Terminal – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18RqtFuaNe8
Juliana: I’m gonna be honest: I’m totally loving this movie’s dimly lit aesthetic. I have no idea what the plot is, but it looks like your typical spy/hitman movie, with loads of badass shots and weapons. And, somewhere in all of this, Margot Robbie is involved, with her full on Harley Quinn vibe (a shot of her in nurse-like clothes is a whole lot like the Joker’s scene in the Suicide Squad Comic-Con trailer). Not sure if it’ll make me rush to the movie theatre, but all that smoke and neon lights make this, at the bare minimum, one gorgeous film. Depending on reviews, I’ll probably give it a try and end up watching it.
Amy: Lately I’ve been a sucker for films with carefully coordinated color schemes, so the reds and greens of the first few quick shots were enough to reel me in. Couple that with femme fatale-esque Margot Robbie slicing open a pleading man lashed to a headboard and, in my opinion, you’ve got a start to a great trailer. I agree with Juliana: I’m a fan of this seedy, neon-noir vibe and I think the unique aesthetic has the potential to elevate a predictable storyline into something innovative and eye-catching. I did have to revert to an IMDb search to clarify Terminal’s plot, but any movie that boasts a scene wherein Robbie cheerily says “To imminent death” before clinking glasses with a scruffy Simon Pegg piques my interest no matter how much its central conceit eludes me.
The First Purge – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL29y0ah92w
Juliana: I never watched any of The Purge movies, but, from what I’m understanding, this one seems to serve as an origin story, explaining how the government came up with the idea of basically making any crime (including murder, as the trailer really wanted to point out) legal. Now, personally, I don’t really get why people’s first reaction to everything becoming legal is to murder a bunch of people instead of, you know, robbing a bank, but this is a horror movie, so I’ll let that fly. I mean, robbing a bank doesn’t give that many opportunities for bloodshed, which seems to be what this movie is mostly building itself on. I also don’t get how Marisa Tomei’s character, the one responsible for creating the Purge, didn’t think that this could go horribly wrong. I have some problems with the plot, and it doesn’t seem like the movie will fix any of them. The First Purge doesn’t look like the best horror movie out there, but, if you’re looking to watch a group find a way to miraculously survive a night of jump scares and sketchy government attacks, then this one surely won’t disappoint.
Amy: I have never seen a Purge movie and I doubt I ever will; I only suffer through horror if I feel like I must do so to maintain my self-given status as a person who knows things about movies. But there was a shot of some man’s throat being slashed in this one. Are they allowed to show that in a trailer?? With all the long knives and the masked people, I’d say this film would have me leaving the theatre to go see Incredible 2 in about ten minutes. Y’lan Noel of Insecure plays a dashing male lead, a fact that is almost reason enough for me to shell out the $14 to see the film in theatres. But for now, unless critics hail The First Purge as being another socially conscious horror in the vein of Get Out, I’ll stay home.
The Man Who Killed Don Quixote – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7u4sC26PA4
Juliana: So apparently people have been working in this movie since 1998? I’ve never read the source material, but I’m glad this movie finally came to light: I’m here for all the fantasy films whose worlds look as beautiful and as well-crafted as this one. Adam Driver and Jonathan Pryce form a great duo as the leads, and, although none of the trailer’s jokes are particularly funny, there’s a general “feel good” feeling on this film. If the writers managed to spin an unique story as awesome as the setting, it might be an interesting watch.
Amy: Adam Driver is in this movie, so that’s one point in its favor. Otherwise, I’m not sure The Man Who Killed Don Quixote captures my interest all too much: I’m not very clear on the storyline, and besides some too-quick shots of colorful set-pieces the trailer doesn’t showcase any element that has me counting down the days until the film’s release. Though that last slo-motion shot of the three men running towards the camera is strangely beautiful, the rest is largely forgettable.
This post has been updated to reflect the removal of a contributor.
