Hmm. Not too impressed with this first Macbeth teaser. It looks a little rote for Shakespeare, although I'm not sure what I was expecting. Maybe it's the fact that everyone seems to be mumbling (is it me or is the sound pretty muffled here?) The movie did get good reviews out of Cannes though, so we'll see.
Jason Clarke Leads a Doomed Expedition in 'Everest' Trailer
It's been a long time since there was a good mountain climbing movie- was the last one Cliffhanger? Icelandic director Balthasar Kormakur takes on this true story based on the bestseller Into Thin Air, and it looks like it could be pretty cool. The real life tragedy in 1996 took the lives of all but one of the climbers, and Clarke leads a dream ensemble that includes Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Robin Wright. Comes out on September 18th.
Teen Mystery Unravels in 'Paper Towns' Trailer
The latest trailer for Paper Towns makes the movie look slightly more tolerable than Fault in Our Stars, but still on the cheesy, weepy side. I really think John Green seems to be the new Nicholas Sparks- we can probably expect a movie to be made from every one of his books for a while, especially if this one pulls in the teen crowd in July as predicted. Although this one seems to be about a boy's coming of age, and the target demo for this audience is teen girls, so maybe it won't do as well? Who knows.
Noah Baumbach Reunites with Greta Gerwig for 'Mistress America'
Their last collaboration was the wonderful Frances Ha, and now Baumbach is back with his muse for his second film this year, after the well received While We're Young. This one got even better reaction at Sundance in January, and was immediately picked up by Fox Searchlight for release in August. Greta Gerwig plays another screwball type heroine here, in an obvious ode to her kooky free spirit-ness (she co-wrote the script with Baumbach). I'm definitely in- Noah Baumbach seems to be on quite a roll lately, which you may have to give Gerwig some credit for inspiring.
Carey Mulligan and Meryl Streep Rock the Vote in 'Suffragette'
Just announced to kick off the BFI London Film Festival in October, this period drama about the suffragettes' movement to win women the right to vote looks to be right on its way to Oscar buzz, doesn't it? Certainly up their alley, anyway. With a good cast and a somewhat grittier look than I was expecting, this will likely be a promising contender this fall.
'Jem and the Holograms' Coming in October
So I missed this trailer a few weeks back, but boy does this look like the perfect companion piece to Pitch Perfect. Of course, any similarities to that musical franchise isn't enough for a studio, as this is also based on the 1980's toy line and animated series- I wonder if that explains the presence of 80's mainstays Molly Ringwald and Juliette Lewis in this. Fans, perhaps? It really couldn't look any cheesier, but I can't get worked up about any musical property still having fans, since it keeps the genre alive.
Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "Say Anything" (1989)
So with Aloha getting slaughtered by the critics, it's time to remember one of Cameron Crowe's great movies, and see what heights he was once capable of reaching. They say movies are products of their times, and that Crowe's special brand of sentimentality would probably get dumped on today, even if he turned out a movie as good as this one or Jerry Maguire, but I hope that's not true. If it is, it stops people from even trying to make good romantic movies anymore, which is a real loss for film, although it seems more or less true these days. John Cusack and Ione Skye are the high school graduates in love, and every beat of this movie still works, so I'd hate to think critics today are too cynical to acknowledge a movie as emotionally heartwarming and genuine as this one still is.
Original 1989 trailer:
First Look at Pixar's 'The Good Dinosaur'
I'd actually forgotten Pixar had a movie besides Inside Out coming this year, but I guess they're playing catch up since they had none last year. Here's The Good Dinosaur, a what-if-the-dinosaurs-had-survived tale that's been in the making for years, apparently. It's due for release this November.
10 Great 'Cops and Robbers' Movies to Watch in June
Happy June, everybody! As always, we kick off the new month with our list of ten great movies to celebrate with, and the theme for June is "Cops and Robbers," or my favorite action thrillers basically. There's a lot of good ones here, one for a different decade going back to the 1930's, with some classics like Scarface, Le Samourai, The Departed, Thelma & Louise, The French Connection, and one of my all time faves, The Big Heat (above, which you HAVE to check out- one of the great noirs of all time). It's cops chasing criminals, with the heroes sometimes on both sides of the law. One of my favorite themes, so head to the Monthly Movie Page to read more about the theme for June, and click here for the full list of ten movies and trailers. Happy Movie Watching! There's not a bad egg in the bunch.
BOX OFFICE 5/29-5/31: The Rock's 'San Andreas' Crushes the Competition
The old school disaster flick San Andreas pretty much destroyed the box office this weekend, coming in well above expectations with $53 million, making it Dwayne Johnson's biggest solo opening ever. Meanwhile the other opener this weekend, Cameron Crowe's Aloha, didn't even make the top five, earning just $10 million to go along with the absolutely scathing reviews it received from critics. It's been a long downhill ride for Crowe over the last 15 years- after the four great films he started out with (Say Anything, Singles, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous), it's been nothing but disappointment ever since. Which is too bad, because Say Anything and Almost Famous in particular are two of my favorite movies, and it's sad to think some directors just flatline after showing so much promise.
Last week's opener Tomorrowland fell a harsh 60% from its so-so opening weekend, pulling in just $13 million for the three days, coming behind Pitch Perfect 2, so that will turn out to be a bust, while Mad Max: Fury Road and Avengers rounded out the top five, bringing their own respective domestic totals to over $100 million and $427 million. But San Andreas is the champ for the week, as The Rock continues to show himself a reliable box office draw after his other success with Furious 7 in April.
Top 5:
- San Andreas- $53 million
- Pitch Perfect 2- $14.3 million
- Tomorrowland- $13.8 million
- Mad Max: Fury Road- $13.6 million
- Avengers: Age of Ultron- $11 million
Some limited release successes continue to be Far From the Madding Crowd (now over $8 million) and Ex Machina (at $23 million), while next week Melissa McCarthy's well received Spy is set to hit theaters and will no doubt be another hit for the comedy star. Also coming out in limited is the Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy.
Keanu Reeves Stars in Horror Movie 'Knock Knock'
For those who want to be reminded of the unintentional amusements of Keanu Reeves' bad acting, here's what looks like the campiest horror flick of all time. Two young girls seduce and then terrorize Reeves' innocent victim- yup, sounds like an Eli Roth joint. This will probably be terrible, but it looks almost laughably so.
Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart Star in 'American Ultra'
Apparently the key to my wanting to check out a movie that has Kristen Stewart in it is to pair her with Jesse Eisenberg. It's an Adventureland reunion (I could almost see this as a spiritual sequel), and it looks pretty wacky, but in a Pineapple Express kind of way. Perfect casting of course for Eisenberg, who obviously fits this role like a glove. It's coming out August 15th.
