Mr. Go, Asia’s First Digital Character, Arrives at SM Cinema this October

On October 2, catch the story of an unlikely friendship between a bat-swinging gorilla and its 15-year old trainer in the SM CinExclusive movie Mr. Go.

Wei Wei, an orphan, is pressured to pay his late grandfather’s debt by a loan shark. Because she has no money, she has no choice but to allow the greedy sports agent Sung to recruit her gorilla Ling Ling to join the Doosan team at the Korean Baseball League. Ling Ling, popularly known as Mr. Go, overcomes the team’s losing streak with his single-handed swings. Overwhelmed with Mr. Go’s success, Wei Wei and Sung neglect the gorilla’s knee injury. With Mr. Go’s worsening condition and the appearance of another baseball-playing gorilla, Mr. Go and Wei Wei’s special bond is put to the test.  

Mr. Go is Asia’s first computer-generated (CG) character. CG experts who worked closely with Peter Jackson, Ridley Scott, James Cameron and Martin Scorsese were consulted to create this character that expresses so much emotion.  To render subtle and dramatic expressions to Mr. Go, the team used the ‘facial motion capture’ technique where a real actor’s movements are recorded and used to animate the character.

The film is helmed by Kim Yong-hwa who directed the 2006 comedy film 200 Pounds of Beauty. Wei Wei is portrayed by Jiao Xu, who played the young Mulan in the 2009 Chinese film Mulan: Rise of a Warrior. Sung Dong-il, one of the most recognized faces in Korean cinema, joins the cast as the greedy sports agent whom the audience can’t really hate despite his villainous antics. Kim Taeyeon of the South Korean girl group Girl’s Generation lends her voice for the soundtrack of Mr. Go.

Mr. Go is distributed in in the Philippines by Reality Multimedia, Inc, a fully integrated production and media distribution company that released the movie Before Midnight and the 2014 Academy Award contender The Butler, which was also an SM CinExclusive film.

e-PLUS Tap-to-Pay cardholders get 50% discount on the ticket if they watch the film using their card.

About SM Cinema

SM Cinema, the country’s leading film distributor, takes pride in its 252 cinemas and 7 IMAX Theatres scattered in 46 branches across the country. All of these theaters are now digital—delivering crystal-clear images and powerful sound.

At SM Cinema, movie-watching is more fun and rewarding with its e-PLUS Tap-To-Pay card loaded with VIP privileges, special promos, seasonal offers, quarterly raffles and invites to exclusive events.

To know more about the company, visit SM Cinema’s website at www.smcinema.com. You may also like SM Cinema on Facebook (facebook.com/smcinema) and follow them on Twitter (twitter.com/sm_cinema).

Throwback Movies at IMAX

This October, watch out for throwback movies at IMAX! Everyone gets the chance to experience last year's blockbusters in the world's most immersive movie-watching experience. A ticket for 2D re-run movie is only at Php200. For 3D IMAX re-run, a ticket costs php250.

Here are the Hollywood re-run movies that will be featured at IMAX Aura Premier, IMAX Mall of Asia, IMAX Southmall, IMAX North EDSA, IMAX Clark, IMAX Cebu and IMAX Lanang:

* Frankenweenie
*John Carter

*Wrath of the Titans
* Marvel's The Avengers
*Journey 2: The Mysterious Island
*MIB 3
*Prometheus
*The Amazing Spider-Man
*Resident Evil 5: Retribution
*Underworld 4: Awakening
*Rise of the Guardians
*The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
*Dr. Seuss' The Lorax
*The Dark Knight Rises
*Dark Shadows
*Skyfall
*Battleship
*Total Recall
*Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2
*Mission Impossible 4: Ghost Protocol


For news, visit and like www.facebook.com/IMAXSMCinema and follow them on www.twitter.com/IMAX_SMCinema. For updates on the screening schedule, log on to www.smcinema.com.

New Trends of Korean Cinema Featured in the Korean Film Festival '13

This year's Korean Film Festival features contemporary trends in Korean Cinema. Six films that are part of the country's New Wave cinema are to be  showcased from September 18 until October 13.

The film festival kicked off with the advance screening of Werewolf Boy at SM Cinema Megamall on September 18. Werewolf Boy is a bitter sweet romance of a young woman and a werewolf. The film banks on its excellent cinematography--taking advantage of Korea's idyllic countryside.

If you're into funny and romantic story, Dancing Queen is your cup of tea. In the film, a married couple decides to pursue their lost dreams. The wife dreams of becoming a dancing diva and the husband aspires to be the next mayor of Seoul.

There's also the comedy drama Sunny. It's about a group of middle-aged women who are reunited in order to fulfill one friend's dying wish. The film alternates between two timelines: the present day and the time when they were still in high school. Sunny won the Best Director and Best Editing at the Daejong Film Awards.

Take a walk down memory lane with the only animation entry Green Days. Set in the 80's and 90's and with graphics reflecting the cartoons of the early 90's, the film attempts to evoke memories of time long gone. The film is about a girl who fears the world and a boy who's dreaming of the universe.

Koreans are known for their excellent horror/thriller films. If you're a fan of this genre, don't miss the sci-fi horror thriller Deranged. The film follows a former biochemistry professor and his brother as they attempt to save their whole family from succumbing to a malady that makes everyone infected jump into the water.

Masquerade is another must-see movie--currently the 4th highest grossing Korean film of all time and sweeping awards in the 49th Grand Bell Awards including Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Actor. Lee Byung-hun, who has charmed international audiences in G.I. Joe: Retaliation and Red 2, plays Ha-seon, a jester who bears an uncanny resemblance to the king. When the monarch collapses from a mysterious poison, Ha-seon is hired to pretend to be the king. With enemies brewing an evil plot, the safety of the kingdom lies in this lowly commoner's hand. 

You can watch all these movies for free. Here's the schedule:

Movies of Filipino Master Filmmakers Featured at the Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival 2013

SM Cinema takes pride on being the exclusive venue of the Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival 2013--All Masters Edition. The festival features the masterpieces of some of the country’s renowned filmmakers: Joel Lamangan, Lore Reyes and Peque Gallaga, Jose Javier Reyes, Mel Chionglo, Elwood Perez, Tikoy Aguiluz VI, Maryo J. de los Reyes, Gil Portes and Chito Roño and Celso Ad Castillo.

Sonata

Sonata is a song of a movie about hope orchestrated by Peque Galagga (Oro Plata Mata) and Lore Reyes (Dugo ng Panday). The film tells about a unique friendship and the healing power of art, starring veteran actress Cherie Gil. 

Bamboo Flowers

  



Are tradition and modernity really contradictory? Can these two interact beneficially? These are just some of the questions explored in Maryo J. de los Reyes’ (Magnifico) Bamboo Flowers. The film also examines the juxtaposition of life and death.

Unlike the first three directors, Mel Chionglo (Lagarista) chose a darker course with his entry Lauriana. Lauriana, with Bangs Garcia portraying the title role, is a tale of love which turns to obsession and ends in tragedy. 

Lauriana

Helmed by master director Joel Lamangan (Aishte Imasu 1941), Lihis, probably the most daring entry at the Sineng Pambansa, is an exploration of the different facets of unconventional love. Jake Cuenca and Joem Bascon star as patriots who take an unorthodox approach to politics and relationship.  

Lihis

Jose Javier Reyes (Pahiram Ng Isang Umaga) gives us a heart-rending story of loyalty, old age and mortality of memories in his obra Ano and Kulay ng Mga Nakalimutang Pangarap. The film follows Teresa who spent most of her life serving a middle class family but is now facing the twilight of her life alone.

Ano ang Kulay ng Mga Nakalimutang Pangarap

 

Otso

A decade of creative hiatus does not diminish the skill of a master filmmaker. Elwood Perez (Ibulong mo sa Diyos) proves this in his comeback movie Otso, a story about a writer’s discovery that his perception of things is at odds with reality. The plot is executed with devious complexity, with some scenes shot in black and white.    

Ang Tag-Araw ni Twinkle by Gil Portes (Liars) follows a drug-addicted teenager whose life has taken a drastic turn when she realized that she’s adopted. This seemingly simple household drama actually uses a larger geopolitical situation as backdrop, with Twinkle’s adoptive father a member of the military and the biological father a former NPA. 

 

Ang Tag-Araw ni Twinkle

 

Eman is more than a tribute to the country’s poet/warrior Emmanuel Lacaba. It is also master director Tikoy Aguiluz’ (Manila Kingpin: The Asiong Salonga Story) technical experimentation as the film attempts to fuse the genre thriller with Eman’s poetry. 

Eman

Chito Roño, the man who brought us the award winning drama Dekada '70, is again giving us another political drama Badil. The film gives us a glimpse of our flawed political system by bringing real life scenarios to the big screen.

Badil

Tinik, an Obra by ‘Maestro’ Romy Suzara (Mga Uod at Rosas) is a study of homosexuality through the middle-aged gay couturier.

 

Tinik

The Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival also features some of the movies that are milestones in the country’s motion picture history. 

Salvi: Ang Pagpadayon, an Ilonggo film by TM Malones, is shown under the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ New Breed Cinema category. Salvi is a post-apocalyptic film which follows a woman embarking on a journey to find her missing sister. 

“Genghis Khan,” considered the “Holy Grail” in Filipino film archiving--believed to be long lost, prints were discovered in Italy, France and the UK. This meticulously restored version of Manuel Conde's lavish masterpiece is available at select at SM Cinema branches during the festival. 

The newly restored version of Lino Brocka’s classic film Maynila sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag is also showcased in the festival.