Which of these are you going to watch? |
Although the fall releases have yet to set in, but summer is no longer the main domain for the action packed blockbusters nowadays, as some studios have wisely chosen to have their offerings of the genres in the less competitive spaces of summer, and slot themselves before the release schedules get all serious with award contenders. This October will see the last superhero movie we have for the year, but there are also plenty of action heroes to look up to, to keep the cinemas warm with their gunfire.
In the meantime, more serious film goers may start making their pilgrimages this October, not really to see what we can look forward for the next award season, but the ones that have already made their festival rounds this year and are now starting to make their way for the masses.
So it's time to get comfortable before the storm and here are the movies to warm you up this October!
The Girl on the Train
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Rachel Watson became a divorced alcoholic after she found her husband, Tom, cheating on her with another woman with whom he is now married to. While commuting to work on the train every day, Rachel begins to fantasize about a young married couple and reflects on her failed marriage, but fantasy and reality begins to blur when the woman from said young couple is reported missing and presumed to be dead.
Adapted from the hit thriller novel by Paula Hawkins, moviegoers will have another reason to be afraid of trains again after last month's record shattering "Train to Busan". Rather than seeing zombies break down entries from car to car, we will get to witness the breaking down of Emily Blunt's sanity as Rachel, as she pulls a hard hitting performance in the lead. Although director Tate Taylor is no David Fincher, but we'd like to think this is could be Blunt's ultimate breakthrough to get an Oscar nod, just as "Gone Girl" did for Rosamund Pike.
General Release Date: 6 October
Lokah Laqi
Three indigenous children from the mountainous regions of Taiwan live an energetic and cheery life, despite having family issues respectively. When the children discovered a recording of their handicapped teacher's singing voice, they decide to travel to Taipei to make her name known.
Laha Mebow is Taiwan's first female aboriginal director who made her directorial debut in 2011 with "Finding Sayun". Back with her second feature, once again focused on a story centered by Taiwan's aboriginal characters, "Lokah Laqi" has already been selected to be Taiwan's entry for next year's Foreign Language Oscar, representing the best that Taiwanese cinema has to offer for 2016, and shedding more light on the hardships and hardly known stories of Taiwan's aboriginals.
General Release Date: 6 October
Operation Mekong
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After 13 crew of two Chinese cargo ships were massacred at the Mekong river, the Thai, Laos, Burmese and Chinese governments launch a joint taskforce to take down a drug lord who controls the portion of the river known as the Golden Triangle.
Action is in high demand this October, and it certainly has a few standouts if you are looking for some serious action. Although the completely first-person shoot 'em up "Hardcore Henry" finally makes it to Malaysian cinemas (and hopefully not causing anyone to throw up), we think some would appreciate something less shaky. Based on the real Mekong Massacre that happened in 2011, director Dante Lam reunites with his "Unbeatable" and "To the Fore" star Eddie Peng for a big scaled guns blazing actioner that he hasn't made since 2012's "The Viral Factor". Peng is joined by Chinese stars Zhang Hanyu, who recently came off duty in Tsui Hark's "The Taking of Tiger Mountain", and director-actor Feng Xiaogang for some good old hardboiled explosions and gun fights.
General Release Date: 6 October
The Wailing
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When a strange sickness seems to be spreading in an out-of-the-country village that turns its victims to murderers before entering into a state of stupor and dying, police officer Jong-goo is sent to investigate. As suspicion falls onto a Japanese shaman, Jong-goo and a mysterious nameless woman find themselves getting involved deeper and deeper with forces they cannot fathom.
If "Train to Busan" was the most commercially applauded movie that Korea had to offer for 2016, "The Wailing" is the most critically acclaimed masterpiece to have come out from Korea this year. Serious fans of Korean cinema have a reverent respect for director Hong-jin Na who had bursts into the Korean indie scene with 2008's "The Chaser", and his follow up in 2010 with "The Yellow Sea" also left a significant imprint at Cannes. Now back with his third work, which premiered to praise to the tough crowd at Cannes, "The Wailing" has become one of the more anticipated movies waiting to be seen by a general audience. So it's time to get off the train, and be prepared to wail out of cinemas after you've had your stomachs churned by "The Wailing".
General Release Date: 13 October
Inferno
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Waking up in a hospital in Florence, Harvard professor of symbology, Robert Langdon has no recollection of what has happened in the past few days, and has become the target of a massive manhunt when he escapes authorities with the help of a doctor, Sienna. Trying to retrace his steps and believing that he has been framed for a crime he didn't commit, Langdon is confronted with the toughest riddle he has ever faced, and failing to solve it could mean the end of the human race.
Action may be the calling card this month, but you also need a sharp wit to save the world sometimes. After giving another strong performance for last month's "Sully", this month Tom Hanks slips back into something with less baggage for the third adaptation of Dan Brown's novels. Directed once again by Ron Howard based off the adapted screenplay by David Koepp from "Angels & Demons", the "Inferno" plot is not to be trifled with, with a cast that also has Felicity Jones, Ben Foster, Omar Sy and Irfan Khan, that makes for a good change of pace if you need a different kind of action this month.
General Release Date: 13 October
The Accountant
Christian Wolff is a mathematics savant who works in a small-town accounting firm by day, and moonlights as a forensics accountant for criminal organisations by night. When Wolff takes on a robotics company as a legitimate client, a Treasury agent is dispatched to investigate Wolff while more and more people are getting killed.
Ben Affleck is slowly making a comeback to become the bankable star he once was and since becoming Batfleck, it seems almost all of his past sins have been forgiven. While some may still have things to say if he would ever be as likable as he was earlier in his career, we are about to find out if anyone would still come out to see a Affleck vehicle without the Batsuit as "The Accountant". Directed by Gavin O'Connor after stumbling out from the mess that is "Jane Got a Gun", there is a lot more going for this to be a bulls-eye with Anna Kendrick and J.K. Simmons in the cast.
General Release Date: 20 October
Jack Reacher: Never Go Back
When Jack Reacher returns to the headquarters of his old military unit, he gets accused for a homicide case that happened 16 years ago. On the run from court martial after breaking out a soldier, Reacher is on the run to clear his name and find out what led his name to be in the case.
If you are not planning to risk your faith in Ben Affleck being a cold calculated killer, then you still can go down the cinema hall to catch "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back". Tom Cruise is back, badder, and with a bigger personality as the novel character by Lee Childs as the hard punching Reacher that doesn't play nice. Cruise will be reuniting with "The Last Samurai" director Edward Zwick, as Reacher goes on a vigilante rampage to save Cobie Smulders and getting hunted by Patrick Heusinger.
General Release Date: 20 October
Marvel's Doctor Strange
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After losing his career as a renowned neurosurgeon, Doctor Stephen Strange travels to the Himalayas and seeks out the Ancient One where he learns the mystic arts. As he begins to master the powers to travel through time and change reality, a former pupil of the Ancient One and one of the Masters of the Mystic Arts, Kaecilius, comes to destroy the world protected by the Ancient One.
2016 has been an odd year for superheroes for both Marvel and DC. While their movies have not happily lived up to expectations, the best superhero movie of the year may not have been found in summer. Starting over with a new origin story to introduce a new character to the Marvel cinematic universe, Benedict Cumberbatch makes his Marvel debut as the Sorcerer Supreme, tutored by a cast of masters with Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One and Chiwetel Ejiofor as Karl Mordo. Mads Mikkelsen finally becomes a villain for Marvel, and Rachel McAdams will be the anchor to Strange's old life and new duties.
General Release Date: 27 October
Rock Bro!
Rock band RImba Bara falls onto hard times as Jijoe has to take up odd jobs and part-time work to make a living while only playing at gigs for agricultural festivals. When Jijoe meets rock queen Ella for the first time in a recording studio, he falls in love with her and is willing to give up the rocker life to get a stable job. But will this be the end of Rimba Bara?
Starting from 2005's "Rock", director Mamat Khalid has traced the rise and fall of the Rock scene in Malaysia, and "Rock Bro!" will be that concluding chapter to the trilogy with the fall of the rock scene in the 90s. Khir Rahman, Que Haidar, and Sofi Jikan return for one last gig for the finale, as they give out a last tribute to the rockers who witnessed the end of rock and the coming of hip-hop. But it would not be a sombre end with rock queen Ella making an appearance to bring new life to Jijoe and the rest of Rimba Bara.
General Release Date: 27 October
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
After going through a bad breakup, Alizeh is reluctant to get into a new relationship with aspiring singer Ayan and only wants to stay as friends despite his advances. When Ayan finds a new love in the form of Saba, Alizeh and Ayan have to search for their true feelings for each together. Is it love or friendship?
Diwali would not be complete with a trip to the cinema and we can't wait to see "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" just from the cast alone that stars Ranbir Kapoor, Anushuka Sharma and Aishwarya Rai, with appearances from Shah Rukh Khan and Fawad Khan. "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil" is written and directed by Karan Johar, who we still love for "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai", and will have music composed by Pritam Chakraborty with lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
General Release Date: 28 October
Cinema Online, 01 October 2016