Tuesday, April 30, 2013

High Confidence Trailer for 'Violet & Daisy'

Directed by Geoffrey Fletcher, who wrote 'Precious' and, apparently, learned to handle actors very nicely from Lee Daniels.

Only problem is this wrapped in 2011, so there may be concerns. Maybe not, though. On the flip side there's Saoirse Ronan, Alexis Bledel, and James Gandolfini. At the very least this is must-know, must-rent.

Trailer is smooth like a fine Scotch (no ice please).























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Sense Of Scale: Star Trek vs Star Wars










































Remind you of anything?















































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Very Nice Concept

Act III could easily slip into 'bad guys in house' mode, which is once removed from basic cabin-in-the-woods type stuff. However, if they dodge that 'The Purge' could be special.

Conceptually, a world where all emergency services are suspended 24 hours once a year is excellent. So much potential for social commentary.






















































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Simon Pegg On Playing Scotty

Even these little snippets are watchable. Movie is cut like a gem. This is must-see even if you don't care about 'Star Trek' and never watch popcorn flicks. It's that good.






















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Mondo's IM3 Poster

Nice, as usual. This style will probably become the norm after a while.










































Well, I can't really see studios adopting such a layered graphic approach any time soon, but the standard take is getting old:















































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Monday, April 29, 2013

More Brutal Combat Scenes From 'Only God Forgives'

Wow. Cuts like a knife. Beautiful, elegant, horrifying.



If you missed it, here's another with just as much brutality but a lot less talk.




 
















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IM3 Talking Heads

Not your typical summer movie vibe.
























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The Plot Thickens

72 reasons? That's interesting. Want to see what that means.






















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Making 'Snowpiercer'





















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'Pacific Rim' Eye Candy

Am I mistaken or is this a new level of CGI?


























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'Only God Forgives' Clip

This movie gets under my skin. Not often that happens.

Nicholas Winding Refn shoots in an atmospheric way, akin to Terrence Malick, except with a much more immediacy and plot energy. Scenes are captivating and repulsive in equal measure. You try to turn away but can't because you're entranced, staring and slack-jawed, then the next shot starts and it's worse/better. The effect is breathtaking.

Ryan Gosling's character is seriously compromised -- exactly what's required for good story.

Right now 'Only God Forgives' is looking like required viewing.

























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Sunday, April 28, 2013

Daniel Day-Lewis Talks Playing The President in Steven Spielberg's 'Obama'

Best thing I've seen in a long time. Nice.

























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Last Look at 'Fast Furious 6'

New footage and, yes, they pull no punches. Word of mouth will be good. Should do great business.
























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Stolen 'Pulp Fiction' 1964 Chevelle Malibu Found By Police

















Yeah. Quentin Tarantino's car. 19 years after it was stolen.























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Saturday, April 27, 2013

'Free Samples' Trailer

Yeah, this works. This is rentable. One of those movies you watch then go 'that was worth something'.























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Friday, April 26, 2013

'Pain &Gain' Consensus

I'm still seeing this. Why? It looks like something you have to be able to talk about. That, come to think of it, may describe all of Michael Bay's work. However, some movies don't even have that, so, that's something.





















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'Iron Man 3' Clip

The man in the can...




















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William Rexer II Talks Shooting Movies

A lot of tech talk but a lot of discussion about art/craft/creative process as well. Worth a few minutes.



If you're interested, here's the 2700 fps commercials for Google Chrome. Fast...
























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Best Poster Of The Day: 'Red 2' Anthony Hopkins























































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Best Trailer Of The Day: 'Red 2'

Yeah. They put this one together.



























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Just Who Is Kirk?

Inquiring minds click play.





















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Thursday, April 25, 2013

More 'Mud'

Plays just so. Must-see.


























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Probably Read Better Than It Plays -- or -- Movie Reality Versus Real Reality

Looking forward to 'Pain & Gain'. That it's based on a true story makes it even better. If this were pure fiction nobody would care. It's too plain, too straight forward to work as fiction. 'Body builders kidnap a rich man to force him to give them his money' isn't a viable slugline unless it's based on a real case.

'Fargo' would be another good example of this kind of thing.

That this actually happened makes it interesting, gives people a reason to go see the movie. But, that doesn't mean you can have scenes that aren't entertaining. This clip doesn't work. There's nothing real about it (even if this exact thing actually transpired). The guy giving the seminar is nothing more than a grating caricature. Wahlberg's reaction doesn't work, has no flow and, while such a thing might actually happen in real life, while someone might act just this dorky, it doesn't work as entertainment. It's too embarrassing to appeal to an audience. People will be squirming.

What this needed was to be handled as if the kidnapping featured in the movie never happened. That is, this scene would benefit from being treated as if it were in a script that was completely made up and not based on actual events. If it were it would have been cut or rewritten to be more fun, easier to watch. That this very thing may have happened someplace sometime doesn't mean such a scene belongs in a feature film.

'Based on a true story' doesn't save clunkers like this.
























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'Dirty Wars'














In light of recent events, even more relevant. I don't think things are as squeaky clean as before. 'Clearly defined' isn't the case now. It's hard to contend our hands aren't at least somewhat dirty.























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'Red 2' Poster

If there's one reason to see 'Red 2'... Helen Mirren just plain transcends.

Nasty, cool, funny.
























































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Iceman Car Chase

Nicely edited. Pulls you in. Wouldn't be worth mentioned except it's so much better than what we get a lot of the time.

Michael Shannon has become go-to.























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'How To Make Money Selling Drugs'










































It's a trick question. You make the most money selling drugs if you legalize them.




























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'The East'



























Was surprised to see Ellen Page is in this movie. While 'The East' seems just the kind of movie Brit Marling does -- threaded with the not-so-obvious -- it's the opposite of what Page usually does -- typically, direct and front-loaded.

Marling has yet to do a project that appeals to me, but Page always does. So, I'm a bit torn.























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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Bling Ring










































Fairly plot-driven for Sofia Coppola. I don't see 'The Bling Ring' having a lot of atmospheric scenes where people shoot oh so meaningful looks at each other. This should actually play mainstream. Could be a turning point for this director.



























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Tuesday, April 23, 2013

New 'Iron Man 3' Footage

Just another featurette but at about 1:12 there's new footage. Clever, innovative. Adds depth to IM just when, in the 3rd movie, you'd expect nothing but loud/shallow flash.

Want to see this movie. Will probably be considered the best of the franchise.























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Another 'Star Trek' Clip

Super eye candy.






















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'Thor: The Dark World' Trailer

Not many of these get to me, mean anything to me. Too silly. But, this -- nice. I like. I...believe.

Where can I get one of those hammers?

Oh, and...Natalie Portman back at work -- yes.


























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Monday, April 22, 2013

Clip From 'Star Trek'

What will happen next? What will happen...























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60-Second Star Wars Speedrun

Love this guy's stuff






















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Not Bad

Unusual look for this kind of movie. Sort of water color/pastel...touchy-feely. Nice, works.






































































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Saturday, April 20, 2013

IM3 B-Roll

Not bad for this kind of thing.
























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Thursday, April 18, 2013

'Oblivion' Poster Signed By Tom Cruise?










































One of the best yet. I especially like this part.






















Beautiful.

I don't get why, apparently, the poster includes an autograph by Tom Cruise. I'm assuming that's what this is. It's pretty close to what I was able to find online.



































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I Want To Believe But It's So Damn Dumb



Do we really want to see a string of gags centered on 30/40-something interns at Google? Really? No, it's not a rhetorical question. I'm really asking. Is that what we want?

On the other hand...I could be wrong. 'The Internship' could have subtle story with deep character. Could be. You never know.

Oh, and, gotta say, 'The Interns' would have been a much better title. Who wants to see a movie about an internship? Ooooh, that leaves a bad taste.

However, I like the trailer. Yeah. I do. It's funny and there's a hint of story. So, let's wish 'The Interns(hip)' the best of luck, shall we.





















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Jangly Searing New Trailer for 'Only God Forgives'



























Intense, but doesn't flow well. Was reminded of 'Heat', especially at about :30 when the music starts.

Nicely set up character as Julien (Ryan Gosling) is chided by his mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) to avenge the murder of his brother. There's plenty depth.

Looks to be another confident outing for Nicholas Winding Refn, who is putting together a remake of 'Logan's Run', which sounds excellent. That kind of story could come off way superficial in the wrong hands.

Must-see, can't-miss.
























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Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Trailer for 'R.I.P.D'

Sam Rockwell Says 'Trust Me'

Plays sorta made-for-TV but...Sam Rockwell.
























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Michael Bay's Pirates

'Black Sails' has something. Production value, yes -- and what else would you expect from Michael Bay. But, there's hints of story threads that will keep audiences coming back. This should be a hit.

This time it's from Starz, and more and more the better/best stuff is on cable/TV, or even the internet, rather than on the big screen.

Movies continue to evolve.























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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

New Trailer for 'Man of Steel' -- or -- How Superman Got His Name























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Lots Of Suits



















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A Spot Of 'Mud'

Liking this. Should be a cozy movie.




















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Rivers Of Blood Trailer for 'Byzantium'

A lot of potential.























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Oof. New Trailer for 'Star Trek Into Darkness'

Did not see this coming. Looks good. Not good for a summer popcorn flick with spaceships and lasers, just plain ole good.

Wow.






















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Monday, April 15, 2013

'Snowpiercer' Gets Posters
























































John Hurt. Love this poster.

There are 8 more



















'The Kings of Summer'

It's already got a cool title. Now, it's got a cool trailer. ...Way cool.

Wow, this looks good.






















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Not A Bad Harrison Ford Impersonation

Yeah, we don't really need a review of '42' at this point but Jeremy Jahns' impersonation of Harrison Ford is worth watching.

Start at about :57, ends by 1:05.

Not, like, epic -- but fun enough.

























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Son, Do You Know Where We Are?



Something so numbing about this movie.

My fave comments from YouTube:












But, this one got me thinking:











How do you continue to evolve to kill humans after the human population is down to just a few individuals or completely gone?

Evolution takes millions of years. Wouldn't the human population dwindle long before 'everything' had a chance to develop the ability to kill us, at which point they would continue to evolve but in a more normal way -- to kill other creatures while avoiding being killed by other creatures.

Besides. How much of a meal could one person be for the giant monster that appears in this trailer? Really, that thing would need to eat hundreds of people a day to keep from starving. No -- that monster eats big (giant) animals, not humans. Why? Because those animals were around so it evolved to kill them.

Okay, I admit it. I think too much.



























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Pole Dancing To Start The Day

Yeah, I rarely do the pole-dancing-before-noon thing, but what the hey.






















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Sunday, April 14, 2013

Trailer for 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire'

More intense than I expected.
























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Iron Man Zinger

Nice sequence. I'll go out on a limb: 'Iron Man 3' will be the favorite of the franchise.

























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A Message From Zod

Have been skeptical as to whether 'Man of Steel' will be relevant but, have to admit, this adds depth. I still don't care to see a Superman movie but at least this makes it interesting.























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More 'Oblivion'
























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Saturday, April 13, 2013

'To The Wonder' Clip

Nicely done footage but, two hours of this? Or is it three?

Funny thing, though -- by the end of this clip I was pretty involved. There's a certain suspense that gets under the skin and it's easy on the eyes. So...maybe.
























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Friday, April 12, 2013

The Iceman Says 'Stop The Car, Now!'

Yeah. Michael Shannon. What more do you need in a movie anymore?



















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Crashes
























































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'The Place Beyond The Pines' Featurette
























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Thursday, April 11, 2013

Trailer for 'Syrup'

A lot of people are interested in this.

I like that Brittany Snow plays 'Three' and Amber Heard portrays '6'.




















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Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson Talk 'Pain & Gain'

Not the usual fluff. Worth a couple minutes.

Movie could be surprising.























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Ron Howard Answers Your Questions Live Today At 5 PST









Ron Howard will answer your questions live on Twitter starting at 5 PST.


















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Our Own 'Rush'

The international cut was punchier, more to the point. One of the best teasers I've seen.

This one flirts with being long-winded. Not bad, but too early for a trailer with this depth. Might have been better to stick to the brass tacks of racing before delving into character so deeply. (It's as if they got the international and domestic trailers mixed up).

Still, though, good enough. To me, great stuff, can't wait.
























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Wait. Done To Death -- Or -- Still A Lot Of Fun?

I can't decide. Really.

Watching this trailer, from one second to the next, this alternates between being tired-and-desperate-and-I'm-not-about-to-waste-my-time to dumb-but-oh-so-smart-and-you-know-you-love-it.

Yeah -- from second to second. That's what I get. That's exactly how this plays.

ps -- Best mini-movie of the day.





















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'The Way, Way Back'



























Yes.

Don't know what part I like better. Everybody delivers. It's all good -- story, character, direction, blahblahblah.

What a charmer. Total score -- Must-buy-on-Blu-ray






















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New Poster for 'Violet & Daisy'










































I like the poster -- cool idea. Here's the old poster, which is pretty good too.

I could see putting these on the wall.



























































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Trailer for 'Filth': James McAvoy Scores Again










































He's having a great year and it's not even half over. 'Filth' looks fantastic.

























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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Must-Watch Clip from the Must-See Disney Doc 'Wings of Life'

Seriously, this is good footage. 




















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Ridiculous Compelling

This should score on the first weekend. If it's as good as it looks word of mouth will keep it going for weeks.





















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'The Walking Dead' VFX Sizzle Reel

The Walking Dead Season 3 Visual Effects Reel from Stargate Studios on Vimeo.



















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Dare I Use The Word...Intelligent

How they strive. Though, have to admit, this one seems to have depth. I didn't catch IM2. Maybe I'll see 3.






















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Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Latest on Robert Rodriguez's 'Two Scoops' -- aka -- Project Green Screen Episode II

 More info





















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Makes It Look Fun






















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Trailer for 'Elysium'

Might seem like a dumb thing to say but, yes, parts of this look very much like 'District 9'.  Neill Blomkamp's no-nonsense style -- with very natural and smooth VFX shot in broad daylight -- and the trashy slum setting give this a 'District 10' vibe.

Otherwise, there's a confidence -- both in the visuals and handling of actors -- that (for reasons hard to pin down in an objective way) is missing in other director's work but obvious, even in a short trailer, in Blomkamp's.

Matt Damon, as one could well expect, carries himself with ease but this, really, looks like Jodie Foster's movie. What presence she has.

This should have story. As for 'popcorn sizzle', maybe not so much. Should skew to older audiences very nicely. It may not top out at the box office but the Blu-ray should make a valuable addition to your collection.























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'Iron Man 3' Major Plot Reveal

At least I think this is a new reveal.

Plus...Jon Favreau says stuff!

Plus!!!...well, see for yourself.




















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'Errors of the Human Body'

































Has been making the rounds since the middle of last year and will finally get a limited release April 19.

Has gotten pretty good reviews. Should make for an enjoyable evening for fans of brainy/talky sci-fi.
























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Monday, April 08, 2013

Smidge More 'Oblivion'

Right now I'm liking the making-of footage better than the finished product. One would hope that changes...






















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'Elysium' Poster

Via chzkes

Just got to know what that rig is and how/why it's plugged into Matt Damon's head.












































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Ron Howard Delivers: International Trailer for 'Rush'



Judging from the footage the movie is aptly named. Wow, beautiful.

According to Howard's Twitter feed the US trailer will roll out Thursday.





















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Sunday, April 07, 2013

Buy Sylvester Stallone's Leica M9



























Via Leicarumors. The Leica M9 Sylvester Stallone used in 'The Expendables 2' is up for sale.

Bidding starts at $6200. You also get Sly's signature on something and a DVD of the movie.






































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'Iceman' Review

Can't wait to buy this Blu-ray.






















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Saturday, April 06, 2013

Clip from 'Oblivion'

Not as smooth as I expected. Not as pretty to look at, either.

Okay...it's just one clip, it's just one clip.





















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'Shadow People'

To me, these scenes are missing a couple beats, the camera work isn't quite there, and the music stings are a bit overdone but, if you like creepshows, could make a diverting rental sometime.






















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Friday, April 05, 2013

'Oblivion' in Iceland

Loving the look of this.




















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'MōVI' by Vincent Laforet

Laforet shooting with a new steadycam gimbal by FreeFly, the MōVI.

Laforet's write-up.

Here's the short film.



Making-of featurette.



















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Clips from 'Disconnect'

This is impressing me more than I would have thought.



















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Opening Scene From 'The Place Beyond The Pines'

Had my doubts but, now, would seem we have a winner. Nice. Very nice.


















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'The Place Beyond The Pines' Featurette

Only half, really. When/if I come across the other part I'll post it.

However, incomplete though it may be -- good stuff. No fluff.





















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Thursday, April 04, 2013

Trailer for 'Carrie'

Wow. Beautiful, lilting, intense, riveting. How often can you say that about a trailer?



















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Another Look at 'The Kings of Summer'

Great title, by the way.

We just got the first trailer for this movie and it's unique -- brimming with natural energy, compelling even though nothing happens, true.

Shaping up to be special.

Here's a look at the making of.




















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New 'World War Z' Poster










































On-the-nose compared to the conceptual take we got a couple weeks back, but it's okay.






















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Few More Seconds of 'Trance'

Just another featurette but tiny bit new footage. Easy to watch.





















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Biggest Question Mark This Year: The Great Gatsby

Opens May 10th against 'Iron Man 3' in its second week and plays opposite 'Peeples' and 'Aftershock'. Movies like 'Pain and Gain' and 'The Big Wedding' (3rd week) and even 'Oblivion' which will have been out a month will get more business than usual.

The following week, May 17th, sees 'Star Trek Into Darkness' roll out which will flatten traffic for other films.

If this scores I'll be surprised. We need to put Gatsby aside -- fairly unfilmable and interest is watered down.

Could do well as a rental, though, out of curiosity.
























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Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Best Trailer So Far This Year: 'The Kings of Summer'























































Works in every way. Getting stellar reviews. Must-see.

























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Wanna Fight?

Well. Do you?
























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Is There More Pain Or More Gain?



























Looking forward. Based on a ridiculous series of events in Florida in the 80s.

And, remember:


























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Trailer for Machinima's 'Omega' -- aka -- The Next Cool Movie You'll Watch Online 12 Minutes At A Time For Free (While Generating Gobs Of Cash For Machinima)

YouTube (aka The New Cable TV) is home to Machinima which is becoming the next HBO. They have a great model: Put cool content up, with great production value, charge nothing for it, get tons of hits.

How do you make money? Simple. Play ads before (and during if possible) the movie/content.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Having just teamed with Ridley Scott for 12 short sci-fi flicks, Machinima is setting the pace for serialized internet movies. (And, if per-play ad revenue seems a tad lightweight [which I'm sure it ain't] wait till these become available, as a collection, on DVD/Blu-ray/rental/stream/subscription-based mobile viewing/regular TV/cable/etc).

Yeah. This is probably the new model. Somebody call Hollywood -- let em know.

Here's a trailer for their latest, 'Omega'.




















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Drop Everything. Trailer For 'The Purge'











































Great concept. Wow. Effing wow.






























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Check Brain At Door Eat Popcorn Laugh -- or -- They Don't Call It 'Groan Up' For Nothing

Next one should be called 'Grown Upper'.
























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Tuesday, April 02, 2013

'The English Teacher' Trailer



























I know what you're thinking. You see the poster and read that title and you say 'pass'. Me too. However, trailer is charming and elegant. Funny without that try-too-hard edge.

Nice. Must-see.





















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New 'The Conjuring' Trailer

Yes, it's based on a true story and yes Lorraine Warren (played by Vera Farmiga) is still alive.

Love the trailer. Actually looks good -- a rare thing for these movies.






















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'A Single Shot' -- Very 'No Country'

Can't help but be reminded of 'No Country For Old Men'. Some reviews are stellar, some not quite that good. Should be a good rental. Looking forward.




















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Monday, April 01, 2013

Intelligent, Subtle, Smooth Trailer for 'This Is The End'

It's like one of those old French films with lots of talking and smoking and sipping wine and looking deeply into each other's eyes.


















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Quentin Dupieux's 'Wrong' -- So Ridiculous Yet So Serious

I couldn't take this at the theater. This kind of thing I can only take a few minutes at a time, at home, on disc, with lots of breaks that might last days, even weeks.

Even the featurette you have to be in the mood for. You might want to save this for later.






















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As A Diversion, Pretty Good

I won't see this -- but the trailer kept me entertained. Impressed by CGI with depth, and the story seems to have heart, and the actors hit their mark with confidence, and... Okay, maybe I'll see it.





















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Another Push for 'Spring Breakers'



























Not sure we can expect 'Spring Breakers' to expand -- would seem the run is over -- but they've released another poster which looks very nice.

Expect this to do well as a rental, on TV, etc., and become something of a cult classic.


























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