Categories
Amusing Trailers

Die Hard Modern Trailer

Cameron Arrigoni has recut the trailer for Die Hard (1988) so that it has a more contemporary feel.

The orchestral swells give it a vibe similar to The Dark Knight trailer.

Note the change in comparison to the original theatrical trailer, which has the heavy voice, quick pace and 1980s style music.

> Die Hard at Wikipedia
> The Art of the Movie Trailer at Filmstage

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Iron Man 2

The latest trailer for Iron Man 2 has arrived.

I couldn’t help but notice the geeky fanboy gushing on YouTube:

It looks like this film is going to make some serious money when it opens.

Intriguingly, it hits UK cinemas on April 30th, a full week ahead of the US, where it bows on May 7th.

> More about Iron Man 2 at Wikipedia
> IMDb entry

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Transformers – Revenge of the Fallen

The final trailer for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen is here.

It opens worldwide on June 24th.

> Official site
> IMDb link

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince

The latest trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

You can watch the HD version here.

(Random observation: I was at Warner Bros screening room yesterday and noticed this poster which described it as ‘HP6’)

> Official site
> Find out more about the book at Wikipedia

Categories
Amusing Trailers

Trailer: Bruno

The red band trailer for Bruno is now here.

 

It is released in the UK and US on July 10th.

> Bruno at the IMDb
> Find out more about the character at Wikipedia

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Where The Wild Things Are

This is the trailer for Where The Wild Things Are, the film adaptation of the Maurice Sendak children’s book directed by Spike Jonze.

It opens in the US on October 16th but the UK release date is TBC.

> IMDb entry
> Find out more about the book at Wikipedia

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Away We Go

This is the trailer for Away We Go, the new film directed by Sam Mendes and starring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph.

The story involves a couple expecting their first child who travel around the U.S. in order to find a perfect place to start their family.

The film opens in the US in June but a UK release is TBC.

Away We Go at the IMDb
> Watch the trailer in HD on Yahoo

Categories
News

Trailer: Up

The latest trailer for Pixar‘s new film Up.

It is released in the US on May 29th and in the UK on October 16th.

> Official site for Up
> Listen to our recent interview with Pixar chief John Lasseter

Categories
Trailers

New Terminator Salvation Trailer

The latest (action packed) trailer for Terminator Salvation.

The marketing folks obviously resisted the temptation to include audio of Christian Bale’s now infamous on set rant

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Transformers – Revenge of the Fallen

The new trailer for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen.

Watch the HD version here.

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: The Damned United

This is the first trailer for The Damned United, an adaptation of the novel by David Peace, which stars Michael Sheen as Brian Clough.

The film was scripted by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) and directed by Tom Hooper (HBO’s John Adams).

The Damned United opens in UK cinemas on Friday 27th March.

> Official site
> Find out more about Brian Clough and the novel at Wikipedia

Categories
DVD & Blu-ray Trailers

Trailer: Gomorrah on DVD

This is the trailer for Gomorrah, a scintillating crime drama set in contemporary Italy.

It was one of my films of 2008 and is essential viewing, despite the recent ridiculous Oscar snub.

Gomorrah gets a UK release on DVD and Blu-ray on Monday 9th February

> My interview with director Matteo Garrone
Gomorrah at the IMDb
> Pre-order the DVD from Amazon UK

Categories
Cinema Trailers

Trailer: Slumdog Millionaire

Slumdog Millionaire is out in the UK this Friday and I would highly recommend you see it, as it is one of the best films of the year.

> Official site
> More reviews of Slumdog Millionaire at Metacritic 
Read our selection of the best films of 2008

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: State of Play

State of Play opens in the US on Friday 17th April and in the UK on Friday 24th April 

N.B. Note the possible reference to another Russell Crowe movie at 2.03 (for the original line check out this clip from The Insider at 4.32)

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Ano Una

Ana Uno is released in UK cinemas on Friday 28th November

> IMDb entry
> YouTube interview with director Jonas Cuaron

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Crossing Over

Categories
Interesting Trailers

Crawford on Hulu


The new documentary Crawford, directed by David Modigliani, explores about the impact of President Bush’s relocation to the small town of Crawford, Texas, shortly after announcing his candidacy for president.

If you are in the Unites States you can now watch it on Hulu or buy it on DVD via Amazon.

> Official site for Crawford
> IMDb entry
> Find out more about the town of Crawford at Wikipedia

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Gran Torino

Gran Torino is released in the US on December 17th and in the UK on February 20th 2009

Categories
Cinema Trailers

Trailer: Outlanders

Outlanders opens at UK cinemas this Friday

> Official site
> IMDb entry

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Blindness

Blindness is released in UK cinemas on Friday 21st November

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Gomorrah


Film Trailers from Filmtrailer.com

Gomorrah opens at selected UK cinemas on Friday 10th October

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

Why the Saw films own Halloween

I remember walking through Leicester Square in London last Halloween and began wondering why Rob Zombie’s remake of John Carpenter’s Halloween wasn’t being released then.

It had opened on September 28th, a full month beforehand, and in the US had opened even earlier on the Labor Day weekend.

Given the obvious marketing benefits, why had the distributors not gone for the obvious October 31st release date?

The answer is simple: The Saw franchise owns Halloween. 

As the tag line for the Saw IV poster cockily put it:

If it’s Halloween, it must be Saw.

Although I’m still looking for them to use an actual image of a see-saw with the tag line: 

See. Saw.

But anyway, how did this extraordinary success come to pass?

In 2004, Lionsgate Films released a low-budget horror film from the unknown writer/director team of James Wan and Leigh Whannell

Although it had some known actors in it such as Cary Elwes and Danny Glover, it was it’s clever mixture of extreme gore and unpredictable twists that powered it to a gross of over $100 million worldwide.

Given that it was made for just $1.2 million dollars, you can see why Lionsgate keep churning these out every year. 

In fact, the last two Saw films alone were made for just $10 million each and both made box office revenues of well over $100 million, showing just how popular and enduring the franchise has become. 

Despite the financial success, there has been an inevitable decline in the quality of the films; Saw II was entertaining, but III and IV were tired riffs on the original premise to the point that I just didn’t really care about who was doing what. 

But the success with mainstream audiences does intrigue me. Do people get a kick out of the sadistic torture sequences? Or is it the intricate and puzzling aspect of the killings that fascinate audiences? (Remember, the villain is called Jigsaw).

Perhaps in an era where the current US president has essentially legalised torture they represent a bizarre fantasy for the viewer – after all, there is often a twisted morality to the people Jigsaw tortures.

But a more practical answer might be that these films are just brilliantly marketed – not only do they offer a younger audience effective scares, but they have an appealing sense of mystery in each one. 

Most horrors involve monsters or a lone boogeyman stalking unsuspecting victims, but the Saw films have an added dimension in that each death is nearly always some kind of diabolical puzzle.

Added to that there is always an element of choice the victim has – even if it means gouging out their own eye, they can still save themselves – which is a neat twist on the helplessness of most horror movie victims.

On top of that, the inherent theatricality of these sequences mean they stick in the mind more than some bimbo getting stabbed with a knife or a creature gobbling someone up.

The latest film sees Forensic Hoffmann (Costas Mandylor) take over Jigsaw’s reign and here is taste of the from the trailer:

The big question for me is where does this all end? The tagline for the poster above states:

In the end all the pieces will fit together.

But I’m already hearing there will be Saw VI next year along with a computer game(!). 

It seems we haven’t seen the last of Saw.

Saw V is released in the UK on October 24th

> Official site for Saw V
> Find out more about the Saw franchise at Wikipedia 
> Listen to our interview with Tobin Bell (who plays Jigsaw) from Saw III

Categories
Cinema Trailers

Afro Saxons

Afro Saxons is a new documentary that follows several hair stylists as they enter the Black Beauty and Hair awards – the biggest Afro hair competition in the UK.

There is Angela, a braid stylist to the stars; Wayne and Cyndia, the leading junior stylists at the UK’s biggest chain of Afro hair salons; George and Apple, a Thai couple obsessed with Afro hair; and Michael, Birmingham’s leading Afro stylist who is out to beat the all-powerful London salons.

Afro Saxons opens at selected UK cinemas on Friday 17th October

> Official site for Afro Saxons
> Find out more about local screenings of the film
> Official MySpace page and YouTube channel for the film

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Brideshead Revisited


Film Trailers from Filmtrailer.com

Brideshead Revisited is out in UK cinemas from Friday

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: The Fall


Film Trailers from Filmtrailer.com

The Fall opens in the UK this Friday

Categories
Trailers

Latest W. trailer

Although I had serious reservations about anyone making a film about George W. Bush before his presidency had even ended, I’m starting to think that Oliver Stone‘s W. is not only going to deliver the goods but maybe a possible awards contender.

The latest trailer – set to Once in a Lifetime by Talking Heads – does a great job of distilling W’s life and career in under 2 minutes.

If the film delivers on the promise of this spot then it could be something really special.

On a related note, W. is being screened at the London Film Festival on October 23rd and 24th and on Tuesday 28th there is a talk at the BFI Southbank entitled ‘Cinema under George W Bush: Eight Years of Attack and Counter Attack‘.

> Official site for W.
> Oliver Stone discusses the movie with GQ
> Check out images and on set footage from W.

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: The Foot Fist Way


Film Trailers from Filmtrailer.com

The Foot Fist Way opens in the UK this Friday

> Official site
> IMDb entry

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: I’ve Loved You So Long

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas opens in the UK this Friday

> The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas at the IMDb
> Find out more about the book by John Boyne at Wikipedia

Categories
Trailers

Final Trailer: Quantum of Solace

The final theatrical trailer for the new Bond movie Quantum of Solace.

(If this video doesn’t work try the HD trailer at Yahoo)

It is released in the UK on Friday 31st October

[ad]

> Official site for James Bond
> Quantum of Solace at the IMDb
> More details about the plot and photos from the press conference launch at Pinewood

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Saw V

The trailer for Saw V which opens in the UK on October 24th.

> Find out more about the Saw franchise at Wikipedia
> Listen to our interview with Tobin Bell about Saw III

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Linha De Passe

This is the trailer for Linha de Passe, the new film directed by Walter Salles and Daniela Thomas which opens in the UK on September 19th.

> Linha de Passe at the IMDb
> Official UK site
> Reactions from Cannes earlier this year

Categories
News Trailers

Trailer: Frost/Nixon

The trailer for Frost/Nixon, the film adaptation of Peter Morgan‘s play about the Nixon interviews conducted by David Frost in the late 70s.

If it is anything like the play, which I saw in London in 2006, then it could be something really special.

> Frost/Nixon at the IMDb
> Find out more about the play at Wikipedia
> Frost/Nixon will open this year’s London Film Festival

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Pineapple Express

Pineapple Express opens in the UK on Friday 12th September

> Official website
> IMDb entry
> Reviews at Metacritic

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Body of Lies

This is the trailer for the new Ridley Scott film Body of Lies, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe:

It opens in the US and the UK on Friday 10th October

> Official website
> Find out more about the film at Wikipedia

Categories
News Trailers

New trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Click below to check out the new trailer for Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

(If this video isn’t working try the official one at MSN)

The 6th film in the series is out in the US and UK on November 21st later this year.

> Official site
> Find out more about the film at Wikipedia

[ad]

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Somers Town

This is the trailer for the new Shane Meadows film Somers Town.

It follows two teenagers adrift in an adult world, who develop trust and acceptance through their unlikely friendship.

Tomo runs away to London from a lonely, difficult life in the Midlands. Through a chance encounter he meets Marek, a Polish immigrant living with his father in Somers Town, central London.

Directed by Meadows, it stars Thomas Turgoose (This is England), Kate Dickie (Red Road), Perry Benson (Scrum, Sid & Nancy), Elisa Lasowski (Eastern Promises), with debut English film performances by Piotr Jagiello and Ireneusz Czop.

It is produced by Barnaby Spurrier, written by Paul Fraser and has original music composed and performed by Gavin Clarke.

Somers Town is released in the UK on Friday 22nd August

> Official site for Shane Meadows
> IMDb entry for the film
> Listen to our interviews with the cast of This is England (Meadows previous film)

Categories
In Production Trailers

Trailer: W.

This is the leaked trailer for W. the new Oliver Stone film about George W. Bush.

(It is possible that this may get taken down from YouTube at some point)

UPDATE 01/08/08: The UK release date is now confirmed as November 7th 2008.

The key cast and characters are:

> W. at the IMDb
> First images from the movie
> More information on the film at Wikipedia

Categories
Trailers

Trailer: Yes Man

This is the first trailer for Yes Man, the new Jim Carrey comedy based on the Danny Wallace book.

Directed by Peyton Reed, it also stars Terrence Stamp and Zooey Deschanel.

It opnes in the US and UK on December 19th.

> Official site for the film
> IMDb entry
> Official site of Danny Wallace

Categories
In Production Trailers

Trailer: Watchmen

This is the first trailer for Watchmen, the adapatation of the Alan Moore graphic novel.

(You can also watch a bigger version over at Empire Magazine)

Directed by Zack Snyder it stars Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman, Billy Crudup, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Matthew Goode, Stephen McHattie and Carla Gugino.

Set in 1985, the film follows a group of former vigilantes as war begins to break out between the United States and the Soviet Union.

The film will be released in March 2009.

> Official site
> Check out some photos and the official blog
> Find out more about the original graphic novel at Wikipedia