James Wan and Jason Blum, powerhouse team-up behind “M3gan,” are back with “Night Swim,” now showing

In 2014, director Bryce McGuire made Night Swim, an acclaimed five-minute short shot in the backyard of Grammy-winning musician Michelle Branch and featuring actress Megalyn Echikunwoke (Fox’s Almost Family) as a young woman who goes missing in her own pool when an evening swim leads to a close encounter with something creepy. 

The short made a splash on YouTube and among its many fans was Judson Scott, executive vice president at Atomic Monster, who then recommended the short to Atomic Monster founder and horror master James Wan. “It was abundantly clear from watching the short that Bryce was a gifted filmmaker with a command of craft and tone,” Wan, co-producer for Night Swim the movie, says. “The story it told was so mysterious and evocative, and Bryce had a compelling vision for how it could be turned into something bigger, stranger and scarier while also being emotionally resonant.”

“Doing horror movies is a way of taking control of my fears,” says Amélie Hoeferle, who plays one of the Waller children in the supernatural thriller “Night Swim,” opening this week

“The children were great!” says Academy Award nominee Kerry Condon of Amélie Hoeferle and Gavin Warren, who play her character’s children in Night Swim, a new supernatural thriller opening in cinemas this week. 

In Night Swim, based on director McGuire’s acclaimed 2014 short film of the same name, Ray Waller (Wyatt Russell) is a former major league baseball player forced into early retirement by a degenerative illness. Secretly hoping, against the odds, to return to pro ball, Ray persuades his wife, Eve (Condon), that their new home’s shimmering backyard swimming pool will be fun for the kids (Hoeferle and Warren) and provide physical therapy for him. But a dark secret in the home’s past will unleash a malevolent force that will drag the family under, into the depths of inescapable terror. 

Wyatt Russell talks about the sinister pool and his troubled character in the supernatural thriller “Night Swim”

Like his Night Swim character, Wyatt Russell (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters) was a former athlete, one of the reasons director Bryce McGuire wanted him for the role of former baseball pro Ray Waller. 

For the actor, being able to draw on his own experience as an athlete definitely helped his performance. “There are aspects of this character that obviously I’ve felt before, or seen in people I know, where you’re sort of losing your ability and sense of identity to injury,” says Russell, who played hockey on the amateur and professional levels for six years, until injuries forced him to quit. “I know the feeling of wanting to do anything, even if it’s detrimental to yourself or your family, to keep playing; it’s a hard drug to let go of. There was that element of it that I know Bryce wanted, and I was able to do that because I had lived aspects of that life.”

She dances. She flies. She kills. Watch the terrifying trailer for horror movie “Abigail,” in cinemas April 17

Children can be monsters – literally.  

From Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, the directing team behind the terrifying modern horror hits Ready or Not, 2022’s Scream and last year’s Scream VI – comes a brash, blood-thirsty new vision of the vampire flick.

Watch the trailer: https://fb.watch/pYsIpU1UJs/?mibextid=cr9u03

In Abigail, after a group of would-be criminals kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure, all they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion, the captors start to dwindle, one by one, and they discover, to their mounting horror, that they’re locked inside with no normal little girl.  

Producers James Wan & Jason Blum, director Bryce Mcguire talk about their new supernatural thriller “Night Swim”

Horror classics such as Poltergeist, Christine, Burnt Offerings and Jaws inspired Night Swim – well, these and a touch of aquaphobia. 

“I’ve always had water on the brain,” director Bryce McGuire says. “Growing up in Florida, surrounded by ocean on three sides, in a climate that can only really be survived by partaking in water ritual, knowing friends who drowned, hurricanes that flooded homes, boating accidents, shark attacks, you come to have a kind of fear and reverence for the water.”

Things just got a little more despicable. Watch the trailer for “Despicable Me 4,” in cinemas July 3

Gru, Lucy and the girls are back – with a cute new member of the family who can certainly give the minions a run for their money! 

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/w6zvCQDLqKw?si=rqOdKL3xfrV_RZHH 

In the first Despicable Me movie in seven years, Gru, the world’s favorite supervillain-turned-Anti-Villain League-agent, returns for an exciting, bold new era of Minions mayhem.

Oscar-worthy stunt and action, shocking twists, beautiful music: Check out positive reactions from the world premiere of “Argylle”

Critics who got to join the world premiere of Argylle in London are singing praises of the latest star-studded spy flick from director Matthew Vaughn… with one even joining the call for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize the stunt industry and include a Best Stunt award at the Oscars.

Critic Luis Fernando, who writes for Empire magazine, joined the calls for a Best Stunt award at the Oscars because of how impressed he was with the action of Argylle. “Just had a blast watching #Argylle” he posted on X. “1- It’s past time for stunts to have an #Oscars category! 2- If #Argylle had come out in 2023, it would dominate the Best Original Song nominations along with #Barbie. Banger after banger. #ElectricEnergy is THE BOMB!” 

Liza Soberano has shared the trailer for “Lisa Frankenstein,” her first Hollywood movie.

After a brief introduction by Liza, the trailer opens with her character, Taffy, in the car with her stepsister Lisa Swallows, the movie’s protagonist played by Kathryn Newton. The two high school students are talking about boys, offering a glimpse into their relationship. 

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/NIm_DkLGAk4?si=kAeFby0RwFg4tQmh

The role of Taffy proved to be one of the most difficult parts to cast because director Zelda Williams, daughter of the late Robin Williams and Marsha Garces Williams, wanted an actress who could deliver many of the film’s most blunt, cringe-worthy lines without a hint of provocation or malice. According to Williams, herself part-Filipina, in an interview with ANC, Taffy is “most people’s favorite part of the movie.” 

Who is “Argylle”? Get to know the characters in director Matthew Vaughn’s latest action-packed spy movie

Whether you’re more interested in suave secret agents like Argylle, or superstar but shy best-selling authors like Elly Conway, there’s a character that’s sure to be your favorite in “Argylle,” the new razor-witted, reality-bending spy thriller from the twisted mind of filmmaker Matthew Vaughn (“Kingsman,” “Kick-Ass”). 

In “Agrylle,” Bryce Dallas Howard (“Jurassic World” franchise) is Elly Conway, the reclusive author of a series of best-selling espionage novels, whose idea of bliss is a night at home with her computer and her cat, Alfie. But when the plots of Elly’s fictional books – which center on secret agent Argylle and his mission to unravel a global spy syndicate – begin to mirror the covert actions of a real-life spy organization, quiet evenings at home become a thing of the past. Accompanied by Aidan, a cat-allergic spy played by Oscar® winner Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”), Elly (carrying Alfie in her backpack) races across the world to stay one step ahead of the killers as the line between Elly’s fictional world and her real one begins to blur. 

Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvcVJ4Al1zU

Oscar(R)-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody on “Lisa Frankenstein,” a teen horror-comedy and coming-of-rage romance starring Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse and Liza Soberano

“I have always toyed with themes of transformation and reinvention,” says screenwriter Diablo Cody, who catapulted onto the Hollywood stage with 2007’s “Juno,” for which she won the Academy Award, BAFTA and Critics’ Choice Award for best original screenplay. 

“In everything I write, someone is going through a dramatic change, whether it’s becoming possessed by a demon or dealing with a new stage of life,” continues Cody, who is also known for penning acclaimed film “Young Adult,” starring Charlize Theron, and the Megan Fox-led cult-classic “Jennifer’s Body.” “The question I’m always asking is: are we the same person after a profound change? How many parts can we swap or replace before we’re a totally new entity? This movie is a pretty literal interpretation of that!”

Meet the colorful characters and talented cast of Illumination’s adventure-packed new original comedy “Migration”

Before setting off on a big adventure with Illumination’s “Migration,” get to know the film’s new original characters and the talented cast that voiced them. 

“We tried to find actors that were somewhat like their roles,” shares director Benjamin Renner. “That was great because we could ask them to share experiences and adlib with their performances.”

Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/h6MQPmWJaEo?si=llryH5lbd50Ck0Kp

Visionary filmmaker Matthew Vaughn talks about his inspiration for “Argylle,” his latest action-packed, star-studded spy movie

Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell in “Argylle” Photo Credit: “Universal Pictures”

In 2020, with the world in lockdown, visionary filmmaker Matthew Vaughn – the director and producer of “The Kingsman” films, “Kick-Ass” and “Stardust” – sat down at his home outside London and decided to stage a film-appreciation class for his wife, Claudia Vaughn (née Schiffer), and their two daughters, who were around 10 and 15 years old at the time. 

“Because it was lockdown, it gave me license to keep screening movies for them to watch,” Vaughn says. He showed them movie after movie, including Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic “North by Northwest,” in which an ordinary man (albeit one who looks like Cary Grant) gets swept up in an extraordinary, espionage-tinged adventure. His girls went crazy for it. “And I thought, ‘I want to make a movie like that for my daughters,’” Vaughn says. 

Join Kumail Nanjiani, Elizabeth Banks, Keegan-Michael Key, Awkwafina and Danny Devito on an epic family adventure in Illumination’s action-packed new original comedy “Migration”

New year, new beginning. 

This January, meet the latest original adorable characters created by Illumination, the animation studio behind the record-shattering The Super Mario Bros. Movie and beloved franchises Minions, Despicable Me, Sing and The Secret Life of Pets—a duck family called the Mallards, who are going to embark on a great big adventure for the first time ever in the new comedy Migration. 

And it’s not just the Mallards who are doing something new. With Migration, a funny, emotional and visually stunning film that explores universal themes of family, curiosity and the rewards of stepping outside your comfort zone, Illumination embarks on a new adventure as well. 

“At Illumination, we’re fortunate to be the stewards of a number of franchises, but we also believe that we have a mission to bring new stories and new characters to the world,” Illumination founder and CEO Chris Meledandri says. “The making of Migration has been a great adventure. Each time we create a new story, we start in different places. From the time I was a child, I’ve always found ducks incredibly appealing because they’re so silly and likable. But what really gives this movie its universality is that the film is touching on issues that are very human, relevant issues.”

Twisted Body-Swap Tale "Freaky" Gets First Trailer

A body swap that cuts deep. Watch the first trailer of Universal Pictures and Blumhouse’s new horror comedy Freaky starring Vince Vaughn & Kathryn Newton.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/622061697868234/posts/4442286282512404/

YouTube: https://youtu.be/3_ylVf8Gge8

Prepare to get Freaky with a twisted take on the body-swap movie when a teenage girl switches bodies with a relentless serial killer.  

Seventeen-year-old Millie Kessler (Kathryn Newton, Blockers, HBO’s Big Little Lies) is just trying to survive the bloodthirsty halls of Blissfield High and the cruelty of the popular crowd. But when she becomes the newest target of The Butcher (Vince Vaughn), her town’s infamous serial killer, her senior year becomes the least of her worries.

"The Invisble Man" Begins New Era of Monsters from Universal Pictures

The character of the Invisible Man is part of Universal Pictures’ family of classic movie Monsters—including legendary figures Dracula, The Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s Monster, The Bride of Frankenstein and The Creature from the Black Lagoon. Part of the reason these infamous characters have endured is because they are timeless and represent a wide range of cultural fears and anxieties—the intersection of scientific discovery and timeless love and loss. They’re adaptable to whatever time we’re living in.

Terrifying Tale of Obsession Unravels in "The Invisible Man" Trailer

What you can’t see can hurt you. Emmy winner Elisabeth Moss (Us, Hulu’s The Handmaid’s Tale) stars in The Invisible Man, a terrifying modern tale of obsession inspired by Universal’s classic monster character.

Check out the film’s official trailer below and watch The Invisible Man in Philippine cinemas this February 2020.

Henry Golding Gives Heart to Someone Special in "Last Christmas"

Henry Golding exploded onto the leading-man scene in the film world in 2018 playing roles ranging from the Prince Charming of Asia (Crazy Rich Asians) to a dark and mysterious murder suspect (A Simple Favor), and, in Universal Pictures’ new romantic comedy Last Christmas, a quirky guy enchanting his love interest.

In Last Christmas, Kate (Emilia Clarke) harrumphs around London, a bundle of bad decisions accompanied by the jangle of bells on her shoes, another irritating consequence from her job as an elf in a year-round Christmas shop. Tom (Golding) seems too good to be true when he walks into her life and starts to see through so many of Kate’s barriers. As London transforms into the most wonderful time of the year, nothing should work for these two. But sometimes, you gotta let the snow fall where it may, you gotta listen to your heart … and you gotta have faith.

Taylor Swift, Andrew Lloyd Webber Write New Original Song for Universal Pictures' "Cats"

Today, Universal Pictures announced that global music icon Taylor Swift and legendary composer Andrew Lloyd Webber have collaborated on a new, original song written for Universal Pictures’ film Cats, based on Lloyd Webber’s record-shattering stage musical. The song, “Beautiful Ghosts,” will feature in both the film and in the end credits.

Cats, in Philippine theaters January 8, is directed by Oscar®-winning filmmaker Tom Hooper (Les Misérables, The King’s Speech), and stars Swift, James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Rebel Wilson and Royal Ballet principal dancer Francesca Hayward.  

'Tis the Season to Be Scary as "Black Christmas" Drops First Trailer

Just in time for the holidays comes Universal Pictures’ and Blumhouse Productions’ Black Christmas, a timely take on a cult horror classic as a campus killer comes to face a formidable group of friends in sisterhood.

Check out the film’s first trailer below and watch Black Christmas in Philippine cinemas December 11.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/G3Ps8hin1is

Everybody’s welcome at Ma’s. But good luck getting home safe. Check out the brand new trailer for Universal Pictures’ shocking, suspense thriller Ma below and watch the film in Philippine cinemas July 10.

YouTube: https://youtu.be/BHeKRbN4nyk 

Ma is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.  Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/uipmoviesph/; Twitter at https://twitter.com/uipmoviesph  and Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/uipmoviesph/. Use the hashtag #MaMovie