Brandon's Tailored Trailers for the first week of March: Red Sparrow and Death Wish open in theaters, while HBO releases a bunch of new exclusive content and we get our first look at Wreck-It Ralph 2.
Opening this week:
Remember last year, when Logan was released during this weekend? Yeah, looks like this year isn’t so lucky. There’s a small number of new releases coming out, but it looks like Hollywood figured everyone was going to be watching the Oscars this weekend and are saving their bigger titles for later in the month.
Red Sparrow
A movie about a former ballerina turned Russian spy, and NO it’s not a Black Widow movie. It’s a film starring Jennifer Lawrence, re-teaming her with the director of the final three Hunger Games movies, Francis Lawrence. And it’s fine. Not great, not even good, but also not awful or abysmal. Just fine.
Death Wish
This release is the baffling one though. If there was ever a movie that probably should have been pulled from release, or at least reconsidered with our nation’s current status on gun laws and all the debates that has brought about, it’s Death Wish. Yet, director Eli Roth is sticking to his guns (pun intended) by releasing this remake of a 1974 Charles Bronson movie, leaving us wondering one thing: who, exactly, was asking for this movie?
New Trailers:
Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2 (Nov. 21, 2018)
It’s insane that we had to wait six years for a Wreck-It Ralph sequel, given how popular the first movie was when it was released back in 2012. However, that hiatus might have all been worth it just for the pancake joke — I laughed out loud over that one. Wreck-It Ralph 2 hopefully will be able to recapture that fun energy from the first, as there’s now all kinds of possibilities of what trouble he can cause on the internet
Fahrenheit 451 (May, 2018)
Michael B. Jordan needs to stop lighting things on fire. First Fantastic Four (which was a trash-fire of a movie itself), then Black Panther and now this. In all seriousness, Fahrenheit 451 looks to be a great adaptation of the novel by Ray Bradbury that, even despite being a TV movie, I’m pretty excited to check out.
Paterno (April 7, 2018)
I must have missed the memo when HBO announced they were going to be debuting a bunch of original movies, but between Fahrenheit 451 and now Paterno, I say it’s all the better for it. This is another one I’m definitely excited to check out, as Paterno deals with the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal. Al Pacino looks completely unrecognizable (when’s the last time you could say that about him) as Joe Paterno, as Paterno looks to be firing on all cylinders.
Loving Pablo (2018)
Admittedly, the Pablo Escobar story has been told to death when it comes to film and television, and I’m not going to argue that Loving Pablo is the one to stand out amongst the crowd. However, it does star Javier Bardem (who definitely looks the role) and Penélope Cruz in the lead roles — a real life couple — so there’s at least some potential here.
The Week Of (April 27, 2018)
Sigh. Look, when Adam Sandler commits to a role and actually tries to do something dramatic, he can be good — check out Punch-Drunk Love if you need any further evidence. But I just can’t with any of these recent comedies he makes. Nothing about this one looks funny, and has anyone else noticed how all his movies take place in some vacation resort and he wears the same, laid-back outfit in all of them? Like is he even trying AT ALL anymore? This one is going to be a no from me.
Rewind Pick:
Salt (2010)
Red Sparrow is, at best, a so-so spy thriller with a female lead. Salt, however, is a massively underrated one. Starring Angelina Jolie as a double-agent who’s on the run from just about everyone, Salt is a fun and exciting ride that manages to do a lot with its energetic pace. This is a movie that SHOULD have gotten a sequel, but due to the fact that no one saw it and everyone who did has now forgotten it, that’s sadly never going to happen.