Megan
Amazing, 10 out of 10, no notes. What a silly looking movie, I can’t wait to see it. It looks like it’s the kind of movie that knows exactly what it’s doing, and it’s playing up those moments that you know are going to get a big reaction from the audience, even if it’s amusement. James Wan is really good with that kind of tone, so I can see his touches even as a producer with a story credit. It’s also worth noting this is the same writer as Malignant, which is delightfully bananas, and if that energy is here too, I can’t wait. It’s also directed by Gerard Johnstone, who did Housebound in 2014, which I remember liking quite a bit. A lot of potential here for a fun experience.
Megan hits theaters on January 13th, 2023.
Women Talking
Sarah Polley is a pretty tremendous talent, both in front of and behind the camera. I don’t think the trailer does much to set up what is going on, just some vague mentions about “attacks,” even if it does seem to touch on what the film is exploring thematically. I did end up looking up what the premise was, and uh, yeah, pretty heavy stuff, but also interesting to explore cinematically. I think it would have been a bit tough to get that across on a trailer without getting too deep in the nitty gritty. I’m definitely looking forward to this, it has an interesting look to it, it has something to say, and the cast is great.
Women Talking will be in select theaters on December 2nd before it starts expanding on December 25th.
Enola Holmes 2
The girl power element of the first Enola Holmes felt weirdly dated to me, but outside of that, I had a very good time with the film. Millie Bobby Brown is a great lead, the action is really rock solid, and it has a very jovial sense of fun and brevity to the whole thing. It’s easy to get swept up in, and by the looks of it, the sequel is more of that, which I think can be a good thing for something as simple as this. The whole cast and crew from the previous film are back, and it looks like it will continue that fun energy, so it’s definitely something I’ll be looking forward to.
Enola Holmes 2 will be released on Netflix on November 4th.
The Lair
Looks like Neil Marshall is going back to his roots here, I can kinda see some similarities with something like Dog Soldiers here. This will be his second collaboration with Charlotte Kirk, and I thought The Reckoning was pretty solid overall. I’ll definitely give this a chance, even though it does look a bit on the cheap side. I would like to hope that there’s more to it that just soldiers going to the bunker and getting killed by monsters.
The Lair opens in select theaters and VOD platforms on October 28th.
Spirited
I don’t know if the world is begging for another interpretation of A Christmas Carol, but I guess we’re getting one anyways. And from the minds behind mid-tier studio comedies like Daddy’s Home (both of them), Sex Drive, She’s Out Of My League, and Horrible Bosses 2, among others. The musical element is intriguing, I suppose, and I do like Ferrell and Reynolds, but I’ll have to wait and see how what the word-of-mouth on this is before I check it out.
Spirited opens in select theaters on November 11th before being available to stream on Apple TV+ on November 18th.
Bar Fight!
This looks amusing enough. The premise does feel like something you’d see in a sitcom, but I suppose if things are fleshed out well enough, it could sustain a feature. The cast looks pretty game, though it’s weird that the biggest name here – Rachel Bloom – is playing a supporting role. But whatever, I can see this being a pretty good time. I looked up the filmmaker behind this, Jim Mahoney, and apparently, he’s an actor, and also one of the writers of Klaus, which I loved. So, maybe there’s something more to this, so I’ll be keeping my eye out for this.
Bar Fight! Opens in select theaters and VOD platforms on November 11th.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!