Coming to Cinemas (13/6/2013)

It's a week of super releases for this second week of June. That's all I'm going to say. But if for some reason you are not planning to go and see Man of Steel, then there are still a couple pretty action-packed releases that are coming out this week.

So here are the trailers for the releases this week.

Man of Steel

Director: Zack Snyder
Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane
Running Time: 2 Hours 22 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: P13
Synopsis: Clark Kent/Kal-El is a young twenty-something journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond his imagination. Transported years ago to Earth from Krypton, a highly advanced, distant planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question 'Why am I here?' Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha and Jonathan Kent, Clark discovers having extraordinary abilities means making difficult decisions. When the world is in dire need of stability, an even greater threat emerges. Clark must become a Man of Steel, to protect the people he loves and shine as the world's beacon of hope - Superman.

Trailer Impressions: If I was half-expecting to be disappointed by Iron Man 3 as the first superhero franchise release this year, this is the one that is going to restore my faith. Fortunately, all the trailers for this so far has been impressive, as there are no indications of what may be lacking. Having Christopher Nolan producing, Zack Synder's visual style for directing, David Goyer's writing and most of all Hans Zimmer's epic composing is an almost perfect match made in heaven, and I am really hoping that this would come out as a big win for the DC universe franchise. Early reviews have been indicating a generally positive one, so the expectations are just flying higher.

Pecah

Director: Asrull Hisyam
Cast: Tony Eusoff, Izreen Azminda, Sofi Jikan, Fizz Fairuz
Running Time: 1 Hour 25 Minutes
Language:: Malay
Classification: P13
Synopsis: CIMB Bank Shah Alam is broken into, with Herman, Alan, Radi and Don getting away with the money. However, Alan is shot by the bank manager and taken to the hospital. In Seri Memori Home, Bakar, one of the elderly inhabitants, collapses suddenly, unconscious. Lidya, a nurse, and Dr. Vivian rushes to help and takes him to the hospital. At the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah hospital, all of their fates become entangled, especially Herman and Lidya, who are a couple. With Inspector Paul closing in on them and their getaway vehicle stuck, Herman, Don and Radi need to find a way to escape.

Trailer Impressions: After my last outing to watch KIL, I have been paying slightly more attention to the Malay releases that are coming out, and for some reason, the ones with some potential are starting to follow suit. I don't know anything about this, except that it's based on a novel. Now the only Malay novel adaptations I've known so far have been leaning towards the mushy romances, but to have one that is action based is intriguing because the plot could be a little more thoughtout than your usual Malay actioner.

Switch (天機：富春山居圖)

Director: Jay Sun
Cast: Andy Lau, Zhang Jingchu, Lin Chi Ling, Tong Dawei
Running Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
Language:: Cantonese
Classification: P13
Synopsis: "Switch", formerly known as "Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains", is an action adventure starring Andy Lau, Zhang Jingchu and Lin Chi-ling. The story revolves around the famous Chinese landscape painting "Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains" by Huang Gongwang, which was split into two 300 years ago and exhibited separately in China and Taiwan. The film envisages that the painting is finally going to be put back together again, where a gang of thieves are scrambling to steal it. Special agent Xiao Jinhan (Andy Lau) and insurance company employee Lin Yuyan (Zhang Jingchu) are on a mission to protect the world-famous drawing "Fu Chun Shan Ju Tu", which is the target of a Japanese gangster (Tong Dawei).

Trailer Impressions: The first thing that came to my mind after seeing this is that this is Andy Lau's Mission: Impossible. While Andy isn't as youthful looking as Tom Cruise, but the similarities here are too glaring not to notice. Again with the treasure hunting angle, so that doesn't inspire much confidence that this is going to be any good plot-wise. But if you can overlook that for the big set pieces, then it would be good to see how this compares up with its Hollywood counterpart.

FilmBah's Pick of the Week

Despite the choices there are this week, I've already set my mind on which one I will see long ago. While I can't say if I'm going to watch Man of Steel in 3D, but I think it's a worthwhile experience to go for IMAX, given the visual style of Snyder, who is most likely to pull off a few eye popping spectacles.

Releases according to CinemaOnline and check your nearest screenings at Showtimes.