FILMONIC WEEKLY TRAILER ROUND-UP

OCTOBER 29^th – NOVEMBER 5th

 

Hello everyone! Welcome to the brand-new, weekly trailer round up! Each week, I’ll be bringing you the new trailers that were released, and let you know a little bit about them. Some of the posters for the films may be missing, as they have not been released yet! Anyway, let’s begin!

 

 

WANTED

Starring: James McAvoy, Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman

Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809878244/video/4771511

Summary: After the murder of a father he never knew, Wes discovers powers beyond his dreams. He becomes the latest recruit in the Fraternity–a secret society of assassins–and develops lightning-quick reflexes with superhuman agility. Wes soon learns his league of henchmen has but one mission: carry out the death orders of the mythological Fates, weavers of every man’s lifeline. But as Wes grows into the mantle passed down by his father, he discovers his clan members are not exactly the enforcers of justice they claim to be.

Prognosis: I was a huge fan of the comic book, so I was very much looking forward to this film. However, when I learned that everything I loved about the book wouldn’t be in the film, I was a bit disappointed. To me, what worked about the book was how far the super villains went in order to achieve their goals. The world they had created was a super villain’s ultimate paradise. On top of that, Mr. Rictus was a total bad ass, and everything you could ever want in a bad guy. This film pretty much does away with the whole ‘super villains taking over the world’ deal, and just makes it about an elite group of assassins. From the looks of the trailer, it still looks pretty good, even if it does steal a bit from The Matrix. I’d give at a B.

National Treasure: Book Of Secrets

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Jon Voight, Ed Harris

Trailer: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1809839449/video/4819571

Summary: When a missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth surfaces, Ben’s great-great grandfather is suddenly implicated as a key conspirator in Abraham Lincoln’s death. Determined to prove his ancestor’s innocence, Ben follows an international chain of clues that takes him on a chase from Paris to London and ultimately back to America. This journey leads Ben and his crew not only to surprising revelations – but to the trail of the world’s most treasured secrets.

Prognosis: I still haven’t seen the first film, and probably never well. I don’t necessarily hate Nicolas Cage. I think he’s done some good stuff in the past. However, this movie looks terrible. I believe this is the second trailer for this film, and it doesn’t do anything more to convince me than the first trailer did. Stiff jokes, bad looking action sequences, and the like. Some of the sets look fantastic and well done…however, I’m still going to have to say ‘no thanks’ to this. C-

There Will Be Blood

Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount_vantage/therewillbeblood/domestictrailer1/

Summary: A sprawling epic about family, greed, corruption, and the pursuit of the American dream. Set in the booming West coast oil fields at the turn of the 20th century, There Will Be Blood follows the rise of rugged prospector Daniel Plainview (Day-Lewis) who becomes an independent oilman after hitting it rich with the strike of a lifetime. Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, the film is inspired by Upton Sinclair’s novel “Oil!”

Prognosis: I’m usually on the bandwagon of saying Anderson’s films suck. However, this one intrigues me a bit. You barely get a story from the trailer, but it just looks like one of those period films that grab you. Day-Lewis is a fantastic actor, and I would see this for him alone. B+

What Would Jesus Buy?

Starring: Bill Talen, Savitri D

Trailer: http://www.apple.com/trailers/independent/whatwouldjesusbuy/trailer/

Summary: Follow Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir as they go on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse: the end of mankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt! From producer Morgan Spurlock (”Super Size Me”) and director Rob VanAlkemade comes a serious docu-comedy about the commercialization of Christmas.

Prognosis: This looks hilarious. The man goes around, preaching about the Shopocalypse and getting the demons out of cash registers. Not only am I sure it’ll will be very informative, but I’m quite certain it’ll make me laugh a lot. I’m sold. A+

Kung Fu Panda

Starring: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan

Trailer: http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/trailers/kfp/kfp_trlr1_qt_352.mov

Summary: Featuring Jack Black as Po the Panda, a lowly waiter in a noodle restaurant, who is a kung fu fanatic but whose shape doesn’t exactly lend itself to kung fu fighting. In fact, Po’s defining characteristic appears to be that he is the laziest of all the animals in ancient China. That’s a problem because powerful enemies are at the gates, and all hopes have been pinned on a prophecy naming Po as the “Chosen One” to save the day. A group of martial arts masters are going to need a black belt in patience if they are going to turn this slacker panda into a kung fu fighter before it’s too late.

Prognosis: Not much to say, except that it looks to be another cutesy family film from Dreamworks. These films are pretty hit or miss for me, and I can’t really tell much about it from the trailer. B-

Iron Man

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Terrence Howard, Gwyneth Paltrow

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYZ3954lqag

Summary: Based upon Marvel’s iconic Super Hero, “Iron Man” tells the story of Tony Stark, a billionaire industrialist and genius inventor who is kidnapped and forced to build a devastating weapon. Instead, using his intelligence and ingenuity, Tony builds a high-tech suit of armor and escapes captivity. Upon his return to America, Tony must come to terms with his past. When he uncovers a nefarious plot with global implications, he dons his powerful armor and vows to protect the world as Iron Man.

Prognosis: This is the international trailer for the film. Though the first trailer kicked all sorts of ass, this one manages to hold its own as well. Clocking in at just under a minute, we get a whole bunch of new scenes of the film. I can’t wait to see this movie. A+