When people talk about movies they are most excited to see, they will normally stick to the big budget action adventures, raunchy comedies, or thrillers. It is rare to see a grown adult get publicly excited about the newest children’s animation or cheesy chick-flick. But when all is said and done, and we are alone in our living rooms browsing Netflix, most of the time we are actually in the mood for something light and fun. Just admit it, we all love the occasional cartoon for family comedy.
This week we have two classic family franchises getting rebooted, a trailer for a superhero film that just doesn’t seem to want to ever come out, and a guilty pleasure indie flick.
The Adventures of Tintin
What is most amazing about this trailer is that it takes at least 30 seconds to realize that it is not a live action film. But that is what you get when you put legendary filmmaker Stephen Spielberg together with Peter Jackson’s Weta Digital, one of the top visual effects companies working today, and leader in motion capture technology; you get the cutting-edge in 3D animation. It is quite amazing just how flawless all the scenery looks and how they were able to achieve the smoothest, most realistic motion ever scene.
And, of course, what is a Weta motion capture film without Andy Serkis starring? Also appearing as an ape in this summer’s The Rise of the Planet of the Apes and best known for his portrayal of Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, Serkis has the reputation of being the most talented unknown actors because his face is alway hidden behind an animated character.
On top of that, the rest of the cast is filled out with all-star performers including Daniel Craig (Casino Royal, Cowboys & Aliens), as well as Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (Shawn of the Dead, Paul).
If nothing else, this film is sure to an epic adventure utilizing the latest 3D and motion capture technology not to miss in theaters.
The Muppets (Green with Envy)
I wish I could have been in the theater to see this for the first time, not knowing what it was really for. I must say, as silly as Muppet movies can be, they have been running a brilliant marketing campaign, starting from the release of their first epic poster.
As sad as it sounds, I was actually kind of excited to see this fake Green with Envy film. Despite being completely melodramatic and cheesy, we do have two of the most lovable leads you could hope to see in a film. Amy Adams (The Fighter, Doubt) is as charming as ever, just doing her thing from Enchanted, and Jason Segal (Forgetting Sarah Marshal, How I Met Your Mother) should be quite fun to watch how he does in a family film.
But what is most incredible about his film is looking at the supporting cast on IMDB. Appearing in the film will be Emily Blunt (The Adjustment Bureau, The Devil Wears Prada), John Krasinski (The Office), Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Ed Helms (The Office, The Hangover), Jack Black (School of Rock), Danny Trejo (Grindhouse), Rashida Jones (Parks and Recreation, I love You, Man), Donald Glover (Community), Ricky Gervais (Extras), Katy Perry, and Whoopi Goldberg. Wow.
On a technical note, I was impressed by their use of voice-over in this trailer. For the most part, trailer narration is a thing of the past, but in this case they used that to their advantage. The voice-over artist actually gave quite a strong performance, with his stammer as he was introduced Kermit the Frog. If the actual film was written with the same creativity going into the marketing campaign, then there is a good chance that this film could actually be cool.
Green Lantern
Obviously this is not the first trailer for this film, but I feel like I have to talk about it because it almost feels like I’m watching a brand new film every time a new trailer comes out. This is one marketing campaign that literally makes the movie better and better with each new promo. This is probably due to the fact that the studio has recently been dropping millions into new special effects, which so far seems to be worth it.
Honestly, when I first saw that there was a new trailer for this film I thought to myself, “Come out already!” But as it went on, and we started to see a lot of the backstory for the first time, I realized that this might be the first time I am able to take Ryan Reynolds seriously in this role. What I find interesting is how the mainstream audience is use to watching superhero and comic book movies about characters they already know like Superman or Batman, while The Green Lantern is someone most people don’t know a lot about.
If this film actually captures the overall epicness of this newest trailer, and Reynolds doesn’t screw it up with too many one-liner zingers, then at the very least it’ll be a fun ride. And, for the guys out there, Blake Lively, who was surprisingly decent in The Town, is always nice to watch on screen.
Guilty Pleasure of the Week
A Little Help
As a fan of The Office, I am really excited to see Jenna Fischer in a feature film leading role. At first I dismissed this film as eventually turning out to be a poorly executed chick-flick, but then I noticed the R rating and thought about some of quirky title design and realized that this film could actually be an cute indie that is both genuine and real.
This film is sure to have great characters, and a fresh performance by a talented actress, ready to make her mark in the world of feature films.
Documentary Corner:
Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
On one level, this should be interesting as a fan of Conan, but on another level this film could potentially be an insightful documentary about fame, and about making difficult transitions in your life.
Conan always did seem very relatable on screen, but this film should let us see him as a real person. I think it will actually be refreshing to see him mad at NBC, instead of always trying to be polite about the whole situation.
But, above all, this film should just be funny, and a chance to see some great moments from his tour for those us us that missed it. It looks like it will be a perfect combination of real emotion and comedy, and, if nothing else, there are sure to great comedian cameos.
