Nolan Returns with 'Dunkirk,' 'Taxi Driver' Gets a 40th Anniversary Restoration, and More Trailers You Might've Missed This Week
Staying on top of the trailer circuit can be a full-time job. We're here to help.
Dunkirk (dir. Christopher Nolan)
Christopher Nolan makes an historically epic return with his first film since 2014's ultra-popular sci-fi Interstellar. Nolan's first venture into historical fiction centers around allied soldiers from Belgium, Britain, Canada and France who are surrounded by the German army and evacuated during a fierce World War II battle. It boasts a crazy talented cast with the likes of Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance, and Kenneth Branagh. The wait for this one is sure to be as brutal as the narrative's wartime conflict. Get hyped. Release Date: July 21, 2017, via Warner Bros Pictures
Mascots (dir. Christopher Guest)
We're all huge Christopher Guest fans here at No Film School. The man hasn't made a bad movie. So while this trailer for his new Netflix series doesn't reveal much in the ways of footage, it's exciting to see a) that it's coming incredibly soon and b) that it reveals Guest's trademark plot line of loony characters showing off their egos in order to win some inane competition (See: Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration.) Release Date: October 13, 2016, via Netflix
Antibirth (dir. Danny Perez)
I got to catch a midnight screening of director Danny Perez's feature debut at Sundance last January and it may be the weirdest thing I have ever seen in my life. Best known for his work with the band Animal Collective in their "visual album" horror collaboration Oddsac, Perez's first full length feature stars a ludicrously funny Natasha Lyonne and Chloe Sevigny as two drugged out losers who have to deal with a possibly satanic pregnancy. Filled with ridiculous practical effects and trippy visuals, this film's definitely not for everyone, but if you're into the Toxic Avenger B-movie flicks of yore, it's one to check out. Release Date: September 2, 2016, via IFC Midnight.
Taxi Driver 40th Anniversary (dir. Martin Scorsese)
There's been a lot of these so-called anniversary restorations that have come out in the past couple years, but the trailer for DeNiro and Scorsese's 1976 masterpiece Taxi Driver looks absolutely gorgeous. I have to credit DeNiro when I call this film a masterpiece because it truly is his presence that makes this film such a classic, not to mention the movie that would cement his reputation as an A-Lister for life. The film received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, and went on to win the Golden Palm Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Unfortunately, for now this print will only be seen in Europe, but judging by the reaction this trailer has gotten, it won't be long until we see a release pop up here in the states. Release Date: August 2016, via Park Circus.
The Handmaiden (dir. Chan Wook Park)
Chan Wook Park is best known for writing and directing the cult hit Oldboy, and please don't think for a second we're talking about Spike Lee's version. The Handmaiden marks the auteur's return to his native Korean language after 2013's Stoker, his first English venture. Park's intense visual style is on full display in this heart-pounding trailer, for the film, which may be best described as a Japanese/Korean Lesbian Thriller. The plot centers around a young Japanese Lady living on a secluded estate, and a Korean woman who is hired to serve as her new handmaiden, but is secretly in cohoots with a conman to defraud her of a large inheritance. Diabolical, baby. Release Date: October 14, 2016, via Magnolia Pictures
Split (dir. M. Night Shyamalan)
Is M. Night Shyamalan back for good? There's a reason why only four titles appear under the "from the writer and director of" portion of this trailer. The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs are all a given, but the one to take note of isThe Visit. Shyamalan's latest film is arguably his only good one in the past decade. The others haven't even come close. The trailer for his upcoming release—which stars James McAvoy as a psychotic with not one, not two, not seven, not sixteen, but twenty-three split personalities—is an encouraging sign that Shyamalan is back on the right track. Release Date: January 20, 2017, via Universal Pictures.
The Great Wall (dir. Yimou Zhang)
This next one is far and away the most controversial trailer to drop this week. Yimou Zhang, who directed both The House of Flying Daggers and Hero is behind the lens of the purported $135 million dollar epic, a sum which makes it the most expensive film to be shot entirely in China. While many were expecting something along the lines of the aforementioned films, what they got was Matt Damon leading a bunch of Chinese soldiers into battle with a mythical force of evil.
Much has been made as of late about the white-washing of Asian characters in both the upcoming Ghost in a Shell as well as Doctor Strange. Earlier this week, Fresh Off the Boat star Constance Wu shared her views on how The Great Wall is no different. “We have to stop perpetuating the racist myth that a only white man can save the world. It’s not based in actual fact,” she remarked. Zhang replied stating, "There are five major heroes in our story and he is one of them—the other four are all Chinese. The collective struggle and sacrifice of these heroes are the emotional heart of our film.”
...it's just the trailer that seems to feature the white one most heavily. Where do you weigh in on the debate? Release Date: February 17, 2017, via Universal Pictures.
