the film snob

A cyberspace journal about my experiences as an NYU film school grad student, reviews of current and classic films, film and TV news, and the rants and raves of an admitted (and unapologetic) film snob.

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Location: Washington D.C.

Esse Quam Videri -- To be, rather than to appear

Friday, August 04, 2006

Trailer Park











There are some fantastic new trailers online. Here are a sampling of a few:

Babel looks like it will be this year's Syriana--global in scope, politically charged, and suffused with our common humanity. Looks enthralling.

Darren Aronofsky, who hasn't made a film since Requiem for a Dream, returns to cinema with an epic, mind-bending film spanning a thousand years of one man's struggle to save the woman he loves and find the key to eternal life in The Fountain.

Many thought The Aviator would finally give Martin Scorsese his much deserved Oscar. Alas, it did not happen. Scorsese is following up his Best Picture nomination with The Departed, in which two undercover agents, one a Boston police officer who has infiltrated the mob (Leonardo DiCaprio) and another, a mobster who masquerades as a cop (Matt Damon) in the employ of a gangland chief (Jack Nicholson), fight not to be consumed by their double lives and desperately try to fulfill their missions before they discover each other's secrets.

In The Prestige, two stage magicians, intent on destroying each other, rise to the height of their careers but not without terrible consequences for everyone involved.

Children of Men imagines a world just a generation from now, in which humankind is on the verge of extinction, utterly infertile, and plunging towards anarchy.

The Black Dahlia is based on the true story of the notorious 1947 Los Angeles murder of actress Elizabeth Short and the cops who are driven to obsession to solve the case. Brian DePalma hasn't made a decent movie in nearly 20 years. Lets hope the director of The Untouchables and Scarface can change that with The Black Dahlia.

Will Smith is aiming for an Oscar and based on this trailer of a man trying to make ends meet for he and his son in The Pursuit of Happiness, he just may get it. A beautiful and selfless performance.

4 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey man, Brain DePalma is a great filmmaker. PLEASE, don't drag him into the the mud too much... when I see a scene sooo much of a lovingly homage to Eisenstein's "Odessa Steps sequence", I cannot take this criticism to heart. Plus... he has also made the best MI film to date, which I might add has been less than twenty years ago. He might agree with your assessment of his career, but it is undoubtably one of the greatest fillmakers of his generation. Anyone who has seen the oft-underseen underated "Blowout" will agree with me.

And about the list of trailers... what about the new Bond film? You have been doing TOO much of your homework to recongnized the anticipation and anxiety over this film... let's hope that M.G. Wilson and Ms. Broccoli get this one right... I have my fingers crossed.

As usual, great blog. Thanks for keeping my filmic sense honest.

11:42 AM  
Blogger Brandon said...

I never said he wasn't a great filmmaker. Just that he hasn't done anything great in nearly two decades. Not since "The Untouchables."

Some have been good "(Carlito's Way"), some mediocre ("Mission Impossible," "Snake Eyes" and "Bonfire of the Vanities") and some atrocious ("Mission to Mars"). But none great.

I'd like to see him get back on top as much as you. Let's hope this is the film to do it. (On that note, his "The Untouchables: Capone Rising"--the story of Capone's rise to power and early dealings with Malone--is set for a 2008 release!)

As for "Casino Royale," it's a great trailer, but hardly new. The trailers I posted here are all from within the last week. Doesn't mean I am any less excited for Bond!

1:12 PM  
Blogger Grinth said...

I'm excited for The Fountain

I'm an admitted Aranofsky fan liking both Pi and Requiem.

I actually got the chance to see his student film he did for his degree at Harvard...very rough and definitely gives aspiring student film makers inspiration, but it was still interesting.

8:07 AM  
Blogger Grinth said...

Now that I've had a chance to watch the trailers....Children of Men looks really fascinating although I think I've always had a soft spot for apocalyptic type films in that vein.

Christopher Nolan's new film also looks intriguing.

I'm not sure how I feel about Babel, its hard to tell from the trailer but it seems like it might be reaching a bit.

6:42 AM  

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