New trailers: Orange is the New Black, Assassin's Creed, Swiss Army Man, and more
All the shows and movies you should be looking out for
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I'm a big fan of Woody Allen's work. He's made some great movies and enough other movies that you can certainly find a handful of gems among the mess. His latest, Cafe Society, premiered at Cannes this week and put out a first trailer. Along with it came plenty of press.
Then The Hollywood Reporter decided to change things up: it published an op-ed from Ronan Farrow, Allen's son, addressing Dylan Farrow's accusation that Allen sexually abused her as a young child. The essay is directed at the media, but it's something everyone should read (as is Dylan Farrow's piece from 2014). I love watching and discussing Allen's new films, but this is a very good reminder that we should question how we view and support his work. And that members of the media — like myself — should not ignore questions just because others chose to drop them years ago. Variety and Vulture have already taken a cue from Farrow's article; the Reporter, unfortunately, got blacklisted from Allen's most recent press event.
There are 13 new trailers from this week below. Check 'em out.
Orange is the New Black
Orange is the New Black is almost back — and it looks like it's taking a darker turn for season four. A first trailer for the new season came out this week, and while it definitely opens with plenty of the goofy fun that everyone loves from the crew at Litchfield, things seem to change pretty quickly. The show starts again on June 17th.
Assassin's Creed
Someone explained to me the plot of Assassin's Creed years ago as though it were a good thing. I thought they were crazy then, and I think they are even more crazy now. The first trailer for the Assassin's Creed movie dropped this week and while it may actually look totally fine, it's really hard to not be distracted by a) its use of Kanye's "I Am a God," and b) the completely ludicrous story frame. Please, just show us the sick parkour parts, or whatever. The movie's out December 21st.
Swiss Army Man
The weirdest movie of the year has put out its weirdest trailer yet. This week's look at Swiss Army Man, a movie that has Daniel Radcliffe playing a magical corpse, involves a magical erection and an emotional discussion about flatulence. I guess I understand why people walked out of this at Sundance. On a more serious note, the film has received many reviews commending its supreme weirdness; for some perspective, it's directed by the duo behind the "Turn Down for What" video. Swiss Army Man comes to theaters June 24th.
Queen of Katwe
Disney depicts the life of real-life chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi in Queen of Katwe, the story of how a young girl from an impoverished part of Uganda who quickly picked up chess and began rising in the world's ranks. Disney has found a new star to play Mutesi, but it has two major names surrounding her: David Oyelowo, as her teacher, and Lupita Nyong'o, as her mother. It's out on September 23rd.
Inferno
Is it just me or does it feel like it was forever ago that The Da Vinci Code was a thing? Anyway, there's a new one coming out! Inferno has Tom Hanks returning as professor Robert Langdon for another history / adventure / puzzle / fun thing. Ron Howard is back again to direct. Also, I'm being totally serious here, apparently an Angels & Demons adaptation came out in 2009? So this is the third one and will come out on October 28th.
The Runner
I know, I never thought this day would come either. But here we are: I'm writing about a Go90 series. The Runner is a reality show executive produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. It's about a person running across the country and a bunch of other people trying to catch them in order to earn a ton of money. Which I guess seems kind of cool and fun? Viewers can participate and / or screw with participants by reporting sightings of the runner from their phone. It starts July 1st.
Nerve
So this seems like a fitting thing to include after The Runner. Nerve is a rom-com / thriller (weird, right?) about two people who get looped into a bizarro / dystopian / voyeuristic / sadistic online reality game where people dare them to do things for cash. At first it's cute and fun. Then it's dark and messed up. It stars Emma Roberts and Dave Franco. Casey Neistat makes a cameo because it's about social media. The film's out July 27th.
Neruda
Neruda has Gael García Bernal playing an inspector sent to hunt down and arrest famed poet (and then-Senator) Pablo Neruda as part of Chile's Cold War roundup of communists. It looks like a gorgeous and strange take on the truly dramatic events of Neruda's lifetime. It's playing at Cannes this month, which means it'll likely be out within a year.
Black Girl
Renowned Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene's first feature film has been remastered in 4K and is now screening at BAM in New York, before heading into Criterion's catalog. The 1966 film is about a woman from Senegal who moves to France to work for a rich white couple, who force her to work as a servant. Sembene is often called the "father of African cinema," and Black Girl is among the works that gave him that name. If you're in the area, this one's worth checking out.
The Land
This looks pretty gorgeous, and it's worth paying attention to. The Land is about teenagers who seriously piss off a gang of drug dealers. You'll see some recognizable faces among the cast of this video, but maybe more important is who's on the soundtrack: The Land has landed new music from Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Nas, Pusha T, and quite a few more. It heads into theaters and on demand starting July 29th.
Tickled
This is absolutely ludicrous and a must-watch. Tickled, which as far as I can tell is very real, is something between a documentary and a thriller, starting out as an investigation into what appears to be the weird world of competitive tickling and ending up in a disturbing web of exploitation and blackmailing. It is strange on basically every level. The film comes to theaters on June 17th.
Black Panther: A Nation Under Our Feet
This is not a movie or a TV show. And I super don't care, because this trailer is awesome. I'm waiting for the full run of Ta-Nehisi Coates' Black Panther to come out before I start reading, and this makes me wish it were coming a lot sooner. The first two issues are already out.
Kill Zone 2
And let's close out the week with Tony Jaa breaking some bones.