Archive for the ‘Trailers and Clips’ Category
Watch This: The Muppets’ ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’
Watch This: The Muppets' 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
There are times in this busy world when I forget just how cool The Muppets are. Randomly mention the beastly little guys and gals, and I’ll smile politely, vaguely remembering the good old days. Put them in front of me, however, and it’s a challenge to not let out a real world, ear-breaking shriek of squee. I don’t care how long they’ve been around — The Muppets are cool, and they are no cooler than when they’re delighting in the epic grandeur of rhapsody … Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” that is.
We all know the song. It was pretty epic in its own right, and then soared to new levels in Wayne’s World, where it grabbed the #2 spot on the Billboard charts almost two decades after its release. Now the MuppetsStudio on YouTube have released the ultra-awesome clip you can see after the jump — an arseload of Muppets singing the classic Queen song just like the old-school music video. And it’s convinced me that Beaker is a lost member of the band.
The bad thing about all of this is that it’s making me wish for a whole different sort of Muppet movie. Sure, Jason Segel is planning The Greatest Muppet Movie of All Time, and the project will involve the gang reuniting to save the studio. But considering this video, and the utter awesomeness that is Segel’s rock opera inForgetting Sarah Marshall, couldn’t they halt things, change scope, and make thisThe Greatest Muppet Rock Opera of All Time? The possibilities are wonderfully epic and so utterly perfect. Who’s with me?
Trailer Park: Of Snakey Hair and Moody Teens
Trailer Park: Of Snakey Hair and Moody Teens
Percy Jackson & the Olylmpians: The Lightning Thief
You go years without seeing Medusa and then all of a sudden we get two in one week. Percy Jackson is a descendant of both mortals and greek gods, and apparently his lineage comes with some way cool powers and some fearsome villains who want to do him in (among which is Uma Thurman as the aforementioned Medusa). Based on a series of books and directed by Chris Columbus, who helmed the first two Harry Potter films, this looks like it could be some good escapist teen fun, though not quite on the same level as Harry Potter. Watch for this on February 12.
Clash of the Titans
As for Medusa number two, she is just one of the monstrosities in this remake of the 1981 film about the adventures of Perseus from Greek mythology. Most of the original film’s charm comes from the stop-motion effects by Ray Harryhausen, so it will be interesting to see how well the ideas translate to modern effects technology. The clash begins on March 26.
Remember Me
Robert Pattinson plays the tortured emo kid card once more in this drama about a young man trying to find his way. He’s really got the angry young man thing down and Lost‘s Emile de Ravin makes for an appealing romantic interest. This will be out on March 12.
Letters to Juliet
A young woman played by Amanda Seyried visits the city of Verona and helps an older woman played by Vanessa Redgrave track down the love of her life. Definite chick flick appeal here, and it starts on May 7.
The Last Song
Miley Cyrus plays a teenage girl who along with her younger brother spends a summer reconnecting with her father years after her parents split up. Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks, this could be Cyrus’s chance to break away from movies that are strictly for kids. This will be out on April 2.
New this week on AOL Moviefone:
- The White Ribbon – German language drama set in a small German town just prior to World War I.
- Why Did I Get Married Too – Tyler Perry strikes again with this drama about four couples who meet for an annual get together and explore their relationships.
- The Yellow Handkerchief – Indie drama about a recently released convict hitching a ride with a pair of teens to get back to the woman he loves.
- Kenny Chesney 3D – 3D concert film featuring country superstar Kenny Chesney.
OMG! Rob Pattinson In the ‘Remember Me’ Trailer!
OMG! Rob Pattinson In the 'Remember Me' Trailer!
Ladies, I have important news: we’ve got another Robert Pattinson movie to “squeee” over. The New Moon heartthrob stars in Summit’s romantic drama Remember Me, in which RPattz apparently gets to — dare I say it? — act his little butt off. By which I mean, throwing punches and yelling at James Bond and being sensitive and making out with Emilie de Ravin, all while rocking an American accent! Sigh. I can’t wait.
Ok, so Remember Me is a gimme – of course every Twilight fan is going to run to buy tickets to watch Edward Cullen Rob Pattinson be romantic and emo and, most importantly, have a sex scene or two or three. (I’m extrapolating from the one shot of Pattinson and de Ravin with an L sheet covering them in bed in the trailer.) And your boyfriends and husbands probably won’t want to be dragged to see it any more than they did the Twilight films. But judging from the very first trailer, Remember Me might just offer Pattinson his first big chance to prove his acting chops in a widely seen release, following dramatic but quirky turns in indies like Little Ashes and How to Be.
Watch the trailer debut for Remember Me after the jump, stat!
Remember Me in HD
Remember Me is directed by Allen Coulter, who made his feature debut with Hollywoodland after directing episodes of “Sex and the City” and “The Sopranos.” Take from that what you will. Joining its pretty pair onscreen are Pierce Brosnan as Pattinson’s father and Chris Cooper as de Ravin’s cop dad, which means three of four lead characters are played by foreign actors masking their accents, always a gamble. But I kinda think Pattinson’s got his American talk on lockdown. And did I mention the being sensitive and making out? I’m so there.
Here’s the first official synopsis and photos from Remember Me, which comes out March 12, 2010:
“In the romantic drama Remember Me, Robert Pattinson plays Tyler, a rebellious young man in New York City who has a strained relationship with his father (Pierce Brosnan) ever since tragedy separated their family. Tyler didn’t think anyone could possibly understand what he was going through until the day he met Ally (Emilie de Ravin) through an unusual twist of fate. Love was the last thing on his mind, but as her spirit unexpectedly heals and inspires him, he begins to fall for her. Through their love, he begins to find happiness and meaning in his life. But soon, hidden secrets are revealed, and the circumstances that brought them together slowly threaten to tear them apart. Remember Me is an unforgettable story about the power of love, the strength of family, and the importance of living passionately and treasuring every day of one’s life.”
by Jen Yamato
For the Real Vampire Lovers: A ‘Daybreakers’ PSA
It’s time for a brief reprieve from the romantic battles between painted-on vampiric pecs and CG fur. As you might know, the Spierig Brothers have whipped up an excellently dark vampiric flick calledDaybreakers, which William Goss reviewed last month. The film is gearing up to hit screens on January 8, 2010, and in the midst of all the other vampire
For the Real Vampire Lovers: A 'Daybreakers' PSA
chatter out there, Lionsgate has whipped up a rather excellent public service announcement which you can see after the jump.
If you have any questions or concerns about the movie, this PSA should answer them because it’s a dead-on representation of the feature. It explains the film while also managing to describe the tone and style of the pic: dark, sleek, modern, and scary with a healthy dose of ridiculousness and comedy mixed in. These things might sound like they clash — and to be honest, they do a little bit — but not in any way that ruins the movie.
You know that whoever made this clip had a perfect understanding of the film and could sum everything up with delivery rather than unnecessary exposition. (Yes, there’s a voiceover in this, but it’s different than saying: “Daybreakers serves chills and laughs.”) If only we could get this with all the trailers and marketing that floods our way…
Does the PSA tantalize you into seeing Daybreakers?
When Remakes Look Awesome: Zhang Yimou’s “Blood Simple” Redo Has a Trailer, Rap Song
When Remakes Look Awesome: Zhang Yimou's "Blood Simple" Redo Has a Trailer, Rap Song
The term remake has predominantly negative connotations, but once in awhile we see proof that a redo can be a good thing. Just look at Werner Herzog’s new film,Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, which isn’t quite a remake of Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant so much as it’s a stand-alone sequel or simply another filmmaker’s take on the same sort of character explored in the original. It’s enough to make me wish we could have seen what Spielberg and Will Smith’s version ofOldboy would have looked like.
And here’s another perfect example of a good remake: Zhang Yimou‘s version of the Coen Brothers’ neo-noir cult classic Blood Simple, which Peter excitedly wrote about back in July. The film now has a title, The First Gun (aka Amazing Tales: Three Guns), and an international trailer, which shows us just how different Zhang’s version is. The Chinese filmmaker, acclaimed for numerous Oscar-nominated films, whether recognized in the foreign, cinematography or costume categories, recently confirmed that he added a lot of things and changed the whole tone from the Coens’ version.
“We brought in a lot of comedic elements and changed the relationship and personalities of the characters,” Zhang told Chinese website Sina.com.
Of course, you can tell from the trailer that “comedic elements” is an understatement. The First Gun looks downright ridiculous, but in a good way. Not only does the film seem far removed from the original film, it also appears to be a new direction for the artist who gave us serious historical dramas like Ju Dou andRaise the Red Lantern and gorgeous action spectacles like Hero and House of Flying Daggers.
Oh, and if the trailer doesn’t surprise fans of Zhang and mainland Chinese cinema in general enough, check this out: the filmmaker has also written a theme song for the movie, titled “I’m Just Fictional,” which is said to combine rap, disco and heavy metal. And Zhang, who previously penned a song for his film debut, Red Sorghum, actually rapped on Chinese television recently to showcase the tune’s lyrics.
Intrigued yet? I almost want to fly to China next month, when the film opens domestically, to see it as soon as possible. Never mind the lack of English-language subtitles, since Zhang’s work is visually stimulating enough to still be worthwhile without comprehension of the dialogue. Fortunately for those who’d prefer to know what’s going on and being said, Sony Pictures Classics is bringingThe First Gun to America sometime next year.
As for what Zhang will be up to next, Variety reports today that he’ll be returning to his roots with a historical drama. He has yet to choose, however, if it will be the WWII-set The 13 Women of Nanjing, about sex workers during the Japanese invasion, or The Love of the Hawthorn Tree, which takes place during China’s Cultural Revolution.
