Trailer Park: A Random Sampling

Nothing fancy this week. I'm tossing darts at the latest trailers and writing up whichever ones I hit. Time now for a random sampling.

Righteous Kill
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino doing a cop movie together? Sounds like a license to print money. The last police drama I saw was the tepid We Own the Night which really soured me on a genre that has already been beaten to death on television, but the star power behind this one sets things at a whole new level (despite some of the uninspired comedies with which De Niro has padded his resume). Our two stars play a pair of world weary police detectives who have no sympathy for the scum who make a mockery of the justice system. Apparently they aren't the only ones who feel this way, because our heroes are soon on the trail of a vigilante killer. As with most teasers it's hard to get a feel for the movie. We get the basic idea of the plot followed by lots of quick cuts set to The Stones' "Sympathy For the Devil." I'm still probably going to see this, but more for who's in the film than what's in the trailer. Here's Monika's take on the trailer.

The Incredible Hulk
The onscreen representation of Marvel Comics' jade giant has come a long way. I first saw him as a crappily animated character who barely moved in the Marvel Superheroes animated series in the 1960s, then as a body builder wearing grease paint and green tights (easier than applying makeup to his shins, I suppose). And let's not forget the 80s animated incarnation whose clothes would magically reappear when he returned to human form. The all CGI version seen in Ang Lee's Hulk made many mistakes, but I think the biggest one was to make his face too sympathetic. The Hulk is not a superhero, people, he's a monster and should look like one. That problem appears to have been addressed in this latest incarnation. This is one badass Hulk, and his foe -- the equally gamma irradiated Abomination -- looks pretty cool too, though his head is tiny. I never thought Eric Bana had much screen presence, and what we see of Edward Norton as the new Bruce Banner has a lot more appeal.

Speed Racer
That last Speed Racer trailer was a tough act to follow, but this new one has still got my interest. We get a bit more characterization this time, seeing more of Christina Ricci and Susan Sarandon's charcters. This is of course from the Wachowskis who directed The Matrix films, and it promises to be the most visually spectacular film of the year. I'm not a fan of the original cartoon, but this looks like it's going to be amazing.

Deal
I know poker has gotten to be a big thing on television in recent years, but personally I find nothing more boring than watching someone play cards. A film whose big dramatic moments revolve around hands of poker just repels me. Burt Reynolds is an aging poker champ who made a promise not to gamble again, but that doesn't stop him from putting up the money for a hot shot college kid with a gift for the game. Shannon Elizabeth is on hand as well, looking as fetching as ever. The two eventually have a falling out and find themselves competing against one another. It's nice to see Reynolds getting a meaty role in a big release, but I'll pass on this one.

The Strangers
This is the second trailer for this fright flick and I'm really hoping the film can live up to these promos because they scare the living crap out of me. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman star as a couple accosted in their home by a group of people wearing creepy masks. When asked why they are doing this we are told "because you were home." The scene where Tyler is standing in the kitchen and a figure steps out of the darkness behind her was creepy as hell when I viewed it online, and I'm dying to see how well it works on a theater screen.

New Trailers on AOL Moviefone:
My Blueberry Nights - A young woman embarks upon a cross country journey of self-discovery in the wake of a difficult break up. Check it out right here:


My Brother is An Only Child - Italian film set in the 60s and 70s and dealing with two brothers who hope to change the world in their own way, one through communism and the other through fascism.
Flight of the Red Balloon - In Paris a loving but preoccupied woman hires a new nanny to care for her young son.
Shotgun Stories - When Cleaman Hayes dies he leaves behind three sons from his first marriage and four from his second, and the two families are soon violently warring with one another. Here's the trailer:


Sputnik Mania - Documentary on the historic launch of the first Soviet satellite and its effect on the word.
Iron Man - Second trailer for the highly anticipated Marvel Comics adaptation.
Pineapple Express - Stoner comedy starring Seth Rogen as a man on the run after witnessing a murder.