Our Top Films To Watch This Holiday Season
Music Press Asia have selected some of this season’s top favourites to watch. From Thailand’s historical television drama to Tony Leung’s (Shang-Chi) collaboration with Aaron Kwok to fantasy film featuring Michelle Yeoh and Charlize Theron, December leading to a new year is going to be exciting. Here’s five films we’ve selected to watch this year.
Love Destiny: The Movie (cover image)
This romantic comedy has a huge following in Thailand when it was released as a 15-episode historical television drama series in 2018. Set in the Ayutthaya kingdom in the 17th century AD during the reign of King Narai, it captivated its audience with actors clad in stylishly classic customary. Directed by Adisorn Tresirikasem, the film is a rare success in Thailand and the region. Thai singer Pete Pol sings the series’ original soundtrack ‘You’ (Aojaow). His luscious rendition drowns listeners in melodramatic infatuation for its characters. — Kittisak Sakdan
Where The Wind Blows
Acclaimed stars Tony Leung Chiu-wai (Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings) and Aaron Kwok (Port Of Call) lead this crime epic, which is Hong Kong’s submission for the Oscars. Directed by Philip Yung, the long-awaited film received its premiere at HKIFF in August after being withdrawn from the same festival last year. Dadi Century, Mei Ah Film Production and Bona Film Group are among the main investors of the $38m feature, which revolves around four notoriously corrupt police officers who rose to power in 1960s Hong Kong. Director Yung’s previous crime thriller Port Of Call won seven prizes at the Hong Kong Film Awards in 2016.n. By then, the cultural event aims to welcome artists from 150 countries. — Dorothy Lau
The Wandering Earth 2
This sci-fi film is all about saving the planet earth. The little dot in an expanse galaxy, how will humankind withstand this perilous journey? In this Frant Gwo film, we see the indelible Hong Kong actor Andy Lau alongside China’s superstar Wu Jing whose recent work in martial art film Wolf Warrior continues to ring deep impression for those who have seen it. The film is adapted and based on the short story with the same name by Liu Cixin who is also the film producer. Set to release on the first day of the 2023’s Lunar New Year. The teaser poster repeatedly release the tagline Goodbye Solar System on its marketing handles and referring to the same phrase in its trailer. To save planet earth, humans in this film make a perilous journey to bump our planet out of its own orbit. — Scott Wong
The School for Good & Evil
Calling all aspiring heroes and antiheroes. It’s almost time to enroll in the School for Good and Evil. A film adaptation of Soman Chainani’s best-selling YA fantasy series, The School for Good and Evil follows best friends Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) and Agatha (Sofia Wylie) as they navigate an enchanted school for young heroes and villains — and find themselves on opposing sides of the battle between good and evil. Calling this cast magical would be an understatement: We’ll get to see Charlize Theron, Kerry Washington, Michelle Yeoh and Laurence Fishburne as the School’s best and worst deans, professors and headmasters. Theron plays the School for Evil’s Lady Lesso while Yeoh and Washington play the School for Good Professors Anemone and Dovey, respectively. — Kate Lee
Avatar: The Way of Water
Set 15 years after the events of the first film, The Way of Water follows the journey of Jake Sully and Neytiri’s newfound family of five children. Despite their best efforts to keep their family together, a familiar threat resurfaces and forces Jake, Neytiri, and their children to flee to the land of the Metkayina clan in the Pandoran oceans. The film is the first of four planned sequels to the 2009 film Avatar, set to be released on December 16, 2022. The film has been under development since 2010, and completed preproduction in 2017, with much of the motion capture and principal photography completed by early 2020. — Amran Khan
