10 Reasons Why You Should Watch THUNDERBOLTS

I've asked myself a couple of times, I didn't get to answer why. One, I wasn't quite familiar with the superhero group even if I was a big fan of films from the outfit. But when I heard that THUNDERBOLTS was in SM Cinemas this month, I saw Filipinos lined up like clockwork. This is a film by Marvel Studios, spread by Disney in theaters, and I got more than what I bargained for. 

1. Thunderbolts had really good actors. Even though I didn't know most of them, one thing they didn't lack is the ability to convey emotion, Florence Pugh, Lewis Pullman, Geraldine Viswanathan, David Harbor, Wyatt Russel and Sebastian Stan all made it easy to digest because characters were believable, funny at times, and easy to relate to. It's like you know them even though you really don't know them.

2. Florence Pugh as Black Widow is different, but I like her take despite of us being a more Scarlett Johansson fan. While new, she took this on like a pro so you'll see her as a bored working assassin from Russia. Trained and gifted as a kid, she becomes her own persona. She doesn't become a hero overnight and this is her movie (even though they're a group).

3. Bucky is back, Sebastian Stan gains a suit and played politics as a day job. By no means that would hamper him from becoming the Winter Soldier that he is. He is still explosive as ever. That iconic arm of him gets clowned by fellow heroes, and this isn't an exception. You'll be reassured though that he's got it all together. He's more matured, and I love it.

4. Lewis Pullman plays Bob. Just Bob. You need to see how he changes. He's extra. But he's just Bob.

5. Director Jake Schreier had a brilliant vision. Executed it well, and doesn't need a forensic scientist that these things are connected. There will be various times you'll see Easter eggs in the middle and end credits scene like what normal Marvel movies do.

6. David Harbor is an absolutely adorable human being. His character might be funny most of the time, but that's where he's going to just chuck you with his ability to pull heartstrings. Then attempt to make you cry, he's going to do a remarkable job in doing it.

7. Wyatt Russel's version of the US Agent is a tiring and frustrating one. He reminds me of a Taco. Watch out for his story. 

8.   Hannah John Kamen as Ghost wasn't given much of an interesting scene although this counts as her origin of some sort. Maybe she'll be in future MCU scenes where we'll get to see even more of her abilities. Maybe she was too hard to edit in. 

9. It ain't a filler, I think it's a necessary prelude to something big. 

10.  It was able to pull its own weight. It might have mentioned bigger ones but it's a story worthy to be known now. Definitely deserves to be seen in SM Cinemas, because it feels different. It wouldn't really make justice if it's just seen in a computer/phone screen if you want to stream.

NASHIE BOY BONUS

 

It's also a great movie to watch with friends who equally love the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I met Nash Aguas, his wife Mika Dela Cruz, Nashies Admin Philip, my neighbor Rai and actor Andre Garcia (whom I also haven't seen in a while). Man, I couldn't hug them but I miss them a lot. Nash is different, but still the same humble guy I've met back in the day. So proud of him and his achievements. It was also my first time to see Mika in person, super cute couple. Ugh, this moment made the movie even more special!

BEA BINENE and LOUISE DELOS REYES Star in Gripping Thriller PASAHERO at the 5th SM Cinema SINE SINDAK

It's the 5th year of Sine Sindak, the horror film festival hosted by SM Cinemas. This year, they are holding it from October 30 to November 5, and from the looks of it, there's no stopping them from holding it to stimulate audiences to go back to theaters now. 

For starters, one of the entries called PASAHERO held their red carpet screening today at SM North The Block. It stars Bea Binene, Louise delos Reyes, Mark Anthony Fernandez, Katya Santos, Yumi Garcia, Andre Yllana, Dani Zee, LeAnn Johnson and Rafa Siguion Reyna.

It's been a while since I've last seen these two, and I think the last time I interviewed Bea was during a tax event a couple years back. They've gone through networks and management changes during those times and it was refreshing to see them again, not for anything, but working together. Bea told us they're very good friends and this opportunity to work together was something she was so happy about, thankful that Viva trusted them to do it 

We talked to them in the sidelines right before they walked on the red carpet, to talk about their characters and the experience of working with the Director.

The movie was more of a thriller rather than a full blown horror film. It has its moments, and you could laud the story behind each character except one. You'll learn more about how ordinary folks could end up helping other people, and remember to not turn your back on them when they need help. You'll see that be told multiple times in this movie.

Sine Sindak is an SM Cinema festival where it will be shown in their theaters exclusively. They also charge only Php 150 for this to make sure it is accessible for anyone who wants to watch in cinemas. If you opt to pay 300, you can watch all you want the other entries from the same festival. This is officially their 5th year, and I don't think they will stop anytime soon. Should you watch PASAHERO? Of course! If you're a fan of Louise and Bea, the more reason to do so.

Robin Hood at SM Cinemas

After having coffee at Megamall, our friends from COMCO invited me to join them for the advanced screening of Robin Hood. Yes, it’s another classic but told differently, I only knew about it now.

This is a movie starring Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx, told from the time of the crusades, wars in the Arabian/Mesopotamian era, got lost in that quite well. It’s got none of those old english parts, more americanized, lots of swashbuckling moments and no funny ones, a story about hope, fighting for rights, thievery and charity combined. I liked the movie actually, but more so because SM Movies got is in the Directors club. The fine dogs, popcorn and drinks made the movie more exciting. Though the movie really is.

Darren Espanto was there!

Watch Robin Hood on cinemas this November 21st at SM Cinemas.

KUMAGCOW

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Check Out Jurassic World at SM Cinema

Spent a few hours this morning at SM THE BLOCK in Quezon City. Apparently, there has been a dinosaur sighting inthe mall's event area. It's the real life Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom done from Reel to Real as part of SM Cinema's efforts to promote the movie with the same title.

The displays are incredibly realistic and I thought these things would just jump out and bite us, but it's a good thing they didn't move.

It's also awesome that the event allowed us to play with licensed toys, kids had a chance to also win prizes including toy sets from LEGO (who did not invite me btw LOL) but I like what they allowed us to do. There were sand boxes, play tables, even lego corners filled with buckets upon buckets of bricks and parts, your limit is your imagination!

Aside from that, they announced that Jurassic World Fallen Kingdom will be shown on June 6 at all SM Cinemas starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and many more at the mystical island of Isla Nublar. The display including dioramas will be shown to the public on The Block until June 10, SM City Fairview on June 14-June 21, SM BF Paranaque on June 28-July 8 and SM City Clark on July 12-July 22. You can see this movie on IMAX, Directors Club and SM Cinema nationwide! 

You shouldn't miss this as there are new breeds introduced!

KUMAGCOW

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SM Mall of Asia Opens New Cinemas!

I went out with Team Suspects earlier this week, with the goal of watching ROGUE ONE which is an installment of STAR WARS. I was a little excited and thought it wasn't gonna be good, but actually it was one of the nicest episodes of the franchise. I don't want to post spoilers so I'll just rate it at 8/10, I have high standards so let's keep it at that. I think my rating was a little high too because it felt so cozy where I watched it. We were the first ones to actually use the new SM CINEMA 7 & 8 theaters which they have just opened this week.

It's located at the right side of SM MALL OF ASIA just outside Centerstage. Aside from the extra clear and crisp videos (thanks to the top of the line digital projector Christie CCP 215 and Surround Technology), it's got these super nice seats too that recline a bit so you get to feel pampered and ready for viewing from the moment you stretch your legs in this new cinema. They even have PWD access on the cinema and lavatories too!

You don't have to worry about the food too because they've got tons of choices at Grub Central, you can even eat before the screening because they've got a lounge outside where you can stay and do stuff if you're schedule is on a later time. You can also book tickets now at www.smcinema.com, so you don't have to lineup at all! 

Now who's in the mood to watch a movie? I'm sure you would!

KUMAGCOW

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Donnalyn Bartolome, Josh Padilla in "Love Forecast" for Sine Asia

This afternoon was a bit special. We went to VIVA Artist Agency offices in Ortigas to actually meet the voices behind the film LOVE FORECAST. It's a film starring Lee Seung-gi and Moon Chae-won who plays the role of Jun-su and Hyeon-woo respectively. They'll be showing this film during the duration of the Korean Film Festival which is a series of movies that will be done on Sine Asia, which was born with the cooperation of two giant corporations SM Cinemas and Viva Films.

If you see the Korean stars in this film, you'll remember a couple or more series that have been shown on Philippine television like TV dramas Brilliant Legacy, My Girlfriend is a Gumiho, Shining Inheritance, The Innocent Man, The Princess Man and the movie War of the Arrows. Love Forecast will be dubbed fully in Filipino and to be done by Gino Padilla's son, MTV VJ Joshua Padilla and Youtube Sensation Donnalyn Bartolome. I've seen her in Wattpad Presents a couple of months back whilst this is the first time that I'm seeing Joshua Padilla. They look good in fact and if you see them together that afternoon, you'll think they're an existing pair. Here's an excerpt of their interview as they talk about the challenges in dubbing the film.

Donnaly Bartolomoe says "I really really had a hard time doing this, even more because this is in Korean. A little difference in the tone, would spell a disconnect between you and the character so you must observe the actual scene before you do it during dubbing. The small "What are you doing there?" in your own speaking voice and a high pitched one may mean different things. I started watching the whole film so I get into her character, I also read the script a coupe of times and by God's grace I was able to finish it. It was hard but I was happy because it's something new. I've tried dubbing before but I only did it to my own character in a local film. I remember the character had a lot to drink during the scenes and I added a few more words so it would look realistic when converted in Filipino. We would have suggested to each other and thought about throwing lines. It would have been fun. We even met the professional dubbers and I've watched their previous projects. Seeing them in real life is surreal."

"I think I had my share of turning down men in the past because of the fact that they're just friends. If you're a friend, you can't really make me like you in courtship. Hiding feelings, like the character of Hyeon-woo was just done because she wanted to make sure about the next relationship that she had to go through, so did the guy right? I thought it wasn't going to work but after a few hours, we were able to do it smoothly. We had to change our voices a bit because we had to. Even if we tried not to, you need to enunciate, and be with the actions of the Koreans so the viewing public could understand how you could talk like them. The first day was really a nightmare and I wanted to cry, something so simple and it would only take talented people to do this. It was really hard. I had to always drink warm water because you had to breathe and the airconditioning was making us frozen in the booth. The first day had me work 8 hours in total and we had to do tracks so even if we worked in different days it was okay. We would have had more chemistry I think if we did work together, it was a challenge and perhaps it would be fun to do another soon. We learned a lot of words that I haven't used before and am trying them all now even if the Tagalog was so deep. It was really fun."

Josh Padilla says "I had a hard time in timing it, because if they're still talking you have to extend and shorten things in dubbing this film. I was able to do dubbing before but that was a long time ago. It would have been more fun to record together. I agree with you so I can hear what she said. Remember it was somehow blank to begin with. We didn't really undergo any workshop before this and went straight to the dubbing process so we had some difficulty in the beginning just like anything else. Then after a few days, we got the hang of it. I realized there are some similarities between me and him, I realized that on my own because I am kinda shy. It wasn't kinda hard to portray the character but the process was grueling. We were hand picked by Boss Vic and the production, I would do this again because it's really fun."

"In the beginning when I was talking normally, it wasn't like the guy in the film so I did go down a bit on the tone. We tried different kind of voices on the testing phase and eventually we got it there. We had to do mouth, tongue exercises and had to talk to Donna because it was really hard. I had to watch and practice, the second day was really better and we got to finish it half fast. In the booth, we had a person help us and sound engineers plus the director was in another floor. We knew what they wanted through a cam and we did everything remotely. We were guided, we were good in practice but if it's already a take we'll mess it up again. We had to repeat lines over and over again, you'll only get a high if you get it the first time. I was really happy to have made this film in Filipino. This is an all tagalized movie through Sine Asia and will be seen soon exclusively in SM Cinemas."

Donnalyn Bartolome and Josh Padilla would like you to watch this soon on SM Cinemas. There's no playdate yet but it's going to show in the next few weeks. These will be done nationwide on SM Sine Asia theaters.

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Insurgent on SM Megamall's IMAX

Kate Winslet was super b!tch. (Screenies are not mine. Credit to owners.)

I've watched the prequel and loved every bit of it. It was praised but wasn't marketed enough in the Philippines so there were only a few guys in my circle that was able to catch it. It would be unfair to compare it with The Hungergames franchise because I think it's an entirely different story. The switching to and from dream modes when they get tested is something I'd probably wait for in this installment as I've seen parts of it on the trailer.

You would want to shoot him in the film, a couple of times in fact. (Screenies are not mine. Credit to owners.)

The movie (this sequel) seems to lack sense in some of the scenes and there's a large mis-use on some of the greater stars who ended up just sitting it out in this franchise. Oh and if they were somehow attempting to even score it nearer the Twighlight movie, it ain't going to work because of the story's format. They're out from the caste system to live in the outskirts and stay with farmers, yet later on the testing continued with technological advancements even 3 days after a war. Seeing the other people from other sectors not being up in arms made it nonsense too because it all seemed safe, fine and dandy being there.

His role is pivotal, watch out for what he'll end up doing during the tests. (Screenies are not mine. Credit to owners.)

The love angles and how bitter some of it ended up had us thinking how a truth serum didn't even spark a revenge with one of the bestfriends of your heroine. They didn't get me at the edge of my seat like the first Divergent franchise that much but seeing it in IMAX somehow made the experience a lot better. It would probably feel weird if watched this in a regular theater, or less spectacular. I don't know if you would get satisfied with the swashbuckling, jumping, and fight sequenced content but they are attempting to do that a few times while they were being subdued by the Erodite loyal Dauntless, their trainor, or what's left of it. 

You'll hate Kate Winslet even more because after three days from the ending of the Divergent story, she seemed to have done a Ferdinand Marcos martial law kind of thing forcing the board to be in a situation where she can do all sorts of laboratory work just to open a box that she thought would reveal Divergents are the ones causing this pain in their society.

I don't want to spoil the movie for you, but if you would ask me if this is worth watching... DEFINITELY especially if you loved the first movie. I think they're a little bit unfair in some of the movie reviews and flak they're getting on other sites. I can even say I liked it a lot when I almost hated it because the reviews got me into that mindset. Give it a chance to convince you that it had the story done on point. After all, this is fiction. I'd give this 4/5 rating. Though never ever attempt to watch this in regular movie theaters, try the 2D or IMAX version in SM Megamall because it's way better seen with depth. Aside from that, get perks done the right way with the new EPLUS Entertainment Card so you can get freebies, discounts and unbelievable perks watching movies. You can even get 6 Muffins from Kenny Rogers Roasters, 10 percent off on all things in the cinema store, and hotel discounts with just one tap! You can even get one free movie in every five times you watch with SM Cinemas. Just look at what I got! See you at SM!

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SMLEI and Viva Brings SineAsia!

Filipinos love movies. We've been watching Hollywood films since the first world war and we haven't let down since. With the age of television and the internet, we have grown quite close to our neighbors liking to Asian films. Those that come from South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan and other Asian countries are pretty much the flavor these past few years. SM Lifestyle Entertainment Inc and Viva International Pictures knows how much you like it and they're bringing these sought after Asian films much closer to your communities through SM Cinema theaters. They call it SineAsia Theater.

In grand ceremonies at Shangrila Chinese Restaurant in Quezon City, executives from SMLEI and Viva International Pictures including Mr. Hans Sy, Mr. Vic Del Rosario and Mr. Edgar Tejero officially signed the contract for the creation of SineAsia. This is the start of the synergy of two entertainment giants in order to bring Tagalized Asian films into movie houses nationwide!

The movies such as Lee Min Ho's Gangnam Blues will be the official attraction in the grand launch. It already earned 7.6 Million dollars on its first week and will also preview with other films like From Vegas to Macau (starring Chow Yun Fat), Once Upon A Time in Shanghai, SPL2, Mourning Grave, My Love My Bride and Rise of the Legend among others. SMLEI already is dedicating one theater in SM Megamall, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Fairview, SM Iloilo, SM Bacoor, SM Cebu, SM Manila and SM North Edsa. 

Now there's more reason to watch BIGGER, BETTER and NEVER BEFORE SEEN movies that Pinoys from all walks of life would surely enjoy! Remember, it's Lee Min Ho on the grand launch this March 4, 2015. Even the ladies during the event were screaming at the sight of him talking in Tagalog, so just imagine when it shows on Theaters nationwide! 

Ciao!

KUMAGCOW