Why Him?
Co-written and directed by John Hamburg, Why Him? stars Bryan Cranston as an overprotective dad who doesn't think billionaire Laird (James Franko) is a good match for his daughter (Zoey Deutch).
Comedy trailers are some of the toughest to pull off. Context, pacing and timing are extremely important aspects of comedy and trailer edits don't always manage to capture them - and if they do, they can be accused of giving away the good jokes. So as a general rule, I try to think of any comedy trailer as not entirely representative of the movie itself- that being said, Why Him? looks awful. There isn't a single laugh to be found and the uninspired premise doesn't help either.
Why Him? is set for release on December 25, 2016.
Sully
Directed by Clint Eastwood from a screenplay by Todd Komarnicki, and starring Tom Hanks in the titular role, Sully is based on the true story of Captain “Sully” Sullenberger, who, on January 15, 2009, glided his disabled plane onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers aboard. It also stars Aaron Eckhart and Laura Linney.
It's impossible not to compare this movie to Robert Zemeckis's Flight, starring Denzel Washington, which is also about a pilot who pulls off an incredible emergency landing and is heralded as a hero, while a formal investigation questions the exact nature of the crash. Flight was a story about the pilot's struggle with alcoholism, while the trailer for Sully is more vague about the stakes, which isn't necessarily a problem. It's clear that the investigation puts a strain on Sully and his family, and with Hanks, Eckhart, Linney and Eastwood on board, this is certainly worth watching out for and will most likely be a pretty good movie. The trailer does a good job of outlining the plot and showcasing the film's talent.
Sully is set for release on September 9, 2016.
Trolls
Directed by Mike Mitchell and co-directed by Walt Dohrn, Trolls is based on the popular Troll dolls by Thomas Dam and is produced by Dreamworks Animation. Nine-time Grammy and four-time Emmy Award winner Justin Timberlake plays the troll Branch, while also serving as an executive producer and performing multiple songs on the soundtrack. Academy and Tony Award nominee Anna Kendrick also stars as Princess Poppy, with James Corden, Russel Brand and Gwen Stefani in supporting roles.
Trolls looks a like very visually imaginative animated movie that doesn't really push any narrative boundaries. It feels safe and familiar, with a celebrity cast to add star power. It doesn't look bad and it might even be pretty fun (there are a few laughs in the trailer), but it feels disposable.
Trolls is set for a release on November 4, 2016.
Morgan
Written by Seth W. Owen and directed by Ridley Scott’s son Luke Scott, Morgan is a sci-fi thriller starring Kate Mara, Anya Taylor-Joy, Toby Jones, Rose Leslie, Boyd Holbrook, Michelle Yeoh, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Paul Giamatti.
The first trailer for Morgan played up the mystery of the story, but ended up feeling too generic to really feel interesting. The second trailer opens up with more plot details, such as the nature of Morgan and some of her powers and abilities, but suffers from a lot of the same problems. Despite an ensemble cast, everything about Morgan so far looks and feels all too familiar. To be fair, generic material can be elevated by a lot of talent on board, and Morgan has that in spades, but it remains to be seen if it will be worth anyone's time.
Morgan is scheduled for release on September 2, 2016.
