The much adored teen demigod Logan Lerman aka Percy is back in "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" to face his most perilous adventure based on Rick Riordan's best-selling second book of the same title. Following the successful wave of the first movie "Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief," the latest adaptation, 'Sea of Monsters" brings Percy along with his friends in uncharted waters to battle terrifying creatures and the ultimate Evil to retrieve the Golden Fleece and bring it back in time to save their world.

Directed by Thor Freudenthal, Lerman reprises his role as the titular hero, the demigod son of Poseidon, who embarks on his own, modern-day Odyssey. “At the beginning of this film, Percy is not living up to his potential and he doubts himself,” says Lerman. “Percy feels abandoned by his father, the Greek god Poseidon, and then, he finds out that he has a brother.”

If shocking family revelations weren’t enough, Percy must deal with Polyphemus, an enormous and powerful Cyclops; Charybdis, the sea monster; the raging Colchis Bull, a giant, metallic and fire-breathing creature that attacks Camp Half-Blood; the Manticore, a formidable monster with a lion’s body and a long, scorpion-like tail; and the ancient Oracle, an ancient mummified mystic with empty eye sockets and skeletal features. The Oracle further complicates Percy’s sense of self and duty, says Lerman, when it tells him he “is either going to destroy Olympus or save it. He’s not sure if he can rise to the occasion.”

Lerman remembers three months of fight training on the first Percy Jackson film, so was grateful all of that knowledge was inherent to begin with, and the time didn’t need repeating for "Sea of Monsters." “It was insane,” he says. “It was our first time doing anything like this so we really had to figure it out. I’d never held a sword before. But now we kind of know what we’re doing and it was much, much easier to jump back into it.”

Lerman says that after two movies playing Percy he knows his way around a sword. So is he a dangerous man to be around? "I think so," he laughs. "But then, I think anyone would probably be. I think it's pretty easy. You just chop."

Percy has a lot at stake, according to Freudenthal. “He’s trying to save Camp Half-Blood and prove himself as a hero. He’s grown distant from his father, who is not really responding to his requests for help. Percy embarks upon his ‘odyssey’ for two reasons: to save his home, and to ascertain if he is indeed a hero.”

The demigods return when "Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" opens August 7 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

News on the movies to watch out for this coming months:

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters

Take a look at the latest teaser on Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters. The film Based on the best-selling book, PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS continues the young demigod’s epic journey to fulfill his destiny.  To save their world, Percy and his friends must find the fabled and magical Golden Fleece.  Embarking on a treacherous odyssey into the uncharted waters of the Sea of Monsters, they battle terrifying creatures, an army of zombies, and the ultimatte Evil. 

"Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters" opens August 7 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

The Counselor

From Academy Award nominee Ridley Scott comes "The Counselor" starring Michael Fassbender, Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, John Leguizamo, Penelope Cruz and Cameron Diaz. 
Written by Pulitzer Prize winner Cormac McCarthy, "The Counselor" follows lawyer (Fassbender) who he decides to get involved in a drug deal worth millions. Thinking that his involvement in the deal with a friend (Bardem) and a drug broker (Pitt) will never suck him down, he soon learns that such decision will lead him on a desperate trail of survival.
"The Counselor" will open November 15 in theaters from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.
View the teaser trailer here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkMt1ZFf3Ec&feature=youtu.be

“Global Smurfs Day” A Hit in the Philippines

In celebration of the birthday of Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs, the world celebrated Global Smurfs Day last June 22, anticipating the release of “The Smurfs 2” in Philippine theaters August 7.

In the Philippines, families and fans flocked for fun-filled festivities at the SM Mall of Asia atrium where they enjoyed a Smurftastic afternoon of lively games, blue-frosted cupcakes, Lala Smurf song sing-offs, and art activities for kids.

This was the second celebration of Global Smurfs Day in what has quickly become a tradition. In 2011, the round-the-world events included painting one of the famous White Towns of Andalusia blue and setting a new record for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Smurfs within a 24-hour Period (Multiple Venues).

This year, the studio has lined up an equally impressive program of events, highlighted by a worldwide Smurf Ambassadors initiative, in which over 40 ambassadors from 28 countries (including the Philippines) represented Smurfs fans from around the world with a special day of events celebrating Peyo’s creation.

The Smurf ambassadors dressed as Smurfs began their day in Brussels, where Peyo’s daughter Veronique Culliford officially appointed them as Smurf representatives of their countries. Freshly charged with their ambassadorial duties, the group boarded a Thalys train and shot off to Paris, the locale of the adventures in Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Animation’s “The Smurfs 2.” With a few surprises in store and a sightseeing tour of the French capital, the ambassadors were tasked with a mission that is the stuff of high diplomacy: to leave a happy trail of blue smiles in their wake, and herald the arrival of the new film.

“Turbo” 3D High Velocity Animation

Meet Turbo (voiced by Ryan Reynolds), an underdog snail who dreams to overdrive just like his idol who races in the Indy 500. At the start, Turbo is somewhat of an outcast in the snail community, which is less about big dreams and more about punching a time clock at their place of employment.

Training tirelessly all his life, he miraculously gained speed at an opportune time he met a crew of streetwise, tricked-out es-car-goes. Learning that no one can make it on their own in the fast lane. He and his newfound pals help each other achieve their impossible dream of racing in the Indy 500.

"Turbo," says director and co-screenwriter David Soren, is a mash-up of superhero and racing film genres, but “at its heart, TURBO really is an underdog story. The character Turbo has all the hallmarks of an underdog. You expect nothing of snails, whose lives are stacked with obstacles, like being really, really slow. But once you dig into it, a snail is the perfect character to have at the center of an underdog story.”

But turning an everyday, garden snail into a mighty mollusk who travels at super-speed? “Turbo’s dream of becoming something that’s completely in opposition to its nature is ripe for conflict, surprises and a satisfying payoff” when the dream becomes reality,” says Soren.

Soren came up with the idea for "Turbo" almost a decade ago. He described it to DreamWorks Animation management at one of the company’s “pitch program” conclaves, at which DreamWorks employees can pitch their ideas for possible future projects. “At the time it was a very complex idea – the ‘Fast and Furious with Snails,’” he remembers.

As he developed the idea, Soren was inspired by events and people very close to home. His primary muse, he notes, “was my young son, who since before he could talk has been obsessed with toy cars and racing, and could identify virtually any car on the street by its make and model.”

Soren also found motivation in his own front yard, which had a “snail problem” that was eating away at his tomato plants. “This marriage of the slow [the snails] and speed [his son’s preoccupation] was the catalyst that led me to the bones of the story centered on a snail who dreams of racing glory.”

Luckily,the requisite comedic and dramatic acting chops, and bigger-than-life persona, are embodied by Ryan Reynolds, whom Soren describes as “the perfect match” for Turbo. “It all really sounded amazing, and I fell in love with its classic underdog story, which TURBO takes to a new level,” Reynolds continues. “It takes a unique if not insane perspective to bring a snail to life in this way. What I love most about Turbo is his tenacity and refusal to give up on his dream. In fact, it doesn’t even occur to him to give up. Talent is a collision between hard work and luck, and that’s what Turbo is.”

"Turbo" also features a stellar voice cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Paul Giamatti, Michael Pena, Luis Guzman, Bill Hader, Snoop Dogg, Maya Rudolph and Ben Schwartz.

"Turbo" (3D) opens July 19 in theaters nationwide from DreamWorks Animation and 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.