This week I am throwing in some movies releasing in a few days, just in case you missed they were coming out. Also, I finally break down and watch a few trailers I've been avoiding since I haven't seen and/or finished other movies associated with them. And the wait for the first Star Wars spinoff is finally over, sort of...

Barbershop: The Next Cut - Trailer 2 (4/15/2016):

The first of the selections I've never seen the originals of. I had heard Barbershop was a good movie, but never got around to watching it. I vaguely recall there being a second. And now we have the third coming out this week. It looks pretty funny, but they are mixing in some serious themes too. I'm uncertain what the tone of the other movies have been. I guess when I think of the original I think comedy, but again, I haven't seen it so maybe it was more of a dramedy.

It looks like a lot of the actors have great chemistry and that's a huge factor in any movie, but especially large ensemble casts, where many times the characters don't seem to click. I've liked both Ice Cube and Common in many of their movies, and there are a handful of others I recognize/know (like Anthony Anderson and Nicky Minaj), but haven't seen for a while.

I won't be seeing this in theaters when it releases, but it does spark my interest in checking out the entire trilogy.

Criminal (4/15/2016):

Another movie coming out this week, Criminal is a sci-fi/thriller with some old school actors (Costner, Oldman, and Tommy Lee Jones — I couldn't seem to shorten that!) I think the premise is interesting, though I'm not sure how original. And I'm guessing Reynolds's role is very minor, but made to look slightly more prominent being he is the A-Lister of the cast (maybe Gal Gadot now as well).

The trailer is very well paced, giving a detailed layout of the the story arc and showing some of the action which seems well done. The drama elements, the heartless killer-turned-good routine feels cliche, but I think that could be said for most movies focusing on that aspect. The only confusing part may be when they attempt to blend memories of the characters Costner and Reynolds plays. So hopefully they did that well. I'm excited to see some of the older generation of actors working together in this movie.

Criminal has already gotten some bad rep and that's a shame. I think it looks like a movie I would really enjoy, so I definitely plan to check it out. But as much as I've been rooting for Costner's comeback, I'll be waiting to watch this on Redbox/Netflix.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows - Trailer 2 (6/3/2016):

Okay, so... I decided to post and watch this trailer even though I never saw the reboot. Even though it's been (or was) on Netflix for months. I love the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and I thought the reboot looked pretty bad. I didn't like the choice of Fox for O'Neil and the CGI looked a bit fakey to me. I liked that Arnett and Fichtner were in it, but that wasn't enough of a saving grace.

Now I'm conflicted because we have Bebop and Rocksteady finally getting their big screen debut and they seem to keep their cartoon slapstick comedy intact, but again that CGI. And then we have Casey Jones! And the only alien attack I can think of would have come from Krang...? I'm so conflicted!

This trailer is chock full of the CGI that I think may ruin the film for me, constant over the top action (and possibly acting), but I really want to see some of the characters I always hoped would make it into the original movie adaptations. Not some mutated snapping turtle (or whatever) and wolf creatures that could barely speak a word beyond "Momma". Don't get me wrong, I like The Secret of the Ooze (Vanilla Ice, baby!), but I always wanted to see more of the characters I loved from the original cartoon series (which yes, I know is a far departure from the true source material).

I may have to give the reboot a chance and if I end up making it through the movie without ripping my hair out, I will check out this sequel. But not in the theaters. I just can't...

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - Teaser Trailer (11/18/2016):

Huh, so I guess that was only a teaser trailer. I'm not sure I want to see any more trailers so that I can be surprised by what unfolds naturally through viewing it on the big screen, if I make it while it's in theaters, which I hope I do! I avoided the other announcement trailer because I wasn't sure just how closely this linked to the other Harry Potter movies. I still haven't seen the last two. I have no idea why, but I seriously have to finish that main franchise!

Seeing this is only loosely connect and took place long before the series it's based on, I took a look. And I'm really glad I did. This movie looks fantastic. The plot (what's hinted at), this new featured character from the Harry Potter universe, the art design looks amazing. The trailer succeeds in completely pulling me in and leaving me wanting more.

On a very odd note, it may come off as a crime, but I've never watched Dr. Who. And while I am uncertain whether or not all the Doctors have a particular look or vary drastically, I couldn't help but think this character would have made a perfect Doctor.

Anyhow, regardless, this movie is definitely one I want to see in the theaters, but first to rewatch and finally get through the entire original series!

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story - Teaser Trailer (12/16/2016):

And so it begins. Another juggernaut Disney franchise unleashed. Not only are the Star Wars sequels being made (I know there's been some fandom rage, but I LOVED The Force Awakens), but also standalone movies set within the same universe. There are countless numbers of material based on the Star Wars universe that I honestly wouldn't even know where to begin. I'm also unsure just how much of that is treated as canon, if at all, after Disney gained the licensing for the franchise.

Here we have the teaser trailer for the first of many Star Wars films on the way, I believe they are aiming for one a year, that is its own contained story. Rogue One apparently takes place between episodes III and IV, as rebels initiate a suicide mission to retrieve the schematics for the first Death Star.

Having no real information about this movie, the teaser trailer does its job at successfully selling me. It looks like it's going to be a great movie, and I'm personally really excited about this phase of learning more and expanding the universe in movie form. Admittedly, though, there is sometimes the chance of having too much of a good thing, I don't care what anyone says. But Disney has been handling the Marvel Cinematic Universe MARVELously... see what I did there?... without much of the audience getting bored (quite the contrary), so I am confident they will handle Star Wars with the same finesse.

I'm looking forward to seeing this in theaters this Winter!

Do any of the featured movies interest you? Have you seen the past Barbershop movies? How do you think Criminal will do in theaters? Are you a fan of the TMNT? What are your thoughts about the reboot? What is your opinion on the Harry Potter and Star Wars spinoffs/standalones? Are you excited for either?