The Trailer Round-Up: September 2015

This new regular feature showcases the best trailers from the upcoming month, hand-picked by us as the ones to watch out for. Any that you think we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments section below.

Action / Adventure

And the award for ‘Sequel Nobody Asked For’ goes to… The Transporter Refuelled. Channeling his inner Jason Statham is Ed Skrein, the new (and we’re assuming improved) action hero who must fight loads of bad guys to rescue his dad, Taken-style. It looks complete rubbish, but we’re always willing to be surprised. Release: September 4

Science Fiction / Fantasy

With The Maze Runner leaving us on a sneaky cliffhanger, The Scorch Trials looks set to open up the world of this interesting YA saga even further. We’re just hoping it won’t be much more of the same answer-one-question, ask-another-three style of storytelling. Release: September 10

Interestingly, there’s little action to be seen in the trailer for Infini, a new science fiction-horror hybrid whose apparent quality belies its low budget. This could potentially mean one of two things: that this is a psychologically challenging chamber piece, or that there’s little of actual interest to be seen in the movie itself. We’re banking on the first one. Release: September 18

Of course, of course, of course: when Ridley Scott directs a sci-fi flick, it’s kind of a big deal. But with the overall disappointment of Prometheus, what are we really going to see with The Martian? Hopefully, the airtight plot of Andy Weir’s book will provide a springboard for Scott’s visuals – and this simply looks stunning. Release: September 30

Drama / Thriller

What are Owen Wilson and Lake Bell doing in a survival thriller? We’re certain that their extremely likeable personalities will win us over into believing their plight in No Escape, where a terrorist organisation threatens their family’s lives after having just moved overseas. We’re really not sure what to expect of this one – but that makes for the most surprising and refreshing watches, doesn’t it? Release: September 4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFpK71yBv1s

Tom Hardy and Tom Hardy play the Kray twins in Legend. Come for the ace double performance from a mercurial British actor; stay for what is promising to be a modern gangster classic. Release: September 9

Hard-hitting, relevant, powerful: just some of the superlatives that come to mind when we watch the trailer for 99 Homes. Andrew Garfield is kicked out of his home by Michael Sheen, only to become part of what destroyed his own life. Following the great reviews it’s had from festivals, we really hope this one delivers on its promise. Release: September 25

A film tailor-made for IMAX: an all-star cast makes Everest one of those movies feel like you could take anyone to it, while numerous death-defying set pieces reach new dizzying peaks of tension. Release: September 18

Comedy

The Sundance hit Dope looks inspired by movies of the ‘90s, but its energy is a timely one in a culture that celebrates the rise of the geek. This one looks fabulous: don’t miss it. Release: September 4

Woody Allen’s latest may not be getting the best reviews of his career, but Irrational Man is certain to have something worth watching for: it stars Joaquin Phoenix, one of the most nuanced and gifted actors of our time, and Emma Stone, a starlet who just keeps shooting through the ranks. And after all, it can’t be as bad as Magic in the Moonlight – can it? Release: September 11

While it doesn’t give off the same vibe as similar – and funnier – comedies, The D Train still features Jack Black and James Marsden, which is two thumbs way up in our textbook of comedy. Release: September 18

Although it hasn’t been getting great reviews so far, the trailer for A Walk in the Woods plays heavily on the cosmic on-screen pairing of Robert Redford and Nick Nolte; if that’s not worth our money, then what is? Release: September 18

Family

McFarland, USA stars Kevin Costner as a sports coach; that well-tested slice of cinematic alchemy should prove perfect for you and your kids. Then again, Disney’s last family sports flick was Million Dollar Arm, and that was stone-dead before it even left the starting post. Release: September 25

Horror

What could possibly go wrong with a new M. Night Shyamalan picture? As you almost surely know by now, almost everything – but the director’s latest flick, The Visit, looks set to bring it all back to his horror roots with a found-footage chamber piece. We’re not expecting an equal to The Sixth Sense, but we do want some semblance of a return to form. Release: September 11

What would happen if you could speak to the dead? Would you go mad? Or do you think you hear them because you’re mad in the first place? Are you already dead? More annoyingly circular questions like this should plague your mind after just one watch of the trailer for The Messenger. Release: September 18

World Cinema

After seeing the name Tangerines at the last Oscars ceremony, but without it having a release in much of the West, this has been high on our list of must-watch movies. Expect political commentary and acerbic performances. Release: September 18

Usually, we take cinema for granted; going to the movies, or even when making them. But in less fortunate parts of civilisation, it’s a process that is sorely missed by some. Filmmakers, imprisoned in their own homes and forbidden from making films by their government, have found ways to sneak past the system and make art that is at once an expression of freedom, and a call to justice. We’re going to watch Closed Curtain – are you? Release: September 4

Documentary

Get ready for what looks like the most brutal documentary of the year; Cartel Land is set to continue Dogwoof’s great run of documentaries, and will hopefully bring a new meaning to the overused phrase, ‘hard-hitting.’ Release: September 4