Welcome back to Trailer Talk, where I talk about the latest trailers and teasers for upcoming movies. Let’s get started.
THE ADDAMS FAMILY (2019)
They’re creepy and they’re kooky, mysterious and spooky, they’re all together ooky, the Addams family. *snaps fingers twice* I don’t think I need to say much about the Addams Family. They’ve represented the gothic, macabre side of the family dynamic since the late 30s and have appeared in multiple TV series, movies, cartoons, etc. Now, we have an animated Addams Family movie by MGM coming out this month and I’m split on it. Look, I like the Addams Family. I grew up watching the original 60s series and the 90s film adaptations were entertaining. And while we’re on the positives, I like the stylized look that’s presented in this trailer as it captures the gothic look that signified the Addams Family and I’ll admit, I was hooked in the first half. But then that second half happens and I started getting worried. That’s where they introduce a modern setting where the Addams move to New Jersey. I’m not against the idea of setting the Addams Family in modern times, but the way they did it here feels like a bunch of executives checking off a list of ways to appeal to the youth of now and I can’t help but cringe. There’s an Auto-Tuned rap song in the background that sounds like it was made by Migos and there’s some pop culture references sprinkled in there. Someone actually says “it’s gonna be lit” and I’m just like, “NO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!” What’s next, are they gonna make a Fortnite reference? Snoop Dogg voices Cousin Itt and when he’s introduced, they started playing Drop It Like It’s Hot because that’s the only Snoop Dogg song marketing people know about (to be fair, it would have been awkward if they played Gin & Juice instead). Now I remember that the 90s Addams Family movies had songs from MC Hammer and Tag Team. And then there’s these posters.
Bro, this shit is like a cross between a bad DreamWorks film and an Illumination film. I want this movie to be good, but this feels like another hacky corporate creation that sacrifices making a good compelling story for chasing trends that’ll be dated years later.
DOLEMITE IS MY NAME
Dolemite Is My Name is a Netflix original movie that’s set to be a comeback for Eddie Murphy, along with a new standup special. It’s an biopic where Eddie portrays Rudy Ray Moore, a filmmaker who created a character called Dolemite that appears in his standup routines and a series of blaxploitation movies. I’m interested in this. Even though I feel that biopics are very formulaic and this doesn’t look like an exception, I’m looking forward to the performances from Eddie Murphy and a lot of big names who are attached to it. Even better is that word of mouth about the film is overwhelmingly positive.
STAR WARS: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER
So Disney held their D23 Expo back in August where they showcased everything they have coming up and you realize the frightening reality of how this one company has the entertainment industry by the balls in terms of what they own. Anyways, they released a special teaser for the next Star Wars film The Rise Of Skywalker. We’re shown clips from the previous Star Wars films, from the original trilogy to the prequels and even the sequel films. After that, we get new footage that teases an Endgame-level finale with space battles and a final lightsaber duel between Rey and Kylo Ren. Okay, let’s talk about the final shot of the trailer.
Rey with a red double-edge lightsaber ala Darth Maul. Now that’s a “holy shit” moment. Now, there’s two possibilities here: either Rey has turned to the dark side (which might have something to do with Palpatine) or, the more plausible option, this is a Force vision like the one Luke had in Empire Strikes Back while training with Yoda. Who knows? Maybe this is J.J. Abrams playing with people’s expectations again. Either way, I’m still looking forward to this film and how it concludes the Skywalker story.
JOJO RABBIT
Okay, you might want to sit down for this one. This is Jojo Rabbit, a Taika Waititi directed film about a young German boy in World War II who’s part of the Hitler Youth and his imaginary friend is Adolf Hitler, who’s played by Taika Waititi himself. I swear to you this is a real thing and I am not making this up. You wanna know something else? This is produced by Fox Searchlight, which is now owned by Disney.
It looks to be a dark comedy that looks at a kid indoctrinated by Nazis whose imaginary friend is literally Hitler and they come across a Jewish girl that his mom (played by Scarlett Johnasson) hid in the attic. The reason why this movie exists is because Taika Waititi, who’s Jewish, hates the Nazis (don’t we all?) and he wanted to take the piss out of them in film form. I want to see this movie. I don’t care if it’s good or bad, I just want to see this madness unfold based off the trailer alone. You walk a very thin line when you do a satire based off an extremely touchy subject matter like this, so Taika must have some bowling ball-sized testicles to take such a massive risk in this day and age.
BAD BOYS FOR LIFE
The sequel that came way too late, Bad Boys For Life (which sounds like the title to a fourth movie) reunites Will Smith and Martin Lawrence as detectives Mike Lowery and Marcus Bennett as they’re set to retire before a mob boss sets out on revenge against the two. Now, the Bad Boys movies are dumb fun popcorn flicks (well, to be accurate, the first one more than the second) that were both directed by Michael Bay. Yes, THAT Michael Bay. With Bad Boys For Life, they got new directors and it’s set to be released in January of next year. Yeah, this isn’t going to be good. Bad Boys 2 came out in 2003, which means that it’ll been 17 years between that and this new movie, plus, it’s being released on a January, which is usually a dump month. Also, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence are in their 50s. Don’t get me wrong, Will Smith looks great for a man his age. Martin Lawrence, not so much. He seems to lack energy in this trailer and comes off tired. As for the rest of the trailer, I didn’t get much out of it. It’s generic and nothing really hooked me. So I’m not checking this one out.
SPIES IN DISGUISE
While we’re on the topic of Will Smith in movies, here’s Spies In Disguise, the latest film from Blue Sky Studios (the studio behind Ice Age and Rio). Will Smith voices a spy who teams up with a technological genius (voiced by Tom Holland) to stop a villain. I’m getting a meh feeling from this film. Not bad, not great, just meh. You got your standard spy stuff, some over-the-top action, an unlikely duo, etc. Oh, and Will Smith’s character turns into a pigeon. Okay. I always felt Blue Sky has never risen to be a great animation studio and I doubt this film will change that, even with being backed by the Big Mouse himself.
BIRDS OF PREY
This one just came out today, so why not talk about it? Birds Of Prey is the next movie in the DCEU and it’s set for a February release next year. I’m interested in this film. It’s gonna be the first R-rated DCEU movie theatrically and it’s written and directed by women. It looks to be a kickass girl power movie with a lot of pizzazz and not holding back. I only have one major issue with this trailer that applies to the movie as a whole: this is not Birds Of Prey. This trailer is so Harley Quinn-centric, they might as well call this Harley Quinn & Friends. Also, in the comics, Birds Of Prey is a team that consists of Batgirl, Black Canary, and Huntress. Harley Quinn was never a part of the team. She was, however, a part of the Gotham City Sirens, which included Catwoman and Poison Ivy (and is also one of many DC movies in development). Goddamn it, that’s a missed opportunity right there to have Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy on-screen together. They have teamed up in the comics and cartoons and they were even a couple. Granted, DC will still beat Marvel to the punch in terms of LGBT+ representation with Renee Montoya, who is a lesbian. Also, the costumes look terrible, especially for Black Canary and Huntress. Seriously, those two have simple iconic costumes that you can recognize. Why change something something like that unnecessarily? Complaining aside, I am looking forward to Birds Of Prey.
And that’s it for Trailer Talk. Leave your thoughts in the comments below and let me know what you think.
Peace!!
Nerd With An Afro 
Here are some more WTF Lyric suggestions,
The Candy Man by Sammy Davis Jr.
“You can even eat the dishes”
Don’t Call Me Angel by Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey
“I drop it down, I pick it up, I back it past the county line”
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Cool. Any thoughts on these trailers?
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