First Trailer for INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY

While the subtitle of the latest Insidious film may have the word "final" in it there is seemingly no end in sight for this horror franchise as, while it is not a part of James Wan's ever-expanding Conjuring universe, it is part of his brand and therefore a key component in ushering in this new age of horror that has come about in the post-torture porn era. While that genre will attempt to make something of a comeback this fall with the release of Jigsaw other films such as this week's IT re-make (no doubt the reason this trailer is debuting now) and October's Happy Death Day are set to capitalize on pure terror and (hopefully) some intelligently positioned social satire. Though Insidious: The Last Key may not have a primed for quality release date with that first weekend in January this is a release date that has somewhat become synonymous with cheap, but profitable scary movies over the last few years with the likes of The Devil Inside and The Forest. While I'm hoping The Last Key will prove to be of better quality than those films I like having something in January to look forward to and if this first-look trailer is any indication it seems writer/star Leigh Whannell (who directed the third installment) and new director to the franchise Adam Robitel (a writer on Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension) have a real grasp on what they wanted to do with this film in terms of taking the series in a new, bold direction and, if nothing else, that's reason to be excited as I've been a fan of the Insidious series from the beginning despite the last installment feeling like something of a placeholder. While this fourth outing doesn't boast any "names" outside the return of Lin Shaye's Elise Rainer it is Elise that will seemingly take center stage here as she's been the connective tissue throughout much of the previous three films this time taking on her most fearsome and personal haunting yet in her own family home. Insidious: The Last Key also stars Angus Sampson, Josh Stewart, Caitlin Gerard, Kirk Acevedo, Javier Botet, Bruce Davison, Spencer Locke, Tessa Ferrer, Ava Kolker, Marcus Henderson, and opens on January 5th, 2018.

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES Review

2011's re-tooling of the Planet of the Apes franchise was a surprise in many ways, but mostly in the way that it was really good. I went into the film with modest expectations. Having only ever seen the 1968 original and the Tim Burton re-make I wasn't soaked in the lore of the franchise and didn't hold out hope for a resurgence in the narrative. Still, when you go into a movie framed as somewhat of an origin story and understand where it ultimately has to lead there is a level of intrigue you can't exactly put your finger on and that is what Rise of the Planet of the Apes capitalized on and did so in ways that made the picture, as a full body of work, excel in many ways. With those kinds of expectations set for the sequel and the fantastic trailers that have been rolling out over the past six months it was difficult to adjust one's excitement for Dawn of the Planet of the Apes in a fashion that might not be cause for disappointment when the movie finished playing. While I tried to avoid the trailers after the second one was released it was almost impossible to not see several television spots over the past month as Twentieth Century Fox has done well to position this as one of if not the major event movie of the summer. There was a lot of general love for Rise as I can recall speaking with friends who don't go to the movies regularly and them telling me they decided to go see it and how much they enjoyed it. That kind of attitude seemed to resonate with the average movie-goer and will no doubt translate to bigger business for Dawn, but while I can imagine this sequel being more than a satisfactory trip to the movies for those who enjoyed Rise once the excitement calms down it will likely become more clear the film suffers from not having as much substance, as much allegory or as much emotional depth as the first did. While it should not be thought I didn't enjoy this film (it is actually thoroughly enjoyable and will be worthy of repeat viewings) it is not a film that aspires towards the greatness of the first and because of this lack of complexity it feels all the more safe, all the more generic and any other adjectives such as these that allow Dawn to distance itself from the attributes that made Rise so interesting and entertaining.

Teaser Trailer for DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

I think everyone, including 20th Century Fox, was surprised in 2011 when the attempt to re-boot the Planet of the Apes franchise worked as well as it did. I was certainly taken aback by the quality of the film and was even tempted to place it in my top ten for that year, but while that film proved to be an interesting take on where the whole Charlton Heston/1968 drama began I never imagined it would have established a large enough following to amass as much excitement as there seems to be surrounding its follow-up, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. While this is inherently a dream franchise for any studio as they don't have to depend on the name of a certain star being attached, but that the draw is more Andy Serkis in motion capture action as Caesar doesn't necessarily seem to mean they are skimping in terms of story substance. The new film, as directed by Matt Reeves (Let Me In) taking over for Rupert Wyatt, takes place fifteen years after the previous film and will seemingly chronicle the natural progression of how the apes came to be in power and how that Statue of Liberty ended up being buried in the sand. Granted, they are likely leaving plenty of space to get to that point so as to make a few more films in this series, but it will be nice to see the continued and natural arc of how these animals come to be the domineering race on earth. It all sounds a bit silly when you talk about it like that, but the Planet of the Apes series has always had serious social commentary going along with it and that seems to be present in the slim bit of footage and tone this teaser offers. It is a rather haunting first look and while they don't necessarily have to keep an actor on contract that doesn't mean they don't go for quality as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes stars Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirk Acevedo, Toby Kebbell, Enrique Murciano, Judy Greer and opens in 3D on July 18, 2014.