Day Shift
Man, this looks like a lot of fun. The 87Eleven folks are behind this, as you saw from the John Wick name drop, which was pretty cool, so obviously the action is probably going to be great. I’m always up for movies directed by former stunt guys cause you know they’re gonna go all out, so yeah, this looks promising, and I can’t wait to check it out.
Day Shift hits Netflix on August 12th.
Orphan: First Kill
I kind of applaud the audacity of doing a prequel to a 2009 film with the same star, but you can only get away with that because Isabelle Fuhrman at 25 somehow looks exactly as she did when she was 12. For the most part, at least, I’m sure there’s a significant height difference that the filmmakers will have to account for. I really dug Orphan, I think Jaume Collet-Serra was able to make a tight and nasty ride out of some silly material. I don’t know how to feel about the guy behind The Boy movies helming this prequel. Plus, I’m not really liking that hazy look in the cinematography, reminds of whenever my glasses get something smudged on them. Aside from that, I have no idea how this could go, but I am curious.
Orphan: First Kill opens in select theaters, VOD platforms, and Paramount+ on August 19th.
Paradise Highway
I never would have expected Juliet Binoche of all people to star in a movie like this, the sort of disposable thrillers we get every few months, especially working alongside folks like Morgan Freeman and Frank Grillo, who aren’t strangers to these kinds of flicks. Not to say this looks bad or anything, it looks perfectly serviceable. The director, Anna Gutto, hasn’t done a ton of movies, so it’s hard to say, this could go either way. But if Binoche is involved, maybe there’s more to it than meets the eye.
Paradise Highway opens in select theaters and VOD platforms on July 29th.
Spin Me Round
I haven’t really liked anything directed by Jeff Baena, but I am digging the vibe of this trailer, especially towards the second half when it hinted at some greater mystery. Whatever it is, I hope it’s interesting. I do like the cast. Baena has brought great work out of his actors, especially Alison Brie in Horse Girl, which she also co-wrote with him as she does here. I was definitely amused at a few points, so I’ll be cautiously optimistic, and give this a shot.
Spin Me Round will be released in select theaters, VOD platforms, and AMC+ on August 19th.
Summering
This looks really nice. James Ponsoldt has made some films that I have really enjoyed, so his involvement here is definitely something that makes me more eager to see this, even if on the surface, it feels like a blatant attempt at making Stand By Me for girls, but sure, whatever, it looks cute. I hope he’s able to capture the vibe of young female friendship well considering he and his co-writer are both middle-aged dudes. Aside from The Circle, he hasn’t disappointed me too bad, so keeping my fingers crossed on this one, I tend to enjoy these kinds of movies.
Summering opens in select theaters on August 12th.
Purple Hearts
This looks fine, I guess. Apparently, Sofia Carson has this huge following from her Disney work. Shows you how out of touch I am. Anyways, the actual premise certainly has potential, even if you can get a basic idea of where things go. It all depends on how good that chemistry is, and it’s hard to fully grasp that from a trailer. Can’t say this is something I’m gonna be eager to see, as much as I like a good romance, but if the word is good, I’ll consider it.
Purple Hearts hits Netflix on July 29th.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!