Quick Look: 18 Trailers for October
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The Gambler:
Sorry folks, this is based on the 1974 film with James Caan, not the 1978 Kenny Rogers song. Still, based on this trailer Mark Wahlberg knows when to both hold 'em and fold 'em. Presumably they're saving knowing when to walk away and when to run for the film itself
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Top Five:
Writer/director/star Chris Rock's new comedy sees him playing a comedian turned film-star – so yeah, not much of a stretch there – who starts to realise his career might have peaked. And then what? Rock might never have been quite as big a star as the character he’s playing here (and he never married a reality star either), but this definitely looks like a project with a touch of autobiography around it.
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Unbroken:
Whatever you think of “inspirational” tales of real-life suffering, this Angelina Jolie-directed drama based on the life of Olympic athlete turned war hero Louis "Louie" Zamperini looks like prime Oscar-bait. Guess if the Academy wasn’t going to give her an award for acting, she’ll just have to get one for working behind the camera. (Ed note: Cook! You're okay!)
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In The Heart of the Sea:
Director Ron Howard heads out to sea to tell the true story behind the story of Moby Dick, which was based on the whaling ship Essex's encounter with a real-life white whale in the early 1800s. Suffice to say, things didn’t exactly work out so well for them.
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Foxcatcher:
The more there is to see about the true-life tale of two wrestlers (and brothers) who had their training financed by a millionaire who’d eventually kill one of them, the better it looks. And not just because it takes at least two viewings to get past the fake nose on Steve Carrell.
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Inherent Vice:
Yes, this is based on a novel by Thomas Pynchon, AKA a front runner for Greatest Author of the 20th Century (well, the second half at least). And yes, it’s directed by Paul Anderson, known for psychologically complex films like The Master and There Will Be Blood. And yet, it’s still a film about a stoner detective. Played by Joaquin Phoenix. Wearing Wolverine’s sideburns. How could it go wrong?
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Blackhat:
Michael Mann is one of the best directors currently working--only problem is, these last few years he hasn’t been working all that much. In fact, he's only made three movies in the 21st Century: Collateral, Miami Vice and Public Enemies. So a new Michael Mann movie is pretty much automatic cause for celebration, even if it’s one about the one subject Hollywood never, ever comes close to getting right: Hackers. Oh no! They’re manipulating information about Soy Futures!
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Miss Meadows:
Katie Holmes is a “pulp fiction Mary Poppins”, which is enough to sell this film even without a trailer featuring her gunning down all manner of sleazy types. And Australian Callan Mulvey is a big plus to pretty much any project these days – fingers crossed this leads to bigger things for him overseas.
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Two Bit Waltz:
Okay, so the joke in this trailer where the guy says, “it’s incredibly annoying when you talk like that” is pretty much the funniest thing ever if you’re a fan of the films of David Mamet. That's because David Mamet puts his wife Rebecca Pidgeon in all his movies and their daughter Clara Mamet (who wrote, directed and stars in this film, alongside Pidgeon and William H Macy) is doing an impression of Rebecca Pidgeon in that scene. And also, every review of every David Mamet film always makes sure to point out that Pidgeon’s somewhat monotone delivery is pretty annoying. Enjoy the trailer!
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Merry Friggin’ Christmas:
The problem with releasing a comedy featuring a star who then went on to kill himself is that there’s just a slight chance their death might overshadow the comedy. Hey look, is that Robin Williams in this film? Oh well, at least they set Joel McHale on fire, that should be good for a few laughs.
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Focus:
Will Smith – you remember him, used to be the biggest movie star in the world until he started making films with his kids – is back as a guy who can “convince anyone of anything”. That’s right: it’s con artist time! Featuring Australia’s own Margot Robbie as the person supplying the sexy side of the scam and Smith saying stuff like “you never drop the con”, which might as well be a flashing sign saying SOMEONE WILL DROP THE CON AND GET US ALL IN TROUBLE. Only you won’t know if the trouble is real or just another con. More shots of counting money!
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Tomorrowland:
On the one hand, this is a Disney movie named after one of their theme parks, and while everyone loves to talk about how good (read: money-making) Pirates of the Caribbean was, remember The Haunted Mansion? Not good. But on the other hand, it’s directed by Brad Bird (the guy behind The Incredibles and the last Mission Impossible movie) and stars George Clooney. Also: jetpacks!
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Home Sweet Hell:
Ah, Katherine Heigl. It seems like the days when she ruled the rom-com genre were a thousand years ago. But when things look grim there’s always black comedy to give your persona a polish, and as for playing a murderous control freak – well, that may not be all that much of a stretch, going by at least some of the stories about Heigl’s off-camera behaviour. At least Patrick Wilson is a pretty funny guy.
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American Sniper:
Clint Eastwood gets back to doing what he does best--making movies about people shooting other people--in this based-on-a-true-story tale of “the most lethal sniper in U.S. history”. Lots of tense action sequences (is Bradley Cooper really going to shoot a kid?) with a side serve of psychological issues ahead (pointing a gun at a kid is not good for your mental health).
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Dying of the Light:
Another month, another Nicolas Cage movie. Seriously, how can one man make so many (awesome) movies? Well, maybe this one isn’t so awesome, what with it reportedly having been taken away from director Paul Schrader and heavily re-edited. But still, even chopped-up Cage is better than no Cage. Not that we’ve had a month with no Cage in a while.
Inside Out:
It’s been a long time since Pixar was a name you could trust in animation – as this trailer seems to realise, what with the “greatest hits” montage up the front – but this look at "the voices inside your head” could be a winner. Just so long as no-one points out it’s the same idea as early '90s sitcom Herman’s Head.
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The Water Diviner:
Russell Crowe’s directorial debut seems to tick all the boxes as far as pulling in the Christmas crowds, especially with the 100th Anniversary of Gallipoli next year. So for those looking for a way to acknowledge our nation’s fallen, take heart: a father’s heart-wrenching quest to find his dead sons in the wake of WWI is only a few months away. Just don’t expect subtlety: “You can find water, but you can’t even find your own children”. You don't say.
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Taken 3:
Considering the developments revealed in this trailer, they really slipped up by not calling this Taken Too Soon (or they could pretend the second one never happened and call it Taken 2 Soon?). But who cares how the bad guys rile Liam Neeson up just so long as he gets riled up enough to use his set of skills to take out the (euro) trash?
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Anthony Morris
