Movie News

Friday, May 24, 2013

This week in movie trailers: AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY, LAST VEGAS, AIN'T THEM BODIES SAINTS, plus new PACIFIC RIM & MAN OF STEEL




Okay, as I stated last time in This Week in Trailers, Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity is my most anticipated film of the year so far. But after this week, his good buddy/fellow Mexican filmmaker Guillermo Del Toro and the robots/monsters of Pacific Rim are giving it a serious run for the top spot.

Although one trailer has already been release and was pretty great, this new one is amazing and truly epic. I cannot wait for this!


The mega-action film stars Charlie Hunnam, Ron Perlman, Clifton Collins, Jr., Charlie Day, Rinko Kikuchi, and Idris Elba. 


There is also a new, much more epic looking trailer for Man of Steel. In the past year or so, I have waffled back and forth on the idea of a new Superman film (I have never been a huge fan of the hero himself and the idea of Zach Snyder directing anything gives me nightmares), but this trailer has elevated my expectations and anticipation quite a bit. Maybe producer Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer really have come up with a great idea. Plus, Michael Shannon as a villain - sign me up!


Man of Steel hits theaters June 14.

Check out the rest of the new trailers after the jump: 




Next, we have August: Osage County, the Oscar-bait family dramedy based on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning play by Tracy Letts (who also wrote the screenplay). The film is directed by John Wells (The Company Men, TV’s Shameless).

The film’s huge and impressive ensemble cast includes: Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Sam Shepard, Dermot Mulroney, Juliette Lewis, Abigail Brelin, and Benedict Cumberbatch.

 
Based on pedigree alone, the film has to be worth seeing, but I must say, the trailer is quite underwhelming with little of the dark comedy and emotional depth I have been told about the original play. Streep looks fantastic as always, but that is about it.

Notorious Oscar-groomers The Weinstein Co. have given the film a cushy award season release date of November 8.


Then, we have another potential, but far more under-the-radar award season-type film - Ain't Them Bodies Saints. Already a smash hit at both Sundance and Cannes, this low-key indie drama stars Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara, Keith Carradine, and Ben Foster. Check out the trailer here:


Shot in Louisiana, the film tells the tale of an outlaw who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife and the daughter he has never met.  

Ain't Them Bodies Saints is following a similar path to the Oscars as last year's big indie hit Beasts of the Southern Wild (which also filmed in Louisiana) - first garnering buzz and awards at Sundance, then moving onto international critical acclaim at Cannes, and ultimately landing in theaters over the summer. Will Saints have the same powerful legs as Beasts and make it all the way to the Oscars? We will just have to wait and see, but it certainly looks like it.


Two other films that made somewhat of a splash at Sundance and Cannes were Don Jon (formerly known as Don Jon's Addiction), the directorial debut of Joseph Gordon-Levitt - and - As I Lay Dying, James Franco's narrative feature film debut (he has done several short films and documentaries).

Both actors-turned-filmmakers also wrote their respective films (Franco, of course, adapting William Faulkner's classic novel As I Lay Dying). Check out both trailers below:

Don Jon (co-starring Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, and Tony Danza):


As I Lay Dying (co-starring Logan Marshall-Green, Richard Jenkins, Danny McBride, and Tim Blake Nelson)


Don Jon comes to theaters October 18 - and - As I Lay Dying sometime later this year


And then there is this: Last Vegas, aka the old man’s The Hangover with Robert De Niro, Michael Douglas, Kevin Kline, and Morgan Freeman (when he is not falling asleep during live TV interviews). So who is the Stu, Doug, Phil, and Alan (or Mr. Chow?) of this group?


And with The Hangover III hitting theaters this weekend, I guess there was no better time to release the trailer, which looks . . . funny? Okay, drunk Morgan Freeman made me smile a little bit at the end (but just a little bit). If so inclined, you can check this one out in theaters November 1.


The new trailer for Europa Report kind of caught me off guard. I was not expecting it to look appealing, especially after the similarly space-set, much more anticipated Gravity trailer hit last time, but consider my interest gained.


Europa Report stars Sharlto Copley (District 9) and Michael Nyqvist (the original Swedish version of The Girl with a Dragon Tattoo)

 
Elijah Wood has been a mainstay in Hollywood since the ‘80s and his first on-screen appearance in Back to the Future II. We have seen have play a lot of roles: Huck Finn, Frodo Baggins, and a dancing penguin, but never have we seen him like his new role in the horror film Maniac (I know he played a killer in Sin City, but Maniac is on another level of creepy).


After some delays, Maniac is scheduled to hit theaters in June.


And finally, I have never seen any of Vin Diesel’s “Riddick” films – Pitch Black, The Chronicles of Riddick, and now, just Riddick. They just never really seemed that interesting to me (are they any good, who knows?), but they clearly have a small, very dedicated fan base to warrant three movies.


Riddick also stars Star Trek’s Karl Urban, Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff, WWE wrestler Dave Bautista, and Bokeem Woodbine (Freeway, anyone?).



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