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Trailer Trash – Nov 11th, 2009

I love trailers. They are like little bite-size nibbles of cinematic treats. Just addictive enough to leave you wanting more but without the heavy, bloated feeling of a full feature. So what new goodies await us this week?

Clash of the Titans is a big-budget live action remake of the 1981 Ray Harryhausen stop-motion animated movie of the same name. The plot is loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus, who was born a god but raised as a man. Unable to save his family from underworld god Hades, Perseus volunteers to lead a dangerous mission to defeat Hades before he can seize power from his brother Zeus and unleash hell on Earth. So expect lots of fighting, fire and thunderbolts. Incredible Hulk director Louis Leterrier directs Terminator: Salvation star Sam Worthington, current dial-a-bad-guy Ralph Fiennes and Ireland’s own Liam Neeson in what is shaping up to be one of the blockbusters of next summer. Muse frontman Matt Bellamy is reported to be helping out on the soundtrack. The movie is out March 26th, 2010.

Kick-Ass is the forthcoming superhero film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. The basic plot concerns a lonely teenage boy, Dave Lizewski, who despite having absolutely no powers at all, decides to become a real-life superhero. After kitting himself out as Kick-Ass he meets a mysterious vigilante called Big-Daddy, and his daughter Hit Girl, who are working to bring down the drug baron, Frank D’Amico. Layer Cake director Matthew Vaughan is on-hand to guide British actor Aaron Johnson in this unheralded adaptation. Nicholas Cage is also present as Big Daddy, while Mark Strong (soon to be seen in Sherlock Holmes) plays bad-guy Frank D’Amico. So far there is no confirmed European distributor of the movie and no release date has been set. Assuming that it does the business on its April release in the States expect it over here shortly after.

Up in the Air is the new movie from Juno and Thank You for Smoking director Jason Reitman, based on the 2001 novel Up in the Air, written by Walter Kirn. George Clooney stars as Ryan Bingham, a man who travels around the country to terminate corporate employees. He is a man free from ties, always moving from place to place, and never giving time to cultivate a personal life. All this changes when his company chooses to ground him and keep him at the corporate headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. The movie debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this year to great applause, and I for one can’t wait to see it. Current release date is January 15th, 2010.

It’s Complicated is a new romantic comedy, written and directed by Nancy Meyers, and starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin. The plot centres on Jane, a self-reliant divorcee who owns a successful bakery in Santa Barbara. Things start to develop between Jane and her ex-husband Jake, a successful attorney who has remarried since the divorce. To complicate matters even further Adam, an architect hired to remodel Jane’s kitchen, starts to fall in love with her. Nancy Myers movies have a hit-and-miss track record, What Women Want was the most successful movie ever directed by a woman, while The Holiday was an abysmal piece of absolute rubbish. It is safe to say that this movie is targeted at a certain audience, but with the spate of loud, violent movies coming out that’s only fair. Suffice to say that I won’t be in the queue on January 8th, 2010.

Despicable Me is the new 3-D computed animated movie from Universal Pictures. The plot revolves around a supervillain named Gru who plots to steal the moon while hiding underground in a suburban neighbourhood. His plot is jeopardised when three orphaned girls start to see him as a prospective father. A strong voice cast features Steve Carell as Gru, with Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Will Arnett, and Kristen Wiig along for the ride. This is the first animation from Illumation Studios who are reportedly working on Ricky Gervais’ Flanimals as their next feature. The film will be in cinemas on October 15th, 2010.

Salt is an upcoming thriller from director Phillip Noyce and written by Kurt Wimmer and Brian Helgeland. Evelyn Salt is a CIA officer who is accused by a defector of being a Russian sleeper spy. She goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative, to elude capture, protect her husband and prove her innocence. Angelie Jolie plays Salt, with Liev Schreiber as her boss and Chiwetel Ejiofor as a CIA counterintelligence officer. Phillip Noyce knows how to make spy thrillers having helmed Tom Clancy adaptations Patriot Games and Clear and Present Danger. Granted they were more than 10 years ago but nevermind. Tom Cruise was originally lined up for the role of Salt, but the writers changed the sex of the character once Jolie became available. The movie is out August 20th, 2010.

Last but not least, is the new international trailer for Sherlock Holmes. I’ve pimped the Guy Ritchie helmed re-imagining of the great British detective enough of this site already, but I honestly am genuinely intrigued by this movie. We’ll see what it’s like on St. Stephen’s Day.

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