Matthew Monagle
The First ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Trailer Is a Lurid Dystopian Dream
This past weekend, Paramount Pictures kicked off the publicity tour for its upcoming Ghost in the Shell adaptation with a global launch party in Tokyo. Cast and crew were on hand to talk about the film; exhibitions of the film’s art and costume designs were on display for those in attendance. For the rest of us, something even better was announce: the first theatrical trailer for Ghost in the Shell is here, and it is not exactly short on style.
‘Kong: Skull Island’ Teases Its Next Theatrical Trailer
I’m not really sure how I feel about the new Hollywood trend of teasing out your trailers. On the one hand, it kind of takes the fun out of the equation; one of the best parts of coming back from a long day of meetings or classes is seeing that a brand new Star Wars spot has been dropped in your absence. On the other hand, though, it’s a real boon for cultural writers like me. Rogue One hints online that their next trailer will be released during the Olympics? You better believe we’ll be ready.
There Are Whole Seconds of New Joker Footage in This ‘Suicide Squad’ TV Spot
Look, all things being equal, I really didn’t mind Jared Leto’s take on the Joker in Suicide Squad. Yes, the constant news items about what latest “crazy” thing he did to get in character were pretty annoying, and yes, the number of people who seem to think that Joker and Harley Quinn’s relationship is something to emulate is downright disturbing, but Leto seemed like a perfect fit for the gloomy and angst-ridden universe that Warner Bros. has created for its DC Comics characters. At another studio, he’d be woefully out of place. In this one? He’s fine.
Hope Is Still Alive in This New ‘Rogue One’ TV Spot
We’re just about a month away from Disney’s biggest gamble on the Star Wars universe. While odds are good that Rogue One: A Star Wars Story will do well at the box office — projects this big rarely fail to find their audience — there must be a little anxiety in the hearts of Star Wars fans and Disney executives alike. The studio has made some pretty big financial investments in their upcoming slate of standalone Star Wars stories; if Rogue One disappoints in its opening weekend, it could be seen as a shot across the bow of Disney’s future slate.
Aaron Eckhart Loses His Mind in the New ‘Incarnate’ Trailer
A few years ago, I worked with a college professor who said that the key to understanding creativity is to take two familiar things, combine them, and try to create some third new thing out of the process. That seems to be the idea behind Icarnate, Blumhouse Productions’ latest horror film. Take one part The Conjuring, one part The Cell, and sprinkle in a handful of familiar veteran actors, and what do you get? Hopefully a smart piece of counter-programming just in time for the the holidays.
Keanu Reeves Just Can’t Stay Retired in the ‘John Wick Chapter 2’ Teaser Trailer
These days it seems like every recognizable actor above the age of 50 is getting their own spin on the Taken franchise. As a result, not a lot of people batted an eye when it was announced that Keanu Reeves would be playing a retired contract killer in some mid-range action movie called John Wick. Imagine our collective surprise, then, when John Wick was not only not another Taken clone, but one of the best action movies of the decade. Fans were quick to clamor for another glimpse at the violent action and posh criminal underworld of the first film.
Crime Is a Family Business in the First ‘Trespass Against Us’ Trailer
Few actors seem to embody the one-for-you-one-for-me approach to the industry quite like Michael Fassbender. While no one doubts the man’s ability as an actor, his career increasingly seems to be split between blockbuster motion pictures — such as the X-Men franchise of the upcoming Assassin’s Creed — and smaller art films with directors and costars he seems to admire. It seems like a fair trade to me. If buying a movie ticket to X-Men: Days of Future Past meant I played a role in pairing Fassbender with Brendan Gleeson in the same movie, then I consider that to be money pretty well spent.
‘Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders’ Will Swing Into Theaters for One Night Only
Time is a flat circle. When Matthew McConaughey’s character spoke these words in True Detective’s first season, he probably didn’t have the Batman character in mind (although, maybe he did, there’s a lot about that show I didn’t quite understand). And yet, here we are, in the year 2016, and many people are legitimately as or even more excited for an animated Batman movie starring Adam West than they were for the blockbuster Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. What was once camp is now mainstream, and vice versa