REEL DEAL: Matthias Schoenaerts Us A Woman's Rock In “FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD”

For actor Matthias Schoenaerts, playing the steadfast shepherd Gabriel Oak in the big-screen adaptation of “Far from the Madding Crowd” by Thomas Hardy was a profound experience. The 37-year-old Belgian says that the character helped him shape his personal life.

Truly relatable even in 2015, the exuberant story of Victorian farmer Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan) starts out a simple country girl who has inherited her uncle’s farm, and becomes a fierce-willed, impulsive heiress who is faced with a myriad of life choices.  She’s surrounded, and confounded, by intriguing suitors, one of them is  the down to earth farmer Gabriel Oak (Schoenaerts).

ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra plays “The Music of Rey Valera”

As it celebrates “Linggo Ng Musikang Pilipino”, the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra relives the iconic music of Rey Valera this August!

On Saturday, August 1 8pm at “The Theatre at Solaire,” songs of our well-loved OPM singer-songwriter Rey Valera come to life as the ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra plays his familiar tunes that became part of our lives and love stories in ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra’s Spotlight Series presents “The Music of Rey Valera.” Valera’s songs will be interpreted by the orchestra’s 42-piece orchestra together with the country’s celebrated balladeers performing his greatest love ballads including “Pangako Sa’Yo”, “Maging Sino Ka Man” and “Kailangan Mo Ako.”

For ticket inquiries of ABS-CBN Philharmonic Orchestra Spotlight Series presents “The Music of Rey Valera”, please call Ticketworld at 891-9999 or visit www.ticketworld.com.ph

REEL DEAL: "Jurassic World" Devours P250-M in 5 Days!‏

The Philippines joined in the global dino-mania as local audiences marched to “Jurassic World” this weekend, pushing the action-adventure to a five-day opening weekend gross of P250.1-million. This was announced today by a spokesman of United International Pictures which distributed the film through Columbia Pictures.

Starring newly minted action superstar Chris Pratt, the movie takes place 22 years after the horrific events of the original “Jurassic Park” and is set on a fully functional park called Jurassic World.

The film's opening weekend gross represents the 2nd biggest June opening ever, eclipsing former No. 2 “Man of Steel” at P247-million. Reigning champion is still “Transformers: Age of Extinction” at P250.3-million, but only by a hair line. Over-all and all-time, “Jurassic World” now ranks as the 6th biggest opening weekend in the industry.

K to 12 Program scores support from Bicolanos

LEGAZPI CITY – Approval and support among the Bicolanos for the implementation of the K to 12 Program is continually gaining further strength in numbers with the increasing signatories to the manifesto of support generated during the recent information and services caravan conducted by the Regional Information and Advocacy Committee Technical Working Group (RIAC-TWG) of the Regional Development Council (RDC) in Presentacion, Camarines Sur.

Presentacion Mayor Jimmy Villete Deleña led his constituents in signing the K to 12 Manifesto of Support and the signature wall set up at the Department of Education (DepEd) booth located at the municipal covered court during the three-day activity.

REEL DEAL: Watch 6 Minutes of "Ant-Man" in IMAX with "Jurassic World" Starting June 12‏

Starting Friday, June 12, moviegoers can catch a six-minute extended look at Marvel's "Ant-Man" when they watch "Jurassic World" in IMAX 3D. (View the promo video here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekJVEtOO5ds.)

In "Ant-Man," Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) leaves his criminal past behind and unlocks his inner hero with the help of Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and the Ant-Man suit! Marvel's smallest hero comes to life in the biggest way imaginable with the immersive IMAX experience, featuring the most advanced technology in picture and sound.

REEL DEAL: "San Andreas" Rocks Global Box Office Past $300-M‏

New Line Cinema, Village Roadshow Pictures and Warner Bros. Pictures’ action thriller “San Andreas,” starring Dwayne Johnson, is making a major impact in the global theatrical marketplace, registering a box office total of more than $300 million worldwide as of Monday, June 8, only its 10th day in release. The announcement was made by Dan Fellman, President of Domestic Distribution, and Veronika Kwan Vandenberg, President of International Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

“San Andreas” opened at number one in North America on May 29th, entertaining moviegoers in 2D, RealD 3D and IMAX to earn a stellar A- Cinema Score and a domestic weekend total of more than $54 million. As of yesterday, its domestic earnings have reached $101.1 million.

Internationally, “San Andreas” simultaneously opened to outstanding numbers and ranked #1 in 55 markets including the Philippines where it has grossed P165.24-M todate.

REEL DEAL: “MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.” Main Trailer Throws The Punches

The main trailer of director Guy Ritchie’s new spy thriller “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” has just been unveiled by Warner Bros. Pictures, showing off some of its memorable action scenes. Watch the trailer here at https://youtu.be/T8cVKFZoBFk.

A fresh take on the hugely popular 1960s television series, the film stars Henry Cavill (“Man of Steel”) as Napoleon Solo opposite Armie Hammer (“The Social Network”) as Illya Kuryakin.

Set against the backdrop of the early 1960s, at the height of the Cold War, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent, Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology. The duo’s only lead is the daughter of a vanished German scientist, who is the key to infiltrating the criminal organization, and they must raceagainst time to find him and prevent a worldwide catastrophe.

REEL DEAL: "The Walk" Chosen as Opening Film of 53rd New York Film Festival‏

The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced June 4 that Robert Zemeckis’s “The Walk” will make its World Premiere as the Opening Night selection of the upcoming 53rd New York Film Festival (September 25 – October 11).

A true story, the film is based on Philippe Petit’s memoir To Reach the Clouds and stars Golden Globe nominee Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Petit, the French high-wire artist who achieved the feat of walking between the Twin Towers in 1974.

“The Walk” will be the second 3D feature selected for the Opening Night Gala since Ang Lee’s “Life of Pi” in 2012 and also marks Zemeckis’s return to the Festival after “Flight,” the 2012 Closing Night Gala selection.

Award-Winning Play "THE NORMAL HEART" All Set To Open On July 3

AAI / The Necessary Theatre proudly announces the Asian premiere of " THE NORMAL HEART " - the 2011 Tony Award Winner for Best Revival of a Play about the early rise of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York City in the early 1980s. During this period, a deadly epidemic was decimating North America’s gay population, killing people in the thousands, devastating an entire generation and changing the way we think about sex forever.

Written by playwright and activist Larry Kramer, " THE NORMAL HEART " is a largely autobiographical play that puts a human face to an issue often mired in numbers, facts and statistics as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the openly gay founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group. He watches in horror as friends and lovers fall prey to a mysterious virus targeting his community.

Benefit Concert For The Late Kokoy Jimenez

WOW KOKOY! a benefit concert for the late Rafael “Kokoy” Jimenez will be held on Tuesday, June 16, 2015 at 8 pm at Music Museum (in Greenhills). Kokoy was a TV/Stage/Movie Director who began his career working on films such as Oro, Plata, Mata and City after Dark. He is best known as the director of Batibot, the iconic children’s educational TV program which was the Asian Sesame Street. Kokoy was a disciplined and exacting professional who demanded the same from the many talents he worked with including Lea Salonga, Pops Fernandez, Tessie Tomas, Sarah Geronimo and many more industry stalwarts in front as well as behind the cameras.

His friends are presenting WOW KOKOY! with singer-actress-comedienne Mitch Valdes and musician-composer-musical director Mel Villena with The AMP Big Band and special surprise guests. Organizers promise this will not be a sad event but an occasion to celebrate the (never) late Kokoy Jimenez.

For ticket inquiries, please call Ticketworld at 891 9999, Lanie at (0919) 996 4989 and Cristy at (0917) 8060228. Ticket price is 1,500.