Trailer Round-Up 6/3/2014

Once again I have allowed several new trailers accumulate over the last few weeks.  Time for another Trailer Round-Up!  In this TRU, Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar gets a full trailer, Lucy and Hercules (both part of my last TRU) get second trailers, Samuel L. Jackson works with some Brits, we get a look at Disney’s next animated feature film, and Tiny Fey and Jason Bateman tackle a more serious film.  To jump to a specific trailer, click on it’s link below.

Interstellar   Lucy   Kingsman: The Secret Service   Big Hero 6   This is Where I Leave You   Hercules

Interstellar

Synopsis: Interstellar chronicles the adventures of a group of explorers who make use of a newly discovered wormhole to surpass the limitations on human space travel and conquer the vast distances involved in an interstellar voyage.

I am a huge Christopher Nolan fan.  So far (I haven’t seen all of his works… yet) I have liked, if not loved, his movies.  And the fact he is doing a science-fiction movie is icing on the cake.  This trailer does a great job of not revealing too much but still getting me intrigued.  Plus with actors like Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Michael Caine, this movie is a must see for me .

Interstellar blasts into theaters November 7, 2014.  Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, it stars Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy, Casey Affleck, Timothee Chalamet, David Oyelowo, David Gyasi, and Michael Caine.

Lucy #2

Official Synopsis: From La Femme Nikita and The Professional to The Fifth Element, writer/director Luc Besson has created some of the toughest, most memorable female action heroes in cinematic history. Now, Besson directs Scarlett Johansson in Lucy, an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.

Much like the first Lucy trailer, this trailer shows off her powers (obviously, since that is the central focus of the film it seems).  I mentioned that I was worried about her becoming too powerful, but it seems like that may be addressed in the film.  At several points, more towards the end of the trailer, we see what looks like Lucy falling apart Dark Phoenix-style and if I remember she comments about losing her human emotions in the first trailer.  So maybe I’m worrying over nothing.

Lucy stars Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-Sik, and Amr Waked.  It’s directed by Luc Besson and will be in theaters August 8, 2014.

Kingsman: The Secret Service

Official Synopsis: Kingsman: The Secret Service tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.

Another movie with Michael Caine.  That dude really gets around.  Anyway, this movie looks pretty funny.  Taron Egerton seems to be fairly new to film, but he appears to be a humorous actor.  Hopefully he can also pull off the action needed for this film.  Colin Firth, Michael Caine, and Samuel L. Jackson, on the other hand, I know can pull off both comedy and action so no worries there.

Kingsman: The Secret Service opens in theaters October 24, 2014, directed by Matthew Vaughn and starring Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Michael Caine, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Big Hero 6

Official Synopsis: With all the heart and humor audiences expect from Walt Disney Animation Studios, “Big Hero 6” is an action-packed comedy-adventure about robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada, who learns to harness his genius—thanks to his brilliant brother Tadashi and their like-minded friends: adrenaline junkie Go Go Tamago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. When a devastating turn of events catapults them into the midst of a dangerous plot unfolding in the streets of San Fransokyo, Hiro turns to his closest companion—a robot named Baymax—and transforms the group into a band of high-tech heroes determined to solve the mystery. Inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name, and featuring comic-book style action, “Big Hero 6” is directed by Don Hall (“Winnie the Pooh”) and Chris Williams (“Bolt”), and produced by Roy Conli (“Tangled”).

Out of all the movies in this TRU, this is probably the one I am most excited for.  Not only is it Disney, not only is it Marvel, but it is Disney making a Marvel movie.  When I first heard Disney was going to make a Big Hero 6 movie, I thought it was going to be a straight to DVD release.  Instead, it is getting a full blown theatrical treatment, which is AMAZING!  What would be really cool is if Big Hero 6 existed inside Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.  It wouldn’t take much, at the very least a simple mention of an event from one of the Marvel movies or a poster of one of the Avengers in a bedroom, or even a quick voice cameo from Robert Downey, Jr. or another actor from the Marvel films.  How cool would that be?

Big Hero 6 hits theaters November 7, 2014 and is directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams.

This Is Where I Leave You

Official Synopsis: When their father passes away, four grown siblings, bruised and banged up by their respective adult lives, are forced to return to their childhood home and live under the same roof together for a week, along with their over-sharing mother and an assortment of spouses, exes and might-have-beens. Confronting their history and the frayed states of their relationships among the people who know and love them best, they ultimately reconnect in hysterical and emotionally affecting ways amid the chaos, humor, heartache and redemption that only families can provide— driving us insane even as they remind us of our truest, and often best, selves.

It’s great to see Tina Fey and Jason Bateman, two hilarious comedic actors, do a film together.  This looks to be a more serious movie for both of them, but I think they can pull it off.  In serious movies with funny undertones, it can be difficult to balance the humor with the seriousness, so it will be interesting to see how this film does.  Plus it looks like there is a strong supporting cast, so this movie has a lot going for it.

Based on the novel written by Jonathan Tropper, This Is Where I Leave You goes to theaters September 12, 2014, staring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard, and Jane Fonda and directed by Shawn Levy.

Hercules #2

Official Synopsis: Everyone knows the legend of Hercules and his twelve labors. Our story begins after the labors, and after the legend… Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules’ help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that in order for good to triumph and justice to prevail… he must again become the hero he once was… he must embrace his own myth… he must be Hercules.

I’m torn on how I feel about this movie.  On one hand, Dwayne Johnson is probably my favorite actor right now, and on the other hand it looks like it’s retreading material that has been seen many times before and could end up very cliche.  Unless I hear great things about Hercules when it’s in theaters,  I may just wait for this to come out on home video.

Hercules hits theaters July 25, 2014.  Directed by Brett Ratner, it stars Dwayne Johnson, Irina Shayk, Ian McShane, John Hurt, and Robert Maillet.

Trailer Round-up 4/12/2014

I haven’t posted many trailers over the last few weeks since I was focusing on my reviews for several Harold Ramis movies and Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  There were several awesome trailers during that time and rather than posting them individually, I’m just going to post them all together.  Click on a link to jump straight to the trailer.

Hercules    Jupiter Ascending    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles    Lucy    Godzilla    The Expendables 3   Chef

Hercules

Official Synopsis: Everyone knows the legend of Hercules and his twelve labors. Our story begins after the labors, and after the legend… Haunted by a sin from his past, Hercules has become a mercenary. Along with five faithful companions, he travels ancient Greece selling his services for gold and using his legendary reputation to intimidate enemies. But when the benevolent ruler of Thrace and his daughter seek Hercules’ help to defeat a savage and terrifying warlord, Hercules finds that in order for good to triumph and justice to prevail… he must again become the hero he once was… he must embrace his own myth… he must be Hercules.

It’s interesting that we get two Hercules movies this year.  I think Dwayne Johnson will do great as the titular hero.  He is one of my favorite actors right now and despite how good or bad his movies have been, he has been the highlight.  I haven’t seen The Legend of Hercules that was released in January, but I heard it wasn’t that great.  Hopefully this one will turn out better.

Hercules hits theaters July 25, 2014.  Directed by Brett Ratner, it stars Dwayne Johnson, Irina Shayk, Ian McShane, John Hurt, and Robert Maillet.

Jupiter Ascending #2

Official Synopsis: Jupiter Jones (Kunis) was born under a night sky, with signs predicting that she was destined for great things. Now grown, Jupiter dreams of the stars but wakes up to the cold reality of a job cleaning other people’s houses and an endless run of bad breaks. Only when Caine (Tatum), a genetically engineered ex-military hunter, arrives on Earth to track her down does Jupiter begin to glimpse the fate that has been waiting for her all along—her genetic signature marks her as next in line for an extraordinary inheritance that could alter the balance of the cosmos.

The Wachowskis have a knack for creating visually unique movies.  Jupiter Ascending looks to be no different.  This looks like amazing and so as long as the acting is good and the story is great, it’s going to be awesome.

Jupiter Ascending, written and directed by the Wachowskis and staring Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, and Sean Bean, hits theaters July 18, 2014.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Official Synopsis: The city needs heroes. Darkness has settled over New York City as Shredder and his evil Foot Clan have an iron grip on everything from the police to the politicians. The future is grim until four unlikely outcast brothers rise from the sewers and discover their destiny as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The Turtles must work with fearless reporter April and her wise-cracking cameraman Vern Fenwick to save the city and unravel Shredder’s diabolical plan.

There has been a lot of backlash about the look of the turtles, and Shredder, and his relationship to April O’Neil’s father, and, well, pretty much every aspect about this film.  Honestly, I don’t see what the big deal is.  TMNT has had several reincarnations since they first appeared in the late 1980s, each a new interpretation for that generation.  This is no different.  I understand fanboys, I’m one myself, but I will at least watch this before bashing it.

Releasing in theaters August 8, 2014, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is directed by Jonathan Liebesman and stars Pete Ploszek, Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Danny Woodburn, Megan Fox, William Fichtner and Will Arnett.

Lucy

Official Synopsis: From La Femme Nikita and The Professional to The Fifth Element, writer/director Luc Besson has created some of the toughest, most memorable female action heroes in cinematic history. Now, Besson directs Scarlett Johansson in Lucy, an action-thriller that tracks a woman accidentally caught in a dark deal who turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.

I’m very intrigued by Lucy.  Superhero movies have become a dime a dozen nowadays, so it takes a lot to stand out.  Scarlett Johansson has been in the genre several times as Black Widow, but now she is getting superpowers of her own.  My only worry is that she will become too powerful since it seems like she is getting every power under the sun.  I guess we’ll wait and see.

Lucy stars Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, and Amr Waked.  It’s directed by Luc Besson and will be in theaters August 8, 2014.

Godzilla “Extended Look”

Official Synopsis: An epic rebirth to Toho’s iconic Godzilla, this spectacular adventure, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, pits the world’s most famous monster against malevolent creatures who, bolstered by humanity’s scientific arrogance, threaten our very existence.

C’mon, it’s Godzilla.  What more do I need to say.

Godzilla hits theaters May 16, 2014.  Directed by Gareth Edwards, it stars Elizabeth Olsen, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Bryan Cranston, David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe, and Victor Rasuk.

The Expendables 3 “Roll Call”

Official Synopsis: In The Expendables 3, Barney (Stallone), Christmas (Statham) and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson), who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables — but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.

The Expendables movies have always appealed to me because they harken back to a different era of action movies, where big action compensated for a corny story.  The Expendables 3 looks to merge the old and current generations.  The Expendables 2 was a step up from the first movie, so hopefully this film can continue the trend and be the best one yet, especially if it will be the last.  Best to go out with a bang.

The Expendables 3 hits theaters August 15, 2014.  Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stahtam, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Terry Cres, and Randy Couture reprise their roles from the previous films.  Newcomers include Antonio Banderas, Wesley Snipes, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Kellan Lutz, Kelsey Grammer, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell, and Victor Oriz.  It is directed by Patrick Hughes.

Chef

Synopsis: When Chef Carl Casper (Jon Favreau) suddenly quits his job at a prominent Los Angeles restaurant after refusing to compromise his creative integrity for its controlling owner (Dustin Hoffman), he is left to figure out what’s next. Finding himself in Miami, he teams up with his ex-wife (Sofia Vergara), his friend (John Leguizamo) and his son to launch a food truck. Taking to the road, Chef Carl goes back to his roots to reignite his passion for the kitchen—and zest for life and love.

I want to see Chef for three reasons: 1) it’s written by Jon Favreau, 2) it’s directed by Jon Favreau, and 3) it stars Jon Favreau… and Robert Downey, Jr… and Scarlett Johansson… and Sofia Vergara.

Written, directed and starring Jon Favreau, Chef goes to theaters on May 9, 2014, and also stars Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sofia Vergara, Dustin Hoffman, Oliver Platt and John Leguizamo.