Tell me a story

A slew of new trailers were released this week. Here’s a look at the ones that caught my attention.

That Awkward Moment

First is That Awkward Moment. Written by and directed by first timer Tom Gormican, it stars Zac Efron, Michael B. Jordan and Miles Teller. Both Teller and Jordan are hot of two  stunning performances this summer, Teller in The Spectacular Now and Jordan in the heartbreaking Fruitvale Station. So when I heard that the two of them were going to be in a movie together, I was of course, excited. In the movie, Jordan has just been dumped, and his two best friends take a vow of solidarity not to date while he is single, but then Efron’s and Teller’s characters meet two women who they start falling for. 

On first impression, the jokes aren’t funny, and Michael B. Jordan doesn’t seem to have enough to do besides wear funny sweaters. The only amusing part seems to be Teller’s performance.

That Awkward Moment is scheduled for release on January 31, 2014.

Devil’s Due

And now for the horror portion of this week’s new trailers. In Devil’s Due (awesome title) everything is pure bliss for newlyweds Zach and Samantha. They’ve got loving, supporting families, and they soon realize that there will be a new addition. They say that when you have a child, your life is never the same. But do they say anything about having a baby that just might be the antichrist?

Written by Lindsay Devlin and Zoe Green, and directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (co-directors of my favorite V/H/S segment “10/31/98“), this movie could have potential, although I’m not sure how you can make pregnancy exciting. Seeing a woman scream at internal pains or her stomach bulging from the sinister presence inside her isn’t all that compelling, but I’m all for giving a horror movie a shot. I will admit I’m getting a little tired of found footage movies, and this one doesn’t even seem like it needs to utilize that style. We’ll see, I guess.

Devil’s Due is expected for delivery (yuck, I know) on January 17, 2014.

Here Comes the Devil

Speaking of the devil… During a family trip in Tijuana, siblings Adolfo and Sara wander off to some caves and then disappear. Eventually they return, but it looks something or someone may have returned with them or in place of them. Hard to say.

This one was written and directed by Adrián García Bogliano who directed the segment “B is for Bigfoot” in the horror anthology The ABCs of Death. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Mexican horror movie, and I’m pretty psyched about this one. It looks more twisted than scary, but that’s cool with me. I don’t really find the devil a scary subject matter to begin with.

Here Comes the Devil  will begin a limited release in the United States on December 13, 2013.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

It’s not news that the people behind The Paranormal Activity franchise have been working on a spin-off movie. The Marked Ones takes place Oxnard, California as opposed to the original film’s San Diego setting. It follows a kid named Jesse who, after breaking into an apartment of a neighbor who recently died, finds himself “marked” by some seemingly sinister forces.

Looks like a bit of a digression from the original movies in the series. It’s still found footage but this time we’re not confined to one house. I like the change, although that has to make it harder to justify the continuous presence of a video camera. Also new and intriguing is the fact that we’re spending most if not all our time with adolescents instead of families. I can’t say I’m super excited for this, but I’m sure I’ll see it.

Written and directed by Christopher Landon (writer of the P.A. 2, 3, & 4) The Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is scheduled for release on January 3, 2014.

Non-Stop

Last but not least we have a Liam Neeson saves the day in Non-Stop. He plays Bill Marks, a US Air Marshall, who while on a flight begins getting anonymous text messages from someone on the plane who is threatening to kill a passenger every 20 minutes unless he (or she) gets $150 million.

How could a person even get away with that on a plane? We’ll just have to wait and find out. I know I already don’t trust Julianne Moore’s character. She’s eyeballing Neeson a little too much.

This reminds me of the interesting but forgettable Flightplan starring Jodie Foster. Here’s hoping for better. Non-Stop was written by John W. Richardson, Chris Roach, and Ryan and Engle and directed by Jaume Collet-Serra (who also directed 2005’s mildly entertaining House of Wax). It comes out on February 28, 2014.

All said, none of these look particularly great, but I think they all have potential. Hopefully I’ll see at least a couple and come back to write about them. Which, if any, looks good to you?

Sources: PunchDrunkCritics.com, SlashFilm.com, ComingSoon.net, and InsideMovies.EW.com