Here’s some trailers you might have missed the past couple of weeks recovering from Thanksgiving and frantically picking out gifts. Yes, it is now December. May the force be with you.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)
Release Date: 5 May 2017 | Action, Sci-Fi
Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel
Summary: Set two months after the first film, the Guardians of the Galaxy travel throughout the cosmos and struggle to keep their newfound family together, while helping Peter Quill learn more about his true parentage. (via Wikipedia)
Quick Thoughts: I really enjoy this trailer much more than the first. The previous teaser reusing Blue Suede’s “Hooked on a Feeling” didn’t show us anything new and felt lackluster. However, the new trailer featuring Sweet’s “Fox on the Run” feels much more like the personality of the first Guardians movie. Not to mention, Baby Groot!
Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
Release Date: 23 June 2017 | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Director: Michael Bay
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock
Summary: (No official plot yet.)
Quick Thoughts: There’s another Transformers movie… Anthony Hopkins has really attached himself to that robot wagon.
Kong: Skull Island (2017)
Release Date: 10 March 2017 | Action
Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, John C. Reilly
Summary: Kong: Skull Island reimagines the origin of the mythic Kong in a compelling, original adventure from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific—as beautiful as it is treacherous—unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong.
Quick Thoughts: It’s interesting because I was so weary of this film from the first trailer, but I like the new trailer showing they aren’t taking themselves too seriously. Gearing up eventually for Godzilla vs Kong in 2020, it’s a shame we only get this one King Kong movie to yet another Godzilla movie.
The Mummy (2017)
Release Date: 9 June 2017 | Action, Adventure
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Cast: Sofia Boutella, Tom Cruise, Annabelle Wallis
Summary: From the sweeping sands of the Middle East through hidden labyrinths under modern-day London, The Mummy brings a surprising intensity and balance of wonder and thrills in an imaginative new take that ushers in a new world of gods and monsters.
Quick Thoughts: Quite frankly a re-imagining we don’t need but what do I know? Also, a lot of people are confused about if this is a reboot of the Mummy franchise starring Brendan Fraser. It is not. Universal Pictures is actually starting a new franchise on the classic monster movies ie. Dracula, Frankenstein, and the Mummy.
Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017)
Release Date: 7 April 2017 | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
Director: Kelly Asbury
Cast: Joe Manganiello, Mandy Patinkin, Rainn Wilson
Summary: In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy, and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. Embarking on a rollercoaster journey full of action and danger, the Smurfs are on a course that leads to the discovery of the biggest secret in Smurf history!
Quick Thoughts: I will be honest. I didn’t watch the trailer.
The Circle (2017)
Release Date: 28 April 2017 | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: James Ponsoldt
Cast: Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, John Boyega
Summary: Based on the international best-seller by Dave Eggers, The Circle is a thrilling modern morality tale starring Emma Watson, Tom Hanks, and John Boyega. As she rises through the ranks of the world’s largest tech and social media company, The Circle, Mae (Watson) is encouraged by company founder Eamon Bailey (Hanks) to live her life with complete transparency. But no one is really safe when everyone is watching.
Quick Thoughts: Black Mirror on the silver screen, anyone? But Tom Hanks as the potential antagonist? Why, I never!
Spectral (2016)
Release Date: 9 December 2016 | Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Director: Nic Mathieu
Cast: James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Emily Mortimer
Summary: When an otherworldly force wreaks havoc on a war-torn European city, an engineer teams up with an elite Special Ops unit to stop it.
Quick Thoughts: Not exactly sure how I feel about the enemies, but I highly commend Netflix on boldly going where Hollywood is afraid to go – original plots.
Silence (2016)
Release Date: 23 December 2016 (limited), January 2017 | Drama, History
Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Adam Driver, Andrew Garfield, Liam Neeson
Summary: Martin Scorsese’s Silence tells the story of two Christian missionaries (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who face the ultimate test of faith when they travel to Japan in search of their missing mentor (Liam Neeson) – at a time when Christianity was outlawed and their presence forbidden. The celebrated director’s 28-year journey to bring Shusaku Endo’s 1966 acclaimed novel to life will be in theaters this Christmas.
Quick Thoughts: I have a lot of reservations about this movie, but maybe it’s just not for me.
The Shack (2017)
Release Date: 3 March 2017 | Drama
Director: Stuart Hazeldine
Cast: Sam Worthington, Radha Mitchell, Octavia Spencer
Summary: Based on the New York Times best-selling novel, The Shack takes us on a father’s uplifting spiritual journey. After suffering a family tragedy, Mack Phillips [Sam Worthington] spirals into a deep depression causing him to question his innermost beliefs.
Facing a crisis of faith, he receives a mysterious letter urging him to an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Despite his doubts, Mack journeys to the shack and encounters an enigmatic trio of strangers led by a woman named Papa [Octavia Spencer]. Through this meeting, Mack finds important truths that will transform his understanding of his tragedy and change his life forever.
Quick Thoughts: While it’s good to see Sam Worthington back, I would suggest watching What Dreams May Come with Robin Williams instead.
The Comedian (2016)
Release Date: 2 December 2016 (limited), 13 January 2017 | Comedy
Director: Taylor Hackford
Cast: Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito
Summary: An aging comic icon, Jackie (Robert De Niro), has seen better days. Despite his efforts to reinvent himself and his comic genius, the audience only wants to know him as the former television character he once played.
Already a strain on his younger brother (Danny DeVito) and his wife (Patti LuPone), Jackie is forced to serve out a sentence doing community service for accosting an audience member. While there, he meets Harmony (Leslie Mann), the daughter of a sleazy Florida real estate mogul (Harvey Keitel), and the two find inspiration in one another, resulting in surprising consequences.
Quick Thoughts: I don’t know, De Niro as a comedian… He’s got acting chops but people do say comedy can be harder than drama for a reason.
The Book of Love (2016)
Release Date: 13 January 2017 | Drama
Director: Bill Purple
Cast: Jessica Biel, Maisie Williams, Jason Sudeikis
Summary: Henry is an introverted architect. After the death of his wife in a car accident, he sets out to help Millie, a homeless teen, to build a raft to sail across the Atlantic.
Quick Thoughts: I’m not saying it feels like the opposite of Demolition (2015), but it feels like the opposite of Demolition.
The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017)
Release Date: 31 March 2017 | Biography, Drama, History
Director: Niki Caro
Cast: Jessica Chastain, Daniel Brühl, Johan Heldenbergh
Summary: The real-life story of one working wife and mother who became a hero to hundreds during World War II. In 1939 Poland, Antonina Żabińska (portrayed by two-time Academy Award nominee Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Dr. Jan Żabiński (Johan Heldenbergh of The Broken Circle Breakdown), have the Warsaw Zoo flourishing under his stewardship and her care.
When their country is invaded by the Nazis, Jan and Antonina are stunned – and forced to report to the Reich’s newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl of Captain America: Civil War). To fight back on their own terms, Antonina and Jan covertly begin working with the Resistance – and put into action plans to save lives out of what has become the Warsaw Ghetto, with Antonina putting herself and even her children at great risk.
Quick Thoughts: It could be a compelling movie, but definitely seems like one of those dramas you have to be in a certain mood to want to watch it.
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