by Hunter Bush, Staff Writer

Howdy friends. Welcome to another installment of Everything Old Is New Again! The column where I peer into my crystal ball (which has Google) and see what films are coming to screens in the next month, and then specifically whittle them down by only addressing the ones based on some previously existing intellectual property. If it used to be a book, a TV show, a toy line or was inspired by an older movie, it's EOINA material!

So, when can we start talking about the lockdown, the pandemic, all the misery and uncertainty of the past year-plus in the past tense? I eagerly look forward to the day when this is all firmly in the past. But that day is not today, not as long as there are still covid-19 alerts in place when you google theatrical release dates. But we're close! We're actually genuinely close to some semblance of normalcy.

So if you're planning on visiting a theater, please be safe. Now let's look at what's coming in June:

PREMIERES

These are new releases coming to screens great and small alike in the coming month.

4th

Sweet Tooth (series)
Where: Netflix

Based on the comic books series by writer/artist Jeff Lemire about a young half-deer half-boy named Gus living in a post-apocalyptic world where such animal-human hybrids exist, this looks incredible! When "The Last Men" (survivors of the time before the hybrids) come looking to exterminate Gus (Christian Convery) he is rescued by a man (Nonso Anozie) who agrees to help him get to Colorado where Gus believes he can be safe. I've read some of Lemire's other work, but hadn't gotten around to Sweet Tooth just yet, so I had no idea what to expect from this trailer and it just ticked so many boxes for me. The design work shown in the costumes and the effects on the hybrids, the cast (if Will Forte is in it, I will be there), the balance of the slightly heightened visual style with the almost fable-like backstory & narration - it all worked for me. Even the cover of Duran Duran's "Ordinary World" works because it has bombast and motion to it (as opposed to the largely audibly static, breathy covers popular in recent trailers). I'm all in on this one, gang.

The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It (dir. Michael Chaves)
Where: HBO Max / Theaters

This 3rd direct installment of the franchise begun in 2013 - which has also spawned 4 spin-off films (3 starring the haunted doll Annabelle, and one starring a scary nun) - looks fun despite, y'know, all the murder and terror and whatnot. Set in 1981, the Warrens (played by Patrick Wilson & Vera Farmiga, doing a lot of heavy lifting in rehabilitating the legacy of the actual Warrens who were hucksters) are brought in as consultants/investigators on a murder case where the accused (Ruairi O'Connor) claims, as the title states: that he is not responsible for a murder he apparently committed. We don;t see the murder in the trailer (I don't think) instead focusing on a lot of creepy waterbed shenanigans and the Warrens' investigation. I'm a sucker for horror movies and generally like more of the Conjuring extended universe than not (I maintain that Annabelle Creation whips absolute ass) so I'll be more than happy to check this one out. Especially because it features an appearance from John Noble!

Rams (dir. Jeremy Sims)
Where: Hulu

Based on a 2015 film of the same name by Icelandic writer/director Grímur Hákonarson, this English-language-friendly remake stars Sam Neill and Michael Caton as brothers who each raise award-contender sheep in a small town. They haven't spoken in 40 years but when some kind of disease begins spreading through the sheep in town, they might have to learn to reconcile if either of them want to keep their livelihoods safe from the government agents sent to exterminate the animals. If any of you haven't seen Cathy Yan's truly excellent Dead Pigs, a similar event lends that film its title, though in that instance it's relegated to a subplot. (Also, if you haven't: see Dead Pigs!) Overall this looks cute in a way that gives me very strong late '90s indie comedy vibes - not a bad thing necessarily - and the cast, which also features Miranda Richardson, doesn't hurt. This is a strong maybe from me. I'll have to be in the right mood for this one.

9th

Loki (series)
Where: Disney+

Picking up where that last Avengers film left things, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is now in trouble with one of Marvel Comics' least appreciated bureaucratic groups: the Time Variance Authority. Y'see, since comic books have a lot of timey-wimey nonsense happen pretty much on the reg, there exists an organization whose entire job is to make sure that all the time-hopping, retconning, revenging, prevenging and whatnot doesn't Swiss cheese their reality so badly that the whole thing collapses and everybody dies so bad they never even existed. And it seems that after snagging the Cosmic Cube, Loki went Spring Break levels of crazy, dipping in and out of the time stream, causing numerous divergent branches, so he's gotten caught and, as a sort of community service (continuity service?) been drafted by Mobius M. Mobius (Owen Wilson) into correcting these variances. So this series looks like it could have a LOT of fun with familiar characters presented in new ways (or by new actors as a result of Loki's time-fuckery). I'm here for it, of course. I've never shied away from the MCU flicks/series, and I am loving some of the Easter Eggs & eye candy in the trailer - my favorite is a neon sign reading "ROXXCART" which seems like the Roxxon Corp. (one of Marvel's routinely nefarious big organizations) mashed up with Amazon (one of real life's most nefarious ones).

NOTE: This is the drop date for the 1st episode, as Dis+ will be continuing the weekly drop schedule with this one.

11th

In the Heights (dir. Jon M. Chu)
Where: HBO Max/Theaters

Based on the stage musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda & Quiara Alegría Hudes, In the Heights is centered around a number of characters living and interacting around a specific block of the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan. The trailer is narrated by Usnavi (Anthony Ramos) who runs a small bodega, but he's got family, friends, and etc. and they've all got their own interconnected stories, desires, and conflicts. The musical takes place over the hottest weekend of the year and involves a winning lottery ticket and all the changes taking place. There are a lot of really stellar visuals in the trailer (the flick is directed by Jon M. Chu, recently of Crazy Rich Asians) like people dancing up the side of a building and a strobing, neon-lit tunnel! I'm a sucker for musicals, so I'm all in for this one, plus I've been a fan of LMM since he showed up for an episode of House M.D. to freestyle with Hugh Laurie. So, yeah, I'm in.

Godzilla Singular Point (series)
Where: Netflix

Based on everybody's favorite gargantuan prehistoric monster lizard / tangible metaphor for man's complete disregard for nature and tendency to poison all he touches created in 1954 (who looks great for 67!) this animated series looks pretty spectacular! It's got kind of everything you could want in a new Godzilla series: tons of kaiju (obvs), great music (!), and a big honkin' robot (Jet Jaguar, baybee!). Plus the plot seems completely insane, but seems to have something to do with predicting the future? And it looking bad? And stopping it? Seriously, the dialogue in just one 2-minute trailer contains phrases like: "A magic lamp that enables the impossible", "So it would be like if the universe never existed", and "Bones with a secret will". I am confident I have no idea what is happening, but it looks fun! It's also gorgeously animated, with plenty of movement, color and fun character designs. I'm pretty excited for this.

SPOTLIGHT

These are older EOINA-friendly releases that I personally recommend.

1st

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (dir. Tim Burton)
Where: Hulu

Based on the musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, this is yet another Burton/Depp/Bonham Carter joint that hit me right before I began to find those to be really tedious and just has a special place in my esteem. I love musicals and genuinely enjoy this one which, like the best musicals, leans into the sort of silly, heightened unreality inherent in their nature. When I first moved to South Philly this was one of the handful of DVDs I had with me. It's got fantastic musical numbers and a great cast including the late great Alan Rickman. This is just a fun, splattery horror-adjacent flick with catchy tunes, over-the-top characters and a plot that doesn't really matter beyond tying all the characters together. And while I'll admit that most of my appreciation for this may be a sort of Stockholm Syndrome effect from having been without a lot of options that first summer in South Philly, I still think it's an enjoyable time.

Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (dir. Kevin Reynolds)
Where: HBO

Based on the Robin Hood stories, this one is just a big dumb joy to watch. Sure, Kevin Costner's accent is famously wishy-washy. Sure, there's some troubling characterizations and actions. Sure, Will Scarlett is just straight up Christian Slater at all times (also: his accent). But it kind of doesn't matter? Watching this feels like when the Looney Tunes would reappropriate a public domain story and imbue it with their particularly chaotic brand of energy while ostensibly existing in a different time or place. Plus, again: Alan Rickman! And the rest of the cast (Morgan Freeman! Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio! Michael McShane! Brian Blessed! Michael Wincott!) ain't half bad either. Above all though, it’s just really versatile: the action pops, the romance is sweeping, it dips its toe into horror with Mortianna (Geraldine McEwan) and the bit with the scar on the statue of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Rickman) is so funny that for years I thought it was from Men in Tights! A solid popcorn movie, and perfect for summer.

<><><>

There you have it, June 2021's EOINA. I hope you spotted something up there that you might not have been aware of or, dare I dream aloud, that my writing might have swayed you one direction or another. Either way, drop a comment below, or on social media and let's start a dialogue. Let's be friends through movies!