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Interstellar Official Trailer
An official trailer has been released for Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar and it looks amazing.
Up to this little was known about the plot, save that it must have had something to do with space based upon the title, and that it star’s Matthew McConaughey. The trailer is starting to reveal the bigger picture.
Just see for yourself…
The film’s official synopsis is:
“In the future, governments and economies across the globe have collapsed, food is scarce, NASA is no more, and the 20th Century is to blame. A mysterious rip in spacetime opens and it’s up to whatever is left of NASA to explore and offer up hope for mankind”
It looks like the movie takes place in a near future where the population is running out of resources, as one character put’s it, “The world doesn’t need any more engineers. We didn’t run out of planes or television sets, we ran out of food.”
So they turn to the stars. A Nolan favorite, Michael Caine, wants to make McConaughey part of an interstellar space travel mission and as he tells McConaughey, “we were not meant to save earth, we were meant to leave it.”
Joining McConaughey and Caine are actors like, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, and Casey Affleck. Their roles are still undefined; their characters don’t even have names on the films IMDB page.
Like Nolan’s movies before, it looks like Interstellar will remain mystery until it hits theaters on November 7, 2014. And much like the film’s official site, I’ll be counting down the days till then.
Trailer: Taken 2 (Video)
Liam Neeson returns as Bryan Mills in Taken 2
In 2008 Liam Neeson starred in the surprise smash hit Taken. On October 5th, he’ll be putting his particular set of skills to use again. This time he’ll have even more at stake.
In Taken 2, Neeson brings his daughter and ex-wife to beautiful Istanbul. While they vacation, the family of the men he took down last time he played the role of Bryan Mills is coming after him, seeking revenge. Now he must get his wife back while keeping his daughter safe.
Check out the films new trailer…
Taken was an awesome film. It was so much fun watching Neeson kick ass and take names as a retired CIA agent, and it looks like we’ll get to take the ride all over again. Famke Janssen and Maggie Grace all come back to play their respective roles as Neeson’s ex-wife and daughter.
There will be a new face running things this time though. Director Olivier Fontana takes over the films helm. His previous credits show he’s ready to make a splash. With Columbiana Fontana showed he could handle action/crime/drama all at once and keep it all running smoothly. With Transporter 3 he’s shown he can bring things right to the action-y edge of ridiculousness and make a “sit back and enjoy” type of movie. Taken was somewhere between the two, so it’s sequel should be no different
And with Luc Beeson having worked on the script I have complete faith that Taken 2 is in very capable hands and should be one hell of a ride.
Trailer: The Dark Knight Rises (Video)
Fan-made poster of Christopher Nolan for The Dark Knight Rises
After The Dark Knight smashed box office records, it’s no surprise that Christopher Nolan’s ending to his Batman trilogy has become one of the most anticipated films in recent memory. In The Dark Knight Rises, Christian Bale returns to star in his dual as Batman/Bruce Wayne and we see many familiar faces around him, as well as a few new ones.
What’s known about the film? Not much, Nolan’s done a good job keeping the details on his newest film under wraps.
It can be determined from the trailers that the trilogy’s newest villain, Bane, played by Tom Hardy, makes quite the escape (check out the airplane in the trailer) and continues on to turn Gotham into utter chaos. Wayne, meanwhile, also has to deal with Catwoman, as to her role in the story? Well… she steals things from Batman, who knows what else.
Check out the trailer…
As a filmmaker, Nolan (at least in my opinion) has done no wrong. His ability to not only craft a story but then to bring it to life on the big screen is incredible, he’s easily become one of Hollywood’s best over the last few years.
And these films have more than enough onscreen talent as well. The brilliant Michael Caine returns as Alfred and I’m sure Nolan’s going to give him some more big moments to chew on as an actor in this film. To go with Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman return in their roles and we’ll see some new faces in Anne Hathaway and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
There’s so much talent and there’s so many questions it’s hard not to be excited about this film.
What’s Bane’s beef with Batman? How does Hathaway’s Catwoman fit into the story? And what on earth is Gordon-Levitt’s role in the story? Will this be the end of Batman?
On July 20th I plan to find out, how bout you?
First Look: Disney’s Maleficent
It may not come out for another two years, but there is already excitement building for a Disney film that just started production. Principal photography has begun for Maleficent, with Angelina Jolie starring as one of Disney’s most beloved villains, and an incredibly talented group has been assembled around her.
The film will be telling the story of the famous Sleeping Beauty villain, how she came to be on the dark side and curse a baby.
What makes this project all the more exciting? A photo has been released of Jolie as the title character, check it out…
For more details, here’s the official Disney press release…
Walt Disney Studios announced today that production began Wednesday, June 13th, on “Maleficent,” starring Academy Award®–winning actress Angelina Jolie.
Directed by two-time Oscar®-winning production designer Robert Stromberg (“Avatar,” “Alice in Wonderland”), in his directorial debut, and produced by Joe Roth, “Maleficent” is written by Linda Woolverton (“The Lion King,” “Beauty and the Beast”) and executive produced by Angelina Jolie, Don Hahn, Matt Smith and Palak Patel.
Co-starring in the film are Sharlto Copley (“District 9”), Elle Fanning (“Super 8”), Sam Riley (“On the Road”), Imelda Staunton (“Vera Drake”), Miranda Richardson (“The Hours”), Juno Temple (“Atonement”) and Lesley Manville (“Secrets & Lies”).
This is the untold story of Disney’s most beloved villain, Maleficent, from the 1959 classic “Sleeping Beauty.” The film reveals the events that hardened her heart and drove her to curse the baby, Aurora.
Behind-the-scenes talent includes Academy Award®–winning cinematographer Dean Semler (“Dances with Wolves,” “In the Land of Blood and Honey”), production designer Gary Freeman (“Saving Private Ryan,” “The Bourne Supremacy”), two-time Oscar® nominated costume designer Anna B. Sheppard (“Schindler’s List,” “The Pianist”) and seven-time Academy Award–winning makeup artist Rick Baker (“Planet of the Apes,” “Men in Black”).
“Maleficent” is scheduled for a March 14, 2014 release in 3D.
Excited yet? I know I am
Trailer: “The Amazing Spider-Man” 2012 (Video)
In 2002 “Spider-Man” was a smash hit that launched a franchise and made Tobey Maguire a star. 10 years later the franchise is being reborn. This time it will be Andrew Garfield taking over as the famed web-slinger in “The Amazing Spider-Man”, due to release to theaters in theaters July 3, 2012.
The first trailer has been released and with it the growing excitement, if only for this self-admitting fan, for what’s shaping up to a great film.
“The Amazing Spider-Man” will be an origins film, telling the story we’re now familiar with; Peter Parker starts out as a run-of-the-mill teenager only to be bitten by a radio-active spider, imbuing him with powers and changing him forever.
Director Marc Webb and screenwriters Alvin Sargent and Steve Kloves have the immense task of telling us the old story in a new way. We get glimpses of what they do from the trailer, and I must say, I like what I see.
We get to see something new from “The Amazing Spider-Man” trailer. All the “Spider-Man” films that have come before have shown us the hero slinging his way through the sky rises of New York, but not until now did we get to see it from his point of you.
I’ll tell you what I’m excited about; the director, the cast, the writers, the effects…. so… everything.
Webb, the film’s director, has blown me away once before with his film “(500) Days of Summer,” a wonderfully creative film that everyone should see. Outside of that his résumé consists of a career directing music videos, this could be a chance to turn him into a mainstream director and kick-start his career.
The film’s writers have actually written many familiar films. Sargent wrote the last two Spider-Man films and has also won an Oscar for his writing (“Ordinary People”) and that bodes well in dealing with “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Kloves is in the same boat, he’s written seven of the “Harry Potter” films and was nominated for an Oscar for his “Wonder Boys” screenplay.
As for the cast, Andrew Garfield can be just as much the average nerd as Tobey Maguire so perfectly was on the first go round. He’s proven he can act in films like “Social Network” and “Never Let Me Go” and where “Social Network” introduced everyone to Garfield “The Amazing Spider-Man” has the potential to make him a true star.
Emma Stone will play Gwen Stacy, not only the film’s love interest but Peter Parker’s first true love. Stone’s a great actress who’s shown in her short career the ability to tackle just about anything a script can throw at her. I’m excited to see her getting bigger roles, I’ve already picked her as an actress to watch and her star’s starting to shine.
Interesting side note: this will be the first Spider-Man film to not feature Mary-Jane Watson.
I’m also intrigued by the films potential bad guys, The Lizard and Proto-Goblin. Rhys Ifans will be playing Dr. Curt Connors (who becomes the Lizard), he’s an actor I’ve always enjoyed and it’s nice to see him get what could potentially become a big role. Playing our other potential villain is Irrfan Khan; he’ll be Nels Van Adder/Proto-Goblin according to IMDB, what any of that means? I have no idea, this is the first I’ve heard of Proto-Goblin but he looks potentially terrifying.
I realize I just said potential a lot, and here’s why; I don’t know what’s going to happen in this film. Searching the internet, including the “The Amazing Spider-Man” official website, I could find no official synopsis for the film. All I know for sure is what the trailer shows us, which is what we could have guessed would be in the film anyways.
Either way the summer blockbuster season of 2012 is shaping up to be a very interesting one and come July 4th weekend I’ll be making plans to see “The Amazing Spider-Man.”
Trailer: “The GIrl with the Dragon Tattoo” 2011 (Video)
The film's poster doesn't leave much to the imagination and has an edgy look matching the story, photo from collider.com
After the original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” became an international sensation, MGM was quick to put an American versioninto the works,and load it with stars. David Fincher, fresh of the success of “The Social Network” has been tapped to direct a cast that includes Daniel Craig, Robin Wright, Christopher Plummer, and the fresh faced Rooney Mara. It’s scheduled for release on December 21, 2011, and recently a teaser trailer has been released.
IMDB gives a short, but adequate synopsis of the film’s story:
“Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Craig) is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for forty years by Lisbeth Salander (Mara), a young computer hacker.”
The first film, released in 2009 was a smash hit, and rightly so, it was expertly done and pushed boundaries in ways we rarely see in a film that gathered that much buzz and attention. So the question is; will the American version do the same?
It will be tough to tone down the edges of the original “Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”, based on Stieg Larrson’s book, if only because of the familiarity of an already built-in fan base. The film will have its detractors simply because it is a remake, but if they can stick to what made the original so fascinating those same people will have less of a reason to dislike it… and, truth be told, it will show that Hollywood still has some *ahem* balls.
Being a fan of the original Swiss film myself, I’m happy to see Fincher heading up this project. Not only is he a director that can handle
the intensity and drama in “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” but I believe he won’t back down when it comes to pushing closer to the edge (just look at films like Se7en and Fight Club).
Having Steve Zaillian on board I think will help as well, he’s written some great scripts before (Schindler’s List, Mission: Impossible, American Gangster) and has a talent for finding the right balance of action and thrills while still giving actors great moments to shine.
It also doesn’t hurt to have a cast list that’s pretty much loaded with veterans of the screen. Craig’s cemented himself as a star, and the talented cast is rounded out with the likes of Wright, Plummer, and Stellan Skarsgard. You don’t attract actors like this with a simple remake, I believe it bodes well for the quality of the film that all these people have joined “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.”
The most interesting person to see on-screen however will be Mara; she’s landed a role that could turn her into a star. She had to
compete with quite the list of actresses to play the character of Lisbeth Salander, a list that included everyone from like Kristen Stewart and Carrey Mulligan to Natalie Portman and Anne Hathaway. She made a splash in Fincher’s film, “The Social Network,” let’s see if she can build off it and prove she’s worthy of the opportunity she’s been given.
This film is going to get lots of attention as we get closer to its Christmas time release date. I, for one, am excited but the question is what will we think when it finally comes out?
Trailer: “Green With Envy” (Video)
The trailer for “Green with Envy” opens much like any classic romantic comedy. Boy meets girl, boy falls in love, then makes a mistake and must fight to win her back… awww. Classic.
But as we get a hold of the story, and the cast is introduced it becomes clear that something is afoot…
Now I’ll be honest, a romantic comedy starring Jason Segel and Amy Adams? That can only be adorable and I would certainly be game to see it. Oh but how this trailer takes what can only be described as pure excitement on my part to a whole other level with the introduction of its third star… Kermit the Frog.
I’ve heard the whisperings of the new muppet movie, Segel has talked snippets about it in a handful of interviews, and I have been impatiently waiting for it. It’s been over ten years since a Muppet movie has hit theaters and come Thanksgiving, we’ll finally have another.
The trailer doesn’t offer much for “The Muppets” plot, and the official site, thought entertaining, doesn’t either. Thankfully, the Muppet Central site had an “offical plot synopsis”:
On vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world’s biggest Muppet fan, and his friends Gary (Jason Segel) and Mary (Amy Adams) from Smalltown, USA, discover the nefarious plan of oilman Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) to raze the Muppet Theater and drill for the oil recently discovered beneath the Muppets’ former stomping grounds.
To stage The Greatest Muppet Telethon Ever and raise the $10 million needed to save the theater, Walter, Mary and Gary help Kermit reunite the Muppets, who have all gone their separate ways: Fozzie now performs with a Reno casino house band called the Moopets, Miss Piggy is a plus-size fashion editor at Vogue Paris, Animal is in a Santa Barbara clinic for anger management, and Gonzo is a high-powered plumbing magnate.
It looks like we’ve got elements that the Muppets have used before, getting the gang back together to accomplish their goals. The script was put together by Segel, an admittedly big fan of the muppets, and Nicholas Stoller, both have had success writing comedies and I’m eager to see what they can put together for a subject that many have fallen in love with.
Along with the exciting script possibilities, the cast “The Muppets” offers is pretty incredible. Segel, with movies like “I Love You Man” and “Gulliver’s Travels” has proven a great comedic actor with an ability to bring laughs to all ages. Adams also appeals to everyone, having showed her range with films like Disney’s “Enchanted” and her Oscar nominated performance in “The Fighter“. Meanwhile Cooper could be an excellent bad guy for the film, he’s proven time and again his abilities as a dramatic actor, and I can’t wait to see him be mean to a muppet… it will be amazing.
And like the great muppet movies before it, “The Muppets” will also feature a number of cameos, and by a number, I mean a very big number. If you check out the IMDB it’s a who’s who of Hollywood, with faces everyone will recognize. No matter who you are, there will be someone in this movie you’ll like. I guarantee it. The cameos are one of the best parts of the muppet movies and I can’t wait to see how they use all these people.
I may have given myself away with this one, but I can’t wait for “The Muppets” to arrive in theaters. Come November 23, 2011, you can guess where I’ll be itching to go.
Trailer: Conan the Barbarian (Video)
Conan the Barbarian has been remade and will be coming out in 3D, photo from movienewz.com
Hollywood has proven it isn’t shy about bringing back old characters and ideas in hopes they’ll still be marketable, and in “Conan the Barbarian” we see them take one of their iconic characters off the shelf.
30 years ago the original made a star out of Arnold Schwarzenegger and here gives that opportunity to big screen new-comer Jason Mamoa. The film was directed by Marcus Nispel and written by a trio of screenwriters, Thomas Dean Donnelly, Sean Hood, and Joshua Oppenheimer.
According to the film’s official website “Conan the Barbarian” is about:
A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.
The teaser trailer was released about two months ago and I have to say, it was lacking, to say the least. From the teaser trailer we could hardly get a feel for what “Conan the Barbarian” was going to be or even how it would look, luckily, the films new trailer gives us pretty much everything that teaser lacked.
It looks like this film will be putting itself into a similar vein to last summers “Clash of the Titans” with big action and big CGI all in 3D. Marcus Nispel has become more known for his horror films, but he’s proven he can make a movie in the sword and sorcery genre with 2007’s “Pathfinder” and that skill set should surface quite nicely here.
Just like the Governator, Mamoa is getting his first big time starring role in this Conan movie. He’s been on a number of television shows, most recently HBO’s “Game of Thrones” but this will be his first big budget motion picture. Mamoa’s certainly got the build to pull off the famous Cimmerian but it’ll be interesting to see how much skill he’ll show (or be allowed to show) as an actor in this role.
There’s a handful of other interesting faces to be seen in “Conan the Barbarian.” After playing the bad guy in “Avatar” Stephen Lang will be playing a similar part here, I wonder how similar he’ll be to James Earl Jones’ character from the original. In a role we certainly haven’t seen her in before, Rose McGowan plays some sort of witch in the movie, what makes this interesting is the character was re-written for her (it was originally a male character) after impressing with her audition.
At it’s best this could be a film on the scale of the “Lord of the Rings” films, but I think that will be stretch… quite the stretch. At worst it will be a cheese-fest similar to the flop that was 2000’s “Dungeons & Dragons.” Personally, I think this will be very similar to “Clash of the Titans,” great effects, great action, not looking to win any awards, just looking to entertain. And there is nothing wrong with that.
“Conan the Barbarian” will be coming to a theater near you on August 19th.
Trailer: Melancholia (Video)
Do you know what to make of Melancholia? photo from melancholiathemovie.com
Lars von Trier is a writer/director that has generated some buzz for himself after making films like 2009’s “Antichrist” and his newest movie has the potential to be another buzz-worthy film. “Melancholia” has enough actors in it to get noticed on star power alone, Kirsten Dunst, Kiefer Sutherland, John Hurt, and the list goes on.
Now I’ve watched this trailer more than once and I’m not sure how I feel about it. It opens like a typical indie family drama film, then spirals into something… strange.
The film’s official press release describes its plot:
Justine (Kirsten Dunst) and Michael (Alexander Skarsgård) are celebrating their marriage at a sumptuous party in the home of her sister (Charlotte Gainsbourg) and brother-in-law (Kiefer Sutherland). Meanwhile, the planet, Melancholia, is heading towards Earth… MELANCHOLIA is a psychological disaster movie from director Lars von Trier.
Here’s the trailer…
Now is it just me or does this whole “one planet hurtling towards earth on a path of destruction” plot line seem really out of the blue? And what on earth is going on with Dunst’s hands? Is she electric? Does she have super powers? Is this karma getting her back for “Spider-Man 3“?
Now I’m all for movies whose trailer don’t explain much, J.J. Abrams is proving adept at that, but aren’t they also supposed to suck us into the mystery? But nothing in this trailer actually grabs my attention and stokes my curiosity. If anything it just makes me wonder what von Trier and company want me to think this movie is about. Is it a thriller? a drama? Sci-fi film? or just some weirdness that I won’t be able to figure out.
I’m sure this movie will come out and there will be critics who will adore it, hell it could be a fantastic movie, but this trailer doesn’t pique my interest… and isn’t that what trailers are supposed to do?
Trailer: Super 8 (Video)
J.J. Abrams has kept details on his new film Super 8 to the minimum, photo from collider.com
J.J. Abrams has proven to be very adept at one thing; fascinating viewers. Between his television series Lost and the film Cloverfield we have seen the way he can capture our attention. With his new film Super 8, he’s on track to do it again.
Just like his monster movie Cloverfield, Abrams has kept much of this movie under wraps, even in the interview he gave the L.A. Times he refuses to give up details on his new film. From the trailer we meet a few key characters, without learning names and figure out it takes place some time ago. We know there is a father and son, there’s a train that’s derailed and unleashed something very powerful, and we know the government has sent in the army but will tell the towns people nothing.
The IMDB plot summary says:
In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witness a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local Deputy tries to uncover the truth – something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.
What I can tell you is that the film has caught my attention; I’ve been waiting for it since the original teaser trailer over a year ago. And try as you might, it’s hard not to get caught up in the mystery of what is Super 8?
We see a familiar face in Kyle Chandler, you probably know him from his role as Coach Eric Taylor on television’s Friday Night Lights. The man is an interesting actor to watch and I think a film like this could be a good step in his career, but I don’t think he’ll actually be the films leading man. I believe the leads of this film may actually be that group of kids. The sheriff’s son, Joel Courtney, seems to be our main focus, and Elle Fanning (a young but familiar face and name) will probably be his counterpart in the film.
Abrams has put is faith into little-knowns before (see the cast of Cloverfield) but to put his faith in children to lead a dramatic film should be interesting.
Abrams has proven before that he knows how to craft a compelling story and he’ll have put those skills to the test having written and directed Super 8. It also helps me to know that Steven Spielberg has put his name on the product, producing the film, and I can’t name too many movies Spielberg’s attached his name to that I haven’t thoroughly enjoyed.
Super 8 is another movie I’ll be impatiently waiting for.
Musings and Movies 