New Trailers 20 | Spider-Man, The Lodge and Watchmen
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 – The Lodge, Dir Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala
Hold the Dark’s Riley Keough plays a woman with a troubled past who winds up taking care of her fiancee’s children in a remote holiday village. The kids – including It star Jaeden Martell – do not take warmly to her. Stuck together, strange and frightening events begin to occur.
From the Austrian duo who cooked up some nightmare fuel with their flawed if oft fantastic 2014 chiller Goodnight Mommy, The Lodge seems to build on Franz and Fiala’s debut’s ingredients. Both are films where sinister children and perhaps even more sinister adults are trapped together, driving themselves crazy. The Lodge, however, adds a harsh wintry setting, back-stories involving suicidal cults and the always striking Keough. This could be horror of the year material.
2. The Farewell – Dir Lulu Wang
Earning raves out of Sundance this year, The Farewell stars Ocean’s 8’s Awkwafina. She plays Billi, a Chinese-American woman who returns to China at the behest of her parents. The reason is that her grandmother is terminally ill with cancer. The entire family – with objections from Billi – choose not to tell the matriarch the diagnosis.
The Farewell is based on a real life experience from writer-director Lulu Wang. As such, this trailer feels very delicate and emotional. The teaser suggests the film will probe the differences between two distinct cultures, focusing on the struggle immigrants caught between them face. It will be fascinating to see Awkwafina in such a weighty role after excelling in lighter material.
3. Spider-Man: Far From Home, Dir Jon Watts / 21 Bridges, Dir Brian Kirk / Legion Series 3, FX
Due to an overabundance of trailers this fortnight, I have decided to group these three due to their Marvel connection. First up is the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming.
We already covered some early teasers for Far From Home. However, the latest answers a lingering question MCU fans had regarding when the movie took place in relation to Avengers: Endgame. That said, it also leaves us with other questions. Previously, it was believed Jake Gyllenhaal was to play famous villain Mysterio. Yet while his character bears the same name, here he seems to be a hero from another dimension assisting Spidey and Nick Fury. Given Mysterio’s comic book reputation as a trickster, there’s probably more to this character than meets the eye.
Keeping with the Marvel superhero theme is Noah Hawley’s psychedelic series Legion. Inspired by X-Men comics, the formerly Fox owned show now belongs to Disney. It centres on Dan Stevens’ titular character, a man believed to be schizophrenic who learns he is actually a powerful mutant with powers similar to the franchise’s Professor Xavier. This teaser for the final series looks fabulously trippy. It basically dares audiences who haven’t seen the show already to catch up.
There’s also Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo’s next project, gritty crime thriller 21 Bridges, for which they penned the script. Black Panther himself Chadwick Boseman stars. He plays a cop investigating a series of police officers’ deaths in Manhattan, the murders part of some mysterious bigger plan. Boseman looks commanding as always. Perhaps he can elevate this seemingly solid but generic thriller into something more interesting.
4. Succession Series 2 / The Righteous Gemstones / Watchmen, HBO
HBO have released a handful of trailers. Perhaps most notable is the brief but very effective teaser for The Leftovers creator Damon Lindelof’s adaptation/re-imagining of classic Alan Moore graphic novel Watchmen. Set in a world where superheroes are outlawed and after the source material and movie adaptation ended, this teaser suggests an army of vigilantes – inspired by deceased anti-hero Rorschach (the lead character of Moore’s novel) – launch a war with police. The trailer’s repeated use of tick-tocks seems to also suggest a countdown to a catastrophic event. Who watches the Watchmen series? I will be.
The network’s comedies also look strong. HBO’s terrific series Succession is returning for a second season. Focusing on the family of a media mogul (Brian Cox), it’s a pitch-black show about wealthy jerks that manages to find drama and empathy by exploring why its characters’ riches have made them so horrible.
Meanwhile, after Eastbound & Down and Vice Principals, Danny McBride returns to HBO with hilarious looking new series The Righteous Gemstones. A satirical look at Christian televangelists, it also stars John Goodman and Adam DeVine.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ov6Kji-1P4
5. Dark Series 2 / Easy Series 3, Netflix
Two polar opposite yet equally underseen Netflix shows released new trailers. The atmospheric German mystery sci-fi series Dark – which made a slight stir with its first season in 2017 – returns June 21. Focusing on a town in which children have been stolen through time for nefarious purposes, this sophomore batch of episodes follows in the wake of last series’ game-changing cliff-hanger.
On the other end of the spectrum is Easy, Joe Swanberg’s light comedy anthology series focusing each season on the same group of Chicagoans. Frequently charming and often astute in its exploration of relationships, its third season – out May 10 – will be its last.
6. Gemini Man, Dir Ang Lee
The latest in the continuously odd career of director Ang Lee, this sci-fi thriller centres on a young man (Will Smith) tasked with killing an older version of himself (also Smith).
It’s good seeing Lee return to the action genre for the first time since Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Case in point, this teaser has not one but two scenes where a motorbike is used as a weapon. Also, contrary to others online, I believe the de-aging of Will Smith looks pretty great.
7. Sonic the Hedgehog, Dir Jeff Fowler
This, on the other hand, does not look good. Sonic is taking a swim in the uncanny valley. The story looks ridiculous. The use of Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ is very odd. But, in the same way as I want more of Tom Hardy in Venom, I need to see a movie of Jim Carrey as Dr. Eggman. If that means catching this strange video game adaptation in cinemas, so be it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvvZaBf9QQI
