Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Posted at 11:28 AM | 0 Comments
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Prime - Trailer A
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Bryn says: The concept seems like it came out of the Woody Allen playbook from twenty years ago but I still liked it. Psychiatrist discovers that one of her patient's new younger lover is actually her own son. The trailer seems to never really get out of first gear but I liked it all the same, largely due to Meryl Streep. The whole Jewish mother/New York psychiatrist character seems like it was played out in the days of Seinfeld still being on TV. But Streep brings something new to the character, a bit of gravitas to the largely comedic turn. I liked how the trailer stayed small and intimate. Almost boxing the characters into this situation. But it will be interesting to see how the film plays. Will it go for laughs or keep the same 'Meet The Parents' feel of awkwardness about it. The final scene/shot we get is of Thurman and Streep's characters in the kitchen trying to tell each other how awkward this situation is to relieve some of the tension only to make it worse. Perhaps a little slight but it works none the less. Score: 11 out of 20
Posted at 8:42 AM | 0 Comments
Fun with Dick and Jane - Trailer A
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Bryn says: I'm not familiar with the original film on which this is based, but based on this trailer it seems like a strange choice for a remake. I imagine that Columbia/Sony envision this film as being a big Fall tentpole movie for them. Big name star in Jim Carrey and to a lesser degree Tia Leone, a family comedy for the winter months. But this trailer is remarkable in so much as I can't remember a time when such a broad trailer painted a film and indeed the characters as being so mean spirited and unlikeable. I'm sorry, but are we supposed to associate and want to spend time with characters that steal from others to fund their own opulent middle class life style? Perhaps as an 'arthouse' movie, a character piece that explores the darker edges of funding a modern suburban life style, then yes, it sounds quite intriguing, but as a major Fall mainstream movie? You must be joking. At the start we see his neighbour with his big, shiny new car and we're supposed to sympathise with the Carrey character because he 'only' drives an older model BMW? This trailer will leave audiences cold. No doubt the film will use the "criminals with a heart of gold" line to try and get people in to see this film. Good people gone bad. Even if they want to try and make it a film that skews an older demographic like The Wedding Singers I can't imagine this film will get any discernible audience with a trailer that ends with the male protagonist shrugging his shoulders because the man he robbed at the ATM knows him. In my humble opinion no part of this trailer works. So it then comes down to the film itself. Is the very concept flawed seeing as it was based on a film from a very different era in terms of cinema (the 70's) or is this simply a trailer that fails to hit the mark? Time will tell. Score: 5 out of 20
Posted at 8:15 AM | 1 Comments
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride - Trailer A
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Bryn says: Sometimes films come out that are so different and fresh that you can't help but feel the energy through the trailer/promotional materials. Fight Club is a trailer that springs to mind. So when they get such a film and couple it with such a strong trailer the result is quite striking. From the very start this of trailer it's clear that we are being taken into a new 'world', even the studio (Warner Bros) logo is shown as being blended into this world by having it as the door knocker as we move into the church. I loved the Nightmare Before Christmas and enjoyed the teaser for this film a couple of months ago. But this trailer has really gotten me excited. They skillfully bring viewers into this dark, twisted piece by having one of the musical numbers from 'Nightmare' playing in the background. The familiar track will probably put them in mind of what it is this film is trying to do. I really cannot believe that they would have this trailer be so deliberately dark. I know that the piece itself is very dark and not very 'Happy Meal' friendly but I really thought that WB might try and lighten things up. It's clear however that this trailer knows it audience and for that I'm a very happy camper. The real stand out line for me is "Can a heart still break once it's stopped beating?" Such a line would set the various gears and levers in my mind ticking over if this were a drama, but having it in a stop motion animation? This is really something that I don't think I've ever seen before. The comedy points work well for me and as if proof is needed.. two words.. dancing skeletons. Will this trailer make this film a hit? Probably not. But if this film was every going to get it's 'message' out there then this trailer does a remarkable job. It's different and that's not a bad thing in this market place. Score: 18 out of 20
Posted at 7:08 AM | 6 Comments
Underclassman - Trailer A
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Bryn says: Ummm. To view this trailer, you may need to install an 80's codec on your computer. In a nutshell, this film seems to be The Fresh Prince of Bel Air meets Beverly Hills Cop meets... just about every 80's action film. It's a strange trailer in so much we don't get any idea as to the actual storyline of the film, just the concept. Cop goes back to school. He looks young so he is the perfect choice to play a high school kid. But why? All we get is a momentary shot of a PC monitor which reads 'Murder on Campus' and that's it. Then the obligatory frenzy of fast cuts, people with guns, girls, fast cars. BUT WHY? Why do the guys have guns? All the comedy moments have been seen before and better done. All the while watching this I couldn't help but feel that this film should have been made with Chris Tucker about eight or ten years ago. This film is really on a whistle stop tour of the theatrical circuit before heading to DVD/cable. Score: 6 out of 20
Posted at 6:29 AM | 0 Comments
Friday, June 10, 2005
Rent - Trailer A
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Bryn says: No, no, no, no, no, no. When it comes to reviewing for this site I try to be as unbiased as possible. Even with the likes of Batman and Star Wars I do try and peer through my own excitement and love of these characters and see what the trailers are actually like. But when It comes to musical theatre and musicals in general. I can't, I just can't. I hate them. I really, really hate them. The only decent musicals are Bugsy Malone (guns that fire cream pies, yo) and some (some mind, not all, some) of Chicago. But this. No. No, no, no, no. I can't even begin to talk about how this rubs me up the wrong way. This trailer knows it's audience. Because they know the song, they know these characters already. For everyone else? Nothing. If you like musicals, then you'll be familiar with this in some way. But everyone else? Not a thing. It's nothing to do with the cast or the talent involved. There are some great actors involved. Hell, even the exquisite looking Rosario Dawson couldn't help me like this. Having worked in the theatre business before my hatred for musicals is very deep, but it comes from a first hand impression. Perhaps it's just me, but there was a real, over powering sense of....smugness from this trailer. It could be me. Why didn't they just do a montage of the songs, to give a feeling for the piece as a whole, not just one song. Here it is for anyone not wanting to brave it. A series of cuts of young people in New York, the whole thing looks like St. Elmo's Fire with a song over it. Then we cut to the cast all standing in line lit with individual spot lights. They look like they are taking part in a commercial for an insurance company, "I was injured at work and got....". Wrong, wrong, wrong. I can guarantee you that the International trailer won't be anything like this. It'll likely be similar to the Phantom of the Opera trailer, not just a single song. Sorry. I tried, really I did. But, for the sake of trailer democracy, if there's anyone that actually has no feelings either way about musicals then feel free to post a comment. I would genuinely like to hear if this trailer actually interested you. I used to have a girlfriend that loved musicals. She would play the CD's of them morning, noon and night. And when she wasn't playing the CD's she was humming the songs. I've experienced musicals from all sides of the argument. I know it's all about personal taste but that's the way I feel. So there. I've come clean. You know my thoughts on the trailer. If you're truly someone who has had no exposure to musicals at all, then you should check this trailer out, to make up your own mind. And if enough people say they like'd it I might go and have another....no, I can't, I just can't.
Score: 4 out of 20
Posted at 8:07 AM | 7 Comments
The 40-Year-Old Virgin - Trailer A
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Bryn says: There's somthing that I really liked about this trailer. The slapstick at the start never really worked for me and the concept wasn't one that one grabbed me. I think the one thing I liked about this trailer was that it was showing me something I hadn't really seen before. Essentially an American Pie sex comedy aimed at an older audience. It moves at a nice pace and doesn't really try to be all things to all people. A sex comedy where the two main protagonists are over forty, I can't help but feel that sometimes in Western culture we take a Logan's Run esque attitude to people over a certain age when it comes to sex. It's as if the majority of leading women in Hollywood have a device in their hand that flashes red when they hit forty at which point they are carted off to be 'dealt' with. Here Catherine Keener (looking great for 45, I IMDB'd it people) isn't presented as being desperate for a man so she can get married. Instead we see two people embarking on a relationship. Steve Carrell's character is at once someone we can sympathise with, he's not a pervert or a closet serial killer. He's a nice guy who's had a bad run of luck and a little too shy. A really nice scene towards to the end of the trailer has Carrel's character horrified to find a friend of his trying to give him a massive box of porn just to 'tide him over'. Though not spectacular this trailer worked for me, got the film's plot and characters across and raised a smile as well. Score: 14 out of 20
Posted at 7:30 AM | 0 Comments
George A. Romero's Land of the Dead - Trailer A (uncut)
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Bryn says: Not vastly different from the first trailer that we saw a couple of months ago, but the changes are made in the pacing. And it makes all the difference. This film's strength in terms of marketing is the brand awareness that the Romero name brings to the Zombie sub genre. The first half of the trailer is giving the audience a brief recap of the previous zombies pics from Romero, so they know what to expect. At once we're acclimatised to the 'universe' that this film takes place in. The first trailer that was released was a disappoint for me. Not because of the content, but the pacing. It started strongly (the same as this one did) but then quickly descended into a blur of fast cuts and rock music. Nothing wrong with that, it's just I've seen that a million times before, especially with the Resident Evil films. Here, everything moves at a nice pace, being uncut we get our fair share of out and out zombie gore (and then some) coupled with some nice plot and character hints. Though not a fan of the zombie genre I did enjoy all Romero's zombie movies, the characters felt more rounded and fleshed out (pardon the pun) than the usual teens being eaten on an island. And it has to be said that though the multiplexes this time of year are stuffed to the gills with horror movies this really stands out from the rest of the pack. The inclusion of the Romero name and the referencing of the other films in the series make this a more attractive offering, perhaps a zombie film for connoisseurs of the genre and film fans alike.
Score: 12 out of 20
Posted at 7:13 AM | 0 Comments
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Revolver - Teaser A
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Bryn says: This is the new film from Guy Ritchie and it has to be said, if it didn't have the director's name attached to this teaser I still don't think we'd be in any doubt as to who's work this is. Ritchie has a very distinct style and after Swept Away (which I haven't seen so won't pass comment on) he's back on familiar ground. But being a teaser, it gives us no plot and only a glimpse of the actors involved. Indeed, it seems that this is a cinematic flare going up to all his fans telling them that's he back on familiar ground. There's some interesting imagery and the quote at the start certainly got my interest. As teasers go it's vague but I have hope that the next (full) trailer will show us something different and interesting in the crime/gangster genre.
Score: 10 out of 20
Posted at 7:00 AM | 2 Comments
Thursday, May 19, 2005
War of the Worlds - Trailer B
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Bryn says: The more I see of this film, the more I want to see it. I have to say, Spielberg seems to be playing the same game as Jurassic Park, keeping his cards (the monsters) close to his chest. We see glimpses here and there. But we get our biggest look yet with this trailer. A tripod using it's tentacles to fish people out of the water, an 'alien' walking around what looks like a deserted basement. All in all it's the path of destruction they leave that's really stirring me. In amongst all the rubble that Cruise walks through we see the remnants of a crashed passenger jet. And coupled with that ghostly music. Striking stuff. Come the summer, with this marketing campaign I can't see this film doing anything less than stellar business. The only reservations that I think I'm going to have with this film is the ending, I'm going to finally see these alien war machines only to have them stopped, by the sniffles! But that's hardly anything to do with this trailer, or is it? All in all, bring on the next teasing trailer or the film itself. Score: 17 out of 20
Posted at 6:31 PM | 3 Comments
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
The Da Vinci Code - Teaser Trailer A
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Seth says: What exactly was that I just watched? A trailer for some cheesy summer blockbuster action movie? Well, it does come out next May 19, so I guess it could be. Or was it a teaser for one of present day's more controversial books? Whichever you call it, this trailer was bad. Did they not have any footage to show? How long did this teaser take to make? It was pretty heavy in cgi. I think this was a waste of a trailer, in terms of creativity. Sure, they just want people to know that the movie is coming out next year, but the book was so much more profound, I figured they'd do something more than just a voiceover and computer effects. One last thing, was it me, or did other people think "Comedian" with all that voiceover?
Score: 5 out of 20
Posted at 9:14 AM | 0 Comments
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