What's Showing in Manila: August Movie Previews

Opening in theaters this coming August are the usual suspects for the summer Hollywood blockbusters. We have the action-packed video game adaptation, a thriller directed by an Oscar winner, a comedy with tons of familiar comedians, a teenage romance with a twist, a sequel to an animal feud, and of course, the romantic comedy. In this new feature of the blog, I'll give you what you'd want to know about what's out there for you to get crazy about!

So click on Read More to get the lowdown on what you might want to spend your hard-earned cash on!

AUGUST 4

Tekken
Buzz: The much beloved PS game is now a movie. If you're a fan of the game, just don't get your hopes up too much. We haven't had a good adaptation of a video game like Tekken since I don't know when. This movie follows Jin Kazama's journey to avenge his mother's death and features almost all of the iconic characters of the Tekken franchise.
Synopsis: I'll let CrystalSky take care of this part.
Familiar Faces and Names: Cary Hiroyuki Tagawa (aka Mortal Kombat's Shang Tsung)


The Ghost Writer
Buzz: An adaptation of the novel, The Ghost, is a political thriller directed by Oscar winner Roman Polanski. It has competent and familiar actors as leads, and supposedly alludes to former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair. It's a political thriller, so for those conspiracy nuts, I think this movie will be a good fit for you!
Synopsis: I'll let Rotten Tomatoes explain it for us.
Familiar Faces and Names: Ewan McGregor (aka Obi Wan Kenobi/Renton), Pierce Brosnan (aka James Bond), Kim Catrall (aka Samantha), James Belushi and Tom Wilkinson.

AUGUST 11

Grown Ups
Buzz: If "The Expendables" gathered the action stars of the nineties and noughties, what we have here is the comedic equivalent of that. It looks like a reunion of sorts for the SNL alumni too. So my assumption is that this should be a ridiculously funny movie. Don't expect it to be complicated and expect the usual antics of Sandler comedies.
Synopsis: After their high school basketball coach passes away, five good friends and former teammates reunite for a Fourth of July holiday weekend. And since I've been linking like crazy to Rotten Tomatoes, here's how it fared there.
Familiar Faces and Names: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Kevin James (aka the guy from Hitch), Rob Schneider, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, Steve Buscemi, and Maya Rudolph (another SNL alum)

Beastly
Buzz: The defaced pretty face of Pettyfer has been making the rounds in the Internet. Because it is an adaptation of "Beauty and the Beast" expect the rich guy to be mean and be humbled by the curse of the witch, played by Olsen in this movie. The addition of Hudgens should be a huge come-on for all the teenyboppers, but the treatment of the film doesn't seem to point to that kind of market. I'm actually interested in this one, but I'm not expecting it to be mind blowing by any means. NPH apparently plays the scorned assistant of Pettyfer here.
Synopsis: A modern-day take on the "Beauty and the Beast" tale where a New York teen is transformed into a hideous monster in order to find true love.
Familiar Faces and Names: Vanessa Hudgens (aka Gabrielle of HSM), Alex Pettyfer (aka Alex of Stormbreaker), Neal Patrick Harris (aka Barney of HIMYM), Mary Kate Olsen (of the Olsen twins. lol)

AUGUST 18

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Buzz: If you didn't catch the first movie, I'm pretty sure you'll still get the gist of this sequel. My expectations are that this movie will be purely for entertainment and that kids will most likely love it. We all know the story that cats and dogs don't get along, so the movie takes it one step further. Cats and Dogs are devious and super smart and witty. This should be a lot of fun.
Synopsis: The ongoing war between the canine and feline species is put on hold when they join forces to thwart a rogue cat spy with her own sinister plans for conquest.
Familiar Faces and Names: You'll hear the voices of James Marsden (aka Prince Charming of Enchanted), Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Bette Midler, Neil Patrick Harris, Sean Hayes (aka Jack McFarland of Will & Grace), Roger Moore (aka James Bond), and Chris O'Donnell (aka Robin of Batman Forever)

AUGUST 27

Going the Distance
Buzz: Couples IRL Drew Barrymore and Justin Long star in this romantic comedy.  Barrymore has perfected the art of the goofy charm. Who could forget her 50 First Dates character Lucy or even her Josie Geller in Never Been Kissed. Long, on the other hand, fits in the geek category that has its own charm. The premise of the story is sure to be the perfect bait for shippers.
Synopsis: A look at the trials and tribulations of a long-distance relationship.
Familiar Faces and Names: Drew Barrymore (aka Gertie/Lucy Whitmore), Justin Long (aka the guy in the Apple Ad), Christina Applegate (aka Samantha), and Jason Sudeikis (of SNL fame)