There’s a lot to #gethyped about.
IT
(September 8th)
It is the film adaptation of Stephen
King’s famous novel of the same name, which was previously adapted into a TV
mini-series starring Tim Curry. The story centers around a band of young friends
as they are stalked by a supernatural, shape-shifting being. The being, which
appears every 27 years, preys upon children in their town, exploiting their
insecurities and weaknesses. This movie will likely be the first part of the
story, to be concluded in a future sequel that follows the friends into
adulthood.
It should be interesting for a number of
reasons. For one thing, it’s been awhile since we’ve had a really top-notch,
high-budget horror film. For another, the It
story is long past due for a worthy, updated adaptation. And if that’s not
enough, it looks like it intends to tap into the “friends-riding-bicycles” vibe
that’s been back in the zeitgeist since Stranger
Things. Sign me up.
Watch the trailer here.
AMERICAN ASSASSIN
(September 15th)
Based on a novel of the same name by
Vince Flynn, American Assassin aims
to fill the Jason Bourne-shaped hole in our hearts. It follows Mitch Rapp
(Dylan O’Brien), whose fiancé is killed in a terror plot—fueling him to take down
terrorists himself. Paired with a legendary special ops agent played by Michael
Keaton, he becomes an elite assassin tasked with taking down deadly threats.
It’s very possible that this will be a total bomb, but I think it has enough
potential to merit keeping an optimistic eye on.
Watch the trailer here.
BRAD’S STATUS
(September 15th)
Ben Stiller stars in Brad’s Status, the latest from Amazon
Studios. He plays Brad Sloan, whose relationship with his son causes him to
re-evaluate some of his own long-standing life choices. Brad’s Status looks like a fairly humble offering, dealing with
questions about aging and, you know, what’s most important in life and all
that. Amazon Studios has been pretty successful so far in producing thoughtful
content (most recently, The Big Sick),
so they deserve our attention—especially with a comedy veteran like Ben Stiller
on board.
Watch the trailer here.
mother!
(September 15th)
mother! boasts a star-studded cast and
crew. The movie stars such notables as Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed
Harris, and Michelle Pfeiffer, and Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Black
Swan) writes and directs. The movie focuses on Grace and Eli (Lawrence and
Bardem), a couple whose peaceful existence is disrupted by the appearance of a mysterious,
sinister couple (Harris and Pfeiffer). From the look of things, the situation
quickly dissolves into chaos and madness. Aside from an exciting premise and
creative team, the film’s marketing—which has featured a series of unusual,
unsettling trailers and posters—promises something truly original.
Watch the trailer here.
KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
(September 22nd)
Kingsman: The Golden Circle is the
sequel to 2014’s Kingsman: The Secret
Service. If this entry is anything like the original, it’ll combine an
unabashed, swashbuckling James-Bond flavor with highly violent,
well-choreographed action, R-rated humor, and a youthful edge (imagine if Deadpool and Roger Moore’s James Bond flicks
had a weird baby). This time, the Kingsman (Taron Egerton, Colin Firth) join
forces with their American counterparts, the Statesman (Channing Tatum, Jeff
Bridges, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal) to defeat the evil Poppy (Julianne Moore). Here’s
hoping The Golden Circle can muster
up the same quirky, irreverent fun and avoid its predecessor’s pitfalls
(namely, one odd and disturbing sequence which targeted a specific demographic
in a particularly violent overture).
Watch the trailer here.
THE LEGO NINJAGO MOVIE
(September 22nd)
Ever since The Lego Movie splashed onto the scene in 2014, the Lego movie franchise has raised the bar for children’s animated features. Next up is The Lego Ninjago Movie, which adapts (?)
the popular ninja-themed branch of Lego products. The plot centers on the
relationship between Lloyd Garmadon (Dave Franco) and his father, the evil warlord
Lord Garmadon (Justin Theroux). Hilarity and ninja-action are sure to ensue.
Watch the trailer here.
LOVING VINCENT
(September 22nd)
This one might be difficult to get your
hands on in theaters for some time—it has a very limited rollout planned in the
U.S.—but it’ll be well-worth the wait. Loving
Vincent is a biopic depicting the life and work of painter Vincent van
Gogh. That’s interesting in and of itself, but what really makes Loving Vincent special is that it’s the
first ever fully oil-painted animated feature. Yes, that’s right: it’s like an
old-fashioned animated Disney film, where every single frame is illustrated…except
in this case, every frame is an oil painting in the style of Vincent van Gogh. The
visuals are simply stunning.
Watch the trailer here.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES
(September 22nd)
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| photo courtesy of deadline.com |
Battle of the Sexes stars Emma
Stone and Steve Carell as Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, two tennis champs
who meet in a world-famous match. Put simply, this movie looks like a lot of
fun. There’s the obvious allure of a period setting, a good deal of drama
promised in the trailer, and the two leads have an undeniable charisma that
should make this one a must-see.
Watch the trailer here.
AMERICAN MADE
(September 29th)
Tom Cruise stars in American Made, the “real-life” story of
Barry Seal. In the 70s, Seal (a pilot) runs covert missions connected to drug
cartels for the US government. Although he enjoys the wealth and opulence that
the arrangement provides, Seal quickly finds himself in over his head. American Made is another movie that I
could easily see being a disappointment, but with Cruise in the lead role and a
good dose of extravagant adventure coming through in the trailers, I’ll give it
the benefit of a doubt.
Watch the trailer here.
HONORABLE MENTION:
MARVEL’S INHUMANS
You might be thinking that Inhumans has no place on this list,
since it is neither upcoming (it premiered in IMAX on September 1st),
nor a movie, nor something anyone should be hyped about. You would be right on
all three counts; it earns its place on this list solely because I think it
will be fascinating to see just how low Inhumans
can go.
Inhumans was once on the Marvel Studios
film release slate, but after it got the axe it was picked up by Marvel TV. The
first two episodes of the eight-episode premiere season were given not just a
theatrical release but an IMAX release—an
astounding choice considering how bland, uninspiring, and visually dull the
material looks. I wouldn’t be surprised if Inhumans
is the Marvel brand’s second outright critical failure (after Netflix’s Iron Fist), and if so, it’ll be
interesting to see how the brand as a whole deals with it going forward.
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