Trailer Talk: Loving A Monster, Strange, Land

Why Him?

Aww man, and Zoey Deutch was just starting to get into my good books! I'm glad to see Bryan Cranston branch out into comedy movies following Trumbo, but this looks very standard and dull. Just... Why this?

Imperium

Once again, I must commend Daniel Radcliffe for trying all these different roles. And with this harsh look into the world of Neo-Nazis, this does look to be a simple premise executed rather well. I'd still wait for reviews to come in first, but I expect good things.

Sing

Eurgh...this remains something overly deplorable.

Table 19

Don't you just love it when a trailer for a film that wasn't even on your radar pops up out of nowhere and delights you? Table 19 looks rather charming; with likable main characters, some good jokes, and comes across as something that could easily be enjoyed. Might go out of my way to see it whenever it appears.

Loving

It garnered a magnitude of festival praise over the course of the last few months, but finally seeing what all the fuss is about brought about such excitement for it. This looks like a truly great look into the racial disarray that a mixed race couple brought about. Who knows, maybe Oscar buzz will be brewing...

La La Land

Speaking of Oscar buzz - La La Land! I expressed my interest for this film late last year (although it's scheduled for 2017 here), and was a huge fan of Damien Chazelle's previous hit Whiplash when that hit UK shores in January 2015, and now that we finally have a look at what the film is about I'm glad to remain excited. This trailer is beautifully produced - telling us nothing but that we should see it - and is headlined by a superb vocal performance from Ryan Gosling. I probably won't be able to see it until next January, but consider me excited already.

A Monster Calls

For some reason, this film isn't gaining much mainstream attention, and it's a great pity - this looks to be an interesting family film with stunning visuals and a great story in its heart. I so hope this does well.

Rules Don't Apply

The first Alden Ehrenreich film since his big splash in Hail, Caesar! and his casting as Han Solo in a Star Wars spin-off, this looks to be an interesting film. That's all I can really say - it looks interesting.

Boo! A Madea Halloween

I'm not sure why I bother watching these trailers, as the Madea films don't tend to show in the UK. Plus this looks more like a TV movie, complete with YouTube cameos.

The Edge of Seventeen

I wonder if Hailee Steinfeld is tired of playing a high school student. And while this trailer doesn't exactly entertain or amuse, but it'll achieve plenty of love for the right age demographic. Hell, it may even be rather good, should it all go well. That Facebook messenger bit is a tad too cringey though.

The Magnificent Seven

I'm quite glad that Hollywood is giving westerns a good chance with this remake, and it looks very different to the classic film this is based on. And I admit, this does look pretty fun, if a tad generic But hell, I'll be seeing it just for some Chris Pratt action.

The Girl on the Train

Not much new compared to the first trailer, but it's for the best - got to keep it a mystery - and what we do see is still pretty darn intriguing.

xXx: Return of Xander Cage

I wonder what incriminating knowledge Vin Diesel has to keep making all these films that no one really wants to see other than for the reason that he's in it. Last year it was The Last Witch Hunter, this year it's an xXx sequel - a franchise no one has really thought about since the last film back in 2005. But eh, this has all the adrenaline people like about these kinds of films. Who knows if it'll any good, but at least it has some Fast and Furious-level stunts.

Hands of Stone

Howdy Robert de Niro, you hear to reclaim people's faith in you following Dirty Grandpa with a white man's equivalent of Creed? Or do you just need money and think that pulling a Stallone will be an easy enough job to do? Either way, this does look alright. Generic, but in a good way.

Sausage Party

Whilst I still find the character designs rather ugly, and the story is a tad too Toy Story-esque, at least I smirked at this trailer at one of the gags. Slowly getting there, Rogan.

Spaceman

Meh.

Blair Witch

I feel like this would have been even more special had 10 Cloverfield Lane not done a similar thing a few months back, and that this seems like another case of a brand being given a sudden revival via a surprise sequel. But here it is - the second sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Good word of mouth be damned, this still looks a bit meh to me. Are we not tired of found footage movies by now>

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman was by far one of the best things about Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and as far as first looks to a semi-prequel to a film that wasn't all that good, this looks really good. Patty Jenkins's direction looks superb; Gadot appears stellar as the titular hero, and the whole thing just looks bad-ass. I pray this is as good as this trailer shows itself to be - although could the music transition to her main theme be better next time? I like the theme, but it's shoehorned in here.

Justice League

Man, the set reports suggested that improvements had been made, and this first look really proves that. It stills look like a Snyder film, but that doesn't stop little bits of actual  fun from making appearances. Whilst the Aquaman segment feels a bit underdeveloped (maybe a further rewrite should have been given) and Cyborg is just sorta there, the Flash sequence is enjoyable and I can't wait to see all the character's dynamics. Just... please be good this time!

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword

Perhaps the only dud to come out of Warner Bros.' Comic-Con panel, King Arthur looks like an interesting experiment with this newer rendition of the classic tale, but it comes across as partially painful rather than as fun as it thinks it is. Sorry, Guy Ritchie, but this isn't doing anything for me.

Kong: Skull Island

This film is quickly shaping up to look like an interesting and exciting venture. Going to a more colourful visual aesthetic compared to Godzilla and having the biggest rendition of the ape yet (not to mention current fave Brie Larson), there's more than a slight possibility that this reboot could end up being really really good. A possible must-see.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Blimey, this looks good! A truly fun-looking return to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter filled with whimsy and glorious visuals. David Yates disappointed with The Legend of Tarzan, but he seems to be quickly fixing that with his return to more familiar waters. "I wanna be a wizard" indeed.

The LEGO Batman Movie

Yep, it's business as usual for the LEGO Movie team. The animation looks glorious, vocal performances sound great, and the jokes hit every correct note. Arnett, Cera, and Fiennes all kill it here, and I cannot wait to see even more of this film in the coming months. This may be the film I most look forward to next year...

Doctor Strange

And here comes Marvel with their sole public release from their panel, and it looks like an improvement to the first teaser a few months back. The mystic powers look even better now that more time has been given to the special effects; Cumberbatch's American accent isn't half-bad; and it all looks to be an interesting experience, even if some of the dialogue is a bit generic by this point of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Loving Chiwetel Ejiofor, too!