Here is a quick sampling of some of the recent trailers that came out in the last few weeks. I'm focusing on the smaller titles from later in the summer and early fall that I haven't had much opportunity to comment on yet.
The End of Oak Street - This is David Robert Mitchell's film, previously titled "Flowervale Street," that was delayed from last year. The trailer does a good job of setting expectations - this looks like it's going to be way more of a crowd-pleaser than I was expecting. It's like to get some interest just by positioning itself as a dinosaur movie in a summer with no "Jurassic Park" sequel.
Street Fighter - I like the look of the casting and the costuming, which is a lot closer to the original video game than any of the other adaptations I've seen. Alas, the sight of David Dastmalchian as M. Bison can't help but make me a little sad that it's not Raul Julia. I initially mistook this for the new "Mortal Kombat" film, because I got some of the characters confused, which should tell you something about the tone that they're going for.
Forgotten Island - Asian girl led animated features have gotten really prominent since "KPop Demon Hunters" broke out last year. Dreamworks' latest involves two Filipino besties who go to a magic island that threatens to take away their memories. This seems like a tough sell to kids, so I'm not expecting it to do well. However, I'm impressed that "Forgotten Island" got made, and by the same team that did "Puss in Boots: The Last Wish."
Idiots - O'Shea Jackson and Dave Franco doing a "Get Him to the Greek"/"The Last Detail" to get Mason Thames to rehab? I'm down for that. This was previously known as "The Shitheads," but that wasn't going to fly with theater owners and marketing people, so "Idiots" strikes me as a decent alt title. I appreciate that the trailer just offers a taste of the depravity in store, and doesn't explain much. Leaves me plenty to discover.
Backrooms - This is what they mean by a vibes based horror movie. The dread offered by the images of impossible interiors is so effective, I don't think the movie itself is going to be able to live up to them. Good luck to first time filmmaker Kane Parsons and the wildly overqualified cast - Renata Reinsve's in this? At least there's already been one horror movie with a similar premise that came out well - Genki Kawamura's "Exit 8."
Masters of the Universe - I'm not quite sure what to make of this, but if there are any unironic He-man fans still out there, at least this looks considerably better than the old Dolph Lundgren movie from the '80s, even if Jared Leto is playing Skeletor. Travis Knight has a decent track record as a director, and the pictures of Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn currently in circulation are fabulous. Are the kids going to respond to this though? That's the big question.
Clayface - This is shaping up to be a full fledged horror movie set in James Gunn's DC universe. I'm definitely not opposed to that, and the material is certainly ripe for it, but it also worries me that this is yet another DC property aimed mostly at adults. Then again, the original Clayface appearances were some of the highlights of the '90s "Batman" cartoons. With a modest budget and no stars, this is going to be an interesting experiment.
The Invite - One of the big Sundance titles this year was Olivia Wilde's latest film, a remake of a Spanish comedy called "The People Upstairs." Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton seem like a promising combination, and the timing looks right after the similar "The Drama" cleaned up earlier in the year. I'm rooting for this, because Wilde needs a win, and I want more smaller scale films like this up on the big screen.
Minions & Monsters - I secretly prefer the "Minions" movies to the "Despicable Me" movies, and their latest movie looks frickin' adorable. It's a monster movie pastiche featuring the Minions in 1920s Hollywood, trying to put together their own horror feature. Does it make any sense with the timeline of the other movies? Probably not, and I don't care. The mini Cthulhu voiced by Trey Parker is already a winner. Bring it on.
Coyote v ACME - It's everything I wanted and more. I know that most of them are probably only going to be cameos, but I loved seeing the Looney Tunes gang again in glorious traditional animation. They all look so great!
Aaaaand… Dune Part Three - This looks very expensive.
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