Trailer Hitch

By Jim Van Nest

September 7, 2005

Ocean life evolved in ways that Cousteau could never have expected

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Welcome to Trailer Hitch, your weekly look at the latest movie trailers to hit the internet. This week we have a very good-looking documentary, several smaller films and one train wreck waiting to happen, bro. Keep reading to see which clip is our Trailer of the Week.


You've got to be kidding me, bro?

Into the Blue


What can you say about a movie starring Paul Walker and Jessica Alba? Well, they look good. If it's acting and/or story you want, Into the Blue doesn't seem to be what you'll be looking for. Two young couples run across a downed plane in the ocean. It turns out the plane is full to the brim with drugs. One couple wants to take it, the other doesn't. Guess what? One couple betrays the other. Sure, we all could see it coming from a mile away, but to actually put it in the trailer is just insane. In about 90 seconds, I saw all I needed to see of this film.

Can you ever just be, like, whelmed?

Bee Season


If you've ever wondered what the behind the scenes life of a spelling bee champion is like, this is the film for you. Richard Gere and Juliette Binoche star as the parents of a gifted little girl who trains to take part in the National Spelling Bee. This is the type of film that is probably a wonderful film, but there's not one thing in the trailer that makes this movie look interesting to me. My best comparison is Searching for Bobby Fisher. And when I finally forced myself to watch it, I loved it.

OK, I'm intrigued

The Boys of Baraka


All right, I'll admit it; I'm not a big documentary guy. I tend to see movies to escape real life, not see more of it. For The Boys of Baraka, I may have to make an exception. From relatively new Loki Films comes the story of several troubled Baltimore teens that are sent to Kenya for boarding school. Pulled out of a world of drug dealers and gang wars, these boys are being given the rarest of gifts: opportunity. The trailer shows clips of the boys in their homes in Baltimore and shows some quick clips of their messages to their mothers from their new school. Sporting a handful of film festival awards, The Boys of Baraka could prove to be a gem of a film.

Cape of Good Hope

Another film sporting a handful of film festival awards is the South African Cape of Good Hope. Director Mark Bamford's look at life and love in South Africa focuses primarily on three women at different stages of love. One is running away, another running towards and a third is ready for a baby. In a short time, the trailer suggests that this will be one of those "I laughed and I cried" films. I know I chuckled out loud watching the uncomfortable husband left alone for the first portion of a paternity test. The film appears to center around love as the all powerful force in the universe and I think this is a perfect time for this wonderful message.

Where the Truth Lies

From writer/director Atom Egoyan comes Where the Truth Lies. Kevin Bacon and Colin Firth play former showbiz partners reliving the memory of a dead girl found in their hotel suite. Judging by the trailer, this looks to be a pretty suspenseful film with at least one, but more likely several twists. The film looks dark and perhaps it's the '50s setting, but has a touch of noir to it. Bacon and Firth are outstanding actors who both seem to be playing the bad guy in this one. One of the things I like about this trailer is that it shows you the basic story, but doesn't take you too far. I have no more idea how it will turn out now than I did before watching the trailer, and that is effective.

Forty Shades of Blue (Trailer of the Week)

This week's Trailer of the Week is the 2005 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner, Forty Shades of Blue. Rip Torn stars as an aging rock legend living in Memphis with his much younger Russian girlfriend (Dina Korzun). When his son (Darren Burrows) comes back to town, it doesn't take long before the sparks fly between he and the girl. While the trailer shows you nothing, it alludes to the fact that Torn's character isn't altogether stable and is, in fact, pretty dangerous. With quotes hailing Torn's performance as brilliant and the film itself as haunting, Forty Shades of Blue has definitely jumped onto my must-see list.


     


 
 

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