I watched Spirited Away a few weeks ago for the first time in years, and it was just such a stunning encapsulation of how good Studio Ghibli is at building magical but meaningful worlds.
When you first enter the film, you’re lost inside this bewilderingly strange new universe, much like its main character. But quickly, the logic to it all falls into place, and the bathhouse that the film centers around ends up feeling specific and small.
The moment that stood out most to me was when you learn that a sludge-covered spirit isn’t just some weirdo villain with trash coming out of its body, but is meant to represent a polluted river in need of help. It sounds ridiculous typed out like that, but in the context of the film, it starts to show that there’s order to the world and a real emotional purpose behind the confusing events going on.
Check out seven trailers from this week below.
Bill & Ted Face the Music
The long rumored, long in the works sequel to Bill & Ted is somehow actually happening, nearly three decades after the last film. On one hand, it’s a little rough seeing an older Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter try to revive these characters. On the other, the series is kind of ridiculous enough not to matter. There’s no release date just yet.
I’ll Be Gone In the Dark
HBO has a documentary coming up based on I’ll Be Gone In the Dark, Michelle McNamara’s investigation into the Golden State Killer. The film also talks to McNamara’s husband, Patton Oswalt, about finishing the book after her death. It comes out June 28th.
7500
Joseph Gordon-Levitt stars in this thriller about a pilot locked inside the cockpit of a plane while terrorists try to break in. The film takes the style of a single-location thriller, which can get pretty creative sometimes, though from the trailer it’s not totally clear how much more happens than Gordon-Levitt screaming over the intercom. It comes to Amazon Prime Video on June 19th.
You Should Have Left
Blumhouse’s latest horror film is basically about Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried renting a haunted Airbnb. It heads on demand June 18th.
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Netflix has an over-the-top new comedy coming up that stars Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as a duo from Iceland trying to win Eurovision. The film was originally meant to come out as Eurovision was happening in May, but this year’s event was canceled. It’s now coming out June 26th.
Wasp Network
Netflix has a new movie from Olivier Assayas that’s based on a real story about Cuban spies in the 1990s. The film stars Penélope Cruz and Gael García Bernal. It comes out June 19th.
Relic
Relic looks like a pretty straightforward haunted house story on the surface, but some very positive reviews out of Sundance suggest it tells a far more complicated story about dementia. The film comes out July 10th.
