Welcome to the Weekly Trailer Roundup, where we count down the top five trailers released in the past week, “top” being defined any way we want to at the moment…exciting, ridiculous, best, worst…
These are the trailers that, for one reason or another, you should be paying attention to.
After last week’s Star Wars/Jurassic World double-whammy, this week’s batch of trailers was bound to feel like a bit of a letdown. We’ve got one notable headliner and an assortment of other odds and ends. As we head into the year’s final month, the big awards movies have all debuted their trailers weeks ago, and what we’re left with are the under-the-radar movies that will debut early next year – generally thought of as a bit of a graveyard for cinema.
#5 – What We Do in the Shadows
And speaking of graveyards . . . New Zealand comic – and one half of the beloved Flight of the Conchords duo – Jemaine Clement teams up in front of and behind the camera this time with his Eagle vs. Shark director Taika White for a new comedy about four vampires sharing a house. Though amusing, the trailer leads us to think this probably won’t be the movie that leads to breakout success for Clement or White.
#4- Black or White
Distributor Relativty Media is giving Black or White an Oscar-qualifying run this month, though judging from this trailer, outside of its two appealing leads this looks like it could have easily been a Hallmark Hall of Fame movie.
#3 – Killers
You’re either a fan of the extreme crime/horror genre coming out of Japan in recent years, or you’re not. If you are, this one looks like it could be worth a look as sort of a poor man’s I Saw the Devil.
#2 – While We’re Young
Not unlike the aforementioned Japanese crime/horror genre, you’re either a fan of Noah Baumbach’s sharp, somewhat acerbic, low-key comedies, or you’re not. After turning off even some of his most ardent supporters with 2010’s ultra acidic Greenberg, Baumbach won them and a whole new audience back with 2012’s delightful Frances Ha. Greenberg star Stiller is back, though tonally this looks it could be a nice happy medium between the director’s last two films.
#1 – Terminator: Genisys
In addition to being a huge fan of the first two Terminator movies, I consider myself well-versed in the Terminator universe. I know my T-1000s from my T-800s. But even after watching this trailer multiple times, I can’t even begin to make sense of the plot and how it figures into the series’ overall storyline. Not quite a prequel, not a sequel, and not a full reboot, let’s just hope this is at least fun – something the last entry in the franchise certainly wasn’t.
And the rest of this week’s trailers:
Search Party International Trailer
Russell Madness Official Trailer #1
Monkey Kingdom Official Trailer #1
A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness Official Trailer #1