New Trailers 14 | High Flying Bird, John Wick 3 and The Beach Bum
New Trailers on Headstuff is the place to catch up on all the latest teasers released in the world of Film and TV. Stephen Porzio tells you what’s hot.
Most Anticipated – High Flying Bird – Dir Steven Soderbergh
In the midst of a pro basketball lockout, sports agent Ray Burke (André Holland) finds himself caught in the face-off between the league and the players. His career is on the line, but Burke is playing for higher stakes. With only 72 hours to pull off a daring plan, he outmaneuvers all the power-players as he uncovers a loophole that could change the game forever.
While all the sports background intrigue could be lost on Irish viewers, this plot synopsis sounds like the Ocean’s Eleven and Logan Lucky director making another movie about people pulling off the impossible. Working from a script by Moonlight’s Tarell Alvin McCraney, the trailer feels fast-paced and urgent. Meanwhile, its great to see Soderbergh stick to shooting on iPhone after his success last year with Unsane, a film we here at Headstuff loved.
High Flying Bird drops to Netflix, February 8.
2 – John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – Dir Chad Stahelski
Wow! The John Wick franchise looks like its taking page from Walter Hill classic The Warriors, as our favourite hitman must fight his way out of New York after a bounty is put on his head. This trailer shows Keanu Reeves killing a man with a book, motorbike katana fights and Anjelica Houston. May 17 can’t come soon enough.
3. The Beach Bum – Dir Harmony Korine
Harmony Korine’s first film since his polarising (I’d argue great) Spring Breakers in 2012, The Beach Bum follows the exploits of a rebellious stoner named Moondog (Matthew McConaughey) who lives life by his own rules. The plot synopsis and this trailer don’t really reveal more than that and knowing Korine that’s probably all there is to it. But my God, does this seem as intoxicating as the giant joint the pilot smokes in the teaser.
4. Spider-Man: Far From Home – Dir Jon Watts
The sequel to 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming was always going to look slightly ordinary arriving in the aftermath of Sony’s crazily ambitious, kaleidoscopic comic book come to life Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
That said, taking the friendly neighbourhood Spidey out of the neighbourhood is a neat idea and Jake Gyllenhaal should make a wild MCU villain.
5. The Death and Life of John F Donovan – Dir Xavier Dolan
A decade after the death of an American TV star (Kit Harrington), a young actor (Ben Schnetzer) remembers the written correspondence he shared with him, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.
Despite being from the prolific and very talented Candian auteur Xavier Dolan, this film received a panning from critics following its premiere at last year’s TIFF. However given its stacked cast – Kathy Bates, Natalie Portman, Susan Sarandon, Thandie Newton to name just a few – and the writer-director’s reputation, one imagines there must be some interesting elements within John F Donovan. For one thing, this first trailer for the movie possesses an epic, melodramatic charm.
6. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile – Dir Joe Berlinger
Ooof! This trailer seems misjudged.
This Ted Bundy centred thriller is directed by Joe Berlinger, the documentarian behind the Paradise Lost trilogy – which played a major part in getting the falsely imprisoned West Memphis Three out of jail – and the recent Netflix true-crime series Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. Thus, one imagines the end product will be tasteful, not glamourising its central character’s horrendous crimes.
This trailer though which shows Bundy hitting a woman with a crowbar in sync to a gnarly guitar lick does not seem like this. With its American Hustle-esque music and focus on Zac Efron’s attractiveness, it makes the end product look shallow and juvenile – something particularly irritating given Extremely Wicked’s first reviews out of Sundance say it is a more respectful piece of work, particularly in regards Bundy’s victims.
7. Birds of Prey – Dir Cathy Yan
The DCEU announce so many projects that don’t come to fruition – Matt Reeves’ Batman, Batgirl, Cyborg, a Flash movie – it can be hard to keep up with what’s real. However, they have begun to release mini teasers like this, which make deciphering which films are actually happening slightly easier for film fans.
While this is certainly not much to judge, I do enjoy the music video almost Xavier Dolan-like aesthetic on display here. Let’s hope for more of this in Birds of Prey and less of that David Ayer supposedly ‘twisted’ nonsense.
