Trailer Talk: A Dog's Land United

Hidden Figures

Well, this looks charming. Presenting a new look into the journey towards NASA's first expedition to the Moon whilst come across as well-timed (what with the constant barrage of news stories surrounded by racism), Hidden Figures does come across as a fine-looking film that will hardly break any new ground. Still looks worthwhile, though.

The Good Neighbour

What would happen if the modern YouTube age of pranksters got mixed up with a character which mixes together Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino and the old man from Don't Breathe? Evidently this film, which - if executed right - could create a memorable and modern story that could have real frights to it. Plus James Caan looks so unnerving.

Arrival

From an initial teaser that showed practically nothing to a trailer that delves a little too much into the entire story. While it's great that we get a look at both the language barriers and the unity of the world, and with someone as brilliant as Denis Villeneuve at the helm we're bound to have something good on our hands, but it's just a tad disappointing that this trailer has gone a slightly spoilerific route.

Same Kind of Different as Me

I think Stuart Heritage of The Guardian summed up this trailer rather well in his own editorial.

Sully

Reviews are starting to come in for this Eastwood adaptation, and practically all of them are praising the ever-excellent Tom Hanks but finding the film itself alright. With that in mind, this IMAX trailer is bringing out all the stops to show why it should be a big-big screen experience and showcases a great looking movie. Highly looking forward to it.

Kidnap

In 2013, Halle Berry made an attempt of saving the life of a kidnapped Abigail Breslin in The Call. This time, she's pulling a Liam Neeson and going after her own offspring, although this time in more of a car chase with minivans rather than fisticuffs. Yeah, this just looks corny.

La La Land

Much like Sully, La La Land is currently running through the festival circuit and the reviews are starting to fly in. And the consensus? Spectacular. Whilst I personally prefer the first trailer more, this second look still looks like a beautiful and astounding film. My biggest question is why do I have to wait until January to see it.... WHY?!

Rings

The Ring series is something of an interesting specimen. Starting off firstly as a book series of all things before being turned into a Japanese horror film in 1998, it's sparked off sequels, prequels, US remakes (and their own sequels), and recently a crossover film with The Grudge series (another Japanese hit), it's never been fully dead but has mostly just disappeared from the public limelight. But here it is once again, being rebooted by the Hollywood machine because there's still money to be made in giving it a modernised update. Filled with spoilers, this trailer offers mostly a few gory moments and a nice little revamp to the classic formula, but that's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

Manchester by the Sea

Another critical darling right now, this trailer doesn't exactly scream out "watch me" outside of the numerous quotes from proper publications that praise it for its performances and story. I'll watch it still - it's a potential Oscar contender, after all - but I'm a tad trepidatious.

My Blind Brother

Meh, another standard Adam Scott/Jenny Slate vehicle. At least the blind thing makes it a bit more noteworthy.

Lion

Slumdog Millionaire blended together with a standard "I remember my old life" story? Alrighty then. Always fond of a Dev Patel performance, and this one is getting plenty of attention, but there's not much grabbing me.

A United Kingdom

A British version of Loving? Starring Rosamund Pike and David Oyelowo? And the director of the underrated Belle? Expect some powerhouse performances with this film, as this looks just as good as Loving does. In Amma Asante we trust.

A Dog's Purpose

Nice idea; overly sappy approach. I imagine Josh Gad as a dog would end up annoying me.

Shut In

Let's be honest: I'm only looking at this sub-par trailer because of Jacob Tremblay. He's precious.

Max Steel

I know nothing about the Max Steel series, except that this film adaptation is coming from the same studios as the disliked Jem and the Holograms. Judging solely by this trailer, we should expect a similar level of tolerance - what is it with Mattel and robot sidekicks?