The Avengers
Director:Joss Whedon
Cast:Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård , Samuel L. Jackson
Well the first official standalone trailer for the much anticipated Marvel ‘experiment’ is finally here. What do I think? Well, I’ve lost interest in super hero movies of late and haven’t actually seen many of the Marvel films leading up to this, but I do think it looks promising. Plus I quite enjoyed Thor which helped. There is a lack of OTT CGI which is always a good thing and it doesn’t look overly serious, which I like in a film like this. I’m a big fan of Firefly and Serenity too, so I’m hoping writer/director Joss Whedon brings some of that quality to the table. I’m not drooling at the prospect of The Avengers like a lot of fan boys are, but this trailer has helped keep me on board.
Angels Crest
Director:Gaby Dellal
Cast:Thomas Dekker, Lynn Collins, Elizabeth McGovern, Jeremy Piven, Mira Sorvino, Kate Walsh, Joseph Morgan, Barbara Williams
An indie drama about a young father who loses his son through a single act of thoughtlessness. The film looks at the aftermath of this, the lives of the man, the boy’s alcoholic mother and the way the rest of the small town reacts to the tragedy. This looks fairly powerful, it could get morose, but it’s hard to tell from a trailer. The scenery looks impressive, the cast interesting, so it might be worth a watch. It’s a tough one to call at this stage. Probably best to wait for some reviews to trickle through.
The Raven
Director:James McTeigue
Cast:John Cusack, Luke Evans, Alice Eve, Brendan Gleeson, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Hmmmm… not sure what to think of this one. The idea is quite interesting – a killer in the 19th Century is basing his murders around tales of Edgar Allan Poe, so the man himself (John Cusack) is drafted in to help the investigation. Unfortunately it’s director (James McTeigue) doesn’t have a particularly impressive CV (V For Vendetta and Ninja Assassin) and this looks similarly over-slick and soulless. There’s a little too much martial arts inspired action in the trailer for my liking too (I know that’s usually my thing, but here?) and not enough tension or horror for a film inspired by Poe. Visually, despite the slickness, it does look suitably dark and gothic, but I’m not holding my breath.
The Son of No one
Director:Dito Montiel
Cast:Al Pacino, Channing Tatum, Ray Liotta, Katie Holmes, Tracy Morgan, Juliette Binoche
This police thriller about a cop with a shady past has an amazing cast (and Tracy Morgan in possibly his first ‘serious’ role), but don’t let that fool you. The production company behind this (Millennium Films) are renowned for drawing top acting talent to their productions but short change the audience in terms of everything else – most of the time at least. Judging by the trailer this is standard fare and probably won’t draw much attention on release. It’s sad to see potentially great actors like Pacino, Liotta and Binoche shop it in like this rather than aiming for meatier, more challenging roles. You never know, it may surprise me, but this looks to be another Righteous Kill (another Millennium Films production).
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