Civil War
Well, I’ll say this, it definitely isn’t holding back on the premise, it’s going all in, and it looks like Alex Garland was able to get the budget he needed to really showcase the scope of this. I feel like I’d be more excited if it wasn’t for Men, which…I guess I can see why it may have its defenders, but it really didn’t work for me. But if he’s going to lean more on an exploitation angle with this as opposed to “heady,” then we might have something cool here. I’ll keep an open mind, Garland has certainly earned that.
Civil War opens in theaters on April 26th, 2024.
Miller’s Girl
Burst out laughing at the “this has complex themes” card at the end. Incredible. This doesn’t look bad by any means, but I can’t help but imagine the early 90s version of this same movie being much more sleazier and much more fun, this looks really dour. I don’t know anything about Jade Bartlett, this is her first movie, so I don’t know what to expect, but the cast is strong here. And that thing at the end aside, I’m always into seeing American films explore touchy and dark subject matter head on. Let’s see if it pans out.
Miller’s Girl hits theaters on January 26th, 2024.
Kung Fu Panda 4
Looks fun. I kinda wish they had literally anyone else except Awkwafina, but hey, what are you gonna do? These movies have always been fantastic, and I really love the care and attention that they put not only to the animation, but the fight sequences. There’s a clear reverence to martial arts movies that shines through, so I’m hoping for more of that here. Not much else to say, I’m sure it will be quite good.
Kung Fu Panda 4 hits theaters on March 8th, 2024.
Good Grief
Almost didn’t recognize Ruth Negga, I feel like it’s been forever since I’ve seen her in something, probably since Passing. This looks solid. It’s Dan Levy’s directorial debut, so like a lot of movies directed by actors for the first time, it’s a very intimate, performance forward kind of movie. Looks pretty affecting, if a touch heavy handed, but that could just be the trailer. I might check this out.
Good Grief opens in select theaters on December 29th before streaming exclusively on Netflix starting January 5th, 2024.
Mayhem!
Not to be confused with Joe Lynch’s Mayhem. I haven’t seen any of Xavier Gens’ work outside of the few episode of Gangs Of London that he did, but man, this trailer has me hyped. This looks fun and brutal and the choreography looks fantastic. Interesting choice for IFC Films. I don’t have a lot to add here, it looks great, and I’m hoping between stuff like this and the Indian movie Kill, that 2024 is shaping up to be a good year for action films.
Mayhem will be released in select theaters and VOD platforms on January 5th, 2024.
The Monk And The Gun
Looks very interesting. Bhutan cinema is definitely something I’m not very familiar with, and I’d love to dive more into their art and culture since I know so little about it. There’s some interesting themes at work for sure, and it shows all this in a almost documentary type fashion. I don’t know, I just think it looks fascinating. I’ll be keeping an eye out for sure.
The Monk And The Gun opens in select theaters on February 2nd, 2024.
Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell
Decent enough trailer, I can certainly understand the notion of the intersection of grief and faith that they seem to be exploring here. And with the Vietnamese background, it will add a unique perspective that we don’t often see, and it’s something I’m always curious about. Seems to be more on the quiet and meditative side of things, which is fine with me, but I can see this being a hard sell for most.
Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell will be released in select theaters on January 19th, 2024.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!