Hey guys remember the 80s? Pastels, disco, cocaine. Good times right? The 80s were the best three months of my life. Let's check out a couple 80s flicks.
Seriously, if you've got an hour to burn you could do a lot worse than running through those. Anyway, the trailer itself is pretty promising. It hints at lots of what made the first Anchorman (and most Ferrell movies) successful: plenty of gags, and not a lot of plot. Sure it seems like Ron Burgundy loses his job and his wife, and Harrison Ford plays a bad dude, and there's a bunch of crack, but that's not what we're here for. We're here for Paul Rudd's condom closet and Brick missing his legs and gay vampires.
Oh, and the moustache.
Should be a fun parody on the '80s, having that cast of characters cracked out can only lead to good things.
Can it live up to the hype? Probably not. But it'll be decent, and make a shitload of money.
Trailer: 3.5 Stars
You're going to see it at some point, probably multiple times.
When I'm deciding on a movie to watch, a few factors make an impact on what I'm going to spend the next two hours watching. Really great directors (Tarantino, Scorcese) will catch my attention sometimes, but usually it's the cast. One or two great actors can raise my interest, but if a film can deliver an exceptional ensemble cast featuring several actors that I really respect, than the movie studio already has my money. The three trailers I've got this week all have that in common.
Ahhh, family. Everybody has one, and every once in a while you kinda hate them. This film, which is based on a play, touches on that familiar theme: "How long can you deal with your family before you try and strangle them?"
Judging by this movie poster, not very long with this family. Yes, that's Julia Roberts trying to assault Meryl Streep, so I'm sold.
Take a look at the names below the title in that poster. There's twelve of them. Twelve!!! That's an insane number of people to credit, and their names are all flashed in the trailer as well. That top line in particular is super impressive, ranging from an old master of the craft in Meryl Streep, to the always impressive Julia Roberts (who never seems to age), down to one of my favourite young talents, Abigail Breslin who has seven movies coming out this year. The men are no slouches either, especially Ewan McGregor. It should be interesting to see if all these stars can make the most of their screen time, as the movie only has so much time to dole out.
The trailer itself was effective, mixing a gloomy, depressing family that obviously has its issues (Meryl Streep as the stereotypical Valium addicted, bitchy, racist matriarch that speaks her mind because she just doesn't care anymore, McGregor and Roberts as a separated couple because of the man's extra-marital affairs) with a few comic moments. Some of the lines in this trailer were great, and I'm looking forward to watching Breslin act out the generational gap between the older members of the cast.
Good use of the Lumineers song near the end of the trailer, it did a good job of giving it that small town feel. While the cast is strong, I'm worried this movie may try and do a bit too much and turn into a bit of a mess, but we'll see.
This film's been on my radar for a little while now. Directed by Ridley Scott and written by Cormac McCarthy, it falls under the category of a movie I'd probably go see regardless who's in it. But look at that cast
Pitt (In a cowboy hat!). Diaz (Actually doing some serious acting!). Cruz (Being Penelope Cruz!).
And those three aren't even the star. Michael Fassbender is finally getting some big time recognition starring in this movie ahead of Pitt. Apparently his roles in Prometheus has vaulted him to the top of call sheets everywhere, as he's got NINE movies either freshly completed, underway, or announced. Good for him.
Rounding out this impressive group of actors is Javier Bardem....
who I will never not mix up with Benicio Del Toro, Hank from Breaking Bad, and a Cheetah!
What's the movie about? Well it's some type of sexy thriller involving these people and guns
so I'm sold. Great use of AWOL Nation's "Sail" in the trailer as well.
Okay, confession time. The only Wes Anderson movie I've ever seen is about an animated fox. I know, I know, I'm just the worst. Trust me though, I plan on rectifying this soon, I've got The Royal Tenenbaums and Moonrise Kingdom ready to go, and there's no way I'll be missing The Grand Budapest Hotel.
This ensemble cast is phenomenal. Ed Norton is one of my favourite actors ever, and just take a look at the names on top of this poster:
Like I said, I'm not very familiar with Anderson's work, but he's known for being quirky and a little out there, which sounds right up my alley. This trailer indicates more of the same from him here, and I'm hoping to become another Anderson fanboy by the time I see it. If the vibrant, colourful visual style and quick witty dialogue in this trailer are anything like the rest of his work, I'm sure I'll be charmed just like everybody else.
Hat Tip to Marcel Picard @marcelpicard for sending me this trailer the second it came out.
This week's reviews feature a cute, trendy Romantic Comedy, an adaptation of one of my favourite authours short stories with Jesse Eisenberg, and a movie with two Pauls. Let's get to it!
I'm a sucker for this type of movie. The quirky, fun, romantic comedy that's just smart enough so that I don't feel guilty about shelling out twelve dollars. It features cool actors whose names most people remember like Ben from Parks & Rec (who really needs to start getting more recognition, he's becoming the new Paul Rudd), The Kid With Glasses From Hot Tub Time Machine, The Dad From Stepbrothers, and Sue Sylvester. Oh and hey! Amy Poehler and Jessica Alba, bonus!
These movies are coming out more and more frequently as Hollywood tried to tap into the young market that considers themselves too cool and smart for more basic, formulaic, Rom-Com's. I'm not saying this is a bad thing, I'll definitely continue to gobble films like this up -- they're perfect date movies.
The trailer for this movie is really well done. The beginning provides a great hook, since you're presumably already wondering what A.C.O.D stands for if you know the name of the movie already. When it's revealed to stand for "Adult Children of Divorce", the trailer has just captured the full attention of (by its own proclemation) 54% of the population. "Look guys this movie is about meeeeeee" all of the grown up children of divorce are presumably supposed to say. For everyone else, the movie seems merely like a nice way to spend 90 minutes.
I really enjoyed the way the trailer played with the conventional roles of some of the actors I mentioned above. People who watch Parks & Rec are obviously used to seeing Adam Scott and Poehler in a romantic relationship, but here she is playing his father's new squeeze. My favourite moment of the trailer was the line by Jane Lynch that she's "not a therapist". I'd rolled my eyes at the beginning when she appeared to be reprising that role, which she's done several times. The trailer knew I would expect that and gave me a nice little wink.
Music's used well, particularly with a nice Okkerill River tune that sets the tone at the 1:15 mark.
I'm looking forward to this movie. It's going to be a funny, cute, heartwarming story, and I'm sure my girlfriend and I will enjoy it in theatres. It has the potential to say something new and different about a very interesting topic, and one that's becoming more relevant with more children of divorce growing up and taking larger roles in society. Hopefully it can touch on that, instead of becoming just another "quirky" 2010's Rom-Com.
What's better than Jesse Eisenberg? How about TWO Jesse Eisenberg's! I love this kid, he can really act. This trailer was shown during the Toronto International Film Festival, and while it's pretty vague, it got me excited for the movie.
The Double was a short story written by Russian authour Fyodor Dostoevsky. It's got kind of a trippy hallucinatory feel to it, which is shown really well in the trailer. Typical Dostoevskian themes of existentialism are explored in the story, and it'll be up to Eisenberg to convey that. I think he's got the chops to nail this character.
I'm a fan of this kind of trailer, one that doesn't give away any lines, instead just trying to give the viewer a feel of the atmosphere of the movie. The music choice and the fast moving camera really does build excitement and intrigue. It's short and sweet, inviting the viewer to go find out more about the movie instead of overwhelming them.
Trailer: 4.5 Stars
See It (If you can find it. Seems doubtful to get a wide release)
So this is about Paul's Rudd and Giamatti's homeless facial hair?
No? Okay...
I've never really liked Christmas movies. They're usually too corny, you can only watch them one month out of the year, and they tend to fall into all the usual tropes. Except for Home Alone 1&2. Don't talk shit about Kevin McCallister
Sigh... So much promise Macauley....
Anyway, this Christmas movie appeals to me. It's dark, but looks absolutely hilarious. And I have no idea how much a tree costs either Paul Giamatti, so don't feel bad. Props to Paul Rudd for the Team Canada Hockey toque.
Trailer: 3 Stars
See It (And then re-watch Home Alone while weeping for poor Kevin McCalister.)
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