02/10/11

ScreenRant: Over the past two years my sleep patterns have become so erratic that, most days, I sleep in completely random three- or four-hour bursts, once or twice a day. Sometimes not at all. Late at night, when desperate for some Zs, I either watch one of those local Christian TV channels, read or, most often, watch film trailers. Seeing as how I’ve hardly slept a wink over this past week, I figured I’d tell you about a few of the best trailers I’ve seen over the past few days. First up is the trailer for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, a very dreamy looking film that took home the Palme D’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. The trailer doesn’t tell us much, nor does it impress with it’s cinematography or editing. Hmm … maybe it has a mysterious Julien Donkey-Boy-like appeal? Next up is writer/director/actor Matt Delia’s American Animal, a film about a dying twenty-something who goes slightly crazy after learning that his best friend/roommate is planning to leave the nest. Looks wild, weird and unique. And awesome. The first full-length trailer for J.J. Abrams’ next movie, Super 8, was finally released. Ninety or so seconds in length, the trailer plays through like a big, beautiful and stylized teaser, giving almost no info about the film - not even the actors.  The just-released trailer for Win Win, directed by Tom McCarthy (The Station Agent, The Visitor) and starring Paul Giamati and Amy Ryan, looks incredible. Cold Weather, a truly unique-looking film directed by Aaron Katz (Dance Party, USA, Quiet City), will finally see a release in select theaters this week after doing very well at last year’s Sundance Film Festival. I can’t quite figure out how to describe the movie’s appeal, other than to say that it appears to be very well made and, above all else, very unique in a Brick sort of way. Mike Mills’ Beginners, starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Melanie Laurent, tells the story of a lonely man who talks to his dog and, eventually, starts a relationship with a woman that brings up old memories of his father, a closeted gay man who came out at age 75. Looks pretty fantastic. Last but not least is Im Sang-soo’s The Housemaid, a movie I’ve been anticipating for a good while now. The film, a favorite at this year’s Cannes Festival, tells the story of an innocent young housemaid who gets caught up in the drama of a wealthy and twisted Korean family. Pretty much every shot in the trailer is a mastershot. Thus far no U.S. release date has been set. C’mon, America, get your s&%# together! Also be sure to check out trailers for Elektra Luxx, Even the Rain, Monogomy and the surprisingly fun looking Brides Maids.  

Opening This Weekend: Four big studio movies open wide this week, none of which look even remotely worthwhile to the ScreenTime staff. First up is period piece The Eagle, starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. Looks like a solid D+. Then we have Buena Vista’s new animated flick, Gnomeo and Juliet, a movie made simply because someone came up with a decent pun. Ick. Reviews so far are good, surprisingly. Also out are Just Go With It and Justin Bieber: Never Say Never. We refuse to talk Bieber, but are happy to make fun of Just Go With It, the latest in a seemingly endless series of cheesy Adam Sandler / Dennis Dugan films. This one looks worse than usual, as it features Sandler, Rachel from “Friends” and a woman with no acting skill who is married to a famous tennis player and is known for her bra size. ‘Tis the season for awful studio movies. A handful of indie flicks begin to test, including Cedar Rapids, which looks like a movie the Hangover crowd will love. Both Blue Valentine and Mike Leigh’s Another Year will see some expansion - so hopefully those two come to town soon, as both look fantastic.

Tops at the Box: The Roommate, the rare Hollywood film featuring a cast of women who actually get to share the screen with other women, opened at No. 1 this past weekend, bringing in just under $16 million over its first three days. Reviews thus far have been mixed, with many reviewers claiming that the film is predictable, poorly acted and stuffed full of cheap suspense. Okay, we made up that stuff about what the reviewers are saying about the movie, but I bet we’re right regardless!

More From the Box: The James Cameron-produced Sanctum took the No. 2 spot over its first weekend, bringing in just under $10 million over its first three days. We’ve heard that  the movie is reasonably well made and entertaining. Still, the 3D tag keeps us from taking it too seriously. Next up at the No. 3 spot last weekend was No Strings Attached, the Natalie Portman/Ashton Kutcher rom-com about two people who agree to use each other for sex. Hmm, I wonder if they fall in love? Hmm. Stringsscored another $8.4 million, upping its 17-day total to about $51 million. Rounding out the Top 5 were The King’s Speech and The Green Hornet, which brought in $8.3 and $6.1 million respectively. King’s, the movie many are saying is the favorite for this year’s Best Picture honor, has already made $84 million in the U.S. alone - quite the surprise hit.

New to Home Video: Out this Tuesday, February 15: The surprisingly great Tony Scott action flick Unstoppable; Woody Allen’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger; documentary hit Waiting for Superman; and a huge number of first-run Blu-ray editions, including All the President’s Men, Last Tango In Paris, Network, Rain Man, Stag Night and The Stranger.

Written by G. William Locke