New Trailers 24 | Cats, Jojo Rabbit and Top Gun: Maverick
New Trailers on HeadStuff is the place to catch up on all the latest teasers released in the world of Film and TV. Stephen Porzio tells you what’s hot.
Most Anticipated – Jojo Rabbit, Dir Taika Waititi
Thanks to San Diego Comic Con and various festival line-up announcements, many noteworthy trailers dropped in the last fortnight. However, the best of the bunch is Jojo Rabbit, New Zealand filmmaker Taiki Waititi’s follow-up to MCU highlight Thor: Ragnarok. Dubbed an ‘anti-hate satire’, the writer-director also stars in the WWII dark comedy-drama as Adolf Hitler. Well an imaginary friendly version of the Nazi leader who appears to lonely German boy Jojo (Roman Griffin Davis). The child’s blind nationalism is challenged when he discovers his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a young Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic.
Based on the novel Caging Skies by Christine Leunens, not only is the teaser very funny, but the film looks gorgeous – no doubt thanks to cinematographer Mihai Malaimare Jr (The Master). Just the fact that the Jewish-Maori Waititi wrote and directed a movie where he himself gets to make a mockery of Hitler would be enough to get Jojo Rabbit top of this list. But he also revitalised the following gem of a viral joke to promote his latest. Bravo.
Most Anticipated (Also) – Cats, Dir Tom Hooper
Does the new Cats look good? Absolutely not. The blend of human and feline features is nightmare fuel. The forced perspective stuff does not look consistent. The cats’ tails look like they originate from their owners’ butts.
That said, will I be seeing Cats? Hell yes! In an era of studio meddling and common denominator filmmaking, something as insane as this is rare. No matter what, this will be an interesting watch.
Plus, ‘Memories’ is kind of a banger…
3. Top Gun: Maverick, Dir Joseph Kosinski
Death defying stunts? Check.
A veteran character actor describing what a bad ass Tom Cruise’s character is? Check.
A solid if style over substance Hollywood filmmaker at the helm? Check.
Well, all the elements are in place for another late period Tom Cruise gem a la Edge of Tomorrow, Jack Reacher or possibly even the masterpiece that is Mission Impossible: Fallout.
4. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Dir Marielle Heller
An award-winning cynical journalist (Matthew Rhys) is assigned to write an Esquire profile piece on beloved television icon Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks). He subsequently has his perspective on life transformed after the encounter.
It’s slightly hacky post Bridge of Spies, Captain Phillips, Saving Mr Banks, Sully and The Post to cast Hanks as another pillar of American ideals. That said, the way the world is today, we all feel a bit like Matthew Rhys. Maybe we could use some Mr Rogers in our life. This looks wholesome.
5. Zombieland: Double Tap, Dir Ruben Fleischer
I wasn’t exactly crying out for a follow-up to the 2009 zom-com. While the original Zombieland was occasionally thrilling and often very funny, long-awaited sequels tend to be disappointing. Plus, director Ruben Fleischer (Gangster Squad, Venom) hasn’t really capitalised on his early promise.
Yet, watching Jim Jarmusch’s The Dead Don’t Die – a film which goes out of its way to remove any of the cathartic pleasure of the zombie sub-genre (though it has its defenders) – I was left strangely pining for Woody Harrelson’s twinky eating walking dead killing machine drifter. Alas, he’s now back in this teaser which raises a few chuckles.
6. Harriet, Dir Kasi Lemmons
Those who saw last year’s Bad Times at the El Royale and Widows know actress Cynthia Erivo scene stole in both. So, it’s great she’s now landed a plum leading part in this biopic on the life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman, who escaped slavery and led hundreds of enslaved people to freedom on the Underground Railroad.
While the drama will perhaps suffer from arriving after the similar 12 Years a Slave, Free State of Jones and The Birth of a Nation, the true-life story has an inherent power that would be hard to dull – least of all by a great cast including also Moonlight’s Janelle Monae,
7. The Witcher / Wu Assassins, Netflix
Netflix look like they want to follow in HBO and Game of Thrones‘ footsteps and get into the medieval fantasy sub-genre. As such, they have recruited Superman himself Henry Cavill to star in a TV adaptation of The Witcher book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, one which also inspired a whole host of popular games. This teaser – with its prophecies and deep lore – hits upon all the fantasy epic tropes while lacking something distinctive to separate it from the other GoT wannabes.
Personally, I’d take Iko Uwais kicking people in the head in a show called Wu Assassins over The Witcher any day.
8. His Dark Materials, BBC One, HBO / Snowpiercer, TBS
Meanwhile over on HBO, the network has already taken steps to recapture that GoT fanbase with this starry adaptation Philip Pullman’s trilogy of fantastic fantasy novels His Dark Materials – previously adapted into the flawed 2007 motion picture The Golden Compass. This already looks more in keeping with the darker tone of the source material and boasts an impressive cast including James McAvoy, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ruth Wilson as well as Logan’s Dafne Keen as young heroine Lyra.
Also, TBS’ long delayed TV take on the 2013 South Korean film Snowpiercer – itself an adaptation of a 1982 French graphic novel – is finally back on track. In a world where Earth has become a frozen waste land, humanity survives on a gigantic, perpetually moving train in which the rich live in the front carriages and the poor in the back. However, a class revolution is coming.
This looks strikingly similar to Bong Joon-ho’s thrilling sci-fi on which the series is based, so much so it might be considered derivative. That said, I love the weird world of Snowpiecer to such an extent – with the wealthy trying to maintain the illusion of normalcy despite their whole world being a few carriages of train – that I can’t wait to spend more time there.
