The Lost City of Z
Based on author David Grann’s non-fiction bestseller, The Lost City of Z tells the incredible true story of British explorer Percy Fawcett (Charlie Hunnam), who journeys into the Amazon at the dawn of the 20th century and discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region.
There isn't a lot to go on in this minute long teaser. The main takeaways are that the production values look solid and what little we see of the performances seem fine. It's not a bad first impression, but as of right now there's little to really catch the attention of anyone unfamiliar with either the book or the story The Lost City of Z is based on.
The Lost City of Z is set for a limited release in Los Angeles and New York on April 14, 2017 and a wide release on April 21.
A Cure for Wellness
Directed by Gore Verbinski and scripted by Justin Haythe, A Cure for Wellness stars Dane DeHaan as an ambitious young executive who is sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from an idyllic but mysterious “wellness center” at a remote location in the Swiss Alps. He soon suspects that the spa’s miraculous treatments are not what they seem. When he begins to unravel its terrifying secrets, his sanity is tested, as he finds himself diagnosed with the same curious illness that keeps all the guests here longing for the cure.
The second A Cure for Wellness trailer gives us more plot details and doubles down on the strange and downright unsettling visuals. This looks like a solid, creatively disturbing movie. A possible downside is the hint of a "is the main character insane" kind of plot, which if mishandled, could make a movie unnecessarily confusing or convoluted - but apart from that, this seems like one to look out for in the coming year.
A Cure for Wellness is scheduled for a February 17, 2017 release.
John Wick: Chapter 2
Star Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski return for John Wick: Chapter 2, the sequel to the 2014 hit action movie, John Wick. In Chapter 2, the legendary assassin travels to Rome and once again finds himself returning to his old ways, despite his retirement.
The second trailer for John Wick: Chapter Two gives us a better idea of the plot, as apparently there's an international contract for a hit on Wick, which is most likely what prompts him to go to Rome. The real takeaway is a better look at the movie's action scenes - John Wick is as accurate and deadly as ever, and everything about the action seems to be building on what made the original so great and memorable. The shot of the crowd stopping to stare at John Wick is both cool and a cute callback to The Matrix.
John Wick: Chapter 2 is set for a February 10, 2017 release.
Blade Runner 2049
Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Arrival, Sicario), Blade Runner 2049 is set thirty years after the events of the first film. A new blade runner, LAPD Officer K (Ryan Gosling), unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. K’s discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who has been missing for 30 years.
Blade Runner 2049 is easily one of my most anticipate movies of 2017 and if the first teaser is any indication, it's destined to knock it out of the park. You'd be hard-pressed to find a better team to be working on the sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic, what with Villeneuve directing, Roger Deakins on cinematography, Harrison Ford reprising the role of Rick Deckard alongside new lead Ryan Gosling and Ridley Scott serving as executive producer. It's a gorgeous trailer that shows a strong reverence to the original, both visually and in terms of its musical cues and it makes exactly the right kind of first impression considering how many fans of the original are probably skeptical about the very idea of a sequel.
Blade Runner 2049 is scheduled for October 6, 2017 release.
Patriots Day
Directed by Peter Berg (Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon), Patriots Day is a dramatization of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings starring Mark Wahlberg, Kevin Bacon, John Goodman, J.K. Simmons and Michelle Monaghan.
Having already made the rounds at some festival and in limited release, Patriots Day already has more than a few reviews, the majority of which are positive, and the trailer does a solid job of selling as the movie as an inspirational tale of courage and strength in the face of adversity, juxtaposing the A-list cast with the actual people they're playing in the movie - but it's important to keep in mind that movies based on true stories are tricky, especially ones that concern events as recent as the Boston Marathon bombings. There's a danger of exploiting or oversimplifying the tragedy, something which has been brought up in several reviews.
Patriots Day is set for a wide release on January 13, 2017.
