New Trailers! Dune: Part Three, Idiots, The Wrong Girls, Terminator 2: Judgment Day: 35th Anniversary and Hope
Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides faces empire’s fallout, a rehab transport job goes sideways, Kristen Stewart gets really high, T2 returns, and Korea faces an alien invasion.
🎥 “Dune: Part Three” Full Trailer: Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides Faces the Cost of Empire in Denis Villeneuve’s Epic Trilogy Finale With Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Anya Taylor-Joy, Jason Momoa and Many More — In Theaters and IMAX December 18th
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
English historian Lord Acton famously wrote that line, and it’s echoed through countless books, films, and shows ever since. But what does it really mean? One interpretation is that a person who accepts power might as well be signing up for a slow moral corrosion, where every compromise becomes easier, every ruthless decision starts to feel necessary, and every warning sign can be brushed aside in the name of control.
Now enter Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides, a manufactured savior who, despite his attempts to resist prophecy, has become trapped inside the very myth built around him. Old Lord Acton might as well have been foretelling the journey of young Paul Atreides himself.
In the upcoming epic Dune: Part Three, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve’s closing chapter of Frank Herbert’s sci-fi saga follows Paul Atreides as the weight of prophecy, empire, and holy war finally comes due. For those who thought Paul was the hero of this story, sorry to inform you, but he’s been sliding further into the role of tyrant this whole time. And he just might be too far gone to stop.
Set nearly two decades after Paul seized control of the Imperium, Dune: Part Three finds his reign moving into darker, more haunted territory as the universe has been reshaped by his rule, his followers, and the war carried out in his name.
With multiple factions closing in with thoughts of regime change, Paul is forced to confront the empire he built, the enemies he’s made, and the possibility that his rule may have created the very future he once feared: one where he is no longer the savior, but the warning sign of unbelievable destruction.
“You have conquered the galaxy. You’ve destroyed thousands of worlds,” Jason Momoa states in this new full trailer.
Momoa returns as the clone version of the fallen Duncan Idaho, the former swordmaster of House Atreides, who is now sent to Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides as a negotiator with a peace proposal.
“What are your thoughts on that?” Paul asks in earnest.
“I think you’re way beyond redemption,” Duncan replies, landing the kind of blunt judgment Paul probably already knows but still isn’t ready to hear.
This scene, in particular, seems to be the moral center of the film, cutting straight to the question hanging over Paul’s entire reign: can a man still call himself a savior when the universe is drowning in the consequences of his salvation? Or, more simply, can a leader still be considered righteous if his leadership caused so much death, destruction, and suffering in the first place?
Frank Herbert’s Dune book series has always been about why those in power can’t be trusted so blindly or worshipped so easily. And it seems Villeneuve is ready to cap off this three-parter with that very warning front and center.
Zendaya returns as Chani, the Fremen warrior Paul once loved but also lost in his rise to power, along with returning cast members Florence Pugh as Princess Irulan, Javier Bardem as Stilgar, Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Mohiam, and Josh Brolin as Gurney Halleck.
Joining the cast for Part 3 is Robert Pattinson as Scytale, a shape-shifting rival who intends to put an end to Paul’s regime. Meanwhile, Anya Taylor-Joy, who was merely teased at the end of Part Two, is back as Paul’s younger sister, Alia Atreides.
Much has been made about Dune: Part Three opening in theaters and IMAX on December 18th, as it is currently set to be released on the same day as Marvel’s highly anticipated Avengers: Doomsday. Can these two behemoths share the same release date without one swallowing the other whole? Will Marvel finally flinch and move to another date? Or are we heading toward the biggest box-office showdown of the year? Well, may the best regime win.
🎥 “Idiots” Trailer: Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Mason Thames Turn a Rehab Transport Job Into a Cross-Country Disaster in Macon Blair’s Off-the-Wall Road Comedy with Peter Dinklage, Nicholas Braun, and Kiernan Shipka — Hitting Theaters August 28th
If you thought the latest Jackass movie was going to be the last time you’d see a bunch of numbskulls on the big screen, think again. ’Cuz Dave Franco, O’Shea Jackson Jr., and Mason Thames (of The Black Phone and How to Train Your Dragon) are here to prove you don’t need ridiculously dumb stunts, ill-advised pranks, or painful pratfalls to act like jackasses. Sometimes all you need is a destination, a few outrageous obstacles, and three guys who probably should not be trusted with a plan, let alone the same car.
In the upcoming road-trip comedy Idiots, Franco, Jackson Jr., and Thames play said numbskulls, setting out on a cross-country trip that quickly becomes less about getting where they’re going and more about surviving every terrible decision they make along the way.
Franco and Jackson Jr. star as Mark and Davis, two delivery guys who work for a transport service tasked with hauling “rich kids” to a drug rehab facility, making sure their clients actually make it to treatment instead of slipping away for another drug-fueled binge.
Thames plays Sheridan Kimberley, a notorious social media personality who has built a reputation recording his worst behavior and somehow turning every bad impulse into content for his followers. He has also attracted some dangerous attention from people who aren’t exactly thrilled about the idea of him making it to rehab in one piece.
When Mark and Davis are assigned to take Sheridan to treatment, the car trip soon devolves into a rolling disaster of roadside trouble and bad decisions, including unhinged run-ins with a machine-gun-toting Peter Dinklage, a strung-out-looking Nicholas Braun, and a spunky Russian exotic dancer played by none other than Kiernan Shipka. What starts as a simple transport job soon becomes a road trip through the seedy side of middle America, where every gas station, motel room, and backroad detour turns into a new reason to regret taking the job in the first place.
Written and directed by actor-filmmaker Macon Blair, coming off his gonzo, ultra-violent superhero satire remake of The Toxic Avenger starring Peter Dinklage, this looks more in the vein of those dirty, low-rent road comedies where every new stop introduces another weirdo, another horrible life choice, or both.
Originally titled The Shitheads when it debuted earlier this year at Sundance to mostly positive reviews, Idiots has since been picked up by IFC Films and is now slated to open in theaters August 28th. So consider this your reminder that some road trips are less about the destination and more about discovering how many terrible decisions can fit inside one car.
🎥 “The Wrong Girls” Trailer: Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat Get High, Get Psychic, and Get in Trouble in Dylan Meyer’s Wild Stoner Comedy with LaKeith Stanfield, Kate McKinnon, Geena Davis, and Seth Rogen — Hitting Theaters August 14th
There are the right people for the job, and then... there are the wrong ones.
You know the type: absolutely clueless dunces who are nowhere near qualified for the task at hand. Well, meet Frankie and Molly, two best friends who might have just stepped into a situation way beyond their pay grade... and possibly way beyond their combined brainpower.
These bong-hit-loving ladies are The Wrong Girls. And after getting mixed up with experimental psychedelic drugs, they go from harmless slackers to being “special” for reasons they don’t quite understand yet... and might not ever want to, especially once their cat starts talking in a voice that sounds suspiciously like Seth Rogen.
In this throwback stoner comedy that feels like a cross between a brazenly dumb buddy movie and a psychedelic head trip, Kristen Stewart and Alia Shawkat join forces as Frankie and Molly, two inseparable best friends in Los Angeles barely making ends meet, yet still finding time for a few bong rips as they desperately cook up one get-rich scheme after another.
Their latest money-grab gets them involved with Not-Metal-Head-Dave, played here by LaKeith Stanfield, a mysterious hustler with connections to a new psychedelic designer drug that may be worth a fortune. But when Frankie and Molly decide to ingest a whole vial of this mysterious potion instead of selling it to the highest bidder, they soon find themselves with a briefcase full of bad news and no clear idea what they’ve just done to themselves.
Stranger yet, the girls might have developed telepathic powers and can now hear the thoughts of everyone close to them, including their two cats. Spoiler alert: their cats are not too impressed and have absolutely no faith they will get out of this mess alive.
Former SNL standout Kate McKinnon co-stars as Dr. Olsen, the mad genius behind the experimental drug, who is shocked Frankie and Molly are somehow still alive after drinking enough of the stuff to fry a normal person’s brain twice over. Meanwhile, screen icon Geena Davis appears as a corporate executive looking to monetize the drug, while also being amazed that Frankie and Molly have become accidental test subjects with newly formed special abilities that only mean more trouble for everyone involved.
The film is clearly an ode to old-school stoner comedies, the kind where friendship and drugs are treated less like life choices and more like the beginning of a very stupid vision quest. Picture Anna Faris’s cult slacker comedy Smiley Face injected with a little Beavis and Butt-Head and Pineapple Express.
Speaking of which, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are among the executive producers, working alongside Kristen Stewart, who is deeply involved in producing and writing the project with her spouse, writer-director Dylan Meyer.
Meyer is perhaps best known for co-writing the Amy Poehler-directed Netflix teen comedy Moxie. She makes her feature directorial debut with The Wrong Girls, which also co-stars Tony Hale and Zack Fox, with Seth Rogen as one of the voices of the pet cats.
Looking for a hit of some stoner-comedy nonsense? Well, take a deep breath and get ready to inhale when The Wrong Girls arrives in theaters August 14th.
🎥 “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” 35th Anniversary Trailer: James Cameron’s Sci-Fi Action Classic Returns to Theaters — Back In Theaters August 28th Through September 2nd, via Fathom Ent.
“Come with me if you want to live.”
“Hasta la vista, baby.”
“No problemo.”
“I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle.”
Okay, we could go on for hours. But we all know the lines, and we’ve been saying these movie quotes for years. At this point, they’re practically part of the collective vernacular.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is arguably not only the best film in the franchise, but also considered in some circles to be one of the greatest sequels ever made. And so, for those who weren’t able (or weren’t even born yet) to watch the film when it first hit cinemas 35 years ago, now’s your chance to finally see this sci-fi action landmark the way it was meant to be seen: on the big screen, popcorn in hand, fists raised, screaming, “The future is not set, baby!”
James Cameron’s 1991 classic is set to return to cinemas this summer, both to celebrate the film’s 35th anniversary and to remind us that sequels don’t have to be mere regurgitations of the original story. Sometimes, you can expand the mythology, raise the emotional stakes, and blow the whole thing up on a much bigger scale, where character motives are sharper, the peril feels more personal, and the spectacle actually has weight.
There isn’t enough talk these days about why T2 worked as well as it did. Sure, the original film was made on a much smaller budget and had a lean, stripped-down engine to the story: one unstoppable killing machine, one terrified target, and a future war slowly closing in from the edges.
But the sequel, which came out seven years after the first Terminator movie, was able to expand those ideas while actually progressing the characters’ journeys, particularly Sarah Connor, whose transformation from hunted waitress to hardened survivalist remains one of the most compelling turns in the franchise, powered by an outstanding performance from Linda Hamilton.
And flipping Arnold Schwarzenegger’s T-800 from cold-blooded killing machine into a guardian and unlikely father figure for a teenage, angst-ridden John Connor (Edward Furlong) didn’t just give Arnold room to play a warmer, funnier version of the role. It gave the movie its emotional center, turning what could have easily been a soulless cash grab into one of the rare blockbuster sequels that actually deepens what made the original work in the first place.
For a franchise built on the image of a soulless mechanized killing machine from a dystopian future, T2 is, in a lot of ways, Cameron’s emotional plea to be more human toward each other and to understand the value of humanity before it’s too late. A sentiment that still feels pretty damn relevant these days.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day: 35th Anniversary is scheduled to arrive in theaters August 28th through September 2nd via Fathom Entertainment in the U.S.
Come for the killer cyborgs, but stay for the surprisingly human story underneath all that metal.
“I know now why you cry, but it’s something that I can never do.” See, we can quote this movie all day.
🎥 “Hope” Full International Trailer: A Small Korean Town Turns Into Ground Zero in Filmmaker Na Hong-jin’s Korean Alien-Invasion Thriller — Coming to U.S. Theaters This September
If we’ve learned anything from big summer sci-fi movies, it’s that cities like New York and Los Angeles are usually first in line when full-on alien invasions start raining down from the sky.
But why? Wouldn’t an alien attack be more effective if the aliens chose a less obvious target... somewhere smaller, quieter, and far less prepared to deal with an intergalactic threat? Like a small town in South Korea, where the local police force might not be ready for a surprise alien invasion dropping right on their doorstep.
That’s the premise behind Hope, an upcoming Korean sci-fi action thriller that imagines an alien invasion landing far from the usual big-city targets, right in the middle of a quiet South Korean town that has no idea what’s coming.
Hailing from acclaimed Korean filmmaker Na Hong-jin, of the hit 2016 horror thriller The Wailing and the 2008 crime thriller The Chaser, Hope just might be one of this year’s sci-fi breakouts, as it has all the makings of a tightly wound genre piece.
Small-town paranoia? Check. Human desperation? Check. Police officers in way over their heads? Check. Scary tall extraterrestrials arriving to wreak havoc? Big check.
This upcoming Korean alien-monster thriller drops viewers into a remote town already on edge after strange incidents begin spreading fear among the locals. The police chief, played by Hwang Jung-min, initially dismisses it all as nonsense, but as the situation grows more bizarre, he starts to sense that something is truly wrong in his town... and it ain’t just a wild animal loose in the woods.
Sorry, Disclosure Day, but this might be the alien-invasion movie we were waiting for.
Also starring Escape from Mogadishu’s Jo In-sung and Squid Game’s Jung Ho-yeon as part of the Korean ensemble, the film also includes real-life husband-and-wife duo Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander, along with American actors Cameron Britton and Taylor Russell, all of whom reportedly tasked with playing the terrifying aliens through motion-capture performances.
Hope earned rave reviews when it made its world premiere at Cannes back in May. The film will be distributed in the U.S. by Neon in September, while it is set to open in Korea in July.
