Movies at the cinema in February 2019
Dong dong dong dong qiang! We are counting down the days as we usher in the pig year this Chinese New Year, followed by Valentine’s Day the week after! Apart from the fun-filled comedies and romantic dramas, don’t miss the two local films this month, Jack Neo’s Killer Not Stupid and Han Yew Kwang’s When Ghost Meets Zombie.
In addition, awards season is about to culminate towards its peak with the Oscars ceremony happening on February 25. Two Best Picture nominees are screening in cinemas, namely The Favourite and Cold War, so don’t miss it if you’re a real film buff.
Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven (Tamil)
Release date: February 1, 2019
Cast: Silambarasan, Megha Akash, Catherine Teresa, Prabhu, Ramya Krishnan, Yogi Babu, Nasser
Genre: Action/Comedy
It’s time to dance. Photo credit: Cinema Express
Directed by the king of comedy, Sundar C, Vantha Rajavathaan Varuven is a remake of the Telugu film Attarintiki Daredi (2013). It tells a story about a young scion of a powerful family who is tasked with retrieving an estranged member of the family. The film stars Silambarasan in the lead role, alongside costars Ramya Krishnan, Catherine Teresa and Prabhu.
Release date: February 1, 2019
Cast: G.V.Prakash Kumar, Aparna Balamurali, Nedumudi Venu, Vineeth
Genre: Drama/Musical
It’s time to think. Photo credit: Ragalahari
Set in India’s social and musical landscape, Sarvam Thaala Mayam is a coming of age musical drama film, the third movie by award-winning director Rajiv Menon. Songs in the movie are composed by the musical maestro, Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman and cinematography by Ravi Radav. The film touches from the fascinating high-brow world of Carnatic music to modern reality TV shows.
A gifted young drummer from a poor family yearns to learn the art of playing the mridangam (an Indian percussion instrument) from the top musician but faces rejection from the classical music community as well as from his family. The film depicts the journey of how the young drummer attempts to overcome the caste system and social boundaries in India with his raw talent.
Release date: February 5, 2019
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson
Genre: Animation
Alita prepares to play motorball in Alita: Battle Angel. Photo credit: IMDB
Visionary filmmakers James Cameron (Avatar) and Robert Rodriguez (Sin City) create a groundbreaking new heroine in Alita: Battle Angel, a cyberpunk action film based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga Gunnm. Set in a post-apocalyptic future, an abandoned Alita (Rosa Salazar) is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido (Christoph Waltz), a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. She learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, and is determined to uncover the truth behind her origin that will ultimately lead her to take on the injustices of this dark, corrupt world.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Cast: Jay Shih, Na-dow, Amber An, Nadow, Gadrick Chin, Apple Chan, Lim Mei-Hsiu, Shin Lung
Genre: Comedy/Action
Apple Chan and Amber An star in Killer Not Stupid. Photo credit: ohmynews
Local director Jack Neo is back for another Chinese New Year film, Killer Not Stupid, his first action-comedy movie starring Taiwan’s Amber An, Jay Shih and Na-dow, alongside local talents Gadrick Chin, Ryan Lian and Apple Chan.
During their final mission as assassins, Hornet (Shih) and Mark (Na-dow) meet their former classmate, Sha Bao (Chin), a drug lord’s god-daughter Talia (An), and her friend Ira (Chan) from the Philippines. During their escapade as a group, things get complicated as they are hunted by their own enemies, in a hilarious adventure in Taiwan.
The Knight Of Shadows: Between Yin And Yang (Mandarin)
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Cast: Jackie Chan, Elane Zhong, Ethan Juan, Lin Peng
Genre: Action/Fantasy
Masters of disguise. Photo credit: IMDB
Starring Jackie Chan as a legendary demon hunter in The Knight Of Shadows: Between Yin And Yang, he has been tasked by the King of Demons to track down the demons that escaped into the human realm. Gifted with the king’s magical calligraphy brush, Songling (Chan) teams up with a police detective Fei (Austin Lin) to solve the case of missing girls, whom he soon learns have actually been abducted by two vicious demons. He and his motley group of friendly monsters need to defeat the demons and save the earth in this new epic.
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Cast: Shen Teng, Huang Jingyu, Yin Zheng, Yin Fang, Tian Yu
Genre: Comedy
It’s time to race. Photo credit: IMDB
A former racer and six-time racing champion, Zhang Chi (Shen Teng) falls from grace following a crisis that caused him a five-year suspension from the motorsport. Now a single father to a six-year-old boy, he vows to get back into the sport and regain his past glory. The father-and-son duo braves a brand-new world of auto-racing which puts them into some rather ironic situations.
The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part
Release date: February 7, 2019
Cast: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Tiffany Haddish, Alison Brie
Genre: Animation
Elizabeth Banks and Chris Pratt voice The LEGO Movie 2. Photo credit: IMDB
Everything is awesome when it comes to the sequel of the critically-acclaimed animation, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part. Reuniting the heroes of Bricksburg, the much-loved characters need to save their beloved city. It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: LEGO DUPLO® invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild. Emmet, Lucy, Batman and their friends will go on a journey where their courage and creativity are put to the test in order to restore harmony to the LEGO universe.
Release date: February 14, 2019
Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, James Smith
Genre: Biography/Drama
Olivia Colman in The Favourite. Photo credit: IMDB
Already receiving a lot of award buzz for its cast and story, The Favourite is a period comedy-drama directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and stars Olivia Colman as a frail Queen Anne, Rachel Weisz as her close friend Lady Sarah Churchill, and Emma Stone as the new servant Abigail Masham. Colman won the Best Actress award at the Golden Globes, and is nominated for a Best Actress award at the upcoming Oscars, while Weisz and Stone are also nominated for the Best Supporting Actress award.
Set in the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Queen Anne occupies the throne but it is Lady Sarah Churchill that truly governs the country. Without her favourite aide by her side, the temperamental Queen Anne takes interest in a new servant, Abigail Masham as her new companion. The burgeoning friendship between Queen Anne and Masham provides a chance for the ambitious servant to fulfil her desires and she will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way.
Release date: February 14, 2019
Cast: Jessica Rothe, Israel Broussard, Ruby Modine, Suraj Sharma
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Check the text on your phone. Photo Credit: IMDB
Sequel to the 2017 film Happy Death Day, the slasher film follows Tree Gelbman (Rothe) finding herself reliving the same day repeatedly after being hunted and killed by a masked assailant, only now her friends are also targets. Stuck in the time loop, she is determined to escape the maze, but when she discovered that the original killer has been murdered, she first has to track down the new killer in order to uncover its identity and break free once and for all.
Release date: February 14, 2019
Cast: Nathan Hartono, Ferlyn G, Jesseca Liu, Jeremy Chan, Fann Wong
Genre: Comedy/Romance
Nathan Hartono plays a zombie in this local movie. Photo credit: Golden Village Pictures
Singapore’s first ghost-zombie romance comedy, When Ghost Meets Zombie, sees international star Nathan Hartono as a zombie who sacrificed his life in order to save his town from a disaster. He led a mechanical and aimless life until a female ghost named Zhen Zhen – played by Ferlyn G in her debut movie role – came into his life. The hilarious drama unfolds when Zhen Zhen possesses Pong to fulfil her pageant dreams and forces him to join a “Mr Perfect” competition. The movie also stars Fann Wong, Jesseca Liu and Jeremy Chan. Don’t miss the various cameo appearances by popular celebrities such as Gurmit Singh, Jack Neo, Constance Song, Yvonne Lim, Zheng Ge Ping and Dennis Chew.
Release Date: February 14, 2019
Cast: Wu Xiubo, Bai Baihe, Xiao Yang
Genre: Comedy/Romance
When boy meets girl. Photo Credit: Sina
The romantic comedy movie, A Boyfriend For My Girlfriend puts the romance of a husband-and-wife pair to the test. It is a follow-up to the 2016 sleeper hit, Some Like It Hot, and sees the return of Bai Baihe and Xiao Yang, with the addition of Chinese veteran actor Wu Xiubo. Fang (Bai) and Tian (Xiao) dated for years, and Fang has been ever-accommodating to the erratic Tian but the relationship doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Fang gets to know Xiao, a suave actor, and decides to get together and stage a love scam to make Tian initiate a breakup.
Release date: February 15, 2019
Cast: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot
Genre: Drama
Cold War is nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Photo credit: IMDB
Oscar nominee and winner of Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival, Cold War is a black-and-white historical period drama set in Poland and France during the Cold War from the late 1940s until the 1960s. The story features two people of different backgrounds and temperaments begin in an almost impossible romance over the years. Loosely inspired by the lives of director Pawlikowski’s parents, Tomasz Kot and Joanna Kulig co-star as the two leads in this critically-acclaimed film.
Release Date: February 21, 2019
Cast: Bryce Dallas Howard, Ashley Judd, Jonah Hauer-King, Alexandra Shipp
Genre: Family
Dogs are man’s best friend. Photo credit: IMDB
Based on the book by W. Bruce Cameron, the film follows the adventures of Bella (voiced by Bryce Dallas Howard), a dog who embarks on an epic 400-mile journey home after she is separated from her beloved human. It will take Bella more than two years to complete her journey back, provided she can survive it. Along the way, she encounters a series of new friends and manages to bring a little bit of comfort and joy to their lives. The family-friendly movie also stars Ashley Judd, Jonah Hauer-King and Alexandra Shipp.
Release Date: February 21, 2019
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jason Clarke, Diane Lane
Genre: Action/Adventure
Anne Hathaway in Serenity. Photo credit: IMDB
Academy Award winners Matthew McConaughey and Anne Hathaway pair up in this sexy and stylized thriller by Steven Knight. The film takes place on a fishing island where fishing boat captain, Baker Dill’s (McConaughey) quiet life is shattered when his ex-wife Karen (Hathaway) tracks him down with a desperate plea for help. She begs Dill to save her and their young son from her new, violent husband (Jason Clarke). She wants Dill to take the brute out to sea on a fishing excursion and throw him overboard.
Release date: February 28, 2019
Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Margot Robbie, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, Gemma Chan, Ismael Cordova
Genre: Drama
Margot Robbie plays Queen Elizabeth I. Photo Credit: IMDB
Mary Queen of Scots chronicles the 1569 conflict between Mary (Saoirse Ronan) and Queen Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie). The film has received nominations at the Oscars, SAG Award and BAFTA Award for its costumes and performances from the two actresses.
The historical movie explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart who defies pressure to remarry and returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne, in doing so committing treason against Elizabeth I. Both queens are rivals in power and in love where they must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence.
Sources: IMDB, Sina, Cinema Express, Rahalahari, Oh My News, Golden Village Pictures
Follow The Popping Post on Facebook and Instagram for more fun and exciting reads!
The post Movies at the cinema in February 2019 appeared first on The Popping Post.
