Consecration
I’m intrigued. I like the setup of the mystery, and I like that there seems to be a balance between the mystery solving angle and the supernatural horror angle, that’s a combination I find personally really fascinating, and it’s one that is rarely explored. I really like Jena Malone as a performer, and she doesn’t show up in a lot of things, so I’ll definitely be checking this out. I think the only other film from Christopher Smith that I’ve seen is The Banishing, which I don’t think was particularly great, but I’m willing to give this a shot.
Consecration hits select theaters on February 10th and VOD platforms on March 3rd.
Beau Is Afraid
So, I’ve made no bones about that fact that I haven’t adored Ari Aster’s Hereditary or Midsommar, I think they’re fine films, but ones that wear their influences on their sleeves so thoroughly that I don’t find much insightful or interesting out of what is shown to me. However, I do love Aster’s sense of humor, and whenever he leaned on that in his films, I would have a great time. And this looks like he’s making his own take on a roadtrip comedy of sorts, so I’m actually pretty excited for this. I’m looking forward to see something different from him, and if it’s anything close to the experience of his short film, The Strange Thing About the Johnsons, then we might have something really special.
Beau Is Afraid will open in theaters on April 21st.
A Lot Of Nothing
I want this to be good, but…I don’t know. I’m not quite clear on what the plan is here, hold the guy in the house, and then…what? What’s the goal? Get a confession? Kill him? Torture him? Make him learn the error of his ways? This could go in any number of directions, and unfortunately, most of those will make this end up really corny and cringey. Cause I’ve seen a lot of movies like this, and they all end up in this bland space where it leans to hard on exploitation and genre elements to craft something thoughtful, but it’s still too respectable and clean to allow itself to be entertaining despite the themes. I hope it turns out good, though.
A Lot Of Nothing will be released in select theaters and VOD platforms on February 3rd.
Linoleum
This looks very sweet. Although, I can’t help but shake the feeling that this trailer is hiding some kind of twist or something. Like, maybe the crash was real, and it was him, and the whole movie is a weird Jacob’s Ladder style hallucination before he dies. Even if I did just ruin it for myself, I might still check this out since out of all the recent comedians to take a dramatic turn, Jim Gaffigan is one I’ve found the most interesting. He does a good job tapping into something somber and melancholic, and it’s been effective in the few dramatic films I’ve seen him in. This is one I’ll keep an eye out for.
Linoleum hits select theaters on February 24th.
All Eyes Off Me
Can’t say I’m very familiar with the works of Hadas Ben Aroya, so don’t know what to expect from this. It does look fairly interesting as a look into the intimate look at young relationships. I don’t see a lot on this movie in terms of festival reviews and such, so not sure how to take that, maybe it didn’t have any big premiers, not entirely sure. But I think there’s something compelling here, so maybe I’ll check it out.
All Eyes Off Me opens in select theaters on January 20th.
Kompromat
I can’t seem to find much info about the “true story” that this is based on, odd considering how recent it seems to be, but I can’t say I would find a lot of it surprising if much of it turns out to be accurate. It definitely makes a strong premise for a thriller, and the word-of-mouth seems pretty solid. Jérôme Salle is not a filmmaker I have seen a lot of stuff from, but I like what I’m seeing here, it looks tense, well made, and could make for a really fun thrill ride.
Kompromat opens in select theaters and VOD platforms on January 27th.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!