Liam Neeson is back again as a protective father for "Run All Night"

In Warner Bros. Pictures' new heartstopping thriller “Run All Night,” Liam Neeson stars as mob hitman Jimmy Conlon, who, over the course of just one night, must face off with his former mob boss in order to protect his son.

“I loved how the story is full of action while it also examines the fractured relationships between two men who are like brothers, and a father trying to make amends with his son for things that happened years ago. It was complex and rich, with thrills and spills, and a lot of ‘what ifs,’” says Neeson.

“What would have happened if Jimmy had taken this course instead of that course? But that’s the story of all our lives, isn’t it?”

Neeson once again teams up with director Jaume Collet-Serra (“Unknown,” “Non-Stop”), whom he describes as “like a brother,” and who the actor says, “sees action movies as symphonies.”

Collet-Serra reveals he immediately envisioned Neeson in the role of Jimmy. “It was a no-brainer. Not only does Liam have great range, but he has sons, and I knew he’d connect to the story on a whole other level.”

Neeson admits that the script hit a deeper chord with him, having sons who are at the age of discerning their own paths in life. “I can’t imagine losing their love or trust and I can relate to being willing to do anything—no matter what it takes—to get that back.”

Blood may be thicker than water but mafia ties outlast everything. Jimmy knows where the bodies are buried, because he put them there. But his secrets have cost him.

Neeson says of his character, “Jimmy’s part of a group that has a very unique set of morals and a code of ethics that they rigidly stand by. Loyalty is everything. And that’s his great conflict—and also what gets him into trouble. When push comes to shove, who does he choose?”

Collet-Serra points out, “Liam has obviously played a father before, but I think the difference with this character is that it’s not just about protecting or saving, it’s about earning back the title. For anybody who’s a father I would imagine losing that can be heartbreaking and you would do anything to reverse the situation.”

“Jimmy’s a remnant of a period that’s long gone, struggling to survive in a modern world that has no room for him anymore,” Neeson describes. “He gave everything up for his job and all he has left are his regrets. The closest thing he has to family now is his boss, Shawn. That’s who he goes to when he needs help, like money to pay the heating bill. That’s who has his back.”

“Jimmy carries a heavy burden, this loyalty to a crime family that is more like his family than his own, by his own choice. It’s a very honorable thing to try to keep that darkness away from his son. So he’s really caught in a bind,” says Collet-Serra. “Day one, first take, Liam brought all that to the character. That’s been my experience with him, on all the movies we’ve worked on. He’s a damn good actor and it’s always a pleasure.”

Trained to kill as a covert operations solider in the military, Jimmy came back home and when things didn’t work out, he fell back on what he knew how to do well.

Neeson offers, “Seeing what he’s seen and doing what he’s done, he could do what other people couldn’t do, so he took care of their dirty work. It’s been a few years now and he may be down, but he’s not out. He’s been involved in life-and-death issues, not just in Vietnam but in the concrete jungle of New York, so at the end of the day, he knows what to do to stay alive. He’s a survivor.”
In “Run All Night,” Brooklyn mobster and prolific hit man Jimmy Conlon (Neeson), once known as The Gravedigger, has seen better days. Lately, it seems Jimmy’s only solace can be found at the bottom of a whiskey glass.

But when Jimmy’s estranged son, Mike (Joel Kinnaman), becomes a target, Jimmy must make a choice between the crime family he chose and the real family he abandoned long ago. With Mike on the run, Jimmy’s only penance for his past mistakes may be to keep his son from the same fate Jimmy is certain he’ll face himself…at the wrong end of a gun. Now, with nowhere safe to turn, Jimmy just has one night to figure out exactly where his loyalties lie and to see if he can finally make things right.

Opening across the Philippines on Thursday, March 12, “Run All Night” is distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

"Taken 3" landed number 1 at the US Box-Office at $40.4 million!

“TAKEN 3” OPENS JANUARY 14 IN (PHILIPPPINES) CINEMAS



Undisputedly the world’s most well-loved father and protector, the latest Liam Neeson (as Bryan Mills) starrer “Taken 3” from its highly successful franchise landed number one at the US box-office this weekend at $40.4 million with his particular set of skills – love for family and love for hunting down those who tried to take his family.

 “Taken “3 sees Bryan facing his biggest challenge ever, as he deals with the aftershocks of his ex-wife’s murder, while evading pursuit from several law enforcement agencies, hunting down the real killers, and most of all, protecting his daughter Kim. “What makes TAKEN 3 a quintessential Taken movie is that, at its heart, it’s still about Bryan Mills doing everything in his power to save his family,” says Neeson. “That’s why these films resonate with a global audience, because at their core, they are about the love and sanctity of family and the lengths we’ll go to protect that.” Olivier Megaton’s return to the director’s chair for “Taken 3” was welcome news to the cast.

 “Olivier is phenomenally efficient and proficient with the camera. He always had multiple cameras working simultaneously, and that’s exciting,” says Liam Neeson. “He’s been able to not only maintain and expand upon Luc Besson’s vision, but bring his own unique touches to the franchise. He marries relentless action with true character and heart.” Megaton was always on the move, which the cast recognized at the end of the shoot by gifting him with his own director’s chair–which he had never used during production. “I’d never even seen it before, and the chair was still in the plastic bag from the factory,” he remembers.

 Megaton elected to shoot “Taken 3” on 35mm film with anamorphic lenses, eschewing the digital format preferred by most of today’s filmmakers. “Everybody wants to shoot digital today, but I decided to go back to something more organic and to shoot on film,” he explains. “Movies today are losing that special quality available only with film.” Unlike the first two stories, “Taken 3” is set entirely in Los Angeles, giving the new film a very different look from its predecessors. “Everybody knows L.A., but seeing it through French eyes and a French sensibility is totally different. We choose different locations, and we shot the stunts differently,” notes Megaton.

 “Taken 3” opens January 14 in the Philippines from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Liam Neeson is back for the action packed "Taken 3"

BARRELS OF NO-HOLDS-BARRED ACTION SEQUENCE IN “TAKEN 3”

Everyone is clamoring for the 3rd installment of Taken, after watching 1 and 2. The movie has made Liam Neeson the action star that he is right now. The plot and twists of Taken has made me more excited to watch for the 3rd installment.

                Like a big typhoon, the action never stops in the third installment of the blockbuster franchise “Taken” that cemented Liam Neeson as cinema’s newest and most unexpected action hero.  “Taken 3” brings Liam Neeson’s character Bryan Mills to the extreme as his particular set of skills is pushed to the edge when his reconciliation with his ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) is tragically cut short when she is brutally murdered.  Consumed with rage, and framed for the crime, he goes on the run to evade the relentless pursuit of the CIA, FBI and the police. For one last time, Mills must use his “particular set of skills,” to track down the real killers, exact his unique brand of justice, and protect the only thing that matters to him now – his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace).

             
                The world will once again cheer and root for the overprotective father, Mills, whose skills, forged through years of covert ops – continue to be put to the test long after his retirement from the CIA.  TAKEN 3 sees Bryan facing his biggest challenge ever, as he deals with the aftershocks of his ex-wife’s murder, while evading pursuit from several law enforcement agencies, hunting down the real killers, and most of all, protecting his daughter Kim.

                “What makes TAKEN 3 a quintessential Taken movie is that, at its heart, it’s still about Bryan Mills doing everything in his power to save his family,” says Neeson.  “That’s why these films resonate with a global audience, because at their core, they are about the love and sanctity of family and the lengths we’ll go to protect that.”

                Neeson elaborates on the films’ careful mix of action and drama: “Even though Bryan Mills is a guy with a ‘particular set of skills,’ he’s also a kind of everyman. People identify with his love of family. Parents will do anything for their kids and they see that in Bryan. For all his faults, he still is a very devoted father who’ll do anything for his child. But I think audiences also enjoy the fact that he bucks the system and doesn’t trust anyone in authority. And if he has to break the law, then he does.
                “The underlying stories in the Taken films are solid,” Neeson continues.  “We’ve tried to avoid doing anything in excess just to excite an audience. The triggers for that action have always been very strong. And it’s, of course, about Bryan Mills defending his family and protecting them, against all odds. You have that bedrock of a very stable relationship that’s being tested all the time. So once you have that base in place and audiences believe in that charge of love – especially between Bryan and his daughter Kim – you can take the action anywhere you want.”

That being said, Neeson notes that he enjoys the films’ non-stop action and the physicality of the role of Bryan Mills.  In terms of thrills, TAKEN 3 is the biggest Taken yet.  Highlights include lightning-fast fight sequences, an incredible freeway chase – and the film’s overall relentless pacing.

                “Making a movie is like solving a puzzle, like a Rubik’s cube,” adds director Olivier Megaton.  “At first, you have no idea how to attack these things. You have to figure out every element on almost every shot. If you try to be too clever, it’s too complex. So you look for simpler solutions. But in the end, everything clicks.”

                “Taken 3” opens Jauary 14 nationwide in cinemas across the Philippines from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

AMANDA SEYFRIED PLAYS A GOLD DIGGER IN “A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST”

If you simply want to have a good laugh this week, go and watch this movie. This will surely tickle your funny bones.

Amanda Seyfried (“Les Miserables,” “Red Riding Hood”) stars as Louise, the woman who would break the hero's heart in, Universal Pictures' new comedy “A Million Ways to Die in the West” (opening exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide on Sept 3.)

In the film, after sheep farmer Albert (Seth MacFarlane) backs out of a gunfight, his fickle girlfriend, Louise (Seyfried) leaves him for another man. When a mysterious and beautiful woman named Anna (Charlize Theron) rides into town, she helps him find his courage and they begin to fall in love. But when her husband (Liam Neeson), a notorious outlaw, arrives seeking revenge, the farmer must put his newfound courage to the test.

The filmmakers wanted to find an actress who was right in the "Goldilocks" zone, someone who could express that artful balance between a woman whom you don't really want the guy to end up with because she's not the nicest person, but a character who still has enough redeeming qualities that you don't think the guy is an idiot for pining after her. Someone "just right."

Actor-writer-director Seth MacFarlane found everything the team wanted in accomplished actress Amanda Seyfried. He explains: "Amanda is a great example of someone who is perfectly cast. There was the scene on the log where she's talking to Albert and is about to dump him, and I remember thinking, 'God, she is nailing it. She's either the world's greatest actress, or she's cut down a bunch of guys like this.' Amanda is very sweet, so I quickly learned it wasn't the latter; she's just extremely good."

Seyfried was initially surprised at her casting. She advises: "Most of my projects haven't been comedy." Discussing her character, the performer shares: "Louise is a selfish young lady who dumps Albert in such a blunt, insensitive way because he's not getting it. She is enamored of Foy, town's most successful businessman, and how awesome she thinks he is that she can't quite see who he really is. Foy's very charismatic and he's got balls, while Albert has no balls at all... figuratively speaking of course. Foy's attractive to her because he has confidence and sex appeal, and his moustache is really hot."

Although Theron's and Seyfried's characters were at odds, that's where the similarities between the actresses ended. Theron explains that she struggled with the biting dialogue that was directed toward her on-screen nemesis: "I found myself constantly looking at Seth and saying, 'I can't say that. It's Amanda, come on.' There is a line where I have to tell her she looks bad in this dress. I was thinking that I am just not that good of an actor. I mean, look at her! She's like a little doll."
“A Million Ways to Die in the West” is distributed by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Liam Neeson Talks About Manny Pacquiao in ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Hollywood celebrities talk about “Manny” 

Liam Neeson and Mark Wahlberg may be among the biggest names in Hollywood action movies, but when it comes to “real action stars” both celebrities admit to being fans of Filipino Boxing Champion Manny Pacquiao.

Neeson who narrates the documentary “Manny” says he has been a fan of Pacquiao “for many, many years.”

“What a boxer. He is one of the greats,” the Irish actor said during his most recent guesting at ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!

Kimmel and Neeson then chatted about co-starring together in “Manny,” which will be having its world premiere during the week-long South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas on March 8, 2014.

“After I narrated [our] film, the producer sent me an email with a little film footage of Manny saying to the camera; ‘Hello, Liam, I look forward to meeting you,’ and I’m showing it to everybody!” Neeson shared with the TV host.  “I haven’t met him… but he is a fantastic boxer.”

Pacquiao has appeared on the Kimmel show several times, and Kimmel shared those moments as one of the guest celebrities interviewed for the documentary.

Another very vocal Pacquiao fan is Mark Wahlberg, who often visited the 8-division champion at the Wild Card Gym in Los Angeles whenever Pacquiao trains there.

Wahlberg even credited Pacquiao as his model when he portrayed retired boxer Mickey "Irish" Ward in the movie, “The Fighter.”

“Every time he was training at Wild Card Gym, I watched him because my whole approach was, I wanted to look like a Manny Pacquiao-caliber fighter. I didn’t want to look like another actor who’s doing an okay job,” he was quoted in one of his interviews.

Other personalities appearing in the documentary include; actor Jeremy Piven; boxers Oscar de la Hoya and Evander Holyfield, singer Dan Hill, respected sportswriters and boxing analysts as well as friends and family of Pacquiao.

Directed by Ryan Moore and Leon Gast, ‘Manny” takes a look at the inspiring life story of Pacquiao who rose from poverty to become a ten-time boxing world champion, congressman, and international icon.

Gast won an Oscar for best documentary feature (1996) for “When We Were Kings” a film about the classic match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman which happened in Kinshaha, Congo, in 1974.

The film also features original music by composer Lorne Balfe (Inception, The Dark Knight, Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes) and songs by Yardnoise with Chad Hugo (The Neptunes/NERD).

“Manny” opens in theaters on March 12th in Philippine theaters nationwide and will be distributed by Solar Entertainment Corporation.

Website: http://www.mannypacquiaomovie.com
Twitter: @MannyTheMovie
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MannyPacquiaoMovie
YouTube Trailer: http://youtu.be/Qqi_DVcSMPY

“MANNY: THE MOVIE” TO PREMIERE AT SXSW FILM FESTIVAL IN TEXAS

“MANNY: THE MOVIE” TO PREMIERE AT SXSW FILM FESTIVAL IN TEXAS

The South by Southwest Film Festival and Conference (SXSW) in Austin, Texas recently announced that it will host the premiere of the Hollywood-produced “MANNY: THE MOVIE.”

The festival which runs from March 7 to 15 will mark the global debut of the highly anticipated documentary movie of the celebrated Filipino sports icon.

Narrated by Academy Award nominee Liam Neeson, “MANNY” chronicles  the untold story of Manny Pacquiao-- from his impoverished childhood years in war-torn Mindanao, his struggle to survive in Manila by working in construction sites and warehouses after running away from home at the age of 14-- to his dramatic  rise as a ten-time boxing world champion.

As the first boxing congressman in history, his Cinderella-man story has awed and inspired countless fans from all walks of life; and his continuing saga adds only to the checkered and amusing story of this remarkable global superstar.

The film is directed by Ryan Moore and Academy Award winner Leon Gast.

Gast had previously done the boxing documentary “When We Were Kings” which showcased the epic match between boxing legends Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

For “MANNY: THE MOVIE” both directors had to go through thousands of hours of film and video footage to create a thorough documentation of Pacquiao’s storied career, beginning with his first few bouts in small venues to his most classic rivalries with some of the greatest fighters in boxing.

The film also includes interviews with actor Mark Wahlberg, comedian Jimmy Kimmel, Jeremy Piven and many other international celebrities and features original music from acclaimed Hollywood composer Lorne Balfe (Inception, Dark Night, Iron Man).

The film’s SXSW debut holds some significance for Pacquiao as it was in Texas where he won his 8th world boxing title --- a feat yet unmatched in history. The subsequent Philippine commercial exhibition on March 12 also segues perfectly to his upcoming rematch with American boxer Timothy Bradley in Las Vegas on April 12, 2014.

While trainer Freddie Roach had previously mentioned the need for Paquaio’s undivided attention to knock down Bradley, his fans remain hopeful that the People’s Champ would take some time off to join them in this momentous event.

MANNY: THE MOVIE opens in Philippine cinemas nationwide on March 12, 2014, and is distributed locally by Solar Entertainment Corporation.