Something funny happened at our local press screening for The Hurt Locker this week, and not in the film itself, which is decidedly not funny. The trailer attached to the film was for Sorority Row (pictured), a dumb-looking I Know What You Did Last Summer knock-off in which college students are harassed by a person they thought they'd killed. It was incongruous to see a cheesy horror flick advertised in front of The Hurt Locker, a complex action drama that many critics consider one of the year's best films. It was like screening There Will Be Blood with a trailer for Land of the Lost in front of it.

The reason for it, of course, is that The Hurt Locker and Sorority Row both have the same distributor, Summit Entertainment. When you go to the movies, some of the trailers are just whatever's in rotation, but one or two are usually from the same studio as the film you're watching, sent out with prints of that film with explicit instructions that they be attached. Big distributors (Warner Bros., 20th Century Fox, etc.) usually have plenty of upcoming products and can choose trailers that target the same general demographic as the movie they're paired with. But Summit is small -- all they had to choose from was Sorority Row and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. (A Sorority Row trailer in front of New Moon -- now that would make sense.)

So I understand why this particular trailer came with this movie. But it was still a funny juxtaposition. I can't imagine anyone wanting to see both Sorority Row AND The Hurt Locker. Has anyone else ever noticed this phenomenon? If you've seen The Hurt Locker in theaters, was this trailer in front of it, or was it just for the critics' benefit? What other strange combinations of trailers and features have you noticed?

After the jump, the Sorority Row trailer, so you'll know what I'm talking about.

By: James Rocchi (reprinted from The Toronto International Film Festival, 9.13.08)

Based on journalist Mark Boal's real experiences following bomb disposal experts in Iraq, The Hurt Locker isn't just a welcome return to big-screen action from director Kathryn Bigelow (who has wrung both fame and infamy from her art with Near Dark, Strange Days and Point Break). It's an assured, confident, swaggering piece of moviemaking that manages to not only evoke every war of the 20th century but also, despite the claims by makers and some reviewers that it's an 'apolitical' film, speaks very specifically to the Iraq war. Even so, plunging us into the thick of things alongside the highly-trained men (and they're all men here) who defuse bombs for the Army, Bigelow and Boal avoid the speeches and postures and long, contemplative talks of home front films like Stop-Loss and In the Valley of Elah by staying in Iraq, and they shun the loopy, loony formal experiments of Brian De Palma's Redacted. Boal and Bigelow stay laser-focused on one group of men with a singular mission, and make us live in the constant possibility of death. Viewed from half a world away, a bomb is a political concern; viewed from less than a foot away, a bomb's just a high-stakes exercise in problem-solving, where making a mistake means a final, terminal education in the physics of expanding gases.

(By James Rocchi - reprinted from the Toronto International Film Festival, 9/10/08)

The Hurt Locker sees director Kathryn Bigelow craft a big, booming tale of tension based on journalist Mark Boal's experiences and interviews with bomb disposal experts in the streets of Iraq. Toronto didn't just see The Hurt Locker earn raves from many critics; it also saw the film get picked up by Summit Entertainment for distribution. Cinematical spoke with Bigelow and Boal in Toronto about breaking the audience's unconscious link between an actor's salary and a character's destiny, whether or not their film is really apolitical, the fun and excitement of blowing things up on-set, how making the movie yourself is the best way to be sure you make the movie you want to and much more.Cinematical's podcast content is now available through iTunes; you can subscribe at this link. Also, you can listen directly here at Cinematical by clicking below:



As ever, you can download the entire podcast right here -- and those of you with RSS Podcast readers can find all of Cinematical's podcast content at this link.

This year it's Summer Appreciation at Cinematical, but summer doesn't just mean one lumbering tentpole blockbuster after another. In fact, smaller distributors and indie studio arms often use summertime to offer some great low-key alternatives -- not big Oscar contenders, but smaller-profile festival favorites. And this summer is particularly rife with other options if and when you tire of all the sequels and franchises. Here are seven small films -- most but not all of which I've seen -- that you might consider supporting in the next three or four months.

1. The Brothers Bloom (May 15) - Rian Johnson's sophomore feature -- a character-driven fairy tale masquerading as a con man flick -- debuted at Toronto last year to muted acclaim. It's no Brick, but it's actually a fantastic summer offering: sunny, whimsical and bittersweet. Summit was originally set to release the film last fall, then last winter, before finally bumping it to May. It's legitimately funny and whip-smart, which should make it an attractive option in mid-May.

Welcome to the inaugural broadcast of The Cinematical Roundtable, our latest podcast here at the site, where we'll speak with writers and readers alike about the latest in film offerings. Our first episode has Drew McWeeny of Hitfix fame and our own Scott Weinberg joining you and I on the road as we discuss March's The Haunting in Connecticut, April's Observe and Report, May's Drag Me to Hell, and June's The Hurt Locker following their respective SXSW premieres in Austin, Texas.

Please pardon our dust as we get this puppy off the ground, please brace yourself for some mild profanity, and please tell your friends. Especially that one cute redhead. She's not seeing anyone, right?



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Cinematical has received these brand new images from The Hurt Locker (one is an exclusive shot, as seen above), which will enjoy its SXSW premiere later tonight. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker has snagged a ton of buzz ever since its premiere at the Toronto fest back in September, where we reviewed it and interviewed Bigelow. The film, based on journalist Mark Boal's real experiences, tells of "three members of the Army's elite Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) squad [who] battle insurgents and one another as they search for and disarm a wave of roadside bombs on the streets of Baghdad-in order to try and make the city a safer place for Iraqis and Americans alike."

James noted in his Toronto review that The Hurt Locker is "an assured, confident, swaggering piece of moviemaking that manages to not only evoke every war of the 20th century but also, despite the claims by makers and some reviewers that it's an 'apolitical' film, speaks very specifically to the Iraq war" -- later adding, "The Hurt Locker looks and feels like a terrific action film, but there's a piece of art ticking away within it that goes off inside your head and your heart while you're watching." Check out the new images in the gallery below and the full synopsis after the jump. The Hurt Locker hits theaters on June 26.

SXSW jumped their own gun last night by announcing their line-up of film titles for this year's festival in Austin, TX.

Right around the ides of March, we'll be treated to the world premieres of:

• Best Worst Movie (all about the cult surrounding Troll 2 and supposedly containing an appearance by none other than our own Scott Weinberg),
• South By staple Joe Swanberg's latest, Alexander the Last,
• Gerald Perry's For the Love of Movies: The Story of American Film Criticism (Scott's in this too? WTF?!),
• John Hamburg's bromantic comedy I Love You, Man,
• Gary Hustwit's new doc, Objectified (go queue up Helvetica already!),
• Jody Hill's Observe and Report (because we can't all love Paul Blart: Mall Cop),

...and much, much more! Personally, I'm also psyched to catch up with Sundance hits like Grace, Moon, We Live in Public, Humpday, and a couple of others -- not to mention the U.S. premiere of The Hurt Locker and a special anniversary screening of Office Space (yes, Austinites, another one). All I'd otherwise beg for is 500 Days of Summer, but who am I to look a gift fest in the mouth?

SXSW '09 runs from March 13-21, and you can expect plenty of coverage around these parts.

My Life in Ruins
Nia Vardalos, writer and star of the My Big Fat Greek Wedding and its mercifully short-lived TV version My Big Fat Greek Life stars as an American working as a tour guide in Greece. Apparently she finds romance with a creepy bus driver who likes to be called "Poopy," which is one of the reasons something stinks so badly about this one. The ruination begins on May 8.

Watchmen (Japanese trailer)
I'm almost at the point where I think I should stop watching the new Watchmen trailers (yes, I know, "Who watches the Watchmen?"), but I've read the graphic novel many times so the possiblity of spoilers is slim. There's some footage here we haven't seen before including shots of a cranky old Richard Nixon and a look at how the Kennedy assasination plays out in the Watchmen universe.

The Hurt Locker
Based on reporter Mark Boal's experiences in Iraq, this one is about a team of soldiers whose specialty is the disposal of explosive ordnance. No release info yet.

The Slammin' Salmon (Red Band Trailer)
"You have to dominate the swordfish. Only then can you sautee it," explains Michael Clarke Duncan's character in this comedy from the folks behind Super Troopers, right after he punches said swordfish in the face. The title refers to the restaurant where the film is set, a place where shenanigans reign supreme apparently. This may have some moments but I predict a long life in rotation on Comedy Central. No release info yet.

Dance Flick (International Trailer)
This new international trailer has footage we didn't see in the domestic version but I'm still not seeing any compelling reason to go see this latest from the Wayans brothers. If you disagree you'll have your chance on August 14.

Captain Berlin Vs. Hitler
Although the trailer promises a February 2009 release I doubt we'll be seeing this German super hero comedy here in the states any time soon. I question whether the premise is even strong enough to carry a feature, but this preview is pretty neat in a schlocky kind of way. The disembodied brain of Hitler and Dracula threaten to destroy all that is good in the world, but standing in their way is "the one and only German super hero: Captain Berlin!" This appears to be a filmed stage play but the most interesting part is that Jorg Buttgereit is behind this. Buttgereit directed Nekromantik (a story about a love triangle involving a man, a woman, and a corpse) which was one of the darkest most unpleasant films I've ever seen, so I'm curious to see his take on a super hero comedy.

New this week on AOL Moviefone:

• State of Play - Feature remake of a British TV mini-series about a reporter's investigation of the murder of a congressman's mistress. Check it out right here:
  
  
• Monsters vs. Aliens - Animated comedy that pays homage to science fiction films of the 1950s. Here's the trailer:
  
  
  
• Yonkers Joe - Family drama about a con man and seeking the ultimate scam to help care for his mentally challenged son.
• The Proposal - A high level executive played by Sandra Bullock is about to lose her status as a U.S. resident and hatches a scheme to marry her assistant played by Ryan Reynolds.

OK, I'll admit it: I couldn't be happier that that the long-planned remake of the vamp classic Near Dark will not be happening any time soon. Producer Brad Fuller recently spoke with Empire magazine about the just-announced Twilight sequel, when Fuller brought up the remake, telling Empire, "Near Dark is probably not going to happen, I think that Twilight was the same type of thing we were going for although Near Dark was a much darker, sexier, rated R version of that." And if you have seen the original Near Dark, you know that "darker" is a nice way of putting it (anyone remember that scene in the bar? I'd like to see The Cullens top that).

Originally released in 1987, Dark was written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) and centered on a small town boy (played by Adrian Pasdar) who is roped into a vampire gang when he falls in love with one of its members ... and this is probably where Fuller started noticing some comparisons with the 'Bella and the Gang'. Fuller went on to explain Dark's delay was a direct result of Twilight's release, saying, "For now, that movie is on hold. The concept of 'one person's a vampire, the other person isn't and they're in love, with the success of that film, we would not measure up, It's not the right time to make that." That does seem like a flimsy excuse once you consider that "star-crossed lovers with fangs" isn't exactly a new idea.

But, no matter what happens, it seems like Dark is the remake that will not die, so I would expect that for now the film is simply down ... but definitely not out.

UPDATE: Speaking of Twilight, it's just been announced that New Moon will arrive in theaters on November 20, 2009.

Based on journalist Mark Boal's real experiences following bomb disposal experts in Iraq, The Hurt Locker isn't just a welcome return to big-screen action from director Kathryn Bigelow (who has wrung both fame and infamy from her art with Near Dark, Strange Days and Point Break). It's an assured, confident, swaggering piece of moviemaking that manages to not only evoke every war of the 20th century but also, despite the claims by makers and some reviewers that it's an 'apolitical' film, speaks very specifically to the Iraq war. Even so, plunging us into the thick of things alongside the highly-trained men (and they're all men here) who defuse bombs for the Army, Bigelow and Boal avoid the speeches and postures and long, contemplative talks of home front films like Stop-Loss and In the Valley of Elah by staying in Iraq, and they shun the loopy, loony formal experiments of Brian De Palma's Redacted. Boal and Bigelow stay laser-focused on one group of men with a singular mission, and make us live in the constant possibility of death. Viewed from half a world away, a bomb is a political concern; viewed from less than a foot away, a bomb's just a high-stakes exercise in problem-solving, where making a mistake means a final, terminal education in the physics of expanding gases.

The Hurt Locker follows three soldiers -- bomb tech James (Jeremy Renner) and his subordinates Sanborn (Anthony Mackie) and Eldrige (Brian Geraghty) into the jaws of death; it's all last names in The Hurt Locker, as seen on patches and heard in urgent radio dispatches. Early on, Bigleow establishes that people will be killed in this film -- with a bravura sequence that depicts a bomb's detonation on the macro and micro level, billowing bursts of smoke and pressure and flame intercut with gravel and dust leaping choreographed in lockstep by the pressure wave, as if God had slammed his fist on reality hard to make a point -- and while Renner, Mackie and Geraghty are fine actors, they're also unknown enough to subconsciously let us know that they aren't safe from what may happen.