Press Bits

  Meet Zero, a lobby boy who became the proprietor of the Grand Budapest Hotel.  Follow his funny rags-to-riches story in the thrilling caper comedy movie “The Grand Budapest Hotel” to be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting April 19 (Black Saturday).



 “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is a thrilling caper in constant motion, kinetic and comic; a timeless tale of friendship, honor and promises fulfilled. Director Wes Anderson says his eighth feature film comes from a mix of inspirations including the pre-code comedies of the 1930’sand the stories and memoirs of Viennese writer Stefan Zweig.

At the beginning of “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Jude Law portrays the role of “the Young Writer” who  finds himself in conversation with the enigmatic Mr. Moustafa, who from his earlier years is known as Zero, the hotel’s owner, who sets about relating the story of how he rose from the ranks of junior lobby boy to become the proprietor of the Grand Budapest.


Playing Zero Moustafa in his youth, during the period when he first arrives at the hotel, is newcomer Tony Revolori.  Since Zero was intended to hail from a fictional Middle-Eastern country, director Anderson originally started seeking out actors in Lebanon and Israel, as well as North Africa, and various European immigrant communities – but eventually he found Revolori, who has a Guatemalan background, during auditions in Los Angeles. As soon as he met him, Anderson recognized the same open earnestness that characterizes Zero.  And when he introduced Revolori to Fiennes, the comedic chemistry was immediately clear.


Fiennes was impressed not only by Revolori’s preparation, but also by his strong natural instincts.  “Tony as Zero brings this wonderful quality of intelligent innocence.  He’s innocent but he’s also very smart,” says Fiennes.

For Revolori, working with Anderson was “an experience unto itself, unlike any other.”He continues: “I felt like a part of his family, and immediately everyone – actors, crew – helped bring me in and started teaching me and giving me advice, which was a fantastic thing.”

This was especially true of Fiennes. “He really helped guide me.  He’s become an older brother in a way,” Revolori muses.


Their rapport was obvious to everyone on the set.  Observes Willem Dafoe:  “Ralph has his British reserve, his dry humor and his beautiful sense of language, and Tony is just so fresh and easy.  The minute I saw them together, I thought it was a fantastic combination.”

Playing Zero as an older man is F. Murray Abraham, who, as he details the history of his character’s rise to his current stature, comes to serve as the story’s main narrator. Abraham was thrilled to take on the role of raconteur. “One of the things that I do well is tell stories,” he notes. “I have a granddaughter, I’m very close to her, and telling her stories and listening to her tell me stories is one of the joys of my life. I also believe that’s a tradition upon which films are based – storytelling – although those great tales that really say something seem to have been lost somewhere.  Wes insists on saying something, and in this film, which I believe to be his best, he tells a story that will have you smiling the whole way through.”

Especially interesting to Abraham was the notion that the adult Zero Moustafa has weathered both war and personal tragedy, and yet manages to maintain a lightness of spirit.  “Zero has led a very full life and lost everyone who was dear to him, but he’s not cynical. To me that’s a very important facet of Zero, and it happens that I share that facet. I believe in the future of humanity and I believe that people are basically really good at heart. I do.”

Zero found the love of his life in Mendl’s, the best and most famous bakery in Zubrowka.  Amidst the rolling-pins and puff-pastry, that Zero meets Agatha, a striking young apprentice with a birthmark on her face, who makes the town’s favorite pastry of all, the “Courtesanau chocolat.”  To play Agatha, Anderson cast Irish actress Saoirse Ronan, who received an Academy Award® nomination at age 13 for her supporting role in Joe Wright’s adaptation of “Atonement.”

Ronan jumped in without reservation.  The actress recalls her first day on the set, her first time working with Anderson: “I came in, and the whole place was just kind of buzzing,” she remembers.  “There were loads of people running around; and you could see everyone was at the top of their game because Wes is so specific about what he wants when it comes to the look and the style. You could see that everyone was really tuned into his way of working.”

Agatha, in spite of her better judgment, eventually winds up at the center of Zero and Gustave’s criminal exploits.  Ronan explains: “She brings emotion to the story because Zero is so motivated by his love for her in everything he and Gustave are doing.  I think Agatha doesn’t at first realize what she’s gotten herself into but she follows them all the way through because she loves them and believes in them.”

“The Grand Budapest Hotel” is an Ayala Malls Cinemas exclusive and will open on April 19 nationwide.

  “What is Love” lyric video performed by Janelle Monáe from Blue Sky Studios’ “Rio 2” family movie is now up on YouTube.


                In April 2011, Twentieth Century Fox released Fox Animation and Blue Sky Studio’s CG animated feature “Rio.”  The film was born from the imagination of Carlos Saldanha, who co-directed or directed the global blockbusters “Ice Age,” “Ice Age: The Meltdown” and “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.”

                To fully realize the scope and breadth of this magical world and its vivid characters, Saldanha brought together an all-star voice cast, led by Oscar® nominees Anne Hathaway and Jesse Eisenberg, Oscar and Grammy®-winner Jamie Foxx, acclaimed musical artist will.i.am, actor-musician Jemaine Clement, comedic actress Leslie Mann, actor Rodrigo Santoro (a Brazilian native), actor-comedian George Lopez, and funnyman Tracy Morgan.

                The filmmakers enveloped the action – and audiences – with a combination of Brazilian sounds and contemporary pop music.  The soundtrack featured a stellar musical cast performing under the guidance of composer John Powell and Brazilian music legend and “Rio’s” executive music producer, Sergio Mendes. “Rio” became a worldwide smash with a global box office tally of $486 million.  It also was a huge hit on DVD and Blu-ray disc.


             
                Now, Saldanha returns to Brazil and reunites his beloved characters in RIO 2.  In the new film, it’s a jungle out there for Blu, Jewel and their three kids, after they’re hurtled from Rio to the wilds of the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in, he goes beak-to-beak with the vengeful and villainous Nigel, and meets the most fearsome adversary of all…his father-in-law.
             
                Our favorite “Rio” characters are joined by Oscar nominee Andy Garcia, Grammy winner Bruno Mars, Tony® winner Kristin Chenoweth and Oscar/Emmy®/Tony winner Rita Moreno.  RIO 2 also features new Brazilian artists and original music by Janelle Monáe and Wondaland.

                In RIO 2 we find Blu, Jewel and their family living the perfect domesticated life in the city.  The offspring are: Bia(voiced by “The Hunger Games’” Amandla Stenberg), who lives with her beak in a book and likes spouting facts and figures, just like her dad; Tiago (Pierce Gagnon, “Looper”) the youngest, who is always up for adventure, especially if it involves destroying something; and Carla (singer/actress/comedian Rachel Crow), the eldest, a spunky teen who longs to get a little space from her protective family so she can express her musical side.

                So, in RIO 2, it’s on…in the Amazon, not only visually, but musically.  “We wanted to look at different musical ‘flavors,’ sounds and exciting new beats that make the soundtrack for RIO 2 even bigger than the first film’s,” says the director.

                After Saldanha wrote the story, screenwriter Don Rhymer, who had worked on “Rio,” began fleshing out Saldanha’s ideas.  It was a fruitful collaboration, which sadly ended when Rhymer passed away in late 2012.  “Don was our guy,” says Saldanha. “He embraced the vision of the first film and had really exciting ideas for RIO 2.  His death left a big gap for us.  We were lucky to have the amazing writers Carlos Kotkin, Jenny Bicks and Yoni Brenner help finish the screenplay, but Don was a very special person who played a big role in the project’s development.”

                “Rio 2” in 2D and 3D opens April 9 in theaters nationwide from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Habitat for Humanity Philippines (Habitat), Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), and Zalora Philippines (Zalora) today launched a promo that encourages BPI Cardholders to help Typhoon Haiyan (local name Yolanda) survivors by shopping online.

 “People have the heart to help, but sometimes don’t know how,” says Habitat CEO & Managing Director Charlie Ayco. “This partnership with BPI and Zalora is a good and easy way of doing so as we now move towards rebuilding the lives of those affected by Haiyan. We have a long way to go and every amount helps in giving these families back their homes.” ends Ayco. Habitat aims to distribute 30,000 Shelter Repair Kits and build 30,000 core shelters for those affected by Haiyan depending on availability of funding. “With BPI’s more than 1 million credit cardholders, and Zalora being the leading online fashion store in the country, we hope to generate a lot of donations while they shop,” says BPI VP for Marketing Strategy and Development Angie Florentino.



“Thank you, Habitat and Zalora for undertaking this role with us as we continue to help those who survived Haiyan.” “Thank you for letting us be a part of this initiative,” says Zalora Philippines Co-Founder and Managing Director Paulo L. Campos III. “We are very excited in launching the promo with BPI. I’m sure our online shoppers will be thrilled with the 15% discount voucher they will receive when they donate to Habitat.”

 The BPI-Zalora promo is open to all qualified BPI credit card holders. BPI cardholders may donate a minimum of P1,000.00 using any BPI Card variant via www.give2habitat.org/philippines/ ReBuildPhilippines. They will then receive a 15% ZALORA discount

20th Century Fox has just released new photos from the upcoming “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” the most epic and action-packed X-Men to-date.

Back at the helm of a blockbuster film franchise he helped launch, Bryan Singer directs “X-Men: Days of Future Past” where mutants are fighting for survival in a dark future where the robotic Sentinels have been slowly wiping them.    The mutants look to time travel to help their younger selves stop this awful timeline from coming to pass. Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), having the ability to instantly heal, is the one chosen to endure the strain of travelling back in time.



 


















The Sentinels, created by Bolivar Trask (played by “Game of Thrones’” Peter Dinklage) is an unprecedented technology  designed to hunt and kill mutants.  Son of the wealthy son of industrialist Larry Trask, Bolivar believes that mutants are a threat to human existence, so he took it upon himself to preserve humanity with his Sentinel program.  Dinklage, in recent interviews, shares, “I didn’t want to play the villain. He’s a man of science. He’s a man of invention. He actually sees what he’s doing as a good thing — [his ambition is] definitely blind and he’s quite arrogant. He’s strove all his life for a certain respect and attention.”


“X-Men: Days of Future Past” will open in Phils. cinemas nationwide on May 21 from 20th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

Ralph Fiennes, popularly known as the dreaded ‘Lord Voldemort’ in the highly-successful “Harry Potter” films will soon be seen in Ayala Cinema’s exclusive, “The Grand Budapest Hotel” directed, produced and written by Wes Anderson, one of the most unique and sought-after filmmakers working in the film industry to-date.



"The Grand Budapest Hotel" recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars; and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend.  The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting; a raging battle for an enormous family fortune; and the sweetest confection of a love affair – all against the backdrop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.  The film also brings together the most talented of actors including newcomer Tony Revolori, F. Murray Abraham, Mathieu Amalric, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Jude Law, Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Saoirse Ronan, Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Tom Wilkinson and Owen Wilson.

Anderson set his tale in a fictional spa town in the imaginary country of alpine Zubrowka, for which he created not only a complete visual aesthetic but also a cohesive 20th Century history mirroring Eastern Europe, with a fascist takeover in the thirties and a Communist period after that –but also a more distant past in the vein of the belle epoque.

Anderson wrote the part of Monsieur Gustave H, the fastidious concierge at the heart of the film, with one actor in mind:  Ralph Fiennes, a two-time Oscar® nominee for “Schindler’s List” and “The English Patient.”   “The idea that Ralph was going to play this character enriched it completely,” says Dawson.  “He just disappears into that persona until you simply say, ‘that’s Monsieur Gustave.’”
             
Fiennes immersed himself fully into the character’s many contradictions.  “Gustave is insecure, vain and needy, as it says in the script, but he’s also a very fastidious man who has a strong sense of principle rooted in this idea of how you look after people,” the actor observes.
             
He especially enjoyed Gustave’s paternal relationship with young Zero, whom he selects as a potential protégé in the never-ending battle against the coarseness of the world.  “To Gustave, Zero is an innocent, inexperienced in the ways of the world and in need of instruction. But they ultimately become equal brothers-in-arms,” notes Fiennes.
             
Fiennes was inspired by his first collaboration with Anderson, who, he notes, has a way of seeing the world that is one-of-a-kind.  “With “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Wes has created a true caper comedy with disguises and chases and escapes, yet there’s always that bittersweet undertone that is so distinctive,” he says.  “His films always have this idiosyncratic lightness of touch inside which lie strong themes and emotions.  It’s an unusual blend that no one else can repeat because it comes from inside Wes, from his personal sense of humor and perception of the world.”



He continues:  “Wes is exacting with his actors in a very positive way.  He’s always refining a moment until it has just the right feel, the right lightness.  Speed of delivery is something he really values because this kind of material needs that kind of liveliness.  Ultimately, he created his own made-up time and world where people are braver, more principled and have more fun.”

"The Grand Budapest Hotel" will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting April 19 (Black Saturday).

QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES –March 6, 2014: IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that China Banking Corporation (China Bank) is adopting IBM social business technology to connect, engage, and empower its over 6,000 employees.

China Bank embarked on a social business transformation project with IBM, replacing its e-mail and intranet system with the more robust IBM Connections social networking platform that empowers the China Bank workforce with the ability to build social communities both inside and outside the Bank, and the IBM Sametime instant messaging for real-time communication and more effective collaboration.

“With IBM Social Business, our employees across the organization will improved have access to email, relevant content and collaboration tools anytime and from anywhere. Working with IBM, the goal is to better engage our employees to drive innovation and productivity, resulting in real value contribution to the business,” said China Bank SEVP & Chief Operating Officer Ricardo Chua.

“When you inspire your workforce, they innovate and collaborate more productively and the yields and benefits created are tenfold. IBM Social Business will enable China Bank to anticipate needs and deliver exceptional employee experiences that can lead to better overall productivity. By integrating business processes with the right social software and tools, China Bank will secure a competitive advantage and pioneer new ways of doing business,” said IBM Philippines President and Country General Manager Mariels Almeda Winhoffer.

This shift of consumer to business networking, known as "Social Business" has become the next big challenge for organizations. IBM Social Business software, which runs on the most popular mobile devices, including tablets, to foster collaboration from anywhere, anytime, supports the burgeoning mobile workforce in the Philippines, with approximately 106 million mobile subscribers or 111% mobile penetration according to TNS Mobile Life 2013.

IBM Social Business is a smarter approach to the “people-centric” processes of business. IBM's unique combination of software, analytics, services and deep industry expertise uniquely position it to help clients capture insights that drive business transformation and collaborative innovation. It is a strategic approach to shaping a business culture, highly dependent upon executive leadership and corporate strategy, including business process design, risk management, leadership development, financial controls and use of analytics. This approach will help China Bank generate new ideas faster, identify expertise and enable a smarter workforce.

For more information about IBM’s social business initiative and creating a smarter workforce, please visit http://www.ibm.com/press/socialbusiness or follow #IBMSocialBiz on Twitter.
For more information about China Bank, please visit http://www.chinabank.ph.