It’s a slow week in terms of both new releases and trailers, as everyone is still trying to steer clear of Avengers: Infinity War. I mean, you can’t really blame them — it’s now the highest grossing opening weekend of all time and I can’t stop thinking about it either.
There are still some new things that we have to talk about too, so let’s have at it.
Opening this week:
Tully
Jason Reitman is one of the more underrated directors working today. Yeah, most people recognize him from Juno, which he made back in 2007, but he also has a long list of very humanistic and very good films that he’s made. Tully looks like it's going to be the next one to fall on his list, as this looks like something that’s right up his alley. It may not be the type of film you’d expect to see the opening week of May, but I’m excited to watch it nonetheless.
Overboard
I’ll admit, I’m not the target demographic for Overboard and I know nothing about it. I’m aware that it’s a remake of an '80s movie that I never saw, but that’s about it. Still, it says something that I’ve only seen one trailer for this and that it’s so far received all negative reviews, so take that for what it’s worth.
Bad Samaritan
I mean, I want to say this looks like a bad, made-for-TV kind of thriller, but it also has David Tennant as the lead antagonist so that might make this one worth the price of admission. He was the best part of the first season of Jessica Jones, and it looks like he’s channeling some more of that Killgrave creepy charm in Bad Samaritan.
New trailers:
Ant-Man and the Wasp (July 6, 2018)
Normally, I try to avoid watching the third trailer for any given studio movie, because that’s usually when they start showing spoilers and scenes from the third act. However, after Infinity War, I just couldn’t resist. I have no idea what’s going on with Ant-Man and the Wasp or where this falls in the whole MCU timeline, but I’m still finding that I’m getting pretty pumped to check it out. Yes, even with the ant on the drum-set.
Leave No Trace (June 29, 2018)
Ben Foster can do no wrong. Even when he’s in bad movies, he still manages to stand out. Leave No Trace looks excellent though. It’s approaching some challenging topics like PTSD and depression, and giving it a sort of Captain Fantastic or Hunter for the Wilderpeople type approach to it.
Robin Hood (Nov. 21, 2018)
Remember when Robin Hood was just a mischievous fox who went around picking fights with snakes? Now he’s some ultra-badass Assassin’s Creed like character. It already feels like they’re trying way too hard to turn this one into a franchise, but I don’t know. I mean, I like the cast and all, but this really just looks like another version of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword — meaning no one is actually going to go see it.
The Yellow Birds (June 15, 2018)
I’m glad that war movies in this age aren’t what they used to be ten years ago and that they focus on topics like PTSD. That’s one of the reasons why I loved The Punisher so much. The Yellow Birds looks like it’s trying to play into that; the only problem is I have no idea what this movie is about, except that it looks pretty dang melodramatic.
The Catcher Was a Spy (June 22, 2018)
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: IFC films can be really hit-or-miss. It’s great that Paul Rudd agreed to be in this movie and the story itself looks pretty interesting, but I’m just not sold on it quite yet.
A Simple Favor (Sept. 14, 2018)
Like The Yellow Birds, I’m finding myself once again having a hard time reviewing this trailer because I really don’t have a clue what it’s about. Some movies that are created by an esteemed director can pull that kind of pitch off, but when it’s coming from something that has zero backing behind it, it’s worrisome.
Distorted (2018)
In the past ten minutes, I’ve had to look up this movie on IMDB to remind myself what it was about again. There was a time when John Cusack made good horror movies — anyone out there remember 1408? That was a great one that people don’t talk enough about anymore. Distorted doesn’t look like it’s going to hit that level though. While there may be an interesting premise buried somewhere in there, it’s overshadowed by an over-dramatic movie that looks more like a soap-opera than a thriller.
Rewind:
Up in the Air (2009)
You might have heard of Up in the Air back when it was nominated all kinds of awards and thought it looked like some typical Oscar-bait. Understandable, but I’m going to challenge you to give it another look. Up in the Air is directed by Jason Reitman and is actually an incredibly moving tale. There are hints of comedy that are thrown in there (with Zach Galifianakis having a hilarious opening scene), but the human journey that George Clooney and Anna Kendrick’s characters go through is one that’s a lot more relatable than you might think.
Third ‘Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ movie could be in the works