You can’t watch the trailer for Pedro Pascal’s new movie Freaky Tales and not think of the 1990s. Mainly that’s because the film is set right on the cusp of the decade, 1987, but also the idea of a violent, weird, sprawling single California city almost-anthology brings to mind one of the best films of the decade: Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction.
Freaky Tales is written and directed by Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden, who made the excellent Ryan Gosling film Half Nelson and that tiny Brie Larson film, Captain Marvel. As far as we can tell, there are no superheroes in this film, but there are lots of super off-the-wall characters played by the likes of Pascal, Ben Mendelsohn (also of Captain Marvel), Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick), Dominique Thorne (Ironheart herself), Jack Champion (Scream 6 and Avatar: The Way of Water), Ji-young Yoo (Until Dawn), Angus Cloud (Euphoria, in his last role), and, apparently, Tom Hanks, though he’s not in the trailer. That’s about the only thing not in this trailer though. It’s pretty bonkers in the best possible way.
You’ve got video stores, you’ve got robberies, you’ve got samurai swords, the Golden State Warriors, Pedro Freaking Pascal, and more? Sign us the hell up.
What’s actually going on here though? We don’t know. Lionsgate describes the movie as “a multi-track mixtape of colorful characters— an NBA star, a corrupt cop, a female rap duo, teen punks, neo-Nazis, and a debt collector—on a collision course in a fever dream of showdowns and battles.” It’s a “pulpy blend of explosive action, edgy humor, gory kills, and sly twists and turns [that] makes for one wild ride.”
Unfortunately, for now, we have to take the studio’s word for it. But we do think all the ingredients are here for something special. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2024 and got a very respectable 69% positive reviews. That feels like a very appropriate range for a movie like this. Something that even if you don’t love it, you find something to love about it. We’ll find out more when it hits theaters on April 4.
Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, what’s next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.
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