Movies Not to Miss: July 2019

Writer: Casey Lee

Which of these are you going to watch?

June may have been a roller coaster for emotions and expectations, but July looks to go up and up.

Between explosive action, the first superhero since the end game, and staple horror scaring up our screens, anime fans will be getting a double treat of their favorite childhood franchises.

The first post-Endgame entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and officially the last Phase 3 movie before the MCU enters a new era, "Far From Home" takes places shortly after Thanos has been defeated and all is well with the world, except that Peter Parker has to deal with the consequences after Endgame. While on a school trip to Europe with his classmates, Peter is recruited by Nick Fury to battle off a new group of villains, with a superhero entering the scene that could be from a different dimension. Tom Holland returns with a new spider-suit, and working for the first time with Samuel L. Jackson and Cobbie Smulders from S.H.I.E.L.D, with Zendaya, Marisa Tomei and Jon Favreau to reprise their roles. Also returning to helm the second in the Spider-Man series is "Homecoming" director Jon Watts, and this will be the first introduction of Jake Gyllenhaal into the MCU as Mysterio.

General Release Date: 2 July

While Louis Koo returns from the 2013 installment, "Drug Lords" is only a sequel in all but name. This time, Koo is on the other side of the law as an enterprising drug lord trying to secure deals with the Mexican cartel for Asia, but is hunted down on all sides when a financial tycoon and philanthropist sets a bounty on his head to wipe out the drug trade. When the drug lord is forced to be put under the protection of the police for the bounty, past ties and loyalties are tested for the sake of money. Herman Lau returns to direct this sequel, while bringing along Andy Lau as the aforementioned tycoon, with special appearances from Gordon Lam, Chrissie Chau and Cherrie Ying, to pitch a physical and psychological battle.

General Release Date: 11 July

The third live-action adaptation from Disney's classics this year but the first purely CG-animated since Disney started off its live-action adaptations with "The Jungle Book". Given the hit-or-miss track record these live adaptations have done so far, we definitely hope that this one would be in the hit book, especially since they brought back "The Jungle Book" director Jon Favreau to bring the lions to life. Replacing much of the original voice cast, except for James Earl Jones who returns as Mufasa, is a more high profile one that has Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiewetel Ejiofor, John Oliver, and Beyonce Knowles.

General Release Date: 18 July

If you are looking for another haunted doll franchise that does not involve the Annabelle doll wrecking home and families, then it might be time to revisit Chucky from "Child's Play". Made as a reboot of the original 1988 title with probably a few enhancements to the doll's capabilities. This will be the second outing for director Lars Klevberg, following shortly after his making his debut "Polaroid" this year. If a motherly Aubrey Plaza is supposed to make you feel a little safe watching this, having Mark Hamill as the voice of the evil doll would not.

General Release Date: 11 July

When a group of teenagers asked an unsuspecting lady to help them buy some alcohol, she offers them to have a place to have their wild parties with just a few house rules. As the leash of the gracious host turns tighter and tighter, they are about to uncover a secret that their host has been holding from them for the worse. If Helen Mirren in "Winchester" did not quite sell it, Blumhouse Productions look to be stepping up their production value by having an A-lister taking center stage in their low-budget outings. Director Tate Taylor reunites with Octavia Spencer to turn on her dark side, as she sheds off her magical 'black woman' persona to show that she is capable as an actress to show her darker and sinister side underneath that motherly façade.

General Release Date: 25 July