Last week in trailers: Natalie Portman, Owen Wilson, and is that John Travolta?

If you were expecting an Avengers: Infinity War trailer this week, then you clearly don’t follow TrailerTrack on Twitter, which was doing its utmost to let people know that Marvel was never going to let that happen.

The account was right, and so I cannot offer you any Iron Man or Captain America goodness this week. But I can give you this list in the hopes that you give it the chance it deserves.

Annihilation

Annihilation is the latest work from the creator of Ex Machina (2015), and it seems like another eerie take on science fiction and horror.

The film is based on Jeff VanderMeer’s eponymous novel about a mysterious organisation doing experiments in Area X, a portion of the planet that is undergoing drastic environmental change.

It stars Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez and Oscar Isaac, and is set to open in SA 23 February 2018.

Father Figures

Have you ever wished for a Mammia Mia that has no ABBA, fewer women, and Owen Wilson? If you have: wow, you are truly manifesting your destiny.

The first trailer for Father Figures is a surprisingly funny jaunt about two men on a quest to find out who their dad is — while also encountering potential serial killers, oncoming trains and far too much information about their mother’s sexual prowess.

Father Figures is out in SA on 5 January 2018.

GOTTI

I’m not gonna lie to you: crime movies are not my thing. I may or may not have completely zoned out of watching this trailer until the last shot, where a balding John Travolta looks like George Bluth ready to shout about how there’s money in the banana stand.

Here’s what GOTTI‘s synopsis says: John Travolta plays infamous crime boss John Gotti as he rises to “to become the ‘Teflon Don’ of the Gambino Crime Family in New York City”. It spans three decades and is narrated by his son, played by Spencer Lofranco.

It’s doesn’t have an SA release yet, but will be open in the US on 15 December.

Darkest Hour

Some critics are calling the Best Actor Oscar Gary Oldman’s to lose thanks to his performance as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour. 

Directed by Joe Wright (Atonement), the story follows Britain’s former Prime Minister as he battles the pressure of World War II and talks of peace with Hitler.

You can catch it in SA on 2 February 2018 — perfectly timed for the 4 March Academy Awards.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer

Houston, we have a plot line. The second trailer of critical darling The Killing of a Sacred Deer finally gives viewers something to work with, though don’t expect it to be any less confusing.

From what I gather, it’s this: a creepy kid starts predicting deaths. His doctor, played by a beautifully bearded Colin Farrell, is creeped out. Nicole Kidman probably dies.

And no one in SA ever gets a release date (but it’s in US theatres 20 October).

Acts of Vengeance

Will we ever be free of action movies about a man avenging the death or violence of his female family?

We get it. Family dead, man emotional, man strong. It’s tired, but here it is again.

Catch Acts of Vengeance in cinemas “soon” (but definitely 2018).

The Death of Stalin

The second trailer for the raucous The Death of Stalin is here and it’s not holding any punches.

Written and directed by Veep creator Armando Iannucci, the film tells of the internal political landscape of 1950’s Soviet Russia in a dark humour the New York Post has described as “delicious“.

The film will be out in the UK 20 October.

Anna and the Apocalypse

Four words: Scottish. Zombie. Christmas. Musical. That’s all you need to know about Anna and the Apocalypse, but here’s some more info anyway.

This is director John McPhail’s eighth directorial stint, and he’s won many an award for his previous work — most of them coming from local film festivals.

Anna and the Apocalypse tells of Anna and her high school friends who are forced to “fight, sing and slash their way to survival” at Christmastime.

The film premiered at Fantastic Fest last month,  and is currently seeking US distribution.