Demonic
I feel like people have been really down on Neill Blomkamp, and while I don’t think he’s made a capital G great movie, I have enjoyed all his movies to varying degrees. Yes, even Chappie – I know, I never said I had the best taste in the world. I appreciate any filmmaker willing to take swings, that I’ve made clear plenty of times. Now, this is interesting because it’s Blomkamp going full indie since he kinda came from the studios right out the gate. He’s been releasing some short films through Oats Studios on YouTube, and I’ve dug a bunch of those, and I like what I see here. It definitely has the feel of one of his sci-fi films, but with a horror lens that I think could make for a fun time.
Demonic will open in select theaters and VOD platforms on August 30th.
Reminiscence
What’s this? A sci-fi film geared towards adults with a relatively sizable budget and movie stars that isn’t based on a pre-existing intellectual property, and one that’s written and directed by a female filmmaker to boot? Take my money, please! This looks really damn good, and I’m getting some distinct noir vibes, as if this is some kind of futuristic take on some long forgotten film noir from the 40s. It looks really cool, and the premise is interesting. I haven’t seen Westworld, so I wouldn’t know what Lisa Joy’s contributions to that show were like, though I hear it’s great. Anyway, this looks like it’ll be right up my alley. I can’t wait to see it.
Reminicence hits theaters and HBO Max for 31 days starting August 20th.
Infinite
Fun premise. I do generally like Antoine Fuqua’s work, especially as an action filmmaker, even if his films have a tendency to overstay their welcome. This looks really solid, and I like the cast assembled here. I know a lot of folks aren’t big on Mark Wahlberg these days, but when he’s good, he’s really good, and if this role allows him to have a sense of humor, I can see this being a really good time. Although, if I had to choose between the two Fuqua films coming out this year, I’m more excited for The Guilty, which should be coming to Netflix later this year.
Infinite hits Paramount Plus on June 10th.
Old
Yeah, this is definitely one I’m very excited for. Say what you will about M. Night Shyamalan, he’s a filmmaker that always swings for the fences, and he recent output are pretty great, at least, I thought they were. Glass, especially, has grown on me quite a bit since I first saw it. I believe this is his first non-Avatar related film that is based on a previously released source material, so I feel like he will be perhaps just restrained enough to not go too far with the story, we’ll see. Now, I haven’t read the graphic novel this is based on, but the premise is really interesting and terrifying, so I’m hoping this is another win for Shyamalan.
Old hits theaters on July 23rd.
Gaia
Looks neat. I bet this would make an interesting double feature with Ben Wheatley’s film, In The Earth. They look a bit similar, except this seems to have a more overt supernatural element, which is fine with me. It looks tense, the cinematography is interesting, and it’s got a compelling atmosphere. The word-of-mouth on this seems pretty good, and South African cinema, especially in the genre space, has been making its mark over the past few years. I can’t wait to check this out.
Gaia opens in select theaters on June 18th and VOD platforms on June 25th.
America: The Motion Picture
I remember some time ago, Zack Snyder said he had an idea for a George Washington movie that took the mythic style of something like 300, and this feels like someone took that, and made the parody version. I don’t know, I just don’t see what the point of this is. It’s one joke, and maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if this actually was subversive. I feel like many ignorant Americans see the Founding Fathers in a manner that isn’t too far off from this because so much of the history that’s taught to us in schools is already somewhat revisionist and superficial, so these filmmakers and celebrities coming together to do just that, but slightly cheekier but with no sense of satire doesn’t really offer anything appealing to me. Obviously, if it’s funny, then none of my concerns will matter, but this trailer didn’t make me laugh. It just seems basic and uninteresting. Phil Lord and Chris Miller being producers is certainly one thing that prevents me from writing this off completely, and like with anything, I’ll give it a fair shot. I just hope the movie is better than this trailer.
America: The Motion Picture hits Netflix on June 30th.