We have a massive heap of trailers this week; more massive than we've had in weeks. So lets get right into with the first full-length trailer for The Social Network. Three weeks in a row we've had trailers from this film featured here, but now we have an actual idea of what this film is about. As rumored earlier, this is a decidedly darker film than originally expected. Then again, this is David Fincher we're talking about, so expecting him not to bring as much darkness to the foreground as possible is kind of illogical. I get the feeling that we have a smart and clever script on our hands here, and the actors seem more than capable of handling it, so consider this film a lock for a Best Picture nomination, just by this trailer.
Next is Ben Affleck's The Town, which visually looks quite a bit like his directorial debut film, Gone Baby Gone, but I also get the nagging feeling of Brooklyn's Finest spliced into this. We've got three brilliant actors at work here in the form of Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, and Rebecca Hall, and then we have Ben Affleck. If he could just stay behind the camera, I'd be fine with it. However, he seems to have some sort of vision of himself as the next Clint Eastwood, which he isn't. The plot feels a bit too predictable for my tastes, and there are some lines that feel recycled ("I'll see you again, this side or the other."). I also get the feeling that all of the action displayed here is all of the action that will actually be in the film. Call me a pestimist, but I don't see this film doing well in the awards circuit.
There are quite a few trailers out there that don't reveal much of anything about the plot, but rather show a series of images with out dialogue, while a nameless monologue continues on in the background. The international trailer for Biutiful works a lot like that, to greater affect than most of its brethren. This is a noticably dark story, and you can tell from the hue of the cinematography, the tone of the voice over, and the look on Javier Bardem's face, that this is a film that probably won't end pleasantly. This trailer has me very much intrigued, and seeing as Bardem's performance already won Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival for this role, I'd say he stands a good chance at a nomination this year. That is if it's released before the end of the year.
Then, on the lower half of the Oscar pool is Miral, a story of an israeli girl played by Freida Pinto. That's really all I could pick up from this trailer. There is some sort of uprising, somebody who can't be trusted, and I just don't understand why. This trailer has mood swings bigger and more irrational than that of Edward Cullen. It seems to me that this is a film that's trying to get all it can from the middle east setting, and it doesn't quite register with me. I don't see anything that interests me enough to catch this film in theatres, so unless critics begin praising it, count me out on this one.
Going from vague and confusing, to vague and intriguing, the trailer to Howl. Before you ask, the answer is no. This is not a werewolf movie. This movie is more in the veign of Milk, which also starred James Franco. This time Franco takes the lead role of Allen Ginsberg, a writer who penned "Howl", a poem accused of being obscene. The trailer doensn't reveal a lot, but the way it's put together puts it on the artistic side of the spectrum. I'm not quite sure of the focus of the film, but I like the combination of black and white, the old school color, and the more modern color. This film looks at the very least interesting.
Taking a short break from quality to look into the new trailer for Devil, the M. Night Shyamalan produced horror film. People have actually been defending this trailer, saying the Shyamalan didn't direct or write the film, and that he simply is producing it. While true, that doesn't excuse the fact that not much that is truly terrifying happens in this trailer. It's a bunch of stereotypes in an elevator that stop working. Apparently, the devil is in there with them, which feels like a huge stretch, which is something Shyamalan is known for. The twist ending? The elevator opens to Narnia. I don't care about this trailer, and I don't really care about the film. All I care about is that some guy who had a small role in (500) Days of Summer is in it. I hope he lives.
Finally, we have two Zach Galifianakis trailers in a row. Starting with Due Date, director Todd Phillips' followup to The Hangover. The film follows Robert Downey Jr. as he goes on a road trip with Galifianakis in order to make it to see the birth of his child. I was a little worried about this film during the first thirty seconds of the trailer when Galifianakis starts laughing at Downey Jr.'s father abandoning him. I was wondering if that was really the joke. Then Zach spoke up and said "My dad would never do that. He loved me." It's that sort of unexpected humor that made The Hangover such a knock out film, and I'm glad that they're going that route with Due Date.
The other Galifianakis trailer is for It's Kind of a Funny Story, a dramatic comedy set in a mental hospital. Picture a more lighthearted version of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with a romantic plot and Zach Galifianakis spliced into it, and you've got a good idea of what you're in for. Zach doesn't have quite the same great dialogue to work with here, but he's got a nice bit of charm to him. It's that little unknown main actor I'm most invested in though. Whenever I see an actor I don't know who really impresses me, I see it as a sign that there is still unknown talent out there. This might be a surprise success.
The Social Network Trailer
The Town Trailer
Biutiful Trailer
Miral Trailer
Howl Trailer
Devil Trailer
Due Date Trailer
It's Kind of a Funny Story Trailer
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