My Policeman
Looks solid. I guess this is going to be the year where we find out if Harry Styles has a real future in cinema. He was decent enough in Dunkirk, and I never felt like I was watching a pop star, beyond his good looks. This comes from Michael Grandage, who is known for his theater productions, he’s only directed one other feature, 2016’s Genius, which I haven’t seen. I feel like we’ve seen plenty of these period films about closeted people longing for one another, so I’m curious to see if this adds anything new to that kind of narrative.
My Policeman hits select theaters on October 21st before being available on Amazon Prime Video on November 4th.
Beauty
Strong trailer. Really strong. This is the fourth film from Andrew Dosunmu, and easily his biggest yet, his previous film, Where Is Kyra? kinda flew under the radar, and I haven’t seen his other films before that. I really should because this looks intriguing, and Kyra was pretty good as well. He has a background in photography that is pretty apparent, and makes for some striking imagery, which is clear here. I believe this is inspired by Whitney Houston, though I could be wrong. The only concern I have is Lena Waithe as the writer. She can be hit-or-miss, but I’m hoping the intimate nature of this suits her strengths.
Beauty hits Netflix on June 29th.
Persuasion
Another film from someone known for theater work, Carrie Cracknell, and I believe this is her feature debut. And in this case, you can kinda tell, it’s not even that it looks stage-y, it looks…kinda cheap. It’s like they rushed into these houses, and started filming. Nothing feels lived in, everything is so bright, and flat, and lacking in any interesting cinematic touches. Dakota Johnson, as well as most of this cast here, are obviously reliable, and I’m sure if the film is good, it’ll likely be because of them. Not one I’ll be looking forward to, but if you’re up for another Jane Austen adaptation, I hope you like this.
Persuasion will be released on Netflix on July 15th.
Alone Together
I think I’ve said before that I initially didn’t mind the idea of films addressing the pandemic, but had a big change of heart when the films that would address it were mostly trash. Obviously, there are exceptions, but whenever I see a rom-com or something in that vein, it all becomes very same-y. And this does look like a million other movies that have come out in the past year or so. I do appreciate its chill vibes, and I don’t doubt its authenticity, I’m sure Katie Holmes had some stuff she wanted to let out during lockdown, and for her to direct this, it’s interesting. I honestly don’t remember if I’ve seen her directorial debut, All We Had, or not, so can’t say what to expect on that front. I’m curious, but I’m not holding my breath.
Alone Together will open in select theaters on July 22nd before being available on VOD platforms on July 29th.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
I was today years old when I learned there was a musical based on Matilda, and that there was a film based on it coming out. Funnily enough, this is the third film today from someone in the theater world, though Matthew Warchus did direct Pride, which is genuinely fantastic, and honestly, this looks super cute with all the kids dancing and such. Though I don’t know if I’d say I’m excited to see this, but it’s one I do look forward to seeing. I mean, Tim Minchin doing the lyrics and Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull, yeah, sounds like a jolly good time.
Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical will be released on Netflix on December 2nd.
Brahmāstra
Thought I’d bring this up since some circles of the film community are getting more into Indian cinema after the majesty that is RRR. This is a Hindi language film, a proper Bollywood production, and apparently, the first in a trilogy that is being setup by Ayan Mukerji, who up until this point only directed two movies, both of which were fairly simple rom-coms and coming-of-age films. The visual effects here are shockingly good, and these are some really good actors that they brought aboard. This deals in Hindu mythology, which I don’t know a ton about, but it seems like it would be accessible enough as a fantasy action picture. I’m definitely intrigued by this, and there is quite a bit of hype around it, so if you want something to look forward to that isn’t the Indian remake of Forrest Gump, this seems interesting.
Brahmāstra will open in theaters on September 2nd.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!