RIP Lynn Redgrave

1943-2010

Creepy new trailer for "Buried"

Early word on this project so far has been decent, with reviews saying that Reynolds is able to support the film throughout its run time. With this and The Green Lantern in back-to-back years, Reynolds, formerly known for bad horror remakes and even worse romantic-gross-out comedies, could be close to a career renaissance.

First look at "London Boulevard" and "Thor"

One post; two very different movies. First is London Boulevard, which as of now doesn't have have a release date. I've heard this title thrown around for a few months, and I kept confusing with Last Night, also starring Ms. Knightley. However, that film has the increasingly dull Sam Worthington, whereas Knightley's co-star here is the increasingly awesome Colin Farrell, who made a stellar come-back with 2008's In Bruges. The story, about a released convict who falls in love with a movie star, is definitely an interesting one, with the potential for plenty of strong drama. And wouldn't it be nice to see Keira Knightley give a good performance in a film that isn't a period piece? I think it's about time. The film is still in post-production and has yet to find a distributor, but if it's any good, expect someone to snatch it up and market the hell out of it come awards season. After all, it's directed by William Monahan, who wrote the Oscar-winning screenplay for The Departed.

Next is Kenneth Branagh's (yes, that Kenneth Branagh) Thor. I've never been much of a comic book enthusiast, so I can't really give any insight as to whether this brief glimpse of Chris Hemsworth is promising or worrisome. As is the question with these films nowadays, we have to wonder if Branagh will go for the more serious, Dark Knight route, or take a slightly lighter tone a la Iron Man (maybe somewhere in between?). I'm also interested to see what Shakespeare-loving Branagh can bring to the table in what could otherwise be just another comic-book adaptation (albeit one with a Norse mythology angle). The film, which also stars Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman, opens May 6, 2011, though I'm sure it won't be too much longer before we starting getting some teasers.

Clip from "You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger"

There isn't a lot of personality in the clip, which was the opposite of when clips from Vicky Cristina Barcelona made their way to the internet, but I'm still interested in seeing this. Obviously Allen loves his neurosis-ridden protagonists, but I hope the film isn't 90 minutes of Watts and Banderas stammering awkwardly to each other. A little of that goes a llllllooooooooooooooong way. And is it wrong the the single-take-conversation shot sort of reminds me of this? Very different in tone, but something struck me as oddly similar...

"Jonah Hex" trailer arrives

And now we know why it took them so long to release a trailer: there obviously isn't a lot of good stuff to work with. Fox seems absolutely wooden, and Brolin looks like he's struggling to emote under that make-up. The only one who looks like he's having fun is Michael Fassbender, complete with wide, crazy grins. I think I'll be skipping this one. Oh, and ENOUGH with the grunge-rock soundtrack in trailers for period action films already!

New "Inception" poster

And still no Marion Cotillard. Anywhere. I know there are behind-the-scenes stills of her, and I know she plays DiCaprio's wife, but they couldn't work her in there somehow? Is her role that small? Regardless of Cotillard's exclusion, I'm not crazy about this poster. I like the city blocks folding over on themselves, but the characters' poses at the bottom seem a little too "A-Team" for me.

"Batman 3" and "The Hobbit" by 2013

2013? 2013!? That's the longest we might have to wait? Okay, maybe I should calm down. After all, Christopher Nolan isn't a super hero (ha ha), and even with his brother Jonathan working on the script for Batman 3, he'll probably need a break after the extensive work on Inception (which I'm unbelievably excited for) before he jumps back into the director's chair. Still, it's been nearly two years since The Dark Knight, and it took three years between Batman Begins and that film. It would have been nice to have a repeat of that time table, but that looks highly unlikely. Oh well, at least it's being made, and with Nolan on board (which was confirmed a while ago).

Also, how nice is it to finally hear something GOOD about Del Toro/Jackson's The Hobbit? For a while it seemed like the whole project had come to a complete standstill. It's nice to see that at least one major film franchise is getting its next installment off the ground. People can rag on Del Toro for Hellboy all they want, but it doesn't change the fact that he wrote and directed both The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth, two stunning fantasy-dramas. And with Peter Jackson simultaneously in a rut as a director (The Lovely Bones) and on a high as a producer (District 9), it's good to have the grand maestro behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy involved in a pivotal role. I, for one, am more than ready to return to Middle Earth.