‘The Darkest Minds’ Trailer: Teens Get Superpowers And Revolt Against Parents In New YA Film

In a world that hates and fears them, a group of teens with superpowers fights for freedom. Yes, this is the basic premise of “X-Men,” but also apparently, the premise for the upcoming film, “The Darkest Minds.” It’s like “X-Men” but with a heaping helping of “The Hunger Games.” Just when you think the YA movie trend had come to a close, with “Divergent” never finishing its film series and “Maze Runner” stumbling to the end, it looks like there’s another teen franchise hoping to take off. In the first trailer for “The Darkest Minds,” we see what happens when kids suddenly get superpowers. Namely, the adults get freaked out and start imprisoning them. But let’s be honest, did you really expect the trailer for a YA film to focus on the plot only? No, no, no. We get the hint of a young romance, a young female rallying a large group of prisoners, and enough half-baked special effects to just give you the hint of superpowers, all while an unknown song by some pop singer plays in the background. Yes, this is your typical YA movie, but with kids making things float in mid-air. Brace yourselves. Right now, it looks like the main selling point of the film is producer Shawn Levy, and his company 21 Laps Entertainment. Levy is most recently known for being one of the producers of the massive Netflix series “Stranger Things” and the award-winning 2016 sci-fi film “Arrival.” However, there’s nothing in “The Darkest Hour” that shows a resemblance to those properties. Well, like “Stranger Things,” the focus is on kids, so there’s that, we guess? “The Darkest Minds” is based on the book by Alexandra Bracken, and stars Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, and Gwendoline Christie. The film is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, best known for her extensive work in animation and previously directed “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Kung Fu Panda 3.” “The Darkest Minds” will hit theaters August 3.

‘The Darkest Minds’ Trailer: Teens Get Superpowers And Revolt Against Parents In New YA Film

In a world that hates and fears them, a group of teens with superpowers fights for freedom. Yes, this is the basic premise of “X-Men,” but also apparently, the premise for the upcoming film, “The Darkest Minds.” It’s like “X-Men” but with a heaping helping of “The Hunger Games.” Just when you think the YA movie trend had come to a close, with “Divergent” never finishing its film series and “Maze Runner” stumbling to the end, it looks like there’s another teen franchise hoping to take off. In the first trailer for “The Darkest Minds,” we see what happens when kids suddenly get superpowers. Namely, the adults get freaked out and start imprisoning them. But let’s be honest, did you really expect the trailer for a YA film to focus on the plot only? No, no, no. We get the hint of a young romance, a young female rallying a large group of prisoners, and enough half-baked special effects to just give you the hint of superpowers, all while an unknown song by some pop singer plays in the background. Yes, this is your typical YA movie, but with kids making things float in mid-air. Brace yourselves. Right now, it looks like the main selling point of the film is producer Shawn Levy, and his company 21 Laps Entertainment. Levy is most recently known for being one of the producers of the massive Netflix series “Stranger Things” and the award-winning 2016 sci-fi film “Arrival.” However, there’s nothing in “The Darkest Hour” that shows a resemblance to those properties. Well, like “Stranger Things,” the focus is on kids, so there’s that, we guess? “The Darkest Minds” is based on the book by Alexandra Bracken, and stars Amandla Stenberg, Mandy Moore, and Gwendoline Christie. The film is directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, best known for her extensive work in animation and previously directed “Kung Fu Panda 2” and “Kung Fu Panda 3.” “The Darkest Minds” will hit theaters August 3.

‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ Season 2 Trailer: Freedom Burns

“The Handmaid’s Tale” quickly became a phenomenon when it was released last year. Hulu, who has quietly been releasing quality original series, had been waiting for something on their streaming service to catch on, and become a massive pop culture hit, in the same way “Stranger Things” has for Netflix and “Transparent” did for Amazon. And clearly, ‘Handmaid’s’ is that hit. With multiple Emmy’s and Golden Globes, the series is poised to become even bigger in season 2. In the newest trailer for the upcoming season, it looks like the series isn’t going to miss a beat when it returns. The upcoming season is especially exciting for one big reason – the unknown. After season 1 ended in much the same way the classic Margaret Atwood novel came to a close, this season is venturing into largely unknown territory. Without the help of amazing source material, will the creators behind the show falter? It sure doesn’t look like it. Elisabeth Moss leads the way in the trailer, as her character is clearly on a mission to help her daughter. Alexis Bledel is back, and it doesn’t look like things are going great for her, either. We also get glimpses of fan favorites, like Samira Wiley’s Moira. But clearly, the standout image in the footage shown is the quick glimpse of the women all set to take part in a mass hanging. Yes, this series is dark. In addition to Moss, Bledel, and Wiley, the series also stars Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes, Ann Dowd, Sydney Sweeney, Cherry Jones, and Max Minghella, in addition to a variety of others. “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 2 premieres April 25, 2018 on Hulu. Check out the latest trailer below.

‘Kodachrome’ Trailer: Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Olsen & Ed Harris Hit The Road

Kodak's Kodachrome shading film was around for quite a while. Truth be told, it even enlivened a Paul Simon melody in 1973. It's nothing unexpected assembling was suspended in 2010, given all the innovative headways that happened in the mid 21st century. That, in any case, the simple/advanced break of old and new, doesn't appear to stop the characters of the up and coming film "Kodachrome." Kodachrome debuted at 2017's Toronto Film Festival to generally lukewarm audits. The Playlist applauded veteran on-screen character Ed Harris' execution calling it a "gaudy, landscape biting part and earns some merited giggles." The official abstract can be perused beneath: Battling A&R official Matt (Jason Sudeikis) discovers his reality flipped around when his irritated father's medical caretaker (Elizabeth Olsen) shows up out of the blue in his office. Matt's dad, a renowned worldwide awful kid photojournalist (Ed Harris), is confronting terminal malignancy and his withering wish is for Matt to go along with him on a street trip from New York to Kansas to process his last moves of Kodachrome film before the sole residual lab closes and those caught minutes are gone until the end of time. Kodachrome recounts the narrative of three harmed individuals grappling with themselves, each other, and a world quickly changing from simple to computerized. Non mainstream top picks Jason Sudeikis, Elizabeth Olsen, and Ed Harris star while "Copenhagen" executive Mark Raso sits in the chief's seat. Raso first stopped people in their tracks in the wake of composing, altering, delivering, and coordinating his past film "Copenhagen" in 2014. The film won the Audience Award at the Slamdance Film Festival where Raso was named "an ability to watch." Writing the content is writer and screenwriter, Jonathan Tropper. For his presentation screenplay, he adjusted his own New York Times top of the line novel "This Is Where I Leave You" for the 2014 film of a similar name. Most as of late, his Bruce Lee motivated "Warrior" arrangement was greenlit at Cinemax. Tropper will compose and deliver while "Quick and Furious" most loved Justin Lin and Shannon Lee will likewise official create. "Kodachrome" will have a constrained dramatic discharge notwithstanding debuting on Netflix on April 20.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls’ Trailer: Cate Blanchett and Eli Roth, An Unlikely Duo

The curveball, however, comes with one of the film’s stars, Cate Blanchett. Blanchett has been a household name for many years, thanks to her diverse theatre and film career. She has earned critical and international acclaim working with people such as Martin Scorsese, David Fincher, Joe Wright, Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Steven Spielberg, and has brought home three BAFTAawards, three Golden Globes, and two Academy Awards. So, what is she doing teaming up with Eli Roth? Did she lose a bet?

During the “Thor: Ragnarok” panel at San Diego Comic-Con in 2017, Blanchett revealed that it was because of inspiration from her kids that she portrayed the villain Hela in the Marvel film. Could her involvement in ‘The House With A Clock In Its Walls,’ also be due to influence by her kids? It worked for ‘Ragnarok,’ but that was with the support of producer-extraordinaire Kevin Feige and director Taika Waititi. Obviously, Roth hasn’t quite reached the heights of those creators.

Whatever her motivations are, Blanchett and Roth are an unlikely duo.

The script is penned by Eric Kripke, who is best known for the television series ‘Supernatural,’ and starring alongside Blanchett will be Jack Black, Kyle MacLachlan, Owen Vaccaro and Colleen Camp. The film will be released on September 21.

Cannes Artistic Director Explains Why Netflix Films Are Banned From Competition

It didn’t take much time for Bong Joon Ho‘s, “Okja” to create a stir last May at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. Not because of the film itself; booing began the moment the Netflix logo appeared on the screen. Noah Baumbach‘s Netflix-produced, “The Meyerowitz Stories” premiered two days later, and the jeers immediately rang out too. The backlash from French audiences stems from Netflix’s refusal to play by the rules of the French film industry rules, which says that every movie playing competition at Cannes has to be released theatrically. Of course, barring a few exceptions, Netflix doesn’t release its films in movie theaters. It’s an issue that has caused so much controversy in France’s cinema-passionate movie industry, that Cannes decided to ban any films that won’t play theatrically in the country – effectively preventing Netflix pictures to appear at the festival.

Cannes artistic director Thierry Fremaux hasn’t really given his full thoughts on the ban until now. The upcoming festival will take place from May 7th to the 18th. Fremaux, speaking to Le Film Francais [viaTHR], insists that any possible admission for a Netflix-produced film would have to mean a corresponding theatrical release.

 “The Netflix people loved the red carpet and would like to be present with other films. But they understand that the intransigence of their own model is now the opposite of ours,” Fremaux said.

Netflix, or any streaming service, can still show their films out of competition, but actually competing for the Palme? Forget it. That, and yesterday’s newly added “selfie ban,” have been met with mixed reaction Stateside. Over in France, filmmakers and unions were enthused with the Netflix ban as they had heavily protested the inclusions of ‘Okja,” and “The Meyerowitz Stories” at last year’s festival. 

Fremaux admitted his decision to include the two aforementioned Netflix films in competition was a “risk,” and he did so because he didn’t want the festival to appear “stagnant.” The fact that both films came from well-respected auteurs (Baumbach and Joon-Ho) probably didn’t hurt either. Still, he admits to his “error” and says that he truly thought Netflix would “bend the rules” and give in by playing both films theatrically.

 “Last year, when we selected these two films, I thought I could convince Netflix to release them in cinemas. I was presumptuous, they refused. We have to take into account the existence of these powerful new players: Amazon, Netflix and maybe soon Apple. Cinema [still] triumphs everywhere even in this golden age of [TV] series,” he said. “The history of cinema and the history of the internet are two different things.”

On the one hand, Netflix, who aren’t really in the business of pleasing cinephiles, probably aren’t taking this too hard. On the other hand, Netflix chief Ted Sarandos does love the prestige and sees himself as something of a cineaste. Plus, the company keeps taking it in the teeth from the press and well-respected filmmakers like Christopher Nolan, Tarantino, et al. (see Steven Spielberg‘s latest thoughts; he doesn’t think Netflix films would be eligible for Oscars). Truth be told, the average Netflix viewer doesn’t really care if a film competed for the Palme d’Or or not. After all, while the numbers are kept under wraps, it’s likely that Adam Sandler movies and throwaways like the critically-panned “Bright,” are keeping their subscribers happy, not films like “Okja” or “Mudbound.” The streaming algorithms versus the theatrical experience debate won’t cease. Technological and cultural shifts dictate that a shift towards the digital is inevitable, but surely the theatrical experience won’t ever completely die. At the very least, the definition of “cinema” continues to blur beyond traditional recognition. Just wait until Martin Scorsese‘s “The Irishman,” starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci, and Al Pacino, premieres exclusively on Netflix next year. Brace for that one while you can.

‘Impulse’ Trailer: Director Doug Liman Returns To The ‘Jumper’ Franchise For New Sequel Series

Odds are, you’ve probably already forgotten about director Doug Liman’s 2008 action film, “Jumper.” While the film wasn’t a massive bomb at the box office, it failed to reach the exact numbers that the studio was hoping for to greenlight a sequel. Now, 10 years later, the “Jumper” franchise is back, but it only has a few things in common with the original film. YouTube has just released the first teaser for their “Jumper” spin-off series, “Impulse.” In the series, we follow a 16-year-old girl, played by Maddie Hasson, that feels like an outcast in her town. Things get complicated when she realizes she has the ability to teleport. The footage shown in the teaser is much more about setting the tone of the series, which seems to be a darker and more grounded take than the globe-hopping, popcorn 2008 film. One thing you’ll notice right off the bat is the distinct lack of actors Hayden Christensen or Rachel Bilson in the series. There are definitely going to be links to that original film, but outside of a hint or two, the exact nature of the connection isn’t clear. Joining Hasson in the cast for “Impulse” are Missi Pyle and Daniel Maslany. However, there is a holdover from “Jumper” that’s coming back for “Impulse.” Director Doug Liman is back on board to direct the pilot episode. The series is written by Jeffrey Lieber (“Lost,” “NCIS: New Orleans”), Jason Horwitch (“Marvel’s Luke Cage”), and Gary Spinelli. The series is based on the third book from “Jumper” series from author Steven Gould. “Impulse” will be released as a YouTube Red series, which means that it’ll be available to those that subscribe to the streaming services premium content. All 10 episodes will premiere in the Summer. Here’s the official synopsis: In the upcoming YouTube Red Original Drama Series IMPULSE, 16-year-old Henry Coles is an outsider in her new town of Reston, New York. With a major chip on her shoulder and no friends, she remains withdrawn and isolated, but everything changes when a traumatic encounter with a classmate triggers something deep within Henry— unleashing a power she cannot control.

‘Superfly’ Trailer: Blaxsploitation Film Get’s A 2018 Makeover In A Brand New City

Many of today’s most singular auteurs (like David Fincher, Spike Jonze, Jonathan Glazer, Antoine Fuqua, and Michel Gondry) fine-tuned their style by starting in the music video world before making a switch over to the film world. Now, prolific music video director Director X is joining the ranks with the remake of the 1972 blaxploitation film “Superfly.” In the new teaser for the film, we can definitely see that this is a true reimagining of the original. While the style is clearly updated, the setting has changed, moving to Atlanta from Harlem. Also, it looks like the story is being set up as a riff on films like “Scarface,” focusing on the struggles and violence that comes along with growing your drug business into an empire. X spoke to Deadline about remaking the film saying, “’Superfly’ is about pulling off the ultimate hustle to get out of the game. Our goal is to make it modern – to make a movie where the style, the art direction, the camera movements are all part of what makes the movie ‘Superfly.’ With this film, my goal is to honor the lineage of an iconic title that the community has loved for decades.” Director X seems like a natural fit to handle the remake and has been making music videos 1998 and directed music videos for many of today’s most recognizable names in music. He’s a frequent collaborator with Drake (X directed his iconic “Hotline Bling” video), Rihanna, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Alicia Keys, and Jay-Z. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Hip-hop sensation Future will not only be producing but also curating the film’s soundtrack. The original film is probably best known for its soundtrack, which is one of the few soundtracks ever to out-gross its corresponding film. “The original soundtrack is legendary, and that’s an inspiration for the artists that Future is working with to bring a singular modern musical vision to the film,” said X. The film’s all-star cast includes “Mudbound” and “Straight Outta Compton” breakout Jason Mitchell, Trevor Jackson, Michael Kenneth Williams, Lex Scott Davis, and Jennifer Morrison. “Watchmen” screenwriter Alex Tse wrote the screenplay. “Superfly” opens June 15.

‘Ready Player One’ Crew Sneaks Steven Spielberg Easter Eggs Into Film Against The Director’s Wishes

The upcoming “Ready Player One” looks to break the imaginary record for most Easter Eggs hidden in a film. With everything from “Back to the Future” to “The Iron Giant” being referenced overtly in the film, director Steven Spielberg has gone on record saying that there are even more references to pop culture hidden throughout the film. However, he also had a rule going into the film—none of Spielberg’s own films were to be included. Apparently, his crew didn’t like that mandate. According to a report by Entertainment Weekly, the crew behind “Ready Player One” did everything in their power to sneak Spielberg film references into scenes. From hidden “Gremlins” grafitti to copies of “Schindler’s List” novels in the background, the crew’s goal was to see how many of these Easter Eggs snuck by the watchful eye of Spielberg. And they weren’t always successful, either. “We had a sly Fratelli’s Diner, but we got caught,” production designer Adam Stockhausen says. “He nixed it.” This is, of course, a reference to “The Goonies.” In reference to the “Gremlins” reference, Spielberg said, ““I think a lot of the digital artists were trying to get some of their favorite ’80s cultural references in there, you know? And having seen every shot 30 times as we go through all the different steps from pre-viz to animatic to final, I started noticing little things. They snuck a gremlin in.” He continued, “I said, ‘Well, I guess it’s too late to take that guy out.’ So he survived the cut.” A lot has been made about the nostalgia at play in “Ready Player One.” Once the film’s released, you’ll have eagle-eyed viewers going frame by frame to see if they can name all the hidden characters and film references. However, Spielberg doesn’t want the actual plot of the film to be weighed down by all the little Easter Eggs. “The movie isn’t really about nostalgia,” Spielberg concludes. “Nostalgia is only the window dressing — out your side windows, but the movie takes place out your windshield. It’s a race. It’s a competition for control of the OASIS.”

‘The Rain’ Teaser: Stay Dry, Stay Alive In This Danish Post-Apocalyptic Series

“The Rain” is an upcoming Netflix original series about a group of kids facing the post-apocalypse in Denmark. From the looks of its trailer, it’s part “Walking Dead,” part “Stranger Things,” and part any given CW show. Here’s the official synopsis from Netflix: The world as we know it has ended. In Netflix’s post-apocalyptic YA thriller, two Danish siblings emerge from the safety of their bunker six years after a brutal virus carried by the rain wipes out almost all humans in Scandinavia. After realizing all remnants of civilization are gone, they join a group of young survivors and together set out on a danger-filled quest through an abandoned Scandinavia, searching for any signs of life. Set free from their collective past and societal rules, the group has the freedom to be who they want to be. In their struggle for survival, they discover that even in a post-apocalyptic world there’s still love, jealousy, and many of the coming of age dilemmas they thought they’d left behind with the disappearance of the world they once knew. “The Rain” is Netflix’s first original series from Denmark. It should make for a good companion series for Netflix’s underseen “3%,” another “Hunger Games-y” YA show, the second season of which is due to drop on April 27, 2018. “The Rain” is created by Jannik Tai Mosholt (“Borgen,” “Rita“), Esben Toft Jacobsen, and Christian Potalivo. It stars Alba August, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard (“A Royal Affair“), Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen, Lars Simonsen (“The Bridge,”), Iben Hjejle, Angela Bundalovic, Sonny Lindberg, Jessica Dinnage, Lukas Løkken, and Johannes Kuhnke (“Force Majeure“). “The Rain'”s first season hits Netflix on May 4.