For every movie released, there's like 5-10 different trailers released for them and if you happen to catch them all, generally you don't have to see the movie since the trailers have given everything away. How many times have you watched a trailer and seen the ending? How many times have you watched a trailer and have seen the"twist?" Don't get me wrong, I love trailers. I just think in modern times, the trailer has gotten away from what they were originally intended to do, get you interested without giving anything away.
Case in point- the latest Hot Tub Time Machine trailer. I've seen the movie already and loved it. The original trailers for it are awful, and I joked with my friends before we saw the movie at a screening that the trailers were keeping out all the best stuff. Guess what? They did and that made the movie all the more enjoyable. However the latest Hot Tub trailer gives away one of the best comedic moments that builds throughout the entire movie, the fact that one of the characters finds out his wife is cheating on him and calls her 9 year old self to accuse and berate her. A great pay-off at the end of the movie. But now, bam, the trailer has given away the pay-off. Bah!!
Anyway, there's my little rant about trailers and here's my double standard as I present to you some more trailers that have peaked my interest. This week I'm going to focus on some lesser known movies coming out.
The Mechanic (December 15th)
Directed by Simon West (of Con Air and Tomb Raider fame) and starring Jason Statham, The Mechanic is a remake of the 1972 Charles Bronson film of the same name which I previously reviewed on the podcast and loved. Basically the "mechanic" is a hitman (played by Statham) who trains an apprentice and well, I'll let the trailer show you. Basically it looks like a more hard-core The Transporter. This is an early preview since the movie doesn't come out until December, but its from the directed of Con Air and stars Jason Statham. What else do you need?
The Good, The Bad, The Weird (April 23rd in limited release)
This 2008 South Korean film finally sees its North American release. Directed by Kim Ji-woon (of A Tale of Two Sisters and A Bittersweet Life), this is a Korean spaghetti western in an homage to the Sergio Leone film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. I saw this film last year and it is awesome. Here's the synopsis:
Set in the 1930s Manchurian desert, where lawlessness rules and ethnic groups clash, three Korean men fatefully meet each other on a train. The Good, Do-won (Woo-sung Jung) is a bounty hunter who tracks down criminals with rewards on their heads. The Bad, Chang-yi (Byung-hun Lee) is the leader of a group of bandits and can’t stand to be second best. The Weird, Tae-goo (Kang-ho Song) is a train robber with nine lives. The three strangers engage in a chase across Manchuria to take possession of a map Tae-goo discovers while robbing the train. Also on the hunt for the mysterious map, are the Japanese army and Asian bandits. In this unpredictable, escalating battle for the map, who will stand in the end as the winner?
So yeah, I'm so happy to see this finally hit cinema's here. Do yourself a favor, if your lucky enough to have it playing in a city near you, check it out. If not, definitely check it out when it hits dvd. It's just such an odd ball western that I feel it needs to be seen to fully understand how odd it truly is.
Predators (July 7th)
Yeah I know this isn't a "lesser" known move, but damn if I don't care. I've been waiting years for a new Predator movie and I can not wait to see this. Directed by Nimrod Antal (of Armored and Vacany fame), Predators stars Adrian Brody, Laurence Fishburne and a host of other actors as the new "prey" for the Predators. Here's the synopsis:
The film stars Adrien Brody as Royce, a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors who come to realize they've been brought together on an alien planet... as prey. With the exception of a disgraced physician, they are all cold-blooded killers – mercenaries, Yakuza, convicts, death squad members – human "predators" that are now being systemically hunted and eliminated by a new breed of alien Predators.
Wow. The trailer looks fantastic. My only question? How can Adrian Brody even have a semblance of a chance of survival fighting numerous Predators when Arnold barely defeated one in the original? We shall see. This movie will be sending geek hearts all aflutter when it finally gets released.
3 comments:
I really want to see that "Good, Bad, Weird" movie. I'm a fan of all things Spaghetti Western, especially things that take the genre really far afield.
If you do too, you should check out my Spaghetti Western Concept Rap album, "Showdown at the BK Corral" I'd love to hear what you think of it! You can download it for free at sunsetparkriders.com
thanks,
Dave
Hi Dave,
If you like Spaghetti Westerns, and are interested in the Good the Bad and the Weird, you should check out Takashi Miike's (of Ichi the Ripper and Dead or Alive fame), Sukiyaki Western: Django. It's loosely inspired by the 1966 Italian film Django and it's just a really odd piece, consisting of only Japanese actors (and Quentin Taratino as a sharp shooting cowboy). I call it odd because Miike loved the original Django so much he wanted the actors in his film to speak only in English so the actors speak phonetic English and well, like I said, it's just odd but it's a great Spaghetti Western.
BTW, I listened to your album and loved it. Whatever compelled you and your friends to create a Western Concept Rap Album? Regardless, it's fantastic and I wish you all the luck.
Hey, thanks a lot! Glad you liked it! The idea came all at once, listening to an album of some 60's band called "The Outlaws" that did instrumental rock songs that sounded like the opening themes of Western TV shows. It all just seemed so perfect and obvious that we felt like we'd be stupid NOT to do it. After three years of effort, though, that thinking now strikes me as a little weird. Feel free to embed or use any of the music in your podcast or wherever (which is to say, we would love it if you would, and would be very appreciative).
I actually caught Sukiyaki Western Django in the theaters here in NY at the Landmark Sunshine, and it was ok, but I didn't love it. I felt like it was mostly just concerned with its outlandish style, which was interesting, but it didn't add a lot to the classic Spaghetti Westerns, and left me wanting a little more of some of the classic aesthetics. The truth is i don't remember it that well, and I dragged a bunch of my friends to the theater with me, so I was feeling a little self conscious about it, too. Maybe i should give it another chance.
The Good, The Bad and the Weird, on the other hand, looks like it's keeping to the more classic look and feel, just adding strange elements to the story and premise, which sounds more interesting to me. Also, where Sukiyaki Western seemed to sacrifice some of the action for being more mannered, this new one looks like it's a thrill-ride first, and anything else - homage/pastiche/subversion - second, and when I'm seeing a Western, that's really what I'm looking for.
What do you think?
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