Welcome to Trailer Snark, a weekly column covering trailers for movies that will be released this week with thoughts from our roster of bloggers (Jessica from The Female Perspective, Ken from The Crank File, Jim from The Front Row View, Rob from Spector for Hire, and Great Stories founder Chris). Thanks for reading, and enjoy the previews!
Last Week: Without any true strong competition from the new releases, Straight Outta Compton and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation continued to occupy the top two spots at the box office this past weekend, with $26.7 million and $11.7 million respectively. Compton has taken in $111.7 million since its debut two weeks ago, while the latest Tom Cruise action sequel has gone to $157.7 million domestically. The top debut last week was the horror sequel Sinister 2, which took $10.6 million for a third place showing. Of course, it cost less than $10 million to make, so it is still a success. Hitman: Agent 47, meanwhile, opened to a disappointing $8.2 million in fourth. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. took in $7.4 million which was good for fifth place, but it has only taken in $26 million against its reported $75 million budget. The rest of the top ten were as follows: American Ultra (debut at $5.5M), The Gift ($4.3M/$31M), Ant-Man ($4M/$164.5M), Minions ($3.7M/$319.9M), and Fantastic Four ($3.6M/$49.6M). And now for this week’s new entries….
We Are Your Friends (Warner Bros) – Drama/Music
Rated R for language throughout, drug use, sexual content and some nudity
Tag Line: None
Starring: Zac Efron, Wes Bentley, Emily Ratajkowski
Plot: Caught between a forbidden romance and the expectations of his friends, aspiring DJ Cole Carter attempts to find the path in life that leads to fame and fortune.
Running Time: 96 minutes
Ken: We live in an age where any clown with a Macbook can call themself a DJ. Given enough money and minimal talent, all it takes is lights, loud music and lots of pretty people to throw a good party. Can the same be said about movies?
Rob: A movie about a DJ trying to make his mark. Pass.
Chris: Rave music DJ movie….about the antithesis of my core interests at this age.
No Escape (Weinstein Company) – Action/Drama
Rated R for strong violence including a sexual assault, and for language
Tag Line: Survive together or die together
Starring: Lake Bell, Pierce Brosnan, and Owen Wilson
Plot: In their new overseas home, an American family soon finds themselves caught in the middle of a coup, and they frantically look for a safe escape in an environment where foreigners are being immediately executed.
Running Time: 103 minutes
Chris: I remember being pleasantly surprised by Owen Wilson’s serious acting turn in the action movie Behind Enemy Lines, and I look forward to his return to the genre.
Ken: Well wasn’t that a pleasant surprise? I saw Owen Wilson’s dumb face and my brain automatically thought “rom-com” and went into hibernation mode but that got real, real quick. Rescue copter? Nope, machine gun copter!
Rob: A family in jeopardy trying to escape Asian war and get to the US Embassy. Pass.
Z for Zachariah (Grindstone Entertainment Group) – Drama/SciFi/Thriller
Rated PG – 13 for a scene of sexuality, partial nudity, and brief strong language
Tag Line: After the end of the world she thought she was alone. She was wrong.
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Chris Pine, Margot Robbie
Plot: In the wake of a disaster that wipes out most of civilization, two men and a young woman find themselves in an emotionally charged love triangle as the last known survivors.
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rob: A Post-Apocalyptic Love Triangle. Pass.
Chris: I saw apocalyspe movie, and I immediately thought another zombie movie. Thankfully it was not. And it actually looks like it could be a diamond in the rough.
Ken: Z for zzzzzzzzzzz….
War Room (Sony) – Spiritual Drama
Rated PG for thematic elements throughout
Tag Line: Prayer is a powerful weapon
Starring: Priscilla Shirer, T.C. Stallings, and Karen Abercrombie
Plot: A seemingly perfect family look to fix their problems with the help of Miss Clara, an older, wiser woman.
Running Time: 120 minutes
Ken: Is it just me or did that feel a little bit churchy? Dear lord, deliver me from this movie.
Rob: Religious Schlock. Pass.
Chris: The trailer does not delve into too much except about the plot except that its about the power of prayer, but if you have seen Courageous, you know that the filmmaker’s can make a truly inspiring movie.
Queen of the Earth (IFC Films) – Drama/Thriller
Not Rated
Tag Line: None
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Katherine Waterston, and Patrick Fugit
Plot: Two women who grew up together discover they have drifted apart when they retreat to a lake house together.
Running Time: 90 minutes
Chris: With the throw-back 1970’s style trailer, I don’t know if I am supposed to take the subject matter seriously or not. Creepy, quirky, and exploitive…words that come to mind.
Ken: Holy crap that was so unsettling for so many reasons. Foremost being the narrator’s voice.
Rob: A very crappy looking psychological thriller. Pass.
Tickets Purchased: 2 for No Escape (Ken and Chris) while Rob stays home to re-enact Billy Madison scenes in his bath tub.
