It seems like a whole slew of new movie trailers have been released in the past week or so. Here’s a look at a few films that we have to look for to (or dread).
The Other Guys
Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Farrell, Mark Wahlberg, Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Steve Coogan, Eva Mendes
Movies with huge, star-studded casts usually end up sucking (prove me wrong, Inception!), and while it has some funny moments, the trailer for The Other Guys makes it look like this film won’t be an exception. The funniest parts come from Farrell’s patented freak-outs (the bad cop/bad cop scene looks pretty funny), but this will likely be more Step Brothers than Talladega Nights (whatever, I liked that movie). I’d be happy to have it prove me wrong, though.
The Kids Are All Right
Director: Lisa Cholodenko
Starring: Julian Moore, Annette Bening, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Hutcherson, Mia Wasikowska
This story about a lesbian couple whose children want to meet their biological father could’ve made an Oscar bait-y drama, but I’m really glad to see that The Kids Are Alright seems to be taking a much lighter-hearted approach. I love Mark Ruffalo, Julianne Moore, and Josh Hutcherson, and they all seem to be in fine form here. This movie got good reviews out of Sundance, and the trailer makes me want to see it more.
Dinner for Schmucks
Director: Jay Roach
Starring: Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, Zach Galifianakis
It made the #5 spot on my “Most Anticipated Movies of 2010) list thanks to its cast, but after watching the first trailer, my excitement has decreased exponentially. The introduction to Carrell’s character made me chuckle (“He’s eating paper!”), but the rest of the trailer was just way too obviously. Hopefully Paul Rudd can save it, but unfortunately, it looks like this might be a disappointment of a summer blockbuster. And anything with Jeff Dunham automatically sucks, in my opinion.
Holy Rollers
Director: Kevin Asch
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor
Jesse Eisenberg (The Squid and the Whale, Adventureland) is proving to be quite the likeable actor, and in this film, where he plays a Hasidic Jew who gets involved in a drug-running scheme, he seems to be playing another version of his bumbling self. The trailer is alright, but makes the film look rather formulaic. It didn’t immediately grab my attention, but I’m still interested in seeing how Eisenberg and Bartha do in these roles.
Micmacs
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet
The U.S. trailer for the latest film by Amelie director Jeunet was just released. While whimsical and visually impressive, it makes the film seem to be all about quirkiness, rather than the heart and wonderful story that was behind Amelie.
Sex and the City 2
Director: Michael Patrick King
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kim Cattrall, Kristen Davis
Having seen only a handful of episodes of the TV show and skipping the first movie, maybe I’m not allowed to judge the sequel. But I was actually alright with this trailer until it turned into we-ran-out-of-storylines-so-it’s-time-to-go-somewhere-foreign fare. And seeing Kristen Davis in an exotic location gave me bad flashbacks to Couples Retreat.
Ramona and Beezus
Director: Elizabeth Allen
Starring: Joey King, Selena Gomez, John Corbett, Bridget Moynahan, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Duhamel, Sandra Oh
I loved the Beverly Cleary book series as a kid, but I have no idea what to make of this trailer. It introduces more than a dozen characters in less than two minutes and looks way too cutesy and precocious for its own good. And why is Josh Duhamel in every crappy-looking movie coming out this year? However, there is a small spark of genuine charm mixed in there somewhere, and it looks like the kid playing Ramona is likeable enough. It’ll likely be a half-decent kids/family film, but its appeal will probably end there.
Times Like Those 