Trailer Trash (2/22/13)

Volume 38: The Education of Mike Wazowski

Monsters University

Dir: Dan Scanlon – Planned release date: June 21

It’s been an awful long time since Pixar has been in need of a creative rebound, as their last two films (Cars 2 and Brave) are probably two of their least beloved releases. Financially they’re doing just fine, of course—they have a formula that just about guarantees a big ol’ audience—but some of the magic seems to be drifting away from the Pixar brand. That’s why I’m somewhat less than enthusiastic about the fact that they’re next film is a sequel to Monsters, Inc., which doesn’t exactly seem to promise anything revelatory. I could well be wrong, of course, since this was a studio that was able to squeeze a whole lot of awesome out of two Toy Story sequels. But I’m not entirely sure how much deeper meaning there is to be found in the story of Mike and Sully learning how to scare children in college. This trailer makes the film look perfectly pleasant and quite funny, which in and of itself will be an improvement, but I’m not sure a Monsters, Inc. prequel was something that the world was clamoring for. I look forward to being proven wrong.

Fast & Furious 6

Dir: Justin Lin – Planned release date: May 24

The world’s most ridiculous, and ridiculously awesome, action franchise is back with Fast & Furious 6, and it comes on the heels of the acclaimed Fast Five. From the look of it, it seems like Justin Lin and company are content to just keep going down that rabbit hole. They’re bringing even more characters into the mix, resurrecting others, and throwing so many absurdly over-the-top action sequences our way that we have no choice but surrender to the glorious stupidity. I can’t wait, even if this trailer makes the movie seem like it’s going to be four hours long. Honestly, I couldn’t care less, so long as Lin is able to keep delivering thrilling action sequences interrupted only by scenes of the characters standing around a table spewing tough guy dialogue at each other. When I go see a Fast & Furious movie voluntarily, this is exactly what I sign up for.

The Internship

Dir: Shawn Levy – Planned release date: June 7

Oh, boy. Oh, oh boy. I’m not even sure what to make of this, except that Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson seem to have stumbled upon a comedy that would have been tough to behold even back in 2005. I’ll say this for the trailer: it is timely in the sense that it uses that “Thrift Shop” song, but it is not timely in, oh, every other sense. The Internship may be about two older guys who are out of touch with the times, but the film seems weirdly out of touch as well. Mostly, though, this trailer is aggressively unfunny. In an age when marketing folks seem more than content with throwing all the best jokes in the previews, this is not particularly promising. Maybe the movie itself won’t be as painfully obvious as this trailer makes it look, but I can’t think of a single reason to be optimistic. Also, I can’t think of a possible way that Vaughn and Wilson could get a shot at this internship. Oh, wait, yes I can. It’s in the screenplay. 

The Company You Keep

Dir: Robert Redford – Planned release date: April 5

Robert Redford has mostly spent the last decade or so making stuffy history lessons like Lions for Lambs and The Conspirator, and while his new thriller The Company You Keep certainly seems to have a certain “history lesson” quality to it, it also seems like Redford has actually given his formula a sizable shot of adrenaline. Well, at least compared to the norm. I wouldn’t say he’s going to be entering Michael Bay territory anytime soon. Nonetheless, I’m interested to see what he does with this kind of procedural material, and whether or not he’s able to stay away from too much speechifying. There’s evidence in this trailer to support either side, but the absurd cast alone is worth the price of admission. Even if it technically stinks, The Company You Keep is the kind of movie I’m usually a sucker for, so get ready for me to give it at least a ‘B’ when it comes out in April.

The Host

Dir: Andrew Niccol – Planned release date: March 29

Stephenie Meyer has reached the point in her career where she can pretty much just keep cranking out books, sell the movie rights, then wait for the money to start rolling in. Nicholas Sparks has certainly made this formula work, and those of you who thought Meyer’s reign of terror came to an end with the last Twilight movie look to have another thing coming. There might have been reason to be excited for this movie a few years ago, as it is written and directed by Andrew Niccol, but since his last movie was the horrible In Time I’m not too optimistic that his teaming up with Meyer is going to result in a great movie. There’s good here, though. For one, I quite like Saoirse Ronan, and Diane Kruger can do no wrong in my eyes. Unfortunately, this all seems to be in service of another story about supernatural teenagers who overcome adversity because TRUE LOVE IS THE GREATEST SUPERPOWER OF ALL. It’d be wrong to deny there’s potential here, but… the odds are not in The Host’s favor. The only real question is whether Meyer superfans will show up and throw millions of dollars at a movie just because it has her name on it. If so, her brand is going to be around for a long, long time.