Chronicle

By combining two of the most exhausted tropes in modern filmmaking—superheroes and faux-found footage—next year’s low-budget Fox thriller Chronicle hopes to reenergize both, purporting to be the video vérité story of three teenaged friends who happen upon a mysterious substance and suddenly find themselves with superpowers. And yet, while both the story and the medium seem sort of played out, damned if the trailer for Chronicle doesn’t manage to look far more intriguing than the “X-Men meets Paranormal Activity” logline that was probably used to pitch it. Directed by Josh Trank (editor of Big Fan) from a script by Max “yes, son of John” Landis, the film stars In Treatment’s Dane DeHaan, relative newcomer Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan of Friday Night Lights and The Wire fame, who take turns using their newfound powers of invincibility and telekinesis for parlor tricks and popping off bras before things take a promisingly dark turn. (And for those forever asking, “Where’s Wallace?” he’s right here—throwing cars around with his mind.)