Volume
25: Getting Way Too Comfortable with Paul Rudd
This is 40
Dir: Judd Apatow – Planned release date:
December 21
After
the unjustly dismissed Funny People
set back his otherwise unstoppable brand, Judd Apatow returns to more lucrative
ground with This is 40; a film being
advertised as “the sort-of sequel to Knocked
Up.” It’s as if Apatow saw how put off some people were by his insanely
personal two-and-a-half-hour journey into the mind of a truly disturbed comic
and he decided to take them back to the universe they all so loved the first
time around. Based on this trailer (which doesn’t show us a whole lot) it seems
as if Apatow is returning to this universe to tell an insanely personal story
about middle age and the crises that may come with it. Of the supporting cast,
we see only Apatow’s daughters playing the central couple’s children, a brief
appearance by Jason Segel, and Melissa McCarthy talks about nipples because
hey, Bridesmaids! Based on IMDb,
other cast members include Megan Fox, Lena Dunham, Chris O’Dowd, John Lithgow
and Albert Brooks.
I
expect there will be more trailers coming out, especially since the film won’t
be released until December 21, 2012: the day of our Emmerichian demise. This
seems like a cobbled-together collection of the stuff that Apatow has finished,
and I wouldn’t be surprised if most of it won’t even be in the final product.
Right now, I can’t say the trailer gives me the best idea of what’s actually
going to be in the movie. This
is just some broad outlines, though anything that shows us this much of Paul
Rudd shouldn’t exactly be accused of restraint.
Magic Mike
Dir: Steven Soderbergh – Planned release
date: June 29
It’s
amazing how quickly my opinion of an actor can change. Not long ago, the mere
mention of the name “Channing Tatum” had me falling asleep in my chair. Now, I’m
a bit more intrigued. He gave a hilarious performance in 21 Jump Street, and teaming up with Steven Soderbergh for Magic Mike could indeed turn out to be
another great decision. This is certainly a role that plays to his, uh…
strengths, and I think Tatum is used best when placed in a part that exploits
his “dumb pretty boy” look to its full potential. Magic Mike, like 21 Jump
Street, seems self-aware enough about Tatum’s physical attributes while
also playing to the general air of sincerity that he gives off. “Range” may not
be his thing, but it seems like he’s starting to figure out the roles that he’s
supposed to play. A gleeful Tatum is the best Tatum.
Gangster Squad
Dir: Ruben Fleischer – Planned release
date: October 19
Director
Ruben Fleischer broke through with the terrific horror comedy Zombieland back in 2009, and then last
year he made the underrated Jesse Eisenberg/Aziz Ansari vehicle 30 Minutes or Less. While I liked both
of those films, they never aspire to be more than proficient diversions.
Fleischer is shooting for the big time with Gangster
Squad, but based on this trailer its pleasures may similarly lay solely on
the surface. In general, there’s a real Zack Snyder vibe here; what with the
slow-motion and the modern music playing over the action. However, there’s a
ton to be excited about here. Sean Penn lets himself off the leash for the
first time in a while, Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone resume their Crazy, Stupid, Love romance, and the
likes of Josh Brolin and Anthony Mackie play other cop types. (Meanwhile, a
Nick Nolte impersonator barks some orders in an office.) It’s a promising project,
but I don’t think it’s as highbrow as it initially set out to be. That may not
be a bad thing at all. One last thing: I have a sinking feeling that the last
shot of the trailer is the last shot of the film. I can’t prove this, but it
certainly has that vibe.
Argo
Dir: Ben Affleck – Planned release date:
September 14
While
we’re on the subject of this autumn’s period pieces, here’s the trailer for Ben
Affleck’s latest: Argo. While I liked
Gone Baby Gone and The Town, it’s good to see him leave the
profane, unsmiling streets of Boston in favor of the violent, unsmiling streets
of Iran. In short, he seems wholly devoted to becoming a very serious director, and Argo certainly seems appropriately
serious. The jury is still out on whether it’s a wise decision for Affleck to
cast himself in the lead, but oh, that hair. One thing I do know is Affleck is
a darn good filmmaker—his direction was what made The Town work so well; the writing not so much—and anyone who
decides to give Bryan Cranston second billing is fine by me. I hope Argo doesn’t become a generic,
brown-tinted piece of Oscar bait, but the addition of “Dream On” in the trailer
doesn’t exactly endear this project to me. I thought we decided after Miracle we weren’t going to use that
song anymore.
Lawless
Dir: John Hillcoat – Planned release
date: August 31
One
more period thriller for the road. Lawless,
originally The Wettest County, tells
the tale of three brothers (Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy and Jason Clarke, clearly
related) and their illegal bootlegging operation down in Virginia. Everything’s
going hunky dory at first—they’re dancing with women, getting money from Gary
Oldman—but then ol’ Guy Pearce comes to town to bust everything up. Like Gangster Squad, this doesn’t look like a
movie that’s going to be good for much more than surface-level thrills.
However, if it is well-executed than I have no reason to complain. I was not at
all a fan of John Hillcoat’s last film The
Road, but Lawless doesn’t appear
to resemble that dreary slog in the slightest. As more trailers for the fall
releases begin to find their way online, it seems the movies I’m most excited
for are the ones that just want to be entertaining. Perhaps we all learned our
lesson from J. Edgar.
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