Here are the best things we saw at CinemaCon this week
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Another CinemaCon has come and gone, leading to the saddest time of the year: The longest period between CinemaCons. And why shouldn’t we be depressed? As Seth Rogen put it during his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle presentation, CinemaCon is the only place a studio exec has to shake hands with the owner of two screens in Wilmington. And those two screens matter, especially right now as the theatrical experience finally gets back on its feet. On the precipice of another blow to movies, the looming writers’ strike, studios asked theater owners not to read the writing on the wall, promising new movies for multiplexes. To that end, the studios put on quite a show for the exhibition partners, drumming up excitement for a slate of movies, or “product,” as some industry insiders call it, that will hopefully make everyone a lot of money and keep movie theaters alive. We thank them for their service.
There was a lot at CinemaCon outside of demos of new versions of Cine-a-scope and collectible Avatar soda pales. The major studios, including Disney, Warner Bros., Sony, Lionsgate, Universal, and even that rascally Paramount, descended on Las Vegas with goodies for the masses. And they certainly delivered this year.
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While The A.V. Club’s adventures in covering these presentations have sadly ended, we leave our dear readers with a best-of list, imparting wisdom to thee, our dearest consumers of content, so that they may prepare for the coming year accordingly. Without further adieu, here are the best things we saw at CinemaCon.
Napoleon preview
Ridley Scott has done what every auteur says they’re going to do: make a movie about Napoleon. (He’s even beating Spielberg to the punch on this one.) But with all Napoleon projects, it’s best not to believe they exist until they exist. During the Sony panel, Chairperson Tom Rothman made it clear this one exists, and it’s loaded with practical and in-camera effects. In a short 10-minute clip, we got our first glimpses of Joaquin Phoenix’s take on the tri-corner hat enthusiast. Like Scott’s last two historical epics, The Last Duel and House Of Gucci, the lead actor seemingly plays a slightly stupid version of the man we know from history books. Still, Scott makes a case for him as a tactical genius in a stirring sequence that sends the Austrians, Russians, and their horses plunging into icy waters. The scale is massive, the images sublime, and the need to see this movie as big as possible is imperative.
The Flash screening
The Flash - Official Trailer 2
Not to be rude, but we were betting against The Flash. Following years of bad DC movies, delays, and disturbing scandals that lead actor Ezra Miller seemingly skated accountability for, how could this one actually work? Nevertheless, The Flash announces itself early as the most confident superhero movie in some time. The last year has been rough for the genre, with audiences growing tired of the ever-expanding and increasingly incoherent universes. Risking hyperbole, The Flash feels closer in tone to Spider-Man 2 in its portrait of a young hero whose life is impossible to manage. Even at its multiverse-collapsing height, The Flash grounds itself in a surprisingly remarkable duel performance from Miller, making his star even more challenging to discuss. The movie gets bonus points for using Danny Elfman’s Batman theme and Michael Keaton, who finally has fun in the Batsuit. Nostalgia aside, Andy Muschetti’s clever plotting and direction keep The Flash light on its feet.
The Barbie panel
How did they make a movie out of Barbie? We have our answer thanks to the Warner Bros. presentation, which featured appearances from Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera, and director Greta Gerwig. The Barbie movie is about what happens when everyone’s favorite perfect plastic lady ponders death for the first time. Her existential crisis begets a fish-out-of-water story akin to Elf, where a doe-eyed doll enters the real world and faces America in all its horror.
Additionally, Ryan Gosling gave us a peek behind the curtain, explaining his approach to playing Barbie’s dimwitted boyfriend, saying he “conjured” Ken. “I doubted my Ken-ergy,” the actor said. “I didn’t see it.”
“I was living my life and the next thing I knew, I was bleaching my hair and shaving my legs and rollerblading on Venice Beach.”
The hype for Barbie is becoming unbearable.
The Boogeyman screening
The Boogeyman | Official Trailer | 20th Century Studios
One of the best parts of CinemaCon is getting to see movies. That’s why the convention exists, right? One such screening was for an adaptation of the Stephen King short story, The Boogeyman. Like Barbie, people probably wonder, “How did they make a movie out of the Boogeyman?” Well, we don’t know how they did it. Still, director Rob Savage (Host) turned the anonymous monster of children’s nightmares into a simple and effective supernatural monster movie that delivers on all fronts. Much like Smile, the studio initially set The Boogeyman for a streaming release, but after some test screenings, they figured it might perform better in a room of screaming people. After surviving the movie’s myriad of jump scares, it’s clear they made the right decision. See this one with a crowd.
Elemental preview
Elemental | Official Trailer
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the new Pixar looks magnificent. But after a mixed bag of sequels, spin-offs, and big swings, the studio’s reputation for releasing thematically rich animated movies that appeal to all audiences has been spottier than usual. Pixar isn’t a guaranteed thing anymore, and the first look at Elemental at D23 last year didn’t set the world on fire (sorry). However, after seeing the first 20 minutes of the film, it’s clear that this isn’t another crack at the Inside Out formula. Instead, director Peter Sohn (The Good Dinosaur) has the makings of an inventive, funny, and energetic story that trades the pear-shaped humans of Pixar for a clever design that lets fire be fire, right down to the heat waves emanating off the characters. To quote Buster Poindexter, this one looks “hot.”
Oppenheimer trailer
Much like Barbie, which has slowly become the standard bearer for all unreleased movies this year, Oppenheimer was already on our must-see list. However, we weren’t entirely sure what this movie was or when it takes place. The new trailer, which may or may not be attached to Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3, fills in those gaps. Less of a biopic and more of an espionage whodunit about guys on the cusp of blowing up the world, Oppenheimer jumps from the race to build a bomb before Russia to the race to build a bomb before the Nazis. It also looks unlike anything in director Christopher Nolan’s filmography. July 21 cannot come fast enough.
The Creator trailer
We haven’t heard much of director Gareth Edwards since the release of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. By all accounts, his role in Rogue One ended with writer Tony Gilroy rewriting and reshooting it. That doesn’t exactly scream “healthy working relationship.” But whatever laser hatchet required burying has been done because Disney gave Edwards an ungodly amount of money to write and direct an original science fiction story. Starring John David Washington and his robot son, The Creator had shades of A.I. and 2022’s After Yang. As in Rogue One and Godzilla, the trailer shows off how good Edwards is at presenting the size and scale of his imagination. These are big ships and futuristic cities on a scale only reserved for established I.P. Finally.
The Creator hits theaters on September 29.
Focus Features presentation
Of all the studio presentations, the four trailers shown for Focus’ upcoming slate of specialty releases were among the most exciting. In addition to a second look at Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City and My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3, Focus treated conventioneers to new trailers for Ethan Coen’s Drive-Away Dolls and Alexander Hayne’s The Holdovers. While Drive-Away Dolls look like a return to the frenetic Raising Arizona comedy of Coen’s past, Haynes’ latest is a return to movies where Paul Giamatti yells at people. We couldn’t be more thrilled. We’ll be eating well this fall.
Vin Diesel goes off-script during Fast X panel
The Fast X panel was already a blast before white-leather-clad Vin Diesel took the stage. Immediately telling the audience that we were “sick of the teleprompter,” Diesel improvised a presentation that included him telling the crowd that The Fast Saga was the longest-running franchise in history. As we began to murmur the words James Bond, Vin doubled back around and clarified: the longest-running franchise with the same actors playing the same roles. Or something. It became so weirdly specific that everyone kind of just moved on. But anyway, he told an amazing story about how before Fast X arrived in the theaters Vin Diesel saved, a Universal executive asked him if there would be values that are good for society in the movie. “Now what has more value than family?” he asked the crowd as if expecting awws. Then he told everyone how much he loved and appreciated them. Next up: there was an on-stage stunt show with minibikes and go-karts and guys coming down from the ceiling. It was really cool.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem preview
After many failed Turtles reboots, our expectations for Seth Rogen’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle: Mutant Mayhem were in the sewer. We couldn’t have been more wrong. The extended preview at CinemaCon revealed a funny and original-looking movie with beautiful, unique animation and vibrant voice performances. Rogen said they are emphasizing the teen aspects of everyone’s favorite foursome. That certainly came across in the short preview, which included first looks at Bee-Bop and Rocksteady in action. Ninja Turtles is going to surprise a lot of people.
Wicked preview
After the dimly lit, squint-or-you-’ll-miss-em photos Universal released last week, we began to dread anything about the studio’s latest stab at rebooting The Wizard Of Oz. Another overly dark blockbuster—who needs that? Thankfully, Universal brought more footage to clear the air, and this isn’t The Great And Powerful Oz. In the DVD special feature that Universal screened, director Jon M. Chu emphasized the production’s commitment to practical effects, planting two million tulips for one scene. Plus, Cynthia Erivo is very green.
Killers Of The Flower Moon trailer
After 600 years of staring at that single still of Leonardo DiCaprio and Lily Gladstone from Martin Scorsese’s Killers Of The Flower Moon, it was nice to see that this picture, in fact, moves. Anyone expecting the 80-year-old director to miss a step will be shocked to see how much energy and action the new trailer has. With its turn-of-the-century touches and emphasis on oil fields, we imagine future double features with There Will Be Blood are in order. Thankfully, this won’t be going straight to streaming.
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