Trailers

Before last night's film (see my review of Kick-Ass here) the trailers came up and I, as ever, absolutely destroyed my friends at the trailer game (guessing what it's a trailer for before the trailer tells you), admittedly I had seen all but two of them before, so I thought I'd share my views on them and what we can tell from them here.

Iron Man 2


The big film this summer sees an expanded (and in one case altered) cast, which now boasts Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Sam Rockwell, Scarlett Johansson, Mickey Rourke and Samuel L Jackson, and with that expanded cast seems to be a far expanded story, while many had expected that the film would feature the "Demon in a bottle" storyline from the comic book (in which Tony Stark becomes an alcoholic) however there is only the mildest reference that this is to feature (perhaps the idea of alcoholism in a trailer for a Summer blockbuster was rejected).

What is to feature is a presumably slightly lengthy Senate hearing into getting the Iron Man design given to the US armed forces, as well as Rockwell's character Justin Hammer being set-up and his rivalry with Tony Stark.

Don Cheadle replaces Terrence Howard (a cost-cutting measure after Howerd earned more for Iron Man that Downey Jr.) as Stark's friend Rhodey, who it is clear will become War Machine.

There is also the budding romance between Stark and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) added to this the intervening Natasha Romanov/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

So this could be pushing the limits in terms of time, and may ultimately suffer from the pressure of time and see the story rushed, however the film does look exciting it will be interesting to see what comes of the finished product (coincidentally director Jon Favreau is set to deliver the film today, according to his Twitter posts).



Inception


This film has been kept well under wraps and the new trailer poses more questions than it answers. Before the trailer the main question people had about the new film by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, The Prestige) was "what's this film about?" after the trailer the questions are "what's this film about?" and "no seriously, just what the hell is this film about?"

Everything about this trailer is puzzling, it doesn't show much of the supporting cast, such as Michael Caine and Marion Cottilard. It seems that the events within the mind are that they are able to enter a person's dreams in this sci-fi world.

It's certainly one of the most intriguing trailers and films in general ever, it is also to be released in IMAX, which Nolan experimented with in The Dark Knight. I for one am looking forward to the mystery being revealed (most likely on the third or fourth viewing).



Robin Hood


This trailer is quite new, they were showing a somewhat old one last night, but I couldn't find it on YouTube, but calling Robin Hood Gladiator 2 doesn't seem too far off the mark. It's clear that Russell Crowe is attempting a Nottingham accent (said as someone who lives in the East Midlands), and that there are certainly scenes which bear a striking resemblance to Gladiator, the sea front scenes perhaps hint that the film will open with us seeing Robin fighting in the crusades.

It's also clear that the "Marian" character will not be in the vein of the damsel in distress, but more of the warrior-woman we saw Blanchett play in Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

The film has many similarities with Gladiator, a brave leader of men fights the oppression of a cowardly ruler who has usurped the rightful ruler, however will it have the emotional punch of Gladiator? We will only find out when the film opens on May 14th.



The A-Team


Perhaps the most disappointing of the trailers, the idea of a film version of a rubbish, but kitschy 80s TV show is never one that appealed, but this looks like it may well be the stinker of the summer.

The trailer begins by focussing on B.A. Baracas, then giving us a rubbish orchestration of the A-Team theme, and then Liam Neeson giving the only line which really indicates that this is an A-Team film. As a huge fan of Sharlto Copley's performance in District 9 it is disappointing that he is in this film and featured so little in the trailer, preferring a gratuitous shot of Bradley Cooper with his top off.

I may well be proved wrong, and I certainly hope I am, but from these indications its not looking good.



Scott Pilgrim vs. The World


This is a film which I'm incredibly excited by, but will people unaware of the comics be as enthused?

The adaptation of the popular comic series is directed by Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) and stars Michael Cera (Arrested Development, Juno) as Scott Pilgrim who meets the girl of his dreams, but discovers a significant caveat to his affections, he must defeat her seven evil ex-boyfriends in a fight. The fights are all different but strongly resemble video game-style fights, and anyone familiar with Wright's work in Spaced will remember the scene where Daisy and Tim square off in a Tekken 3-style fight.

The trailer is good indicator of what is to come in this off-beat and visually dazzling comedy, I doubt it will have enticed many others though, but perhaps the intrigue of a film so clearly different will spur people into the cinema. I look forward greatly to it.

Review: Kick-Ass

The team behind the enormously entertaining Stardust return with an adaptation of, Mark Millar's graphic novel, Kick-Ass.

The film is about Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson), a nerdy comic book loving outcast living in New York, who decides after being mugged one-too-many times that he shall become a costumed super-hero, and names himself Kick-Ass. One of his first crime-fighting excursions is caught on a video-phone and he soon becomes an internet phenomenon, attracting the attention of gangster Frank D'Amico (Mark Strong), and father-daughter team of masked vigilantes Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and Hit-Girl (Chloe Moretz). See the trailer below.



Kick-Ass really delivers a great comic-book film that is thoroughly entertaining. The film effortlessly blends humour, violence and even very dramatic scenes. Matthew Vaughan's direction is fantastic, showing the failings of other comic-book films, for example Vaughan shoots New York in a way that has never been achieved in the Spider-Man trilogy, and the fight scenes are far more dramatic and interesting that in last year's Watchmen adaptation.

There are some faults in the opening, as the story takes some time to get going and there is a lot of jumping between present and past events, however as in all superhero films the payoff makes this only a minor complaint, in fact the opening set-up is what sets out so many of the parameters for what’s to come.

The soundtrack and score are great however there are some times in the film where it feels like there is a conflict between the two, and some of the soundtrack choices are slightly uninspired like the growing film cliché that whenever a girl is fighting "Bad Reputation" has to be played.

The film has numerous nods to other comic-book films, which is fitting in a film that so much plays on the conventions established in other superhero films, one of the most obvious homage is that Nicolas Cage as Big Daddy (a character who's outfit is modelled on Batman's) impersonates Adam West while in the costume.

The performances are all outstanding, and the interplay between the actors is great, and Chloe Moretz as Hit-Girl shows why she is a rising star, with a performance which shows a tremendous amount of maturity in what is a very demanding role. Aaron Johnson also performs well giving a very convincing American accent, and working well with the actors playing his friends.

The storytelling is brilliant, allowing for moments of great comedy amongst tragedy and the variation in style is also achieved well, and it also makes the balance between the light-hearted moments of the film and the darker portions work.

Overall the film is entertaining, thrilling, thoroughly engrossing and hugely impressive.

Introduction

Hello reader.

This is a new blog from a long-time film fan. I will be blogging on film news and posting film reviews, with the occasional expansive feature.

So if you want to keep up with all things celluloid then read on and come back for regular updates.

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Thanks, Stefan Kijewski