First Glance: “Death on the Nile”

NILEposter

Kenneth Branagh steps back into the shoes of Belgian super sleuth Hercule Poirot in “Death on the Nile”. It’s the follow up to “Murder on the Orient Express”, Branagh’s star-studded 2017 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s classic 1934 novel. Once again Branagh directs and Michael Green returns as screenwriter.

This time around Poirot is on vacation in Egypt when he is suddenly thrust into the middle of a murder mystery with a list of suspects as long as the Nile. They include Gal Gadot, Annette Benning, Arnie Hammer, Tom Bateman, Russell Brand, Letitia Wright among others. The first trailer gives an entertaining and stylish glimpse into what Branagh and company have in store for us.

“Death on the Nile” opens October 23rd in theaters. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

First Glance: “Enola Holmes”

ENOLA

This morning Netflix dropped a new trailer for their upcoming mystery movie “Enola Holmes”. Shamefully I didn’t know that “Enola Holmes” was a popular young adult novel series from American author Nancy Springer. The film adaptation was originally planned for a big screen release, but following the COVID-19 theater closings Netflix acquired the distribution rights from Legendary Entertainment.

“Stranger Things” star Millie Bobby Brown plays Enola, the younger sister of the renowned Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill). When Enola discovers her mother (played by the always welcomed Helena Bonham-Carter) is missing, she sets out to find her, honing her own keen super-sleuth skills along the way. The trailer shows off a delightfully playful vibe and I kinda love the silly fourth wall breaking. This is an infectiously fun first look.

“Enola Holmes” premieres September 23rd only on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

DC FanDome: The Best Trailers & Biggest Announcements

FANDOMEposter

On Saturday DC Comics and Warner Brothers held their first ever DC FanDome, a day-long virtual celebration of everything DC. It featured interviews, panels, game reveals, and new trailers for upcoming projects from their biggest properties. It was a day full of great announcements and unexpected surprises. Before we get to the trailers here are a few of the biggest news bites.

  • Some of the most exciting news came during the panel for the upcoming Flash movie. We learn that Flash’s film will officially launch the DC Multiverse much like his character did in the comics. But it gets better. As star Ezra Miller said, “By opening the door that Flashpoint did in the comics, all of these stories and characters can start to collide.” And they aren’t wasting any time. Turns out Michael Keaton’s Batman from the Tim Burton films actually designs Barry Allen’s new Flash suit (check them out in the cool image below). Not only does the multiverse bring all of the DC movies under the same umbrella, but it offers tremendous crossover opportunities. Talk about exciting potential.

KEATON

  • Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was finally able to share details on his long talked about “Black Adam” movie. Black Adam is such a rich and complex character and it sounds as though the movie will embrace much of that. Plus he gave us some cool teases of the Justice Society and the roles they will be playing. If they get him right, Black Adam could be a game changer.
  • James Gunn revealed the cast for his upcoming refresh of Suicide Squad, and what a MASSIVE cast it is! Returning is Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Jai Courtney, and Viola Davis. But it’s some of the new faces who give me hope: Idris Elba, Michael Rooker, Nathan Fillion, John Cena. That only scratches the surface. The cast is truly enormous and getting everyone quality time is going to be a huge challenge. I’ll think I’ll stay in skeptical mode for now.

Now let’s get to the really good stuff:

“The Batman” Teaser

Director Matt Reeves finally gave us a first look at “The Batman” and it didn’t disappoint. Talk about leaving a terrific first impression. I love the dark gritty tone, the serial killer/detective vibe, the fresh glimpses we get of some familiar characters including Jeffrey Wright’s Jim Gordon and Zoe Kravitz’s Catwoman. And how about the creepy sadistic teases of Paul Dano’s Riddler? And of course Robert Pattinson who looks great as a deeply damaged Bruce Wayne/Batman finding his way in his early vigilante days. This was a really satisfying teaser especially when combined with the multiverse news. I can’t wait!

“Wonder Woman 1984” Trailer 2

Patty Jenkins ended the “Wonder Woman 1984” panel with exactly what I was hoping for – a brand spanking new trailer. Gal Gadot continues to make this character her own and the trailer gives her plenty of cool moments (she’s so good). Chris Pine gets a few new clips as does Pedro Pascal. But it’s Kristen Wiig’s character who we learn the most about. I like what we’ve seen so far from Wiig but I gotta admit the Cheetah getup near the end of the trailer looks a little iffy. Still, this movie remains high on my must-see list and it was great to get some new looks.

“Justice League” The Snyder Cut

I proudly admit that I like “Justice League” but it definitely had its flaws. Who’s responsible for those flaws is still up for debate, but many believe they are due to Joss Whedon’s re-writes and re-shoots. Whedon took over for Zack Snyder following a terrible family tragedy. Fans knew instantly the film felt off and some time later they began petitioning for the Snyder Cut. Saturday we got our first look at the official Snyder Cut coming next year to HBO Max. The teaser shows a variety of awesome images from the cut playing to Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah”. Odd choice of song yet incredibly effective. Apparently it will be four hours long and broken into four “episodes”. But don’t worry, Snyder confirmed it will also be coming out as a full movie. I can’t wait to see the film again, this time in its original vision.

So what were you thoughts on the movie news from DC FanDome? What was your favorite announcement? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

First Glance: “Let Him Go”

HIMGOposter

Kevin Costner and Diane lane reunite but this time not as the Earth parents of Superman. Instead they star as a different husband and wife duo in Thomas Bezucha’s upcoming thriller “Let Him Go”. As a huge Costner fan my ears perked up just hearing about his new film. But after seeing the first trailer I’m even more onboard. This isn’t another warm and fuzzy old couple love story.

The film follows a retired sheriff (Costner) and his wife (Lane) who are still mourning the death of their son. The two set out to rescue their grandson from his abusive stepdad who lives with his twisted off-the-grid family. The clan is ran by a wicked family matriarch (played by none other than Leslie Manville) and she isn’t giving up the boy without a fight. I love the cast and I love the concept.

“Let Him Go” is set for a November 6th theatrical release. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

First Glance: “On the Rocks”

ROCKS

I’m always up for a Sophia Coppola movie and yesterday brought the first trailer for her new dramedy “On the Rocks”. Like all of her previous works Coppola both writes and directs what is the first film in distributor A24’s multi-year partnership with Apple. It has yet been announced if “On the Rocks” will premiere on Apple’s new streaming platform.

The film stars Rashida Jones as a woman in her late thirties who begins to suspect her husband (Marlon Wayans) is having an affair. She turns to her playboy father played by Bill Murray for wisdom and advice. The two end up as daddy/daughter detectives, tracking her husband across the Big Apple and learning about their relationship in the process.

“On the Rocks” opens this October in theaters and (maybe) in AppleTV+. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.