Deadpool & Wolverine Official Teaser Trailer

Deadpool isn’t one of my favorite superheroes; the stories tend to be too explicitly violent, and the humor is about half and half hit or miss for me. I’m therefore not really following any DP news, so the fact that the third DP movie is called Deadpool & Wolverine was, well, news to me. It also made me perk up my ears, so to speak—Hugh Jackman’s performance as the mutant superhero that goes snikt was fabulous and got me to care about the character more than I otherwise would have.

The first trailer for DP&W was released last month:

Deadpool & Wolverine | Official Teaser | In Theaters July 26 by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

Looks like the violence isn’t going to be any less gory this time either (even if the trailer itself was relatively clean as DP movies go). The bratty humor is also still there, as you’d expect—gotta keep the fans happy and the character consistent, right? But what I can’t yet figure out is how they’ll interweave the X-Men and DP.

It’s always a joy to see Morena Baccarin and Hugh Jackman. According to IMDB, however, Patrick Stewart will make an appearance, presumably as Professor Xavier, as will Jennifer Garner as Elektra. Whoa. I’ve mixed feeling about Matthew Macfadyen on the basis of past productions of his, so we’ll see what he makes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

It should also be interesting to see how, exactly, is Marvel going to untangle (if at all?) their multiverse mess, which certainly hasn’t gotten easier with Jonathan Majors being dropped from the role of Kang. DP&W might actually hold my interest longer than the previous DPs. Here’s hoping!

At this writing, the movie is set to release on July 26, 2024.

First Trailer for Star Wars: The Acolyte

The first trailer for a new Star Wars series, The Acolyte, has been out for some weeks now:

The Acolyte | Official Trailer | Disney+ by Star Wars on YouTube

“This isn’t about good or bad. It’s about power… and who is allowed to use it.”

Sounds intriguing. Apparently, however, SW:TA takes place towards the end of the High Republic era, well before The Phantom Menace. That’s completely new to me. Not all new-to-me settings in the Star Wars tv series have been winners, IMO, so whether SW:TA will work for me or not is still very much in the air.

Also, I’ve never been interested in the Sith, and it sounds like the Sith will feature heavily in the series. (Not that I’ve watched much outside the movie trilogies anyway.) However, it looks SW:TA just might provide a more refreshing backstory than a vague ‘they want power and that makes them evil’ handwave. (And I’m sure I’m grossly misrepresenting some SW writers’ thoughts here, but that’s what the Sith appear to this non-superfan.)

What worries me to some extent is they seem to have cast another woman of color as the main antagonist. (Compare to Inquisitor Reva in Obi-Wan Kenobi.) The last thing we need is more typecasting.

(Speaking of negatives: I’ve looked very little into the series and have already seen quite a bit of waah-waahing about too many wimmen starring or whatnot. Look, m’dudes: my money is green, too. If the production is good and shows people like me as active characters and people in their own right, I will pay to see it, and so will many others. Di$ney will love our money just as much as yours.)

One source of joy is that we get to see Carrie-Anne Moss and my countryman Joonas Suotamo in the series, too. 🙂

Three Trailers for Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two

At some point in 2023 when I wasn’t looking, three trailers for Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two were published.

Part Two, trailer one:

Dune: Part Two | Official Trailer by Warner Bros. Pictures on YouTube

Here’s trailer two:

Dune: Part Two | Official Trailer 2 by Warner Bros. Pictures on YouTube

And trailer three reasonably recently (from mid-December):

Dune: Part Two | Official Trailer 3 by Warner Bros. Pictures on YouTube

Wow, trailer three’s music deviates quite strongly from the other two. (Too much ululation in the others?) Other than that, it’s clear we have a war coming—as those who’ve read the books know—and the Bene Gesserit looks to have a larger role. The emperor (Christopher Walken) also makes an appearance, but it isn’t clear how much we’ll be seeing him.

I did also notice how strongly the Fremen-eye blue stands out in the otherwise very sepia-toned environment. And is it just me, or have the Harkonnen gone even more monochrome than in Part One?

At this writing, the release date is set to March 1, 2024.

Official Trailer for The Marvels Has Even More Space Kittens!

An official trailer for The Marvels is out:

Marvel Studios’ The Marvels | Official Trailer by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

Aaah – it’s looking strongly like a learning to work together story! Aaah! 🙂

Otherwise, from this trailer, it’s difficult to tell whether there’s much more than your usual ‘find problem, hit to solve’ solutions all too prevalent in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Dar-Benn both looks and sounds corny, but that could be a case of trailers always lying.

It’s already certain there will be from some excellent dialogue between Kamala Khan, Monica Rambeau, and Carol Danvers; I’m so ready for that. And even more space kittens….?!?

MCU Secret Invasion Trailers

In two weeks, the Marvel Cinematic Universe miniseries Secret Invasion becomes available.

Here’s the first trailer:

Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion | Official Trailer | Disney+ by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

And the second trailer:

Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion | Official Trailer | Disney+ by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

Wow, ok. Yes, more of Fury, Hill, Rhodes, and Ross! I’ll also enjoy seeing Ben Mendelsohn, I’ve never seen him do a role poorly. The new characters played by Olivia Colman and Emilia Clarke look interesting, if the tiny glimpses can be trusted.

Not sure how entertained I can be by a series that focuses on high-stakes power struggles and war—it may well be a little too close for comfort right now. (I.e., when Finland’s neighboring country is waging war against their sovereign neighbor, with behind-the-scenes high-stakes power struggles that very well might affect European if not world history.)

If nothing else, I will probably try at least the first episode to see how well it’s written. The acting should be fine.

Secret Invasion releases for streaming on June 21, 2023.

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Star Wars Series Ahsoka: Teaser Trailer

Happy Star Wars Day!

Disney seems quite happy to churn out Star Wars miniseries for streaming. The latest newcomer is Ahsoka. Here’s a teaser trailer from April:

Ahsoka | Teaser Trailer | Disney+ by StarWars on YouTube

Ahsoka Tano seems an interesting character, and Rosario Dawson does a great job with her. I’m also delighted to see more of Genevieve O’Reilly’s Mon Mothma; she’s astounding in Andor. The character of Baylan is completely new to me, but Ray Stevenson I know from a few things (HBO’s Rome series, the Divergent trilogy, and the Thor movies); wonderful to see him get some Star Wars fame, too.

Otherwise it’s difficult to say what the series will be like. I recognize the name Thrawn, but since I barely follow the franchise outside the nine movies, that doesn’t say anything to me (except “obviously bad guy”).

The significant thing seems to be the amount of female characters in the trailer. I’m struggling to think of another SFFnal tv series with this many foregrounded women. Awesome! I do hope that the writing will be nuanced and actors are given lots of character details to play, just like in Andor. (That’s my quality metric for Star Wars series for sure.)

Ahsoka will premier in August 2023.

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Teaser Trailer for The Marvels Has Space Kittens!

A new Captain Marvel movie is now in sight. The Marvels entangles the lives and powers of Kamala Khan, Monica Rambeau, and Carol Danvers, and a teaser trailer shows what’s in store:

Marvel Studios’ The Marvels | Teaser Trailer by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

Starts with an intriguing sight, doesn’t it—a huge space station on Earth’s orbit! Can’t say I recognize S.A.B.E.R., but it does sound like there should be a connection to S.W.O.R.D., right? I hope we get more info on both organizations. And what is this jump point? It looks to be worryingly close to Earth.

Speaking of worrying, I really, really hope they’ve toned down the character of Kamala Khan. We tried the series Ms. Marvel but had to stop after the first episode, having barely made it through that. (Basically hoping that it would change before long. It didn’t.)

Obviously Khan’s actor Iman Vellani is doing a great job, if she can raise such a visceral reaction, but I seriously don’t want to spend two+ hours with that git of a girl. (I guess I’m officially an old fart now.)

I am looking forward to more Brie Larson and Teyonah Parris; I like both very much in their roles. Thank goodness for a trio of protagonists. And space travel, plus possibly a litter of flerken kittens? How amazing would that be! Also, I don’t think Samuel L. Jackson could be bad if he tried.

At this writing, The Marvels is expected November 10, 2023.

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Creatures Trailer and Final Trailer for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Paramount Pictures is trying to drum up interest for their D&D movie with a short creatures video and a final trailer.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | Meet The Creatures (2023 Movie) by Paramount Pictures on YouTube

Clearly by creatures they really mean monsters. The big fish-like critter at the 4-5 second mark interests me most, because it’s the least media sexy and I can’t think of what it could be. Or why they’d include it! But I could’ve done without the brain monsters, though—urgh, blech.

The final trailer really sounds like a puff piece, though:

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | Final Trailer (2023 Movie) by Paramount Pictures on YouTube

I’m perfectly willing to be entertained by a D&D movie that turns out to be better than my expectations, but “Best movie of the year”? Please.

More exciting is the 3-minute “Let the Games Begin” clip:

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | Let the Games Begin Clip (2023 Movie) by Paramount Pictures on YouTube

That’s more like it, even if it doesn’t tell us why our intrepid adventurers end up on the arena, let alone competing with at least two other groups.

Looks like Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves opens today, if it already hasn’t in your neck of the woods. I really hope it’s at least a little good.

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Trailers for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Tomorrow is the release day for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Here are the official trailers.

Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania | Official Trailer by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania | New Trailer by Marvel Entertainment on YouTube

Whoa—looks dire and a bit horrible. Messing with quantum stuff can have potential for all sorts of catastrophes, yes, but I didn’t quite expect a timeline-rewriting plot of an Ant-Man movie.

Grown-up Cassie seems a great character, though, and if we find out more about Janet Van Dyne that’s wonderful, too. Come to think of it, I don’t think Hank Pym said a single word in either trailer, which is surprising.

I gather that Kang the Conquerer is going to be a round for quite a while. I hope actor Jonathan Majors does a better job with the character than the hammy clips we were served so far seem so imply (and given that trailers always lie, it’s likely).

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Second Trailer for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

A brand-new trailer is out for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves!

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves | NEW Trailer (2023 Movie) by Paramount Pictures on YouTube

We’re not seeing much new plotwise, just some beefed-up scenes from the first trailer. Glimpses of the Red Wizards and the orifice are on par with the typical medieval-inspired D&D worlds, but WHAT ON EARTH is going on with that broomhead wall?!?

Dungeons and Dragons Honor Among Thieves Screencap House

The roof looks properly thatched, but I have serious doubts of the durability of the facade. There’s obviously plenty of timber available in this area of the world for framing the house with, so the little detail above the door must be decorative. Perhaps there wasn’t quite enough to do the whole outer wall? Or the straw is there for easy repairs?? The original builders blew all of their money on framing and had to make do for cladding???

Anyway, if a trailer commentary can be so easily stolen by funky set design, the question arises whether the trailer in question really did fulfil its function or not… I hope we’ll get another, better one before the release day.

According to IMDB, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves is now expected on April 07, 2023, but the trailer still says “this March”, so go figure.

Image: screencap from Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

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