[imagesource: Universal Pictures]
Would you look at that?
It’s Friday already.
Another week is almost done and dusted so high fives all around.
As is customary, we would like to take this opportunity to help you waste a few minutes and bring you closer to freedom.
Three trailers, starting with The Black Phone.
The synopsis via Universal Pictures:
Finney Shaw, a shy but clever 13-year-old boy, is abducted by a sadistic killer and trapped in a soundproof basement where screaming is of little use. When a disconnected phone on the wall begins to ring, Finney discovers that he can hear the voices of the killer’s previous victims. And they are dead set on making sure that what happened to them doesn’t happen to Finney.
Starring four-time Oscar® nominee Ethan Hawke in the most terrifying role of his career and introducing Mason Thames in his first ever film role, The Black Phone is produced, directed, and co-written by Scott Derrickson.
He’s the writer-director of Sinister, The Exorcism of Emily Rose, and Marvel’s Doctor Strange so he has some pedigree:
The Black Phone is only due for release in US cinemas on June 24, but word on the street is that this one’s as creepy as they come.
Next, we have The 355, which is already out in South African cinemas.
A quick overview via Den Of Geek:
[It] stars Jessica Chastain as a CIA agent who must form her own international super team of secret agents to recover a weapon that threatens the planet. Together, these spies form a new faction called “355” that includes British, Chinese, Colombian, and German agents…
But this isn’t just a work of pure fantasy. The codename “355” is steeped in real-world history as it refers to the still-unidentified female spy who helped the Patriots during the American Revolution. She was a pivotal member of the Culper Ring, the spy network responsible for stealing information from the British Army’s NYC headquarters.
You’ll also spot Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, Bingbing Fan, and Penelope Cruz in this one:
Allow me to temper expectations and say the reviews for this one haven’t been stellar.
Finally, the third trailer isn’t for a new series and Hacks has been out since May of last year.
I watched it recently and like many series, it takes a while to get going, but I really enjoyed the second half of the first season.
It has a 100% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes so I can’t be alone.
The premise is simple and looks at the bond formed between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old writer:
If you don’t trust me, trust the review from IndieWire:
Against all odds, the HBO Max comedy from co-creators and showrunners Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky (all “Broad City” veterans) grows in appeal with every episode, succeeding on the expert execution and sound structure of great scripts as well as the never-in-doubt genius of [actress Jean] Smart.
“Hacks” works wonderfully as a show business comedy, a comedian’s comedy, and a character-driven comedy — and yes, it’s very funny.
Their words, not mine.
It also won three Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Smart and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.
That’s three trailers sorted. Go play outside.
