Trailer Trash (8/17/12)

Volume 31: Existentialman

Man of Steel

Dir: Zack Snyder – Planned release date: June 14, 2013

For me, Zack Snyder is one of those directors that is incredibly talented yet has the tendency to indulge his worst impulses. The reason I so revile movies like Sucker Punch is because I think they represent a monumental waste of a promising director. However, teaming up with Christopher Nolan for a fresh take on Superman could be exactly what the doctor ordered. Looking at this very early teaser for Man of Steel, this will look nothing like a Zack Snyder movie. It feels like it’s taking place in some kind of real world as opposed to the weightless landscapes that Snyder is used to dishing out. Many have compared this teaser to a Terrence Malick film—what with the loving shots of grass blowing in the wind coupled with ponderous voiceover narration—and that is not a discussion I ever thought we’d have about a Snyder joint.

Obviously much is left to be revealed, as this trailer pretty much shows us nothing. Perhaps once Superman is forced to go toe-to-toe with the baddies, it will turn into some ungodly 300/Sucker Punch hybrid. I’m hopeful this will not be the case. I believe that Snyder wants to grow as an artist, and having Nolan constantly looking over his shoulder may not be the worst thing in the world. (In fact, I wonder if Nolan has more control over this film then he’s letting on. He’s even brought his old buddy Hans Zimmer along to spray his bombastic sixteenth notes all over the place.) This is a crucial, crucial film for Snyder’s career, and so far I’m optimistic that he’s going about it the right way. No Superman film could ever be all that great, but if he does this well it will open a lot of doors going forward.

Red Dawn

Dir: Dan Bradley – Planned release date: November 21

Dan Bradley’s remake of Red Dawn has been hanging around for a while, waiting to finally get distribution after MGM fell a few years back. Along with The Cabin in the Woods, it was part of Hollywood’s unintentional efforts to keep Chris Hemsworth from gracing our local movie screens. Unlike The Cabin in the Woods, this does not look like a movie that needed to see the light of day. We’re essentially looking at an action-adventure version of Footloose; it may wind up being better than its  1984 original, but it’s still a ridiculous premise that becomes even sillier once you start taking it deathly seriously. Yet the two-plus year delay may have been fortuitous for the film, as the careers of both Hemsworth and co-star Josh Hutcherson have skyrocketed in the years since. (Josh Peck and Adrianne Palicki? Well, let’s not worry about them.) I haven’t even mentioned the most awkward part of the film: the antagonists were originally the Chinese, but in post-production they went back in and turned everything North Korean. Basically, this seems like it might be a mess of a project, but here’s hoping.

Zero Dark Thirty

Dir: Kathryn Bigelow – Planned release date: December 19

Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal are returning to the Middle East with Zero Dark Thirty, a film which chronicles the hunt for—and (SPOILER) the eventual killing of—Osama bin Laden. (It was originally intended to be about a failed attempt on bin Laden’s life, but then history decided to give them a free happy ending.) It’s admittedly familiar territory for the Hurt Locker duo, but they do it well, so I’m not complaining. The only thing this teaser really gives us is the premise, several audio clips of Joel Edgerton screaming, and brief visual evidence that Coach Taylor had something to do with it. The real entertainment is in going through the film’s cast list, which includes some high-power female talent (Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Ehle) along with a cavalcade of male television stars. I’ve already mentioned Kyle Chandler, but there’s also parts for Chris Pratt (Andy from Parks and Recreation) and Mark Duplass (of the Duplasses). It will be interesting to see them in what is sure to be a deathly serious movie, but I hope Pratt is able to get some bits of physical comedy in there.

The Last Stand

Dir: Kim Ji-woon – Planned release date: January 18, 2013

I’m not sure many people expected Kim Ji-woon to make a mainstream American production anytime soon. Fewer people still expected that this film would be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s return to a starring role, and thus we have what looks like a gloriously ridiculous action film. The premise seems to be little more than “Governator Smash!”, but that’s something I’m ready to get behind if Schwarzenegger is still up to the task. He may be a tad rusty when it comes to the whole “saying dialogue” thing, but if Kim Ji-Woon is able to direct the heck out of it this could be something to see. Plus, Johnny Knoxville returns to the screen and participates in the best shot I’ve seen in any trailer this year. That alone makes it worth checking out.

The Trouble With the Curve

Dir: Robert Lorenz – Planned release date: September 21

From the Favors For a Friend Department, we have The Trouble with the Curve, a family/baseball drama that has Clint Eastwood acting in a non-Eastwood film for the first time since 1993. I was two years old then. What convinced Eastwood to step in front of the camera again while not also being behind it? Curve’s director Robert Lorenz is a producer/assistant director that has worked with Eastwood for quite some time. So, really, Eastwood is just throwing Lorenz a bone here. Not that he doesn’t seem to be having fun, and it might be nice to see him use his Gran Torino shtick for more comedic purposes. Make no mistake: this movie looks as slight and flimsy as tissue paper, but it’s got a good enough cast to make it a very entertaining piece of tissue paper. Also, let us not ignore the continuing resurrection of Matthew Lillard, who not long ago was starring in an Uwe Boll movie. Between this and The Descendants, he’s deservedly back on the right track.