All posts by ryancroftj

Hey, you like movies? Yes! Great, I guess we can be friends AKA you can read EVERYTHING I write. Enjoy! And instead of more on me, I figured I'd just leave you with some helpful advice that always keeps me going, "life's a dirty game, you gotta play dirty to win it".
Movie Trailers

Her Trailer: Spike Jonze’s new Sci-Fi Romance

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Spike Jonze is back in the spotlight after about four years of no feature films, with his new flick Her. The story is about a heartbroken man who finds solace in an A.I computer that acts as his girlfriend, and it looks to be a cool blend of Sci-Fi over the basic falling in love storyline. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the loner, who on paper sounds similar to his previous character in The Master as he looks to be disconnected and awkward in society. However, the portrayal in the trailer seems to be totally different, which goes to show Phoenix’s tremendous range. Accompanying him is a killer cast including Scarlett Johansson (The Avengers) as the computer voice Sarah, Rooney Mara (The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo), Amy Adams (The Master), Olivia Wilde (The Change Up), and Chris Pratt (Parks and Rec.). Check out the Her trailer below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WzV6mXIOVl4#at=16

The film looks great, and it’s sure to be one in contention for awards later this year. What most excites me is the Sci-Fi Romance tone that Jonze seems to be getting at, akin to Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Keeping the heart, and using the Sci-fi as simply a mechanism is what makes me excited for this.

Also, a neat note, this is Spike Jonze’s first solo screenwriting credit on a film, which hopefully proves to be a good thing as Sci-Fi is done best with a clear vision from start to finish.

her

Her opens November 20, just two days before the major blockbuster which is bound to make big bucks, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

TV

Breaking Bad Trailer Sets the Inevitable Tone

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There is less than a week till the final eight episodes of one of the greatest shows in television history. Breaking Bad is by far my favorite drama ever made and it is kind of crazy to think a simple 71 second trailer could get me more excited… but it has. Forgoing scenes from the episodes, we instead get a brooding Walter White’s voice, setting the inevitable, dark and twisted tone that will ensue. Check out the Breaking Bad trailer below.

The poem that Walter White (Bryan Cranston), reads is Ozymandias, which if you didn’t get from the trailer, talks about the eventual decline of all leaders. That could give us a good taste of what we can expect for Walt as we near the end.

Ozymandias

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!”
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

– Percy Bysshe, 1818

When we got a flash forward with the gun in his trunk, I don’t think anyone thought he was getting away scot-free. Even more, Vince Gilligan, the show runner, has compared Walt to Scarface multiple times in interviews, so could that mean he could face the same fate. All that said, the more mysterious question on my mind is how is Hank’s reaction to the news going to last 8 episodes. That will be a tricky one for the writers, but if I trust anyone, it would be the writers of Breaking Bad.

Breaking Bad trailer

Breaking Bad returns for its final 8 episodes on August 11, and if you haven’t caught up or haven’t seen any episodes, buy a Netflix account right now, and marathon the hell out of them. Trust me, it’s worth it.

Movie Trailers

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa – It’s Real!

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When Paramount announced a few weeks back that a film was being made based on the Johnny Knoxville grandpa skit in the Jackass series, the question everyone was asking was, could the gag last for a full feature-length film? While that’s still to be seen, I can say that after a two and half-minute trailer, I can’t wait to see more. Borat-esque in its format, the film follows Irving Zisman, who is the grandpa played by Johnny Knoxville, on a cross-country trip through what looks to be a partially scripted, but mostly hidden camera type film. Directed by Jeff Tremaine (Jackass Trilogy), if you liked the previous iterations in the franchise, I think you’ll like it here, check out the trailer.

I gotta say, besides for the ending that is a hidden cam take on the classic Little Miss Sunshine scene, I think this could be a guilty pleasure to most. The kid, played by Jackson Nicholl, looks to fit in perfectly with Knoxville’s shenanigans, and is reminiscent of what Andy Milonakis used to do. Again, the ending scene seemed really scripted, and since it’s been done, I don’t find it funny, but the rest looked pretty damn hilarious. Hopefully, the latter is more telling of the actual film.

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa is due out October 25, which could be good counter programming to Ridley Scott’s dark thriller The Counselor, releasing on the same day. Check out the trailer for that right here.

Movie Trailers

Haunter: Trailer for New Vincenzo Natali Horror Flick

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After a tremendous start with the low-budget horror film Cube, director Vincenzo Natali has had a hit or miss track record since, most recently being the tantalizing, twisted film Splice. But if his films prove anything, it’s that they’re different, which to me, warrants a viewing.

So that brings us to his newest flick Haunter starring Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine) in the lead, and Stephen McHattie (300, Hellmouth) as I believe the antagonistic killer. The listed premise seems intentionally vague, which could mean there’s quite a few twists in the film that are hidden, cause the trailer hints at more, but here it is via IMDb : The ghost of a teenager who died years ago reaches out to the land of the living in order to save someone from suffering her same fate. Check out the Haunter trailer below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW_r7UKbk7w

The trailer is pretty good, giving us a hint that the film hopefully pushes the boundaries of the standard haunted house flick. That said, reviews I’ve read so far have been mixed, with some saying it’s better than the average horror film, but others straight up panning it. Then again, Natali’s other films weren’t for everyone, so if you’re a fan of his previous flicks, this could be right up your ally. The official synopsis of Haunter can be seen on the SXSW website, but other sites have reported it gives away hidden details, so I’ll leave it up to you if you want to read it.

Haunter hits theaters and Video-on-Demand October 18th.

Movie Trailers

American Hustle: First Trailer for David O. Russell’s New Film

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The first trailer for David O. Russell’s follow-up to Silver Linings Playbook has been released, giving a first look at the tremendous cast, 70’s flare, and somewhat atrocious hair cuts. Leading the film is Christian Bale (Dark Knight Trilogy) and Bradley Cooper (The Hangover Trilogy) as the former being a con man recruited to help the latter, an FBI agent. In addition to those two big names are Academy Award winners and ‘O. Russell’ alums, Jenifer Lawrence (Silver Linings Playbook) and Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II). But wait, there’s more well-known faces in Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), Amy Adams (Man of Steel), and Louis C. K. (Blue Jasmine). Co-written by O. Russell, this seems to be a sure contender come next February. Keep your eyes peeled for this, and check out the trailer below.

Originally titled ‘American Bullshit’, the script made the blacklist (an unofficial list of the top un-produced scripts voted on by producers) in 2010, and was bought by Sony Pictures who lined up David O. Russell to direct. The story goes as follows, a fictional take on the 1970’s FBI sting operation know as Abscam that follows a con-man and an FBI agent as they try to turn the table on other cons, mobsters, and politicians in the area.

The film is due out December 13th, and if Columbia shelling out what ever insane amount for a Led Zeppelin song is telling, they are gonna spend as much as they can to market this film in the coming months.

Movie Trailers

‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ Trailer Is Here & It Looks Amazing

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Wow. The fact that a trailer forgoes relying on the “directed by…” or the “starring…”, and instead leaves us with beautifully imagery and an accompanying song that sets the mood really means something. Directed by Ben Stiller (Tropic Thunder, Zoolander), and along with starring as the lead, he is joined by a solid cast including Kristin Wiig (Bridesmaids), Adam Scott (Parks and Rec.), and Sean Penn (Milk). The film was given a 20 minute preview at CinemCon that got rave reviews with some even hailing it as a major Oscar contender. While obviously they only saw a snippet of the film, it’s still nice to hear good things, cause boy does this trailer make me believe those comments.

Also, a little shout out to Of Monsters and Men whose song “Dirty Paws” is used in the trailer. It fits great for the trailer, and I highly recommend the rest of their album, My Head is an Animal.

Based off James Thurber’s classic tale of the same name, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Ben Stiller stars as a magazine writer who constantly fantasizes about story book elements such as heroism, romance, and action, day-dreaming the themes into his life. When his and his co-worker’s jobs are in danger, Walter embarks on a global journey that could be the real life adventure he has always imagined.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

The film is due out Christmas Day, which is perfect timing for a rumored Oscar contender.