Category Archives: Flix Trailers

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Trailer Spotlight: Man of Steel – the S stands for smashing – now the countdown begins!

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I knew I would be inside of a movie theater watching Disconnect when this trailer hits … so I was super excited when I got home to see it on my big screen TV! Well, all that waiting is not for naught. I have a bunch of superlatives I could use for this trailer… but I’m going to restrain myself. As you could surmise from the title, it’s absolutely smashing!!

Hope is the key word in this latest Superman adaptation … that “S” on Superman’s chest doesn’t stand for “Superman” or “Smallville”… Apparently it’s not even an “S.”

“In my world it means hope.”

That’s what Kal-El told Lois in the interrogation room. Superman has always been portrayed as the beacon of hope for humanity as he identifies and cares more with his adopted universe than his own. And in practical term, this is the movie that Warner Bros and DC is most hopeful about, as it holds the key to the future of the DC comic franchise in its cinematic universe. Looks like Zack Snyder, in collaboration with Christopher Nolan as producer & David Goyer penning the script, just might deliver the biggest movie event of the year!

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Now, as a big fan of this DC hero, I’m super hopeful that this would live up to my expectations and the signs are pointing in the right direction. I love that there are going to be more Krypton scenes with Russell Crowe channeling Marlon Brando as Jor-El, as well as stirring moments of our Kryptonian protagonist with earthly parents (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). Of course mostly I’m looking forward to Henry Cavill rockin’ this role, Michael Shannon as a menacing Zod and the flirtatious banter between Supes and Lois [lucky Amy Adams!!] ;) To me, this trailer promises us that high-octane action and emotional pay off are not mutually-exclusive.

The only gripe I have is the lack of a truly mighty score that’ll go with our mighty hero… I mean Hans Zimmer himself has talked about being intimidated by the task of following John Williams footsteps [per Collider], though I was prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt that he’d create something great. But after hearing his score here, I’m afraid it only makes me miss Williams’ iconic creation, THAT’s still the score that immediately evoke the image of Superman for me.

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It’s no secret that this is THE one movie I’m looking forward to ALL year. Yes it’s a superhero movie and I know some of you are probably rolling your eyes. I mean, to some it’s just another one in a string of comic book movies that Hollywood’s been churning out the past few years. But no, when it comes to Superman, I’m not jaded, yet, not sure I ever will. I’ve loved that character since I was three years old, with Superman the Movie being my first memorable movie-going experience and Christopher Reeve as my first official crush. So yeah, even though there have been some disappointing films along the way, I don’t think I’ll ever stop being a Superman fan.

Now the countdown to Man of Steel officially begins here at FlixChatter!

I’ll have Superman-related posts a few times a month all the way to its US release date on June 14! Thanks to Bubbawheat from Flights Tights and Movie Nights and Michael from It Rains… You Get Wet and Terrence from The Focused Filmographer for agreeing to participate in this mini blogathon of sort. So stay tuned for some super posts!! :D

Well, what say you? Thoughts on the trailer and/or Superman in general?

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Neill Blomkamp’s sci-fi thriller ELYSIUM’s Poster & Trailer Spotlight

Boy oh boy! I’ve been looking forward to this film for quite some time now. In case you didn’t know already, I’m a huge fan of District 9 which was a surprise to me as I didn’t even know much about it when I saw it on the big screen. Well, it’s been over three years since I saw that film and finally, South African director Neill Blomkamp and actor Sharlto Copley are re-teaming for another sci-fi thriller.

I was kind of hoping that Copley would have the leading role this time around, but I understand that with a much-bigger budget, they’d need a movie star. So we’ve got Matt Damon in the lead instead. Check out the awesome poster of him with all that robotic stuff attached all over his body!

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I originally thought this was a follow-up to District 9, as I’ve outlined on my Upcoming Flix Spotlight post a year ago. But now it’s clear that this film has a new storyline that’s not related to D-9 universe, though it still carries a similar social issue theme. Now, this film was first scheduled for release in March before being pushed back to August. I don’t think it’s a sign of trouble though, I think that’d give Blomkamp to release some viral marketing for it like he did for D-9 which was a smart move.

Now finally, a trailer!!

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WHOAH!! I’m even more intrigued now after seeing this. I really like the look of this and the apocalyptic story looks very promising and thought provoking, with all the visual and thematic elements every sci-fi lovers would love. Blomkamp is working again with Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital so it’s to be expected that the special effect is going to rock! Even right off the bat, I like the stark contrast between the perfect world of the Elysium space station and the left-behind slum that is the Earth. I read that Blomkamp shot the Earth footage in Mexico City, and everything on Elysium in Vancouver.

Per IGN, like Blomkamp’s previous film, this one has a similarly impoverished and segregated society, but this time along economic lines rather than species. Where District 9 was a sci-fi allegory for racism, Elysium is about economic disparity.

In the year 2159, two classes of people exist: the very wealthy who live on a pristine man-made space station called Elysium, and the rest, who live on an overpopulated, ruined Earth. Secretary Rhodes, a hard line government official, will stop at nothing to enforce anti-immigration laws and preserve the luxurious lifestyle of the citizens of Elysium. That doesn’t stop the people of Earth from trying to get in, by any means they can. When unlucky Max is backed into a corner, he agrees to take on a daunting mission that if successful will not only save his life, but could bring equality to these polarized worlds.

Here are four more details I learned from this HitFix article, which summarized the SONY press preview event in L.A. with Blomkamp, Copley and producer Simon Kinberg:

  • Damon’s character is Max, an ex-con who’s working a factory job on Earth. A radiation leak prompted him to be cast off by the authoritarian government. He knows the only way to get rid of the toxic radiation is in Elysium, and he has to find a way to get there.
  • The robotic stuff on his body, and that data port on his head is the result of self-modification Max did as a mechanism to hijack security information from an Elysium citizen.
  • Sharlto Copley plays the bad guy, Kruger. He is an Elysium operative who lives on Earth, waiting to be activated. When an attack on an Elysium citizen occurs, he gets the signal.
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  • Jodie Foster plays a Senator, as Foster herself described in Movieline as “… the person who controls who gets to come in [to Elysium] and who doesn’t. She’s methodical, her antagonism has a point.” She also mentions that Elysium is an international place, as its residents comes from all over the earth.
  • Blomkamp said that 2/3 of the film would take place on earth and 1/3 in Elysium to emphasize further that the space station is truly a fantastical place every human being aspire to live in.

Elysium is out in theaters on August 9, 2013. I can hardly wait!
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On a related note, two years ago, I wrote this post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama pitch where some humans live in another planet whilst the remaining earth population struggle to survive.
Check it out and let me know what you think :D

Are you as stoked as I am about this one? What do you think of the trailer?

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Trailer Spotlight: British Crime Thriller ‘All Things To All Men’

Wahoo!!! Thanks to my friend Stella over at Byrneholics for the tip. This is THE trailer I’ve been waiting for, even though there’s not a confirmed US release date yet for this movie. Though for my lucky UK friends, this movie opens on April 5.

For those who missed my spotlight post for this crime thriller, I’m super excited for this mostly for the high caliber cast: Rufus Sewell, Gabriel Byrne and Toby Stephens. Oh man, talk about massive eye candy all around, and I haven’t even mentioned the gorgeous London scenery ;)

Now check out the trailer:

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I have seen this trailer half a dozen times since this morning, so can’t you tell I’m excited for this? :D I love crime dramas and the London setting is especially intriguing for an Anglophile like me.

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Here’s the official synopsis:

When Riley (Stephens), a professional thief, is hired to pull off the ultimate sting, he is unwittingly drawn into a deadly cat and mouse game between maverick police detective Parker (Sewell) and renowned London crime lord Joseph Corso (Byrne). Parker is determined to bring down Corso and do whatever it takes to end his reign, but when the sting backfires and stakes get higher, Riley finds himself at the centre of a battle where the line between the law and crime are blurred beyond recognition.

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Leo Gregory

I really like the look of this, as my friend Stella said to me, it’ll be a testosterone-filled ride… and I’m more than game to tag along. This is George Isaac‘s directorial debut (he produced British dramas Kidulthood and Adulthood) so I don’t really know how well he’ll do behind the camera. But due to the premise and cast, I have high hopes for this.

I’m so thrilled to see Rufus getting top billing here, and nice to see Leo Gregory getting a bigger part in this as well. I’m going to try again via Twitter if I could get an interview with him. Oh btw, the girl in the trailer with no speaking parts is Spanish actress Elsa Pataky (Fast Five), who happens to be Chris Hemsworth’s wife. Boy, looks like she’s surrounded by hunks, on AND off the set, lucky gal!

I hope this film will find a US distributor, even for a limited release. Come on Hollywood, I REALLY want to see this on the big screen!
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So what do you think of the trailer folks? Any fan of the cast?

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I watched the Superbowl for the trailers… specifically Star Trek Into Darkness & The Lone Ranger

Superbowl2013I barely watched the Superbowl, maybe only for 5 minutes when the Baltimore Ravens’ QB threw a 40+ yards touchdown pass. I’ve only watched the biggest sporting game show for the ads, and now that I’ve got a movie blog, for the movie trailers! The power outage cracked me out though, someone tweeted that he’s expecting Bane to come out, ahah. Yeah it probably could be happen in the next superhero flick. Anyway, Congrats Baltimore Ravens … and Ray Lewis, what a way to end his NFL career!

Well, a boat load of trailers were released during the game, and two starring Dwayne Johnson: Snitch and Fast & Furious 6, neither one is my cup of tea. Then there’s Iron Man 3, Oz the Great and Powerful, and World War Z. I’m curious about Oz but the trailer isn’t that much different from the one I’ve posted here.

Now, these two on the other hand, got me quite excited and I wish this were released this weekend instead of in two months time!
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Star Trek Into Darkness – Super Bowl TV Spot

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

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I’m no trekkie but I love JJ Abram’s Star Trek movie. It was just so fun to watch and I quite like Chris Pine as Capt. Kirk. Now we’ve got a nemesis that should match his know-it-all “I am better at everything” cockiness, in the form of the BBC Sherlock‘s Benedict Cumberbatch. LOVE his gorgeous voice narrating this trailer and though I’m bummed not seeing Karl Urban as Dr. McCoy in the trailer.

Not sure who Benedict’s character is exactly… Khan or no Khan… it really doesn’t matter much to me. I expect this to be yet another entertaining action flick (and more lens flares of course! :D ) Curious to see if Pine and Cumberbatch would have a mano-a-mano in the movie.

“Shall we begin?”

Why yes! Too bad we still have to wait until 17 May 2013!!

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The Lone Ranger Game Day Spot

Native American spirit warrior Tonto recounts the untold tales that transformed John Reid, a man of the law, into a legend of justice.

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This looks like the quintessential buddy flick a la Lethal Weapon. Armie Hammer is becoming an actor I like to see on screen as he’s proven to be more than a pretty face, and I think he has the charisma of a leading man. Now surely that’s quite tough to do when you’ve got such a major movie star Johnny Depp as the sidekick Tonto. Depp seems to be right in his element playing a strange looking, wisecracking character, and he seems to have a good chemistry with Hammer. I have to admit I’m not a fan of Gore Verbinski’s most popular franchise Pirates of the Carribean, and I thought Rango was only funny in parts, but this certainly looks promising. Of course Disney also hopes this would be a hit given its hefty $250 mil budget (seriously?!)

Anyway, this trailer is pretty fun to watch. Let’s hope the movie itself will be too!

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What do you think of these trailer folks? Feel free to share your favorite Superbowl movie trailers!

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Musings on the case of Great trailers, bad films & Bad trailers, great films

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Movie trailer is the greatest selling tool in marketing for Hollywood. Heck even tech start-up companies today are using short trailers to sell their product. Case in point, a start-up company I’m involved with just got done with a short intro/trailer about the product, I saw it and I thought it was awesome, well maybe I’m biased since I’m part of the company and I designed the site. Anyhoo, back to movie trailers, they’re meant to get audiences excited and film bloggers, critics and cinephiles everywhere will talk about it for months before the actual film hits theater.

PrometheusHDtrailerThink back to last spring when Fox unleashed the trailer for Prometheus, many people got excited and said it’s going to be the greatest sci-fi film ever and so on. Well when it finally hit theaters, those same people were disappointed and blame Fox for duping them into thinking the film was going to be the greatest thing since sliced bread. Well that’s their goal, to dupe you into theaters and pay to see the film, they don’t care if you like or not, they already got your money. Heck I got duped into seeing two bad films because their trailer looked great, the remake of Total Recall and The Bourne Legacy.

Ruth’s note: Now, just as I was prepping this article, another trailer for Pacific Rim came out. I like Idris Elba but I thought the trailer is terrible, and Ted aptly called it ‘Transformers meets Godzilla’ ahah. We’ll see if this would end up in the ‘Bad trailers, Good Movies’ category.

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Once in a while though studios tend to release some not so great trailers but the actual films were quite good. Anyway, here are some good examples of what I’m talking about:

Great trailers, bad films

Mission: Impossible 2

First off I would like to confess that I enjoyed this film but I also have to admit that it’s a lousy film. The trailer made it look like it’s going to be a non-stop thrill ride but most of the action scenes didn’t happen until the last 40 minutes of the movie. I like the concept of IMF team taking on the evil pharmaceutical company and a rouge agent but the love triangle between the hero, villain and heroine just didn’t work and it’s way too cheesy. But I love the motorcycle, cars and helicopter chase near the end and Anthony Hopkins delivered the best line in the film: “It’s not mission difficult Mr. Hunt, it’s mission impossible. Difficult should be a walk in the park for you.”
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Star Wars Episode 1: Phantom Menace

Nothing much to say here since most of us have seen the film and we’re pretty much in agreement that the film sucks. But the trailer was pretty great, hearing that famous theme music by John Williams, seeing light sabers and space ships just got everyone excited. Unfortunately the actual film was filled with bad dialogues and wooden acting. But the light sabers battle between Darth Maul, Obi Wan Kenobi and Qui-Gon Jinn was pretty great.

Fun fact, the trailer played in front of Meet Joe Black and a lot of Star Wars fanatics paid just to see this trailer. I took my then girlfriend to see Meet Joe Black and I remember a few people left the theater after EP1 trailer finished. Just FYI young readers, this was few years before internet trailers became the norm, people would actually paid tickets just to see trailers, I know it’s stupid and I’ve never done it myself but that was the only way to see trailers of big films back then.

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X-Men Origins: Wolverine

After the awful X-Men: Last Stand, Fox was hoping this film will reboot the franchise in the way that Batman Begins did for Batman. With Hugh Jackman back as Wolverine and a respectable director behind the camera, all of X-Men fans expected greatness. Of course our excitement jumped to new heights when a trailer debuted a few months before its release. The trailer made it look like the film is going to be a gritty take on the popular character, I must’ve watched it like 10 times when it debuted.

Unfortunately when the film finally opens, it was an incoherent mess; there were rumors that Fox didn’t like the dark tone of the film and demanded director (Gavin Hood) to make changes. Whatever happened behind the scenes really destroyed what could have been a great film about Wolverine’s origin.

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The World Is Not Enough

The last Bond film of the 20th century looked great and since I’m a Bond fanatic I was stoked to see this film. With the promised of a new great villain and a respected director, many thought this could be an excellent Bond film. Even with the silly casting of Denise Richards as a scientist, I was still convinced this could be a great film and after seeing the trailer, I got super excited.

Well as we all know the actual film was pretty bad, I actually thought the franchise might be over because of this film. Of course I was wrong since it’s a box office hit and it took another awful Bond flick to convince the producers that they need to reboot the franchise.

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Bad trailers, great films

Batman Begins

With the huge success of The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, most people often forget that the first film in the series was a modest success. In fact, this film’s opening weekend was a measly $47 mil. When Warner Bros. announced they were going to reboot the franchise, I was super excited because Batman is my favorite comic book superhero and I needed to get the bad memory of Batman & Robin out of my mind. With a young and upcoming director Chris Nolan behind the camera and a new Bruce Wayne/Batman, all Batman fans everywhere were super excited.

Unfortunately when the trailer came out, I was very disappointed. I thought it looked clunky and wasn’t well put together. The pacing was a bit off, too much of the plot were revealed and it just didn’t flow well. Compare that to The Dark Knight’s and The Dark Knight Rises’ trailer, Begins’ trailer was quite weak in my opinion.

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The Bourne Supremacy

In my opinion this film is the best of the franchise but when I saw the trailer, I thought it looked awful. Just like Batman Begins’ trailer, it wasn’t well-edited, very clunky and sort of gave away too much of the plot. Again fortunately the actual film was great.

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Blade Runner

Most trailers of older films tends to give away too much of the story and this one is no different. Seriously this trailer is over 3 minutes long! If I was old enough around the time this film came out, I might’ve skip seeing it in theater. I thought the final cut trailer that came out back in 2007 was much better, see them for yourself.

Original trailer

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Final cut trailer

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– Post by Ted S.

So those are some examples and I know there are tons of other great trailers, bad films and bad trailers, good films out there. Feel free to share your own list of trailers in the comments section.

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Featurette Spotlight: Les Misérables … Can’t get ‘I Dreamed a Dream’ out of my head!

One thing for sure, there won’t be a lack of awesome films this December. There are a few I’m giddily anticipating, Gerry Butler’s soccer comedy Playing for Keeps and of course, The Hobbit!! I’m not posting the second trailer as right now I’m already sold on it long ago anyway, but if you haven’t seen it, it’s on Terrence’s Trailer Time Thursday post.

Now, I had been curious about Les Misérables, and the first trailer has certainly sold me. This new featurettes shows just another reason why this movie quickly shoots up to be my most-anticipated musicals ever!! It’s not enough that Tom Hooper has assembled a brilliant cast that seems to fit the roles, he’s also got this shrewd technique of having all the actors sing the songs LIVE on set! Check it out:

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I LOVE this kind of featurette as you get a glimpse into the actors’ and filmmakers’ head and the challenges they face in portraying their roles. I’m a sucker for all the behind-the-scenes stuff that go on before the final piece is presented, and to me, for a story that’s already so well-know, the magic is not lost. I that high level of authenticity in the way the actors perform the song.

I could easily title this post ‘the year I’m warming up to Anne Hathaway‘ as I have been quite impressed with her lately, first with her performance in The Dark Knight Rises as Selina, and now this. Even before seeing the final film, she seemed to have worked her super hard on this film and obviously she’s got a great set of pipes for all that singing. The crucial part is the emotional resonance, as without that this film wouldn’t have made a dent. On that note, I think Anne pulled it off as I truly feel for Fantine’s well, misery. There’s something authentic about her portrayal that the words of the song I’ve heard over and over again somehow feels fresh and oh so heart-wrenching!! I’m a crier by nature but for the life of me I can’t stop my tears from falling even just hearing a few notes of this song!! I definitely will be packing a BOX of tissue going to the movies on Christmas day. I Dreamed A Dream has been stuck in my head since yesterday, and every few minutes I find myself humming it, just ask my poor husband, ahah!

Now, I realize you can’t compare the two stories but since both are costume dramas, I just want to say that Keira Knightley’s attempt to evoke her marital despair in Anna Karenina fails to elicit even the slightest pity from me.

Nothing much to say about the two main male cast: Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe, both certainly have the charisma and showmanship to carry off the roles of Valjean and Javert, respectively. I can’t wait to see these two hunky Aussies to square off against each other, in tunes no less!

I’m also excited to see Helena Bonham Carter as Madame Thénardier, and Eddie Redmayne in the second movie I’ll see him in. He was quite good in My Week With Marilyn. Now, since I haven’t seen Victor Hugo’s stage adaptation before, this will be my first introduction to one of the most celebrated musicals of all time. Can’t wait!!

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Are you excited for this one folks?

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Five for the Fifth: September 2012 Edition

Hello folks, it’s time for the September 2012 edition of Five of the Fifth!

As is customary for this monthly feature, I get to post five random news item/observation/poster, etc. and then turn it over to you to share your take on that given topic. You can see the previous five-for-the-fifth posts here. So let’s get started, shall we?
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1. With election just a couple months away, the political ads are getting more and more vicious. I’m not generally fond of political movies or documentaries, though at times I’m curious enough to check it out, like I did with 2016: Obama’s America.

I guess I don’t mind them if they have the right cast and that it’s not too much bashing going on from either parties, they just leave a bad taste in my mouth when the filmmakers get too nasty/vindictive about a certain politician. There are only a handful of political-themed movies I’ve enjoyed, among them are the light-hearted ones like The American President, Dave,  as well as well-made thrillers like Enemy of the State and State of Play.

Do you like political movies? If so, which one is your favorite?

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2. There are at least a dozen movies I’m anticipating until the end of the year, not sure I could get to all of them on the big screen but I certainly hope so! Now, just looking at September and October, here are five on my must-see list:

ARGO – October 12

As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.

I like the last two of Ben Affleck-directed films, and he seems to be much better in front of the camera when he’s also behind the camera. This trailer looks GRIPPING! Can’t wait to see this one!


The Master – Sept 14

A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future – until he is tantalized by The Cause and its charismatic leader.

Can’t wait to see Joaquin Phoenix’s return to the big screen, and the Scientology-like organization seems timely given what’s been happening with Tom Cruise! Eric from The Warning Sign puts this as his #1 movie of the year so far, and with Phoenix + Philip Seymour Hoffman, no doubt the performances are ace!
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Looper – Sept 28

In the year 2042, a man working for a group of killers called “Loopers” (they work for the mob and kill people who are sent blindfolded back in time from the year 2072 by their bosses) recognizes a victim as himself.

Despite the weird makeup on Joseph Gordon-Levitt, I do like this cast and this promises to be a time-travel thriller with a twist. So yeah, I’m game!

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Chasing Mavericks – October 26

When young Jay Moriarty discovers that the mythic Mavericks surf break, one of the biggest waves on Earth, exists just miles from his Santa Cruz home, he enlists the help of local legend Frosty Hesson to train him to survive it.

I’ve posted the first trailer here, but I like the second trailer better. Those waves look spectacular… and Gerry Butler in a wet suit? Yes please :D I still wish the kid playing Jay is more interesting, but hey, King Leonidas as surfing instructor? Sign me up!

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Cloud Atlas – October 26

An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

Ok, this could be a spectacular movie or a complete mess. But the trailer makes me curious enough to see it and there are a lot of my fave British/Aussie actors involved: Hugo Weaving, Ben Whishaw, Jim Sturgess, Jim Broadbent, etc., though Tom Hanks and Halle Berry might be the big draw for mainstream audiences. We’ll see if the Wachowskis deliver on this one.

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Honorable Mention: The Cold Light of Day – I LOVE Henry Cavill so I’ll definitely try to see this on the big screen, but not sure if this movie is actually getting a wide release.

Now your turn. What’s your five most anticipated movies in the next two months?

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3. After having seen Brandon Lee in The Crow and the Bruce Lee’s biopic Dragon: The Bruce Lee story, my hubby and I have become quite fascinated by the martial art icon.

My brother was very fond of martial arts stuff and so I probably have seen a few of his movies, it’s just not my cup of tea. But it’s no denying that Bruce Lee is not only the greatest and most influential martial artist of all time, but he’s quite a charismatic guy. He’s also quite articulate and philosophical in interviews, too bad there aren’t too many of them out there. Btw, did you know that Bruce Lee is part German? Apparently his mother is of Chinese/German descent and his father was a Chinese Opera singer.

It’s so tragic what happened to him and his equally-gifted son Brandon. Bruce died at a young age of 32, reportedly from an allergic reaction to a headache tablet, and Brandon was only 28 when he was fatally shot in a bizarre filming accident of his last movie, The Crow. Cursed or not, there’s definitely something peculiar about their cause of death. I highly recommend both films if you haven’t seen it, I’ll be reviewing them both at some point.

Thoughts on Bruce Lee and/or martial arts movies? Are you a big fan of that genre?
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4. Happy Birthday Michael Keaton! Last week I read on Castor’s blog that the 61 year-old actor has been cast in the Robocop reboot, replacing Hugh Laurie. I think that’s great news, though I wish Keaton had gotten more leading roles. I’ve always liked Keaton, he’s got screen charisma and he suits both dramatic and comedic roles pretty well.

Though people are split whether he makes a good Batman or not, I do think he’s a great, versatile actor. Whether playing a crazy ghost (Beetlejuice), an overwhelmed dad (Multiplicity, Mr. Mom) or a genius psychopath (Desperate Measures), Keaton is always a joy to watch. I do hope this underrated actor gets more roles, I think he still looks a lot younger than his age!

So, what’s YOUR favorite Michael Keaton role?
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5. One of the classic masterpieces that have eluded me for so long is Lawrence of Arabia. Not sure why that is as it sounds like the kind of epic story I’d enjoy and I know my mom used to have a big crush on Omar Sharif, ahah.

Well, it’s been announced that it’ll be re-released on the big screen on October 4th as part of its 50th anniversary celebration. My hubby and I are definitely going to catch that. Check out the restoration trailer below:

According to this article, Grover Crisp, the EVP at SONY Pictures who’s in charge of the restoration said they wanted to ‘return this film to as pristine a condition as possible’ for the anniversary celebration.

“The original negative was seriously damaged in a number of ways, some problems dating from the original release and some accumulated over the years… But, until now, we did not have the tools available to address these issues. We think fans of the film will be as amazed as we are at the detail and resolution in the imagery captured by cinematographer Freddie Young to compliment David Lean’s immaculate direction.”

Man, I can’t wait to see this in its 70mm glory on the big screen!

Are you a fan of this film? Who else are going to see the big screen release of this one?
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Well, that’s it for the September edition of Five for the Fifth, folks. Now, please pick a question out of the five above or better yet, do ‘em all! :D

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Trailer Spotlight: Playing For Keeps

All right, two sports-related Gerard Butler trailers released within a month! I wonder if it’s because of the Olympics?? First we’ve got a surfer movie, now soccer, not that I’m complaining :) Now, this one was supposed to be released last March as I included it in my most anticipated movies for the first quarter of 2012. Well, when I mentioned this one in the GB Special Post, at the time it was still called Playing The Field.

Anyway, we’ve now got a brand new trailer and updated synopsis [per Yahoo Movies]:

A charming, down-on-his luck former soccer star returns home to put his life back together. Looking for a way to rebuild his relationship with his son, he gets roped into coaching the boy’s soccer team. But his attempts to finally become an “adult” are met with hilarious challenges from the attractive “soccer moms” who pursue him at every turn.

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Well, I like this trailer a bit better than Chasing Mavericks’. Well for one, Gerry gets to keep his Scottish brogue, wahoo! Plus, I kind of like seeing him with kids. I mean the last time he played dad to a little boy was in the wonderful indie Dear Frankie, and he’s definitely a natural with them. Then there’s the supporting cast: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Dennis Quaid and Judy Greer, though I wish Uma and Judy get at least a line in the trailer?? Initially I thought Biel only had a small role, but it seems that she’s got second billing here.

Ah well, I’m going to file this one under ‘promising’ even though the trailer itself is rather meh, and that song is annoyingly schmaltzy. This curiously Mondrian-styled poster doesn’t exactly scream artsy either. But hey, I like the idea of Gerry + soccer, and it’s helmed by a pretty credible director, Gabriele Muccino, the Italian director who helped Will Smith got his second Oscar nomination in The Pursuit of Happyness. Interestingly, that one also features a single dad and his young son.

In any case, I’m glad they switched this from a baseball-themed movie to soccer when Butler was cast [per LA Times blog], and the fact that he was involved in a lot of soccer charity match, including this year’s star-studded Soccer Aid, he’s perfect for this role! It’s poised to be a feel-good dramedy this Winter, but here’s hoping it offers us something more than that.

Updated 11/29: Playing For Keeps Featurette on GB’s character George

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Playing For Keeps is released December 7.

Thoughts on this trailer, folks?

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Trailers Spotlight: Cloud Atlas, Chasing Mavericks, The Master

Hello folks! I haven’t done a trailer post since Man of Steel last weekend and this past week there have been quite a few trailers that caught my attention, so I thought I’d highlight ‘em here in case some of you have not seen it.

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Cloud Atlas

I’ve been quite curious about this movie for some time ever since it was reported over a year ago. I even did a spotlight post for it and boy just check out the star-studded cast! Well, this past week we got an extended trailer (5-min long!) and by golly it looks spectacular! I thought that the Tom Hanks + Halle Berry combo is rather odd, but the whole trailer is so surreal anyway. Despite the length of the trailer though, the story is as cryptic as ever. Truthfully I had no idea what it’s about but reading this description of the plot might give you somewhat of a clue:

An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

The story is based on British author David Mitchell’s award-winning sci-fi novel of the same name, it was published in 2004. On top of the amazing cast from all over the world, I’m curious about it because it’s from the Wachowski siblings. It certainly is an ambitious project, let’s see if the Wachowski could pull this off. Would this be as groundbreaking as The Matrix over a decade ago?
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The Master

I’ve been waiting for Joaquin Phoenix to come back to acting from his supposed *retirement.* So the moment I saw this trailer I REALLY want to see this.

A 1950s-set drama centered on the relationship between a charismatic intellectual known as “the Master” whose faith-based organization begins to catch on in America, and a young drifter who becomes his right-hand man.

From the trailer, the faith-based organization is curiously similar to Scientology and this Daily Beast article written by someone who was a Scientologist for 15 years seems to confirm that The Master character could very well be based on L. Ron Hubbard.

Of course director Paul Thomas Anderson nor anyone from the studio is confirming that. No matter, this looks like an intriguing film indeed and both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Phoenix’s performances seems poised for major buzz comes award season.

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Chasing Mavericks

I’ve mentioned this film on the Gerry Butler Special post, and here’s the official description:

CHASING MAVERICKS is the inspirational true story of real life surfing phenom Jay Moriarity (newcomer Jonny Weston). When 15 year old Jay discovers that the mythic Mavericks surf break, one of the biggest waves on Earth, is not only real, but exists just miles from his Santa Cruz home, he enlists the help of local legend Frosty Hesson (Butler) to train him to survive it. As Jay and Frosty embark on their quest to accomplish the impossible, they form a unique friendship that transforms both their lives, and their quest to tame Mavericks becomes about far more than surfing.

Truth be told, I’m not too fond of this trailer. Jay’s story seems compelling but I’m not seeing it in the trailer, it looks bland and formulaic, though those waves do look spectacular. But hey, hopefully a meh trailer means a good movie, after all the Curtis Hanson did direct one of my favorite crime thrillers L.A. Confidential.

I do love the fact that Butler actually learned to surf for the first time for this movie, instead of just using a stand in. Those surf shots look real and Butler looks pretty convincing as a surfer mentor, so I remain optimistic about this one. Now that I think about it, this’ll be the first surfing movie since I watch like Point Break! Btw, I like the first poster that still has the old title, but this latest one is very artistic and has that ‘surfer dude’ personality.
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BONUS:

Behold the power of iconic music. Someone made this Man of Steel teaser and set it to John Williams’ Superman score:

It’s got the EXACT same footage but it immediately feels sooooo much more powerful and gives you that holy goosebumps watching it. I know I should give Hans Zimmer the benefit of the doubt that he’d create something special for this film but man, you can’t deny just how amazing Williams’ score is and clearly it’s such a timeless piece of work!
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Well, thoughts on any of these films folks? Which one are you anticipating most?

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DC Geekgasm Day: Man Of Steel Teaser Trailer is here!!

Seems like the past few years it has been the year of Marvel comics, what with Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Spiderman, and of course the behemoth that was The Avengers! But this week and you could say even this whole month, belongs to DC… this Man of Steel trailer is released just mere hours before I head out to see The Dark Knight Rises!! Man oh man…

You could say I’m more of a DC girl because of my long-lasting LOVE for Superman. I have mentioned it several times on this blog how I’ve been a huge fan of the character ever since I was a wee girl, my mom even bought me a Superman costume that I often wore running around in our backyard. I even said on this post that Christopher Reeve is the one and ONLY actor I have ever written to, and I got not one but TWO autographed photos from the legend himself.

So you could understand my excitement for yet another Superman movie… starring one of my favorite Brits no less. And today, WB released TWO versions of the long-awaited teaser trailers… this one has the narration of Kevin Costner as Pa Kent:

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And this is the Russell Crowe‘s version as  Jor-El which has the exact same footage:

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It’s hard to say which one I like best, I guess the Crowe’s version has a certain gravitas, a dignified tone of a powerful leader giving his words of wisdom to his son on his ultimate providence. However, Costner’s narration provides such an emotional weight to the story. I tear up listening to Pa Kent seemingly choking up as he tells his adopted son,

“You’re not just anyone… one day you have to make a choice…you have to decide what kind of man you want to grow up to be… whoever that man is, good character or bad… he’s gonna change the world.”

I LOVE how understated, moody and unmistakably human this trailer is… well that is until that heart-pumping sonic-boom flying sequence at the end, woo hoo!! The typical fast-cuts and slo-mo action shots that you’d expect from Zack Snyder are noticeable absent. In fact, the tone is very much Batman Begin-ish in the way the origins story is handled, and with Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer involved, that is promising indeed!

The music may sound familiar to most of you. It’s by Howard Shore in the LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring, specifically the Bridge of Khazad Dum scene when the fellowship lost Gandalf. It’s an incredibly emotional and heroic scene of one powerful figure laying his life to save others, so I guess it’s quite appropriate. This is a teaser after all, and we still have about a year to go yet for Hans Zimmer to compose the original music for this film.

I have to say I’m beyond optimistic for this movie. Yes I know there are naysayers out there and I get it because we haven’t got a spectacular Superman movie since, well Superman II in 1980, that’s over 3 decades ago!! As I’ve mentioned here, I believe they’ve got the right actor for the job. I guess I have known that since a decade ago!!

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So, what did you think folks?? You’re ready to see Superman fly again?