Coming to Cinemas: July 2013, Week 1

So I'm going to be trying a new format for this regular column (you may have also noticed how I'm titling these kind of posts). Instead of just showing every movie that is going to be released in Malaysian cinemas every week , I'm just going to be talking about the ones that looks interesting and/or if I have something to say about it, and preface it by saying what I thought about any movies I saw the week before...which is something that I need to start doing again...

So without further digressing on what I'm planning to do with this blog, let's just watch some trailers for the movies that are coming to Malaysia in the first week of July.

Blind Detective (盲探)

Director: Johnnie To
Cast: Andy Lau, Sammi Cheng
Running Time: 2 Hours 9 Minutes
Language:: Cantonese
Classification: 18
Synopsis: Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng stars in "Blind Detective", a film about a former detective forced to leave the service after turning blind, who tries to make a living solving cold cases for the police. It is the first time that Lau and Cheng had paired up together since "Yesterday Once More" back in 2004 and the duo's collaboration with Johnnie To since his 2000 hit romantic comedy "Needing You".

Trailer Impressions:So this is suppose to be a reunion flick between Andy Lau and Sammi Cheng, who admittedly I haven't seen for quite a while on film. The tone seems a little peculiar because it seems to swing wildly between a Johnnie To thriller and a silly romantic comedy. I was more excited for Johnnie To's Drug War (which I'm going to be watching soon on DVD) than this one, so I think that should fill up my Johnnie To quota for the year, besides Sammi Cheng's 'return' isn't something that I had been looking forward to.

Despicable Me 2

Director: Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Cast: Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Elsie Fisher, Dana Gaier, Russell Brand, Kristen Wiig, Benjamin Bratt, Moises Arias, Steve Coogan, Ken Jeong, Pierre Coffin, Chris Renaud
Running Time: 1 Hour 34 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: U
Synopsis: Gru is no longer a villain, since saving his three adopted daughters Margo, Edith, and Agnes from Vector in "Despicable Me". But his calm and unexciting new life takes an unexpected turn when he is recruited by Lucy Wilde and Silas Ramsbottom and is taken to the headquarters of the Anti-Villain League, a society dedicated to fighting crime on a global scale. There he discovers that there is a new villain called Eduardo on the loose and because Gru was once a villain himself and knows how they think, Silas (who is the League's head), wants Gru to help them fight Eduardo. With the help of Gru's assistant, Dr. Nefario, his minions, and Margo, Edith, and Agnes, Gru must save the world.
Trailer Impression: In 2010, Illumination Entertainment thought they were being clever by putting a spin on the anti-hero by having a supervillain turn out to be the superhero in the end, and it gets a sequel in 2013. Do you know what other movie that put a spin on the anti-hero by having a supervillian who became a superhero by the end, BUT didn't get a sequel in 2013? Megamind. No dish against Steve Carell, but Will Farrell against Brad Pitt was a much funnier matchup and the DreamWorks' iteration was way more wittier, in my opinion, that could use a sequel more than this. Oh, it's only because of the banana minions that's why this got made, but Megamind only needed one minion, and it had one scene that was enough to make you think about your hanky. I don't think I really want to go to the cinemas for this, because we are actually just waiting for the Minions spin-off movie.

The Lone Ranger

Director: Gore Verbinksi
Cast: Johnny Depp, Armie Hammer, William Fichtner, Tom Wilkinson, Barry Pepper, Mason Cook, Ruth Wilson, Helena Bonham Carter, James Badge Dale
Running Time: 2 Hours 30 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: P13
Synopsis: From producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski, the filmmaking team behind the blockbuster "Pirates Of The Caribbean" franchise, comes Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer Films' "The Lone Ranger", a thrilling adventure infused with action and humor, in which the famed masked hero is brought to life through new eyes. Native American warrior Tonto (Johnny Depp) recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid (Armie Hammer), a man of the law, into a legend of justice-taking the audience on a runaway train of epic surprises and humorous friction as the two unlikely heroes must learn to work together and fight against greed and corruption.

Trailer Impressions: If there was an overly ambitious movie that nearly didn't get made for 2013, this one belongs in the list. When I first heard about this project, Disney sounded like it was putting huge bets to take Pirates of the Caribbean out onto the sandy Western landscape by reviving an old franchise to boot, and thought that it was going to be a huge risk for them. Well, I'll admit the production value does looks good and could payoff, but there are pretty low expectations for anything else other than the major set pieces. I've stopped being someone who goes for those kind of movies for a while and don't think they will take my money, and they are going to need every cent being paid to see this. So, you decide.

FilmBah's Pick of the Week

Not really a great start to July for me. But if I have to go by the entertainment value of any of these, I would say go for The Lone Ranger, though my share for summer dumb fun is being reserved for next week.

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