Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Movie News

Hooked On Trailers


      Is it just me or does every summer movie season feel like Hollywood's deliberate attempt to introduce moviegoers to a new Bond character: you know, trailers galore? The busy blockbuster-laden landscape of movies represents, for studios, what Christmas time means to retail/online merchants: BIG business. The influx of new and more polished looks at some future blockbusters is always met with great anticipation. The summer of 2011 is no different; Green Lantern, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Super 8, 30 Minutes or Less and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; Part 2 represent some of the studios' more hopeful attempts to draw hordes of moviegoers to the box office. Whether you want to see the breathtaking world of Oa, the nefarious exploits of an evil transformer/alien robot copy machine, ascertain the "secret" of Super 8, watch Aziz Ansari mold the minds of young, impressionable kids or witness the final showdown between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort, the summer of 2011 offers something for you; something unique to your sensibility. For the most recent, jazzed-up trailers, hit the jump.
      We can thank—and no, I'm not being disingenuous—the MTV Movie Awards for the bounty of new trailers. But let me say this: there is no reason to ever thank the MTV Movie Awards unless you're a prepubescent teen or you're barely scratching the surface of adulthood. If you're looking for rambling speeches, extreme glitz without the glamour, Twilight inspired man-on-man kissing, jarring award-winning movies or pompous silliness, then the channel that's designed to champion music—but proliferates "reality" TV for dummies instead—is just for you. How else can one reasonably explain the dominance of the Twilight saga? And to that point, never hire Edward Cullen, I mean Robert Pattinson to be your spokesperson.
      As much as I once liked the now-deceased musically-centric MTV, today, I dislike it that much more. But I'll spare you all a vitriolic rant. Besides, the MTV Movie Awards, for all its superficiality, does occasionally reward devout movie fans like me. For we get to watch the lovely and intelligent Reese Witherspoon decry an emerging trend in young Hollywood, urging rising stars to substitute foolhardy sex tape shenanigans with hard-work and talent: "All right, it's cool to be bad, but it's also possible to make it in Hollywood without a reality show. When I came up in this business, if you made a sex tape, you were embarrassed and you hid it under your bed." Hooray to Witherspoon for her sure-to-be controversial, but refreshingly honest take. I digress and I apologize...so let's get back to movie trailers. 
*****

      First, a trailer of Green Lantern. In the clip, Tomar-Re (Geoffrey Rush) explains Oa and the Green Lantern Corps to Hal Jordan (Ryan Reynolds).


      Green Lantern is obviously overloaded with special effects. Thus, it's exciting to see these effects in action, which look, by-and-large, mighty cool.   
      Green Lantern is directed by Martin Campbell and will open June 17, 2011. In addition to Reynolds and Rush, the film also stars Blake Lively (which explains their dual on-stage appearance at the MTV Movie Awards), Peter Sarsgaard and Mark Strong.

      Next up, we get a more polished look at Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which shows the inopportune Sam Witwicky (Shia LaBeouf) belaboring in a perfunctory office job before a copy machine goes berserk.



      Everything from the gargantuan action sequences to the cheesy dialogue screams Transformers, which I suppose, is either enormously good or shamefully bad. Personally, I remain cautiously guarded by Michael Bay's steep declarations. The film finally looks like robots instead of random piles of metal bits; undoubtedly, a big improvement. Bay's "dorky humor" is batting about .100, but we'll find out if he hits a home run when the film opens June 29, 2011.

      Next up, we have J.J. Abrams tantalizingly mysterious Super 8. There is a lot of new footage here. We are privy to a lot more of the burgeoning destruction, and a bit more of the ensuing military involvement than was shown in the first trailer.


       Super 8 opens this week on June 10. My excitement meter is about to explode. 

      We also get a scene from Ruben Fleischer's (Zombieland) 30 Minutes or Less. The clip shows Aziz Ansari donning the history cap, as he's explaining the Louisiana Purchase to the young leaders of tomorrow before Jesse Eisenberg interrupts his lesson with some traumatizing news. 


30 Minutes or Less opens August 12, 2011.

      Finally, we've got the newest trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2. The clip teases the saga's climactic send-off: the extraordinary Harry Potter-Lord Voldemort face-off we've been patiently waiting for since the series began. Be forewarned that the scene below is a major spoiler. Warner Bros presumes that those who've followed the film series since the Sorcerer's Stone already have a strong inclination of what's to come; for the most part, they're right. 



      The scene closely relates to the novel, which is a good thing for true fans of the novel. The film was directed by David Yates and stars Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Helena Bonam Carter, and many, many others.
      Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the eight and final entry in the iconic, extremely beloved series, opens July 15, 2011.
 
      *The question I pose for you movie fans: do any of the above clips excite you, or more broadly, do any of the films appeal to your sensibilities? As always, let me know in the comments section.

14 comments:

  1. Briefly heard about some early raves for Green Lantern, which comes as a surprise to me as I didn't think too well of it based on the trailer I've seen.

    I'm on your side when it comes to Michael Bay and his heavy metal gig, but I'm still crossing my fingers for T3. Out of the trailers you've shared, I suppose Super 8 gets me insane as I'm a big fan of Abrams.

    Thanks for the share Matty! :)

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  2. Super 8 looks really good, it's def on my list. i skipped the HP trailer, as I'm trying to avoid spoilers and didn't actually read the last 3 books in the series. And, for the record, I wish comedy trailers wouldn't consistently reveal ALL of the funniest bits. Save a little something for when the lights go out, honey.

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  3. As you know I'm watching GREEN LANTERN, but I must admit nothing excites me too much this summer. I must wait for winter and IMMORTALS :)

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  4. I'm certainly looking forward to "Super 8" and the final "Harry Potter" installment. I'll probably end up seeing "Transformers 3," especially knowing that James Cameron had a hand in the 3D effects.

    I have no interest in "The Green Lantern," despite the early raves. 1) I'm not a huge fan of Ryan Reynolds and 2) as a superhero, the GL strikes me as a bit lame!

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  5. @ J. Son

    Yeah, I've heard those some positive sentiments regarding GL and I'm just as surprised. I'll be watching the movie, but my expectations are still fairly low. Plus, I didn't really like the theatrical trailer they released during my Hangover II showing. Neither did the audience.

    I'm hopeful for T3 as well, but Michael Bay, who has talent (Bad Boys and Transformers 1), often leaves a lot to be desired (Transformers 2, Pearl Harbor, etc.). And Super 8 should be awesome with a capital A!

    Thanks for the comments buddy!

    @ li

    Super 8 has us all positively giddy. We all seem to trust in the vision of Abrams, particularly, if it's filtered through the imagination of Spielberg.

    And I agree with your complaint regarding spoiler ridden trailers. A lot of the time, I find myself deliberately avoiding trailers. I do not want to ruin, taint or diminish the surprise element.

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  6. @ Dezmond

    Yes! I know GL has you jumping for joy. I'm hopeful, but with a cautious optimism.

    Immortals will be fantastic. And I'm not just saying that because its your most anticipated movie of forever! The story is superb.

    @ Rachel

    Glad to see you are excited for Super 8. Hopefully, the experience will give us a sense of what it must've been like to watch Spielberg's wonderful blockbusters back in the day.

    Harry Potter will ascend the Box Office greater than any movie this year; no qualms about it. It should be a fun film, but hopefully it brings closure to the epic series. My fingers are crossed.

    Transformers will be good popcorn fun. I think it will supplant the extreme mediocrity of Revenge of the Fallen. We'll see if it elevates the franchise. Plus, it's good to see that Cameron and Bay worked in unison on the 3D effects, especially since Cameron is like the Father of modern 3D effects. He and his team not only marshaled the technology to film, but they created a lot of the equipment.

    Your point on GL is well-taken. I sort of agree.

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  7. Oh these trailers have me very excited and I will admit loud and proud that I am dying to see Transformers 3. Why? Because I spent all last summer watching them film in and around Chicago. Got to see all the Autobots up close in car form. I can't wait to see what my city looks like as destruction rains down. And I'm looking forward to the destruction as they film Superman here, too. Man I love where I live.

    Sorry to gush, stopping now.

    I am DYING to see Super 8. Me and the nephew are hitting it this weekend, then it's GL, Bad Teacher and T3 in quick succession. HP will be there, too. It hink every weekend from now until the end of July will be spent at the flicks. Thank God for coupons and my friend's little cousin.

    The nephew also wants to see Captain America, but he'll have to find someone else to take him as I cannot stand CA.

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  8. All of them look like they could be fun, and I was planning to check out all but 30 Minutes or Less (which I hadn't heard of before now) and Transformers (as those toys and that cartoon were a little after my time and their charm has escaped me ever since). I have to say I don't get as excited for the Summer Movies as I once did - but my love for the superheroes means I'm all a'twitter for Green Lantern and especially Captain America; it will be good to have Harry Potter finished before anyone else died (the oldsters) or went off the rails (the youngsters) and Super 8 might be one of those Summer Movies we remember for years to come. Excellent preview Matty!

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  9. @ Melissa

    That's friggen awesome! Feel free to gush as much as you please. If they filmed T3 or Superman in my neck of the woods, my film obsession would reach Defcon 1. Producers would have to kick me off the set because I wouldn't acquiesce to anything less than a physical get-the-hell-outta here threat.

    You have an excellent strategy for the upcoming summer slate. And I'm glad you can take your little cousin along.

    Coupons rock. I watched Hangover II for free. Thank God because I wouldn't be able to justify the totality of my frustration if I paid for a ticket.

    @ Craig

    Good to hear. 30 Minutes or Less should be really good escapist theater. I think you'll get a kick out of it and I'm happy I turned you on to its existence.

    Interesting objection to Transformers. I remember the cartoons, so Michael Bay has successfully tapped into my nostalgic chords. It's a heck of a time to be a lover of superheros. You're getting a generous helping of them, so you're enthusiasm will be tested.

    Your take on Super 8 is lucid. I am desperately hoping that it becomes one of "those" films; the kind of movie that captures that Spielberg 'It' factor.

    And thanks!

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  10. I'm completely agree with your opinion around the MTV Movie Awards. Really can't stand the twilighter insanity. The only thing shiny and very watchable from the show is Emma Stone.

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  11. Summer 2011 offers us plenty of CGI-heavy spectacle, and that's why I love this movie season in first place :)

    I'm most excited about "Super 8", "T3" and "HP & TDH 2". I didn't watch the videos, coz the less I know about these upcoming flicks the better. :) What? I just like surprises :)

    MTV Movie Awards are a joke... a big one. "Eclipse" was absolutely dreadful, and deserves to get nothing but a Razzie Award for the worst movie of 2010.

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  12. @ Jaccstev

    Glad you agree. You're the only one, so far, to comment on my Movie Awards rant. Thank you!

    Emma Stone is a prize for the eyes! She's beautiful and more importantly, talented.

    @ Nebular

    Absolutely. The CGI is in massive abundance. It's a good reason to love this time of year.

    I share your enthusiasm for Super 8 (obviously), Harry Potter. Hopefully, they do not disappoint.

    And you're the second one to comment on my MTV rant, so thanks homie! There's no denying the stain of a sweeping Twilight coronation. The Razzie Award nomination would be an apt tradeoff.

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  13. I'm a trailer junkie! They're usually my favorite part of the movie (because most movies aren't living up to their trailers). Not a fan of the Transformer series, but I must go. Must. Just to see those special effects on the big screen. I wish they'd spend more time on the story so it's not such a load of crap, though.

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  14. Haha, a "trailer junkie" huh. I dig your enthusiasm and the fact that you boast a unique opinion. Not too many moviegoers claim to be bigger fans of trailers than movies, but you certainly have a bone of contention. A lot of the blockbuster, tentpole films have been disappointing. The trailers, at times, have drastically outclassed the actual movies. And Transformers should be solid popcorn fun. The special effects should be stellar. I hope it's not a "load of crap" either. Thanks for the comment :)

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