Film School Rejects » Movie Trailers, Previews, Coming Soon

Carey Mulligan and Natalie Portman Talk Dreams in ‘Brothers’

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:43:21 +0000

Lionsgate has provided us with a brand new clip from Jim Sheridan’s upcoming drama Brothers, a remake of a 2004 Danish film from director Susanne Bier. It tells the story of a young man who comforts his older brother’s wife and children after he goes missing in Afghanistan. The film has a major cast, including Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhaal, Carey Mulligan and Natalie Portman, to name a few.

In this new clip, we see the wife of another soldier (Mulligan) talking to the older brother’s wife (Portman) about a dream that she had about the missing soldier. It gives us a good sense of tone for the flick, which is a risky endeavor, considering the lackluster performance of Middle Eastern conflict-related movies over the past few years.

Have a look at the clip for yourself below. Brothers begins its limited release on December 4, 2009.

We also have the Brothers trailer below, courtesy of Yahoo Movies, followed by the official synopsis.

When a decorated Marine goes missing overseas, his black-sheep younger brother cares for his wife and children at home—with consequences that will shake the foundation of the entire family. BROTHERS tells the powerful story of two siblings, thirtysomething Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) and younger brother Tommy Cahill (Jake Gyllenhaal), who are polar opposites. A Marine about to embark on his fourth tour of duty, Sam is a steadfast family man married to his high school sweetheart, the aptly named Grace (Natalie Portman), with whom he has two young daughters (Bailee Madison, Taylor Grace Geare). Tommy, his charismatic younger brother, is a drifter just out of jail who’s always gotten by on wit and charm. He slides easily into his role as family provocateur on his first night out of prison, at Sam’s farewell dinner with their parents, Elsie (Mare Winningham) and Hank Cahill (Sam Shepard), a retired Marine.

I’m Not a Tour Guide: More Clips from ‘Up in the Air’

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:13:43 +0000

Paramount Pictures has provided us with two new clips from their upcoming release Up in the Air, from Thank You for Smoking and Juno director Jason Reitman. As a programming note, this is probably the first of several great little pieces that we’ll be running about Up in the Air, which is currently in my top ten movies of the year. We still have my own glowing review to post, as well as Dr. Cole Abaius’ hilarious interview with Jason Reitman. Look for that later this week.

For now, we have these two new clips. The first clip, “I’m Not a Tour Guide,” features a conversation between jet-setting termination consultant Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) speaking with his boss (Jason Bateman) about taking a hotshot young peer out on the road to see how their business of firing people works. The second clip, entitled “Something Real,” features Bingham talking to his hotshot traveling partner Natalie (Anna Kendrick) about his relationship with Alex (Vera Farmiga). Have a look for yourself below, followed by the film’s official synopsis.

I’m Not a Tour Guide:

Something Real:

Ryan Bingham is a corporate downsizing expert whose cherished life on the road is threatened just as he is on the cusp of reaching ten million frequent flyer miles and just after he’s met the frequent-traveler woman of his dreams.

Avatar Through the Eyes of Stephen Lang

Neil Miller — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:46:28 +0000

One of our beloved readers, Marcus G., sent this over to me this morning and it is more than worth sharing — especially if you’re looking to cleanse your pallet from all of the Twilight: New Moon news this weekend. Even if that does mean more video footage from James Cameron’s Avatar. Somehow, I don’t think anyone is going to mind.

This brief, but also quite interesting featurette focuses on Colonel Quaritch, played by Stephen Lang. He’s the head of security for the corporation that is trying to invade Pandora and mine the precious mineral that the exists below the home of the Na’vi. He dispatches the members of the Avatar Program, played by Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and Joel David Moore, to infiltrate the Na’vi in order to avoid using force. But based on the gigantic scars on this hardened soldier’s face, he’s also no stranger to using force. Have a look at the featurette below.

Avatar is in theaters on December 18, 2009.

Profoundly Humane, Beautiful: A Look at ‘The Road’

Neil Miller — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:32:49 +0000

There’s something so beautiful and captivating about the end of humanity, the last gasping breaths of life as we know it. This is why post-apocalyptic movies have been so popular in recent years. We are fascinated with humanity’s willingness to fight for every last inch — or at least, even if we live in such a time of excess, we want to believe that we could survive at the very end. Such is the captivating element of John Hillcoat’s The Road, based on the sensational novel by Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men). It is a film that is a long-time coming, having been delayed time and time again, but it is a film that is about to shake you in ways that you didn’t think possible.

In anticipation of the film’s release, The Weinstein Company has released a brand new behind the scenes featurette that takes us behind the emotional weight of the film. We see much praise of Viggo Mortenson — who delivers a magnificent performance — as well as a great reverence for McCarthy’s visceral text. As well, pay close attention to the few moments spent on Robert Duvall, who absolutely steals the film in mere moments of screentime. The same can be said about Michael K. Williams.

But enough talk. Check out the new featurette below, courtesy of Apple (and beware that it shows off a lot of the film, included scenes from the third act). The Road is in theaters on November 25, 2009.

Hunting Down New Looks at ‘Daybreakers’

Neil Miller — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:21:17 +0000

Above, a look at the new UK quad-sized poster for The Sperig Brothers’ upcoming vampire film Daybreakers, courtesy of Empire. It is one of three new looks that we have for this film, which our Brian Salisbury called “a dystopian, sci-fi vampire film that is every bit as entertaining as it is thought-provoking” when he reviewed it at Fantastic Fest. Since then, it has quickly become one of the few January movies worth looking toward.

Ethan Hawke plays Edward Dalton, a researcher in the year 2019, in which an unknown plague has transformed the world’s population into vampires. As the human population nears extinction, vampires must capture and farm every remaining human, or find a blood substitute before time runs out. However, a covert group of vampires makes a remarkable discovery, one which has the power to save the human race.

For more on this concept of vampires capturing humans and using them to harvest blood, check out this recently released PSA-style TV spot, which is super creepy:

Also new are two new stills, which were sent over to us earlier today by Lionsgate (click to enlarge). They feature stars Ethan Hawke and Willem Dafoe. Daybreakers also stars Isabel Lucas (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen) and Sam Neill. It hits theaters on January 8, 2010. You can watch the trailer here.

The Blind Side: An Inspired Featurette

Neil Miller — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:52:31 +0000

We haven’t written much about it yet, but I can tell you that a few folks here at Reject HQ really enjoyed the inspirational story behind Warner Bros. Pictures’ upcoming sports drama The Blind Side. The movie is not a perfect one, but it is full of heart and features a performance from Sandra Bullock that could easily put her in the conversation come Oscar time. Yes, you read that right, Sandra Bullock gives an Oscar-worthy performance. I said it.

The film tells the remarkable true story of All-American football star Michael Oher. Teenager Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) is surviving on his own, virtually homeless, when he is spotted on the street by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock). Learning that the young man is one of her daughter’s classmates, Leigh Anne insists that Michael—wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the dead of winter—come out of the cold. Without a moment’s hesitation, she invites him to stay at the Tuohy home for the night. What starts out as a gesture of kindness becomes much more as Michael becomes part of the Tuohy family despite the differences in their backgrounds. Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. And as the family helps Michael fulfill his potential, both on and off the football field, Michael’s presence in the Tuohys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own.

Directed by John Lee Hancock and scored beautifully by Carter Burwell (Where the Wild Things Are, No Country for Old Men), The Blind Side is easily the best sports-related film of the year, and probably the best I’ve seen since Remember the Titans. I would urge you to see it if you, like me, are a sucker for a solid inspirational sports movie. At the very least, you should watch the new behind the scenes featurette, which comes courtesy of Warner Bros. and Apple.

The Blind Side is in theaters on November 20, 2009.

‘Road Train’ Trailer Is Hell On Wheels, Australian Style

Rob Hunter — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:29:07 +0000

Road trip movies are fairly common and often mundane, but there’s a subset within the genre that has a greater appeal to someone like me… and that’s road trips gone bad. I’m a sucker for terror on the asphalt films like The Hitcher (original), Joy Ride, and Duel. There’s something about being away from home and driving in an unfamiliar place with death right behind you. It’s harder to do in US films these days thanks to cell phones, GPS, and Stuckey’s, but none of those conveniences are a guarantee in the harsh outback of Australia. Which is where the latest horror on wheels film comes from… check out the trailer for Road Train.

I like the look of this one. It could easily have gone the route of a Wolf Creek/Roadgames mash-up, but director Dean Francis and writer Clive Hopkins have added a little something extra into their monster truck tale. Is the devil involved, and does he even have an HC Class license? Is the truck delivering damned souls to hell? If so, shouldn’t they have called the movie Soul Train? The synopsis from Road Train’s official site is below, and even though a few of the descriptions seem to differ with the trailer it still sounds pretty cool.

Four young friends on a camping adventure in outback Australia are run off the road by an erratically driven road train – a massive three-trailer truck. With their own vehicle wrecked, and the road train stopped, the friends march off to remonstrate with the drivers. But mysteriously, there is no one to be found. Suddenly, the silence is broken by the sound of gunshots. A distant figure in the bush screams and runs towards them. Have they become witnesses to a murder? There’s no time to discuss it. The friends commandeer the road train. The next town is only three hours away. But the next town is somewhere they will never reach. And what they discover inside the vehicle’s trailers proves more terrifying than anything out there on that lonely road.”

Road Train is currently in post production, and no US release has yet been announced. Thanks to 24Framespersecond for the heads up on the trailer.

What do you think?

Exclusive: First Five Minutes of ‘Deadline,’ Starring Brittany Murphy

Neil Miller — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:30:36 +0000

Following a traumatic incident with her violent ex-boyfriend, Alice (Brittany Murphy) retreats to a remote Victorian house to convalesce and focus on finishing her screenplay in time for a fast approaching deadline. When she begins hearing strange sounds and seeing apparitions, Alice searches for the source, only to find disturbing videotapes in the attic. Fascinated by her discovery, Alice digs deeper to uncover the mysterious story of the couple (Thora Birch and Marc Blucas) on the tapes, sending her on a twisting and terrifying pursuit to find out what is behind the endless mind games.

Yep, that’s exactly what we need more of — an attractive, traumatized girl in a big, spooky, empty Victorian home all by herself, investigating some sort of tragedy while she avoids her own personal dangers. It’s nothing new, but for some reason it always seems to be a bit creepy. That is why we were excited when First Look Studios sent us over an exclusive look at the first five minutes of Deadline, as well as the film’s trailer and some stills (both of which premiered a few days back at ShockTillYouDrop). Because hey, we all like exclusive things and we know that everyone here has a sweet-spot for Brittany Murphy. So lets get to it.

Deadline is on Blu-ray and DVD December 1, 2009.

Watch the first five minutes of Deadline:

Watch the trailer for Deadline:

Check out new images from Deadline:

The Last Song Trailer: Miley Cyrus Gets the Nicholas Sparks Treatment

Neil Miller — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:18:44 +0000

Walt Disney Pictures has released the first trailer for The Last Song, an adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks novel starring Miley Cyrus, Kelly Preston and Greg Kinnear. And I don’t know about you, but I’m just happy to see young Miley finally in a movie where Billy Ray Cyrus doesn’t also play her fictional father. This time, she’s a musically gifted, Juliard-bound teen who spends a summer at the beach trying to reconnect with her songwriter father. What she didn’t expect, what to meet a handsome, white bread beach boy who would become her first love.

It’s schmaltzy as all hell, but like any other Sparks adaptation, I would expect girls around the globe to eat it up. That, and the star power of Miley Cyrus continues to grow. Whether or not it turns out to be a good movie is yet to be seen, but if there’s any source material that has worked with making a pop star into a bonafide actress, it is that of Nicholas Sparks. That’s what happened with Mandy Moore and A Walk to Remember. Not to mention the craze that occurred over Sparks’ The Notebook. Chances are that The Last Song will find an audience. As for this trailer, it’s not showing us anything that we wouldn’t already expect from such a film.

The Last Song is due out on April 2, 2010. Check out the trailer below (courtesy of Yahoo Movies) along with the official synopsis.

THE LAST SONG is set in a small Southern beach town where an estranged father (GREG KINNEAR) gets a chance to spend the summer with his reluctant teenaged daughter (MILEY CYRUS), who’d rather be home in New York. He tries to reconnect with her through the only thing they have in common—music—in a story of family, friendship, secrets and salvation, along with first loves and second chances.

Uwe Boll’s Far Cry Trailer: A Return to Form for Dr. Boll

Neil Miller — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:09:55 +0000

After seeing his latest film Rampage at Fantastic Fest just last month, we thought we’d seen a turning point for director Uwe Boll. Finally, the man had delivered a gritty, intense action movie that rose above his usual bit of schlock. For once, he had delivered something worth talking about in a positive way — worth recommending to friends and countrymen. It had me excited to see where he would go next in his always-busy schedule of film releases.

Which brings us to Far Cry, yet another adaptation of a popular video game. Like Boll’s previous adaptations of games such as Bloodrayne, House of the Dead, Dungeon Siege and Postal, Far Cry appears to be a mess of the highest order. At least, that’s what I’ve gathered from this first teaser trailer, which comes courtesy of IGN. Since his role in Inglourious Basterds, I’ve thought Til Schwiger to be one of the more badass actors in Hollywood. But here he appears to be saddled with a poor story and awful dialog, something that comes as no surprise given the man behind the camera. Check it out for yourself below, along with the film’s official synopsis. Far Cry hits DVD on November 24.

Based on the best-selling videogame franchise that sold over 3 million copies, Director Uwe Boll (In the Name of the King, Bloodrayne) unleashes his latest non-stop action thriller Far Cry on DVD November 24 from Vivendi Entertainment. Til Schwiger (Inglourious Basterds), Udo Kier (Grindhouse), and Emmanuelle Vaugier (Saw IV) star in the action-packed story of a reporter who investigates the deaths of mercenaries on an island off the coast of the Pacific Northwest. Jack Carver (Schweiger), a retired special forces officer, escorts star journalist, Valerie (Vaugier), on the trail of a story on a mysterious island off the Pacific Northwest. Upon docking, they are attacked and pursued by a squad of mercenaries employed by scientist, Dr. Krieger (Udo Kier). In their attempt to escape, they uncover Dr. Krieger’s secret lab and unleash the genetically engineered beasts that he’s created.

Avatar Update: New Photo of Neytiri, Three New Japanese TV Spots

Neil Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:24:22 +0000

As expected, the closer we get to December, the more frequent the updates about James Cameron’s Avatar become. And over the past few days, we’ve been hit with a lot of new information, photos and details about the score. Here, we try to sift through that which is not interesting and only bring you the most relevant pieces of the puzzle — we know that you are busy people and we dare note waste your time. Which brings us to the following new bits of information. Up first is a new photo from Avatar published by USA Today. It shows Neytiri (played by Zoe Saldana), the main character of the Na’vi race, with whom Sam Worthington’s character forms a very special bond that leads to a lot of tension between him and his own people.

In the accompanying article, which talks about the upcoming holiday movie season, USA Today claims that Avatar is “a $240 million blend of live action and computer generation that will test whether Cameron still has his box-office touch.” That would go against previous rumors that Avatar has cost upwards of $500 million dollars. Nonetheless, no matter how much was spent on Avatar, it’s a lot. And it will certainly test the drawing power of Cameron, who has not directed a film since Titanic.

Also in this edition of ‘Avatar Daily’ is a set of three TV spots from Japan, all of which each have some new footage. I picked these up over at Trailer Addict and while they are all dubbed in Japanese and have no subtitles, they are still a spectacle to behold. The more and more we see from Avatar, the cooler it looks. It makes me personally curious, but also hopeful as to how it will all turn out.

Avatar is in theaters December 18, 2009.

Recruitment:

Discovery:

Destiny:

Crazy Heart Trailer: Jeff Bridges Sings Toward Oscar Gold

Neil Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:31:17 +0000

A month ago, there was very little known about the Jeff Bridges led drama Crazy Heart, from first time director Scott Cooper. But since Fox Searchlight announced that it would be releasing the film in limited release in December, the curiosity of the online community has been piqued. The film stars Jeff Bridges as a broke-down musician whose encounter with a much younger reporter (Maggie Gyllenhaal) causes him to take a look at his life, where he’s come from, where he is and where he’s got left to go. It is being touted as a film that’s full of heart, promise and a “once in a lifetime” performance from Bridges. It is also a film that sports a great cast, which also includes Robert Duvall and Colin Farrell.

Based on the trailer — which was released by Searchlight and Apple yesterday — we can see that Crazy Heart is certainly a film made to win awards. It is a mix of the narrative from The Wrestler combined with a musical biopic feel. A story of heartbreak, loss and finding one’s self. Sounds like something that should be coming out in December. And with Jeff Bridges leading the way, I can’t help but be intrigued.

Watch the trailer and check out the recently released poster for yourself below. Crazy Heart is in theaters beginning December 16, 2009.

Bad Blake is a broken-down, hard-living country music singer who’s had way too many marriages, far too many years on the road and one too many drinks way too many times. And yet, Bad can’t help but reach for salvation with the help of Jean, a journalist who discovers the real man behind the musician.

A Town Called Panic Trailer: Insanity Reigns!

Neil Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:11:42 +0000

At Fantastic Fest this year in Austin, one meme crept out of the woodwork (and the mind of unofficial Alamo Drafthouse mascot Nacho Vigalondo) and has been taking Hollywood by storm. It is the tagline of the third act of Lars von Trier’s film Antichrist, “Chaos Reigns!” However, while Antichrist provided this year’s edition of “I drink your milkshake,” a fact upon which Fantastic Fest can hang its hat, perhaps one of the most memorable films from this year’s selection was the Belgian stop-motion animated pile of insanity A Town Called Panic, from directors Stéphane Aubier and Vincent Patar.

In his Fantastic Fest review, Dr. Cole Abaius called A Town Called Panic “pure spectacle that has the power to transport you to the younger, joyful mindset of the sandbox.” It is a healthy mix of insanity, children’s toys and humor that is wildly inappropriate. In a sense, just the kind of movie that anyone who reads FSR would absolutely love. It was one of our best-reviewed films of Fantastic Fest, as well as the festival’s Audience Award winner. And as any Fantastic Fest attendee can tell you, this is a very serious thing — as its a very serious, movie-loving audience.

Have a look at the trailer below, courtesy of Apple and Zeitgeist Films. A Town Called Panic gets a limited release starting December 16, 2009.

Kate Hudson Uses Sex to Sell Cinema Italiano and ‘Nine’

Neil Miller — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:35:01 +0000

After watching this brand new trailer for the upcoming musical Nine, from director Rob Marshall (Chicago), we also love the cinema Italiano. Just watch with me below as Kate Hudson sings ‘Cinema Italiano,’ croons about Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) and is cut into a montage of scenes filled with lingerie-clad vixens such as Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Nicole Kidman and Stacy ‘Fergie’ Ferguson. It is enough to make us wonder just who their trying to attract to theaters on this one — because we’ve now got a beat on a new demographic who might be interested, men with a pulse.

Yahoo Movies debuted the new trailer, which is essentially a glamorous music video. Have a look for yourself below. Nine is in theaters on December 18, 2009.

Bad Lieutenant: Nicolas Cage on Crack, Talking About Elks

Neil Miller — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:53:24 +0000

Weeks after seeing it at a press screening, we here at Reject HQ are still trying to piece together the eccentric brilliance of Werner Herzog’s Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, in which Nicolas Cage plays a drug-addicted cop who will stop at nothing to get a fix and take care of his prostitute girlfriend, played by Eva Mendes. The film — or more specifically, the second half of the film — is the most insane and absurd, yet delightful work we’ve seen all year. Cage is electric, Herzog’s aggressive visual style puts the audience in a state of high akin to being on crack and the city of New Orleans is gritty, dirty and dangerous at every turn. To say the least, it is a flick with ‘cult sensation’ written all over it.

Which brings us to this new clip, which I picked up via Hollywood Elsewhere — a decidedly NSFW clip from the film — in which Cage’s Lt. Terence McDonagh talks about a football player who randomly sprouts antlers and becomes an elk. This crack-induced rant is just one of many ridiculous scenes that you will behold when Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (not a sequel, dammit) hits theaters on December 11, 2009.

In Werner Herzog’s new film BAD LIEUTENANT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS, Nicolas Cage plays a rogue detective who is as devoted to his job as he is at scoring drugs — while playing fast and loose with the law. He wields his badge as often as he wields his gun in order to get his way. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina he becomes a high-functioning addict who is a deeply intuitive, fearless detective reigning over the beautiful ruins of New Orleans with authority and abandon. Complicating his tumultuous life is the prostitute he loves (played by Eva Mendes). Together they descend into their own world marked by desire, compulsion, and conscience. The result is a singular masterpiece of filmmaking: equally sad and manically humorous.

Film School Rejects » Movie Trailers, Previews, Coming Soon

Carey Mulligan and Natalie Portman Talk Dreams in ‘Brothers’

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