Trailer Talk: The Gray Man, Vengeance, and more!

The Gray Man

Look, I’m a firm believer that the Russo Brothers’ superhero flicks were at best, just kinda decent, and don’t really hold up to much scrutiny, either in the storytelling or the filmmaking, and Cherry was mostly trash. However, it seems like they’ve put a lot of their blank check powers to make…pretty standard action movies, which…is actually super cool with me. I liked Extraction, Mosul, and 21 Bridges, they were solid action movies, of the “kind they don’t make anymore” variety, and this is basically a bigger budget version of that kind, which I have mixed feelings on, but it looks good. I love the cast, and the action looks pretty good for the most part. I’m definitely curious about this.

The Gray Man hits select theaters on July 15th and Netflix on July 22nd.

Vengeance

This looks interesting, but I can see a project like this going either way. It’s hard to tell. There are some cool ideas being explored here, but since it’s B.J. Novak’s first film, it’s not easy to see where it could go. For the time being though, I’m sold. I like seeing Boyd Holbrook in a more lighthearted context, he’s easily the biggest highlight of the trailer for me. Issa Rae seems like she shot all her stuff in one day in a hotel room. And I’m not immediately convinced of whatever Ashton Kutcher is doing here. Still, I’m interested.

Vengeance hits theaters on July 29th.

Beast

This did not register as a studio movie to me at first, this looks like one of those cheap, indie productions, not to say that in a bad way. The Megan Fox movie, Rogue, which this reminded me of, was pretty cool, and this looks like it’s going to be in that similar, smaller scale vein. Which, again, is fine. Baltasar Kormákur has directed some solid stuff before, so I don’t doubt that he’ll make a sturdy, little film with this. Plus, you got Idris Elba and Sharlto Copley, so that’s cool.

Beast opens in theaters on August 19th.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

Boy, that title is a mouthful, but wow, what a trailer! Granted, it’s no “CAN’T FIGHT THE FRICTION!,” but it’s still a well assembled piece of promo, and the final shot is absolutely killer. Can’t wait to see that on the big screen. I love these movies, so I’m obviously very excited, and I didn’t realize we’re going into straight two-parter territory. I’m hoping this feels like a natural part of the storytelling, and not something they’re only doing to push box office revenue like Hollywood has done with some book adaptations. But either way, lots of cool stuff here, awesome stunts, can’t wait to see it.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One hits theaters on July 14th, 2023.

Three Thousand Years Of Longing

This is so not what I thought it would be based on what little I knew of this project, and I couldn’t be happier. George Miller is one of the all-time greats, and that he’s still kicking and making movies with this much energy and liveliness is awesome. This has such a cool, vibrant look to it, and I’m glad most of the creative team behind Fury Road is back for this. This is easily one of my most highly anticipated films of the year, and if the vibe of this teaser is of any indication, it might be one of the year’s biggest highlights.

Three Thousand Years Of Longing will be released in theaters on August 31st.

The Forgiven

This looks surprisingly somber for a John Michael McDonagh film. Not saying that it looks bad, quite the opposite actually, but it’s not the vibe I was expecting. Even Calvary had moments of levity. The fact that Vertical Entertainment is releasing this here has me a bit skeptical since that’s one of the “we’ll take what no one else will” indie distributors, sometimes they’ll put out something interesting like Capone, but otherwise, it’s usually nothing to write home about, I’m hoping this is one of the good ones, especially considering all the talent involved.

The Forgiven hits select theaters on July 1st.

Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!