Becoming
Set to Alicia Keys’ “Girl on Fire,” the new Netflix documentary’s trailer highlights footage from former First Lady Michelle Obama’s life – before and after her husband’s presidency took their family to the oval office. Going back to her working-class upbringing, she says, “I am from the South Side of Chicago. That tells you as much about me as you need to know.” Elsewhere in the clip, Obama opens up about obstacles she has faced as a black woman, remembering a guidance counselor who once told her she was “reaching too high.” From arena-sized crowds to small community gatherings, we see Obama share her story while also connecting with and uplifting the stories of others. (May 6)
Inmate #1: The Rise of Danny Trejo
“They make movies and stories about guys like Danny,” says a voiceover as the clip begins. “Danny is that guy.” The new film follows Danny Trejo’s life story, starting from his troubled childhood spent grappling with violence and addiction and his time spent in prison. The clip teases how Trejo – who eventually found his path as a successful actor – turned his life around by becoming a drug counselor. “Everything good that has happened to me has happened as a direct result of helping someone else,” he says. “Everything.” (July 7)
The King of Staten Island
For twenty-something Scott (portrayed by Pete Davidson), growing up just doesn’t seem to be happening. Having never gotten over the death of his firefighter father, Scott spends his time smoking weed, drawing questionable tattoos, and living with his mother. When his mother starts dating a new man, Ray, (who happens to be another firefighter), Scott finally starts to look at his own life in a new way. Ray pushes Scott to consider trying on the firefighter’s jacket for himself, while others tell him – more frankly – that he needs to get his shit together. Told that life may be passing him by, he replies: “Why do you think I smoke weed all the time? So I can slow it down.” (June 12)
Shirley
Elizabeth Moss stars as the fictionalized version of renowned horror writer Shirley Jackson in the new film’s chilling trailer. While Jackson and her husband (portrayed by Michale Stuhlbarg) do not appear to be particularly stable at the clip’s onset, their precarious ways are upended even further after they decide to rent a room of their house to two young newlyweds, Rose and Fred. Jackson hints to Rose that she’s keeping a dark secret, though it’s not immediately clear if this confession is genuine or offered as a way to toy with Rose’s naive psyche to feed Jackson’s literary imagination. In the clip’s final moments, Jackson’s husband inquires about the fate of her latest heroine. “What happens to all lost girls?” she replies, hauntingly. “They go mad.” (June 5)
Space Force
With a nod to President Donald Trump’s own desire to add a Space Force to the United States military, the new Netflix series starring Steve Carrel imagines the absurdities and anxieties a four-star general faces when put to the task of militarizing space. While Carrel’s character initially scoffs at the idea, his sense of duty leads him to devote extensive energy to the Space Force, so much so that his colleagues comment on his spiking blood pressure. The clip gives us a glimpse into a wonderfully fun scene where Carrel tires to calm his nerves by busting out into the Beach Boys’ “Kokomo” when no one else is around. (May 29)
