The Son
I enjoyed The Father a lot. Well, I guess “enjoyed” is a weird way to put it, but I really thought it was a spectacular film, one that utilized the form to an incredible extent, exploring the mind of an aging man in a way that could only fully work in cinema. It doesn’t seem like there’s any literal connection between these two movies, though maybe a thematic one about the connections we forge between the ones we love or loved. There’s definitely a strong collection of actors here, and as a teaser, it does have me intrigued. This was already one I was looking forward to, so this just confirms that.
The Son opens in select theaters on November 11th.
Nanny
I think I recall hearing about this when it was premiering at Sundance, though I honestly don’t recall what the general critical consensus was, though it is a jury winner, so I assume it was good. As far as the trailer goes, I’m sold on it. It looks interesting, and I’m curious if the 1965 film, Black Girl, was of any influence on this story since there are a couple similarities, though this one certainly looks like it will steer closer to genre territory. Yeah, I’m excited to check this one out.
Nanny opens in theaters on November 23rd before hitting Amazon Prime Video on December 16th.
White Noise
Here’s another teaser for a fairly well anticipated film this fall. I generally like Noah Baumbach, even though not all his films are winners for me, I tend to prefer his goofier stuff than the more straightforward dramas, which…I’m not sure if this is or not, the trailer makes this look very action-y, in that 80s Amblin sorta way. I’m not familiar with the book, so I don’t know what the big idea behind this is. But I’m definitely curious. I’m also wondering how they hell they managed to make Adam Driver look like a slightly chubbier Steve Coogan. Consider me intrigued.
White Noise is set to open in select theaters on November 25th before being available to stream on Netflix on December 30th.
On The Come Up
This looks cool! I like Sanaa Lathan a lot as a performer, and I’m excited to see that she’s going to make her directorial debut here. I believe this is based on a book by the author of The Hate U Give, though I don’t know if they are connected in any way. For a film set in such a gritty environment, it all looks a bit too slick and clean, that’s my only gripe, but everything else looks solid. It looks straightforward and familiar, but if done well, it could be a really effective experience.
On The Come Up will premiere on Paramount+ on September 23rd.
Grand Jeté
Huh. Alright, sure, you can make an interesting movie about anything. A mother enters the life of her estranged son and forms a potentially romantic and/or sexual relationship. Weird. Doesn’t sound like a fun time. But I can see a compelling story being told with that setup. I haven’t seen any of Isabelle Stever’s films, though skimming through her IMDb, it seems like a lot of them revolve around people in relationships that perhaps aren’t the best for them. Can’t say I’ll hold my breath for this, but I’ll keep an eye out for it.
Grand Jeté will hit select theaters on September 20th before hitting VOD platforms on October 25th.
Empire Of Light
So, is this gonna win Best Picture? I don’t think there’s a front-runner yet, at least not until we hear something about the new Spielberg, but this feels like such a “give me an Oscar” movie if I’ve ever seen one. Not to say it looks bad, but that was the immediate impression. I do like Sam Mendes, and as much as I make fun, I love it when filmmakers pay tribute to filmmaking. I love it. And it wouldn’t surprise me if I ended up loving this. It’s a nice teaser. Fingers crossed that it’s good.
Empire Of Light hits theaters on December 3rd.
Thoughts on any of the trailers? Feel free to discuss in the comments!