Film Bits: ‘The Shape of Water’ Releases First Trailer

Guillermo del Toro Returns with ‘The Shape of Water’

After several months of teasing and promises, the first trailer for Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water has finally dropped, and it’s glorious. The visionary filmmaker returns to the realm of modern fairy tale deconstructions with his latest, which finds a mute janitor (Sally Hawkins, Maudie) befriending an aquatic humanoid in a super-secret lab run by Michael Shannon (Nocturnal Animals). The trailer showcases del Toro’s unique visual style, which finds the fantastic in the mundane to create a sense of both realism and wonder in his imagery. His stylistic evolution has been a wonderful thing to watch, and this seems to represent the director at the height of his powers. The Shape of Water hits theaters on December 8.

(Fox Searchlight)

‘The Snowman’ Trailer Looks Terrifying

Director Tomas Alfredson (Let the Right One In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) returns with The Snowman, based on the international bestselling novel of the same name by Jo Nesbo. Michael Fassbender stars as (the unfortunately named) detective Harry Hole, who investigates the disappearance of several woman linked to the ominously named Snowman Killer. I guess that all sounds kind of silly when you look at it, but the trailer shows a classic serial killing thriller along the lines of Seven. Have to admit, the snowmen imagery gets creepier with every rewatch and this looks like it could be the perfect heady thriller for Halloween. The Snowman is set for release on October 20.

(Universal)

‘Only the Brave’ Explores Real Life Heroes of the Granite Mountain Blaze

Joseph Kosinski (Tron: Legacy, Oblivion) returns with a more grounded film, Only the Brave, the real life story of Arizona firefighters who battled an intense blaze near Prescott and lost 19 members of their battalion in the process. Sporting the all-star cast of Jeff Bridges, Josh Brolin, Miles Teller, and Jennifer Connelly, the film looks to be an emotional and exciting look inside the world of hot shotters, firemen who run headlong into wildfires to stop the hellish inferno from spreading to townships. The true story of the Prescott firemen who lost their lives is a brutally human tale of bravery and danger, and from the looks of things the movie will be a respectful homage to their heroism and sacrifice. Only the Brave opens on October 20.

(Sony)

Wonder Woman Creator’s Life Explored in New Biopic

With the rise of superheroes as a cinematic powerhouse, it was only a matter of time before we started seeing biopics on the creators of the current blockbuster heavyweights. Professor Marston & the Wonder Women explores the life of Wonder Woman’s creator, Dr. William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans), and his relationship with his wife Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall) and their lover Olive (Bella Heathcote), and how their untraditional life inspired much the strength and many of the stories about the first lady of superheroism. Writer/director Angela Robinson seems to have crafted an emotional tale of love and adversity which will hopefully shed light on the creation of one of the best superheroes of all time.