An American Pickle
As I was watching this, I kept thinking to myself, “why does this look…really good?” So, I looked up who was behind it, and sure enough, it’s directed by Brandon Trost. It’s not a name people might immediately recognize, but basically he was the cinematographer for many of the films that Seth Rogen has written or produced recently like the two Neighbors films, The Interview, This Is The End, he also did Marielle Heller’s first two films. He’s always brought a more cinematic dynamic to genres that typically don’t have an inspired visual style. Simon Rich, the guy who wrote this not only wrote for SNL, but also wrote material for Pixar’s Inside Out, so I’m very interested in this. I can’t wait to check it out.
An American Pickle will be available to stream on HBO Max on August 6th.
She Dies Tomorrow
Looks cool to me! This is from Amy Seimetz, who is kind of an indie darling, she’s acted in numerous things, and directed for both films and TV. I’ve enjoyed her work quite a bit, and I’m glad to see her back as a filmmaker. I dig the concept, it’s simple, but provides a lot of opportunities to do interesting things, both thematically and tonally. I’m definitely intrigued.
She Dies Tomorrow hits select drive-in theaters on July 31st and VOD platforms on August 7th.
The One And Only Ivan
By the way, that whole “inspired by a true story” part is pure nonsense. It’s based on a seemingly well reviewed and award winning book which is only vaguely connected to a real gorilla named Ivan, whose life has very little in common with what happens in the book or the movie. I’m sure the book has fans, not sure why they went that route. I haven’t heard of it myself, but the film looks cute enough. I’m sure it will make me cry despite the CG animals. So far, the only Disney+ film of note is the wonderful Togo. I don’t see this being as good, but who knows, I’d love to be surprised.
The One And Only Ivan will be available to stream on Disney+ on August 14th.
The Kissing Booth 2
I haven’t seen the first one, it was one of those Netflix films that kind of came and went without any fanfare, and I can’t say I’ve heard many good things anyway, so I honestly don’t have much of an opinion on this. Looks fine, I guess. If you’re a fan of that first film, I hope it delivers what you wanted.
The Kissing Booth 2 will hit Netflix on July 24th.
Showbiz Kids
I need to catch up on Alex Winter’s work as a documentary filmmaker because he’s apparently done some pretty good work over the years. This looks really good, though I have a feeling it won’t necessarily dive deep into some of the more insidious elements of being a famous child in Hollywood. Still, I can see it providing some interesting insight, especially contrasting the former stars with the up-and-comers they’re also covering here.
Showbiz Kids will air on HBO on July 14th at 9 PM.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!