This Week in Movie Trailers

A slew of movies from every corner of the cinematic hemisphere have debuted new trailers within the last week. Let’s do ourselves a round-up and catch up on what’s soon to be playing at a theater near you.

ANNABELLE: CREATION

Sequel to successful horror concoction Annabelle (2014) from Lights Out director David F. Sandberg. The official synopsis reads: “In Annabelle: Creation, several years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, soon becoming the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.” Stephanie Sigman, Talitha Bateman, Lulu Wilson, Philippa Coulthard, Anthony LaPagilia and Miranda Otto star. Annabelle: Creation hits theaters on August 11th.

THE BOOK OF HENRY

Jurassic World (and soon-to-be Star Wars) director Colin Trevorrow departs the land of blockbusters for this more intimately scaled domestic thriller starring Naomi Watts as the matriarch of the Carpenter family. Room breakout Jacob Tremblay and Jaeden Lieberher (Midnight Special) play her intuitive sons, but not all is as it appears. Gregg Hurwitz wrote the screenplay; Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back), Lee Pace (A Single Man) and Dean Norris (Breaking Bad) co-star. The Book of Henry opens, beginning in limited release, on June 16th.

A GHOST STORY

This chilling new feature – which made its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and will come to screens courtesy of A24 Films – reunites the featured players from the 2013 acclaimed arthouse outlaw film Ain’t Them Bodies Saints – director David Lowery and actors Casey Affleck (now Oscar-ed) and Rooney Mara. Pitched as an unconventional spooker focusing on a woman mourning the passing of her husband as a white-sheeted spirit pays a visit. A Ghost Story opens on July 7th.

AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER

In a rare documentary sequel, former Vice President Al Gore is back to shed a deeper light over the real dangers of climate change, especially those sharpened given the current, quite contentious politics of the moment. This feature – which debuted at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival – follows An Inconvenient Truth (2006), which earned nearly $50 million at the worldwide box office and took home two Academy Awards, including Best Documentary Feature. The film opens in theaters on July 28th.

IT

Bill Skarsgård (Hemlock Grove) makes a chilling impression as Pennywise, the iconic Big Bad clown at the center of Stephen King’s horror classic. Director Andrés Muschietti (Mama) offers a new take of the staple which follows the mysterious disappearance of young children and the ultimate clash with biggest, baddest clown. IT aims to frighten a new generation beginning on September 8th.

KING ARTHUR: LEGEND OF THE SWORD

Warner Bros. served up the final trailer for their upcoming swashbuckler King Arthur: Legend of the Sword from director Guy Ritchie. Charlie Hunnam takes the title role in this revisionist take on the immortal Excalibur legend, exploring Arthur’s journey from rags to riches. The ensemble cast includes Astrid Bergès-Frisbey, Djimon Hounsou, Aidan Gillen, Eric Bana and Jude Law. The film opens in theaters on May 12th.

SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING

Sony made waves this past week with the second trailer for the highly anticipated Spider-Man: Homecoming. The latest re-imaging of the venerable Marvel creation (third so far for the big screen) casts rising actor Tom Holland as Peter Parker – who made his webslinging debut to much fanfare and acclaim in last summer’s Captain America: Civil War. As Peter juggles the responsibilities of superherodom – as well as the guidance of Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), a clear and present danger comes out in the form of the Vulture (Michael Keaton). Spider-Man: Homecoming swings into theaters on July 7th.

VALERIAN AND THE CITY OF A THOUSAND PLANETS

Visionary filmmaker Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) offers a new space opera based on the inventive comic book series of the same name. “A dark force threatens Alpha, a vast metropolis and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operatives Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) must race to identify the marauding menace and safeguard not just Alpha, but the future of the universe.” Clive Owen, Ethan Hawke and Rihanna co-star. Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets hopes to wow on the big screen starting on July 21nd.

WAR FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES

Caesar is back for the third installment of Fox’s mega-successful and critically admired reboot of the venerable Planet of the Apes franchise. Here,””Caesar and his apes are forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses, Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future of the planet.” Mo-cap king Andy Serkis returns with newfound human counterparts Woody Harrelson and Steve Zahn; Matt Reeves is back in the director’s chair. War For the Planet of the Apes hits theaters on July 14th.

WAR MACHINE

Netflix dropped the official trailer for War Machine, the latest feature from director David Michôd (Animal Kingdom). The war drama features an eclectic ensemble cast that includes Brad Pitt, Joey Magaro, Emory Cohen, Topher Grace, Will Poulter, LaKeith Stanfield, Scoot McNairy and Oscar winners Ben Kingsley and Tilda Swinton. Based on the book by Michael Hastings (adapted by Michôd), “this absurdist story recreates a U.S. General’s roller-coaster rise and fall as part reality, part savage parody – raising the specter of just where the line between them lies today. His is an exploration of a born leader’s ultra-confident march right into the dark heart of folly. At the story’s core is Brad Pitt’s sly take on a successful, charismatic four-star general who leapt in like a rock star to command NATO forces in Afghanistan, only to be taken down by a journalist’s no-holds-barred exposé.” War Machine will be made available for streaming beginning on May 26th.

James Tisch: Managing Editor, mxdwn Movies || Writer. Procrastinator. Film Lover. Sparked by the power of the movies (the films of Alfred Hitchcock served as a pivotal gateway drug during childhood), James began ruminating and essaying the cinema at a young age and forged forward as a young blogger, contributor and eventual editor for mxdwn Movies. Outside of mxdwn, James served as a film programmer for one of the busiest theaters in the greater Los Angeles area and frequently works on the local film festival circuit. He resides in Los Angeles. james@mxdwn.com
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