Trailer Round-Up – May 7, 2017

Dunkirk Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk is a war movie about the evacuation of allied soldiers from Britain, Belgium and France that were surrounded by the German army on the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940. The cast is made up of mostly young or relatively unknown actors, such as Fionn Whitehead, Jack Lowden, Aneurin Barnard, and One Direction singer/songwriter Harry Styles, that will work alongside more experienced actors like Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, Cillian Murphy, James D’Arcy and Tom Hardy. The second trailer for Dunkirk is just as great as the first. It relies on a lot of the same tricks, but offers more plot and character details, and shows off the scale and high dramatic stakes. It feels epic and sweeping, as well as urgent and captivating. If that wasn't enough, Nolan's credentials and the long list of recognizable names in the cast seal the deal. Dunkirk is set for a 21 July, 2017 release. The Dark Tower There are other worlds than these. Stephen King’s The Dark Tower, the ambitious and expansive story from one of the world’s most celebrated authors, makes its launch to the big screen. The last Gunslinger, Roland Deschain (Idris Elba), has been locked in an eternal battle with Walter O’Dim, also known as the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey), determined to prevent him from toppling the Dark Tower, which holds the universe together. With the fate of the worlds at stake, good and evil will collide in the ultimate battle as only Roland can defend the Tower from the Man in Black. This is a long, plot-heavy trailer for another blockbuster that appears to end with a "blue light in the sky" climax, but it's surprisingly effective. I'm not familiar with the source material, so I can't speak for how faithful this is as an adaptation, but the trailer sets up the main conflict and shows off a lot of really cool visuals and action beats. Plus, Elba and McConaughey give it quite a bit of star power. Whether or not it will satisfy fans is up in the air, but the trailer is enticing enough to possibly win over a lot of non-fans. The Dark Tower is set for a 4 August 2017 (US) and 18 August 2017 (UK) release. Rough Night Rough Night follows a bachelorette party weekend at a Miami beach house gone wrong when a male stripper ends up dead. Longtime friends played by Scarlett Johansson, Jillian Bell, Ilana Glazer, Kate McKinnon and Zoë Kravitz have to put their heads together in order to cover up the accident. The second Rough Night trailer is much worse than the first. There's an uncomfortable disconnect between the overbearing music and the comedic timing of a lot of the jokes, resulting in a lot of awkward silences where there should be laughter. It's a really unfunny trailer and not even the talent involved is enough to make it look like a good time. Rough Night is set for a 16 June, 2017 release. The Big Sick Based on the real-life courtship between Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Zoe Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional Muslim parents. When Emily is beset with a mystery illness, it forces Kumail to navigate the medical crisis with her parents, Beth and Terry (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) who he's never met, while dealing with the emotional tug-of-war between his family and his heart. While it often comes across as a little too corny for its own good, The Big Sick trailer has a few pretty good laughs and seems earnest enough. There's a lot of plot crammed in here and that makes the pacing a bit uneven. Also, that introduction by Nanjiani and Romano was just awkward and terrible. The Big Sick is set for a limited 23 June 2017 release in the US, followed by wide release 14 July 2017 and a 28 July 2017 in the UK. It Comes at Night In It Comes at Night, the new horror film from acclaimed filmmaker Trey Edward Shults, starring Joel Edgerton, a father will stop at nothing to protect his wife and son from a malevolent, mysterious presence terrorizing them right outside their doorstep. The second It Comes at Night trailer gives us a little bit more information about what's going on, while still preserving a really good sense of mystery and foreboding. It builds on the promising aspects of the first trailer and continues to entice and horrify. If the movie is as good as the trailer are making it out to be, it could be the breakout horror hit of the year. It Comes at Night is set for a 25 August 2017 release in the US.