Trailer: Big Hero 6 (2nd Official)

Posted on September 28, 2014 by Arleigh

Big Hero 6 is the next offering from the Walt Disney Animation Studios. While Pixar has the reputation of being the top animation house within Disney, the last couple years have seen the Walt Disney Animation house taking most of the glory. First, there was the surprise hit Tangled which was soon followed up by Wreck-It-Ralph which was both a success with critics and audiences alike. Then last year we saw the unstoppable juggernaut that was Frozen.

Frozen was originally thought to be a weak offering due to a weird marketing campaign, but it soon changed both critics and audiences minds when it came out in November 2013. From there on it just stayed in the weekly top 10 box-office for months.

Now we have Big Hero 6 which brings one of the more obscure Marvel Comics properties to the big-screen. This film looks to take the characters from the original comics, but the story itself looks to be something wholly original. So, fans who have been waiting for either Pixar or Disney to create an animated film using more recognizable heroes from Marvel’s massive library will have to wait just a bit longer.

Big Hero 6 will make it’s premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival on October 23, 2014 with a wide release on November 7, 2014.

Trailer: Jupiter Ascending

Posted on September 25, 2014 by Arleigh

The Wachowskis, Andy and Lana, have a new film set for release in early 2015. Jupiter Ascending was suppose to come out in 2014, but things happened and now it’s been pushed back for a February 2015 release.

Such a drastic delay in release usually means something major on the negative side of the ledger has occurred and the studio in charge of it’s release have little to no faith in the film. Has Warner Bros. Studios lost faith in the latest Wachowski offering? Is Jupiter Ascending the hot mess that it has been rumored about? Is the grandiose space opera the film is being made out to be making studio exec’s nervous?

So, many questions that most people who like to dwell on the in’s and out’s of filmmaking and the business of making them are probably asking themselves.

My only concern is that the Wachowskis have taken the extra time to make the film they set out to make. They’re one of the few filmmakers who seem to always get to do the sort of dream projects that more successful directors rarely get a chance to or even attempt to try. Whether it’s The Matrix, Speed Racer or Cloud Atlas, the Wachowskis have danced to their own tune and for some reason Warner Bros. continue to give them big-budgets after big-budgets to get their next dream project made into reality.

Here’s to hoping Guardians of the Galaxy being such a huge success will help this upcoming space opera turn it’s February release (usually a place where films go to die) into a new addition to the resurgence of the space opera.

Trailer: The Interview (Red Band)

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Arleigh

I know this is one film that Lisa Marie is going to see the moment it arrives. Why do I say that?

The answer to that is two words: James and Franco.

This red band trailer pretty much gives a basic layout of how raunchy this comedy will be and continue the bromance that is James Franco and Seth Rogen.

Also, it’s about two celebrity journalists hired by the CIA to assassinate North Korea’s Dear Leader, Kim Jong-un.

The Interview is set for that release date where all wholesome family holiday films get to premiere on, December 25, 2014.

Trailer: John Wick

Posted on September 12, 2014 by Arleigh

I usually have a good idea of upcoming action films once they’ve been announced into production, but I have to admit that Keanu Reeve’s upcoming action film, John Wick, has been quite the ninja. I’ve not heard one thing about this project until I came across the just released trailer earlier today.

The trailer itself pretty much lays out what looks like a basic premise for the film. The title character seems to be some sort of retired badass who is brought out of it to get his revenge on the idiots who killed his cute little dog (given to him by his dying wife) during a home invasion robbery.

I know there are many whose brain starts to wander and/or seize up whenever they hear the name Keanu Reeves. I, fortunately, am not one of those people and I actually think that Reeves has been much-maligned throughout his career. For one thing he does seem to handle action scenes pretty well and this trailer for John Wick just continues to reinforce that thought.

John Wick will be setting wrongs right and bringing killer of dogs their just due this October 24, 2014.

Trailer: Fury (International)

Posted on September 8, 2014 by Arleigh

I must admit that World War II films are a favorite of mine. Even bad ones I tend to enjoy. Whether it’s alternate fantasy fares like Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds or something that combines historical accuracy with dramatic license like Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, the World War II genre always manage to hit straight and true to my film wheelhouse.

This October there looks to be another World War II film that seems almost tailor-fit for me. I’m talking about David Ayer’s follow-up to his underappreciated film End of Watch. This follow-up is Fury and tells the story of an American tank crew in the waning days of World War II in Europe. Just from the two trailer released I already know that I’m seeing this. Ayer looks to be exploring the bond of a tank crew that has seen war from the deserts of Africa and now to the urban and forested landscapes of Germany.

The film is already getting major buzz as a major contender for the upcoming awards season and I, for one, hope that it’s a well-deserved buzz. Even with Shia LaBeouf being part of the cast is not dampening my excitement for this film. Even if it doesn’t live up to the hype I know that I’ll probably still end up enjoying it.

This trailer looks to be selling the utter brutality and carnage of World War II’s final days in Europe when German forces were literally fighting for their homeland and that makes for a desperate enemy (who still had weapons and soldiers that were still hands down better than what the Allies had one-on-one).

On a side note, I like the fact that the tracers in the film actually look like tracers which means they look like freakin’ laser blasts. That’s how tracers behave.

Fury is set to hit theaters on October 17, 2014 in the United States and October 22, 2014 internationally.

Trailer: Monsters: Dark Continent

Posted on September 2, 2014 by Arleigh

Monsters was this little, low-budget monster film from 2010 by filmmaker Gareth Edwards that got all the film community a-buzzing. Edwards’ work on that film landed him the job on 2014’s reboot of the Godzilla film franchise.

After Monsters was such a success there were plans to make a sequel of it, but Edwards being so busy doing Godzilla, he was unable to get back in the director’s chair and instead it went to Tom Green (not the comedian). We get a sequel that’s less about a romance in the midst of a creeping alien invasion, but one that looks to expand the world building Edwards created for the first film and make it global.

Monsters: Dark Continent is set in the Middle East where the alien infection has spread to and where a U.S. military mission goes in to stem the tide. Making things a tad difficult in a mission already tough to begin with is the rise of a new insurgency in the region.

I liked the first film, but I thought the low-budget really hampered how the monsters were portrayed. Edwards had to tease very brief glimpses of them until the end where he finally gives the audience the big reveal. This style was one of the reasons why I just liked the new Godzilla instead of loving it.

It looks like this sequel forgoes the teases and goes full out reveal of all the alien monsters. I am more than just slightly interested in checking this film out now.

Monsters: Dark Continent is set for a September 26, 2014 release date.

Trailer: Men, Women, & Children

Posted on August 19, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s the trailer for Men, Women, & Children. I’m really looking forward to this film, even if the trailer does bring to mind memories of last year’s terrible Disconnect. I’m an unapologetic fan of director Jason Reitman and it seems like, as opposed to his previous film Labor Day, this is material that should be perfect for Reitman’s style.

Believe it or not, Adam Sandler has gotten some dark horse Oscar buzz for his performance here. Personally, on the basis of films like Funny People, Punch-Drunk Love, and Reign Over Me, I think that Sandler has it in him to be a far better actor than most people want to admit. He just needs the right director. Considering that he’s gotten career-best work out of everyone from George Clooney to Jason Bateman to Charlize Theron to Patton Oswalt, Reitman could very well be that director.

Trailer: The November Man

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Arleigh

Outside of Sean Connery, my other favorite James Bond has always been Pierce Brosnan. He was able to inject some of the fun that became camp when Roger Moore was Bond, but still retain the ice-cold lethality that Connery brought to the role. It was just bad luck that he ended up with Bond writers and directors that were hit or miss. I think Pierce woud’ve done just as good a job, if not better, in the films that Daniel Craig ended up doing as Bond.

We now have Brosnan back as a spy, but not as Bond, but as Peter Devereaux from the spy novel series written by Bill Granger. The November Man looks to be Brosnan’s attempt to try and add another spy thriller franchise in the mix with both Bond and Bourne. Whether Brosnan succeeds depends on how critics and audiences react to this film.

The trailer makes the film look interesting enough. Using the time-tested plot of master vs. protege, The November Man may have some success when it comes out at the tail end of the summer season with little to no competition.

One thing that’s good to see is Brosnan back on the screen. If Liam Neeson can transition into the elder action hero then I can’t see why Pierce Brosnan can’t do it as well. Neeson can’t be the only Irish kickass on the screen. Lisa Marie would agree that there’s never enough kickass Irish stars on the big-screen.

The November Man shoots its way onto the big-screen this August 27, 2014.

Trailer: The Theory of Everything

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Here’s the trailer for the Stephen Hawking biopic, The Theory of Everything. The trailer pretty much speaks for itself so I’ll just say that it certainly looks like it could be a very powerful film. Based on what I’ve seen here, I’ll be shocked if Eddie Redmayne doesn’t get an Oscar nomination for his performance here.

Here’s The International Trailer for Birdman!

Posted on August 1, 2014 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Speaking of possible Oscar contenders, here’s the international trailer for Birdman. While this trailer offers up a few more clues about the film’s plot, it mostly serves to give hope to those of us who think that Emma Stone and Michael Keaton will be contenders to take home Oscars for, respectively, best supporting actress and best actor.

Watching this trailer (and taking in the fact that the film’s full title is Birdman or the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), I suspect this movie is either going to be loved or hated. It just doesn’t seem like the type of film that will inspire indifference.