Matt Damon is officially a Hollywood juggernaut. Not only does he have heaps of movies in the works (a Liberace biopic, an Eastwood film and a new project with the Coen brothers), he also has the thriller Green Zone. Even though I've been anxiously awaiting a fourth Bourne installment, Green Zone looks like a worthy substitute for the time being. (No doubt because it's directed by Paul Greengrass, who worked on the Bourne franchise.) Damon is back to kicking butt and taking names as Roy Miller, an Army officer on the search for weapons of mass destruction. During his journey, Miller seeks the help of a journalist (Amy Ryan) and gets tangled up with an underhanded higher-up (Greg Kinnear). As a result of his sniffing around where he's not supposed to, Miller soon ends up with a giant bull's-eye on his head. Dun, dun, dun! While the storyline doesn't sound entirely fresh, you can still count me in for this one. The trailer has that edge-of-your-seat suspense vibe and with Damon and Greengrass working together, I know I'll be entertained. The movie hits theatres today, so watch the preview and let me know if you're interested in seeing Green Zone.
After seven straight weeks at No. 1 and record-breaking ticket sales in the US, Avatar finally got the boot from Dear John back in February. The Nicholas Sparks romance took in $32.4 million in its debut week in theaters, dethroning the James Cameron box office king and now it's hitting our shores this weekend.
In the film, Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried fall for each other one summer while Seyfried's character Savannah is home from college and Tatum's John is home on leave. When they have to leave each other and return to their respective obligations, they begin writing letters to keep in touch, hence the title (it's set in the late 1990s so no email, text or SMS). Normally I would be holding my nose for this schlockfest, but I can't deny the talent of director Lasse Hallstrom, the charisma of the two leads, or the major soft spots I have for The Notebook and A Walk to Remember—both movies made from Sparks books. And there's another bonus: Six Feet Under's Richard Jenkins as John's dad. To watch the trailer and decide if it's going to be a cheesy mess or a heart-tugger, just keep reading.
I think it's possible to recognise that something (say, a trailer) has been created to manipulate your feelings and force you to cry and to STILL cry anyway. This is what watching the trailer for The Blind Side was all about for me. The movie is based on a book by Michael Lewis which, as I recall from reading it a while ago, focuses a great deal on technical gridiron analysis. Still, Lewis also weaves in the story of the remarkable left tackle Michael Oher, who was a homeless kid in Memphis, Tenneesee until he was taken in by a wealthy white family. Soon after, his size and impressive abilities on the football field brought him attention—and recruitment battles—from college coaches. The movie centers on Oher's (played by Quinton Aaron) story, with Sandra Bullock in the role of the mother who takes him in. I love watching Sandra Bullock and still, I was so engrossed in this trailer that I'd forgotten who she was by the end of it. It may turn out to be a predictable, sentimental film but I'm going to watch it nonetheless. What do you think? Does Sandra deserve an Oscar for her performance? To check out the trailer, keep reading.
I'm always happy to see Jon Hamm test his acting chops. In the trailer for Stolen, Hamm plays a detective whose son has gone missing and like The Changeling, uncovers an atrocious twist while investigating the disappearance. Set in present day, there are flashes of the Mad Men era, when Hamm's character Tom Adkins discovers a body that is not his son, but a child who'd been kidnapped and murdered in the 1950s. The '50s flashbacks have some recognisable faces: Josh Lucas and James Van Der Beek play men connected to the past crime, which Adkins has thrown himself into solving. But is he getting somewhere or just driving himself insane trying to connect his own tragedy to this other one? I don't think Stolen is going to be Hamm's blockbuster moment, but any thriller that puts the actor's intensity on display is one that I'd watch.Check out the trailer for yourself.
In Toy Story 3 we catch up with Woody, Buzz and the gang after Andy goes off to college and they're taken to a brand new environment with lots and lots of new toys to get to know. I'm really looking forward to this one! It's out on June 24 in the UK and I'd love to know—will you see it or skip it?
If you can't get enough of Sam Worthington following Avatar's huge success (and really, who has?), then you'll be pleased to hear you can catch him on the big screen again in April, when the remake of Clash of the Titans is released. Sam is joined by a fantastic British and Irish cast, including Liam Neeson, Gemma Arterton, Ralph Fiennes, About a Boy's Nicholas Hoult and Kaya Scodelario. In the epic story, Perseus (Worthington) attempts to defeat Hades (Fiennes) before he can seize power from Zeus (Neeson). It's due out in Oz on April 1, so watch the newly released international trailer and vote below to let me know: will you see it or skip it?
Ahhhh, February: the month of lurve, chocolate... and great movies, apparently. There's the requisite chick-flick, Tom Ford's eagerly anticipated directorial debut and, most importantly, a few Oscar-nommed flicks that you need to watch before the winners are announced. So tell us: which film are you most excited to see?
Precious is heading to our cinema screens next month and the gritty drama is already making its mark with lots of awards season buzz, including a Best Actress Golden Globe for Mo'Nique. Set in 1987, it follows Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe), a pregnant sixteen-year-old who lives with her abusive mother (Mo'Nique) and who transforms her life thanks to her teacher (Paula Patton) and an unrecognisable Mariah Carey as a social worker. It's released on February 4th and it looks really intense (in a good way). Watch the trailer and let me know: will you see or skip it?
After starring in the romantic comedy The Ugly Truth with Katherine Heigl, Gerard Butler is doing a complete about-face with Law Abiding Citizen. In the movie, Jennifer Aniston's latest alleged boyfriend plays "a man who, 10 years after his wife and daughter are brutally murdered, returns to extract justice from the assistant district attorney [Foxx] who prosecuted the case against their killers. His vengeance threatens not only the man who allowed mercy to supersede justice, but also the system and the city that made it so." Meh. It looks like a fairly generic thriller, but check out the preview before it opens here on January 28 and decide for yourself.
In the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s novel The Road, Viggo Mortensen stars as a man coping emotionally and physically in a post-apocalyptic world and trying to defend his family. The book uses an apocalyptic scenario as a way to meditate on themes of humanity and the effect is stirring. I don't know if it's the marketing campaign or if this is the route the entire movie is taking, but I'm surprised this trailer makes The Road look more like an action-packed thriller (hello War of the Worlds 2.0), rather than a solemn journey into our worst nightmare. Either way, it looks extremely creepy. The Road is released on January 28 and also stars Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce. Check out the trailer.