Thankfully, there was The Wolverine to make me a little satisfied and I loved it for reasons no other critics would. It's not to say that it was a really great movie (except maybe for the mid-credit scene?), but at least it had proper form than the other superhero movies we had this year, and that is becoming a very rare gem to be nowadays.
Now we've come to August; the dumping ground of all the summer blockbusters doomed to fail. Though that mostly applies to Hollywood releases, I have to say that while this bunch of releases for this first week of August aren't the ones that make me want to see them in theaters, they are the ones that I have things to say about.
So let's see what's interesting that is coming out this week.
Director: NameweeKara King
Cast: Namewee, Frankie Gao, Ng Man-Tat
Running Time: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
Language:: Mandarin
Classification: P13
Synopsis: Wu wins the Regional Karaoke Championship in Hong Kong at the cost of his Taiwanese friend Gao's loss. When Gao's love interest Ah Hu accepts Wu's marriage proposal, the rivalry between these two Karaoke champions turns into a lifelong competition. But during the peak of his singing career, Wu suddenly decides to give up all the fame and fortune and disappear from Hong Kong with his two children. Just when Wu thinks he could take all his secrets with him to his grave, Gao finds him and comes to wreak havoc at Kara Village. With the news about his long-lost wife at stake, Wu is forced to come out of retirement for one last duel between the two Karaoke champions.
Trailer Impressions: I have my issues with Namewee. When he first came out the gate shouting angry phrases about racial inequality and claiming that multiracial Malaysians can be peace-peace, love-love neighbours, maybe there is something more that this crude but truthful messenger has to say. But when Nasi Lemak 2.0 and Hantu Gangster came out (the latter with a promo activity involving a crutch which I find distasteful), I find that his movies are just as empty and rhetoric as the institutions that he has been bashing against (just like his mindless supporters). So I'm quite glad that for his third movie he has laid off his 'muhibah' pipe dream and just focus on trying to make an enjoyable movie, without the shallow insinuations. While I don't think Namewee has fully polished his skills of being a good technical director, he does show some potential that he could make a Malaysian brand of Stephen Chow's 90s gag movies, which this one seems to remind me of (I mean, Ng Man-Tat is in it, so that's at least one checkbox ticked).
Director: Mark Steven JohnsonKilling Season
Cast: Robert De Niro, John Travolta, Milo Ventimiglia, Elizabeth Olin
Running Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: 18
Synopsis: American military veteran Benjamin Ford (Robert De Niro) has fled to a cabin retreat somewhere in the Appalachian Mountains, to forget the painful memories of the Bosnian War he fought in. One day, visitor Emil Kovac (John Travolta), a European tourist, knocks on his door, and the two men begin an unlikely friendship. When it develops that Kovac is in fact a former Serbian soldier bent on revenge, there begins a one-on-one confrontation and battle between the two throughout the harsh mountain environment.
Trailer Impressions: As much as it is amusing to hear John Travolta put on a Serbian accent, it rings just as much alarm bells that this could be a bad trip to the woods. While it would nice to see these two big stars duel it out like Face/Off, it would really depend on the chemistry between the two characters, which this trailer unfortunately doesn't seem to even cause a simmer. The other aspect would be the cat-and-mouse game that would be the main element, but already there some are distortions as to when it begins because there are shots being shown of them fighting in what is presumably the cabin where their friendship begins and in the wilderness, so there is some potential plotholes there that could be jarring. Lastly, is the name of Mark Steven Johnson which doesn't ring a bell for me, but a quick check at IMDb shows that he was the director of Ghost Rider and Daredevil. Nope, not looking good at all. It would be hard for even Robert De Niro to save this one.
Director: Kim Yong-HwaMr. Go
Cast: Jiao Xu, Sung Dong-Il, Kim Kang-woo
Running Time: 2 Hours 13 Minutes
Language:: Mandarin / Korea
Classification: U
Synopsis: 15-year-old Weiwei is left all alone with her gorilla Ling Ling after her grandfather passes away in China. Her grandfather ran a circus troupe. Thanks to her grandfather's love for baseball, the gorilla Ling Ling was trained to play baseball and has developed remarkable hitting skills. A baseball agent from South Korea named Sung Choong-Soo hears of the remarkable gorilla Ling Ling. He signs Ling Ling to play in the professional South Korean baseball league. Dreaming of success, Weiwei and Ling Ling go to South Korea. Ling Ling quickly becomes a superstar in the baseball league. Meanwhile, a rival baseball team scouts a gorilla named Rating.
Trailer Impressions: I don't exactly know why the anticipation for this is quite hyped up after watching this trailer. Maybe as a Malaysian, we are just not a baseball crazy country like Korea, Taiwan or the United States. Make a movie about gorillas playing football and now we are talking. Still, the only reason why I am attracted to this is probably to see a grown up Jiao Xu, who was remarkable in CJ7. If there is enough meat to her character, she might pull a worthwhile performance.
Director: Robert SchwentkeR.I.P.D
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Jeff Bridges, Kevin Bacon, Mary-Louise Parker
Running Time: 1 Hour 36 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: P13
Synopsis: "R.I.P.D." is an action-comedy crime film directed by Robert Schwentke, based on the comic book "Rest In Peace Department" by Peter M. Lenkov. Ryan Reynolds plays Nick Walker, a recently slain cop who wakes up as an undead. He soon discovers that a whole other world exist, where a team of undead police officers work for a police department known as the Rest In Peace Department. With nothing to lose, Nick joins them in order to try to find the man who murdered him.
Trailer Impressions: Poor Ryan Reynolds. I really pity the guy. It's like he has some jinx with him that any movie/franchise property that he is attached with would turn out to be underperforming flop and it's not because it is his fault. He is a not terrible actor or the roles that he picks are annoying, but it's like the forces of the universe is dead set against him to have those movies released at the right time or be competent enough to churn a profit. Even with the Dude Jeff Bridges, this one looks like a disaster and the associations made about it with the now proven failed formula of Men In Black, just makes it worse. Let's just hope this one goes out quietly. Not only has Universal lost its faith for this, so as the exhibitors here.
Director: James WanThe Conjuring
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor
Running Time: 1 Hour 52 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: 18
Synopsis: Director James Wan's ("Saw", "Insidious") new horror film "The Conjuring" that is allegedly based on true events stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as a pair of paranormal investigators who are hired by a couple who has recently moved into a farm house with their children that seems haunted. The pair is based on the Perron family, who claim to have experienced a terrifying haunting during the 1970s.
Trailer Impressions: You know me, I'm not a horror fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this is the kind of movie that my horror-loving buddies would drag me to see it with them. Apparently, their idea of male bonding is to sit in a dark room with strangers while screaming like little girls. Maybe that's why I'm not much of a clubber too. Anyway, if there is a compelling reason to watch this for me is that this would be my first James Wan movie. You know, the 'Malaysian-born' director who made Insidious and Saw, who is making every Malaysian so proud that one of 'us' is doing so well in the States. That's something I don't quite get. Claiming credit for what someone has done, based on the virtue that he was simply born in Malaysia, is as ridiculous as claiming credit that we have implanted Obama to be the President of the United States to serve as the wag dog of Najib. Opps, was I not suppose to reveal that?
Director: Derek CianfranceThe Place Beyond the Pines
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Rose Byrne, Eva Mendes, Dane DeHaan
Running Time: 2 Hours 20 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: 18
Synopsis: A mysterious and mythical motorcycle racer, Luke, drives out of a traveling carnival globe of death and whizzes through the backstreets of Schenectady, New York, desperately trying to connect with a former lover, Romina, who recently and secretly gave birth to the stunt rider's son. In an attempt to provide for his new family, Luke quits the carnival life and commits a series of bank robberies aided by his superior riding ability. The stakes rise as Luke is put on a collision course with an ambitious police officer, Avery Cross, looking to quickly move up the ranks in a police department riddled with corruption. The sweeping drama unfolds over fifteen years as the sins of the past haunt the present days lives of two high school boys wrestling with the legacy they've inherited. The only refuge is found in the place beyond the pines.
Trailer Impressions: Ah, the rose among the thorns. This one got lots of award buzz when it first premiered last year but had an awkward release date earlier this year in the States, which would make it less likely to be eligible for the Oscars. I heard that the US distributor is planning a re-release sometime in September to make it entitled for the race, but it's going to have some tough competitors this year. Since this is going to be in the International Screens, there would be plenty of time to watch this in the cinema.
FilmBah's Pick of the Week
I could quite easily say that it is The Place Beyond the Pines but having it in the International Screens means that I can take my time to see it. This is the kind of movies which I need to be mentally and emotionally prepared to see, not the ones after a tiring day at the office.Releases according to CinemaOnline and check your nearest screenings at Showtimes.
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