Pages

Friday, August 26, 2011

Trailer Roundup: Silence, Carnage & Rum

That's right folks, it's time for a new set of trailers, once again from a pair of Oscar hopefuls. It is that time of the year after all, and thankfully we're finally starting to catch some glimpses at these films. Check them out below.

The Artist (in theaters 11/25/11)



The whole point of a trailer is to excite the audience, creating an awareness of the film's release and building anticipation for it. No trailer this year has been so successful for me than this one, Michel Hazanavicius' silent film about a Hollywood star in the silent era who is undone by both the young actress he falls for and the advent of sound. The first thing you notice is how impressively authentic to the look of the Silent Era this film is (all the way down to the 1.33:1 aspect ratio), suggesting that Hazanavicius' direction could be nothing short of incredible. Then there's Cannes Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin's emotive performance, a truly remarkable feat that gives me faith that this film can indeed sustain it's silent gimmick for its entire runtime. And of course, there's the dancing, the score (surely the back half is original?), and the appearances by John Goodman and James Cromwell. Hopefully the film will live up to its incredible promise.

The Rum Diary (in theaters 10/28/11)



I have my reservations about this one. Ever since Johnny Depp gave us Captain Jack Sparrow in 2003's Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, he seems to have been running on autopilot, rarely reaching the creative heights of his '90s output, as if he had spent all of his talents into that one film. It certainly doesn't help that he's essentially playing Hunter S. Thompson again here - the film is based on Thompson's roman a clef of the same name. However, there is the promise that maybe this will be different, and despite a few quirks, it does seem to be a more subdued performance from Depp, which is certainly refreshing. And the supporting cast of Richard Jenkins and the trust-me-she's-got-potential Amber Heard is intriguing. I guess time will tell what comes of this.

Carnage (in theaters 12/16/11)



Despite the disappointment of Marvel fans everywhere, I'm very much excited to see how director Roman Polanski brings this bitingly sharp play to the big screen. The cast alone - Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, John C. Reilly, Christoph Waltz (12 Oscar nominations combined!) - was enough to catch my eye, but then they came up with this amazing poster. Now the first look at some footage has surfaced, and it's enticing. Winslet gets most of the big moments in this spot, though there is evidence here to suggest that the rest of the cast also nails the delicate balance of comedy and drama that the play toed. This spot makes a convincing argument that this will be the acting showcase of the year, and I'll be first in line for it.

What about you? Excited about any of these?

1 comment:

Carmen said...

thought you'd like this .... infographipedia.com/watch/infographic/photo-twitpic-login-future-28theyE28099re.jpg