Today in trailer happy hour: Robot boyfriends, Jaden Smith, and the end of the freakin' world
Welcome back to Trailer Happy Hour, where coffee is for closers, and “closers” are defined as “film and TV trailers featuring interesting subject matter for our shared perusal.” Today, we’ve got robot boyfriends, drunk angels, and the coming-of-age allure of a skating Jaden Smith, so let’s dive in.
First up: The trailer for Drake Doremus’ new robo-romance Zoe. Feeling at times like a feature-length Black Mirror episode—but pitched for wistful romance instead of steadily growing dread—the trailer stars Ewan McGregor and Léa Seydoux as a pair of love researchers working for a company capable of telling couples how likely they are to have a successful relationships. Also, they make robot boyfriends (Theo James), even though Futurama was pretty clear on where that particular avenue of research inevitably ends.
Next up, we’ve got a new Netflix feature, the Forest Whitaker-starring How It Ends. As it happens, this one also stars Theo James—it’s just a very Theo James day today at the old Trailer Happy Hour, turns out—this time as a guy trying to navigate the apocalypse to get back to his pregnant girlfriend, prospective father-in-law (Whitaker, growly as ever) in tow. The film premieres on Netflix on July 13.
Switching to a Theo James-less gear, we’ve also got a trailer for the new skating flick Skate Kitchen. Starring the all-female New York skating collective of the same name, the film focuses on skater Rachelle Vinberg’s character, a newcomer who falls in with the crew. Tensions arise after she also strikes up a relationship with Jaden Smith as a mysterious rival roller, but most of the appeal comes from the authenticity of the film’s dialogue, and the real-life tricks captured by Crystal Moselle’s camera.
Next, we’ve got country music biopic Blaze, the latest film from actor-turned-occasional-director Ethan Hawke. The film stars newcomer Ben Dickey as country musician Blaze Foley, with Alia Shawkat as his lover and partner Sybil Rosen (who co-wrote the film). Dickey’s been getting heavy praise for his turn as the drunken, funny, charming Foley, so it might be worth keeping an eye out for Blaze when it arrives in theaters in August.
Finally, we dip back into the Netflix well with a trailer for its newest stand-up special, the eight-comics-for-the-price-of-one offering The Comedy Lineup. The special features 15-minute sets from Michelle Buteau, Ian Karmel, Taylor Tomlinson, Sam Jay, Phil Wang, Sabrina Jalees, Jak Knight, and Tim Dillon, so if you’ve been looking to sample a whole bunch of rising comedy talents, you can check it out on July 3.