare precious gems. But when the job goes down, allegiances are betrayed and lines are crossed as Jack, Karen and Eddie face off in a fateful showdown.



At the helm of the movie is writer-director Max Adams who keeps the audience guessing in his feature-length directorial debut. Since his arrival in Hollywood a few short years ago, the former Army officer and battalion commander, who also has a Master’s degree in film production, has risen swiftly through the ranks to become an in-demand action screenwriter known for his humorous, brisk dialogue, cleverly constructed plot twists and ability to write realistic action and fight sequences. But the story for “Precious Cargo” was written long before Adams arrived in Hollywood and while he was a graduate student at Florida State University’s film school.



With his encyclopedic knowledge of cinema, action films and real-life action experiences after serving for six years in the Army, Adams quickly established himself as “the action director” after enrolling in Florida Stat University’s graduate school in 2006. A couple years later when it came time to make a short film for his Master’s Thesis, Adams wrote, directed and edited “Precious Cargo,” a story set in the world of multi-million dollar heists and double-crossing professional thieves. A short time later, while working on HBO’s acclaimed “Boardwalk Empire” the show’s writer-producer Terence Winter and writer-director-executive producer Timothy Van Patten encouraged Adams to write a feature-length version of the short, which he did.



The cast and crew filmed “Precious Cargo” along the picturesque Mississippi Gulf Coast, inlets and waterways around the Gulfport-Biloxi area during an action-packed 17-day shoot—much of it in the sweltering early summer heat of May-June 2015. According to the cast and crew, with thunderstorms, oppressive humidity and temperatures soaring into the hundreds, Adams proved to be every bit the cool, calm focused leader that saw him elevated to a commanding officer in the 3rd Army Infantry in Iraq.



“For his first shot at being a director I can’t imagine a more daunting task,” said Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who plays con man and professional thief Jack. “This was a very ambitious script that he wrote and an ambitious schedule and Max did an amazing job – getting everything together, being a leader on set, making a great film and allowing us to have an amazing onset experience. He’s the guy we followed and will continue to follow.”



“I had the most fun making this film,” said Claire Forlani, who plays femme fatale Karen Colson. “It has been one of the most fun sets I’ve ever been on with such a brilliant level of humor. And when you’re working these hours in this race to get a film made, to have that attitude, it comes from the top. And that’s Max. It’s been a really tight schedule and a lot to do, and he’s not only done it, but he’s done it brilliantly. I adore him. I think he’s really accomplished something admirable and fun with this film.”



“Precious Cargo is a good mix of comedy with an intense blend of action and drama happening behind that,” said Gosselaar. “I like that there’s a light touch to this film, a comedic element throughout. I always like to see an action film that has a comedic element and doesn’t take itself too seriously. This is that kind of movie where you can sit down for 90 minutes, eat popcorn and enjoy the ride.”

 

“Precious Cargo” opens May 11 from OctoArts Films International. 

 

 Click for the film’s trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVqEaWjrmSc

BOX-OFFICE HIT ROMANTIC COMEDY DIRECTOR GARRY MARSHALL BRINGS BIG-HEARTED MOVIE “MOTHER’S DAY”

Garry Marshall, who moved everyone to tears of joy with his classic and endearing romantic comedies such as “Pretty Woman,” “The Princess Diaries,” “Beaches,” “Dear God,” “New Year’s Eve” and “Valentine’s Day” connects the world once again with his latest star-studded movie “Mother’s Day” starring Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Jason Sudeikis in a celebratory and inspiring story of what “Mother’s Day” really means to each of them.

“Mother’s Day” tell the intertwining stories of mothers and a Mr. Mom as the holiday approaches that stars Julia Roberts as Miranda, as a television host, Jennifer Aniston who plays recently-divorced Sandy, Kate Hudson who plays reluctant daughter and Jason Sudeikis, a widower trying to relate to his daughters. The movie also stars Timothy Olyphant, Sarah Chalke, Shay Mitchell, Jon Lovitz and Britt Robertson.

Aniston and Sudeikis, who’ve previously worked together in riotous comedies such as “We’re The Millers” marks their fifth movie as their characters’ lives are intertwined in “Mother’s Day.” “With Jason, we’ve been doing movies together which makes it quite fun and comfortable in all the best ways,” Aniston shares.

Further Aniston talks about working with director Garry Marshall, “It’s as if he likes walk with sunshine wherever he goes, and it just shows in his crew, he’s beloved and adored. I think a lot of people are here just to be with him. He also lets us improv which is fun.”

“I belieie no matter what they say, there’s still in magic inmoies and when you let them ompovise, someyime you get that magic. I knowhen I se it. In this picture, we wait for magical moments.”

“Sandy is basically met with the news that his ex-husband has remarried and she’s got to overcome on sharing her children and sort of rising above it. She’s a little thrown by his ex-husband’s new wife, and she’s thrown by the fact that she’s a much much younger woman because that’s a big deal when another person comes in as a co-parent to your child,” Aniston says of her character.

Veteran director Marshall likewise enthuses on the wondrous things that mothers all over the world had done for their families. “I wanted to explore and celebrate and show how hard and difficult it is today. I think it is the hardest job in the world is a mother raising a teenager these days, it’s just tough, with the internet, to get him to look up is a major thing, but I think it’s about time to really celebrate it. And do something about mothers and how hard it is now they have to put up with everything and they do it.”

On casting Jennifer Aniston, “I love how prepared she was and how ready she was to try. And this shows how open and very brave she is and when you let yourself go. But here she really impressed me and had the best time and made the scenes come alive.”

Marshall, known for his heartfelt movies finally shares that “I think emotions are good, but laugher sometime hou gotta have too. Make them laugh, make them cry, that has always been my motto, and many others. Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I don’t. But in this films I have actors who do that.”

Celebrate the wonder of life that is our moms, watch “Mother’s Day” starting May 4 in cinemas – from OctoArts Films International.

Check out the films trailer here: https://youtu.be/IfjOhlD6_-U

Now Showing: Criminal Activities from OctoArts Films International [R16]

“Criminal Activities” is NOW SHOWING!

OctoArts Films International. 

Poster is from  www.imdb.com

JOHN TRAVOLTA WITH NEW YOUNG HIT MEN “CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES” – JANUARY 20 [R16}

John Travolta stars with young talented actors Michael Pitt, Dan Stevens, Christopher Abbott and Rob Brown in the dark comedic crime thriller “Criminal Activities” where a group of friends gets accidentally involved with a mobster's shady business after borrowing money. When four young guys who reunite at an ex-classmate's funeral, one mentions to the others inside information on a stock that is a guaranteed lock to make them instant millionaires. Unfortunately, the deal goes south along with their investment. Things go from bad to worse: one of them borrowed his share of the money from a mobster.

Returning in full baddie form, John Travolta plays the crime kingpin they're indebted to, and these amateur criminals find themselves trying to outwit the crime’s ruthless path in settling the debt. Directing “Criminal Activities” is long time multi-talented actor Jackie Earle Haley and Oscar nominee whose notable works in “Bad News Bears,” “Little Children,” “Dark Shadows,” “Shutter Island” and “Watchmen” marks his directorial debut in the movie.

Haley said that his decades-long career as an actor prepared him for working with his cast, which along with Travolta includes "Boardwalk Empire" actor Michael Pitt, "Downton Abbey" heartthrob Dan Stevens and Haley himself as one of Travolta's threatening associates.

“I think having been an actor for so long, actors themselves place a little more trust in a director who is also an actor because they know that you know what they’re going through," Haley explained."Everybody has a little bit of a different process, and it’s good to figure out how to deal and work with those different idiosyncrasies, so there is that.

"I’ve directed many, many television commercials, so I have good production experience in terms of knowing what I’m doing, how to prep something, how to make sure you got all the locations lined up and that all of props and everything are going to show up on the shooting day, and then how to get your day in and all that. But one of the things I haven’t really had to deal with was real professional actors in commercials, so that part was a little bit of a different experience. But I will tell you, it was real fun and it was real rewarding because I feel like we got a great ensemble in terms of every single character feels spot-on and they all did just a really good job.”

The film's screenplay by Robert Lowell, a compelling and dialogue-heavy thriller that recalls the post-"Pulp Fiction" (1994) boom of such works in the mid-'90s, came to Haley through producer Wayne Rice, who is also Haley's manager's husband.

“Directing is something I’ve always wanted to do, and the first ingredient that you have to have to make a good movie is a really well-written script," Haley said. "And, I liked the tone and the feel of the script.”

From acting and writing to a first-time director, Jackie Earle Haley proves to be a triple threat after taking the script to the big screen for the most enjoyable cinematic experience this year. Criminal Activities squashes all average-joe crime movies with its mind-blowing plot twist and superior talent.

 

“Criminal Activities” will open this January 20 in cinemas from OctoArts Films International. 

 

 

 

Now Showing: Blunt Force Trauma - Exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas [R13]

 

 Opening Today, exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas, “Blunt Force Trauma” is from OctoArts Films International.

DANGEROUS GAME IN “BLUNT FORCE TRAUMA” STARTS DECEMBER 9 EXCLUSIVE AT AYALA MALLS CINEMAS

Television’s “True Blood” star Ryan Kwanten stars in his latest action movie “Blunt Force Trauma” with Freida Pinto and the iconic Mickey Rourke in a story following John (Kwanten), an underground gunslinger looking for his ultimate duel with legendary Zorringer (Rourke) along with Colt (Pinto) who is seeking revenge for the death of her brother.

Directed by Ken Sanzel, also a known scriptwriter for his work in the action-packed “The Replacement Killers starring Chow Yun Fat, “Blunt Force Trauma” brings the characters underground in a deadly game of gunfight where the participants are continuously shot wearing bulletproof vests and that the only one and last one standing is declared winner.

From his recent interviews about “Blunt Force Trauma,” Kwanten further explains the nature of the film. “For me, it’s a modern day representation of one those existentialist road trip movies and it was such a nice departure to play a very iconic 70s style man. It really appealed because I feel like the modern day man has sort of been sugar coated a little too much. He's lost a little of his robustness, I guess we could say. Getting back to the story of it all, my character John is a gun slinger on a journey to track down the greatest gun slinger of all time - Zorringer (Mickey Rourke) - and on the way to this meeting, he runs into Freida Pinto’s character, Colt, and they forge this bond.

It was the relationship between John and Colt that really sold me on the project. They’re characters that you just don’t see anymore whether it’s in mainstream or indie films. I was really impressed by the writing - and the directing.”

Director Sanzel, whose previous occupation is a cop before turning into a filmmaker, takes his knowledge and experience as centric in the movie’s theme, where “Blunt Force Trauma” treads on a fictional sport in which bullets can kill without even penetrating the skin. The game is played by two gunfighters who enter an arena with their bulletproof vests and shoots each other at the torso and continues to be a game of survival, whoever can no longer stand in their place loses.

Opening this December 9 exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas, “Blunt Force Trauma” is from OctoArts Films International.