Trailer Watch - Star Wars Episode 8: The Last Jedi

By Logan Cutter

Production Company: Lucasfilm

Release Date: December 15, 2017

Director: Rian Johnson

Starring: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleeson, Andy Serkis, Benicio del Toro

Logan's Take: The big take away from The Last Jedi trailer is the last bit of the conversation between Rey and Luke that overlays the two minute clip from beginning to end.  Luke says to Rey, "I only know one truth, it's time for the Jedi to end."  What the hell?  Luke's thoughts on the force seem to have changed since the last time he appeared on screen in a Star Wars movie .  This "truth" will surely shape the plot of episode 8.  

I'm slightly upset we didn't get a peek at Benicio del Toro's new character but with a movie of this magnitude there will be two or three more episode 8 trailers released by the time the film hits theaters in mid December.   

Trailer Watch - April 16, 2017

By Robbie Repass & Mike Marinelli

The following two trailers have been approved for Reel World audiences...

THOR: RAGNAROK

Production Company: Marvel Studios

Release Date: November 3, 2017

Director: Taika Waititi

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Idris Elba, Mark Ruffalo

Robbie’s Take: I've been hit or miss when it comes to seeing the latest Marvel movies, and I'll admit, I haven't seen any of the Thor movies so my only exposure to the character is via the Avengers and Captain America films.  So I reached out to my buddy Mike for his take, here's what he had to say...

Mike's Take: I mean I'm the biggest sucker for Marvel so I fucking loved it. It looks like if the Thor franchise and the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise fucked and made a movie.

DETROIT

Production Company: Annapurna Pictures

Release Date: August 4, 2017

Director: Kathryn Bigelow

Starring: John Boyega, Anthony Mackie, Will Poulter

Robbie’s Take: Academy Award-winning Director Kathryn Bigelow returns with the true story of a 1967 police raid in Detroit that led to one of the largest citizen uprising's in United States history. Her last two films, THE HURT LOCKER and ZERO DARK THIRTY, were wrought with tension and this trailer indicates we should expect more of the same. 

Trailer Watch - April 8, 2017

By Robbie Repass

The following two trailers have been approved for Reel World audiences...

The Mummy

Production Company: Universal Pictures

Release Date: June 9, 2017

Director: Alex Kurtzman

Starring: Tom Cruise, Sofia Boutella, Russell Crowe, Annabelle Wallis

Robbie’s Take: Did we really need a reboot of The Mummy franchise starring Tom Cruise? Apparently, this will be the first film within the Universal Monsters Shared Universe.  Universal Monsters was a phrase used to describe the series of horror and science fiction films made by Universal studios from the 1920s through the 1950s.  In addition to the Mummy, we can expect to see the Invisible Man, the Wolf Man, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, the Bride of Frankenstein, and Van Helsing. Rather than horror, the new films are leaning more toward action-adventure, and I'm sure if all goes well we could see some crossover movies.  I'll admit, when I first saw this trailer I rolled my eyes, but now that I know "the bigger picture", color me intrigued.

Atomic Blonde

Production Company: Focus Features

Release Date: July 28, 2017

Director: David Leitch

Starring: Charlize Theron, Bill Skarsgård, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Sofia Boutella

Robbie’s Take: Charlize Theron proved she has badass action star chops in Mad Max: Fury Road, and in Atomic Blonde she plays an undercover MI6 agent sent to Berlin during the Cold War to investigate the murder of a fellow agent and recover a missing list of double agents. The film, based on Antony Johnston's graphic novel The Coldest City, premiered to rave reviews at SXSW back in March. Director David Leitch is a former stunt coordinator and rising action movie helmer following his turn as a co-director for John Wick and landing the director's chair for Deadpool 2. The film promises a great 80s soundtrack and the same brand of violence that made John Wick an unexpected hit.  Look for it this summer.

Trailer Watch - April 1, 2017

By Robbie Repass

These two trailers caught my eye this week … watch and read my reaction!

IT

Production Company: New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. Pictures

Release Date: September 8, 2017

Director: Andrés Muschietti

Starring: Bill Skarsgård, Finn Wolfhard, Nicholas Hamilton, Jaeden Lieberher

Robbie’s Take: What. The. Fuck!!! The evil killer clown that gave us nightmares in our youth is back in this film remake based on the Stephen King novel of the same name. Bill Skarsgård replaces the great Tim Curry as Pennywise and may somehow be even more terrifying than the original.  This trailer became the most-viewed trailer within a 24-hour period in the history of the Internet, so if you weren't one of the 197 million views check the clip above out at your own risk. To quote a friend, "who on earth would voluntarily go see that?" ... well, I would and I'll be there opening weekend.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Production Company: Blueprint Pictures/Fox Searchlight

Release Date: [unknown] 2017

Director: Martin McDonagh

Starring: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage

Robbie’s Take: This film is being billed as "a darkly comic drama from Academy Award winner Martin McDonagh", who gave us such great films as IN BRUGES and SEVEN PSYCHOPATHS.  As a big fan of both of those films, as well as the killer cast, consider me in to see this as soon as it hits theaters sometime in 2017.  The plot centers around Frances McDormand's character, the mother of a murdered daughter whose case has gone cold in small-town Missouri, and her efforts to light a fire under the local police department to solve the crime and bring a killer to justice.

BONUS! The first Game of Thrones Season 7 teaser trailer was released this week! Be sure to subscribe and listen to Reel World's Game of Thrones podcast when the show returns this July!

Trailer Watch - October 10, 2016

By Michael Copeland and Robbie Repass

These two trailers caught our eye this week … watch and read our reaction!

PATRIOTS DAY

Production Company: Lionsgate/CBS Films

Release Date: January 13, 2017

Director: Peter Berg

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Monaghan, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J.K. Simmons

Michael’s Take: I'm 100% in. The only thing is it's a little too soon after Deepwater Horizon. Like, that movie just opened last week, most people only know Deepwater from the trailer, and this trailer is soooo similar. It opens with Mark and his wife getting ready in the morning/joking around. This happens almost exactly with Mark and his wife in the Deepwater trailer. I feel like people seeing this trailer will have both films cheapened for them. It's Mark doing a costume change and substituting one true American tragedy for another. I think there should have been at least a two-year gap between these films from the same director/star-duo. But like I said, I'm in. No doubt. But I'd be lying if I didn't eye roll and kinda giggle almost as soon as Mark started joking with his wife about being a crossing guard. I was like “oh my god I still haven't seen the movie with the trailer where he jokes with his wife and daughter about getting a dinosaur fossil!”

GET OUT

Production Company: Universal

Release Date: February 24, 2017

Director: Jordan Peele

Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, LilRel Howery

Robbie’s Take: I am a huge fan of anything Jordan Peele puts out, but my only exposure to him at this point has been in the realm of comedy.  Peele tries his hand at writing and directing a horror-thriller with this movie and the trailer delivers some serious chills.  Not only does this film look legitimately scary, it calls to mind social issues facing our nation today.  You can bet I’ll be in theaters opening weekend to check this one out.  

Best Trailers of Comic-Con 2016

By Robbie Repass | @TrashmanReeps

San Diego Comic-Con has become a pop culture phenomenon.  An annual event with humble beginnings has grown into a spectacle that now attracts over 130,000 attendees from around the world. While exploring the exhibit halls and encountering amazingly dressed cosplayers is worth the price of admission, those lucky enough to score entry to any of the major studio programs and panels are in for a special treat. Each summer these fortunate few are the first to see world premiere trailers and exclusive footage from some of the biggest films of the year to come.  Thankfully, 2016 saw the major studios quickly release these trailers online for a global audience to enjoy.  View the best trailers below and mark your calendars for the release of these awesome movies!

KONG: SKULL ISLAND

Production Company: Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros.

Release Date: March 10, 2017

Director: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Starring: Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman

RW Take: Relatively unknown director Vogt-Roberts and Warner Bros. Pictures bring us this King Kong origin story that appears to be set in the ‘70s.  The poster indicates this film is from the producers of the Godzilla reboot from 2014, and rumor has it Kong: Skull Island is setting the stage for an eventual Kong v Godzilla throwdown years down the road.  This trailer shows the movie to have major potential and the visual effects look top-notch.  Monster movies are back!

JUSTICE LEAGUE

Production Company: DC Entertainment/Warner Bros.

Release Date: November 17, 2017

Director: Zack Snyder

Starring: Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, Ray Fisher

RW Take: DC Comics director of choice, Zack Snyder, returns to helm the long-anticipated DC Extended Universe answer to Marvel’s Avengers franchise.  While this wasn’t technically an official trailer, the special footage that premiered at Comic-Con indicates a slightly more light-hearted affair than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice as it largely focuses on the efforts of Bruce Wayne (Affleck) to recruit Aquaman (Momoa), The Flash (Miller) and Cyborg (Fisher) to join Batman and Wonder Woman (Gadot) in forming the Justice League.  There is still over a year for the story to take shape over subsequent official trailer releases, but it can’t be as dismal and bloated as Dawn of Justice, right?

WONDER WOMAN

Production Company: DC Entertainment/Warner Bros.

Release Date: June 2, 2017

Director: Patty Jenkins

Starring: Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Connie Nielsen

RW Take: Director Patty Jenkins returns to features for the first time since 2003’s indie sensation Monster with this Wonder Woman origin story.  The trailer shows Wonder Woman (Gadot) brought to the civilized world to stop World War I after being discovered on her native island by a marooned American military intelligence officer, Steve Trevor (Pine). Leading lady Gal Gadot’s military background in the Israel Defense Forces lends authenticity to her badassery in scenes depicting Wonder Woman fighting against enemy soldiers.  The long awaited big-screen feature treatment for this beloved comic book character promises to be a major summer blockbuster.

BLAIR WITCH

Production Company: Lionsgate

Release Date: September 16, 2016

Director: Adam Wingard

Starring: Corbin Reid, Wes Robinson, Valorie Curry

RW Take: This trailer was truly a comic-con surprise exclusive. The film, originally marketed as The Woods, was revealed at San Diego Comic-Con to be a direct sequel to the original found-footage horror masterpiece, The Blair Witch Project.  We all remember the viral internet marketing campaign from 1999 that created so much buzz we were all bound to be let down by the eventual release. But boy, did it deliver the major scares and creepy imagery.  The trailer for the sequel promises to bring back many of the images that haunted our dreams all those years ago.  Just when we thought it was safe to go back into the woods.  You can find me standing in the corner until mid-September...

DOCTOR STRANGE

Production Company: Marvel Studios

Release Date: November 4, 2016

Director: Scott Derrickson

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Tilda Swinton, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mads Mikkelsen

RW Take: The second official trailer for the debut of Benedict Cumberbatch as the popular Marvel character provides more glimpses into the plot of the film.  The images within the trailer evoke memories of Inception and this looks to be a mind-bending and visually compelling movie.  The DC Comic Extended Universe keeps trying to level the playing field but with Doctor Strange Marvel continues to up the ante.

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM

Production Company: Heyday Films/Warner Bros.

Release Date: November 18, 2016

Director: David Yates

Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Colin Farrell, Katherine Waterston, Jon Voight

RW Take: Yates, who directed the final four films of the Harry Potter franchise, returns to direct this spinoff tale from J.K. Rowling’s wizarding world. Set 70 years prior to the story of the Potter films, when witches and wizards lived a life of secrecy, Eddie Redmayne stars as Newt Scamander, a writer, who journeys to New York and mistakenly releases a clutch of magical creatures.  Those of us that yearn for more material from the Potterverse are eagerly waiting this movie!

KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD

Production Company: Village Roadshow Pictures/Warner Bros.

Release Date: March 24, 2017

Director: Guy Ritchie

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Jude Law, Djimon Hounsou, Astrid Bergés-Frisbey, Eric Bana

RW Take: British filmmaker Guy Ritchie takes a stab at the familiar tale of King Arthur and the sword from the stone, Excalibur.  The trailer promises sword fighting, sorcery and the same gritty look we have grown to expect from a Guy Ritchie film, breathing new life into the classic fantasy tale. Hunnam, of Sons of Anarchy fame, stars in the title role following Arthur’s path to the throne.