The Maze Runner: Death Cure: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_9OSktlm6s
Juliana: This trailer is just…wow. I watched the last two Maze Runner movies back in 2014 and in 2015, but I have to admit that I wasn’t really looking forward to the third installment of the series. However, this trailer totally sells the movie for me. There’s so much going on: flashbacks from previous events, jam-packed action sequences, and even ominous background narration. This seems to lead to a great, killer finale, which might just be what the Maze Runner trilogy needed. The thing that most intrigues me is that the trailer doesn’t give much of a story. Half of the scenes feature the same train sequence, and the other half is split between old footage and anger-driven dialogue, the most striking perhaps being Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) screaming how “there is no cure.” It raises more questions than it answers: What’s in that train’s cargo? Is there really no cure? Why does Thomas have to choose between his friends and the rest of the world? I will definitely be watching the movie next year to seek answers.
Emily: If anything, the clips from the older movies will be effective in capturing the interest of those who are only somewhat familiar with the series, since the first book (and movie) is known more broadly than the rest. It also seems that the sense of familiarity is going to be the largest draw for this film, based on what this trailer provides: It’s the close of a story arc for those who have followed it. Personally, I have not followed this series with more than trivial interest, since I enjoyed the books back in middle school, and I can’t say that this trailer did anything more than remind me of that interest I once had.
Isle of Dogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dt__kig8PVU
Juliana: I had never heard about this movie before, but now I’m looking up cast lists, production release dates, and any synopsis I can get my hands on. It’s safe to say that I’m hooked. The movie carries two parallel, fascinating storylines. It’s set in a dystopian Japan, where dogs have been shipped out to an isolated island due to some illness. The trailer hints at possible conspiracies happening inside the government in multiple shots, and it left me both intrigued and puzzled as to what was actually going on. In the midst of all this conflict, we see a 12-year-old pilot embarking on a journey with five dogs to search for his own lost puppy, Spots. It’s a movie that is somehow adorable, funny, and captivating all at once. Combine all of that with the fact that many of the characters have familiar voices (the cast list includes Ghostbuster’s Bill Murray, Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston, and Jurassic Park’s Jeff Goldblum), and I think it results in an epic film that’s a must-watch.
Emily: I’m definitely intrigued by this. It seems like a spin on the inverse of the dog movies that we all watched as kids. Instead of an altruistic and loyal-yet-slow dog navigating his way through a human world to help his master, we see dogs as the local rulers, and a young boy struggling to navigate their world in search of the dog he loves. And, let’s be real: once someone crafts a movie at the incredible caliber of The Grand Budapest Hotel, you’re pretty much obligated to watch every film that that guy makes going forward. We all know that movies are an art form; experience suggests that the best art is often what strikes us as the strangest.
The Disaster Artist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMKX2tE5Luk
Juliana: If there’s one major highlight of this trailer, it’s James Franco’s performance. I had to watch the trailer twice to realize that he was playing the protagonist. The soundtrack is incredibly catchy, and it definitely looks like one of those serious movies that still have space for a couple of more humorous moments. I’m not familiar with the real life events that inspired it, but the story does carry this original element to it. Again, the acting is stupendous, and it looks like a movie worth watching.
Emily: The Room is a legend for how objectively terrible it is, and every legend warrants appreciation. By extension, legends tend to have fascinating histories that warrant as much, if not more appreciation than the part of the legend with which everyone is familiar. In an ironic twist, The Room has set the highest of standards for any movie about its creation, and I hope that The Disaster Artist reaches that bar. It’s safe to say that it’s going to be at the top of my viewing wishlist.
This post has been updated to reflect the removal of a contributor.
