Here's the trailer for Boulevard, coming out in a limited release on July 10th. This movie will get attention for being Robin Williams' last starring role as a 60 year old man trying to do one last good thing in his life. It looks kinda routine and sentimental, but I guess that was a lot of Williams' dramatic work. Still, it's sad to think this is the last thing we'll ever see him in.
Family Reunion in 'Kung Fu Panda 3' Trailer
We cap off our week of animated movie trailers with the return of Jack Black's kung-fu panda in the third installment of the Panda series, but I have to admit that I've never seen any of these, despite it supposedly being one of Dreamworks' best animated franchises (the How to Train Your Dragon series probably trumps it at this point). I don't know- is it worth catching up on? I'm actually surprised they're doing a third, since I remember the second one disappointing at the box office. I guess that explains the January release date.
Movie of the Day: "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993)
Our next movie dad this week is Mrs. Doubtfire, the divorced dad Daniel HIllard, who goes to extremes and masquerades as a vaguely Scottish housekeeper to fool his ex-wife (Sally Field) and kids while sneaking back into their lives full-time. This was undoubtedly one of the late Robin Williams' most beloved movies and roles, and while it does have some classic hilarious parts in it, I was always slightly bugged by the underlying creepiness of the premise- no one thought he might be clinically insane when the ruse was revealed? Really? I guess you just have to suspend disbelief. It's still worth it as one of the essential Robin Williams vehicles (even if it's not as good as Tootsie, in my opinion).
Original Trailer:
Monsters Return in 'Hotel Transylvania 2' Trailer
It's the week of animated movie trailers, apparently. Adam Sandler's Count Dracula is back in Sony's sequel to the popular Hotel Transylvania three years ago, and now they're trying to convert his possibly human grandchild to the join the "right" side of the family. This is another release coming out in September, although wouldn't it be more appropriate for an October release, closer to Halloween? You know, with there being so many monsters and vamps and all.
Emily Blunt Confronts the Drug War in 'Sicario'
This movie got a somewhat muted response at Cannes, and even though it looks like it could be decent, I'm wary because I kind of hated director Denis Villenueve's last movie Prisoners. Still, Emily Blunt keeps trying to make it as a star and here she took on a role that was originally written for a man and convinced them to cast her, so good for her on that score. It's coming out in September.
Movie of the Day: "The Bicycle Thief" (1948)
From now until Sunday we're tipping our hat to movie dads in honor Father's Day, and to start the countdown we're going with one of the most depressing films ever made (but don't worry, they'll lighten up over the next few days). That's Vittorio de Sica's 1948 neo-realist masterpiece The Bicycle Thief (or Bicycle Thieves, as it's actually translated). It's post-war Italy, and Antonio Ricci is desperate for work so he can support his family. When he manages to get a menial job selling advertizing bills, it requires a bicycle, which is immediately stolen from him his first day on the job. Ricci then spends the movie tracking down the bicycle all over Rome, dragging his young son Bruno with him from place to place. I'm not sure how great a dad Ricci actually is in this movie (he's not the nicest guy in the world), but his desperation to keep his job and take care of his family is deeply felt, and hey, he's trying everything he possibly can. There's few other films that convey the despair poverty can impart on a family like this one, and for its unsparing look at reality, this is a classic you can't miss.
!972 Re-release trailer:
'The Secret Life of Pets' Shows Off a 'Toy Story' for Animals
Universal's taking what looks to me like a Toy Story approach in this teaser for next summer's The Secret Life of Pets. Tons of celebrity voices, as usual, in a movie that looks familiar, yet probably appealing anyway (no one can ever really get enough of talking dogs). One thing does bother me though- why they can't they figure out how to animate cats that look like cats? They don't normally resemble big round furballs.
Richard Gere is a Drifter in 'Time Out of Mind'
Well this doesn't exactly look like a barrel of laughs, does it? Richard Gere in his later career has come around to being something of a character actor, and he looks like he might be good here too. But the movie looks awfully depressing, and in that aimless, wallow in misery type of way. Oren Moverman is the guy who wrote I'm Not There and directed The Messenger, so he's not untalented, but I'm not sure this one's for me.
Snoopy, Charlie Brown and the Gang Return in the New Trailer for 'The Peanuts Movie'
So, I'm not exactly sure what to think about this movie (other than being annoyed that the Peanuts have to be transformed into CG in order to reach a new audience that apparently won't accept traditional hand drawn animation). But in watching this trailer, I have to say that it doesn't exactly feel like it's a non-Peanuts movie. Apparently the Schulz family was involved here, and they may have a gotten the tone right, from what I see. Hmmm. Could it be decent? I love the Peanuts, so I hope so and I guess it would be a good thing if more kids grew to love the Schulz creations. But assuming they did do it justice, I wonder how many people it will actually appeal to- those comic strips are nothing like the kinds of humor that goes into virtually every animated movie these days, and people are awfully used to the same kind of thing now.
New Character Posters for Guillermo Del Toro's 'Crimson Peak'
Guillermo del Toro's ghost story horror movie is coming out in October, perfect timing for Halloween and I can't wait! It looks much different than the average horror movie that comes out now (how could it not be, it's del Toro, right?). The costumes and sets themselves look gothically beautiful enough to be worth admission. The central trio is put on display here, even though Tom Hiddleston kind of looks like he escaped from the Thor set in full Loki regalia.
Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "Spirited Away" (2001)
This week's blu-ray pick is Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away, the Oscar winner for Animated Film in 2003 (after it was finally released in the U.S.) and one of the most popular classics in his long list of iconic films. This one is a wild, crazy, twisted tale of a little girl who walks into an abandoned amusement park and essentially goes through a kind of rabbit hole, as she ends up in a magical world filled with spirits, dragons, witches and other assorted villains as she must race to become the hero of her own adventure. The closest comparison to make to this film is Alice in Wonderland, but it's honestly a better movie than the Disney version of that, which was really just a series of vignettes through Alice's crazytown. This film has a structured narrative and fully developed characters that you root for the entire time. It's great for kids (maybe a little scary throughout) and I'd even ease up on my no dubbing rule in order for them to watch it. It's that good.
Original Japanese Trailer (with English subs):
Ezra Miller and Billy Crudup Star in Trailer for 'The Stanford Prison Experiment'
This film showed at Sundance to mostly positive reviews, and is now coming out on July 17th, but in limited release and VOD only. I'm surprised they haven't made a movie about this already, considering the notoriety of the incident in question. And hey, there's Juno's Olivia Thirlby in there for about three seconds- she was in a few indies after Juno, but haven't seen her for a while. On rewatch of that movie, I often find her to be less annoying and more like an actual teenager than Ellen Page- always wondered if her career would end up going anywhere.
