Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Three Trailers and a Tease

From Todd Solondz's new film Dark Horse
Earlier today, three trailers (and one photographic tease) for new films I’m looking forward to were released, and, much to my surprise, they’re all pretty good. Four acclaimed directors, four drastically different genres. Here goes.


Dark Horse – limited release, June 8
In my experience, people either love or hate the films of Todd Solondz. They’re odd, honest, and perverse in all the best ways. I’m a fan, but I can very easily see how people are turned off (or even repulsed) by Welcome to the Dollhouse, Happiness, Storyelling and Palindromes. Interestingly, Solondz’s last film, Life During Wartime, a quasi-sequel to Happiness, was his weakest yet. I’m not sure where I stand on Dark Horse, but I’ll be there nonetheless.


Killer Joe – out July 27
The festival buzz for William Friedkin’s first film in six years has been unanimously uproarious, with many critics saying star Matthew McConaughey, who plays a cop moonlighting as a hit man, is destined for an Oscar nomination. Bold words, but intriguing. The catch: Killer Joe is currently rated NC-17. It’ll be interesting to see if Friedkin reedits for an R, or goes the Steve McQueen route and lets it play as is.

Argo – out Oct. 12
Ben Affleck’s next directional effort is the true story of a CIA agent who posed as a Hollywood filmmaker to free hostages during the Iranian revolution. Thankfully, the trailer doesn’t divulge much, except the impressive cast including Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman, Victor Garber, Alan Arkin and Kyle Chandler (Coach Taylor!). Argo doesn’t exactly look like my kind of movie, but going off the strength of Gone Baby Gone and The Town, I’m there.

Passion – out early 2013
We have a ways to go before Brian De Palma’s erotic thriller hits screens, but judging from this still, the wait will be worth it. Passion is said to be a loose remake of Alain Corneau’s kind of brilliant Love Crime, which is about a young woman seeking revenge on her cruel boss. The most interesting aspect about De Palma’s film is his casting. In Love Crime, Ludivine Sagnier plays the employee, with Kristen Scott Thomas as the boss. There are 19 years separating the two actresses, a gap that plays an important role in the film’s plot. In Passion, Noomi Rapace takes over the Sagnier role, while Rachel McAdams, who is one year older than Rapace, playing the boss. Either way, I’m seriously hoping Passion is a return to form for De Palma.

8 comments:

  1. I just saw the trailers for Argo and Killer Joe, both look good. That pic of Rachel McAdams & Noomi Rapace... oh!!!! I'm turned on.

    I'm watching the trailer for Dark Horse and... wow. This might be a bit different but I'm intrigued. Usually, Solondz is quite dark but I like this.

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    1. I agree, Dark Horse looks oddly... uplifting, which is not Solondz's style. I'm definitely curious about that one. And yeah, that pic of McAdams and Rapace... whoa.

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  2. The Solondz film interests me particularly. While I agree Life During Wartime is his weakest film, I still liked a lot about it. And I think Storytelling is my favourite Solondz movie, even better than Happiness. I was lucky enough to see an uncensored copy (without the red square in the rape scene) and I was thoroughly stunned with how graphic it is and how long it lasted. Solondz was born to push the boundaries, and man I love that.

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    1. Storytelling is my favorite movie of his too, so very raw. Life During Wartime IS his weakest, but I think I gave it a B when I reviewed it, so that is very faint criticism from me. I liked a lot about that flick as well.

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  3. Passion looks awesome! Can't wait to see Rapace and McAdams together. De Palma used to make good movies, let's hope he will once again.

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    1. Ah did he ever. I really hope Passion delivers as well... last thing we need is another Black Dahlia.

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    2. Oh my God, Black Dahlia was one of the worst things ever. Swank's accent alone killed it.

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