United International Pictures and Solar Entertainment Announce Record Breaking Gross in 2011 and Exciting Movie Line-up for 2012

POTATO ON THE GO BULLETIN (Movie):

United International Pictures. together with its Philippine affiliate Solar Entertainment Corp., one of the country’s leading film distributors, recently announced its record breaking theatrical gross of PhP 1.6 Billion (and still counting!) in 2011 which they consider as their biggest year of all time!  This was revealed by Solar Entertainment Corp. President Mr. Wilson Tieng. 

Tent-poles films, which were mostly great sequels, such as Fast and Furious 5, Kung Fu Panda 2, Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Marvel’s Thor quickly escalated the gross tallies to 1 billion in the second quarter of 2011.

With this monumental feat, UIP and Solar also announced their line-up of movies for the year which also have all the potential to reach 1 billion this year.  These movies are:

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN. In the epic retelling of the classic tale Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart (Twilight) plays as the one person in the land fairer than the Evil Queen (Oscar® winner Charlize Theron) who dispatches the Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth, Thor) to destroy her. Unknown to the Queen, The Huntsman becomes the protector of the young woman threatening her reign, training her in the art of war. Sam Claflin (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides) joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White's beauty and power. This breathtaking new twist of the legendary tale is from producers Joe Roth (Alice in Wonderland), Sam Mercer (The Sixth Sense) and acclaimed commercial director and state-of-the-art visualist Rupert Sanders.

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION. The upcoming sequel to 2009’s sci-fi-action film G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra, Retaliation continues where Rise of the Cobra left off. The G.I. Joe team is framed as traitors by Zartan, last seen disguised as the U.S. President). The Joes gather their numbers to expose the truth, and stop Cobra. Channing Tatum, Arnold Vosloo, Ray Park, Jonathan Pryce and Lee Byung-hun reprise their roles as Duke, Zartan, Snake Eyes, The US President, and Storm Shadow, respectively, with the star addition of Bruce Willis and Dwayne Johnson.

Good Things Come in Small Packages -- ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED Movie Review

POTATO ON THE GO Review (Movie):

In animation and in live action, the whole world has fallen in love with Alvin and the Chipmunks.  For sure, following it up with a new movie sequel will be quite challenging for the producers.  How else can you make it more fun?  'But this is the challenge that 20th Century Fox accepted and perhaps they are jumping in joy right now with the success of their newest offering ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED!

Spielberg's TERRA NOVA to premiere on Jack TV this coming January 12

POTATO ON THE GO BULLETIN (TV):

Steven Spielberg's sci-fi family adventure drama series TERRA NOVA is set to premiere first and exclusively on Jack TV this coming January 12, Thursday at 7PM. It’s the year 2149 and the world is dying due to overdevelopment and overcrowding. With the majority of plant and animal life extinct, mankind realizes that its only opportunity for survival is a trip to the distant past.

A Classic Story with Cutting Edge Execution -- SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS Moview Review

POTATO ON THE GO REVIEW (Movie):

For movie makers, transforming a literary classic into a movie masterpiece is always a challenge.  If one follows the story page per page, he may hear reactions that it's no different from the book.  'But if he changes it dramatically, he will surely hear nasty remarks from the book fans.  For me, once a book is made into a film, the director and screen writer are given the freedom to make their cinematic interpretations of the literary piece.  And from the recent movie I saw, the SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS, during its recent Philippine premiere by Warner Bros. in Glorietta 4, I could say that the film makers are able to give an edgy execution out of a literary classic and well loved characters. 

Directed by Guy Ritchie and written by Michele Mulrony and Kieren Mulroney SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS is an action mystery movie based on the character of the same name created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.  A sequel to the 2009 film SHERLOCK HOLMES, the movie brings back Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law to reprise their roles as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson, and several other actors as characters they played in the 2009 film.   The film is inspired by Conan Doyle's work The Final Problem, but it is an independent story rather than a strict adaptation and this where cinematic freedom is maximized.

Catch PRETTY LITTLE LIARS Season 2 on ETC starting January 7

PRETTY LITTLE LIARS, the most tweeted about TV show of 2011 had its fans on the edge of their seats as its mix of mystery, scandal, intrigue and nail-biting suspense proves to be a hit formula with audiences in different parts of the globe.  Now, the lies will continue to pile up when the long-awaited mid-season return of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS Season 2 on ETC begins Saturday, January 7 at 8PM.

Network Wars continues as GMA Network posts breakthrough ratings performance in 2011

POTATO ON THE GO BULLETIN (TV):

With TV5's entry to the big three, alongside ABS-CBN and GMA Network, network wars in the Philippines continues to heat and gets even more exciting!

GMA Network, Inc. (GMA) recently announced that for 2011, it altered television channel ranking as it overtook ABS-CBN in nationwide total day household audience share, placing the latter only to second rank - according to broadcast industry's more trusted ratings service provider, Nielsen TV Audience Measurement.

Based on full 2011 nationwide data of Nielsen (December 25 to 31 based on overnight ratings), GMA posted a 34.2 percent total day average television household audience share, outscoring ABS-CBN's 31.1 percent and TV5's 15.6 percent by substantial gaps.

GMA noticeably increased its total day household audience share record in 2011 versus 2010 by 3.2 points. In contrast, ABS-CBN's record suffered a significant drop of 8.6 points during the same period.

The country's first epic TV series Amaya

Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law back in SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS!

Did you miss the powerful tandem of Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in Sherlock Holmes?  Worry no more!  The action duo is back as Robert Downey Jr. reprises his role as the world’s most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, and Jude Law returns as his friend and colleague, Dr. Watson, in Warner Bros.’ new action-adventure “Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.”

Here's film’s Special Content Trailer:

Sherlock Holmes has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris)—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may give him an advantage over the renowned detective. Around the globe, headlines break the news: a scandal takes down an Indian cotton tycoon; a Chinese opium trader dies of an apparent overdose; bombings in Strasbourg and Vienna; the death of an American steel magnate… No one sees the connective thread between these seemingly random events—no one, that is, except the great Sherlock Holmes, who has discerned a deliberate web of death and destruction. At its center sits a singularly sinister spider: Moriarty.

Warner Bros. Unveils Line-up for 2012; includes DARK KNIGHT RISES, THE HOBBIT and WRATH OF THE TITANS

POTATO ON THE GO BULLETIN:

Warner Bros. continues to be one of the formidable forces in movie making as it unveils its powerful line-up for 2012.   Warner Bros' offering of the year consists of much awaited tent-pole releases (“The Dark Knight Rises,” “The Hobbit”), blockbuster sequels (“Wrath of the Titans,” “Sherlock Holmes 2”), potential franchise-starters (“Jack and the Giant Killer,” “Dark Shadows”) and prestige titles (“Gravity,” “J. Edgar”). With all these surefire bets, what's not to like?

The Dark Knight Rises. The epic conclusion to Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. Christian Bale again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Marion Cotillard, as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. From Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson comes the first of two films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien. The adventure follows the journey of title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the fearsome dragon Smaug.

Wrath of the Titans. A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Sam Worthington) —the demigod son of Zeus (Liam Neeson)—is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. But Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades (Ralph Fiennes) makes a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus.

20th Century Fox Reveals Fantastic Movie Line-up for 2012

POTATO ON THE GO BULLETIN:

It's the start of  2012 and movie buffs can't wait to know what exciting films are lined up by major studios for the year!  20th Century Fox won't be far behind as it anchors in 2012 with big screen adaptation of classic favorites from television and books, phenomenal movie franchises and a novelty of ideas captured in unparalleled 3D technology employed by the Fox lot.

Supervised by George Lucas’ Industrial Light & Magic, “Star Wars Episode 1: the Phantom Menace” undergoes meticulous technological and artistic conversion for its long-awaited 3D movie release. Navigating within a galaxy far, far away, the movie conversion is set to deliver most of the Saga’s amazing scenes from the peaceful planet of Naboo to nearby ally and warring galaxies.

The returning cast of “Alvin and the Chipmunks” strikes a third in “Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked” where Dave (Jason Lee) is on board a luxury cruise liner with the gang for a well-deserved break. Incidentally, they find themselves in a deserted island after going overboard during the trip. Thinking that they have found a tropical paradise, they soon found out that they are not alone.

Resorts World Manila Brings In World Class Theater Via The Sound of Music

POTATO ON THE GO (Theater):

When Resorts World Manila claimed that The Sound of Music is a world class theater production, I asked myself how can they exactly qualify that.  Well, after seeing the musical at its premiere, I was easily convinced why it is called as such.

A musical by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse, The Sound of Music is the story of a young postulant, Maria Rainer, who is appointed governess of the seven children of widower Captain Georg von Trapp. She teaches them the rudiments of music and allows them to discover a talent for singing they never once thought they possessed. In the process, the Captain's cold and stern heart turns soft towards his children, while the stiff, professional relationship he once had with Maria gives way unexpectedly to love. Soon, they find themselves threatened by uncertainties of wartime as they struggle to build a new life together.

So, why is The Sound of Music world class?