Time travel, Bible stories, and a Dead Best Man - Trailer Reviews for Nov 22.

Been a little off track with my last two blog posts (but if you haven't already, check out Black Mirror and Aningaaq) so let's get back to some trailers.  (As always, titles are links to higher quality videos)

Noah

"Let's take one of the most implausible but sacred Bible stories ever and turn it into a major motion picture featuring four superstars."

Tall order, but if anyone is up to the task, it's Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan, Requiem for a Dream).  I'm really interested to see what he does with the source material here.  I mean, he's talking about a guy who got visions from God about a world destroying flood who proceeds to build a science defying boat that was somehow able to fit two of every animal on it.  And that flood kills everyone except for his family, who then has to repopulate the planet?

I don't even want to think about Russel Crowe and Emma Watson like that.  Just... no.

I've got no religious bias towards this story, but it's obviously going to draw some interest with the Christian crowd so it should be interesting to see how Aronofsky handles that aspect of it.  For the record, my favourite take on the Noah story is a wonderful novel by a Canadian authour, so if this movie can somehow use the old tale to comment upon today's society in a meaningful way like that book did, I'll be impressed.

The trailer itself it's incredibly well shot.  Aronofsky isn't known for shooting breathtaking nature or battle scenes, but the glimpses we do get of the storm and of the King's crew attacking the arc look pretty impressive.  If those shots can be combined with the director's ability to really dig into the heart and soul of his actors, the movie should be worth a watch at least.

Also, badass movie poster.

Trailer: 4.5 stars

See it.

Best Man Down

Alright, disclaimer; I'm a massive Justin Long fan.  I've been told that I remind people of his character from Waiting and this makes me unreasonably happy.  So I'll be checking this out at some point.

The trailer starts off great; drunk best man dies at wedding.  Awesome premise.  The shift in tone from 'happy go lucky wedding vibe' to 'best friend's dead vibe' around 0:35 is jarring -- in a good way.  It subverts your expectations of what the trailer is going to be like.

But then around the 1 minute mark it gets way too sappy, and I lose interest.  What could've been a really neat, different, quirky movie trailer turns into something about "finding out who your friends really are".  I got real bored real quick.

That being said, I really enjoyed the line "He's not your best friend, just your oldest friend".  Anyone in their mid twenties can identify with that, I think.

Trailer: 3 stars

Skip it. (Unless you're a Justin Long fan, in which case we should probably hang out and go see it together)

About Time

*Screen Wipe*

From the creator of Love Actually....and Notting Hill...

*End Wipe*

I see where this is going....

Alright, this might seem like the typical three-act romantic comedy that I will never, ever stop making fun of, but I'm actually holding out some hope for a few reasons:

A) Time Travel

Time travel is badass, and always will be.  I will watch anything about Time Travel, because one day, damnit, I'm going to go forward in time and come back with all of the sporting results I need to be a professional gambler who never loses.  My fantasy football teams will be unreal.

B) British Accents

FAAAAAANK YOUUUUUUUUU. (1:20 mark)  It's adorable every time.

C) Rachel McAdams

Canadian icon.

D) My girlfriend wants to go see it.

We're actually going tonight, so yep.  Getcha popcorn ready!

Nice little trailer, but it gave away too much.  I think.  Time travel really screws with narrative in trailers.  Bonus marks for the Of Monsters and Men tune they use throughout the trailer.  Here's a cool video for that song.

Trailer: 3 stars
See it on a date night.

Cheers guys.  Happy weekend!

"Anningaaq", the seven minute Gravity companion

I reviewed a trailer for Gravity earlier this year.  Several trailers were released for the film prior to its massively successful run in theatres, and they were all really well done, so it should come as no surprise that a seven minute short film has come out as a companion to the movie.

The short film is called Anningaaq.  In it we (MINOR SPOILERS FOR GRAVITY) are shown the other half of the conversation that Dr. Ryan Stone has when she's alone in the Chinese spaceship.

You can find the info and the film itself at this link.

The short film itself is done beautifully, and the juxtaposition of the lonely man in the arctic with the woman fighting for her life by herself up above him is just wonderful, and haunting.

If you haven't already seen Gravity I'd recommend checking it out as soon as possible.  And if you've already had a chance to catch it, give this short film a look when you've got seven minutes to kill.

Black Mirror - The best television show you've never heard of

Little bit of a different speed with today's blog post...

I stumbled upon the British television mini-series Black Mirror today, and I'm instantly hooked.  It premiered in America tonight, and is currently unavailable, but it's 2013 and you have the internet, so you probably know how to check it out.

The series isn't linear, but rather a series of independent short films that tell their own story in their own world.  It reminds me of The Twilight Zone, except instead of dealing with really supernatural subject matter, everything is based on plausible (if unlikely) events.

Watch the pilot, "National Anthem" if you've got 45 minutes to spare, it's worth it.  Not only is it highly entertaining, but it manages to say a lot about our current society, as well as where we're headed as a culture that depends on social media for our news.  Without spoiling anything, I'll just say it deals with a Princess, the Prime Minister, and a Pig.

I was also really interested in the portrayal of Public Relations departments and Journalists and the relationship they share.

So check it out, and let me know what you think.  It's the type of show that can really start a good conversation, and media like that is always better consumed with others.

Remember that Wes Anderson trailer...

A couple weeks ago I reviewed the trailer for 'The Grand Budapest Hotel', and I made the shameful confession that I wasn't familiar with Wes Anderson's films.

I've watched a couple of his movies over the last couple of weeks, and I see what all the fuss is about.

His colourful visual style and sharp, witty dialogue is really entertaining, even if it seems like he's trying a bit too hard to be "different" at times.  Overall, they're really fun movies that I suspect have a high degree of rewatchability (<---- not a word).

I was catching up on SNL tonight and I came across this mock trailer for a fake Wes Anderson movie "The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders", and it's just perfect.  Enjoy!

Oscar Bait! Trailer reviews for November 1

Halloween's over, it's starting to get chilly outside, and guys everywhere are growing cheesy moustaches.  With the beginning of November also comes the beginning of Oscar season, which means lots of great (or potentially great) movies are coming out.  Let's check out some trailers, so you can decide what to go see over the next few weeks when the theatres are packed with Oscar bait.

Inside Llewyn Davis (December 20)

More than anything, the appeal for this film (for me, anyway) is obviously The brothers Coen, Joel and Ethan (it's strange, and pretty annoying that IMDB doesn't have them listed as a group, but whatever.) Just looking through their filmography is enough to bring back memories of some of my favourite movies, so I'm pretty psyched for this one.  I trust these guys more than anyone not named Quentin when it comes to making movies.  This movie looks a little different than anything they've ever done before, but the Coen brothers have shown an aptitude in so many different genres that I've got no worries they'll kill it here.

Some dude named Oscar Isaac is playing the titular Llewyn Davis, and I've never heard of him before, but you might remember him from his role as Standard in Drive.  That haunting folk song that plays in the background (a cover of Bob Dylan's 'Fare Thee Well') of the trailer is actually him singing, so the musical parts should work out nicely (not to mention JT is in it as well).

A strong cast surroungs Isaac, with the always spectacular John Goodman and Carey Mulligan (who played alongside Isaac in Drive) standing out.

The trailer was great, it really managed to establish the tone early, when Goodman is saying that Isaac's former partner threw himself off the wrong bridge.  The movie looks to be pretty depressing, dealing with the titular characters struggles in music, life, and love, but with some dark comedy thrown in for good measure.

Oh, and there was an adorable unnamed cat.  Cat's are good.

Trailer: 4 stars

See it!

Diana (November 1)

Naomi Watts playing one of the most beloved, tragic women of all time, who just so happened to be a princess?  Yeah, that's Oscar bait.

It's really weird, Naomi Watts has been making movies for what seems like forever (she's got 62 credits on IMDB) but I still have no idea how to feel about her as an actress.  I feel like I should respect her, but looking at her work nothing jumps out at me and makes me say "oh yeah she was great in that".

On that note, this movie looks like a mess.  I was only ten when Princess Di had her fatal car crash, but I remember the day after it happened and the week of hysteria that followed pretty vividly.  I was hoping this movie could successfully recreate that (like 2006's The Queen did), and show why she was so beloved, but it seems like they're just going to make a shitty 3 act romance movie with a tragic ending.  Yawn.  Everything about this screams "emotional manipulation".

Trailer: 1.5 Stars

Skip it.

All Is Lost

We already had an awesome stranded alone movie  and an awesome trouble at sea move this year, so the market might be a little bit saturated for this one.

That being said, Robert Redford in a life raft catching sharks for two hours?  Yeah, I'm in.  The trailer was a little stock and quote heavy for my liking, but I'm still down.

Trailer: 2.5 stars

See it.

Pastels! Disco! Cocaine!

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.

Anchorman 2: Electric Boogaloo The Legend Continues

It's almost here... Almost a decade after one of the most quotable movies of all time was released, Anchorman 2 is slated to be released this December.  There's been plenty of cross promotion hype leading up to it, including about six-hundred of these:

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.

Let's stick with the 80's.....

Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo

!!!

!!!!!!

!!!!!!!!!!

This is a thing that happened.  Can we just look at those outfits for a second?  I can't believe this isn't a parody.

Sweet dance moves everywhere.  Angry old white guy in tha hood.  Backflips in the geriatric ward.  This is a gem of trailer.  The lyrics are amazing too.

The imdb description of this movie reads: A developer tries to bulldoze a community recreation center. The local breakdancers try to stop it.

In conclusion, Yes.

Trailer Review: All of the stars.

Don't see it ever because it's probably horrible, and why would you ruin that for yourself?

Ensemble Casts Everywhere! Trailer Reviews for Oct 17

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.

August: Osage County

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.

Trailer: 3.5 Stars

See it, on DVD.

The Counselor

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.

Trailer: 4 Stars

See It!

The Grand Budapest Hotel

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.

Trailer: 4.5 Stars

See It!