Oscar season is in full swing, and I'll take a look at two movie that should contend in major categories, but first, let's address the death of Paul Walker...
Hours (December 13)
As you've no doubt heard, Hollywood lost Paul Walker last week. Walker, who was 40, was best known for his role in The Fast and the Furious franchise, which debuted in 2001. The franchise is incredibly successful at the box office, making gobs of money. Fast & Furious 7, which Walker was slated to star in, will be coming out as planned.
I loved the first three F&F movies, probably because I was a teenage boy when they came out, and the movies had fast cars, hot girls, and things blowing up. Walker wasn't an A-list actor, but the way he went out, in a fiery car crash, seems both fitting and eerie at the same time. I decided to review the trailer for his latest film, being released posthumously, Hours.
The movie starts off with an interesting premise; "Man takes wife to hospital for birth in midst of tropical storm". We know that it's during a hurricane in New Orleans, but it's never explicitly said if it's Hurricane Katrina, or a fictitious storm. It kinda bugged me that this was never made clear, since I tend to really like fictitious stories based in historical events.
Just when we think we know where the premise is going, we get a twist. Walker's premature daughter is hooked up to a life support machine, and it has a bad battery, meaning he has to crank the battery every three minutes. It might seem a little gimmicky at first, and I'm not sure if the science checks out, but it seems to lead Walkers character into some interesting situations to save his daughter.
I kind of hated the screen wipe promoting "From A producer of The Conjuring". A) The Conjuring was an average movie. B) It was a horror movie, not a drama. C) Nobody cares about 95% of the producers out there, especially for average horror movies.
The movie looks like it'll give us a chance to see Paul Walkers range (Angry Paul Walker, Emotional Paul Walker, Ass Kicking Paul Walker) one last time, and I'm sure its box office will probably be huge in light of his recent death. I'm not sure if the movie was always planned for a December 13 release date; I hope the studio didn't move it up to take advantage of that.
Trailer: 2.5 stars
Wait for it on Netflix.
I've been watching a lot of Black Mirror lately, and this trailer was really jarring when taken in the context of that show. It feels like it could easily be a creepy, harrowing warning about technology and the dangers of taking it too far, but it seems to be a thoughtful Dramatic Romance about overcoming societal norms.
If this film was directed by someone other than Spike Jonze, and the cast didn't include Joaquin Phoenix and Amy Adams, I'd be way more skeptical. But in the hands of these talented people, I couldn't be more excited for this movie. It's going to make some serious noise come Oscar time, and I can't wait to buy a ticket.
The trailer does a good job of showing the moviegoer the concept, which should draw in a lot of people, as well as giving a lot of face time to Phoenix. Amy Adams isn't recognizable to most of the popular audience out there quite yet, which is a shame, so I get why we don't see more of her in the trailer. Listening to Scar Jo's voice is always a pleasure — it's just too bad we won't get to see her in this movie. Rooney Mara should play a great "bitchy ex-wife".
The movie got an R rating, so I guess we'll see some explicit stuff, which didn't really come through in the tone of the trailer.
Trailer: 3 stars
See it.
Both stars and the director from my favourite movie last year are collaborating again? Including my favourite actress?
And Amy Adams (mentioned above), Christian Bale, and Jeremy Renner are joining him?
AND LOUIS CK IS IN IT TOO!?
This movie, about a con man working for an undercover FBI agent, is my Christmas present.
All of the stars.
seeitseeitseeitseeit
