Trailer Hitch

By Eric Hughes

March 25, 2009

And now, for the picnic sex!

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Welcome to Trailer Hitch, BOP's look at the latest movie trailers to hit the Internet. This week: Michael Chabon's debut book catches big screen fever, Ed Helms gets drunk and Zooey Deschanel calls it quits with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Sorority Row – Opens October 2nd

Good lord, Carrie Fisher. What are you doing with your life? The Star Wars alumna mistakenly appears here as an authoritative figure at a school where five sorority girls unintentionally cause the murder of one of their sisters. Following the incident and improper disposal of the body, a mysterious individual donning a black hood terrorizes the ones responsible for keeping a serious crime a ‘til-death secret (a la I Know What You Did Last Summer).

The acting in this thing is some of the worst piece of garbage I've seen to date. Couple that with the mediocre storyline, and you've got at least one guy who's not at all enthusiastic about seeing this project.

Grade: F
Also expected to be released on this date: Shutter Island, Toy Story (re-release), A Serious Man

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh – Opens April 10th

Michael Chabon (Wonder Boys, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay) is an incredibly talented author. His stories are packed with deep characters and telling themes. Why I haven't gotten around to his debut, The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, I cannot say. What I do know, however, is that after watching the trailer to Peace Arch's adaptation, I've keenly added the novel to my cue.

The story looks to be more layered than its clichéd guy-likes-girl-who-already-has-a-boyfriend framework. The story also tackles issues of gay love and bisexuality, a literary device that Chabon is known for using. I'm not crazy about the performances by lead Jon Foster and Nick Nolte. Yet perhaps the trailer doesn't do justice to their acting.

Grade: A-
Also expected to be released on this date: Hannah Montana: The Movie, Observe and Report, Case 39. Anvil! The Story of Anvil




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The Hangover – Opens June 5th

A week after I slam Mike Tyson for being irrelevant, the fighter bites back by landing a cameo in The Hangover, a new summer comedy from Old School director Todd Phillips. Call it faulty timing. In the bit, Tyson exposes his orgasmic love for Phil Collins' "In the Air" – and smacks a dull-witted Zach Galifianakis in the process.

Though only an extended tease, the first look at The Hangover is hysterical. It stars Galifianakis, Ed Helms and Bradley Cooper as three groomsmen who lose their about-to-be-wed friend following a drunken night of debauchery. Similar to a Dude, Where's My Car? scenario, the buddies retrace their steps to find the groom.

What I can appreciate is the casting. Cooper is undeniably closing in on A-list status. So for him, The Hangover is just another movie to add to the resume. But for Galifianakis and Helms, the comedy stands as their chance to carry their careers to the next level.

Grade: B
Also expected to be released on this date: Land of the Lost, Away We Go

Surveillance – Opens June 26th

Though the cinematography is exciting on the eyes, thriller Surveillance (from woken-from-the-dead director Jennifer Lynch) gave me the impression of being a borefest. The story concerns federal officers Elizabeth (Julia Ormond) and Sam (Bill Pullman), who must piece together the truth behind a grizzly event on the highway based on contradictory testimonies from three eyewitnesses. (They happen to be a cop, a junkie and an eight-year-old). The preview is clunky, convoluted and drags on unnecessarily.

Grade: D
Also expected to be released on this date: The Hurt Locker

500 Days of Summer – Opens July 24th

First Gigantic. And now 500 Days of Summer. Is it me, or is Zooey Deschanel effortlessly placing herself as one of the up-and-coming major players in romantic comedy? She's so cute and adorable. I don't see why she can't turn out to be the next big thing. (Okay, The Happening took her back a few steps. But her slate of 2009 films is looking sahweeeet).

Here the actress co-stars with Joseph Gordon-Levitt, whose character, Tom, evaluates what he may have done wrong over the course of his briefish relationship with Summer (Deschanel) to make her want to dump him. During his reflection of their 500 days as a couple, Tom rediscovers his life's true passions.

The trailer also shares some of the filmmakers' creative inventions, like the tail end of a song-and-dance number in the park, and a fantasy sequence featuring far too many Zooeys on a bus. The flick comes courtesy of director Marc Webb, who's best known for helming music videos.

Grade: A
Also expected to be released on this date: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince


     


 
 

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