We dig trailers and hope to bring you a regular selection which are either highly anticipated, interesting for discussion, or simply look awesome to us. The intent here at Cinapse isn’t to bring the newest, quickest, most hot-off-the-presses stuff, but simply to highlight what has come out recently (whether large or small) and to discuss what we’re digging and not digging. On top of that, unlike much of the (often soul-crushing) marketing machine that grinds on and on in Hollywood, the trailer is one of the only promotional tools that can be art in and of itself. Let us know what you think about these trailers in the comments section below!
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
I have to say that there isn’t a lot about the folk music scene of the 1960s that is of interest to me. But, if anyone can make me drool in anticipation over a film set in a world I have little to no interest in… it is the Coen Brothers.
What you’ve got here is the first major star vehicle for Oscar Isaac (Drive, Sucker Punch, Bourne Legacy), and a fine looking comedy drama from some of today’s greatest American directors, if not greatest living directors. To not be excited about this film is to be… incorrect in your priorities. Not to mention that it just played at Cannes this week to strong buzz and raves for Oscar Isaac. But beyond that, I genuinely love the tone on display here. The humor is biting and dry as a bone. But I have the sense there will be a deep soul at the heart of the movie as well.
Inside Llewyn Davis should hit theaters December 6th.
RIDDICK
Firstly, I may be the world’s biggest fan of The Chronicles Of Riddick. Just to give you some perspective here. Secondly, my man Bokeem Woodbine must have one of the greatest agents in Hollywood. Woodbine shows up in tons of action ensembles and keeps getting work. But that’s a massive aside.
It seems clear to me that Riddick is going so far back to its Pitch Black roots as to look almost identical to Pitch Black. I’m not saying that is a bad thing, but I am saying it might be unfortunate that your lead character’s opening narration in your trailer includes the line “This? This ain’t nothin’ new.” But that sounds unreasonably snarky of me. I’m Riddick-ulously excited about this movie. (In case you didn’t see what I did there, I made a pun in which I included the title of the film in a word that I made up.) I’m an action junkie and I love the character of Riddick as played by Vin Diesel. He is a sci-fi cinematic badass and director David Twohy and Vin Diesel seem to love and have fun with the character as much as any fan does. Sure, this looks to be a scaled back and tonally shifted follow up to The Chronicles of Riddick, which many seemed to loathe. But I think a little bit of the first film mixed with a little bit of the second film could be exactly what the doctor ordered for this franchise. Plus, look at that cast! BSG‘s Katee Sackhoff and fighter Dave Bautista along with the aforementioned Woodbine? Sure thing, looks like a blast.
Riddick hits theaters September 6th.
V/H/S 2
You might not be ready for this red band trailer:
I got a chance to see this film during the SXSW film festival and had a blast with it. I’d say it is a marked improvement over the first V/H/S, although I personally don’t feel like the “wrap around” narrative that links all of the different horror shorts together is an improvement over the last films in any other way than featuring less douchey characters. But the 4 directors are probably a higher caliber of filmmaker this time out, and they really embraced the horror short concept. I don’t want to oversell the film, because it is still small and has some unevenness to it. But Gareth Evans (The Raid), Jason Eisener (Hobo With A Shotgun), and Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project) really knock their segments out of the park if you ask me. Evans’ segment was my favorite, but Eduardo Sanchez’ offers a really simple idea that is executed perfectly and could/should only exist as a short film. Just writing about this and seeing the trailer again gets me pretty stoked to revisit V/H/S 2!
V/H/S 2 hits VOD and iTunes June 6th, then theaters July 12th.
THE WAY WAY BACK
Here is a trailer that just looks like so much fun I had to put it up. I heard strong buzz on this title coming out of Sundance this year and if the trailer is any indication, it looks like a winner to me.
That cast is just enormous, the setting looks wistful, the jokes land like crazy, and… can you tell I’m sold? I had to look up the writer/directors of this film because their names didn’t ring a bell. But you’ve got Jim Rash (The Dean on Community) and Nate Faxon (who co-wrote The Descendants with Rash and has tons of acting credits too.)
I’m a sucker for a coming of age story, and when you through in an exciting new writing/directing duo, Sam Rockwell, and Toni Collette just to drop a couple more names? Yeah, I’ll be checking this out. What do you all think?
The Way Way Back hits theaters July 5th.
EUROPA REPORT
This is the biggest wild cart of the bunch today, if you ask me. I’d heard absolutely nothing about this film until I was sent the trailer link. But sci-fi is huge in 2013 and if this even approaches the awesomeness of Moon (which it seems somewhat inspired by) then great!
Europa Report is directed by Sebastian Cordero who brought us Cronicas in 2004 and has a few other directing credits for films I’m not familiar with personally. This looks to be a big leap up for him with an emsemble cast featuring the wonderful Sharlto Copley (Discrict 9, The A-Team) and Michael Nyqvist (The Swedish Girl With The Dragon Tattoo films.)
I think the effects here look pretty awesome, and if any of those pull quotes are true it’ll be neat to see a really solid, scientifically-based space thriller.
EUROPA REPORT will be on iTunes/On Demand June 27, 2013 and in theaters August 2, 2013
Let us know what you think about any and all of these trailers!
And I’m Out.