'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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Makes It Look Fun

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New Trailer for 'Oblivion'

Actually, I had doubts after the first trailer. Came off dry, even plodding, too conceptual. But this trailer looks like it's for a different movie. Wow.



















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Nice Voice Matching

You probably hate movies dubbed into another language. I always want to hear the original dialogue and read subtitles if necessary if for no other reason other than the original actor did the job right and over dubs are going to have that tacked-on sound, or the voice won't match the face/body of the actor.

We just got the international trailer for 'Oblivion' and, of course, there are versions in other languages. Here's one in German that's remarkable in that, really, you can't tell it's overdubbed. The voice matching is probably the best I've seen, especially for the guy covering Tom Cruise.

Worth a look for future reference if you're into it.



















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Trailer for 'Oblivion' Take 2, Not Nearly as Spoiler-y as First Try

Yeah. See, yesterday a nasty trailer got loose (subtitled in Spanish) and boy did it have some spoilerific tidbits. Uni has axed all copies playing in the US but you can read a description if you like.

Otherwise, here's the studio-sanctioned edit. It's boring by comparison, but it's still clear that Cruise's character, Jack Harper, is not clear about exactly what's going on around him.

(For more see a comparison of the first synopsis and the new plot summary).

ps -- I think there's a job that just opened up at Universal Marketing.
























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Trailer for 'Oblivion': "Earth is a Memory" -- or -- Spoilers Already?

POSSIBLE SPOILERS. Don't read if that's an issue for you.

There are two versions of plot summary for 'Oblivion'. The one that's been up at IMDb for a while:

• A court martial sends a veteran soldier to a distant planet, where he has to destroy the remains of an alien race. The arrival of an unexpected traveler causes him to question what he knows about the planet, his mission, and himself.

And the new one:

• Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. Living and patrolling the breathtaking skies from thousands of feet above, his soaring existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.

Okay, so? Well, there's a discrepancy. In the first rundown Harper is on a 'distant planet'. In the new synopsis Harper is 'stationed on Earth'.

This could be a spoiler that stems from early versions of the script being the source of the older logline.

At 2:02 in the trailer below the text reads "Earth is a memory." This is central. It could be taken as 'the Earth as we've known it has been raked by warfare for so long it bears little resemblance to home', or more literally as in: 'The planet the human race lived on doesn't exist anymore'.

Bit of a stretch, or just the kind of plot twist you need to get butts in seats?

The character played by Tom Cruise, Jack Harper, says (at :23) "Sixty years ago Earth was attacked." What's important about that, as far as figuring the plot and where exactly this story unfolds, is Harper is younger than 60. That is, he was told as a kid that Earth was attacked and he, Harper, lives on that Earth/planet. In other words: Harper did not see this war he learned about it as child in school. In history class. Therefore, he could have been lied to. This is exactly the kind of thing a protagonist finds out about at the Act II midpoint.

Another clue in the new synopsis is the bit about Harper rescuing someone in a downed spacecraft. Well... If Earth is in such a state -- everything destroyed, smoking rubble -- then who built this spacecraft and where did it come from? The 'other' Earth would be the answer that suggests itself.

There's also the similarity between the building in the poster (from yesterday) and the Empire State Building.

What could that indicate? There's so many possibilities, but that there are two Empire State Buildings seems the best, simplest, conclusion. That the building in the poster is the same as the one currently in NYC doesn't quite hold together considering the waterfall, and all. So, where's the other one? On another 'Earth' is what I'm going with.

There's another loose spot. In the first version of plot summary Harper 'has to destroy the remains of an alien race'. However, in the trailer the 'people' (Morgan Freeman among them) don't look alien, they look human. As such, it follows that Harper could be killing the last survivors on Earth, under orders, from high up in an aircraft, having been told they are 'aliens' who need to be exterminated, having never actually seen who/what he's shooting at.

Why would Harper be told that?

Possibility: Freeman et al were left behind when the other people went to the new 'Earth', the new home planet. Now, they have to be killed so they don't follow the rest of the human race to the new planet.

So then, why does the ESB in the poster have a waterfall next to it? That would be because it's the new ESB. The one built on what used to be the new Earth/home planet. The first one is on the 'old' Earth. That is, Harper is not on the Earth we live on, he's on another planet the human race moved to after this one, the one we live on now, became uninhabitable.

Which leads to this plot element: Humans have become a race of people who live on a planet, using up its resources and polluting its environment, until it is no longer capable of supporting life, at which time they move to another planet.

Harper lives on the planet we moved to after this one dried up and he is exterminating the last witnesses who know what really happened on the planet and where the survivors went. (This goes hand in hand with Freeman's age -- he's older, hence would have been around before Harper was born). He does this because he thinks it's a necessary cleanup after the war 60 years ago. However, there was no war. The Earth wasn't destroyed in war it was destroyed by us, by humans, who overpopulated the planet, bled natural resources, and set the ecosystem so off kilter it could no longer work as designed. As a result, natural forces -- massive floods, uncontrolled fire, huge storms -- scoured the planet making it uninhabitable.

So, we packed up and headed to the next 'Earth' -- the 3rd if you're counting. This would make the planet Harper lives on the 2nd 'Earth', the one we moved to after the above mentioned forces scrubbed clean the surface of this planet, the 1st Earth.

Right now, 'Oblivion' is looking pretty rich, however the existence of an old synopsis, presumably from an earlier version of the script, and other clues have to be considered, at the very least, spoiler-ish.

Still, I'm looking forward.

Okay, that (second trailer below) didn't last long. Here's another one.


«Oblivion» - Trailer #1 by Flixgr






















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Speaking of 'Oblivion'

I'm liking what I'm seeing. Directed by Joseph Kosinski, who did a nice job with 'Tron: Legacy'. With Tom Cruise and Morgan Freeman. Good, good.

The poster rolled out this morning and looking at it I noticed how the building(s) look like older NYC skyscrapers. The classics from the early to mid 20th century.

See what I mean? Look at the one on the right.

Turns out that not only looks like one of the old NYC buildings, it is exactly like one. One of the best known. It's just like the Empire State Building.

See what I mean?

(Photo by Richard Drew/AP)

Looking at the logline:

• A court martial sends a veteran soldier to a distant planet, where he has to destroy the remains of an alien race. The arrival of an unexpected traveler causes him to question what he knows about the planet, his mission, and himself.  

So... It's a 'distant planet' with an 'alien race' yet there is a building that's an exact copy of the Empire State Building. Or, perhaps, more interestingly, it's the original. That is, the building in NYC was built after the one on the distant planet.

'Oblivion' is looking like it might have a story with a little traction. Yes, yes. Good, good.





















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Poster for 'Oblivion'

Not bad. Nice tag, too: Earth is a memory worth fighting for.

I like.

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"I'm In Your Blind Spot. And, I Have Nothing To Lose."

Okay, this tries too hard.

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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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How Do You Spell Tom Cruise in Russian?

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Hi-Rez English-Language Teaser for 'Jack Reacher'

We saw this yesterday but here's a much better file.


















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Trailer for 'Jack Reacher'

It's lo-rez and in Russian (I think) but, hey, it's here.

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Two (2) First (1st) Looks at Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher

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New Poster for 'Rock of Ages'

Can this score at the box office?

I'm thinking it'll be good at home, but at the theater...not so much. Will people take the leap and sign up to watch 2 hours of Tom Cruise as a rock star? Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Russell Brand (as himself from the looks) are certainly a draw -- they balance things out. But Tom as a rock star? I wanna see this, don't get me wrong, I just don't want to be trapped in a big dark room with a bunch of strangers for 2 hours with 'Rock of Ages' featuring Tom Cruise as a rock star.

Gotta admit, he was pretty good with a Samurai sword -- maybe he'll be okay with a guitar. I've heard he nails it to the wall. However, I'll check this from the safety of home, thumb on the pause button.

Tom -- Go ahead. Make a fool of me.

Good poster, though.

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Cruise and Diaz Anti-Marketing

I liked the first attempt at a viral marketing video -- Diaz practices kicking Cruise while he holds protective gear. Then he makes fun of her and she kicks him over the table (with the aid of movie magic). It worked. It was kinda fun.

This video, though, turns people off. It's been viewed hundreds of thousands of times and comments on the YouTube page are, uh, fiercely offended.

'Knight and Day' is tracking poorly enough without alienating more potential fans. This is viral anti-marketing on a huge scale.

Tom and Cameron: You might want to just to do promotional interviews from now on. Some people, surely, must still want to see your movie.

Valkyrie Rollout

(Click poster for larger version)

I really don't get the poster. Wouldn't the tags "Many saw evil. They dared to stop it." be better as 'Many saw evil. A few dared to stop it'. I mean, as is, 'many' and 'they' refer to the same people. However, while many of Hitler's top officers (and the rest of the world) recognized he was a lunatic, only a very few dared to try to stop him. As such, while many saw, few dared -- the rest (of his officers) did nothing. 'Many' cannot equate to 'they'.

Also, the graphics don't quite do it. Cruise's character is in mid-stride, with a determined look. I don't really think that's very true to the attitude von Stauffenberg must have had in order to embark on an assassination attempt against Hitler. Certainly, it took commitment but Cruise's body language suggests an officer who is committed to rising in rank, not one who is setting out to kill the Fuhrer. Perhaps a more deliberate and introspective expression and different posture is called for.

The floor diagram of Hitler's secret headquarters doesn't really work either. Who is going to get that? How many people know the details of the assassination attempt? I think a different look for Cruise combined with simplifying the representation of the bombing attempt (like a briefcase [being placed under] a table) would improve the poster.

Also, red streak across the poster sort of looks like part of a swastika. That might not be a bad thing, but it really doesn't click either.

I do like this trailer, though. There's some nice looking footage.

And here are a couple production stills (click for larger images):

Tom Cruise's iPhone Video

The montage is also available in hi-def on Tom Cruise's official site along with a personal message and other goodies. You should know. According to MarketWatch, tomcruise.com is "the most visited official male movie star site on the Web."

Death Race

I'm liking how this movie is looking. I believe 'Death Race' was originally set up for Tom Cruise to star in, but the project stalled for several years and Cruise took the producer's chair giving Jason Statham the driver's seat. Could be Cruise thought he had outgrown this type of role -- I think his fans would have liked to have seen him in this movie. Cruise could use a movie like this right about now.

Mike Newell Re: Love In The Time Of Cholera

You know...I thought I had never seen Javier Bardem in a movie, but I have. He was Felix, the killer/showrunner in 'Collateral'. Very good stuff. Honestly, his performance is my favorite thing in 'Collateral'. Well, there's Daniel, played by Barry Shabaka Henley -- I really liked that guy, too. I bet you're wondering who I'm talking about.

This is Henley as the jazz club owner with Tom Cruise as Vincent the killer, and Jamie Foxx as Max the hapless taxi driver:

This scene springs a great reversal on you when it turns out that Vincent not only knows Daniel, he's been sent to kill him. Poor Max, the audience surrogate, flips out. Here we all are thinking this is about listening to some cool jazz and talking about Miles Davis and turns out this is about killing someone who's been telling you about Miles Davis. Damn, man, that's harsh.

Once Vincent has redefined the clubbing experience the suspense pegs the meter as Max and Daniel (and the audience) wait to see what will happen next. This scene is more satisfying than the straight action sequences in 'Collateral'.

And here's Bardem playing a man used to getting his way trying to cope with losing control:

Those are nice stills -- thank you Michael Mann. Bardem is just so real here. I have to admit I forgot I was watching a movie (and I very rarely do that). So, anyway -- I didn't even know I had seen Bardem in a movie. I mean, he's pretty hard to recognize in this scene, yes?

Here's how I'll think of him for a long time to come. You know what picture I'm going to post. The Picture. The one you've seen so many times:

That's right. Here's Bardem as the single-minded guy out to get his stolen money back in 'No Country for Old Men'. Nice still -- thank you Ethan and Joel Coen.

This guy is so good...he should be in just about everything. I just wish I could recognize him. I guess that's my problem.

What was I talking about? Oh, yes. Mike Newell directed Bardem in 'Love in the Time of Cholera' (see still at top in which Bardem is unrecognizable as the sensitive in-love guy, Florentino Ariza. Nice still -- thank you Mike Newell). Newell talks about the movie and takes a couple intelligent caller questions at Talk of the Nation. He calls the novel by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 'sacred text' -- not your average fluff interview.