Dramatic, But Real Enough?

Based on the true story of Eric Lomax, who was a British Army officer and prisoner in a Japanese camp in WWII.

Not sure what to make of the trailer. Apparently, the rating for the US version hasn't been decided. That's crucial. With movies like '12 Years A Slave', which seems to look history in the eye, a PG-13 version of 'The Railway Man' may not play well.

This particular trailer lacks a strong hook.




I'm moving. My new blog is 101-to-la, as in highway 101 to Los Angeles. I'll be double posting here and at the new blog for a while, then retiring MoovyBoovy.

Etc, Et Al

It's amazing what's on the web if you look.

Maya Rudolph and Sam Rockwell at Sundance 2013. Apparently, they were napping a bit. It was a busy festival. They were tired. Give them a break.

Here's Mia Wasikowska and Nicole Kidman, also from Sundance

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For Your Consideration

The year-end awards drive has dropped into gear with pitch posters. I like these.

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Twisted and Gnarled

Both the vines in the poster and the threads in the story. There's nothing about the rollout for 'Stoker' I haven't liked.

By itself the poster is captivating.

This new video works both as a music video and short film. If this were all there was it would still be pretty damn good.

'Stoker' opens February 28 in Hong Kong. I've always wanted to visit Hong Kong.



























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Drop Everything. The New Trailer for 'Stoker'

Last week we were blessed with one of the most sharply cut and dynamic trailers -- for 'Stoker'. Today, we get another look at the movie and it's even better.

Did I just say that? So far, the trailers for this flick are qualifying for 'Best of 2012'...one after the other. That camera work by Chan-wook Park, that lighting, that editing. It's just too too.

The best thing you'll see today. If it isn't you're having one hell of a day.
























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(Heavy Sigh) 'Stoker'

From the first voice-over from (the new sharp, penetrating, yeah I'm talking to you) Nicole Kidman to each clean visual cut just so, and sound effect that sets you on edge, this trailer is no less than captivating.

It's a safe bet the script by Wentworth Miller and Erin Cressida Wilson is rock solid but the real draw is the direction by Chan-wook Park (Oldboy, Thirst). There's more fresh camera technique in this short trailer than is found in most full-length movies.

'Impressive' doesn't cut it. This is a home run.

Must-see, must-own Blu-ray, must watch again and again. 


























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Sizzling Trailer for Nicole Kidman's 'The Paperboy'

Yes, this is Nicole Kidman's movie. She's changed and it's most apparent here. This work is less technique-y, more from the gut. Much more free, even capricious, a quality one senses Kidman has gone to great effort to suppress in years past, and the results are compelling. What a raw, vibrant performance.

Everybody looks good here, though. The new Matthew McConaughey -- totally go-to for gritty drama these days (who would have guessed that would come to pass?), John Cusack -- always has been go-to for indie drama, and yes Zac Efron carries his weight.

Directed by Lee Daniels (Precious) who has 'The Butler' coming up with, get this, Liam Neeson, John Cusack, Nicole Kidman, Robin Williams, Alan Rickman, James Marsden, Melissa Leo, Liev Schreiber, Cuba Gooding Jr., Forest Whitaker, Jane Fonda, Lenny Kravitz.

Wha?! Really, how many directors could snag that cast?

Okay, the critical reception for 'The Paperboy' has been mixed but to hell with that. This flick is must-see and these performances are cut like gems. Certainly, Hollywood's best can tell a good director when one comes along and Daniels is that. People are lining up to work with him.

Great trailer, great entertainment.

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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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Poster for Nicole Kidman's 'Before I Go To Sleep'

Based on the bestselling novel of the same title by SJ Watson:

• ...a psychological thriller about a woman suffering from amnesia. She wakes every day with no knowledge of who she is and the novel follows her as she tries to reconstruct her memories from a journal she has been keeping. She learns that she has been seeing a doctor who is helping her to recover her memory, that her name is Christine Lucas, that she is 47 years old and married and has a son. As her journal grows it casts doubts on the truth behind this knowledge and sets her on a terrifying journey of discovery 

I like these covers (and the comments).

Production starts early 2013. To be directed by Rowan Joffe.

Here's the production announcement poster. Looking very good.

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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. 

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• 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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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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Trailer for 'Trespass'

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'Rabbit Hole' Trailer

A whole new Nicole Kidman. Beautiful looking movie. Excellent trailer. One of the best I've seen.

'Rabbit Hole'

Clips from 'Rabbit Hole' (I snagged from Anne Thompson's site). Nicole Kidman is looking good. Different, more internalized, spontaneous.

Nicole

If you're a fan, Elle has an interview with Nicole Kidman.

"Let me tell you what's really good here," Kidman says without glancing at the grease board behind her. "Fried okra, crab cakes, sweet potatoes, poppy seed chicken--my favorite--turnip greens, blackberry cobbler..."

Creep vs. Gore

'El Orfanata' (The Orphanage), directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, is shaping up to be the most rewarding creepshow in a long time -- and, not surprisingly, this picture is a Spanish production.

The Spanish seem to have a lock on creepy, character-driven movies of late. Guillermo del Toro recently gave us 'El Laberinto del Fauno' (Pan's Labyrinth), an atmospheric and lovingly photographed fable which, although it didn't quite maintain its forward motion in Act II, was original and enjoyable.

Del Toro's 'El Espinazo del Diablo' (The Devil's Backbone) sustains itself with more energy but, doesn't offer as compelling a set of characters, or story. Still, it's a lot of fun. Even his uneven 'Mimic' shows more heart than most -- I'd recommend it. All in all, Del Toro's movies are a breath of fresh air that, amid emotionally challenged and intellectually stagnate Hollywood horror fare, revive the imagination and renew one's interest in good storytelling.

And then there's perhaps the best of recent Spanish creepshows, 'The Others', directed by Alejandro Amenabar. Here Nicole Kidman is pitch perfect, the story manages to ratchet up tension at every turn, the cinematography is a pleasure -- with scenes that are both classically lit yet keep a contemporary fluidity in the camera and editing -- and even the ending (that most difficult thing to peg in a supernatural thriller) is satisfying. And, if Hollywood isn't convinced by those qualities, 'The Others' was a huge financial success as well.

Why is Spain the new font of character-driven suspense? With the waning success of the new super-graphic, ultra-sarcastic brand of Hollywood horror movie, Tinsel Town could take a lesson. (Not that they're likely to). But, one can hope. In the meantime mi gusto mucho los nuevos peliculos de Espana. Hey, that's the best I could do -- high school Spanish was long time ago. See you at the movies...

The Missing Hammer

So, I'm looking at the below still from the trailer for 'The Invasion' and I'm thinking 'What's wrong here?'. Turns out the business end of the hammer is missing. Above still is from the hi-def version -- which looks a lot better -- sorry, don't know what I was thinking.

Here is the same still from the standard definition trailer:

It's interesting that different versions of trailers are being released based on their definition. Are people that select regular definition trailers more sensitive to violence or graphic content? I've never heard of this before. You learn something everyday...

The Hook

Trailer for 'The Invasion' looks good. I imagine everyone will be talking about the above element.

Poster Needs Work

There's something(s) way off about the poster for 'The Invasion'. The font, for instance -- too clean, looks like a good choice for a musical set in the near future. The digital 'melt' effect of the bad guys at top of poster is too photo-shopped looking, also too clean. The placement of the two stars is very retro, like what you would have seen in the 50s. Their faces take up too much space (I didn't want to say 'their heads are too big'). Craig's head should be lowered so there's less vertical space taken up.

Taglines, clunky -- also seem like they're from the 50s when an audience would have had to have been told what to expect from a new genre.

'Do not trust anyone'. -- we already knew that. Being unable to trust anyone is de rigueur for paranoid thrillers.

'Do not show emotion'. -- well, duh. You don't joke with zombies or people whose minds have otherwise been commandeered. As for laughing or crying, please. We know we have to be stonefaced around the living-impaired.

'Do not fall asleep'. -- okay, that's pretty good. The 'avoid REM sleep' thing is alright. That should probably stay.

Okay, on to layout. The title at the bottom doesn't work here. Should be moved to the traditional placement below the names of the stars at the top of poster. Should also be shifted off-center, probably to the left, to work with the arrangement. Also, put it all on one line. Stacking the 'the' on top doesn't work -- there's plenty lateral space, not much vertical space. (On second thought, title should stay in the center -- composition should be changed so it will look good in center).

Okay, from the look on her face I don't think she's too happy with my suggestions, but I have just a couple more.

The color scheme is too simple, too flat -- there's just too much red. Try adding some depth and layers, use some dark purples with very grayed-down green around the edges (something that says 'My soul no longer exists').

Daniel's head is floating in space -- give some definition to his shoulders. (And, what's with Craig's expression? Not very paranoid, heroic, or 'you can't trust me even though you think you can'. What does that expression say? 'Look, I think there's a parking spot half a block up on the right.')

Where's the 'mother protects her child' element seen in the trailer? This poster makes the movie look like it's all about the relationship between Craig and Kidman, when the trailer hardly shows this at all. Trailer emphasizes the relationship between Kidman and her son. Come on, guys. This is Movie Poster 101 stuff.

Net effect: looks like someone slapped this together on a laptop in their spare time. Please apply above fixes.