Locked Down
I understand why some are iffy on movies being released about the pandemic while we’re still in it, but I think it’s only natural for artists to process this whole situation in a way that is in line with how they do things. This is more light than I would’ve expected, but it looks amusing enough. I like the cast, I like Doug Liman, I even like Steven Knight. I can’t say I’m expecting much from this, but I’ll check it out.
Locked Down hits HBO Max on January 14th.
The Reckoning
I generally like Neil Marshall a lot, and though I wasn’t that into his Hellboy film (apparently, his experience wasn’t anything to write home about either), I am curious to see how he tackles something closer to his roots. This looks absolutely cool. In a way, it seems like a fairly straightforward back-to-basics for him, but also utilizing everything he’s learned since his early work like The Descent or Dog Soldiers. This is one I’m definitely excited for.
The Reckoning opens in select theaters and VOD platforms on February 5th.
Run Hide Fight
I linked the JoBlo upload here because I didn’t want to screw up my YouTube recommendations by watching something from The Daily Wire. I was honestly intrigued by this when it was first announced. Sure, it’s not the most sensitive premise, but Die Hard in a school shooting was one of those ideas that I think could make for a compelling movie with some social commentary as well. But…I didn’t picture it to be as literal as this, with these shooters being portrayed as these highly organized guys with a plan who talk like 90s action movie villains. Plus, is this supposed to set her up as some kind of psychopath or something? As if she just needed to find an excuse to commit acts of violence? I don’t know, this just looks tacky and simplistic. And any desire to see this was pretty muche wiped away when I realized The Daily Wire would distribute it, and they are not getting any money from me, that’s for sure.
Run Hide Fight will be released on VOD platforms on January 15th.
PVT Chat
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this, and the trailer itself is quite interesting. Julia Fox was one of the highlights of Uncut Gems, so I’m curious to see where her career goes from here. I do know she’s going to be in Steven Soderbergh’s next film, so that’s exciting. As far as this goes, I don’t have much else to say, I’m not familiar with its filmmaker Ben Hozie, it keeps plot details to a minimum, so that’s about all I got. I hope it’s good.
PVT Chat opens in select theaters on February 5th before hitting VOD platforms on February 9th.
Lapsis
This certainly looks unique. It’s almost like a soft sci-fi take on the ideas explored in something like Ken Loach’s Sorry We Missed You. I like seeing lower budget sci-fi stuff, so this looks like it’ll be right up my alley. I also like the twinge of humor shown here. Class has been a pretty heavily explored subject in recent memory, and I think it’s cool to see filmmakers continue to explore relatable ideas like that in ways that are creative. I won’t keep my expectations too high, but this is something I’m intrigued by.
Lapsis opens in select virtual cinemas and VOD platforms on February 12th.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!