Based on Leigh Bardugo’s worldwide bestselling Grishaverse novels, Shadow and Bone finds us in a war-torn world where lowly soldier and orphan Alina Starkov has just unleashed an extraordinary power that could be the key to setting her country free. 

With the monstrous threat of the Shadow Fold looming, Alina is torn from everything she knows to train as part of an elite army of magical soldiers known as Grisha. But as she struggles to hone her power, she finds that allies and enemies can be one and the same and that nothing in this lavish world is what it seems.

There are dangerous forces at play, including a crew of charismatic criminals, and it will take more than magic to survive. Shadow and Bone is a Netflix production from 21 Laps Entertainment, starring Jessie Mei Li (Alina Starkov), Archie Renaux (Malyen Oretsev), Freddy Carter (Kaz Brekker), Amita Suman (Inej), Kit Young (Jesper Fahey), and Ben Barnes (General Kirigan).

MANILA, March 2, 2021 -- Big action and big monsters are meant to be seen in the BIG SCREEN.   This month, moviegoers will get the full cinematic experience again as Columbia Pictures’ new fantasy action thriller Monster Hunter, opens in Philippine cinemas March 2021!  

Film fans are advised to refer to the websites and social pages of their favorite cinemas for more details regarding the film’s playdate and screening times.

In Monster Hunter, behind our world, there is another: a world of dangerous and powerful monsters that rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When an unexpected sandstorm transports Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her unit to a new world, the soldiers are shocked to discover that this hostile and unknown environment is home to enormous and terrifying monsters immune to their firepower. In their desperate battle for survival, the unit encounters the mysterious Hunter (Tony Jaa), whose unique skills allow him to stay one step ahead of the powerful creatures. Facing a danger so great it could threaten to destroy their world, the brave warriors combine their unique abilities to band together for the ultimate showdown.

Nearly 20 years ago, writer-director Paul W. S. Anderson and star Milla Jovovich teamed up with videogame company Capcom and Constantin Film to produce Resident Evil, based on the bestselling videogame. Six movies and $1.2 billion in box office later, the franchise stands as the most successful videogame adaptation of all time.

Now, the team has reunited for Monster Hunter, based on Capcom’s bestselling video game of all time, “Monster Hunter: World,” and the origins of the project point to Anderson’s time in Japan. “I was actually a fan of the ‘Monster Hunter’ game before a lot of people in America and Europe, because I spent a lot of time in Japan,” Anderson explains. “It became one of my favorite countries to visit. Because of that, I started playing ‘Monster Hunter’ in 2008 – and by 2009 I was pitching Capcom on making a movie of the game.”

Over the next nine years, during his frequent trips to Japan, Anderson would play the game – which became something of a passion project.  Because the gameplay of “Monster Hunter: World” doesn’t rely on a narrative, Anderson had free rein to invent a story. “It felt like an amazing opportunity to build a whole world on the movie screen, and there were countless stories to tell within that world. The more I thought about it, the more stories and characters began to take root.”

Anderson’s screenplay took a decidedly grounded approach to the wild fantasy elements of monster hunting – in storytelling and design, he would give the real-world audience hooks to latch on to. So, in his story, Anderson focused on a real-world team that becomes trapped in the monster world, and the monster world’s locations would be drawn from some of the real world’s strange and unusual but very real locations.

At every turn, though, Anderson and the filmmakers kept hewing close to the original games that inspired them. “The movie pays honor not just to the ‘Monster Hunter: World’ game, but to the entire franchise that I personally have loved for ten years now,” says Anderson. “The game creators have created a richly textured world, and we embraced that.”

When he’d completed the screenplay, Anderson had to do a bit of convincing with Jovovich to play the lead role. “My first thought was, really, from zombies to monsters? You’ve got to be kidding me,” jokes the star of Resident Evil. “He said, ‘Just read it,’ and when I did, I felt like it captured everything I love about making action movies, but I really loved the character of Captain Artemis. She just felt real to me,” concludes Jovovich. “I felt like it would be wonderful to play somebody that disciplined.”

Monster Hunter is distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with #MonsterHunterMovie

 February 26, 2021 - Following the release of five character posters, Netflix has revealed a new trailer for Love Alarm Season 2. Love Alarm is set in a world where a mobile app can tell individuals if someone they like or if someone who likes them is within a 10-meter radius.

The trailer opens with Jo-jo (Kim So-hyun) narrating, “In this world, you must ring an alarm when you like someone.” Jo-jo, who is dating Hye-yeong (Jung Ga-ram), still concerns herself with the Love Alarm app despite hers not ringing. Sun-oh (Song Kang) appears with a poker face and stares at someone. Though Jo-jo is with Hye-yeong, she cannot hide her complicated feelings for him. Sun-oh’s words and actions further complicate the situation. “From now on, I’ll trust only what your eyes tell me,” Sun-oh proclaims to Jo-jo before kissing her. 

Following more emotional scenes, it becomes clear that both Hye-young and Sun-oh want to convey their true love for her. The trailer comes to a touching end with Jo-jo’s narration: “Who do I love now?” The love triangle among two men and a woman who want to confirm each other’s true feelings will unfold in this season.

The first season of Love Alarm is available to watch now, and the second season will be released on March 12, exclusively on Netflix.

Columbia Pictures has just revealed the official title of the newest Spider-Man live-action film: Spider-Man: No Way Home, coming to Philippine cinemas soon.

Watch the announcement trailer below:

Spider-Man: No Way Home will be distributed in the Philippines by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.  Connect with #SpiderManNoWayHome and tag columbiapicph

From New Line Cinema comes the explosive new cinematic adventure “Mortal Kombat,” inspired by the blockbuster video game franchise, which most recently enjoyed the most successful video game launch in its history, Mortal Kombat 11.  The film is helmed by award-winning Australian commercial filmmaker Simon McQuoid, marking his feature directorial debut, and produced by James Wan (“The Conjuring” universe films, “Aquaman,”), Todd Garner (“Into the Storm”), McQuoid and E. Bennett Walsh (“The Amazing Spider-Man 2”).  

In “Mortal Kombat,” MMA fighter Cole Young, accustomed to taking a beating for money, is unaware of his heritage—or why Outworld's Emperor Shang Tsung has sent his best warrior, Sub-Zero, an otherworldly Cryomancer, to hunt Cole down.  Fearing for his family's safety, Cole goes in search of Sonya Blade at the direction of Jax, a Special Forces Major who bears the same strange dragon marking Cole was born with.  Soon, he finds himself at the temple of Lord Raiden, an Elder God and the protector of Earthrealm, who grants sanctuary to those who bear the mark.  Here, Cole trains with experienced warriors Liu Kang, Kung Lao and rogue mercenary Kano, as he prepares to stand with Earth’s greatest champions against the enemies of Outworld in a high stakes battle for the universe.  But will Cole be pushed hard enough to unlock his arcana—the immense power from within his soul—in time to save not only his family, but to stop Outworld once and for all?

The diverse international cast reflects the global nature of the brand, with talent spanning the worlds of film, television and martial arts.  The ensemble includes Lewis Tan (“Deadpool 2,” Netflix’s “Wu Assassins”) as Cole Young; Jessica McNamee (“The Meg”) as Sonya Blade; Josh Lawson (“Bombshell”) as Kano; Tadanobu Asano (“Midway”) as Lord Raiden; Mehcad Brooks (TV’s “Supergirl”) as Jackson “Jax” Bridges; Ludi Lin (“Aquaman”) as Liu Kang; with Chin Han (“Skyscraper”) as Shang Tsung; Joe Taslim (“Star Trek Beyond”) as Bi-Han and Sub-Zero; and Hiroyuki Sanada (“Skyscraper”) as Hanzo Hasashi and Scorpion.  Also featured are Max Huang as Kung Lao; Sisi Stringer as Mileena; Matilda Kimber as Emily Young; and Laura Brent as Allison Young.

McQuoid directed from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham (“Wonder Woman 1984”), from a story by Oren Uziel (“Mortal Kombat: Rebirth”) and Russo, based on the videogame created by Ed Boon and John Tobias.  Richard Brener, Dave Neustadter, Victoria Palmeri, Michael Clear, Jeremy Stein and Larry Kasanoff served as executive producers.

New Line Cinema Presents an Atomic Monster/Broken Road Production, “Mortal Kombat.”  The film will be released in Philippine cinemas soon and distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Join the conversation online and connect with #MortalKombatMovie