Trailer Hitch

By Eric Hughes

July 1, 2008

I didn't know The Hellboys were a band...well, choir.

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Welcome to Trailer Hitch, BOP's look at the latest movie trailers to hit the Internet. This week: Ferris Bueller storms Chicago a second time, an oafish blue thing creeps out a small town community and Kiefer Sutherland looks in the mirror, but hardly likes what he sees.

Diminished Capacity - Opens July 4th

What first appears as a rediscovering-your-roots/questioning-your-beliefs-type flick may just be an indie comedy gone bad. Diminished Capacity stars Matthew Broderick as newspaper editor Cooper, who after a severe concussion travels home to Missouri to rekindle old feelings for his high school crush, Charlotte (Virginia Madsen), while reacquainting himself with his senile Uncle Rollie (Alan Alda). Once all of that is introduced, the trailer - and likely the film itself - stumbles when the movie's main action is revealed: After uncovering a valuable baseball card, Rollie enlists the help of Cooper to get him to sell it, which leads the men and Charlotte to dive headfirst into the world of crazy fans and slick dealers at a Chicago memorabilia expo. Alda looks funny here, and it's a pleasure to see Broderick spending another memorable day in the Windy City, but even so, the film's plot is hardly captivating.

Grade: C-
Also expected to be released on this date: Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Love Story 2050, Tell No One, Holding Trevor, Kabluey

Kabluey - Opens July 4th

Since Diminished Capacity is a no-go, I urge you to check out the potentially funny, utterly amusing and definitely quirky comedy, Kabluey, starring Lisa Kudrow, Scott Prendergast and Christine Taylor. With one of the most bizarre trailers that I've come across since taking over this column nearly a month and a half ago, Kabluey is about the amazing adventures of Salman (Prendergast), a man who sports funky, alien-like apparel. In the trailer's opening, he is seen coming to the aid of his sister-in-law (Kudrow), who needs help taking care of her kids after her husband (and Salman's brother) is off fighting in Iraq. To help raise money for the family, Salman scores an easy job, in which he simply stands on the side of the road handing out fliers as a giant, playful-looking mascot. Once the suit appears on screen - about a minute in, no less - it decidedly stays there, showing the people (and all the harassment) Salman must endure on the job. Kabluey lands major points for originality.

Grade: A
Also expected to be released on this date: Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson, Love Story 2050, Tell No One, Holding Trevor, Diminished Capacity




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Hellboy II: The Golden Army - Opens July 11th

Continuing this summer's popular superhero kick - Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk have already opened in theaters - Hellboy breaks a four-year silence from the silver screen with Hellboy II: The Golden Army. After absolutely loving a much smarter Iron Man, I must say Hellboy's sequel looks positively dumb with its stylized (for the sake of being stylized) visuals and cheap one-liners. In the sequel, Hellboy (Ron Perlman) obviously returns, and just in time as an ancient truce between the human world and that of invisible fantasy is broken, forecasting literal hell to erupt on Earth. All eyes then turn to Hellboy, who must take battle with a treacherous dictator and his unstoppable army of creatures. The franchise's first film didn't perform all that solidly - just $60 million in the States - and I foresee similar returns here. And with The Dark Knight opening just one week after this one, I have just two words for Universal: good luck.

Grade: D-
Also expected to be released on this date: Journey to the Center of the Earth 3-D, Meet Dave, Death Defying Acts, The Stone Angel, August


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