Trailer Tuesday (09-14-10)
September 14, 2010

This week we have five trailers to look at: a couple supernatural films, a graphic novel adaptation, a sci-fi horror and a honkytonk rom-com. If that’s not versatile enough for ya, just wait, there’s more to come. In the meantime, enjoy….
Hereafter
The very first trailer for Clint Eastwood’s new supernatural film (you read that right) does what a trailer should: get you interested without telling you everything. Eastwood directs Matt Damon who plays a retired psychic, who used to talk to the dead until it got to be too much. But it’s not just about him, there’s more to this film like tidal waves, drowning and explosions and then there’s the other two storylines in both London and Paris, all dealing with the afterlife. Working from a script by Peter Morgan (Frost/Nixon), the film also stars: Richard Kind, Cécile de France, Bryce Dallas Howard and twins, Frankie & George McLaren. The film opens in the states on October 22nd.
Julia’s Eyes
I am very excited to see Spanish actress Belén Rueda (from “The Orphanage”, see picture below) back on the screen backed once again by producers Guillermo del Toro and Rodar Y Rodar. She stars in another thriller, as a woman who suffers from a degenerative eye condition which will eventually leave her blind. She discovers that twin sister who had already gone blind as a result of the same disease, hanged in the basement of her house. While everything points to suicide, she feels it’s a murder case, and she begins to enter a dark world that seems to hide a mysterious presence. As she begins to uncover the terrifying truth about her sister’s death, her sight deteriorates, until a series of unexplained deaths and disappearances cross her path. Directed by Guillem Morales, the trailer shows a nice vivid atmosphere, making the tone of the film look like an interesting addition to the mystery-horror genre. Looks like the film may hit on October 22, 2010.
Priest
There’s nothing worse than seeing an actor who you know has talent and potential (even if you haven’t seen it in a long time) occupy space in a limp movie. Okay, there is actually something worse. Seeing that same actor do it more than once. Here we have Paul Bettany, in what appears to be the most unintentionally hilarious trailer I have seen in some time. You might as well call this “Legion 2” only this time you can add a Vampire War into the mix. Looks like the teens will love this one but I feel bad for the fans of the Tokyo Pop graphic novel since this looks like an awful video game. Maybe Karl Urban can inject some fun into this cuz Christopher Plummer seems to be lost here. Directed by Scott Charles Stewart and written by Cory Goodman along with Min-Woo Hyung from the graphic novel series, the movie also stars: Cam Gigandet, Maggie Q, Lily Collins, Brad Dourif and Stephen Moyer. It’ll score big at the box office when it hits in 3D next Spring.
Monsters
Not much is known about this sci-fi horror from the UK directed by Gareth Edwards (who also worked as the visual effects artist) but here’s the plot: Alien life forms have spread throughout central America leading to the quarantine of half of Mexico. The U.S. and Mexican militaries are battling to contain the creatures, with a wall stretching along the American border. The story follows Andrew, an American photojournalist helping his wealthy employer’s daughter, Samantha, get back to America. Their journey takes them across Central America and eventually into the ‘infected zone’. I’ll admit, based on that description alone it looks like something we’ve seen before but I like what I see here. It’s almost like an art house indie from the late 80’s/early 90’s. Although it has already been viewed at some festivals, looks like it may hit in the states on October 29.
Country Strong
Face it, you’ve been dying to see Gwyneth Paltrow sing again on-screen since you saw her in 2000’s “Duets”. What’s that? Yeah, I didn’t see that one either yet I would for Huey Lewis….but I digress. Well, here we have Paltrow singing again as an emotionally unstable country singer who gets involved with a up-and-coming singer-songwriter played by Garrett Hedlund. They embarks on a career resurrection tour helmed by Tim McGraw, playing her husband/manager. Talk about a role made for Sandra Bullock! Throw in a beauty-queen-turned-singer played by Leighton Meester, and we may have another “Crazy Heart” on our hands, or at least a “Duets 2”. The only thing that really has my interest with this one is that it’s directed by Shana Feste, who directed a little-seen gem called “The Greatest”, that came out last Spring. This one goes into limited release on December 22nd, then opens nationwide on January 7th.
Belén Rueda in “Julia’s Eyes”
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