Coming Attractions Thread 2015

[Mitch Henessey]

Honestly, at this point I'm not that fussed in finding out the answers anymore. For me, the series should have ended after the third installment and the answers should have come then. Dragging the series out for another slice of money pie has killed the momentum of the series.

You're not the only one, but that's what happens, when you have a film series that's constantly going around in circles with the storylines. As far as anticipation goes, morbid curiosity is as far as I'll go. And yeah, it's damn near impossible for a film series/franchise (especially horror) to go out on a high note. Saw and Insidious are the more recent examples (give it time, and The Conjuring will join that list soon enough), because they have to milk everything until there's no real chance of turning a sizable profit.

Also, something just hit me after watching the trailer again...okay we're supposed to tie up all the loose ends with Katie, Kristi, Toby, and the evil grandmother from the the third film, because The Ghost Dimension is supposed to be the big finale. And on top of that, they're introducing a new set of characters? Maybe I'm jumping the gun here, but it looks like we're headed for another clustered and ambiguous mess with the story (and the ending).

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Steve Jobs

Release Date: October 9, 2015

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Set backstage at three iconic product launches and ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac, Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to paint an intimate portrait of the brilliant man at its epicenter.

I didn't have a big problem with the movie, but Steve Jobs looks like a big upgrade, when you compare it to Jobs 2013 (an average and through the motions biopic) starring Ashton Kutcher.

Also, I sincerely hope Michael Fassbender knocks it out of the park with a great performance to earn another Oscar nomination. Jared Leto was outstanding in Dallas Buyers Club, but I still believe Fassbender delivered a better performance in 12 Years A Slave for Best Supporting Actor.

Legend

Release Date: October 2, 2015

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From Academy Award® winner Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential, Mystic River) comes the true story of the rise and fall of London’s most notorious gangsters, Reggie and Ron Kray, both portrayed by Tom Hardy in an amazing double performance. Legend is a classic crime thriller taking us into the secret history of the 1960s and the extraordinary events that secured the infamy of the Kray twins.

Tom Hardy playing dual roles in a crime thriller? Beyond pumped for this.

The Green Inferno

Release Date: September 25, 2015

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In The Green Inferno, a group of student activists travels to the Amazon to save the rain forest and soon discover that they are not alone, and that no good deed goes unpunished.

The Green Inferno was supposed to hit theaters back in 2014, but Open Road Films pulled it from their schedule, and now the film will finally receive a theatrical release through Blumhouse Productions, Universal Pictures, and High Top Releasing.

Knowing Roth, The Green Inferno will be a disgusting and vile gore fest.
I enjoy most of his films, but Eli Roth is really hit-and-miss as a director, with Hostel 2005 taking the stop for his best film. That, and Roth is developing a Rob Zombie-esque habit for casting his wife (Lorenza Izzo) in prominent roles for all of his films.

Final Girl

Release Date: Release Date: August 14, 2015 (limited)

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Every night, four boys trick a young, blonde girl into meeting them in the forest for a date. Later, they hunt and kill her. One night, Veronica (Breslin) is picked as their next victim. When the hunt begins, the boys soon realize that they messed with the wrong girl.

I never thought about this before, but if you stop in think about it, Final Girl could be a "breaking the fourth wall" horror/thriiler film with a devious (and bloody) twist. The final girl is a reoccurring theme/trope in horror films. The final girl is the final female protagonist, who escapes (i.e. Jaime Lee Curtis' Laurie Strode, Marilyn Burns as Sally in the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre film) the killer's (Voorhees, Myers, Leatherface, stc.) wrath as the sole survivor (nine times out of ten).

In Final Girl, you get the impression they're trying to turn the tables, so they can put a spin on the familiar trope with Abigail Breslin, as this lethal killing machine, who exterminates the bloodthristy (and insane) male antagonists.

With all that said, I'm just happy we're at a point, where Final Girl has a release date. The premise is loaded with potential, and Breslin has what it takes to deliver a good performance.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The Hateful Eight​

Release Date(s): December 25, 2015 (limited 70 mm film release/January 8, 2016 wide release​

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In post-Civil War Wyoming, John "The Hangman" Ruth (Russell) is escorting fugitive Daisy "The Prisoner" Domergue (Leigh) to Red Rock where the latter will face justice for murder. They encounter another bounty hunter named Major Marquis "The Bounty Hunter" Warren (Jackson) and Chris "The Sheriff" Mannix (Goggins). A blizzard forces the four to take shelter at a stagecoach passover called Minnie's Haberdashery where they encounter four more strangers; Bob "The Mexican" (Bichir), Oswaldo "The Little Man" Mobray (Roth), Joe "The Cow Puncher" Cage (Madsen), and General Sanford "Sandy" Smither (Dern), also known as "The Confederate". Through betrayal and deception, the eight strangers soon learn that they may not make it to Red Rock after all.

Usually, I'm foaming at the mouth for a Tarantino film, when the first trailer is released, because I'm a big fan, but I'm kind of worried about this one. Nothing in The Hateful Eight trailer really stands out to grab my attention. Sure, the cast looks good, but something is just off here, and I can't say I'm genuinely excited to see this.

Concussion

Release Date: December 25, 2015

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Will Smith stars in Concussion, a dramatic thriller based on the incredible true David vs. Goliath story of American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, the brilliant forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fought for the truth to be known. Omalu's emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.

It looks like Smith is going for another Oscar nomination. A decent enough trailer, and it'll be interesting to see if a correlation with real life events and social commentary without too much melodrama is enough for Smith to win the gold.

The Revenant

Release Date (s): December 25, 2015 (limited release)/January 8, 2016 wide release

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THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. THE REVENANT is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award® winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).

Hopefully, Inarritu will maintain the Birdman momentum here, and The Revenant could give Leo another good chance to finally win the Oscar for Best Actor.

By The Sea​

Release Date: November 13, 2015

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By the Sea follows an American writer named Roland (Pitt) and his wife, Vanessa (Jolie Pitt), who arrive in a tranquil and picturesque seaside resort in 1970s France, their marriage in apparent crisis. As they spend time with fellow travelers, including young newlyweds Lea (Laurent) and François (Poupaud), and village locals Michel (Arestrup) and Patrice (Bohringer), the couple begins to come to terms with unresolved issues in their own lives.

The trailer isn't bad, but at the same time, I don't see anything to get my hopes up for the movie. Also, Unbroken was definitely a step in the right direction, but I'm still not 100% sold on Jolie as a director.

Krampus​

Release Date: December 4, 2015​

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The film tells the story of young Max (Emjay Anthony), who turns his back on Christmas as his dysfunctional family comes together and comically clashes over the holidays. When they accidentally unleash the wrath of Krampus, all hell breaks loose and beloved holiday icons take on a monstrous life of their own. Now, the fractured family is forced to unite if they hope to survive.

I've been waiting on this trailer for a long time, because I LOVE Christmas horror, and Michael Dougherty's Trick 'r Treat is an excellent anthology horror film. Going by the trailer, it looks like Krampus will feature a good balance of horror and comedy, without the film being too silly, or Krampus running into a problem, where the movie is too serious to allow any room for fun.