Trailer Park: Just For The Thrill Of It

You hear a lot about the "thrill of victory," but what about thrills for their own sake? This week on Trailer Park we discuss previews of films that seek to thrill.

Fracture
Anthony Hopkins isn't playing Hannibal Lecter in the new Hannibal Rising, but he appears to be playing a similar character in Fracture. Ryan Gosling stars as a hotshot young prosecuting attorney on the verge of taking a lucrative job in the private sector. He has one last case to try, and it may be his undoing. Anthony Hopkins plays a man who has shot his much younger wife in the head, but by defending himself with what appears to be Lecter-like genius, he puts the career aspirations of Gosling's character in jeopardy. The always worth seeing David Strathairn plays the district attorney. Hopkins appears wonderfully sinister, but even without the similarities to the Hannibal films, this appears to be a by the numbers Hollywood thriller. I suspect it's entertaining enough, but nothing brilliant.

Mr. Brooks
This one is interesting because two of its stars appear to be stepping outside their comfort zones. Kevin Costner, who has played a lot of nice guys over the years, plays Mr. Brooks, a family man and respected member of the community who has a pathological urge to kill people. Dane Cook, best known for his work as a stand-up comic plays a slime ball private investigator who has witnessed Brooks committing a murder and attempts to blackmail him. Demi Moore (whose casting was discussed by Martha Fischer here on Cinematical) is the police detective on the case and William Hurt plays the dark side of Brooks personality. Great cast, and Costner looks like he can play evil quite effectively. This I want to see.

Dead Silence
"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She had no children, only dolls. And if you see her, do not scream Or she'll rip your tongue out at the seam," says the creepy voice over. Besides a sloppy rhyme scheme ("Shaw" and "Dolls" don't really rhyme well) and the fact that I'm not sure my tongue has a seam, I rather liked this trailer. I've lost count of how many horror films have crammed all the good moments into the preview, and who can say if this isn't one of them, but I'm choosing to be optimistic here. Dolls are creepy, man. Years ago, a ventriloquist named Mary Shaw was hunted down for the murder of a child. Her tongue was cut out and she was buried with all of her creepy ventriloquist dolls. Over the years several of the dolls have turned up near murder scenes in which entire families have had their tongues cut out. The fact that this is from the writer and director of Saw, a mediocre film that spawned some dreadful sequels, does nothing to bolster my hopes, but I think this one has potential. Ryan Stewart talked about this trailer here.

Outlaw
Sean Bean stars as a former soldier in this tale of anarchy in the U.K. This looks like a modern British take on Death Wish. Might be interesting, but it's a case of the trailer selling the sizzle, but not the steak. Obviously Bean's character is fighting back, but I'm not sure against what. If vengeance and lots of gun play is your bag, then Outlaw should fit the bill nicely. Bob Hoskins also stars. Jessica Barnes reported on this film here.

The Abandoned
This Spanish made film is about a film producer returning to Russia where she was born. Having been adopted as a baby, she's never known her biological family, but she learns her mother was gruesomely murdered years ago. She traces her family to a secluded island and meets a man who may be her brother. Naturally, the family homestead is chock full of ghostly goodness. The trailer has a little too much of that MTV-style ultra fast cutting, which I'm hoping is strictly for the preview and not the film itself. The premise is interesting and I suspect there are thrills to be had here. I'll be checking it out. For another opinion on this trailer, check out what Jessica Barnes had to say.