Kathryn Bigelow is so the man. This is good.
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Friday, November 30, 2012
'Warm Bodies' Again
This, along with the first trailer, may be the most entertaining snippets I've seen in a while. Nice. Should rake at the box office.
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Thursday, November 29, 2012
'Stoker' Site Goes Up
Like the movie, or at least the trailers/footage, the site is all atmosphere and a cut above. Check it out
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'Pacific Rim' Action Figures To The Rescue
With a budget of $200 million (not counting global marketing) Warner Bros. needs all the help they can get just to get back to zero on this movie.
The 'blueprints' for giant robots which are used to combat the Kaiju serve as viral marketing for the movie, to be sure, however it's pretty clear these are ads for action figures as well. In fact, at $30 a pop (with 4 or 5 needed to make a complete set) the toys may be what makes 'Pacific Rim' profitable.
It's fair to wonder whether 'Pacific Rim' would have gotten the green light if the plot did not include robots that every kid would want a toy version of.
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The 'blueprints' for giant robots which are used to combat the Kaiju serve as viral marketing for the movie, to be sure, however it's pretty clear these are ads for action figures as well. In fact, at $30 a pop (with 4 or 5 needed to make a complete set) the toys may be what makes 'Pacific Rim' profitable.
It's fair to wonder whether 'Pacific Rim' would have gotten the green light if the plot did not include robots that every kid would want a toy version of.
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Wednesday, November 28, 2012
70s Blah Poster
So, yesterday we get these very cool conceptual, not too subtle, posters for 'A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III'. I loved them, but thought the title was lame.
Today, there's this, which makes the flick look like it was made to run after 'The Rockford Files' at 8 pm/7 Central.
What a color palette. Eek. Washed out and oversaturated at the same time. However, love the fried egg paint job. At least my opinion of the title hasn't changed...
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Today, there's this, which makes the flick look like it was made to run after 'The Rockford Files' at 8 pm/7 Central.
What a color palette. Eek. Washed out and oversaturated at the same time. However, love the fried egg paint job. At least my opinion of the title hasn't changed...
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"With Your Velcro And All Your Gear"
At the one minute mark in the video below 'Zero Dark Thirty' is referred to as a movie by director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal. That's rare -- when a writer's name gets equal billing. And, that happens across the web in just about any movie blog write up about ZDT. You see it all the time: 'Zero Dark Thirty' is a Bigelow/Boal movie.
Why? Because Boal's writing is that good and, here, we get another snippet of his excellent dialogue. I believe it's edited -- we don't get all the words -- but it's still very nice.
At about 2:30 Maya (Jessica Chastain in another badass bit) says, "I didn't even want to use you guys. With your Velcro and all your gear. I wanted to drop a bomb."
So...what's so special about that? What's special is it says more than the sum of its parts. With just a few words Boal has gotten us deep into the scene. Another writer would have been obvious and spelled out what Maya was thinking. Another writer would probably not have thought it was that special a moment and we would have gotten more words than we needed, and they would, in all likelihood, have communicated less. The scene would have come off less energized, less sharply cut (no matter who directed), more mundane -- a bit of a filler.
Something as incidental as Velcro would never have been mentioned. The writer would have deemed it beneath his professional orientation to use such a word. Here, though, Velcro symbolizes the nitty gritty of putting boots on the ground, the risks inherent to sending a Seal team, and the messy results that would surely follow.
When Maya says 'Velcro' you think of the grating 'shink' that comes with using this material, but you also get a sense of its utilitarian nature. Guys that use Velcro are either dorks who don't care how they look or dress, or they're experts who need it to execute their mission. The Seal team, certainly, would be the latter.
Maya never calls this man an 'expert' but we know (or hope) he is simply because he uses Velcro. (Yeah, it's that dumb, and that good). Nothing she says indicates how well she knows him yet we understand they have an intimate relationship, even if they just met because Maya would rather 'drop a bomb' than send this guy and his Velcro-shinking team. Maya displays no overt technical savvy, yet it's clear she knows field operations -- Can you tell me how a Seal utilizes Velcro and why? She doesn't say anything that could, objectively, be called ballsy but it's pretty clear she's willing to go toe-to-toe with anyone. This is due to one word and that defines her character better than any long-winded speech, no matter how well crafted. When Maya says 'Velcro' it reveals an agenda and her concerns, is dramatic without being stagy, and it's entertaining.
Boal's writing is between the lines. It gets under your skin and draws you in without being writerly or technique-y. It's effective yet elusive. You feel its effect but don't sense it makes a show of its construction or intent.
Thanks to Boal, Bigelow is given something to work with, even down to the frame level, and we get lines like this and images like the one above. I'm betting Boal's script says something like "Maya's reflection is set against a framed American flag." Visually and wordlessly, this shot says something about what Maya stands for. Apparently, nothing is going on -- she's just standing there -- but there's a lot happening. That's good writing given life by a good director. That's sly and clever and you don't get that too often in movies these days.
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Copy That?
'Zero Dark Thirty' stops you in your tracks. Camera, script, story, plot, direction, acting -- it's there frame to frame. It's almost too good.
Here's yet another clip where Jessica Chastain's character, Maya, puts her cards on the table and it's pretty damn well done.
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Here's yet another clip where Jessica Chastain's character, Maya, puts her cards on the table and it's pretty damn well done.
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Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Among the Best of the Year
Lousy title: 'A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III'. Great cast: Charlie Sheen, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Aubrey Plaza, Patricia Arquette, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Katheryn Winnick, Dermot Mulroney.
Excellent posters. One of the best series I can remember:
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Excellent posters. One of the best series I can remember:
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Another Look at 'Killing Them Softly'
Campaign isn't as sharp as I would have thought. Good, but soft somehow. This may turn out to be one of those flicks everyone talks about, or so it seems, but it's just the hardcore movie buffs making all the noise. I don't think the average joe is wanting to see this.
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Monday, November 26, 2012
Don Cheadle is...Captain Planet
This is hella funny. How come those big ass expensive Hollywood 'comedies' aren't this funny? Hmm. How come.
Don Cheadle for president cause he acts his ass off in this.
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Don Cheadle for president cause he acts his ass off in this.
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Saturday, November 24, 2012
Poster for 'A Magnificent Death From A Shattered Hand'
Good start to the campaign. Always love to see a western. Here's the pitch:
Waiting.
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- An ex-soldier attempts to clear his name while being relentlessly tracked down for the murder and rape of a well-to-do woman.
Waiting.
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Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Slow-Burn Trailer for 'Dark Skies'
Starts very generic but camera and acting are solid. Hints of good story slipped under the door. Then you realize your attention is dialed in. Then you're inside the trailer.
Yeah, this works. At least here, now, for a couple minutes. If the whole movie plays on this level we'll have a hit.
Yeah, this works. At least here, now, for a couple minutes. If the whole movie plays on this level we'll have a hit.
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Drop-Dead Funny Trailer for 'I Give It A Year'
Manages to be between-the-lines and in-your-face at the same time. Way Way funny. So funny.
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Another Great Poster for 'Zero Dark Thirty'
There's a calmness about this rollout. An assurance. This poster is extremely confident.
This graphic is so self-assured it almost carries a sense of threat.
Here's our protagonist. Be glad she's not looking for you.
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This graphic is so self-assured it almost carries a sense of threat.
Here's our protagonist. Be glad she's not looking for you.
'Epic' Eye Candy Slash Story
Looks fun and there are hints of story with subtext and structure. Yeah, I could rent this.
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Monday, November 19, 2012
Soldiers in Mech-Suits
First it was Tom Cruise in some kind of mech-suit in a still from 'All You Need Is Kill'. Cruise plays a character named Lt. Col. Bill Cage, so he's a guy named Cage in a cage. (I know, I'm funny).
He just looks ridiculous here. Maybe it's a bad shot.
The trend continues with this shot of Matt Damon in 'Elysium' wearing a similar suit, though this one seems to be hardwired to the back of his skull and would appear to be manufactured by Kawasaki. Interesting.
Gotta say, Matt pulls this look off much better. That looks real. Wouldn't want to use one, but looks more organic than Tom's get-up, like it might work, might be usable for something.
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He just looks ridiculous here. Maybe it's a bad shot.
The trend continues with this shot of Matt Damon in 'Elysium' wearing a similar suit, though this one seems to be hardwired to the back of his skull and would appear to be manufactured by Kawasaki. Interesting.
Gotta say, Matt pulls this look off much better. That looks real. Wouldn't want to use one, but looks more organic than Tom's get-up, like it might work, might be usable for something.
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Friday, November 16, 2012
'RoboCop' Featurette
Good cast (great cast), a director with chops. Can't tell about the plot/story. VFX will probably be excellent. This should make for the start of a franchise.
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'Rise of the Guardians' Featurette
This campaign has been a tad dull. Title is not that catchy -- a bit scary, really. Plot doesn't seem to gel. Posters and trailers haven't clicked. And, it's got that same DreamWorks doll-eye thing going on, though to be fair it's not as bad as before.
This new featurette, though, is good. Easy to watch, we get a glimpse of voice actors, the writer/producer, and director. These guys have that sparkle people get when the project is good and they know it. I believe them.
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This new featurette, though, is good. Easy to watch, we get a glimpse of voice actors, the writer/producer, and director. These guys have that sparkle people get when the project is good and they know it. I believe them.
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Spanish Poster for 'Gangster Squad' Beats Ours to Pieces
I say it over and over. Foreign/international posters for our movies are almost always better than domestic versions. The new sheets for 'Gangster Squad' bear that out...again.
Here's one of the latest (U.S.) character posters.
Nothing wrong with it but pretty generic, flat. Here's the latest (Spanish language) poster.
Works nicely. Dynamic layout. Captures the energy of the time. Has a dangerous soap opera 40s noir feel. I like the smoke in the upper left.
Above poster draws you in better than the domestic version (below) which resorts to big flames to stoke interest but just looks posed.
Graphically, the domestic sheet is jangly. The central image (the big fire) looks out of place. Figure in lower right is of a different scale than the rest and is placed too far in the corner. (The scale is not different enough -- she is not smaller than the rest by enough. See above Spanish poster for the correct way to do this. The four men in lower right corner are much smaller than the rest of the group, while Sean Penn is much larger than the rest. This works. In the domestic sheet Emma Stone just looks odd. Unfortunate).
The sky in the domestic poster is wrong -- it should be plain (without clouds) or have a deeply saturated sunset, or perhaps solid black (like the background in the Spanish poster). The title is too big and the font lacks elegance (compare to the above rendition). The fact that the letters are so large makes it necessary to push the fire triangle up too far (it's dead center, which is almost always off limits. Nothing goes in the center, usually. Again, see above Spanish poster for the correct way. There's nothing in the center. There is only negative space, which makes you look elsewhere for content, and that creates a visual dynamic).
Also, the hot colors of the fire don't match the smooth air-brushed quality of the faces. Again, see above. Spanish poster color/contrast characteristics match corner to corner.
This has a 40s sensibility, yes, but in a hammed-up way. It almost looks like the movie is a parody of the style. Tonally, it's hard to take seriously, hard to feel the gravitas they were going for. There's no flow, nothing which pulls the viewer into the story, and the layout is clunky at best.
I don't know why but international posters beat ours. Theirs are more intense and artistic and have better design while ours tend to be coarse, utilitarian and, if we're lucky, non-engaging.
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Here's one of the latest (U.S.) character posters.
Nothing wrong with it but pretty generic, flat. Here's the latest (Spanish language) poster.
Works nicely. Dynamic layout. Captures the energy of the time. Has a dangerous soap opera 40s noir feel. I like the smoke in the upper left.
Above poster draws you in better than the domestic version (below) which resorts to big flames to stoke interest but just looks posed.
Graphically, the domestic sheet is jangly. The central image (the big fire) looks out of place. Figure in lower right is of a different scale than the rest and is placed too far in the corner. (The scale is not different enough -- she is not smaller than the rest by enough. See above Spanish poster for the correct way to do this. The four men in lower right corner are much smaller than the rest of the group, while Sean Penn is much larger than the rest. This works. In the domestic sheet Emma Stone just looks odd. Unfortunate).
The sky in the domestic poster is wrong -- it should be plain (without clouds) or have a deeply saturated sunset, or perhaps solid black (like the background in the Spanish poster). The title is too big and the font lacks elegance (compare to the above rendition). The fact that the letters are so large makes it necessary to push the fire triangle up too far (it's dead center, which is almost always off limits. Nothing goes in the center, usually. Again, see above Spanish poster for the correct way. There's nothing in the center. There is only negative space, which makes you look elsewhere for content, and that creates a visual dynamic).
Also, the hot colors of the fire don't match the smooth air-brushed quality of the faces. Again, see above. Spanish poster color/contrast characteristics match corner to corner.
This has a 40s sensibility, yes, but in a hammed-up way. It almost looks like the movie is a parody of the style. Tonally, it's hard to take seriously, hard to feel the gravitas they were going for. There's no flow, nothing which pulls the viewer into the story, and the layout is clunky at best.
I don't know why but international posters beat ours. Theirs are more intense and artistic and have better design while ours tend to be coarse, utilitarian and, if we're lucky, non-engaging.
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Thursday, November 15, 2012
"And Look at What I am Now"
'Beautiful Creatures' is looking watchable. There's a complexity, core, seriousness usually missing in movies aimed at tweens. Bubble gum this is not. I'm impressed and I usually ignore this stuff.
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Trailer for 'Admission'
Not haha funny, but it gots...is 'soul' the word? Okay, sticking to brass tacks, it has a spine. It grabs you. I gets under your skin?
I don't know, but it's Tina Fey (and some guy -- Paul Rudd I think), that means you have to pay attention. And, I did. I paid attention. And, I can say this trailer isn't funny like you'd expect from a comedy but it's funny in that way you wish your day could be. Like when something embarrassing happens and it's just plain not comfortable and you wish you could stop time, tweak it, maybe give the dialogue a rewrite or something, and make it into 'humorous' instead of 'omg I want to get out of here'. It's funny like that. Hypothetically, that is.
There. I think that says it.
So. I watched, couldn't take my eyes off, never lost interest, never really thought it was 'laugh...now' funny but always liked what I was seeing, always thought it plays just so.
This could be good.
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Netflix Plays an Ace
Great title. Upside down flag. Kevin Spacey, capable of playing any shark, with blood dripping from his fingers, sitting in what used to be Lincoln's chair. Poster nails it to the wall.
Have been counting the minutes for this trailer. Thought it might be good. Thought it might be a shot across HBO's bow. But, this... This is fucking great. Robin Wright truly inhabits her character. And, Spacey -- what can you say. He dominates. Direction cuts like a knife. Screenwriting is a bat out of hell. Towering story. Massive potential.
Wow! Netflix draws blood. Fucking WOW! This trailer is so good I used exclamation points and all caps (and freaking italics).
Excuse me while I catch my breath. 'House of Cards' is a crushing steamroller.
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New 'Hobbit' Poster and Song Premiere
Rolling Stone has the premiere of 'Song of the Lonely Mountain' from 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'.
And, here's that poster.
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And, here's that poster.
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Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Just How Wicked Is She?
At first blush the visuals do the 'franchise' justice. Story? No telling. Characters? Maybe, yes. Will people be talking about Oz/Great/Powerful decades from now? No, but whattayougonnado. People don't talk about movies two months after the fact.
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Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Like the 60s All Over Again
Good poster considering the plot, the title, and the fact it's by the Coen brothers.
Marketing was going down the wrong path. I think they got the message.
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- An art curator decides to seek revenge on his abusive boss by conning him into buying a fake Monet, but his plan requires the help of an eccentric and unpredictable Texas rodeo queen.
Marketing was going down the wrong path. I think they got the message.
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Kinda Product-y, But...
It's got a hook, I'll give it that. Antoine Fuqua directing is a very good thing...for a product-y movie. The guy has that down pat.
With Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Aaron Eckhart, Gerard Butler. Sure, sure. Good, good.
The story:
Oh, wait. Sorry. That's the logline for 'White House Down'. My bad. Well...doesn't matter -- same thing, same story. Really.
Just for clarity here's the spiel for 'Olympus Has Fallen':
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With Morgan Freeman, Ashley Judd, Aaron Eckhart, Gerard Butler. Sure, sure. Good, good.
The story:
- A Secret Service agent is tasked with saving the life of the U.S. President after the White House is overtaken by a paramilitary group.
Oh, wait. Sorry. That's the logline for 'White House Down'. My bad. Well...doesn't matter -- same thing, same story. Really.
Just for clarity here's the spiel for 'Olympus Has Fallen':
- A former Secret Service agent works to prevent a terrorist attack on the White House.
Toldja. Same.
Thing is, OHF opens first, April 5, while WHD rolls out on the much hotter (in every respect) June 28 and is directed by the much higher-profile (at least for movies like this) Roland Emmerich. WHD also benefits, at least in appearance, from being written by James Vanderbilt who penned 'The Amazing Spider-Man', 'Zodiac', and 'Robocop'. OHF is written by two first-timers.
'White House Down' even gets the nod for the better title. Sorry, but 'Olympus Has Fallen'? Wha? Still, I'm thinking OHF will win when it comes to drama/story. WHD gets everything else: Box office, rental, TV/Cable, word-of-mouth. Everything. That ain't bad, really.
Sure, sure. Good, good.
For Your Consideration
The year-end awards drive has dropped into gear with pitch posters. I like these.
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Monday, November 12, 2012
If It Weren't For The Very Cool Poster...
...I wouldn't even pay attention to this. But, that poster was just that good. And, the trailer looks pretty seamless. Conceivably, a good movie. Actually worth watching...sober. '21 & Over' might be well done and smart. Might be. Go figure.
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'Movie 43' Strikes Again
Trailers were a knock out. Poster works great. Flick is on cruise control.
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Friday, November 09, 2012
Nicely Shot Clips from 'Citadel'
Nice direction. This is Ciaran Foy's first feature. If his script is as good as his camera/editing choices and how he handles actors 'Citadel' should be one to catch.
Like this first clip -- nothing really happens except we get some boilerplate exposition -- but it's shot well and stays interesting.
Good camera here, as well. Keeps the chase sequence clicking.
It's the editing that makes this work. Makes the expected unexpected.
Nice camera/framing here. I like how the guy's face is reflected in the window -- not an accident.
Even this, a dreaded (for horror fans) dialogue-driven scene, is interesting to watch and keeps you off balance.
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Like this first clip -- nothing really happens except we get some boilerplate exposition -- but it's shot well and stays interesting.
Good camera here, as well. Keeps the chase sequence clicking.
It's the editing that makes this work. Makes the expected unexpected.
Nice camera/framing here. I like how the guy's face is reflected in the window -- not an accident.
Even this, a dreaded (for horror fans) dialogue-driven scene, is interesting to watch and keeps you off balance.
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Poster for '21 & Over'
With a synopsis like this...
...'21 and Over' doesn't sound like my kind of movie. But, hard to deny this poster is good. I'm actually interested in seeing this now. Good job.
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- Straight-A college student Jeff Chang has always done what’s expected of him. But when his two best friends Casey and Miller surprise him with a visit for his 21st birthday, he decides to do the unexpected for a change, even though his critical medical school interview is early the next morning. What was supposed to be one beer becomes one night of chaos, over indulgence and utter debauchery in this outrageous comedy.
...'21 and Over' doesn't sound like my kind of movie. But, hard to deny this poster is good. I'm actually interested in seeing this now. Good job.
As If We Needed Pursuading
A few seconds new footage but, really, is there anyone who isn't going to see 'Skyfall'.
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Newest Attempt to Sell 'Hitchcock'
New trailer plays much like the featurette that rolled out yesterday -- dry, so dry, and 'entertaining' though, yes, that goes in quotes. So far, 'Hitchcock' looks entertaining only in a conceptual way. It's informed with what might meet a textbook definition of that word, but real fun? -- doesn't seem like it.
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Thursday, November 08, 2012
Trailer for 'World War Z'
Yeah, the production may have had issues but this trailer is...what cliché should I go with?...jaw-dropping. At worst this will be eye candy of the highest order. At best, it'll be one of the finest psychological horror flicks going back a lotta years. Either way it's must-see.
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'Price Check'
Love these clips. Love Parker Posey.
Movie has kind of a throw-back plot style -- reminds me of those little films Posey was in a lot in the 90s like, say, 'Clockwatchers' -- but it could play as a rental or on cable.
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Movie has kind of a throw-back plot style -- reminds me of those little films Posey was in a lot in the 90s like, say, 'Clockwatchers' -- but it could play as a rental or on cable.
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'Hitchcock' Featurette/Tutorial
Clearly, this is intended to inform a prospective audience as to what 'Hitchcock' will be about. Never a good thing when your movie needs a tutorial. Worse, though, this primer comes off a bit cold, distant, inaccessible. There's little sizzle, wow factor.
It plays dry, certainly -- that's clear -- however, to me, it's almost brittle, and almost in an offhand way. It's not the kind of thing that comes from a given style of editing, either. Probably, this is how the whole movie will feel.
I'm not sensing a lot of energy from the marketing. Posters have been excellent but footage not so much. Opens limited 11/23 which, with Thanksgiving falling a couple days later, just doesn't feel right. Not the kind of movie people tend to see that particular weekend. But then, what's the solution? When do you open a movie like this? X-mas? Even worse -- people would be even less apt to see it then and the competition is wicked that time of year. Open early next year? Worse. Nobody sees stuff like this then.
So...we would appear to be stuck playing the cards we're dealt.
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It plays dry, certainly -- that's clear -- however, to me, it's almost brittle, and almost in an offhand way. It's not the kind of thing that comes from a given style of editing, either. Probably, this is how the whole movie will feel.
I'm not sensing a lot of energy from the marketing. Posters have been excellent but footage not so much. Opens limited 11/23 which, with Thanksgiving falling a couple days later, just doesn't feel right. Not the kind of movie people tend to see that particular weekend. But then, what's the solution? When do you open a movie like this? X-mas? Even worse -- people would be even less apt to see it then and the competition is wicked that time of year. Open early next year? Worse. Nobody sees stuff like this then.
So...we would appear to be stuck playing the cards we're dealt.
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Loads of Box Office Dollars, Basket Full of Awards
This is taking it all. There won't be anything left but crumbs.
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Wednesday, November 07, 2012
Boom Boom Boom Boom
Smarter than you might think. This will rake.
Love the John Lee Hooker. Here's the whole thing. Boom Boom.
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Love the John Lee Hooker. Here's the whole thing. Boom Boom.
'Zero Dark Thirty' Poster
I'm liking this one.
Director Kathryn Bigelow has a great visual style. She shoots imagery that would make good stills. Not seen that often in movies.
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Director Kathryn Bigelow has a great visual style. She shoots imagery that would make good stills. Not seen that often in movies.
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Not Exactly Verbal Sparring
More like pure blunt force tit for tat.
Tommy Lee Jones shimmers just so, doesn't he. He portrays Thaddeus Stevens. Could the guy have said such things? Looking at his picture I'd say so.
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Tommy Lee Jones shimmers just so, doesn't he. He portrays Thaddeus Stevens. Could the guy have said such things? Looking at his picture I'd say so.
Tuesday, November 06, 2012
New Breed of Zombie
Gotta admit, these guys are determined in a way we've not seen before. Reminds me of ants and their mentality. How they'll sacrifice many individuals to accomplish a goal. Like when they build a bridge over a stream by interlinking themselves with the ones on the bottom drowning while the others walk over their bodies (which continue to cling to each other). A lot die but the colony gets across the stream and survives. These zombies are balls to the wall. Scary. At least on a visual level they have something new.
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Not The Usual Wood
Elijah Wood continues to reshape his image with 'Maniac'. When the first trailer came out I thought this was hit or miss. Looked as if it could have depth or might just be high-class exploitation. That's probably because it was a green band trailer. This new edit is most definitely red band and it benefits from not trying to pretty up or tap dance around gory content. We get a clear and fairly direct eyeful -- a good thing for movies like this.
If Wood's portrayal lives up to the potential inherent in this kind of plot 'Maniac' could be an excellent character study. People will be talking about this one, however, whether it's brilliant, shocksploitation, or just lousy.
'Maniac' is one of those movies.
Here's a German cut with a bit of different footage which is very much worth a look. Have to say, this looks great dubbed in German. It feels like a Euro flick.
Here's a clip/trailer for the 1980 original by Bill Lustig. There's a savvy depth of character rendition here if you analyze how the killer operates.
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Another Pixar's 'La Luna' (For Everyone to See)
Movie posted yesterday is now labeled 'private'. (It played when I posted it). Oooh! Private. It's a private posting of a movie made by someone else.
Okay.
Here's a public player.
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Okay.
Here's a public player.
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Monday, November 05, 2012
UK Trailer for 'Lincoln'
Less stirring than the first trailer but keys you in as to what to expect with perhaps more detail than needed. Next cut should be more emotional, have less political maneuvering, otherwise people might opt for renting and not turn out at the theater. That's a tall order for this movie, I suppose.
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Saturday, November 03, 2012
Another Great Poster for Jessica Biel's 'The Tall Man'
This time it's a Spanish language poster and yet another excellent graphic for what is, by all accounts, at best a mediocre movie.
Have to say, this is one of the best, most psychologically creepy posters I've seen (for any movie of the genre). It emphasizes an eerie concept rather than holding promise of cheap scares and gore -- rare in horror movie posters.
I like how the bad guy is standing right in front of the police car, whose driver has apparently just rushed into a crime scene in such a hurry he/she didn't even close the door, yet the culprit has gone unnoticed. The water reflects his image clearly but the cops are clueless.
Does this mean the madman could be anybody? Your friend, neighbor, clerk who rings up your purchase, or does it mean the guy is a ghost and literally can't be seen? 'Either way', seems to be the point. 'Take your pick'.
Nicely done.
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Have to say, this is one of the best, most psychologically creepy posters I've seen (for any movie of the genre). It emphasizes an eerie concept rather than holding promise of cheap scares and gore -- rare in horror movie posters.
I like how the bad guy is standing right in front of the police car, whose driver has apparently just rushed into a crime scene in such a hurry he/she didn't even close the door, yet the culprit has gone unnoticed. The water reflects his image clearly but the cops are clueless.
Does this mean the madman could be anybody? Your friend, neighbor, clerk who rings up your purchase, or does it mean the guy is a ghost and literally can't be seen? 'Either way', seems to be the point. 'Take your pick'.
Nicely done.
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Friday, November 02, 2012
I Knew It
I knew Hollywood would remake 'À Bout Portant', directed by Fred Cavayé. Variety says:
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- Working Title is teaming with Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson's Leverage banner to remake Fred Cavaye's hit French action thriller "Point Blank."
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Starts Okay, Gets Better, Ends Great
So. The trailer for 'Side Effects'. I'm watching this thinking it's so 80s, almost made-for-TV. That title... Come on, that's like a paperback you buy at the airport. You know -- with garish cover art that includes a syringe with a drop hanging off its tip and figures in silhouette running away in the background. That kind of novel. A 'pharmaceutical thriller'? Not so much any more. Been there, done that.
What the hell. I click start anyway and, as the trailer rolls it's looking pretty bad. But, it gets better. Something is there among all that soap-opera build up.
And, yeah, I didn't know it was a Soderbergh property until the end (I'm a little embarrassed to admit), when I saw his name, along with writer Scott Burns, and it came as a relief. Suddenly, the pieces fall into place. Oooh, it's a Soooderbeerrgh movie. It's a throw-back genre, sure, but it's Soderbergh, and he's surely delivered a finely wrought rendition (though you don't get much sense of camera/editing style/technique) of Burns' screenplay and the result will probably be very good. Why else shoot dice on this? It has to be, good that is.
And, really, these guys could do anything, any genre, any type of plot, and make it work, make it entertaining and intellectually invigorating. They've proven it before.
And, as far as performances go, Jude Law gives notice. Bit after bit this guy nails it to the wall. He's so good. He's gone from being a supporting actor -- delivering solid craft and all that, but always in the shadow of a 'star', always second fiddle -- to, these days, a leading man whose involvement means the story will get under your skin and, moment to moment, scenes will ring true, characters will seem like people you might know or, at least, have heard about in real life, maybe in a story you read in the paper or overheard at a party or bar.
It's like the transformation of Matthew McConaughey's career, sort of. The two actors aren't alike, yes, don't play the same kind of roles, I know, but both went from being on the sideline in one respect or another to being pure money, go-to. Just having one of them in your movie gives it weight, makes average people want to see it and movie buffs need to see it, whereas a few years ago it meant the average person might give it a pass and movie buffs might give it a spin as a rental, maybe, sometime.
And, that's what I was thinking, watching this trailer, at the beginning. I was thinking I might rent this for Law's performance (some time down the road). I was thinking he was a cut above and I had to see him despite the movie being what it was, or what I thought it was. No hurry, though.
Then, there's hints of quality. Crumbs, tidbits, of a story you can savor, a plot with a spine, more performances that sizzle and, by the midpoint, I'm wondering how this can look so good, how it can seem so interesting when I'm sure I've seen this stuff, this same movie, over and over in years past, mostly late night on television. Then, at the end, I see Soderbergh's and Burns' names and I can't wait to see the movie. At the theater, thank you very much. By the end, I'm not wondering how a B plot could get made these days, I'm wondering what kind of characters actors like Law, Rooney Mara, and Catherine Zeta-Jones signed on to create, what kind of story Burns wrote, and how well actors like Vinessa Shaw and Channing Tatum hold their own in this environment.
So, yeah, I thought it was boilerplate but I changed my mind. The trailer changed my mind.
.
What the hell. I click start anyway and, as the trailer rolls it's looking pretty bad. But, it gets better. Something is there among all that soap-opera build up.
And, yeah, I didn't know it was a Soderbergh property until the end (I'm a little embarrassed to admit), when I saw his name, along with writer Scott Burns, and it came as a relief. Suddenly, the pieces fall into place. Oooh, it's a Soooderbeerrgh movie. It's a throw-back genre, sure, but it's Soderbergh, and he's surely delivered a finely wrought rendition (though you don't get much sense of camera/editing style/technique) of Burns' screenplay and the result will probably be very good. Why else shoot dice on this? It has to be, good that is.
And, really, these guys could do anything, any genre, any type of plot, and make it work, make it entertaining and intellectually invigorating. They've proven it before.
And, as far as performances go, Jude Law gives notice. Bit after bit this guy nails it to the wall. He's so good. He's gone from being a supporting actor -- delivering solid craft and all that, but always in the shadow of a 'star', always second fiddle -- to, these days, a leading man whose involvement means the story will get under your skin and, moment to moment, scenes will ring true, characters will seem like people you might know or, at least, have heard about in real life, maybe in a story you read in the paper or overheard at a party or bar.
It's like the transformation of Matthew McConaughey's career, sort of. The two actors aren't alike, yes, don't play the same kind of roles, I know, but both went from being on the sideline in one respect or another to being pure money, go-to. Just having one of them in your movie gives it weight, makes average people want to see it and movie buffs need to see it, whereas a few years ago it meant the average person might give it a pass and movie buffs might give it a spin as a rental, maybe, sometime.
And, that's what I was thinking, watching this trailer, at the beginning. I was thinking I might rent this for Law's performance (some time down the road). I was thinking he was a cut above and I had to see him despite the movie being what it was, or what I thought it was. No hurry, though.
Then, there's hints of quality. Crumbs, tidbits, of a story you can savor, a plot with a spine, more performances that sizzle and, by the midpoint, I'm wondering how this can look so good, how it can seem so interesting when I'm sure I've seen this stuff, this same movie, over and over in years past, mostly late night on television. Then, at the end, I see Soderbergh's and Burns' names and I can't wait to see the movie. At the theater, thank you very much. By the end, I'm not wondering how a B plot could get made these days, I'm wondering what kind of characters actors like Law, Rooney Mara, and Catherine Zeta-Jones signed on to create, what kind of story Burns wrote, and how well actors like Vinessa Shaw and Channing Tatum hold their own in this environment.
So, yeah, I thought it was boilerplate but I changed my mind. The trailer changed my mind.
.
Thursday, November 01, 2012
DIY 'Hitchcock' Poster
Fox Searchlight has a cheesy site where you can put a picture of yourself onto a template of a poster and create an original one sheet.
I'm impressed by the poster designs available. I'm trying to pick a favorite but can't. Good stuff. I wouldn't ruin any of them with my picture, but that's just me.
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Track from Emily Wells' Soundtrack for 'Stoker'
'Stoker' continues to wow me. Even the music is good. Might have to get this soundtrack.
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