TRAILER TIME 1

Every once and awhile I take a look on Apple to see the trailers for upcoming movies and write down my reactions to the ones that I look forward too... or the ones that confound me.

THE DARK KNIGHT

The third THE DARK KNIGHT trailer only raises my anticipation of this movie. A lot of people are throwing around "IRON MAN is the best superheroe movie ever!", which I can't agree with... was it surprisingly good? Yes. Was it perfectly entertaining? Absolutely. It was the most fun I've had watching a movie, and it did everything I'd want it too, but didn't really EXCEED my expecations in any way. THE DARK KNIGHT looks like it'll exceed my expectations. It looks like they've fixed any problems the almost immaculate first movie had, and with the whole origin stuff out of the way, they can concentrate on what makes you want to see this movie... the conflict between the Joker and Batman. And the Joker looks... amazing. I like that he's got sort of an ethos and motivation, even though it seems like he just floats in on the wind, with no past and no way of identifying him... a monster born for the soul purpose of being an enemy to Batman. I also like the idea that he's an actual threat to Batman because he's the one person that will go too far... people mean nothing to the Joker.

This looks incredible.

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

I really liked the first movie, and this looks to be more, bigger, and better. More action, more monsters, more weird Hellboy shit, The Invisible Man, and RAMMSTIEN! MORE RAMMSTIEN!

Awesome.

THE INCREDIBLE HULK

I like how it's just THE INCREDIBLE HULK and not HULK II... I sort of think that this is the only way to save the franchise... by refusing to acknowledge the first movie at all. ^_^;;; It was... hugely disappointing. This, on the other hand, with this new trailer, has got my hopes up. It looks to have everything I'd want from a HULK movie, the CG is coming together, and I like the cast (though I think Eric Banna was a fantastic Bruce Banner... he was just in the wrong movie). I like that this movie addresses the HULK as being in a sort of grey area... neither hero nor villain, a man on the run trying to protect the world from himself, he does bring a lot of pain to peoples lives, but it's only because he's constantly being provoked.

This looks good. I think we'll all be pleasently surprised. I hope...

THE MUMMY III: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR

Really? It's been YEARS since the last TERRIBLY disappointing MUMMY movie, and it's absolute mess of a spin off, THE SCORPION KING (I really wanted that movie to be good too... I love the Rock), does that world really need another MUMMY? That said, this doesn't look that bad... it's no stupider than the original, and looks like it could at least succeed in the way the original did: being a good summer popcorn movie. Not fine art, but a fun escape. I like Jet Li in anything, though I wish they'd stop typecasting him. The guy leaves Hong Kong cinema for Hollywood because he's tired of playing stoic martial arts heroes and period royalty, and what parts does he get in Hollywood? Wacky martial arts heroes, and undead period royalty. Jet Li will probably always have to play the martial arts bad ass, but I wish he'd do something more contemporary. Actually... he should look at getting in on the IRON MAN franchise... my roomate Andrew is all for James Hong being the Manderin a la BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, but Jet Li would make a good contemporary Manderin.

I'll probably see this movie is there's nothing better out that week.

SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2

HA HA HA! I'd never watch this! The big problem in this movie is that they don't answer E-MAIL. Amazing. Fuck this movie. Oh God, "Why can't you just stop thinking about it and follow your heart?" "Because... he BROKE my heart!" TEEEEEEEEERRIBLE.

THE CITY OF EMBER

This movie has this sort of weird European comics feel to it... a dark children's adventure movie about a group of children living in a Doomsday Shelter built to work only 200 years, to force people back to the surface, only they forget that they're supposed to leave, and these kids have to decipher clues, overcome danger, and defy their complacent elders to lead them to light. I had movies like this when I was a kid... movies for children where the stakes are high and the dangers are real, and it's all about kids using guts, determination, and intelligence, to overcome adversity. This is sort of in the same vein as THE NEVERENDING STORY, LABYRINTH, GOONIES, etc. I LOVE these kind of movies! Still do.

I'll TOTALLY see this.

HANCOCK

Say what you will about Will Smith, but he has rarely failed to bring an entertaining movie to the screen... except for WILD WILD WEST, that was fucking awful. Still, he's got a great track record for making movies that are great entertainment.

When I saw the first teaser trailer, I didn't really think much about HANCOCK... a drunken loser superhero? Meh. The new trailer, though, has got me interested... it starts out as a comedy, and then turns into a heroes journey sort of story, about a guy who's alone and isolated by his power, struggling with day to day life and cracking under the pressure, before finding the reason WHY he should be a hero. With great power comes great responsibility, but if you have nothing to fight for, you'll eventually crack under that responsibility.

This looks pretty good... some good set pieces, decent effects, a good cast (Jason Bateman is fucking EVERYWHERE... the dudes phenominal). I'll see this.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS

Uuuuuuh, I'm not the only one completely undewhelmed by this, am I?

I don't think I even car about STAR WARS anymore... THIS IS WHAT YOU'VE DONE TO ME, GEORGE LUCAS!!! I'M A NERD THAT DOESN'T CARE ABOUT STAR WARS ANYMORE! It's almost like saying I don't believe in God.

I'll still watch it... I just won't care. :B

TROPIC THUNDER

This could go either way... I'm expecting the shit way, but it could go either way. Robert Downey looks hilarious though.

YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN

What is it with all the action/comedies this year?

I... sort of want to see this. I don't know why I keep watching Adam Sandler films, but I keep watching them. I-I... just can't stop.

BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER

A documentary about America's hypocritical stance on steroid use. Looks sort of interesting, though I find it a little weird that it limits itself to America, like only Americans do steroids... the tone of a lot of these types of documentaries seems to be a sort of American self loathing about problems that exist in a lot of other countries.


HAMLET 2

I have to admit... this looks pretty fucking hilarious. It's about a down and out actor that writes a sequel to HAMLET to be preformed by his highschool acting class, featuring time travel, light sabers, a musical score by the Philidelphia Gay Men's Chorus, and a song called "Rock Me Sexy Jesus." AMAZING.

THE SPIRIT

Good God... no one stopped to tell Frank Miller that he HAS NO FUCKING IDEA WHAT HE'S DOING! It's going to be really interesting to see how terrible this turns out... because I think it's going to be pretty fucking terrible.

MONGOL

I sort of like this... it's like the history of Genghis Khan if it was told like CONAN THE BARBARIAN. I'll watch this.

THE HOUSE BUNNY

... What are the values you learn from this movie? Beauty and Popularity trump intelligence and honesty. FUCK YOU HAPPY MADISON! -_- Terrible... fucking terrible.

FRONTIER(S)

A French spooky distopian teens VS cannibals movie by the guy that directed SILENT HILL, which was fucking spooky. I'm not to big on splatter movies, but this looks fucking creepy.

NOISE

A weird comedy about a guy that becomes a social vigilante. It actually looks sort of interesting, but it's been a LOOOOOOOONG time since Tim Robbin's has done anything good.

That's it for now!