Trailer Tuesday (08-17-10)

In order to catch up, we have a double-wide load of trailers today~ There’s a wide genre range here as well. All trailers are posted in order of release dates (if they have them), which are, as always, subject to change! No feature presentation will be shown after these trailers, that’s up to you. So, enjoy this look at future films….

 

The Winning Season

How about an inspiring sports movie? This film was picked up at last Sundance Film Festival. That’s 2009 folks, which makes me wonder why it’s just now surfacing. Rockwell plays as a down-and-out schlub (surprise) who’s recruited to coach a high-school girls’ basketball team . Sound too “Bad New Bears” for ya? While this trailer seems somewhat predictable and could possibly give you a cavity, it’s still from Sundance. Plus, I’m always up for these kinda flicks regardless of all that and since it has Rockwell, well I’ll make sure my gym uniform still fits. Written and directed by James C. Strouse (“Grace is Gone”) and co-starring Emma Roberts and Rob Corddry, it  opens in New York and LA on September 3rd, 2010.

The Romantics

Is it “The Big Chill” meets “Dawson’s Creek”? Based on the heralded novel by producer, novelist, director Galt Niederhoffer, “The Romantics” is being touted as a Zeitgeist love story and generational comedy that supposedly recaptures the camaraderie of youth.The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and it stars Katie Holmes , Josh Duhamel, Anna Paquin, Elijah Wood, Malin Akerman, Adam Brody, Jeremy Strong, Rebecca Lawrence, Dianna Agron and Candice Bergen. There could be some surprising performances here when it hits in limited release on September 10, 2010.

 

 

I’m Still Here

Remember when Joaquin Phoenix quit acting? How about the news that he then became a rapper? Oh, and then there’s his classic stint on David Letterman to promote his 2009 movie, “Two Lovers”. There was rumor that all this (and his unstoppable facial hair) was part of a documentary of the actor, directed by his brother-in-law, Oscar-nominated actor, Casey Affleck. Sure enough, here we are with the trailer for Affleck’s directorial debut,  is which tracks Phoenix’s cinematic retirement, and subsequent ventures into a career as a musician. I still think this is a joke, a wink to the audience, perhaps. Still, it could be fascinating to see if it says anything about celebrity. Find out if you care if Phoenix is “still here” on September 10, 2010.

 

 

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger

How bout a new Woody Allen movie? No? Me neither. But, I must say I’m always interested in who he casts and what he gets them to do. Here we have a movie about intersecting romantic entanglements (no new Woody ground), with pretentious narration and a boring premise. Still, at film number forty-five, not all of his work can be original. Expect a respected and talented cast consisting of: Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Antonio Banderas, Gemma Jones, Freida Pinto, Lucy Punch, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, and the latest hambone king, Sir Anthony Hopkins. You will see this movie hit theaters come  September 22, 2010.

 

 

The Conviction

Hillary Swank is going for more Oscar gold and she’s taking Sam Rockwell with her. Based on the true story of Betty Anne Waters, who put herself through high school, college and, finally, law school in an 18-year quest, determined to overturn her brother’s murder conviction. Also starring Melissa Leo as a small-town cop and Minnie Driver as Waters best friend. Actor/director Tony Goldwyn (“The Last Kiss”) helms what appears to be another inspiring “based on a true story” feel-good film. Hopefully this will rise above some of the syrup present here. Look for “Conviction” to hit theaters on October 15, 2010.

 

 

Unstoppable

Director Tony Scott and Denzel Washington team up again, this time to stop a runaway train! And they need Capt. Kirk’s help! Wait, weren’t they playing with trains in “The Taking of Pelham 123” last year? Based on a true story (apparently this happened in Ohio, not too long ago), about a toxic train that can’t slow down. It’s up to a grizzled veteran (Washington) an obnoxious rookie conductor (Chris Pine) to stop the train before it collides with a town, killing innocents. Looks like Washington and Pine B-movie slumming it here, but hey….it could be fun. With Scott’s over-stylized approach and dialogue from Rosario Dawson such as: “We’re not just talking about a train! We’re talking about a missile the size of the Chrysler building!” Nice. Add to the mix a load of students coming in on a field trip on another track and, well, let’s just say this may be a train wreck waiting to happen. Look for “Unstoppable” to barrel its way through your town on November 12, 2010.

 

 

Skyline

After seeing this trailer where humans are being sucked up from Earth like mere dust particles, I’m officially hooked. Directed by The Brothers Strause (“Alien vs. Predator: Requiem”), this trailer surprised many at SDCC this year. Since The Brothers have their own in-house F/X crew and used the new Red camera, this should at least be visually stimulating. The pitch for this sci-fi thriller is as follows: Strange lights descend on the city of Los Angeles (it’s either there or NYC, right?) drawing people outside like moths to a flame where an extraterrestrial force threatens to swallow the entire human population off the face of the Earth. Whoa. The film stars: Donald Faison, Eric Balfour, David Zayas, Scottie Thompson & Brittany Daniel. Look up at the sky on November 12, 2010, when the film hits theaters.  

 

 

The Next Three Days

Writer/director Paul Haggis (“Crash”) remakes the French thriller “Anything for Her”, about a man (Russell Crowe) who devises an elaborate plot to break his wife (Elizabeth Banks) out of prison, after she is accused of a gruesome murder. Struggling to hold his family together, raise their son and maintain his college teaching gig, while pursuing justice. He gets some assistance/mentoring (Liam Neeson, what film isn’t he in?) in devising an intricate escape plan, risking “everything he holds dear”. Gee, sure hope she is innocent after all that. I know there are Haggis haters out there, but I did think “In the Valley of Elah ” was solid. “The Next Three Days” hits theaters on November 19, 2010. 

 

 

How Do You Know

Then there’s writer/director James L. Brooks (“Terms of Endearment” & “As Good As It Gets”) who has been working over just the right script for Reese Witherspoon for some time. Knowing Brook’s track record with conjuring great female roles, she immediately jumped at the chance to star alongside Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and Brooks mainstay, Jack Nicholson. The film centers on a love triangle between a professional baseball player (Wilson, not quite William Hurt), a white-collar executive (Rudd, sorta Albert Brooks), and the object of their affection (Witherspoon, reaching for Holly Hunter). Shouldn’t that title have a question mark? These and many other questions may be answered on December 17, 2010.

 

 
Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Here’s the first promo for a movie based on some very popular Italian comic books. There’s been talk about this one for some time. I gotta say, this looks like a cancelled CW/WGN television show. And I just can’t get over how much Brandon Routh still sounds like Christopher Reeves/Clark Kent. I dunno any fans of the comic but it will be interesting to see how this is received or, better yet, when (and how) it will finally be released.

 

 

And finally, for those who (like me) grew up admiring beautiful movie poster art (something of a rarity nowadays), check this out….

 

Drew: The Man Behind the Poster

You may not know this artist by name but you certainly know his work. Here is a film all about Drew Struzan that has yet to find a distributor. It looks awesome! It even has Steve Guttenberg!