Dart Adams presents A Tale Of Ten Trailers 2

I did it once before last month and I had a bunch of free time on my hands so I figured I’d just go on ahead and do it again. I pored through the internet and found ten more trailers to post up and review. Keep in mind that so of the film have alternate trailers up online right now on either the Apple trailers page or IMDb. In some cases I posted my preferred trailer (to the official one) and in others my preferred one is actually on one of these previously mentioned pages (in which case I say so in the trailer breakdown or review/critique. Let’s get to it:

Righteous Kill



The first time Al Pacino and Robert Deniro have collaborated since the modern classic “Heat”. This time around they’re both cops with differing approaches to law enforcement both investigating a murder that may implicate one of their very own.

Bottom Line:
This movie is guaranteed box office gold just based off of the cast alone. Carla Gugino is always a good look, but if you can get John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg and 50 Cent (who was pretty damn good in “Home Of The Brave”, but I hope he catches a bad one anyways) in the picture that sweetens the deal. This is the kind of 1st trailer that generates maximum anticipation for the official one.


He Was A Quiet Man



This indie flick was showcased on my blog back in November as my pick for Independent Film Of The Month. Based on the early trailers and buzz from film festivals, this could end up being one of the cult films of 2008.

Bottom Line:
I’ve seen three or four variations of this trailer, my favorite being the “weird” cut that was on MySpace. This is the version on YouTube and the Apple trailers page. This definitely looks like the kind of complex, character driven thriller where the main character lives part of the film in a dream world of his design. I love ambitious shit like this, I’ll definitely be checking for this when it finally comes out.


Paranoid Park



Gus Van Sant’s new film about some drama surrounding a group of teenage skaters in Portland, OR has been racking up numerous awards at film festivals all over the globe. A dead body is found at the local train tracks, it belongs to a security guard and from there the story unfolds. It’s about to enter the theaters soon, what do I think about it?

Bottom Line:
Based on the tone of the two different trailers I saw (the YouTube one and Apple one are different), this is definitely a movie I’d be interested in seeing. It isn’t high on my list of priorites, though. I’ve been a fan of Van Sant’s style going back to his music videos and I’m curious to see how this joint’ll turn out. The lack of known actors will help make it possible to see the movie through fresh eyes and not be transfixed on a particular actor or their performance.


Hellboy II: The Golden Army



Guillermo Del Toro kept the cast of Hellboy together by making a couple of animated features and having them do the voices for each project. This time around Del Toro decided to put more of himself in this project and got to work on the much darker and action heavy sequel, The Golden Army.

Bottom Line:
This looks like it’s gonna be so much iller than the first flick. Since we don’t need to be introduced to the characters anymore, it gives the director the opportunity to focus more on the action and/or storyline. I like that this one is going to be a lot darker and more violent than the original. I think that can only make the film better. It looks like a Del Toro flick on down to the signature monsters in the trailer that look like they could’ve been in “Pan’s Labyrinth”. I’ll be checkin’ for this one, too.


Hancock



This teaser trailer is for the new summer blockbuster about an alcoholic, apathetic superhero named Hancock played by Will Smith (seriously, who else?). What’s my first impression? Find out below.

Bottom Line:
This joint looks like it’s going to be funny as hell, especially if Will Smith gets to swear a fair amount. Hopefully, this flick learns from the mistakes made by the creators of “My Super Ex-Girlfriend”, a movie that had the potential to be pretty damn funny but took a sad left turn with a few elements. The story also involves his handler/agent (Justin Bateman) trying to clean up Hancock’s act and image. Hancock then ends up in a relationship with his handler’s significant other played by Naomi Watts (Middle America is going to love that!). I’ll wait for the long trailer before I make my final decision.


In Bruges



This movie is about a couple of hitmen that finish a job and are sent to a small town in Belgium to wait for further instructions from their boss. When they decide to go out for a night on the town rather than do as they’re told their boss sends a hitman to Bruges to exterminate them both. Wacky shenanigans and tomfoolery ensue.

Bottom Line:
I’m open to seeing this one, but it’s not a priority or anything. I can see myself waiting until it comes out on DVD (this is code) before I see it. If given the decision between seeing this and “Paranoid Park” I’d pick “Paranoid Park” over this. This flick could turn out to be a lot better than I think it is. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think it’s gonna suck by any means but I’m just not moved that much by the trailer.


Chicago 10



This film is a recreation of the trail of the Chicago Seven (once the Chicago Eight before Bobby Seale was bound and gagged and eventually just sent directly to jail for contempt of court charges) following the events that took place at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. This quasi documentary uses voice actors and cartoon animation in association with archival footage to retell the events that happened in the courtroom by reenacting them as recorded in the court papers.

Bottom Line:
It kills me that Abbie Hoffman and the Chicago Seven/Eight did all of the things they did back in 1968. They knew that the Vietnam War needed to be stopped and that things needed reform. They stood and did what was necessary at that time for Americans to keep the freedoms guaranteed them by the Constitution. I don’t know how many young people in 2008 would be able to do what they did back 40 years ago. That’s why it’s so important for people to go out and see this movie given the current climate in the States today.


The Signal



This highly anticipated new horror film takes a new approach to the genre. It’s dark, it’s violent and there’s a hint of social commentary in there for good measure. How do I feel about “The Signal”?

Bottom Line:
I prefer this YouTube trailer much more than the one that’s on the Apple page. Although it will pull in the casual fan that may not be into the bleakness, violence and gore in the film and focus more on the love story it doesn’t give me an accurate idea as to what kind of horror film it’ll be. This flick looks like it’ll be a mix of elements from “28 Weeks Later”, “Children Of Men” and “Pulse” (the original, not the remake). That’s what I’m looking for! This joint, “He Was A Quiet Man” and “Chicago 10” are at the top of my must see list so far.


Diary Of The Dead



George Romero’s new vision in horror is the zombie movie as seen through the eyes of a camera/first person perspective. In this world of video games, first person shooters and reality television it’s a pretty cool idea. How did it work for me? See below.

Bottom Line:
I would really be a lot more into this film if it wasn’t for the fact that J.J. Abrams was already pushing “Cloverfield” forever and it’s finally coming out this week. I can appreciate the idea of the zombie film happening in the 1st person (I swear I just wrote this a while ago) but this seems too much like the “new wave” of horror/thriller/suspense flicks coming out. If I happen to get a chance to see it I will, but it’s not something I’m gonna make a point to see. Looks like it could be decent...I liked “Land Of The Dead” and I loved “Dawn Of The Dead” so this should be alright as well.


Cleaner



Samuel L. Jackson will be a supporting player in the upcoming blockbuster “Jumper” but he’s the lead in this dark crime drama/thriller called “Cleaner”. He plays a retired cop that operates as an underground cleaner who removes the evidence when someone dies and/or is killed in a person’s home or place of business. He runs into a mystery involving one of his past clients (Eva Mendes) and discovers that he’s somehow involved. What’s the verdict?

Bottom Line:
Yeah, I’m gonna have to see this one. This trailer hasn’t yet made it to the front pages of the Apple trailers site or IMDb and this film is currently still under the radar. Based on this one trailer alone I think I need to see this joint. I’m pretty sure that this won’t be the official trailer as well. Oh yeah, Sam didn’t do his normal yelling voice once in the trailer. This joint could end up one of those sleepers that makes between $60-$80 million without a big push.

I’ll definitely be doing this again next month so be prepared to do a lot of trailer watching and reading. You all have been warned.

One.