Trailer Hitch
By Jim Van Nest
August 29, 2005
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Can you ever just be, like, whelmed?
Shopgirl
If I'm being honest, only the cast (Steve Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman) makes this movie look interesting to me. When I saw the cast, I immediately put this on my short list of films to see. Seeing the trailer has now moved this to my short list of movies to rent when it hits DVD. Based on Steve Martin's novella of the same name, Shopgirl is the story of a girl who appears to be torn between two suitors. One older, wealthy and safe. The other broke, an idiot and quite possibly wonderful. Again, based on this trailer, I'm not sure I care who she chooses. Either way, look for the choice to be made on October 21st.
The Mighty Celt
I'm sure The Mighty Celt will warm some hearts when it finally hits American screens, but it seems like another retread of the same old kid-movie theme. Kid befriends broken down *thing* (in this case, a racing dog) and through sheer love and determination, they defy the odds and come out on top. Gillian Anderson and Robert Carlyle are the adult leads in this Irish drama. I'm sure if I gave it a chance, it's probably wonderful, but it just gives such a sense of "been there, done that."
OK, I'm intrigued
Fun With Dick and Jane
So, can a film really be called a remake if hardly anyone remembers the original? Jim Carrey and Tea Leoni take over for George Segal and Jane Fonda in what looks to be a funny, not-quite Bonnie and Clyde flick set for release during the holidays. Dick and Jane seem to be living the perfect suburban life complete with a couple kids and a dog. Next thing you know, they're bumbling their way through a robbery of a coffee house. Carrey and Leoni seemed perfectly cast as the wannabe robbers and I'm hoping for a lot of laughs out of this one. Dean Parisot is at the helm and given some of his TV work (Monk, The Tick and Curb Your Enthusiasm), it would seem that the material is in good hands. Expect to start having your fun on December 21, 2005.
The Baxter
I'd never heard of The Baxter before checking out the trailer. And I have to say, it looks funny. The Baxter is a romantic comedy about a woman getting ready to marry a real nice but completely wrong-for-her guy. It appears that things will get a shakeup when her high school sweetheart shows up unexpectedly. In a genre where the major studios can't come up with a new idea to save their lives, it looks like IFC Films might have found a quirky winner here. And it will help answer a question that's been in my head for a while now: What does Michael Ian Black actually do besides comment on every single show that airs on VH1?
The Ice Harvest
You didn't expect a new John Cusack trailer to get by someone at BOP, did ya? John teams up with Billy Bob Thornton, Oliver Platt and Randy Quaid in the new comedy by Harold Ramis (Groundhog Day, Analyze This). Cusack is a Mob lawyer who decides it might be a good idea to steal over $2 million dollars from one of his clients (Quaid). The heist seems to go smoothly, but an ice storm is keeping him from running away with the money. By itself, the story sounds like one we've heard several times before, but in the hands of Harold Ramis, we can almost guarantee a lot of laughs. Mix in Billy Bob in yet another sleazy role and Cusack as the kind of Everyman you want to root for and I think you have the recipe for holiday success. Look for The Ice Harvest to arrive in time for Thanksgiving turkey on November 23rd
Capote
One can only hope that once Capote is released in September, Philip Seymour Hoffman will start to earn the credit and recognition he deserves as one of the finer young actors working today. I know very little about Truman Capote or his book In Cold Blood, but having seen this trailer, I feel like I have to see the movie or I may miss one of the better performances of the year. Of course, it's a limited release from Sony Pictures Classics so I can't be sure that it'll make it to my town. Either way, a film I didn't even know was being made has now found its way onto my short list of movies I really want to see. September 30th is the official release date, but again, it's limited, so check around to see if you'll be getting it.
I'm already counting down the days
Stay
From the director of Finding Neverland and Monster's Ball comes the psychological thriller Stay. Starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling and featuring a supporting cast that includes Bob Hoskins and Janeane Garafalo, Stay seems to be about a man who keeps having run-ins and conversations with people in-between the world of the living and the world of the dead. The trailer has a Sixth Sense feel about it, which is probably why it appeals to me. The cast is stellar and the film looks to be a very smart thriller about what happens between life and death. Without knowing anything else about Stay, it certainly has the feel of a flick with a "surprise" ending. After this trailer, I most definitely want to be one of the first ones to know what that ending might be.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Trailer of the Week)
I'm a huge Harry Potter fan and Goblet of Fire is the best of the books thus far. I've been looking forward to an actual trailer for a long time and this one certainly does not disappoint. As the books have gotten better, the movies have as well, and if this trailer is any indication, this movie will stand as the best of the Potter films to date...just like the book. It seems to have a darker feel to it and the effects look to be topnotch. When it comes to holiday blockbusters, one will need to look no farther than right here for the one that should be leading the pack. Most Potter fans will be watching this one over and over again until the film comes out on November 18th.