Lawless: Trailer #2


As I’ve mentioned on this site before, Lawless is the movie that I’m most excited about seeing later this year. 

It’s not necessarily that I think it’s going to be a great film or because I’ve suddenly managed to figure out the appeal of Shia LeBouf (though he does look about as appealing as I’ve ever seen him look in the previews for this film). 

No, I’m looking forward to Lawless because it looks like it’s going to be a stylish and sexy throwback to the classic gangster films of the past.  As I’ve been saying for a few months now, Lawless captured me the minute I saw Gary Oldman firing that tommy gun and smirking at the camera.  Add to that, this film’s original trailer also featured Tom Hardy at his Tom Hardiest and Guy Pearce with one of the weirdest movie haircuts (not to mention accents) ever. 

(Plus, the film apparently features dancing!  Yay!)

A second trailer for Lawless was released earlier today and you can view it below.  While this second trailer contains many scenes that should be familiar from the first trailer, it also puts a lot more emphasis on the film’s violence in general and Tom Hardy in specific.  I have to wonder if that has anything to do with all the buzz surrounding Hardy’s villanous performance in the upcoming Dark Knight Rises.

Lawless opens August 31st and I know I’ll be there.

Trailer: Anna Karenina


So, earlier today, I saw a movie called Seeking A Friend For The End Of The World and … well, it wasn’t very good. 

But, fortunately, it was preceded by a trailer for a film that’s got me very excited about the future of 2012.  That film is Joe Wright’s adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.  Just judging from the trailer, it looks like this is going to be a visually sumptuous and intriguing adaptation of Tolstoy’s novel. 

It doesn’t hurt that Joe Wright’s last film was my personal favorite of 2011, Hanna.

2 Trailers: The Sessions and Alex Cross


A frequently asked question: When is John Hawkes going to win an Oscar?

Ever since I first saw Winter’s Bone back in 2010, I’ve wondered just when exactly John Hawkes is going to finally win an Oscar.  Unfortunately, he did not win for Winter’s Bone and his chilling work in Martha Marcy May Marlene was ignored.  This year, however, he’s back with The Sessions.  In this film, Hawkes plays a 38 year-old man who is confined to an iron lung and who is attempting to lose his virginity with the help of William H. Macy and Helen Hunt.

The Sessions has been getting a lot of buzz since it premiered on Sundance.  That, quite frankly, makes me wary because I’ve come to learn that you have to take Sundance acclaim with a grain of salt.  If Cannes is where people go to be insanely critical, Sundance has a deserved reputation for going overboard when it comes to praise.  However, I will take a chance on anything featuring John Hawkes and, just judging from the trailer, it looks like both The Sessions and John Hawkes could be contenders when it comes time to hand out Oscar nominations.

A less frequently asked question: When is Tyler Perry going to win an Oscar?

Most people would probably answer that question by replying, “Never,” and they could very well be correct.  I have to admit that I’ve never actually sat through any of Tyler’s Perry’s films and, to be honest, I’ve never really had any desire to.  That said, I’ve always been fascinated by Perry’s success and I can’t help but admire the fact that he’s not shy when it comes to self-promotion.

In the upcoming Alex Cross, Tyler Perry will step into a role that was previously played by Morgan Freeman and, if nothing else, it’ll add fuel to the debate as to whether or not Perry is a legitimate acting talent or just a smart businessman.  To be honest, the trailer for Alex Cross plays less like a movie trailer and more like a commercial for a movie on Chiller.  I think that’s largely because of the presence of TV-movie mainstays like Matthew Fox and John C. McGinley.  Still, chances are, Alex Cross will be the first exposure that I (and a lot of other people) get to Tyler Perry as an actor as opposed to just a personality. 

Trailer: Frankenweenie


I have to admit that I’m not a huge fun of Tim Burton’s and I found Dark Shadows to be a bit forgettable but I am looking forward to seeing Frankenweenie.  To be honest, I suspect that Burton’s vision is better translated in animated form and, if nothing else, it looks like this film might inspire me to shed more than a few tears. 

Here’s the 2nd trailer for Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie.

Trailer: The Possession


So, earlier today, I saw a movie called For Greater Glory.  Before the movie started, I sat through the usual trailers — Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter, Lawless, and that really annoying one for that movie where Adam Sandler sounds like he’s got a frog in his throat.  However, they also showed something I hadn’t seen before, the trailer for the upcoming horror film The Possession.  It’s rarely a good sign when a horror movie is rated PG-13 and I get the feeling all of the film’s good moments have been put in the trailer.  However, I’ll probably still end up seeing The Possession when it comes out.  For whatever reason, I just can’t resist a blatant Exorcist rip-off.

Trailer: Magic Mike


So, Jeff and I went and saw Chernobyl Diaries tonight and, to be honest, the film was pretty bleh but I was happy because I got to see the trailer for Magic Mike on the big screen.  My boyfriend feels that my enthusiastic reaction to this trailer has more to do with Channing Tatum stripping than the film itself and maybe he’s right.  Then again, it’s also possible that the entire film is just Channing Tatum stripping and that would be even better.

 

Teaser Trailer: The Master


This was released about a week ago.  It’s the first teaser trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s upcoming film, The Master.  Essentially, Joaquin Phoenix acts a lot like Joaquin Phoenix while an unseen Phillip Seymour Hoffman interrogates him.  I have to say that after seeing this teaser I am intrigued about The Master.  It just has such a wonderfully obscure and enigmatic feel to it.  It may just be the beach and the ominous atmosphere of the whole thing but this teaser reminds me a lot of Lost.

Though, just going by the rumors that I’ve read online, The Master is more concerned with exposing Scientology than revealing the Dharma Initiative.

Trailer: Lawless


This trailer has been out for a while now but I still want to post it here because, I have to admit, I have slowly fallen in love with it.  Lawless appears to be a stylish period piece about ruthless men shooting each other and, quite frankly, after sitting through such ponderous and overly serious films as Public Enemies and J. Edgar, I think we’re all in the mood for a prohibition gangster film that’s actually fun to watch.

There are three reasons why I think Lawless might be good and those three reasons are: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, and Guy Pearce (though I do have to wonder what exactly is going on with Pearce’s hair).  Seriously, this trailer had me as soon as Oldman flashed that little smirk of his.  As for Tom Hardy — well, I’m with Jessica Chastain on this one.  I’d dance for him too.

There are a few reasons to be concerned.  Director John Hillcoat previously directed The Road, which I didn’t really care for.  (The end of the world might be many things but it should never be boring.)  However, my biggest concern is the fact that even though the film features Hardy, Oldman, Pearce, and Chastain, it apparently stars Shia LeBouf.  When I saw Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, I had to keep reminding myself that the film was actually about LeBouf because he just seemed so forgettable and watching the trailer for Lawless, I find myself wondering how, if LeBouf couldn’t even summon up enough charisma to hold the screen against Michael Douglas, how is he going to handle being in a film with Tom Hardy, Guy Pearce, and Gary Oldman?

Trailer: The Great Gatsby


Here is the trailer for the film that many people are predicting will be the major Oscar contender later this year, Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby (in 3D, as all films are nowadays).  I’m not totally sold on the idea of Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby (it seems like such a predictable and safe choice, to be honest) but I think Carey Mulligan is a great choice for Daisy and Tobey Magurie was born to play Nick Carraway.  Judging from the trailer, this film is either going to be brilliant or it’s going to be a huge mess.  Speaking as someone who loves F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel and who has often wished that her own voice might sound like money, I’m hoping it will be brilliant.