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Hello, everyone. Thank you very much for reading CinemaSlants these few years. I have moved my writing over to a new blog: The Screen Addict. You can find it here: http://thescreenaddict.com/.

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Friday, July 26, 2013

Trailer Trash (7/26/13)


Volume 43: Space Jam

Gravity
Dir: Alfonso Cuarón – Planned release date: October 4
It feels like Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity has been in production for ages now, but finally this fall it will be seeing the light of day. Based on the early previews and the new trailers that were released this week, it looks like it will be more than worth the wait. It’s all fairly simple from a plot standpoint—two astronauts played by Sandra Bullock and George Clooney float through space after a horrific incident with debris—but Gravity seems like just the vehicle for Cuarón to show off his technical mastery. We’ve seen him compose many long, showy shots in movies like Children of Men, but this appears to take things to a whole other level. Both Gravity trailers released this week consist of but one shot, and of the two the one posted above is easily the most impressive. I’m still slightly skeptical that this type of thing will be able to sustain itself for feature length, but it makes for some ridiculously thrilling trailers. If nothing else, Gravity is setting up to be a movie unlike anything else released this year. Whether or not it’s actually better than everything else is another question entirely.


The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
Dir: Francis Lawrence – Planned release date: November 22
Just last year, filmgoers went out in droves to see Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen win The Hunger Games. Even people who didn’t read the book probably could have predicted that outcome. This fall, the fun will really start with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, and while there’s a lot to be excited about I have to say I’m most pumped about the appearance of Philip Seymour Hoffman as… oh good lord, these names… Plutarch Heavensbee. Seriously, this series would be a whole lot easier to take seriously if these characters were just called “Bob” or something. Anyway, as someone who liked the first film just fine, I’m anxious to see how the sequels handle the escalation of the material. Really, the first film felt more like a prologue or pilot than anything. Now this series can get down to business. Oh, and Stanley Tucci’s still around, in case you were wondering.


12 Years a Slave
Dir: Steve McQueen – Planned release date: October 18
Steve McQueen is not one to make things simple on the viewer, and depending on your point of view that could either bode well or poorly for 12 Years a Slave, which looks both amazing and incredibly hard to watch. A big reason for that could be the use of the song “Time” from Hans Zimmer’s Inception soundtrack in the trailer; a piece of music that could bring me close to tears even if it was used in a Happy Madison production. From there, McQueen handles the subject of slavery with his typical bluntness, and in many ways this film seems like an unintentional response to Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. There’s no fantasy element to the story of Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Solomon Northup, and 12 Years a Slave will depict him as he is abused by the likes of McQueen regular Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Giamatti, and Paul Dano looking as punchable as ever. If you’re looking for an early awards contender, the search can end here.


The Fifth Estate
Dir: Bill Condon – Planned release date: October 18
Speaking of Benedict Cumberbatch, here he is playing Julian Assange in The Fifth Estate. Besides being director Bill Condon’s first taste of post-Twilight freedom, many are wondering just how the film is going to depict one of the more divisive media stories of the past few years. The film may be best off trying to find some kind of middle ground, but it also has to be careful to not back off. It’s a tricky task Condon has in front of himself, and already the film has been taking fire from all sides, including Assange. From this trailer, it’s still a bit unclear what the film’s overall arc is going to be, but it’s a promising enough start. Also, it’s nice to see Daniel Brühl back on American movie screens. Between this and Rush, it seems like he’s finally getting the break he deserved immediately after Inglourious Basterds.


The Grandmaster
Dir: Wong Kar-wai – Planned release date: August 23
It’s been six years since we last heard from Wong Kar-wai, the man behind such gorgeous films as Chungking Express and In the Mood for Love. Now he is back with the martial arts biopic The Grandmaster, which looks nothing like what we’ve seen from him in the past. Even so, it looks as visually stunning as you might expect; so much so that the story probably won’t even have to be that interesting. This is definitely a case of a director getting me interested in a film I could otherwise care less about, and the flashy trailer should more than win over any skeptics. It may not resemble Wong Kar-wai’s past work, but his stylish signature can still be seen in every frame.

BONUS TRAILER!!!

Kids Police
Dir: Yuichi Fukuda – Planned release date: All day every day

I know almost nothing about this movie. I don’t understand what the characters are saying. I can’t read any of the title cards in the trailer. But I do know it is a cop film featuring a cast of adorable children, and it is glorious. I don’t have anything else to say on the matter. I just thought I should do you all a favor and show this to you. You’re welcome.

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