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“Moonrise Kingdom” Trailer
I suppose it’s never too early to start getting excited for next year. In my case, with my feelings of malaise and relative fatigue from this relatively underwhelming 2011 season, I honestly can’t wait to get on with it. Right now, I’m trying to be patient with these final months before I can get to my Top 25 Most Anticipated List. Granted it won’t be released until two months into the new year, but let’s be real. Not much of value is going to be coming out before March that will be missed from said list.
One film that will definitely make its way into my schedule is Wes Anderson’s latest quirky, operatic tale, “Moonrise Kingdom” It’s a simple story of puppy love that drives a small town into pure insanity. The film’s cast includes a few of the writer/director’s regulars, including Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman, as well as some exciting newcomers like Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Frances McDormand.
I’m not gonna lie. Wes Anderson is a great filmmaker, though I do not hold him up to the same auteuristic pedestal that so many of his devoted fans do. I believe that “The Royal Tenenbaums” is a near comedic masterpiece and “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is one of the most inventive and entertaining animated films of the last decade. The rest of his work, I can take or leave. This project, on the other hand, has me strangely intrigued. Perhaps its the notion of Anderson taking on the theme of adolescent romance as a primary topic. Seems like a match made in heaven.
I could also listen to Bill Murray say that final line of the trailer, over and over.
Without further adieu, here’s the new trailer:
New “Blood on the Plain” Trailer and Poster
This is a little film that I have been following closely over the past year. As some of you may recall, I made a few posts about the short as it was in the midst of production, and since then, it has grown by leaps and bounds. Director Mac Eldridge leads a stellar cast and crew, made up of dozens of rising stars in the Chicago film scene. Here they have crafted a visceral and entertaining short film that is about to take the world by storm.
Here’s a brief synopsis of the film, as stated by the film’s website:
Part western, part horror, “Blood on the Plain” is a self-aware pulp exploration of a small town in the wake of tragedy. Following a savage massacre at the Wadsworth High School homecoming dance, the townspeople take up arms and under the guidance of four seasoned trackers, set out in search of justice. Those who survive will be forced to square off with the assailants; a breed of man never before seen and born under a previous generation’s offense.
All in all, the concept is a virtual cross between “No Country for Old Men” and “Predator.” If you’re wondering how those two films could mesh, I believe that’s evident of the stark originality of this piece. Right now, the film exists as a short narrative that focuses on the massacre and the events that lead up to it. However, the film is now gaining a lot of traction in different film communities and is about to begin its international festival tour. From there, it will hopefully gain enough support to become to the full feature it deserves to be.
Everything I say about this exciting project could not do enough justice as the trailer below. I must warn that were it viewed by the MPAA, this preview would certainly carry a red band rating. It contains some footage of the film’s fantastic make-up and special effects which can get a little gory at moments. Yet, considering the movies I have mentioned above, that shouldn’t be unwelcome or a surprise.
Check out the trailer, along with photos, cast and crew biographies, and behind the scenes footage, at the link, below:
“BLOOD ON THE PLAIN” TRAILER AND WEBSITE!
NEW “Shame” Trailer
I know that I said I would have my new Oscar predictions up, and I am working on that. However, this is something that any self-respecting movie aficionado should not miss. It’s almost a plain and simple fact that no film has been more talked about on the festival circuits then Steve McQueen’s visceral and provocative “Shame.” Michael Fassbender took home the Volpi Cup for Best Actor and the film had to have come close to taking down the grand prize both at Venice and Toronto. When Fox Searchlight picked up the distributing rights for the film, it was going to be very curious as to how they would go about marketing it. It seems that they have hit the nail on the head.
For those that don’t know, the film tells the story of Brandon (Michael Fassbender) a rising New York City businessman who has an insatiable and unwavering addiction to having sex. Things become more complicated when his needy sister (Carey Mulligan) moves in with him and attempts to help fight his situation. The film has been heralded as a masterpiece, while also cited for its unrelenting sexuality. It will indefinitely receive an NC-17 rating, with little doubt of a fight from its maverick director. Usually, this would potentially injure an independent film quite badly in its fight for viewers. However, if Searchlight continues to pump out incredible trailers like the one below, they should have no problem building up a cult army of box office supporters. All this is making a Best Actor nomination for Michael Fassbender more and more likely.
I will definitely be first in line when it is released. In the mean time, I think I’ll watch this trailer again. Enjoy.
New “War Horse” Trailer and Poster
Over the summer, everyone questioned what I said when I declared that what we had seen of Steven Spielberg’s “War Horse” was only a teaser and there would surely be more to come. Well, here I stand on my own high horse with a new trailer for the upcoming film. Unfortunately, the new trailer doesn’t really seem to do much more than rearrange and expand on a lot of the footage shown in the last preview.
Many pundits, at the moment, are calling this film the frontrunner for Best Picture. While it definitely has a boatload of nominations in line, I would not put it at the front of the gate. The Oscars seem to enjoy Spielberg most at his grittiest, and this appears to be perhaps one of the most sentimental ventures he has ever made. One thing’s for sure about the film, however. It looks absolutely gorgeous. If all plays out, one award we can definitely say that “War Horse” is leading the field in is Best Cinematography. Should it win, my favorite active DP, Janusz Kaminski, would have three Oscars on his mantel, putting him among a group you could count on one hand, including Robert Surtees and the great Conrad L. Hall.
Recently, Dreamworks bumped up the release date to Christmas day. This now puts it within four days of “The Adventures of Tin Tin”‘s official opening. Mr. Spielberg does love to face off against himself. Not that he has anything to lose, really. Both films are sure to gross well over the 100 million mark. Combined with the success of “Super 8,” “Transformers 3,” “Terra Nova,” and all coupled with his reception of the David O’Selznick award from the Producers Guild, this will be a pretty good year for one of Hollywood’s greatest sons. And “Lincoln” hasn’t even started shooting yet.
Check out the new trailer, below:
NEW “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” 2nd Trailer
Ironically, less than twelve hours after I published my post of My 25 Most Anticipated Films of the Season, in which I ranked David Fincher’s new film as No. 1, Sony Pictures has released a brand new trailer for the thriller.
At three minutes and forty-five seconds, it’s possibly the longest studio-made trailer I’ve ever seen. Perhaps that is a testament of the film, being that they can reveal that much of the film and still have plenty left with which to play with their audience. I won’t lie, this trailer does not raise my heart rate and blow my mind like the effective teaser trailer did. Yet, I have now watched it three times, and I still have a nagging urgency to watch it again. Another testament, perhaps?
One thing’s absolutely for sure. Outside of Fincher’s outstanding crisp, desaturated, gloomy style that he brings to the look and feel of the film, it appears that the reason to see this is going to be Rooney Mara. Her transformation from the sweet, brunette, girl next door in her first big roles like the “Nightmare on Elm Street” remake and “The Social Network” into this devilish, tatted-up, pierced-out heroine with an insane attitude is remarkable. I cannot wait to see her chew up this role.
Enjoy the new trailer, below:
My 25 Most Anticipated Films of the Season
Tis the season. What season is that? It’s kind of hard to say. I suppose it’s a combination of fall and winter. I suppose it’s when the awards season really starts to heat up. More than that, however, it’s the time of year when good movies are released. That’s what it is, primarily. It’s the season of good movies, and I look forward to it all year long.
In honor of that, I thought I’d throw up a little list entailing the movies that you absolutely should not miss. Now, these are not necessarily films that you’re guaranteed to like. I’m not even guaranteed to approve. Neither is this an Oscarish type of list, for its guaranteed that nearly half of these movies will never even see a nomination at the Kodak.
What these films do have in common is that they have not yet been released to the general public and from trailers, stills, stories, festival performances and what some critics have already said about them, they look pretty good to me. These are the movies that I really cannot wait to see. With each title in the countdown, I’ve included a few words about why I find these films so promising. I’ve also posted each film’s trailer (except for the small few that have yet to release one). So without further adieu, enjoy, and remember this list if you plan on seeing at least twenty-five movies in the next few months.
NOTE: Two films most would expect to be on here, are not. “Moneyball” would have made a spot on the list, but I have already caught an advance screening of it (AND LOVED IT). “Drive” would also certainly find its place on here, since I have not yet gotten a chance to see it, but since it has already been released, it excludes itself from the rest of films featured.
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25. “Margaret”
September 30th (limited)
WHY IT’S Â HERE:Â Pretty weird situation here. The film looks to have an interesting plot, a great cast. However, after being delayed release for six years, you’d think this film’s going to have some severe flaws and issues. The winning flip side is that after that much time of waiting and hoping, the amount of anticipation this film carries with it is more than enough reel me in.
NEW “J. Edgar” Trailer
Well, it’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for…well at least I have. Perhaps the Oscar season’s biggest contender has finally shown its face. Now that we have a glimpse, from this point in the game, anyone not putting this film at the head of the pack for practically every single award should take a good long look in the mirror and rethink themselves.
This trailer does not disappoint. It displays absolutely phenomenal performances by DiCaprio, Dench and the man who I have said will be the key to this film all along, Armie Hammer. On top of that, the lavish costumes, production design, cinematography and, surprisingly, the music, if that is in fact the film’s score, appear to all be top notch.
At this state of the race, this is not only the film to beat, but the film to see as well.
Check out the HD trailer below or watch the gorgeous Apple version below that.
“We Bought a Zoo” Trailer
In the last few months, this film has been one of the big mysteries of this Oscar season. Up until now, we haven’t really seen anything aside from a few stills. I’m not sure if any film other than “J. Edgar” has been as elusive in terms of how big of a contender it will be. Now, we finally have a trailer for Matt Damon’s project…and I still can’t tell what to think of it.
Most of this indecision can be attributed to the director’s hit or miss track record, especially with the Academy. “Jerry Maguire” was a huge hit with the Oscars. “Almost Famous” had big potential to take home the gold, but somehow missed out on Picture and Director nominations (though Crowe did nab an award for Best Original Screenplay). Then came “Elizabethtown.” Everyone thought it would automatically become a massive contender…and then people saw it, and that notion pretty much went out the window.
Trying to tell if this film is going to be the next “Jerry Maguire” or the next “Elizabethtown” is proving to be quite difficult, even with our first glimpse of it. There are moments that give it an air of striking originality and others so cheesy they made my teeth grit. Will the Academy embrace it? I’m going to go out on a limb and say no. The field is closing up, fast, and with new voting regulations for Best Picture, it’s hard to imagine it making the cut. I would never count out a dark horse Original Screenplay nomination, though. They seem to adore Crowe much more as a writer than director. Also, Matt Damon appears to give an honest and down-to-earth performance so I wouldn’t quite KO him yet from the Best Actor competition.
Check out the trailer, below:
“The Raid” Red Band Trailer Pulls No Punches
Wow. Not gonna lie, I haven’t had a trailer knock me flat and leave my jaw hanging as close to the ground as this one just did in quite some time. This is a red band trailer that truly lives up to that distinction. “The Raid” is an Indonesian film directed by Gareth Evans debuting at the Toronto Film Festival this week. While the film is probably not poised to take home many prizes, it will definitely create a bit of stir.
The plot is sweet and simple. A team of twenty SWAT officers engage in a raid on a building ran by a drug overlord and infested with criminals of every kind. The operation was meant to go smoothly, but the building’s tenants are alerted to the cops’ presence and the officers must choose to risk their lives to complete the mission or attempt escape and survive.
Many insiders are claiming the film is one of the most cut-and-dry action films since John Woo’s “Hard-Boiled”, while echoing the newer styles of movies like “Old Boy.” To me, it looks like a whole lot of unadulterated, shamelessly violent fun. Can’t wait for a US release.
Warning: This movie and its trailer have got some brutality in them.
“Tyrannosaur” Trailer
Let’s clear one thing up, right off of the bat:
No, this movie is not about dinosaurs.
Well, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s talk about this potentially strong film. I had heard it’s title pop up every now and then, over the last year. Most prominently, the Sundance Film Festival issued it acting awards for both of its main stars, Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman, as well as Best Director for first-time helmer Paddy Considine.
It tells the story of a harsh Irish community where a woman seeks to remove herself from an abusive relationship. She ends up looking for comfort in the arms of the least-expected person, a mean-spirited, ill-tempered alcoholic, who happens to be seeking his own redemption for his rotten lifestyle.
Apparently, the film contains two off-the-chart amazing performances by Mullan and Colman. I haven’t seen Olivia in much of anything, but look forward to what kind of honesty she can bring to such a damaged character. Peter Mullan, on the other hand, is a long-time favorite of mine. He is both memorable and fantastic in the small roles he has played in films like “Braveheart,” “Trainspotting” and “Children of Men.” Here, he really gets an unusual chance to flex his dramatic muscle. Much like John Hawkes, last year, I hope Mullan is able to truly deliver in this film and be honored with an underdog Oscar nomination. There’s always hope.
Check out the new trailer, below:
The Edge of the Frame 