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The first trailer for Emmy-award winning director Lee Hirsch’s documentary Bully has gone online. The film tackles the increasingly troubling issue of bullying in American schools, and this trailer is kind of heartbreaking. In addition to examining the subject at hand, Bully tells the story of multiple parents whose children have committed suicide as a result of bullying. There’s no doubt that this is a serious issue affecting a number of kids of all ages, and the problem has only grown worse with the advent of social media and the anonymity of the internet. Judging from the trailer, the film seems to focus on the act of physical and verbal bullying in schools and on the bus rides home, but I hope Hirsch also takes a look at cyber bullying as the web can be one of the cruelest tools at a bully’s disposal. The film was actually given an R rating by the MPAA for “some language”, but The Weinstein Company plans to appeal the rating in order to make the film accessible to those that will benefit from it the most: kids.
Hit the jump to watch the trailer. Bully opens March 30th.
Trailer via Moviefone:
We’re merely a couple weeks away from the release of Disney’s John Carter and I’m willing to bet that a good deal of the general public still has no idea what this movie is about. The previous trailers and TV spots have tried in vain to sell the film as a big action-adventure pic, but none of that matters if your audience doesn’t understand why there are a bunch of CG people monsters hanging out in the desert. A fan-made trailer for the film has recently hit the web and it’s leagues better than what the Disney marketing machine has come up with. It clearly sets up the story and rightly sells the Edgar Rice Burroughs adaptation as the precursor to basically the entire sci-fi genre. From Star Wars to Avatar, Burroughs’ source material served as the inspiration for some of the world’s most beloved sci-fi stories, and finally the tale that started it all is getting a film adaptation of its own. That’s how the movie should have been sold.
Despite the air of cynicism surrounding John Carter, I’m really pulling for the film to be a success. Having absolutely loved all of director Andrew Stanton’s previous work (Wall-E, Finding Nemo), I sincerely hope he delivers an entertaining, epic sci-fi adventure. Hit the jump to watch the impressive fan-made trailer. John Carter opens in 3D on March 9th.
If you missed any of our previous John Carter coverage, including set visit interviews, behind-the-scenes feauturettes, and much more, click here.
Fan-made trailer via Badass Digest:
Here’s the official synopsis for John Carter:
From Academy Award(R)-winning filmmaker Andrew Stanton comes “John Carter”–a sweeping action-adventure set on the mysterious and exotic planet of Barsoom (Mars). “John Carter” is based on a classic novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose highly imaginative adventures served as inspiration for many filmmakers, both past and present. The film tells the story of war-weary, former military captain John Carter (Taylor Kitsch), who is inexplicably transported to Mars where he becomes reluctantly embroiled in a conflict of epic proportions amongst the inhabitants of the planet, including Tars Tarkas (Willem Dafoe) and the captivating Princess Dejah Thoris (Lynn Collins). In a world on the brink of collapse, Carter rediscovers his humanity when he realizes that the survival of Barsoom and its people rests in his hands.
I’m counting down the days until Mass Effect 3 hits stores and then playing the hell out of it. What makes the Mass Effect series stand out is how it builds a big, sprawling space opera, and you realize that there are whole galaxies and non-human races that have their own conflicts. The big selling point of Mass Effect 3 is that Earth is now under attack, and the plot has the series’ hero, Shepard, on a mission to rally the universe to defend against the attack from the malevolent Reapers. Sadly, this new trailer decides to go ful-on Michael Bay, and make an ad for a game that could easily be Halo, Resistance, or Gears of War, but with different-looking aliens. Where’s Garrus? Where’s Wrex? Where’s Mordin? Not to be found here. But there is a shot of a falling building that could have been taken directly from a Transformers movie.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer. For comparison, I’ve also included the far superior “Reinstated” trailer, which features the female Shepard. Mass Effect 3 hits Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC on March 6th.
The trailer for the drama Cherry has gone online. Cherry centers on a young woman (Ashley Hinshaw) who goes into porn, and her various relationships with her porn director (Heather Graham), friend (Dev Patel), mother (Lily Taylor), and, according to what we previously reported, James Franco as a coked-up lawyer. The Playlist caught the film at the Berlin Film Festival a few days ago, and said that the movie “is not very good” and avoids tough questions about whether the porn industry exploits or empowers women.
Hit the jump to check out the trailer. The film currently does not have U.S. distribution, although I can easily imagine a straight-to-DVD future based on what I’m seeing from the trailer.
Trailer via The Playlist.
Even those who quickly grew weary with Glee maintain their love for Chris Colfer. So we are all watching closely with Struck by Lightning, which is not only Colfer’s feature debut, but also his first produced script. The first trailer has dropped, and there is definite promise. Colfer’s writing is clearly influe nced by his day job, given the story’s focus on what it means to be an outcast in high school. But Colfer smartly crafted a different kind of high school outcast for himself, one who wants to be the editor of The New Yorker rather than a Broadway star. This ambition leads the character to, as he puts it, “blackmail the entire school to better my chances of getting into the school of my dreams. And it’s exhilarating.” Rebel Wilson, Sarah Hyland, Allison Janney, Dermot Mulroney, Christina Hendricks, Allie Grant, and Angela Kinsey also star in Struck by Lightning, directed by Brian Dannelly (Pushing Daisies). Watch the trailer after the jump.
Via E! Online:
In a discussion concerning influential figures from the musical profession, it’s hard not to mention Bob Marley. In director Kevin Macdonald’s (The Last King of Scotland) new documentary, titled simply Marley, he attempts to chronicle the artist’s life from his early days to his rise to stardom and, ultimately, to his death. We recently brought you the first poster for Marley, but now we have the official US trailer to show you as well. Marley features rare performance footage, archival interviews and commentary from his friends and family.
Marley will make its world premiere this month at the Berlin Film Festival and will make SXSW its North American debut. Look for Marley in theaters and on VOD in a Magnolia Pictures release on April 20th. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.
Here’s the synopsis for Marley:
Bob Marley’s universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. MARLEY is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, and legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best.
From Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald (One Day In September, The Last King of Scotland) comes the story of a towering figure of musical history, whose music and message has transcended different cultures, languages and creeds to resonate around the world today as powerfully as when he was alive.
MARLEY will make its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this month followed by its North American premiere at SXSW. Magnolia Pictures will release theatrically and on VOD on Friday, April 20th.
Click over to Apple to watch the trailer in HD:
Like most everyone, I’m incredibly excited for The Dark Knight Rises. It’s the culmination of Christopher Nolan’s Batman saga and I can’t wait to see how he closes things out. However, I’m not as excited for the countless fan-made Dark Knight Rises trailer cuts/mash-ups/parodies headed our way over next few months. So it’s with a great deal of skepticism that I went into this Prestige-style trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. As it turns out, this fan-made cut is actually really cool. It takes Michael Caine’s “three parts to a magic trick” speech from Nolan’s 2006 magician film and applies it to the three films in Nolan’s Batman trilogy. It fits surprisingly well, and it’s definitely worth checking out if you’ve got two minutes to spare.
Hit the jump to take a look. The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20th.
Video courtesy of YouTube user Dominaz3000.
Last week, the red-band trailer for The FP went online, and today Drafthouse Films has released the green-band version. Both trailers do a good job of setting up the movie’s premise: With an 80s-style vibe, the plot pits two gangs against each other, and their differences are settled by playing “Beat Beat Revolution” (based off the real-world rhythm-dance game Dance Dance Revolution). The red-band version is heavy on the swearing, but it also does a better job of showing off the fun dialogue and intentionally corny lines like “He wasn’t expecting the unexpected!” The FP may seem like a commercial or a comedy sketch gone on too long, but I’m going to trust the positive word from the film’s premiere at last year’s SXSW Film Festival.
Hit the jump to check out the trailers. The film stars Jason Trost, Lee Valmassy, Art Hsu, Caitlyn Folley, Nick Principe, Brandon Barrera, James DeBello, Sean Whalen, and James Remar. The FP opens March 16th.
Here’s the official synopsis for The FP:
In a dystopian future, a relentless turf war rages. Two rival gangs feud for control of rural wasteland Frazier Park (‘The FP’) in the deadly arena of competitive dance-fight video game “Beat-Beat Revelation.” After hometown hero BTRO is slain on the dance platform by thug leader L Dubba E, his protégé younger brother JTRO (Jason Trost) goes into isolation, vowing never to duel again. One year later, The FP is in ruins, and JTRO must find the courage to return and restore order in a ruthless battle for revenge that can only leave one man dancing. From the producers of PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and featuring narration by James Remar (THE WARRIORS), THE FP is a fury of fierce footwork, triumphant montages and neon street wear that Moviefone calls “a rare ready-made cult hit.”
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With all the buzz surrounding new trailers for The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man recently, I had almost forgotten about one of the most anticipated movies of the year: Ridley Scott’s Prometheus. An international teaser trailer for the sci-fi pic hit the web today, and it’s sufficiently fantastic. We don’t get a ton of new footage in this trailer that wasn’t in the domestic teaser, but the in-your-face horror aspect of the film is still extremely effective. In a sea full of bright and colorful big-budget fare, Prometheus promises to be a breath of fresh air (or, more likely, a smack in the face). I love the tone of terror running throughout all the footage, and Scott himself told us last year at Comic-Con that his goal was to “scare the shit” out of the audience. I sincerely doubt he’ll fall short.
Hit the jump to watch the international teaser. Hopefully a new trailer is on the way soon. The film stars Noomi Rapace, Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender, and Idris Elba. Prometheus opens in 3D on June 8th.
Via CBM:
Prometheus – International Teaser Trailer #1… by addictomovie
Here’s the official synopsis for Prometheus:
Visionary filmmaker Ridley Scott returns to the genre he helped define, creating an original science fiction epic set in the most dangerous corners of the universe. The film takes a team of scientists and explorers on a thrilling journey that will test their physical and mental limits and strand them on a distant world, where they will discover the answers to our most profound questions and to life’s ultimate mystery.
A red band trailer for the comedy Friends with Kids has gone online. Written and directed by Jennifer Westfeldt, the story centers on two best friends (Westfeldt and Adam Scott) who decide to have a baby together without being in a relationship. The cast is fantastic (Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Edward Burns, Megan Fox, and Chris O’Dowd), and I’m excited to see Scott take on his first leading role. This trailer delves more deeply into the plot and, as it’s red band, there are a few more off-color jokes (who doesn’t like masturbation humor?). The jokes work, and I really like the chemistry between Scott and Westfedlt. I’m looking forward to checking the full film out. You can read Matt’s review here.
Hit the jump to watch the red band trailer. Friends with Kids opens March 9th.
Trailer via Hulu.
Here’s the synopsis for Friends with Kids:
Friends With Kids is a daring and poignant ensemble comedy about a close-knit circle of friends at that moment in life when children arrive and everything changes. The last two singles in the group observe the effect that kids have had on their friends’ relationships and wonder if there’s a better way. They decide to have a kid together – and date other people.
There are big laughs and unexpected emotional truths as this unconventional ‘experiment’ leads everyone in the group to question the nature of friendship, family and, finally, true love.
