New releases that hit Thai cinemas for your viewing pleasure.
July 6
Ultraman Decker Finale: Journey To Beyond
Directed by Masayoshi Takesue.
Who’s in it?
Hiroki Matsumoto, Yûka Murayama and Nobunaga Daichi.
What’s it about?
The fourth theatrical Ultraman film in the Reiwa era tells the story of the struggling fight of Guts-Select with evil Professor Gibellus, while a mysterious woman, who can transform into Ultraman Dinas, appears to help them. A fortress of terror that distorts the universe, Kanata's final battle and the beginning of Dinas in a nutshell.
Why watch it?
A fun send-off.
Joy Ride
Directed by Adele Lim.
Who’s in it?
Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park and David Denman.
What’s it about?
Follows four Asian-American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through Asia in search of one of their birth mothers.
Why watch it?
Adele Lim's directorial debut.
Sisu
Directed by Jalmari Helander.
Who’s in it?
Jorma Tommila, Aksel Hennie and Jack Doolan.
What’s it about?
During the last desperate days of World War II, a solitary prospector crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover that they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word "sisu", this legendary ex-commando will embody what sisu means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds. And no matter what the Nazis throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back — even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path.
Why watch it?
The exteriors are shot in Finnish Lapland, mainly near the villages of Nuorgam and Kaamanen.
Born To Fly
Directed by Xiaoshi Liu.
Who’s in it?
Yibo Wang, Jun Hu and Yosh Yu.
What’s it about?
A special operations team headed by elite pilots are ordered to test new fighter jets. Test flight after test flight, they challenge the limits of the sky and themselves.
Why watch it?
A Chinese military film set against the backdrop of the decades of modernisation of the People's Liberation Army Air Force.
Past Lives
Directed by Celine Song.
Who’s in it?
Greta Lee and Teo Yoo.
What’s it about?
Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrested apart after Nora's family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.
Why watch it?
In a profile of Lee in The New York Times on May 30, writer-director Celine Song indicated she tried to keep Lee and Yoo separated as much as possible to help the scenes when their two characters finally meet in person after a long separation.
See Hear Love
Directed by John H. Lee.
Who’s in it?
Tomohisa Yamashita, Yûko Araki and Mahiro Takasugi.
What’s it about?
Manga artist Shinji Izumoto has secured a movie deal. He should be celebrating, but he's going blind, his manga series has been cancelled, and he can no longer care for his grandmother. All alone, Shinji makes the devastating decision to jump off a balcony. When Hibiki Aida, a deaf fan of his, saves Shinji, they begin an unusual life together.
Why watch it?
It’s a miracle of love.
July 11
Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One
Directed by Christopher McQuarrie.
Who’s in it?
Rebecca Ferguson, Tom Cruise and Hayley Atwell.
What’s it about?
Ethan Hunt and his IMF team must track down a dangerous weapon before it falls into the wrong hands.
Why watch it?
Cruise is now older than Jon Voight when he was in the first Mission: Impossible (1996) (Voight was 57 at the time, whereas Cruise was 57 when filming initially started, 59 when it finally wrapped, and will be 61 when it's released).
