Challengers
This looks fantastic. I’m always going to be on board for whatever Luca Guadagnino does. His last film, Bones And All, was one of my favorites of last year and it was easily my favorite within his filmography. I’m quite struck by some of the cinematography choices here, there are some really adventurous angles and perspectives here. I’m very excited to say the least.
Challengers hits theaters on September 15th.
Kraven The Hunter
I don’t know about this. I like a lot of elements here, in theory. The cast, J.C. Chandor in the director’s chair, but…this isn’t inspiring a lot of confidence. And I don’t think an R-rating will be enough of an appeal to make this more interesting. From the lack of Spider-Man to the weird powers, making him seem more like an anti-hero than a villain, like they’ve done with Venom and Morbius, it just doesn’t look good. I’ll give it a chance, but I’m keeping expectations low.
Kraven The Hunter will be released in theaters on October 6th.
Afire
Christian Petzold is a very talented filmmaker, so anything he does is something that is worth my attention. This one’s certainly intriguing, even if it seems a lot more lowkey than some of his recent stuff. It feels smaller, more intimate. But I’m sold, it looks solid, and I don’t have any reason to doubt his ability to deliver.
Afire opens in select theaters on July 14th.
Klondike
It’s going to be really interesting to see the kind of art that is inspired by the current conflict between Ukraine and Russia, particularly in films. This trailer is quite evocative and even a bit ominous. I’m not familiar with any of the folks involved, but it’s definitely something I’d like to keep an eye on.
Klondike will be released in select theaters on August 4th.
The Unknown Country
I like the vibe we’re going with here. Very soulful, melancholic, humanist. I first caught on Lily Gladstone after seeing Certain Women, and she continues to be a highlight in everything I see her in. I can’t wait to see her in Killers Of The Flower Moon, but it’s also nice to see her lead a film before that one comes out. I’ll try to seek this one out.
The Unknown Country opens in select theaters on July 28th.
Heart Of Stone
So…I had no idea Alia Bhatt was gonna be a villain in a big Hollywood spy action movie, and that honestly has me pretty excited. I haven’t turned on Gal Gadot like a lot of folks have, I think she has an appealing presence not too dissimilar from what we had with someone like Schwarzenegger. I’m also intrigued by the idea of Tom Harper doing a big budget movie. I loved Wild Rose, and I’m hoping some of the good elements of that film are still able to shine through in a project like this. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Heart Of Stone hits Netflix on August 11th.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!