14 posts tagged “previews”

Five years ago, Jude Law risked overexposure by appearing in six films in one year (Alfie, The Aviator, Closer, I Heart Huckabees, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow). Chris Rock even made a joke at the Academy Awards about Jude Law being in EVERYTHING (which for some reason irked Sean Penn).

Gerard Butler appears to be the new Jude Law. When I went to see District 9 last week, I saw two previews with him in it. To me, he looks like a poor man's Russell Crowe, so I get excited when I see a preview for his movie until I realize it's not Russell Crowe.

Law Abiding Citizen looks like it might be decent. But basically, I just wish the cast consisted of Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington.

Gamer, on the other hand, looks pretty awful. Didn't we already kinda do this in 2007 with Stone Cold Steve Austin in The Condemned? Plus, I think we can officially retire Marilyn Manson's "Sweet Dreams" from ever again being used in a film with a dark theme. It's like playing Aretha Franklin's "Respect" in a chick flick.

I would just like to add that I haven't seen Butler in anything I've enjoyed yet. I didn't even like his performance in The Phantom of the Opera. I'm wondering what the allure is. Is there something about him I just don't get yet? 

There's been talk among Oscar nerds like me that this could be Meryl's year to win her third Oscar, with two performances worth noticing. One, as Julia Child in Julie & Julia (personally, I think she was better in this than in Doubt), and two, as a jilted woman turned "other woman" in Nancy Meyer's It's Complicated out in December.

Remember, it worked for Diane Keaton in Nancy Meyer's Something's Gotta Give, with Keaton scoring an Academy Award nomination. The only thing that concerns me about the film It's Complicated is the title. For some reason it conjures up images of Facebook, with "friends with benefits" relationships and BFF female friendships being defined under the same term.

Adding further to the Facebook ickiness, "It's Complicated" also makes me think of how some of my older relatives are using the online social network now (my uncle left me a message on my wall in all caps that said, "ARE YOU STILL HANGING OUT WITH GAY GUYS?"). The oversaturation of the site (as well as networks like Twitter) makes me wonder whether Nancy Meyers' is on Facebook and was inspired by the site. Furthermore, perhaps Facebook has a significant role in the film. Maybe there's a misunderstanding between Meryl and Alec through conflicting wall posts or status updates.

I've recently become a huge fan of Dorothy Parker's work. The wisecracker wrote about topics that no one wanted to talk about in the 1920's (including abortion). She also has some of the best one liners, including classics like, "Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses" and my personal favorite "If nobody had ever learned to undress, very few people would be in love."

So far I'm working my way through her short stories and then will venture into her non-fiction and theatre reviews when I start The Portable Dorothy Parker eventually.

However, reading the intro to her stories, I was struck by how interesting her life must have been. She had so much to say at a time when women were just gaining rights and individuality in the United States. I thought, "Why hasn't a movie on her life been made?" I then realized I was an idiot and that there HAD to be a movie on Parker's life out there.

After some googling, I discovered Robert Altman's 1994 film Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, one of my favorite actresses. If I had Netflix, this would go to the top of my queue. Not only does it cover Parker's life story, but it also features a cast to die for, including Matthew Broderick, Andrew McCarthy, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Wallace Shawn. Here's the trailer for the film (and if you really want to be entertained, IMDB's trailer is hilarious with the way it describes each actor by what popular film they appeared in; for example, "Weekend at Bernie's 1 and 2's Andrew McCarthy").

I'm surprised to find myself saying this, but I'm really excited about Diablo Cody's next film. I always thought Juno was just a fluke, but her second film looks like it's slated to be a cult classic in the vein of Heathers and Teeth. Also, I just recently finished Cody's memoir Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper and I really enjoyed it (although the pop culture references, even for me, were wearing thin by the end of the book).

I think this trailer looks pretty classic (and if you're really into it, check out the red band trailer which is even better).

Lately, I've noticed that the powers-that-be who create movie titles are just getting lazy. Case in point, Fast & Furious  as opposed to The Fast and the Furious. These are two different movies with nearly the same title.

Just when I thought it was just a blip on the movie radar, here comes The Final Destination. Here's a sample conversation on how people will distinguish between this movie from its original, Final Destination:

"Hey, did you see the new previews for The Final Destination?"

"Uh, yeah. About nine years ago."

"No -- The Final Destination. New title -- it has 'The' ."

"Oh, THE Final Destination. Wow. This must be THE final one then! Awesome."

Basically, the "The" in the title is about as subtle as Clark Kent's glasses.

Here's a clip of THE Final Destination. I'm really glad to see that horror films are venturing into Racetrack territory. I hope there's a cameo by Danica Patrick!

The trailer for Rob Marshall's movie musical Nine is out and it looks a lot like Chicago, with its dark lighting and themes. The cast is incredible -- with Dame Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard (looking like Audrey Hepburn!), and Penelope Cruz (also looking like Audrey Hepburn!).

The trailer for the new Woody Allen movie Whatever Works is out, and it's a return to New York City, Allen's bread and butter location.

Since Allen will no longer be appearing in his own movies (Scoop was his last hurrah), I think Larry David is a great Allen replacement. Past actors who have assumed the "Woody Allen role" have included John Cusack, Kenneth Branagh, and Jason Biggs. None of them could cut the mustard in my opinion (I've practically majored in Allen -- having seen all of his films). Yet, Larry David has the delivery and crotchety old man musings down. He had me at "I was considered for a Nobel Prize in Physics. [Pause] I didn't get it."  

The trailer for My Sister's Keeper was recently released, the movie based on the 2003 Jodi Picoult novel. The story revolves around two sisters, one with cancer, the other genetically engineered to provide the former sister organs and other necessities.

I've read the book and was quite enthralled with it (I literally was stamping my feet on the floor as I turned the pages). While it's not the best written book you'll ever read in your life (that would have to be "Revolutionary Road" by Richard Yates), it certainly will make you think about issues like stem cell research and people's rights to their own bodies. One of the most conflicted, complicated characters in the book is the mother, Sara Fitzgerald. When I read the book, I went through many possible actresses in my head as to who would play the mother (for some reason, I always pictured Gone Baby Gone's Amy Ryan). However, I never pictured Cameron Diaz.

From the looks of this trailer, this movie is way out of Diaz's element (one wonders when she's shown shaving her head whether she gets all the hairgel out beforehand). I'm interested to see if she can do something more besides gross-out comedies and voices of cartoon characters. Maybe this will be her Erin Brockovich.

I've never seen any High School Musical movie. I've never even looked at Zac Efron long enough to make a decision on his sexuality or whether he's cute or not. Yet, after having a dream about the actor the other night, I can't stop thinking about how hot he is!

In the dream, he was my high school boyfriend and my family was having a pool party. We were in our bathing suits and he was totally in to me! And Vanessa Hudgens was nowhere to be found. Fun fact: following the dream, I actually had to look up Zac Efron's date of birth to make sure he's legal enough to fantasize about. Turns out, he is (date of birth: 1987)!

This got me to thinking. I have no reason to dream about Zac Efron. In fact, the next day, I couldn't figure out why he showed up in my dreams in the first place. Did I subconsciously, unknowingly have a crush on him? Am I a 14-year-old girl? Or was it that I had seen previews for his new film 17 Again the night before? 

The answer is in the last statement. Somehow, after seeing previews before going to bed, Warner Bros. and the producers behind 17 Again had infiltrated my thoughts, brainwashing me into believing that Zac Efron is cute, when I had no feelings for him before. I see this as the wave of the future, where subliminal message movie previews are shown late at night so that unsuspecting dopes like me suddenly start dreaming about Jason Statham or Channing Tatum (stars of Crank: High Voltage and Fighting. . ."respectively"), when I really had no desire for them before, nor a desire to see their movies.

I suppose it could have been worse. It could have been an awkward Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing dream!  

I am the only person I know who hated Knocked Up.  And it nearly destroyed me.

During the summer of 2007, I went on a rampage, trying to figure out the draw surrounding this film. Everyone around me was rolling in the aisles, while I was scratching my head. I'm all for film fantasy (where it might not work out in "the real world," but it will in the movies), but I could just not get on board with Knocked Up. Not only did I feel Alison and Ben wouldn't end up in together in "the real world"; I literally couldn't understand how Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen could end up in this movie together.

But enough of my Knocked Up rant (believe me a few relationships were nearly destroyed over this movie).

Knocked Up director Judd Apatow might be able to redeem himself with his new film, Funny People.

In the first half of the trailer, I was thinking, "Here we go. Sandler and Rogen. I don't know if I can take the whining." But then once Ringo Starr's "Photograph" chimed in, and we learn that George Simmons is NOT supposed to die, I suddenly changed my mind (even with the annoying Jonah Hill appearances). I did not expect this twist. I was thinking that this would be like Michael Keaton in My Life, documenting one man's self-awareness of mortality (although, because Funny People involves death, there's still a chance for the gun to go off in the last act). The twist makes me feel like Apatow is really gunning for that Oscar, or at least some dramatic recognition (ala "comedian" Woody Allen). Either way, the trailer is rather thoughtful and intriguing. Strangely enough, I'm "in" with this one.  Hey, it's gotta be better than Smart People.