Film Trailers: THE DOUBLE

     

     The new film from director Richard Ayoade, more known for his comedic work, is called The Double and stars Jesse Eisenberg as Simon, a shy, socially inept man who gets overlooked at his job and cannot get the attention of the woman he is attracted to. Then arrives James, a carbon copy of Simon, but with the ability to be the life of the party, get the girl and torment Simon framework from this point forward. The concept is loosely based on a Fyodor Dostoyevsky book of the same name and the film is premiering at the ongoing Toronto International Film Festival. Ayoade's previous film Submarine was his directorial debut and I have still yet to see it, although I need to fix that. So, with this trailer, it appears we are getting both sides of Jesse Eisenberg, the thinking, shy, introvert like in Roger Dodger and The Squid and the Whale, and the cocky, asshole in The Social Network. And, is this film a straight up drama, or something of a black comedy coming from the English comedian-director. The premise sounds intriguing and the cast includes Mia Wasikowska, Noah Taylor and Wallace Shawn. Enjoy and I really love the song in this trailer.

Credits by ropeofsilicon.com and trailer by YouTube.

Film Trailers: PRISONERS

     

     I know this trailer has been on the web and TV for a few weeks now, but I had not posted it yet and wanted to get it out there to anyone who has not seen it yet. I have to say, the first time I saw this trailer I did not get that rush to go out and see it right away, except for the fact that master cinematographer Roger Deakins shot it and it looks beautiful. Also, it felt like the trailer gave away too much. I hate that. Sometimes trailers just show too much to sell the film, but apparently, it does not. Reviews came out from Telluride and Toronto, stating that the film is an exceptionally well-made, slow paced thriller and it has changed my perception and is one of the few times where positive reactions peak my interest somewhat. The film is the first English-language directed film from French director Denis Villeneuve, who directed the intriguing Incendies (2010) and stars Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Terrence Howard, Paul Dano, Viola Davis, Maria Bello and Melissa Leo. It revolves around the abduction and search for two young girls. One of the fathers, played by Jackman, takes matters into his own hands in the search once the man arrested for the kidnapping, Dano, is released due to lack of evidence. Gyllenhaal plays a rugged cop that is investigating the matter. Howard plays the other father of one of the two girls. I am looking forward to seeing this film and with Deakins lensing it, I know it will be amazing to look at and Jackman and Gyllenhaal will deliver performances that should be captivating. They usually always do. I do love glacially-paced thrillers so this one appears to be good, even if my initial reaction to the trailer was a little muted. The film will be released on September 20th. Here is the trailer. Enjoy.

Credit by joblo.com and trailer by YouTube.

Film Trailers: ROBOCOP (2014)

 
     The new trailer for the remake of RoboCop has dropped and, minus a decent supporting cast, the film looks like another unnecessary remake coming out of an over bloated Hollywood studio. The film stars Joel Kinnaman as the cop who becomes half-machine, half-man, after suffering a near death catastrophe. His delivery, at least in the trailer, seems very flat and dull. I am not expecting much from him or this film, even though the director, Jose Padilha, who directed the well-made Elite Squad and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, has got the talent to hopefully pull it off. The cast includes Gary Oldman, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Jay Baruchel, Jackie Earle Haley and Michael K. Williams. There is no way this film will live up to the original RoboCop (1987) starring Peter Weller and directed by Peter Verhoeven. We will see what happens to the crime-ridden, futuristic Detroit on February 7, 2014.

Credit by ropeofsilicon.com and trailer by YouTube.

Telluride Buzz

     

     The 40th Telluride Film Festival has concluded and it appears it was, as expected, a very successful fest. Many new films made their US premiere's at the festival and the two that seem to have the biggest buzz are Steve McQueen's 12 Years a Slave and Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity. McQueen, a world-class filmmaker and talented as hell, will probably have one of the more challenging films of the fall. A film that, evidently, presents slavery in all its physical and mental horrors. The lead in the film, the extremely talented Chiwetel Ejiofor, appears to have been stellar in the role and Michael Fassbender, who plays an evil slave owner, also got great raves and notices. The other film, Gravity, is one of those mind-bending sci-fi films that will probably be the most important in the genre since Kubrick's masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey. A film that is a non-stop thrill ride as astronauts, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, become separated and drift off into space. This is great news, being that both of these films are ones I cannot wait to see this fall. McQueen and Cuaron are two of the most talented filmmakers and always make challenging, entertaining work. These two films seem to be poised for much awards attention and have come storming out of the gates. Emmanuel Lubezki better get every award for Best Cinematography. It is about time.
     Other films that got great notices were the Palme d'Or winning, coming-of-age, French lesbian drama Blue Is the Warmest Color, which is going to be an amazing film, and the upcoming September released thriller Prisoners, from Denis Villeneuve. I already now that Blue Is the Warmest Color is a must-see, but I was not so sure on Prisoners. Now, I am really intrigued to see this slow-paced thriller that stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, and revolves around the abduction and search for two missing young girls in Pennsylvania. This is a moment when positive word of mouth gives me the added interest to see a film after the trailer sort of lessens the desire.
     Three films that had their initial premieres at the Cannes Film Festival, Joel and Ethan Coen's Inside Llewyn Davis, starring Oscar Isaac and Carey Mulligan, Alexander Payne's Nebraska, starring Bruce Dern and Will Forte, and J.C. Chandor's All Is Lost, starring Robert Redford, also had their US premieres at the festival. All received glowing reviews, especially the Coen's film, and all appear to be on track to be very successful, engaging films. All three of these films are on my Top Ten list and I am really looking forward to seeing what Redford does in All Is Lost and how Bruce Dern is in Nebraska. Two legendary actors working with really talented filmmakers. Also, glad to see the Coen's working with John Goodman again and I can tell, from the trailers, that Isaac is going to be tremendous. Actor on the rise.
     Another film that was screened at Telluride that received positive notices was Jason Reitman's upcoming drama Labor Day, starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. A single mom and her son pick up a convict and learn about his complicated situation while he is in their care. The film seems to be a shift in tone for Reitman, but also a sentimental one as well. It apparently is less satirical and sarcastic, and more dramatic. Change is good and I am looking forward to seeing this one, if nothing else for the obvious fine acting talents from Winslet and Brolin.
     Another film that caught my eye, or ear, being that I was just reading posts and mini-reviews from columnists like, Jeffery Wells at hollywood-elsewhere.com, Kristopher Tapley at hitfix.com and Sasha Stone at awardsdaily.com, all great writers, was Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson. A film that is apparently very well-made, but also highly unique and divisive. The film revolves around an alien, in human form, that hunts her prey in Scotland. I do not know when this film will be released, but it is doing the festival circuit and will hopefully get a release date soon. Glazer is a talented filmmaker, but has only made two films in over 13 years, the fantastic Sexy Beast (2000) and the underrated Birth (2004).
     In my opinion, this is all great news and these are just a few of the films that were shown at the festival. This appears to have been a great festival and definitely seems to have stolen some of the sparkle away from the more glamorous Venice Film Festival, which did not get as many exciting releases as Telluride, with the exception of having the world premiere of Gravity and also screened Under the Skin. The festival circuit appears to be a wild ride, but eventually I am going to get to go to one of these huge fests and, hopefully, it is not too far away. There is something exciting about seeing a film for the first time and that first time being the first ever showing. My little journey through this years South by Southwest Film Festival was a great introduction to a film fest and I cannot wait to hear about all the films that will be showing at the currently running Toronto Film Festival. Great time for movies.

Credit by Telluride Film Festival and Dean Tavoularis.

Classic Trailers: BONNIE & CLYDE

 
     Wednesday, well, Thursday, due to the big anticipated films post, Classic Trailers presents one of the films that helped change Hollywood and the ways films are made -- Bonnie and Clyde. The film was released in 1967 and was the one of the first films in Hollywood, and produced by a Hollywood studio, Warner Bros., that showcased sex and youthful romance in a way that was more honest to the culture in America, that was tired of the showy, musical absurdness of the Doris Day films. That romance was not real. The romance between Bonnie and Clyde was more open, troubled and complicated, instead of a perfect fall-in-love tale from those Hollywood films of the early 60s. The other thing that stood out was the violence and how it was depicted. Blood, being shown heavily when someone is shot, the scene where they rob a bank and shoot the man that is trying to stop them in the face and the camera does not turn away. The shootout at the end of the film that is unrelentless. These two matters are what helped change Hollywood and push on the oncoming revival of American cinema, with the penultimate Easy Rider and the progression of gritty, honest, independent filmmaking in America. Filmmaking where there the auteur really grew and films were made outside of the Hollywood system and out in the streets, with whatever money these filmmakers could come up with. This film, along with Mike Nichols' The Graduate (1967), changed Hollywood until Spielberg and Lucas turned it into blockbuster country.
     The film, directed by Arthur Penn and starring Warren Beatty as Clyde and Faye Dunaway as Bonnie, revolves around the infamous thieves from Texas, that traversed the country stealing, looting and killing in Depression-era America. The film is a romanticized telling of these bandits and their gang, but also an absolute beautifully shot film in Texas. The acting is completely amazing and it is the film that made Dunaway a household name and Beatty a star. The screenplay, written by David Newman and Robert Benton, with assistance from Robert Towne, the was originally intended for one of the great French New Wave directors, like Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, to be the director, but both passed. Great cinematography from Burnett Guffrey, that ideal banjo-led music from Charles Strouse and an outstanding cast, including, Gene Hackman, Estelle Parson, Michael J. Pollard, Denver Pyle and the first screen performance from a young Gene Wilder. The film went on to be nominated for ten Oscars, including, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Beatty), Best Actrees (Dunaway), two Best Supporting Actors (Hackman & Pollard), Best Director and Best Costume Design, and won for Best Supporting Actress (Parsons) and Best Cinematography. I love this film and it is one of my favorite films of all time. A movie that is important, but also highly entertaining. The film, as well as the year of 1967, that changed Hollywood for the better. Bonnie and Clyde is a great film, full of humor, suspense and a changing America. Enjoy the trailer.

Credit IMDB.

Most Anticipated Films of the Fall 2013

     It is that great time of the year when films and film watching get really exciting for me. It is not so much the Oscar prognosticating, although I do follow and like doing that, but what it really boils down to is watching great, meaningful films. Films that say something about culture, society and our social being. Films that challenge what has been previously made and take chances on new ways of storytelling and filmmaking. There have been some great films released so far this year, and this spring and summer has been a really good year for smaller, independent films. The films I have seen that are easily, in my opinion, amongst the best of the year are Drinking Buddies, The Place Beyond the Pines, Mud, Fruitvale Station, Upstream Color and Blue Jasmine, as well as larger films I have enjoyed, such as Pacific Rim, The Conjuring and The World's End.

THE WORLD'S END

The World's End

Directed by Edgar Wright

Written by Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg

     Edgar Wright's conclusion to his "Three Colours: Cornetto Trilogy" or "The Blood & Ice Cream Trilogy," The World's End, is as an entertaining and satisfying end to an absolutely must-see series of films. Similar to Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz in tone, humor and delivery, this final action/sci-fi/comedy, is executed with fine editing touches, nostalgic music and choreographed fight and drinking scenes that is nothing short of excellent from these guys. I absolutely love the Dead and Fuzz, and The World's End is a fitting conclusion to these films of middle aged, I mean from late 20s to early 40s, malaise and the pure excitement of different genre and clever appreciations of cinema.

     The World's End takes a place in a small, English town, Newton Haven, much like Hot Fuzz. It deals with a group of old friends that have gone there separate ways since high school and end up reconnecting to finish a quest they did not complete as teens. The epic Golden Mile. A pub crawl that includes 12 pubs and 12 pints. But this is not your typical get together. The group consists of five high school friends and all of them have gone there separate ways. One of them has not gotten out of those dreaded high school days and still lives outside of the corporate world, while the other four have gone on to successful careers and lives, for the most part. In this small town, there is more than meets the eye, when, much like the zombies in Shaun of the Dead, the group realizes that the towns citizens are not actually human, but blue-blooded robots, that are looking to take over the community and planet.

     The ring leader of this group of old friends is Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man that has not grown out of his partying days as a youth. He travels around London and talks and persuades the four members of his lost days into taking on the Golden Mile for old times sakes. When they were 18, they tried it and failed. The rest of the friends have moved on and are reluctant at first, but eventually cave and go on this trip. Gary has not grown up like the rest of them and lives in a world void of restriction's and responsibilities, but also in one of never endeing immaturity and nostalgia. 

     Wright brought together, has with all of these films, a tremendous cast and the four friends could not have been cast better. Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), Peter Page (Eddie Marsan) and Andy Knighley (Nick Frost) all, reluctantly go back to Newton Haven to go on this Golden Mile. There chemistry in this film is spot on and delivers at every moment. They, and not to give out plot points, suffice it to say, realize Gary is still a lying bastard and has not persuaded them on going on this trip with any form of honesty. The real terror is that the town is not safe. Much like in Hot Fuzz, the town has put on a facade and really is a group of blue blooded robots that you either join, or die. There is great action, a plethora of 80s and 90s English pop music, and an exceptionally well used "Alabama Song (Whiskey Bar)" from The Doors, and ironic laughs throughout. I also love the fact the dry, British humor is very clever and silly, but dished out with a serious tone that makes it all the more funny. Add Rosamund Pike and Bill Nighy, and you have a wonderful, rounded cast.
     I find myself wondering why I like this film and the other two, in this trilogy so much when I completely, for the most part, despise Hollywood comedies. Too stupid, mainstream, over done, from the Hollywood point. But Wright, Pegg and Frost show, yes put Frost in with the other two, who wrote all the films, how clever they are with the jokes and set piece. The action is great, but done in moments where it is good and cleverly choreographed with the script, music and comedy. I enjoy the banter between the friends and how, in all three films, Frost and Pegg go through the ups, downs, and emotional swings of being and becoming friends. I enjoy the British-ness of it all. Oh yeah, there is, much like the other two films, a lot of beer drinking and pub going in this film. Gotta love that.
     Wright is an extremely talented director and writer. He also is one hell of an editor and working with Paul Machliss, they have proven, once again, they know how to put a movie together, before, during and after filming. Wright gets the malaise of being in your 20s, 30s and early 40s and not knowing what you are doing, and putting the most unlikely people in situations where they don't want to be and where they have to grow up to survive. It is nice to see flat-out hilarious comedies done with a little social commentary on becoming an adult and immature growing, somewhat, into the mature. And, the obvious love of films, whether Night of the Living Dead  and Italian zombie films with Shaun of the Dead, Tony Scott stylistic-action films and the Bad Boys II obsession in Hot Fuzz and this one, which contains references to many sci-fi and apocalyptic films, like the The Day the Earth Stood Still, original one, and some Mad Max.
     These guys, Wright, Pegg and Frost, have made a glorious finale to their "Cornetto Trilogy" with The World's End. Clever, funny and perfect in its production value. All of the films this group has made have not been disappointing at all and get better with every viewing. Time and place or excellent and their love of film and film history is fun to be displayed in the writing and acting. I hope this is not the end of these films from these guys. I hope it never was meant to be a trilogy, but keeps on going with ten more films. Each film depicting a new genre and new commentary on life and getting older. If it is the end of this set of films though, it ends with satisfying results. And dammit, this movie will make you want a beer! Cheers!

Credit IMDB.