A glimpse of Golden Globe® winner Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins

Here is the first glimpse of Golden Globe® winner Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins in “Mary Poppins Returns,” the all new sequel to Disney’s 1964 film “Mary Poppins.” 

Directed and produced by Rob Marshall, “Mary Poppins Returns” also stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer and Julie Walters with Colin Firth and Meryl Streep. The film, which introduces three new Banks children, played by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and newcomer Joel Dawson, also features Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury.

The film is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers’ additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep).

The film is produced by Marshall, John DeLuca and Marc Platt.  The screenplay is by David Magee based on The Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman writing all new songs and Shaiman composing an original score.

Smurfs come to Phoenix!!!


SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE
COMES TO PHOENIX WITH SPECIAL VISIT FROM SMURFETTE, BRAINY AND HEFTY SMURF!

WHO:                  Smurfette, Brainy and Hefty from the new Sony Pictures Animation film, SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE, in theaters April 7th.

 WHAT:                Smurfette, Brainy and Hefty will first visit Desert Ridge Marketplace for a special meet-and-greet experience with families.  Special Smurfs prizes will also be given out, while supplies last.

 WHEN:                Tuesday, February 7th  4:30PM-5:30PM

 WHERE:              Desert Ridge Marketplace *Near the AMC fountain outside of AMC Theatres   21001 N. Tatum Blvd.

Phoenix, AZ 85050


SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE – In Theatres April 7

In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does.  Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history!

Starring Demi Lovato, Rainn Wilson, Joe Manganiello, Jack McBrayer, Danny Pudi, and Mandy Patinkin.

Directed by Kelly Asbury

#SmurfsMovie

Instagram: @smurfsmovie

Twitter: @SmurfsMovie

Facebook.com/SmurfsMovie

 

SMURF, and all Smurfs characters: ©Peyo. All Rights Reserved. “Smurf” and “The Smurfs” are registered trademarks of STUDIO PEYO.

Watch the first three minutes of “Rings”


 Directed by: F. Javier Gutierrez

Starring: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan and Vincent D’Onofrio

 A new chapter in the beloved RING horror franchise.  A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it.  She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a “movie within the movie” that no one has ever seen before…


Rings Official Channels

Hashtag: #Rings

Facebook: /RingsMovie

Twitter: @RingsMovie

Instagram: @RingsMovie

Snapchat: ringsmovie

 Watch the first three minutes of RINGS.

Watch the tape that started it all.

“Watch Me” Clip

Marvel begins production on “Black Panther”

MARVEL STUDIOS BEGINS PRODUCTION ON

“BLACK PANTHER”

 

Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and Andy Serkis Star in the Newest Chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

 

Marvel Studios announced that production has begun on “Black Panther,” starring Chadwick Boseman (“Captain America: Civil War,”  “Get on Up”), Michael B. Jordan (“Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”), Academy Award® winner Lupita Nyong’o (“Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “12 Years a Slave”), Danai Gurira (“The Walking Dead,” upcoming “All Eyez on Me”), Martin Freeman (“Hobbit” trilogy, “Sherlock”), Daniel Kaluuya (upcoming “Get Out,” “Sicario”),  with Academy Award® nominee Angela Bassett (“American Horror Story,” “London Has Fallen”), with Academy Award® winner Forest Whitaker (“Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” Lee Daniels’ “The Butler”), and Andy Serkis (“Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”).

Additional cast members include Letitia Wright (“Urban Hymn,” “Glasgow Girls”), Winston Duke (“Person of Interest, “Modern Family”), Florence Kasumba (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Emerald City”), Sterling K. Brown (“Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story”) and John Kani (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Coriolanus”).

Ryan Coogler (“Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”) directs Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” from a screenplay he co-wrote with Joe Robert Cole (“The People v. O.J. Simpson:  American Crime Story”).  The film, which opens in U.S. theaters on February 16, 2018, will be shot in Atlanta and South Korea.  

 

“Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the events of “Captain America: Civil War,” returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation of Wakanda to take his place as King. However, when an old enemy reappears on the radar, T’Challa’s mettle as King and Black Panther is tested when he is drawn into a conflict that puts the entire fate of Wakanda and the world at risk. 

Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” is produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore, Jeffrey Chernov and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.

Coogler’s creative brain trust includes his frequent collaborators: director of photography Rachel Morrison, A.S.C. (“Dope,” “Fruitvale Station”), production designer Hannah Beachler (“Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”), editors Claudia Castello (“Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”) and Michael P. Shawver (“Creed,” “Fruitvale Station”); along with costume designer Ruth E. Carter (“Selma,” Lee Daniels’ “The Butler”), visuals effects supervisor Geoffrey Baumann (“Doctor Strange,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), Academy Award®- winning makeup designer Joel Harlow (“Star Trek Beyond,” “Black Mass”) and seven-time Academy Award® nominee, special effects supervisor Dan Sudick (“Captain America: Civil War,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”). 

 

Based on the Marvel comic character that first appeared in “Fantastic Four Vol. 1” Issue 52, published in 1966, “Black Panther”joins Marvel Studios’ slate of releases  in its Phase 3 commitment to introduce film audiences to new heroes and continue the adventures of fan favorites over the course of four years and nine films.

Marvel Studios’ other epic big-screen adventures include  Marvel’s  “Iron Man,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Iron Man 2,” “Thor,” “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Marvel’s The Avengers,” “Iron Man 3,” “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Ant-Man,” and the upcoming “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” (May 5, 2017), “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (July 7, 2017), “Thor: Ragnarok” (November 3, 2017) and “Avengers: Infinity War” (May 4, 2018).

Fox Searchlight acquires “Patti Cake$”


FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES ACQUIRES

DIRECTOR GEREMY JASPER’S PATTI CAKE$

Starring Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Cathy Moriarty, Siddharth Dhananjay,

Mamoudou Athie, McCaul Lombardi, Sahr Ngaujah, Wass Stevens, and MC Lyte

Specialty Arm Acquires Worldwide Rights

 

PARK CITY, UT January 25, 2017 – Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley announced today that the company has acquired worldwide distribution rights to first-time writer / director Geremy Jasper’s infectious hip hop debut film PATTI CAKE$, starring Danielle Macdonald, Bridget Everett, Cathy Moriarty, Siddharth Dhananjay, Mamoudou Athie, McCaul Lombardi, Sahr Ngaujah, Wass Stevens, and MC Lyte. The film is an RT Features, Stay Gold Features, Maiden Voyage Pictures presentation of a Department of Motion Pictures production.  It is the new company’s first feature film.  PATTI CAKE$ is produced by Michael Gottwald, Noah Stahl, Rodrigo Teixeira, Dan Janvey, Daniela Taplin Lundberg and Chris Columbus, with Lourenço Sant’Anna, Sophie Mas, Eleanor Columbus, Josh Penn, Jonathan Bronfman, Lon Molnar, Fernando Fraiha, and Bill Benenson serving as executive producers.  The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and will be released in 2017.

“Geremy Jasper has created a personal and specific story which resonates universally and is very entertaining.  Patti Cake$, brought to life by Danielle Macdonald, is a singular, lovable, and highly talented character for whom we root hard. We are proud to bring this beautiful film to the world,” said Utley and Gilula.

“Patti Cake$ is a true labor of love made by a team of people with so much creativity, care, and passion.  Sundance finally got to meet Patti AKA Killa P AKA Danielle MacDonald and now Fox Searchlight will make sure the world does too.  We could not be in better hands,” said director Geremy Jasper.

We knew from our experience with ‘Beasts of the Southern Wild’ that Fox Searchlight was the perfect place to introduce the world to an incredible heroine like Patti, and a fiercely talented filmmaker like Geremy,” said producer Michael Gottwald.

PATTI CAKE$ introduces Australian native Danielle Macdonald in a breakout role, as aspiring rapper Patricia Dombrowski, a.k.a. Killa P, a.k.a. Patti Cake$.  Fighting an unlikely quest for glory in her downtrodden hometown in Jersey where her life is falling apart, Patti tries to reach the big time in the hip hop scene with original and affecting music.  Cheered on by her grandmother (Cathy Moriarty) and only friends, Jheri (Siddharth Dhananjay) and Basterd (Mamoudou Athie), Patti also shoulders her mother’s (Bridget Everett) heartaches and misfortunes.    

 

The deal was brokered by Fox Searchlight’s Executive Vice President of Business Affairs Megan O’Brien and Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Ray Strache, with CAA and WME Global on behalf of the filmmakers.

Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and its films are distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of 21st Century Fox.

The Phoenix Film Festival preps for another year!!

PHOENIX FILM FESTIVAL PREPS FOR 17TH YEAR!


PHOENIX (January 25, 2017) – It’s that time of year again!  The 17th Annual Phoenix Film Festival, occurring this year from its opening night on April 6th to its conclusion on April 13th, is rapidly approaching. Continually breaking attendance records since its inception, last years festival saw over 25,000 attendees and there are hopes to pull in even more film enthusiasts this year.  The week long Festival will be held once again at Harkins Scottsdale 101 Theaters located at 7000 E. Mayo Blvd. Phoenix, AZ 85054. 

If you are a movie lover, this is an event that is not to be missed. Tickets and passes go on sale February 23rd and will be available through the Phoenix Film Festival website www.phoenixfilmfestival.com. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Phoenix Film Festival Ticket Center next to the Harkins Scottsdale 101 Theater. Tickets range in price from $13 for a single screening to $300 for a platinum pass.  For more information call 480-513-3195 or go to www.phoenixfilmfestival.com.

###

7000 E Mayo Blvd, Suite 1059  – Phoenix, AZ 85054

www.phxfilm.com Email: OFFICE@PHXFILM.com

The Phoenix Film Festival is a program of the

501c3 non-profit Phoenix Film Foundation

FOX Searchlight acquires Sundance sensation “STEP”

FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES ACQUIRES

DIRECTOR AMANDA LIPITZ’S SUNDANCE SENSATION “STEP”

Specialty Arm Acquires Worldwide

Distribution and Remake Rights

 

PARK CITY, UT January 24, 2017 – Fox Searchlight Pictures Presidents Nancy Utley and Stephen Gilula announced today that the company has acquired worldwide distribution and remake rights to director and producer Amanda Lipitz’s inspiring documentary STEP, featuring Blessin Giraldo, Cori Grainger, Tayla Solomon, Gari McIntyre and Paula Dofat. The film is a Stick Figure, Impact Partners, Vulcan and Scott Rudin production and produced by Lipitz and Steven Cantor with Dan Cogan, Geralyn Dreyfous, Jenny Raskin, Scott Rudin, Paul G. Allen, Carole Tomko, Micheal Flaherty, Valerie McGowan, Barbara Dobkin, Regina K. Scully, Debra McLeod, Jay Sears, Ann Tisch and Andrew Tisch serving as executive producers.  STEP will be released in 2017.

 

“STEP immerses us into the world of a group of young women whom we come to love and admire. Amanda Lipitz shows us their humor, heart, tenacity and joie de vivre through our own laughter and tears. We are excited to share this inspiring experience around the world,” said Gilula and Utley.

“This film was made as a tribute to the bravery and conviction of the young women in the film and to the courage they demonstrated in their willingness to share their story.  We are thrilled to partner with Fox Searchlight on the release of the film throughout the world and are very grateful for their enthusiasm and passion. We hope that the heroes of STEP will inspire girls everywhere to do what they have done, which is to prove that nothing is impossible when you surround yourself with a group of powerful women,” said director and producer Amanda Lipitz.

STEP documents the senior year of a girls’ high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore.  As each one tries to become the first in their families to attend college, the girls strive to make their dancing a success against the backdrop of social unrest in the troubled city.

The production also received generous support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Baltimore Ravens. The film world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival to sold out screenings with show-stopping performances by the team, who were greatly supported by the local Park City community.  

The deal was brokered by Fox Searchlight’s Executive Vice President of Business Affairs Megan O’Brien and Senior Vice President of Acquisitions & Co-Productions Ray Strache, with WME Global on behalf of the filmmakers.

Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and its films are distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of 21st Century Fox.

Very funny! Horror RINGS Hidden Camera Prank!

This is hsterical!

You know the rules: first you watch it, then you die

Watch as hidden cameras capture the reactions of unsuspecting customers when Samara comes for them. 

RINGS is in theaters February 3

Directed by: F. Javier Gutierrez

Starring: Matilda Lutz, Alex Roe, Johnny Galecki, Aimee Teegarden, Bonnie Morgan and Vincent D’Onofrio 

A new chapter in the beloved RING horror franchise.  A young woman becomes worried about her boyfriend when he explores a dark subculture surrounding a mysterious videotape said to kill the watcher seven days after he has viewed it.  She sacrifices herself to save her boyfriend and in doing so makes a horrifying discovery: there is a “movie within the movie” that no one has ever seen before… 

Rings Official Channels

Hashtag: #Rings

Facebook: /RingsMovie

Twitter: @RingsMovie

Instagram: @RingsMovie

Snapchat: ringsmovie

Voice of Lightning McQueen In Disney / Pixar’s ‘Cars 3’ Named Grand Marshal For DAYTONA 500


Owen Wilson, Voice of Lightning McQueen in Disney•Pixar’s “Cars 3,”

 Named Grand Marshal for 59th Annual DAYTONA 500

       Popular Star to Deliver Starting Command for “The Great American Race”

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 19, 2017) – Actor Owen Wilson, the voice of the animated character Lightning McQueen in Disney•Pixar’s upcoming movie “Cars 3,” will serve as Grand Marshal for the 59th annual DAYTONA 500 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race on Feb. 26 at Daytona International Speedway.

The DAYTONA 500, the season-opening race for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, will begin at 2 p.m. (TV – FOX, FOX Deportes; Radio – MRN Radio, SiriusXM) following Wilson delivering the famous “Drivers, start your engines” command to the 40-car field. In addition to giving the command, Wilson will ride in one of the Grand Marshal cars during pace laps prior to the green flag of the 200-lap, 500-mile race and attend the drivers meeting.

“Cars 3” opens nationwide on June 16. Wilson, who voiced Lightning McQueen in “Cars” (2006) and “Cars 2” (2011), is also known for starring roles in a variety of hit comedy films including “Wedding Crashers,” “Meet the Parents,” ”Zoolander” and “The Royal Tenenbaums.” Wilson stars in the upcoming “Wonder” and the Woody Harrelson-directed live film “Lost in London.”

“Owen Wilson is one of America’s most beloved comedic actors and his voice has brought Lightning McQueen to life for millions of movie-goers over the last 10 years,” said Daytona International Speedway President Chip Wile. “His star-power, and of course his personality, are perfect fits for ‘The Great American Race.’”

For more information on “Cars 3” visit http://disney.com/Cars3.

Wilson is the latest name on a long list of actors who have served as DAYTONA 500 Grand Marshals including Gerard Butler, Vince Vaughn, John Travolta, Ben Affleck, Nicolas Cage and Matthew McConaughey.

Tickets for the 2017 DAYTONA 500 and Speedweeks can be purchased online at www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by calling 1-800-PITSHOP. Fans can also follow NASCAR on Twitter and stay up to speed on the latest news by using #DAYTONA500 and #SPEEDWEEKS. Stay connected with Daytona International Speedway on TwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube,Pinterest and Snapchat,and by downloading the Speedway’s mobile app, for the latest Speedway news throughout the season.

ABOUT “CARS 3”

Blindsided by a new generation of blazing-fast racers, the legendary Lightning McQueen (voice of Owen Wilson) is suddenly pushed out of the sport he loves. To get back in the game, he will need the help of an eager young race technician, Cruz Ramirez (voice of Cristela Alonzo), with her own plan to win, plus inspiration from the late Fabulous Hudson Hornet and a few unexpected turns. Proving that #95 isn’t through yet will test the heart of a champion on Piston Cup Racing’s biggest stage! Directed by Brian Fee (storyboard artist “Cars,” “Cars 2“) and produced by Kevin Reher (“A Bug’s Life,” “La Luna” short), “Cars 3” cruises into theaters on June 16, 2017.

The first film was made in 1896… my, how far we’ve come!

New technology enables global fans to interact with a fictional character in multiple languages

 

Los Angeles CA, January 17, 2017 – In anticipation of the worldwide release of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, Sony Pictures Releasing International (SPRI) is teaming up with artificial intelligence (AI) agency IV.AI to bring the world’s first movie character powered by true AI to social media platforms with the #ChallengeTheRedQueen Messenger Experience.

As the experience launches today, Facebook users can match wits against The Red Queen by messaging the Facebook user The Red Queen on Facebook Messenger.  In Russia, the feature will be available on Telegram.

True to the character that fans know and love, the Red Queen’s dismissiveness and attitude have been embedded in the personality profile of the experience using AI, so that the audience can have genuine interaction with the character. 

In the experience, The Red Queen AI challenges fans of the franchise to test their Resident Evil knowledge and share their accomplishments. This unique messenger experience utilizes automated AI with built-in natural language processing in multiple languages, across a variety of social media platforms enabling fans of the films to interact with the Red Queen character in real time.

Using IV.AI’s sophisticated artificial intelligence ingestion system, the online experience has been created using Resident Evil scripts, films and writers from Sony Pictures Entertainment. Alongside this, IV.AI‘s natural language processing algorithms and emotional analysis based machine learning transforms this data into a natural feeling, interactive artificial character online.

 

Sony Pictures, EVP International Marketing Sal Ladestro explains, “As digital marketers and filmmakers, our goal is to find new ways to push the boundaries of emerging technologies in entertainment IP. Seeing the power of artificial intelligence collaborating with talented scriptwriters and filmmakers is just the beginning. We always strive to enable moviegoers to have unique experiences with our characters and this will set an industry standard of how to use messenger platforms to market our movies.”

 IV.AI CEO, Vince Lynch describes the bot as, “A new way of approaching entertainment via social media. Using customized AI, we can better understand the nuances of a character and allow fans to play along in real life.” Explains Lynch, “I like that we’re taking fictional AI that is normally portrayed as dark and tweaking the sentiment to make it fun and entertaining.

The #ChallengeTheRedQueen experience will go live today and be available to fans in the US, Australia, United Kingdom, Spain, Mexico, and Russia. Fans can find the experience through Facebook Messenger and Telegram by following links –

◦      English: m.me/TheRedQueenBot/

◦      Spanish (Latin America): m.me/LaReinaRojaBot/

◦      Spain (Castilian): m.me/LaReinaRojaES

◦      Russian: https://telegram.me/ObitelZlabot 

 

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter picks up immediately after the events in Resident Evil: Retribution, in which Alice (Milla Jovovich) is the only survivor of what was meant to be humanity’s final stand against the undead. Now, she must return to where the nightmare began – The Hive in Raccoon City, where the Umbrella Corporation is gathering its forces for a final strike against the only remaining survivors of the apocalypse.  The film is written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson.