Last week of August, and the heat of summer on screen should be winding down, yet we still have some intriguing releases in various genres: an action film, an Indie fable, a biography, a horror thriller, a family comedy, and a Bollywood superhero film. So let’s check them out.
Mechanic: Resurrection
Directed by: Dennis Gansel
With: Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones, and Michelle Yeoh
What is it about? Arthur Bishop thought he had put his murderous past behind him when his most formidable foe kidnaps the love of his life. Now he is forced to travel the globe to complete three impossible assassinations, and do what he does best, make them look like accidents.
Heads Up: Jason Statham is reprising his Arthur Bishop AKA the Mechanic role. With Tommy Lee Jones and Michelle Yeoh in the cast, it is hard to not get our attention. It has been a while since we have seen a Jason Statham film, so I would definitely check it out especially if you are a fan of action films.
Swiss Army Man
Directed by: Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert
With: Daniel Radcliffe, Paul Dano, and Mary Elizabeth Winstead
What is it about? A hopeless man stranded in the wilderness befriends a dead body and together they go on a surreal journey to get home.
Heads Up: This is a weird film that polarized people upon its premier in Sundance Festival earlier this year. But with its premise and two leads, it is refreshing to see a different film than the usual summer fare. Beware that there is sexual content that would be censored on our screens.
Genius
Directed by: Michael Grandage
With: Colin Firth, Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, and Laura Linney
What is it about? A chronicle of Max Perkins‘s time as the book editor at Scribner, where he oversaw works by Thomas Wolfe, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald and others.
Heads Up: This is the type of Oscar-bait biographies that we usually see by the end of the year with a “for your consideration” disclaimer. However, the fact that it’s dumped in summer should tell you everything us need to know. Despite a stellar cast of Oscar winners and nominees, the trailer tries desperately to sell a concept that doesn’t look very interesting. I’d say catch it on TV if you must.
Don’t Breathe
Directed by: Fede Alvarez
With: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, and Dylan Minnette
What is it about? A group of friends break into the house of a wealthy blind man, thinking they’ll get away with the perfect heist. They’re wrong.
Heads Up: Uruguayan director Fede Alvarez has made a commendable job with the remake of Evil Dead 3 years ago. Here he is tackling the home invasion genera and turns it on its head. The trailer was very effective that it sent my heart racing. I would very much want to see this film in theater.
Mr Fuzzypants
Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
With: Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Robbie Amell, and Christopher Walken
What is it about? A stuffy businessman finds himself trapped inside the body of his family’s cat.
Heads Up: This film was released under the name Nine Lives in the US, Mr. Fuzzypants is such a puzzling name change. Director Barry Sonnenfeld has made very good films before (Get Shorty, Men in Black) but he also made very bad ones too (Wild Wild West, RV). This one belongs in the latter category as it was critically and commercially panned. I would totally watch this film when it comes to TV, but I don’t think you should bother with watching it in cinema.
A Flying Jatt
Directed by: Remo
With: Tiger Shroff, Jacqueline Fernandez, and Kay Kay Menon
What is it about? Tiger Shroff is a Flying Jatt whose aim is to save the world.
Heads Up: Tiger Shroff aspires to be the new Salman Khan. He has the physique and the good look for it, but whether he has the same appeal to the masses is yet to be seen. Apart from Krrish, I don’t think Bollywood has made very good live-action superhero films, and I certainly don’t think this will be the film that changes that. The trailer show a bumbling fool of superhero, which suggest the film will be more of a comedy. However, when your tag line is “This Jatt Kicks Butt” which is unimaginative, lame, and doesn’t even rhyme, it’s fair to say that the chances it’ll show you something fresh are very slim.
