[Weekly Update] What movies are coming in 2025?

Happy 2025! Did you have a good new year? Montreal countdown celebration had a disappointing firework show due to some technical difficulties. Supposedly half the show was delayed for an hour. Also the crowd was pushed so closed together it was quite dangerous. If you have any upcoming celebrations, remember to stay safe!

CHANNEL UPDATE

Last video:
Hope you all enjoy our last video on Chinese language films of 2024. I'm surprised how many people are interested in Johnny Keep Walking. I guess that means most viewers are office workers? While it may not be the most technically well crafted film of the bunch (that honour, I think, goes to YOLO), it is the most topical. And I think I picked the right movies judging by the reaction. Let's hope it gets a proper English release soon.
On a related note, you may have noticed there is no animation mentioned. It's not because I don't want to talk about them. I thoroughly enjoyed White Snake 2, even if it's a bit by the book. The Storm is a visual treat, as is The Umbrella Fairy. The problem is, they are so incredibly hard to find online. Maybe I'll make a video talking about them this summer. I'll keep an eye out for streaming resources.

Next video:
We return to our bad movies world tour with a stop in Italy and talk about the 1973 obscure film: The Fighting Fist of Shanghai Joe. This Italian produced Kung Fu Western movie set in Texas starring a Japanese dude may not be the worst movie from Italy, but it's probably the most entertaining bad film of its era. While we cover this film, we'll also discuss the history of the period, including Hollywood on the Timber, and the rise of Spaghetti Westerns in general.

New schedule:
As mentioned in previous updates, we are changing our upload schedule from bi-weekly to monthly, in exchange for slightly longer and more in-depth videos. In between these main videos, I'll interspersed with shorter, unsponsored videos about random movies I want to recommend. Thank you for the continuing support for making this change possible! Without the stability provided by you, this channel would not be able to function.

Other videos planned:
Other planned video includes our Maggie Cheung retrospective, a video about the history of Ninja's in Movies, a video about Kick Chicks in video games, a history video that proves Kung Fu was combat oriented at one point, and an April Fool's video teaching you how to swear in Chinese. I'm also doing preliminary research on the history of the Oriental Riff, but I'm not sure if there's enough materials to turn the topic into a full video.

MEDIA TALK

It's the beginning of the year again. Let's talk about what movies are coming in 2025!

Love Hurts:
Let's start with a small one that you may not have heard of. It's not some big franchise films, but it does have Ke Huy Quan. And that alone is enough for me to shelve 12 bucks to watch it in theaters. Releasing nearing Valentines' Day, this kung fu romance comedy seems like the perfect film to watch with your cinephile partner. It's crazy how KHQ has become everyone's favourite Asian husband, and I'm all for it.

Captain America: Brave New World:
I was initially very skeptical about this film. The hype train fro Marvel movies has been dead for a while, and CGI filled action film is clearly not what people are looking for. Yet, I can't explain explain why, but there's something strangely intriguing about its trailer that captivates me. my instinct tells me that, like previous Captain America films, this one will also attempt to be politically topical. And right now, we might need something to confront this topic head on.

Paddington in Peru:
With a new director at the helm, I'm only cautiously optimistic about this film. How did Dougal Wilson managed to get such a high profile feature film directorial debut is beyond me. But it's still Paddington. The story is still written by Paul King. So, it's still worth the anticipation.

Mickey 17:
From director Bong Joon-ho, starring Robert Pattinson, comes a sci-fi horror about existential dread. I think that is all I need to say to get you interested in this movie. Just imagining Parasite meets The Lighthouse gives me goosebumps. This is one movie that's worth not spoiling even the synopsis, so if you want to know more, go read about it. But if you want to experience it fresh, remember March 7th.

Snow White:
I remember when Peter Dinklage asked on social media: If the dwarfs are played by actual little people, would you still watch the film?
My answer: I just wouldn't watch it either way.

A Minecraft Movie:
That's the actual title. Not "The" Minecraft Movie, just "A" Minecraft movie.
It's coming out on April 4.
Release it 3 days earlier, you cowards!

Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning:
Took a while for this one to come out. Also the last one is called Dead Reckoning Part One, but they just dropped the whole Part One thing. What a mess of a title.
Still, some of you may remember me enjoying this film for its tight pace and topical discussion on a subject most films failed to depict accurately or in-depth. It's been a couple of years, yet this topic about AI models and AI prediction remains so relevant. Will it be just as relevant as the first film? Maybe. Will Ethan dies at the end? Probably. Will this be the final instalment of the series? Eh.

Karate Kid: Legends:
Cobra Kai meets Jackie Chan's Mr. Han, the crazy mess of corporate IP leads to this brilliant pseudo reboot of a reboot. Honestly, as someone who has not watched Cobra Kai, it's difficult for me to get hype about it. The only reason the film is even on my radar is because now I feel obligated to keep taps on Jackie Chan's acting career. I remember his performance being really good in the Jaden Smith reboot. Let's see if he gets to flex a little in this one, too.

Ballerina:
After Bladerunner 2049, actress Ana de Armas struggles to prove herself a worthy lead actress. With exception to Knives Out, de Armas is falling into the same trap as Gal Gadot, just another Hollywood pretty face in bad movies.
Ballerina may be a big break. It can turn her into a hardcore action actress like Charlie Theron. She can revive the whole girls with guns genre. But with so many behind the scenes trope, it seems this film is destined to be a disaster. Will she prevail? Only time will tell.

28 Years Later:
28 years later, Danny Boyle is now a renown, Oscar winning director. with Alex Garland return as a co-writer, 28 Years Later appears to be a passion project. Understandably, the project is garnering a lot of hype. But I'm a bit skeptical. Usually, it's not a very good idea for a director to revisit their old ideas so many years later. It did not work well for Lucas, and it also didn't work that well with Jackie Chan. Still, Boyle has not disappoint me, and neither has Garland. So, maybe this will break the curse.

Superman:
Speaking as someone who's never been a big fan of James Gunn, my expectation for Superman is kinda a mix. I have always loved the Chris Reeve Superman films, and as it appears, so was Gunn. Yet, it is undeniable that this film is coming 20 years too late to the party. Super hero fatigue is real, and it's not doing this film any favor, no matter how sincere it wants to be. A part of me wishes this film will do what Superman does in his world: to bring optimism to everyone. Yet, another part of me think it might just be yet another Superman Returns.
Damn it, Brandon Routh, you were such an underrated Superman.
On the other hand, we might get to see an Elon Musk inspired Lex Luthor. So that's neat.

Woah, so this update went on for a bit. I still have a couple of other movies I want to talk about. But I guess I'll save it for next time. Overall, this is an okay line up of films that, if not impresses me, will at least intrigues me.

What are some films that are on your radar this year? Share it in the comments! I'll see you in our next update!