For Your Anticipation: A Little Too Sweet

I'm having difficulty with "This Mean's War", because usually when there are three actors who I really enjoy watching, I am more excited than I am in a state of dread. Not the case as of this moment. I'm not sure how Tom Hardy ever got to be embroiled in this. The guy is fantastic, but there's got to be a point where that charm can't quite suffice. Chris Pine and Reese Witherspoon, I understand more of how they ended up here. Doesn't make me any less unhappy about it. To be fair, this doesn't look horrible, but it looks utterly pointless. Isn't a film put on the screen for a reason?

"This Means War" Trailer

There are a number of things that the trailer for "This Means War" causes me to question, the main one being why Tom Hardy is involved in a film like this. Does the man really have nothing else to do but try to aid his starpower by appearing anything he possibly can. To be kind, he is extremely sexy in this trailer. I can't say the same for anybody else involved. And yet, I'm probably going to see it. I know it looks like an idiotic comedy, but it has Tom Hardy in it! How can I possibly refuse?

For Your Anticipation: You Have to Pay a Penalty

At this point, the only thing that was ever drawing me to this film was the promise of Christoph Waltz. The man has such a nefarious charm that is ill served by the roles that he is given. Chudnofsky was a criminally sidelined character in The Green Hornet, and the weak opposition of Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon do not spell good things for Waltz in Water for Elephants. I thought that maybe there was a chance for Pattinson to improve. It seems I was wrong, as per usual. This is looking to be something of yet another failure. So it looks like I got at least 2 out of 3 of my picks for this month right.

Theatrical Trailer: Water for Elephants

Enough of all that silly sentimental crap that we had to sit through in the first trailer. Enough of that silly old man drooling over his past life. This is the Water for Elephants trailer we wanted the first go around. The plot is clearer, and Robert Pattinson looks like less of an idiot than he did before. That's even before we get to the real reason this film looks great, and that's because of Christoph Waltz. We get a lot more of him in this trailer, and he's just as magnificent as he's always been. I don't expect an Oscar nomination from this particular role, but I expect something far more impressive than what was previously indicated. Oh, and Reese Witherspoon is in this film, kind of.

Oscar 2010: Presenters Go In Pairs

From the way this looks, I'd say we're looking at a decent stab that the shortest Oscar telecast in a while. Perhaps it won't actually put people to sleep. On the other hand, this is an odd bunch, completely devoid of Tina Fey or Steve Martin. Such a shame, but there's that open space for Best Supporting Actress. Maybe they'll make a surprise appearance, but nothing is set. I just know that this will be a difficult ceremony to sit through if The King's Speech sweeps as many believe it will. I'm praying for an upset.

1. Art Direction (Tom Hanks)
2. Cinematography (ditto)
3. Supporting Actress (?)
4. Animated Feature (Justin Timberlake, Mila Kunis)
5. Animated Short Film (ditto)
6. Adapted Screenplay (Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin)
7. Original Screenplay (ditto)
8. Foreign Language Film (Russell Brand, Dame Helen Mirren)
9. Supporting Actor (Reese Witherspoon)
10. Original Score (Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman)
11. Sound Mixing (Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson)
12. Sound Editing (ditto)
13. Makeup (Cate Blanchett)
14. Costume Design (ditto)
15. Dcumentary Short Subject (Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams)
16. Live Action Short Film (ditto)
17. Documentary (Oprah)
18. Visual Effects (Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law)
19. Editing (ditto)
20. Original Song (Jennifer Hudson)
21. Director (Hilary Swank, Kathryn Bigelow)
22. Actress (Jeff Bridges)
23. Actor (Sandra Bullock)
24. Picture (Steven Spielberg)

International Trailer: Water for Elephants

Technically this trailer made its debut a couple of weeks ago, except with far different music and less footage. It was high on the cheese, and Robert Pattinson was most obviously sucking at his job. The main attraction was Christoph Waltz as the head of the circus, and he was underused. It's amazing what a change of music and a few new frames can do. It makes this seem like a far more worthwhile film than it did before. Water for Elephants may not ultimately end up as a great film, but it looks visually good and has Christoph Waltz. No matter how ridiculous the film's premise, he completely owns his roles. The Green Hornet proved that, and I mean that as a complement to the man as well as a jab to the film.

For Your Anticipation: A Lot of Neuroses

James L. Brooks has made several fantastic and award-winning films in the distant past, but not so much in the recent past. That doesn't bode particularly well for his latest film, How Do You Know. He has a nice cast of Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Jack Nicholson. In contrast, he also has Owen Wilson, which sucks quite a bit. This should be the perfect formula, but James L. Brooks has simply lost his way. Jack Nicholson hasn't been given a truly magnificent role in quite some time, and I'm still waiting. However, he does have a great on screen presence, especially when given juicy lines with big words. I'm not going to see How Do You Know, as my plate is very much full. Still, take a look at this clip and decide for yourself.