Channing Tatum starrer ‘Dog’, a Tale of True Companionship is the real heart stealer this V-Day

 A bond between two wounded souls, a road trip full of surprises, and a gritty yet heartfelt story—Dog is racing into your living rooms with its premiere on Lionsgate Play. 

Who needs roses and candle lit dinners when you can have a fun date with a mischievous pup, and Channing Tatum? This Valentine’s Day, ditch the clichés and dive into ‘Dog’—a heartwarming (and hilarious) tale of true companionship on Lionsgate Play. Expect laughs, a few tears, and plenty of four-legged antics as Tatum embarks on an unforgettable journey with his unlikely co-pilot. Love comes in all forms, and this film also directed by Reid Carolin &Channing Tatum proves that sometimes, the best Valentine is covered in fur!

Meet Briggs (Channing Tatum), a former Army Ranger coping with injuries—both physical and emotional—sustained in service. Determined to return to the structured and purpose-driven life of the military, he's tasked with an unusual mission. His challenge? Transporting Lulu, an equally scarred Belgian Malinois, to the funeral of her late handler. 

But Lulu isn’t your average dog. She’s a brave but deeply traumatized warrior who’s seen the harshest realities of the battlefield. With a muzzle, a hefty dose of Prozac, and a trail of emergency room visits behind her, Lulu is anything but easy company. Together, this unlikely pair must make the journey from Oregon to Arizona, passing through quirky towns, confronting their pasts, and redefining their futures. 

Channing Tatum shines in both his acting and co-directorial debut, bringing vulnerability, humor, and depth to Briggs' character. Add in the breathtaking Western landscapes and the emotional undercurrent of the story, and Dog delivers a ride worth taking.

On what it was like to sit in the director's chair for the first time, Channing Tatum toldSharp Magazine, "It was a bit of a process. I’m not a veteran by any means. I’m still learning this whole business, and I think I’ll be learning forever. But I’ve been on a lot of movie sets now at least and I got to learn and watch how some of the best directors today are making movies. And you think you’re alright, you know, you’ve cherry-picked all the things from all the different people that you’re like, ‘OK, I think I know how I would like to direct,’ but you can’t really know until you get there and then when you get there, you just sort of do your best."

Prepare to laugh, tear up, and reflect on the power of healing, companionship, and second chances with Dog onLionsgate Play starting February 14.

“MAGIC MIKE XXL” hunks answer on male friendship and performing in front of screaming women

Joining Channing Tatum in Warner Bros. Pictures' “Magic Mike XXL” are his bros Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Adam Rodriguez who dish out interesting details and insights about the making of the film in the following interview.


Question: This film looks like it was so much fun to shoot. Can each of you share an anecdote or moment that was particularly memorable for you?

Adam Rodriguez: I can’t get Michael Strahan out of my head. Just baby oil from head to toe. [Laughs] In a tight pair of gold shorts. This Hall of Fame NFL player jumping six feet in the air over a woman on a table that he’s massaging. I don’t know. I can’t get the image out of my head.

Matt Bomer: For me in particular, it was seeing the mini-mart scene with Joe [Manganiello], who I’ve known since we were eighteen, seeing the culmination of all those years just come to fruition in that moment. To me, that was so mind-blowing and epic that I literally just stood behind the camera, just so wanting popcorn or really any carbohydrate to eat while I watched, with my jaw on the ground, just thanking God that this moment happened for humanity. [Laughs]

Joe Manganiello: Well, I’ve known Matt since he was eighteen, and we did come up through drama school together. I mean, Matt is such a humble guy and I feel like sometimes I’m Matt’s agent, kind of hanging behind him, letting people know Matt could sing. And I remember talking to Channing and I was like, ‘You know, you’ve got to get Matt to sing.’ So, I’m so happy that the world will now know, or at least, the audience that hasn’t seen him sing on `Glee' is now going to know that he killed that D’Angelo song, which is once again not an easy feat.

Q: The movie says a lot about male friendship. Can you talk about why it was important to have the friendship and the love these guys share in the movie?

Adam: We all really made friends that we’ll have for the rest of our lives, and through that, through blowing each other up, there was just a whole lot of gold to be mined. And that came through in the movie just very naturally. I think it’s the skin that gets you in the movie and then it’s the humanity of these characters and their friendships that you actually end up falling in love with.

Matt: I know that early on, [director] Greg Jacobs said, ‘Look, we’re going to get to the end of this movie and at the end, people are going to have tears in their eyes when they say goodbye to these guys.’ And I was thinking, ‘We’re making a male stripper movie here. People are going to be crying in the male stripper movie?’ [Laughs] And sure enough, when we got towards the end, man…whew! That last day was really hard. It was hard to say goodbye to my friends. And I think the ending was smart, too—to go out in this kind of `Diner'-esque way, where you don’t know what’s going to happen on Monday morning with these guys, but you care about them and you’re rooting for them.

Q: What was it like to perform in front of a giant room full of screaming women?

Adam: To put it in one word: A-W-E-S-O-M-E. Awesome! It was a rush. It was a thrill. You felt like a rock star. In the moment, that scene was probably the most memorable because it was so thrilling. You felt so alive.

Joe: It was electrifying. I haven’t witnessed anything like that. It was deafening. My ears were ringing like I’d just come out of a rock concert. It just makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck. It’s just electric.

“Magic Mike XXL” reunites Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias, stars of the 2012 worldwide hit “Magic Mike.”

Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.



Opening across the Philippines on July 15, “Magic Mike XXL” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

Meet the women of "Magic Mike XXL"

It has been 3 years since "Magic Mike" hit the screen, I know that everyone's excited for the opening of "Magic Mike XXL" next week, since all of us know the "men" behind the movie, let us all have a glimpse of its women who comprised of the following hotties.

The filmmakers of Warner Bros. Pictures' “Magic Mike XXL” amped up the volume with new female characters that introduce unexpected challenges and directions. Playing them are Amber Heard as the elusive Zoe, a photographer who catches Mike’s (Channing Tatum) eye; Andie MacDowell as Nancy, an uninhibited Southern Belle who might have something BDR (Joe Manganiello) had given up hope of ever finding; and Jada Pinkett Smith is Rome, a woman from Mike’s past.

The guys who wowed audiences around the world in the rousing hit “Magic Mike” are back. This time, they’re turning up the heat and taking it on the road – with a revealing new story, a fresh perspective on the future and a bigger, bolder set of some of the hottest and most exciting dance moves ever captured on the big screen.

Rome is now the impresario of a one-of-a-kind exotic entertainment palace, which takes Mike and his buddies (Manganiello, Matt Bomer, Adam Rodriguez, Kevin Nash) down a rabbit hole of possibilities that are nothing short of inspiring and brings a fresh focus to their performances. Likewise, Pinkett Smith, who had never been to a strip club before, says, “When I saw how exhilarating it was to be with other women in that environment and see how much joy they were getting from celebrating these beautiful men and really exploring that primal nature within us, it was an eye-opening experience for me.”

“Rome’s club is so far removed from anything they know, they come away from it realizing that they all have something unique to offer,” adds Rodriguez.

Meanwhile, Mike has his first of several chance meetings with Amber Heard’s Zoe at a beach party, illuminated mainly by car headlights. An intriguing young woman with a flair for candid photography, Zoe is someone he’d like to learn more about, but, for the moment, she gives him only a smile and something to think about. “What I like about the way these two interact is that they don’t follow a traditional trajectory of ‘boy meets girl, boy chases girl,’” Heard observes of their keep-‘em-guessing interplay. “It’s not about that. We get the impression that they have something to impart to each other which is not possible in their first meeting, though they’re drawn to each other.”

Another unscheduled but equally inspiring detour takes them to a formal-looking plantation house owned by a very informal woman: Nancy, played with authentic southern charm by the South Carolina-born Andie MacDowell, whose breakout role was in Steven Soderbergh’s now-classic “sex, lies and videotape.” Says director Gregory Jacobs, “She was the first person I thought of when this character was written.”

Recently divorced, unabashedly flirtatious and a mite inebriated, Nancy is toasting her newfound freedom with some girlfriends, and they couldn’t be more delighted when these five handsome hunks in shorts and sleeveless shirts enter the floral-wallpapered parlor like gladiators taking the arena. For MacDowell, “It was a totally different experience than I’ve ever had in my entire career; a lot of big, crazy, talented male energy.”

Playing at being mysterious, Manganiello offers, “My character has had some difficulty romantically, that has become a source of concern for him. Let’s say it takes the right kind of woman to handle a guy like Big Dick Richie.”

“And Nancy says, ‘Bring it on,’” MacDowell counters enthusiastically. “She’s primed for a good time and she may have finally found the right man.”

“Magic Mike XXL” reunites Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias, stars of the 2012 worldwide hit “Magic Mike.”


Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them.

On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.

Opening across the Philippines on July 15, “Magic Mike XXL” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

Who's Ready for "Magic Mike XXL" ?

Are you excited for the grind of the year?  After a long hiatus, Channing Tatum and company are back for the hottest moves on the big screen!

The guys who wowed audiences around the world in the rousing hit “Magic Mike” are back. This time, they’re turning up the heat and taking it on the road in Warner Bros. Pictures' new all-male romp “Magic Mike XXL” – with a revealing new story, a fresh perspective on the future and a bigger, bolder set.

“Magic Mike XXL” reunites original stars Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias.

Picking up the story three years after Mike (Tatum) bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them.
On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.

“Magic Mike XXL” director Gregory Jacobs echoes the sentiments of moviegoers around the world when he says, “I wanted to know what happened to these guys. I love these characters, and the possibility of following their story was something that really intrigued me, plus the aspect of Mike reclaiming his bond and his friendship with them, his realizing that he missed them and that they missed him, too. I felt it would be great to get the band back together and make a road trip movie.”

Though purely fictional, some of the elements and atmosphere of Mike’s world are inspired by Tatum’s own experiences from his early days as a dancer, and not all of it could be contained in one telling. “One of the things Channing originally brought up was his trip to a stripper convention back in the day,” says screenwriter Reid Carolin, who, along with Nick Wechsler, Jacobs and Tatum, also returns as a producer on the sequel. “We tried to work it into the first movie, but it’s such a big set piece that it was a story unto itself.”

As happy as the characters were to get the show on the road, so were the actors who portray them. “There was never a dull moment,” states Joe Manganiello, reprising his role as Big Dick Richie (BDR), alongside Matt Bomer as the picture-perfect Ken, Adam Rodriguez as Latin sensation Tito, Kevin Nash as wild-man Tarzan, and Gabriel Iglesias as their freewheeling MC, Tobias. “When we were cast in the first movie, none of us had a clue we would have this kind of chemistry, but it didn’t take long. There was some kind of providence in assembling this group. It just works. Greg has a great heart and I think that sensibility really lent itself to this script, which is essentially about bros bringing out the best in each other and having a good time.”

Consequently, while showcasing the tight group dynamic, “Magic Mike XXL” also plays up their individual personalities and talents to a greater extent. The cast also got the opportunity to demonstrate their comic timing, as the story takes them from a rowdy reunion in Tampa to some hilariously bumpy but rewarding detours through Savannah on their way to the big event.
Says Jacobs, “It’s Mike’s journey but it’s also a journey for all of them. We spent a lot of time fine-tuning and weaving each one into the story because it was important to all of us that the other characters were well developed and that everybody had his moment to break out and shine.”

Opening across the Philippines on July 15, “Magic Mike XXL” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

This summer...#come again with "Magic Mike XXL"

There is no inhibitions in the new "Magic Mike XXL" trailer. The much awaited film from 2012 is now ready to sizzle up again this 2015.

Sexual innuendoes spice up the new trailer of the Warner Bros. Pictures' “Magic Mike XXL” which may be viewed at https://youtu.be/HMsjXCj5x_g.

The opening cards of the trailer read “We didn't want to show the best parts of the movie in this trailer, but it was very...very...hard...to resist.”

Then, it closes with “This summer...#come again.”

“Magic Mike XXL” reunites Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias, stars of the 2012 worldwide hit “Magic Mike.”

Featured in brand new roles are Elizabeth Banks, Donald Glover, Amber Heard, Andie MacDowell, Jada Pinkett Smith and Michael Strahan.

Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.

The new film is directed and produced by Emmy Award winner Gregory Jacobs (“Behind the Candelabra”), who served as a producer on “Magic Mike,” as well as numerous features in a long-running collaboration with Steven Soderbergh.

Opening across the Philippines on July 08, 2015, “Magic Mike XXL” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

Gyrate to "Magic Mike XXL" first trailer

Warner Bros. Pictures has just unveiled the first trailer to “Magic Mike XXL” starring Channing Tatum, which may be viewed at http://youtu.be/TBqgijvELQU.



The original stars joining Tatum in the sequel are Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Kevin Nash, Adam Rodriguez and Gabriel Iglesias. Featured in brand new roles are Elizabeth Banks, Donald Glover, Amber Heard, Andie MacDowell, Jada Pinkett Smith and Michael Strahan.

The new film is directed and produced by Emmy Award winner Gregory Jacobs (“Behind the Candelabra”), who served as a producer on “Magic Mike,” as well as numerous features in a long-running collaboration with Steven Soderbergh.

Picking up the story three years after Mike bowed out of the stripper life at the top of his game, “Magic Mike XXL” finds the remaining Kings of Tampa likewise ready to throw in the towel. But they want to do it their way: burning down the house in one last blow-out performance in Myrtle Beach, and with legendary headliner Magic Mike sharing the spotlight with them. On the road to their final show, with whistle stops in Jacksonville and Savannah to renew old acquaintances and make new friends, Mike and the guys learn some new moves and shake off the past in surprising ways.

Opening across the Philippines on July 08, 2015, “Magic Mike XXL” will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company.

TATUM, KUNIS PLAY STAR-CROSSED LOVERS IN “JUPITER ASCENDING”

Channing Tatum (“22 Jump Street”) and Mila Kunis (“Oz, the Great and Powerful”) star in Warner Bros. Pictures’ original science fiction action adventure, “Jupiter Ascending.”

Jupiter Jones (Kunis) was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people’s houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along—her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

“It’s so smart and amazing and so much fun,” says Mila Kunis. “There’s a lot of action, and a beautiful love story, and even though it takes places in the most fantastical settings, everything feels so tangible and real. Also, there’s a fair amount of sharp humor, which I love.”

“Lana and Andy Wachowski create from a molecular level to the expanse of the universe,” says Channing Tatum, who plays Caine. Caine doesn’t know the reason for his mission, which is immediately complicated by a gang of bounty hunters determined to capture Jupiter themselves, at any cost. “He is trying to figure out why all of this is happening, and has to make a decision whether to protect her or give her up,” Tatum says.

Almost fully human but for a splice of wolf DNA that both enhances his skills and limits his prospects for a normal life, Caine becomes Jupiter’s protector as he comes to understand who she really is and what’s at stake if the people who want her neutralized are successful.
Recounting the moment when Caine and Jupiter meet, Kunis says, “Jupiter is in a very precarious situation and when Caine drops out of the sky and takes her up in his arms it’s very much a chemical attraction between the two of them, regardless of everything else that’s going on. It’s natural and instantaneous.”

The trust and connection that develops between Caine and Jupiter and deepens throughout the ensuing action could be described as a simple love story on a large scale. These are two individuals who never expected to find love at all, and certainly not under these extreme circumstances. Says Tatum, “Caine probably just wrote himself off long ago as never being able to find love or even being deserving of it, even though it’s all he’s ever wanted. And Jupiter feels that she’s made every possible bad decision in the book when it comes to men so maybe it’s not worth trying again.”

Like many true heroines, Jupiter’s courage is forged from harsh and humble beginnings. Her father, an astrophysicist, was killed in Saint Petersburg in a senseless crime before her birth, and Jupiter entered the world at sea, between nations, as her mother and sister fled to America for a better life. But that life was far from fairytale. Cleaning houses by day and sharing cramped quarters with her extended family at night, Jupiter’s reality is back-breaking and numbingly monotonous.
But beneath her casual cynicism Jupiter has a tender heart and, like her father, a genuine curiosity about the universe and her place in it. She secretly wishes—though never really expects—that she could see the world as he did, as a place of beauty, wonder and possibility.

Unlucky, too, in love, Jupiter’s romantic history is marred by heartbreak and disappointment. So much so that she believes she has a broken compass, causing her to make one bad choice after another. But is her compass broken or it just leading her to Caine? In Caine, she finds someone she is forced to trust and, in return, he is forced to trust her, a situation that does not come easily to either of them, and when she falls in love with him it’s the biggest leap of faith she has ever made.

The experience is similar for him. In Caine’s society, human genes are routinely engineered and often combined with genes from the animal kingdom for their advantageous traits and abilities: heightened senses such as sight, scent or hearing, and agility or strength. Caine, with his infusion of wolf DNA, was bred to be a Legionnaire or “skyjacker,” a fearless soldier with incomparable hunting, tracking and fighting skills. Unfortunately, the person who designed Caine miscalculated, adding to these attributes a streak of rebellion and unpredictability. This eventually manifested into such an intense hatred and distrust toward anyone of royal blood that it takes every ounce of control for Caine not to immediately go for their throats. Consequently, he has learned to keep to himself.

When Caine is dispatched to find and deliver Jupiter before she is swept up by one of his scheming siblings, the former Legionnaire doesn’t know who she is or why she merits such attention. Later, when he learns the truth, he is perplexed. Jupiter is a royal, yet she doesn’t arouse in him the aversion he harbors toward her class; instead, she brings out the protective side of his lupine nature, the instinct toward loyalty and connection.

“Caine has an issue with royals, and he’s been told all his life that it’s his genetic disposition,” Tatum acknowledges. “But then Jupiter is an anomaly. He’s simultaneously drawn to her and thrown by her because he can’t understand why he feels this way. I think Caine senses an innate goodness in her, and it’s a quality he hasn’t had much experience with so Jupiter is a bit of an interesting enigma.”

Set for release across the Philippines on Feb. 05 in IMAX 3D and 2D cinemas, “Jupiter Ascending” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

"The Book of Life" composed of a voice cast led by Channing Tatum

           Director Jorge R. Gutierrez's love for family, tradition and storytelling created a truly singular, a first of its kind animation in "The Book of Life" where it will reveal never-before-seen characters and will take the audience in three fantastical worlds - the town of  San Angel, The Land of the Remembered and The Land of the Forgotten.

        "The Book of Life" is also about remembrance and cherishing memories composed of a voice cast led by Channing Tatum, Diego Luna and Zoe Saldana, along with multi-talented actors Christina Applegate, Kate Del Castillo, Ice Cube and Ron Perlman. In the movie, following Maria’s (Saldana) return to San Angel, she is reunited with her best friends Manolo (Luna) and Joaquin (Tatum) at the bullfighting arena, where Manolo is preparing for his first match.  Manolo, like all the Sanchez men who preceded him, battles bravely and skillfully.  But unlike his forebears, when the moment comes for Manolo to finish the bull, he refuses.  The whole town turns on Manolo, including his father who feels terribly let down.  Moreover, Manolo fears he may have thrown away his chance to woo Maria.

              As if bucking family tradition wasn’t enough of a barrier to Manolo’s romantic pursuits, two other principals have thrown themselves into the romantic triangle, and they’re betting it all on who ends up with Maria’s hand.  The battling husband-and-wife deities La Muerte (Del Castillo) and Xibalba (Perlman) have made a wager, and the stakes for all of them couldn’t be higher.  Resolute in her belief in the fundamental goodness of mortals, La Muerte puts her faith in Manolo.  If he succeeds in winning Maria’s hand, then La Muerte will remain the beloved ancient god who oversees a wondrous world called The Land of the Remembered, and Xibalba must stop his meddlesome ways with humans.

           
            When La Muerte and Xibalba's wager started, Manolo gets swept up in the parade of his ancestors, who to Manolo are superheroes he’s been hearing about his entire life. But his joy is tempered when he discovers that Maria is not there – and indeed never made the journey to The Land of the Remembered.  With the support of his ancestors, Manolo embarks on an extraordinary mission to find La Muerte, who is the only one who can help him return to San Angel.
                But first, he must travel to a portal, the Cave of Souls, between all the magical lands. There, Manolo meets another spirit, the Candle Maker.   With a body made of wax and a beard made of clouds, the Candle Maker is a larger than life – and kind of nutty – ancient god.  He makes billions of candles, with each candle representing a life.   “The Candle Maker looks over – and geeks out over – humanity,” says lead animator Eric Dobrile.

                Though he’s supposed to be hands-off with mortals, the Candle Maker bends the rules a little to help Manolo.  “He sees something special in Manolo,” says Ice Cube, who makes his animated feature debut voicing the Candle Maker. “The Candle Maker has never seen blank pages in The Book of Life, so this is an exciting thing for him.  Also, it’s The Day of the Dead, which provides some license for him to break a few rules.”

                Manolo’s feisty and quick-witted great-grandmother, known simply as Grandma (voiced by Grey Griffin), is sure to become another audience favorite. Short in stature but long of whisker and tough to boot, Grandma is more than a match for the men in her family – past, present and future.  “Grandma’s kind of seen it all and been through it all, and she’s kind of our Peanut Gallery,” says producer Brad Booker, who adds that she’s his favorite character in the film.

                "The Book of Life" (2D and 3D) opens nationwide in cinemas on October 16 (Thursday) from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

“THE BOOK OF LIFE” FLIPS THROUGH THE PAGES OF FRIENDSHIP, TRUE LOVE AND STRONG FAMILY VALUES

                Reel FX Animation and Reel FX Animationopen the pages of “The Book of Life” and present a grand mythology set in visually spectacular worlds never seen before. The film brings together director Jorge R. Gutierrez’s unique visual style and a crowd-pleasing mix of adventure, action, comedy, romance and music with a voice cast as lively as their animated characters – Channing Tatum, Zoe Saldana, Christina Applegate, Diego Luna,  Ice Cube, Ron Perlman and Hector Elizondo.

“The Book of Life,” a vibrant animated fantasy-adventure, tells the legend of Manolo (Luna), a conflicted hero and dreamer who sets off on an epic quest through magical, mythical and wondrous worlds in order to reunite with his one true love Maria (Saldana) and defend his village.   But Manolo and his equally courageous best friend Joaquin (Tatum)are not your typical Prince Charmings; the object of their affections is far from being your average princess; and “The Book of Life” is a fairy tale that doesn’t go by the book.

Its journey to the big screen began with, appropriately enough, a friendship.  Producer Brad Booker, a Reel FX development executive, had known Gutierrez (known for the multiple Emmy and Annie winning series “El Tigre, The Adventures of Manny Rivera” for Nickelodeon which he created with his wife) for over a decade, and after hearing of the project, Booker believed Reel FX would be a great home for it.  The independent animation studio knew that the film needed the perfect creative partner to help guide its path and development.  Gutierrez’s first choice: legendary director, producer and author Guillermo del Toro, who like Gutierrez hails from Mexico.  Gutierrez felt del Toro’s authentic perspective and unique aesthetic sensibility were a perfect match for the film.

Del Toro was equally impressed by Gutierrez’s passion for what would become “The Book of Life.”  “Jorge is his movie,” he says, “and the movie is an imprint of his personality.  Jorge’s ideas for “The Book of Life” started with his connection to his homeland of Mexico, and presenting an exciting, never-before-experienced depiction of that country, its people and its traditions – all in a way that would be accessible to audiences around the world.”

Adds producer Brad Booker:  “Guillermo brings an authenticity and passion for this world and story.  He’s a visionary filmmaker and has been tremendously supportive of Jorge’s ideas.”  “The Book of Life” brings together Gutierrez’s perspective of his native country with a story to which everyone can relate.  He explains:  “This is a very personal movie. The inspiration comes from my family history and childhood experiences.”

Still, Gutierrez admits he embellished some elements.  “My grandfather Luis used to tell me, ‘Jorgito, don’t ever let the truth get in the way of a good story!’  And that was the moment I fell in love with storytelling.”  Gutierrez’s passion for the story, characters and their world points to the film’s broad appeal.  “If you’re telling a story and want it be universal, then you have to be specific,” del Toro explains.  “If the filmmaker loves the story and characters, then audiences will love it.  And if a filmmaker feels it’s powerful, more people will love the story he or she is telling because it’s powerful.  And that’s exactly what Jorge has done with “The Book of Life.”

“The Book of Life” opens October 16 in cinemas (2D and 3D) nationwide from 20th Century Fox thru Warner Bros.

Channing Tatum is back at 22 Jump Street

22 JUMP STREET” LAUNCHES TWO NEW POSTERS

Two new onesheet artworks for “22 Jump Street,” the sequel to the 2012 action-comedy blockbuster “21 Jump Street,” have just been launched by Columbia Pictures.

The first poster shows Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill holding golden guns with the tagline, “They're Not 21 Anymore.” The second finds the boys in spring break mode and has the slogan, “These Undercover Cops Are Going to Party Like It's Their Job.”

“22 Jump Street” reunites Hill and Tatum as they return to their roles as undercover cops Schmidt and Jenko; they are also re-teaming with “21 Jump Street” producer Neal H. Moritz ("Fast and Furious" franchise) and directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (“Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs,” “The LEGO Movie”). Ice Cube reprises his role as Captain Dickson.

After making their way through high school (twice), big changes are in store for officers Schmidt (Hill) and Jenko (Tatum) when they go deep undercover at a local college. But when Jenko meets a kindred spirit on the football team, and Schmidt infiltrates the bohemian art major scene, they begin to question their partnership. Now they don't have to just crack the case - they have to figure out if they can have a mature relationship. If these two overgrown adolescents can grow from freshmen into real men, college might be the best thing that ever happened to them.

Opening across the Philippines in June 18, 2014, “22 Jump Street” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International.