Straight From The 70s Trailer For 'Blood Ties'

Wow, man. Like, groovy. I can dig this. Totally.

From writer/director Guillaume Canet, who did a very nice job with 'Tell No One' (which is being remade with Ben Affleck at the helm).

Cast is great: Zoe Saldana, Mila Kunis, Lili Taylor, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, James Caan, and Clive Owen. Must-see just for them.





















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Poster/Trailer for Clive Owen's 'Shadow Dancer'

Directed by James Marsh, whose docs (Project Nim, Man on Wire) have been very well received.

Love the atmospheric feel. Lots of confidence here.















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Green Screen VFX Featurette for HBO's 'Hemingway & Gellhorn'

With comments by director Philip Kaufman and VFX coordinator Chris Morley, and Nicole Kidman and Clive Owen. Shaping up to be an experience.
















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New Featurette for Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman's 'Hemingway & Gellhorn'

As one of the actors says, (I believe it's David Strathairn speaking) this is the kind of sweeping romantic movie Hollywood used to make. 'Hemingway and Gellhorn' certainly looks a bit old-fashioned -- scenes just have an energy that you don't see anymore -- but, if it works, it'll go over in a big way.

Footage looks great. Kidman and Owen are a good choice. Directed by Philip Kaufman (Quills, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Right Stuff).

If it works...could be almost too good. May 28 on HBO



















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New Trailer/Featurette for HBO's 'Hemingway & Gellhorn'

With comments from Nicole Kidman, Philip Kaufman, and Clive Owen.

Premieres May 28. Couldn't look better.

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'Intruders'

I know I'll like 'Intruders'. It looks well done and seems to offer a viewer who isn't looking for slash and gore something to think about that's atmospheric and creepy. My kind of movie.

'Intruders' is directed by Juan Carlos Fresnadillo ('Intacto', which got good reviews, and '28 Weeks Later'). These are pretty solid flicks that show a lot of confidence -- rare these days with all the furniture movers pointing and shooting.

This from Manohla Dargis' write-up:

• It’s a pleasure to find that Mr. Fresnadillo has assumed the mantle of horror classicist to make “Intruders,” using shadows and directorial sleights of hand to coax forth its slow-building scares rather than just pouring on the usual guts and gore. 

 and

• For “Intruders” Mr. Fresnadillo has slowed the pace, dimmed the lights and trained his camera on the faces of characters you may actually want to see make it out alive and in one piece, unlike the disposable young things of many contemporary horror flicks whose idiocy and one-dimensionality almost beg for your sadism.

The movie took about $41k in its limited US release in 33 theaters for a per-screen-average of $1,235. Kind of low -- that looks be it. 'Intruders' will cut back to 11 theaters this weekend.

Still, I'm intrigued by the story and the poster. Why are Owen's eyes and mouth missing? What does that say about his character? If these plot elements deliver 'Intruders' could be a substantial experience. However, it occurs to me that (perhaps) these are the very story devices that have made the movie so difficult to sell. Trailers measure out with an odd beat -- not quite weird or off-putting, but with conceptual psych threads that are both difficult to make clear with a few seconds of footage and have to be kept...well...secret. People would sense this isn't a typical horror flick, and may have decided to skip it for that reason. While that may have been a tad unfortunate, 'Intruders' could do a lot of business on cable/TV and as a rental due to good word of mouth. I'll be buying a copy.

Here's an interview with Fresnadillo which includes new footage.



Clive Owen has a couple interesting projects coming up. 'Hemingway & Gellhorn' with Nicole Kidman arrives on HBO in May (trailer). This is directed by Philip Kaufman (The Right Stuff, The Unbearable Lightness of Being) which by itself qualifies the movie as must-see.

Owen has an intriguing project in 'Recall'. The logline is pretty vague: 'An NSA agent attempts to recall the events that led up to a failed hostage rescue', but also has a lot of potential. Directed by Harold Becker (Sea of Love, Mercury Rising). The news here, though, is the script is by Paul Schrader who penned 'Taxi Driver' and wrote and directed 'Affliction'. That's got to be a good sign.
















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Spanish Trailer for Clive Owen's 'Intruders'

With a few seconds new footage starting at 1:45

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Clip from Clive Owen's 'Intruders'

I like how the POV rises up from street level, and the sense we get of an entity looking around the city, searching for something.

Rollout has been shaky. I like this kind of flick -- will watch no matter the reviews, which I'm feeling won't be very good. Hoping, though.

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New Trailer for Clive Owen's 'Intruders'

Lots of new footage, including some very poor (even at low-rez) CGI, like at 1:10.














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Epic Trailer for HBO's 'Hemingway & Gellhorn'

Directed by Philip Kaufman ('The Right Stuff' 'Quills'). Trailer is grand. With Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman, and considering the director, this practically redefines the term 'must-see'. Coming in May.














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Arresting Poster for Clive Owen's 'Intruders'

Have to admit, this stops you. Hints at plot twists, though I can't get a handle on what. Must have something to do with the character's identity (somehow, the blanked out eyes suggest that).

There is a hint in the tag: The nightmare is real. It may be the intruders originate with the protagonist somehow. The blanked out mouth suggests that as he would not be able to articulate what's going on even if that were the case. 

I'm sure we'll get a new cut within a few days, but you might want to take a look at the trailer. There is another hint that supports the above. In the trailer, only Owen's character has seen the intruder. In fact, the police (and possibly his wife) think he might have a screw loose.

Clive Owen brings a credible every man feel. I've always liked him. Director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo did a very nice job with '28 Weeks Later' and 'Intacto'.

I've heard mixed comments but look forward to this one. My kind of flick.

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'Killer Elite' Poster

Totally, totally works.

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'Killer Elite' Trailer

'Based on a true story'? Huh? Whatev, who cares. Robert De Niro back in tough guy mode. With Jason Statham and Clive Owen. Yes. Oh, yes. Yes yes yes. Thank you dear lord for movies like this.

Trailer rocks. Rocks you like a hurricane. (No, I'm not that cheesy. Watch it, you'll see what I mean).

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Teaser Trailer for 'Intruders'

Just love this type stuff. Creepshow, not gore-heavy. Suspense. Clive Owen brings the goods to whatever he's in.

Will see

The International

What to say about this one. Title, not good. What's that supposed to mean to anybody? It conveys nothing conceptual that can be associated with plot elements -- not without convoluted analysis, anyway. Poster has dynamic corners but the largely monochrome approach doesn't appeal to mass audiences. It says 'lots of musuem action, think hard, watch closely'...pass.

The action -- Clive Owen firing an Uzi (or whatever) and Naomi Watts standing there being protected -- doesn't click and doesn't tell us anything about the story. For what it's worth, characters are too close to right edge and the title.

Worst of all, though, is the last tagline: And everybody pays. Somebody at the PR agency wanted to go home early. 'And everybody pays'... Even the stock 'There's no escape' works better.

The signals are not good for this one. I've liked the trailers but can't see 'The International' doing well.

Shoot 'Em Up Clip

Here's the latest.

Cult Status

Word of 'Shoot 'Em Up' with Paul Giamatti and Clive Owen has been trickling out for months now. Here is the first legit looking trailer. Giamatti plays Mr. Hertz. Get it? 'Hertz'. (Wow that takes balls). Look for this one to attain cult status.

Shoot 'Em Up

Notice anything funny about the above still? That's right -- that's Paul Giamatti and Clive Owen in a Woo/Tarantino-style stand-off from the upcoming crime/action movie 'Shoot 'Em Up'.

I first saw a teaser for this several months ago and knew within a couple seconds this would be one to watch for. FirstShowing.net has snagged another trailer -- this will put Giamatti and Owen in a new class. Giamatti especially will be much more mainstream after this movie comes out.

Movie features some of the most inventive gunplay I've ever seen. Why it's being kept so hush-hush I can't figure -- maybe it's to avoid 'Giamatti as tough-guy with gun' shock... Anyway, due in September.

Children Of Men

Anne Thompson feels that Universal execs have 'already written off' "Children of Men", directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, and Michael Caine.

Thompson gives us the scoop from the premiere after-party, saying the movie "is a brilliant exercise in style, but it's another grim dystopian look at our future", and industry types in attendance were hinting that the movie is "a downer film that was going to lose money".

Hard to argue. The clips I've seen promise an intellectually engaging story, but one that's way out of place as a Christmas release, and way too expensive at a reported $70-90 million. Remember Spielberg's "Munich" from last year? It was a very heavy story, opened at X-mas and totally tanked at the box office -- and Cuaron and "Children of Men" are certainly lower profile than Spielberg and "Munich".

I don't know where all that money went (it's not apparent how they could have spent that much), and think the release date needs to be bumped -- but will buy this one on disc ASAP. The P.D. James book goes on my list, too (something tells me this story is better read than watched, anyway).

Here is an excerpt of Anne's rundown:

But what made the movie so frigging expensive? Clive Owen, Julianne Moore and Michael Caine don't cost so much. It's shot with amazing hand-held cameras and boasts some astonishing long action takes that took days to set up. The filmmakers shut down sections of London to shoot some of the street scenes. There are extras and tanks and pyrotechnics and enormous sets. It's still hard to imagine how the studio could justify spending so much on this movie. But in the long run, they could eke out some coin if this movie lasts in the culture the way Blade Runner or The Road Warrior did.

Well, if she says 'frigging', you know she's upset. I don't blame her. This movie could have been made for, say, 25% of the money they spent. Adjust the budget, release in February, and you might have a successful outing. If "Children of Men" gets the shit kicked out of it at the box office it certainly won't do smart/risky films any good. Now, I'm cussing... Oh, well. At least it'll be a fun disc to watch. Did I say fun? I meant...intellectually engaging.

Anne Thompson's complete rundown