Trailer Tuesday and a Call For Volunteers

 Two more trailers for you Tuesday enjoyment and a small-ish request...

Suggestion Box #15: Lost/BP

Scott Pilgrim vs The World Trailer

Scott Pilgrim Vs The World Trailer...

Trailer Tuesday

Two movie trailers for your Tuesday enjoyment!

Suggestion Box #14: E3

Get Him to the Greek

Get Him to the Greek starts out with what may be the most hilarious music video ever filmed. From the credits, we know exactly what this movie is going to set out to do. In the vein of other R-rated comedies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall (which spun off Greek), Knocked Up, and The Hangover, Get Him to the Greek is a movie that has no qualms about crossing into vulgar, gross-out comedy territory. It does so gleefully, and yet it never feels like it's falling back on that to force out a few laughs. Those jokes all fit naturally into this story, and what elevates the material here is its sense of adventure. Just when you think this movie is about to sputter to the finish and end in a completely predictable fashion, it throws something into the mix that most other comedies would have either left out entirely, or completely botched. That adventurous spirit and willingness to take the joke a step further is what makes this movie gasp-inducing funny, but what really makes this movie stand above other comedies is its heart.

The Karate Kid

The Karate Kid made in 1984 is a movie icon. I've heard references to it all my life. We see influences in many, many other movies. Although it was itself strongly influenced by Rocky, which was directed by the same John G. Avildsen seven years prior. If I had seen the original movie, it was before I was self aware, so I watched it earlier last week before I watched the remake. I loved it. Terribly intrusive 80's music aside, the original movie is fantastic. Since that movie was made there have been five Rocky sequels and four Karate Kid sequels. Even outside these franchises, there have been dozens of imitators. The style has now become a formula. So, I knew going into the remade The Karate Kid that it would be impossible to recapture the magic of the original. I was right, but that doesn't mean Harold Zwart's The Karate Kid is a terrible movie by any means. It's just not a great one either.

Trailer Tuesday

Enjoy some movie trailer happiness. The Last Airbender and Eclipse.

Suggestion Box #13: The A-Team

Vanguard

Over the course of the last few years I’ve lost pretty much all of my faith in the news media. Actually, it was all gone once Paris Hilton was all over CNN like anyone gave a shit. And that seems like a lifetime ago. Before that I had a lot of respect for the people that brought me news about the world, and told me about things I would not have otherwise known. Now it just seems like journalistic integrity is old fashioned, and news sources would rather take the easy way to a story. Which is basically just repeating whatever random thing they hear without checking sources or finding more information. It’s just easier and quicker to put everything out there and then retract info, only maybe not everyone gets the second memo and the original falsities still float around. Vanguard is an amazing show because the reporters really have a passion for delivering information. They go to far away places and often end up in dangerous situations in order to bring us knowledge, and especially to illuminate often ignored subjects.

Splice

The friend I saw Splice with decided the moments the ending credits rolled that she didn't like this movie. I could understand her reaction. Splice isn't a pleasant film. At times, it was difficult to watch.  Filled with disturbing, unsettling scenes that stick with you for a while. What we have here is a film that affected its audience in the manner it had intended. So, what we have here is a good movie.

Winter's Bone Trailer

Winter's Bone was the winner of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize. It looks amazing. It's playing in several states, Nebraska not being one of them. :(

Suggestion Box #12: Lost Epilogue

Sex in the City 2

Oh this was bad. So. Bad. And so long! I would have been impressed that such a thin plot could have been stretched our 2 hours and 45 minutes if it weren't for the fact that I had to sit through it. Does anyone remember the beginning of the series? Sex in the City was groundbreaking in the way it presented women speaking frankly and honestly about their sexuality. We had a television show featuring thirty-something single women whose only goals didn't revolve around marriage and babies. It was smart, funny, and bold. The fashion and cocktails were just a bonus. By the end of the series, fashion and cocktails was all that was left. And now we're on to the second movie- a mess with no humor, no intelligence, and no plot.

MacGruber

I'm not going to provide the usual lengthy review for MacGruber. The trailers, in a sense, speak for themselves. This is a movie that knows exactly what its audience and goes after it. If you're a fan of raunchy comedies, especially comedies with witty dialogue, you'll love this movie. I loved it. It's a fantastic true parody of 80's action movies, rather than normal parody dreck that the Scary Movie people have been responsible for. If that's not your movie and comedic sensibilities, you'll find this movie entirely unengaging, and ultimately stupid.

It's worth noting that the jokes in the trailer are much more funny in context. It's also worth noting that, while I felt the movie completely succeeded in parts, it dragged along in others. Everything in MacGruber builds to some kind of joke. Whether or not they're funny depends on what you're into.