Charles Bramesco
Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn Act Each Other Into Next Week in New ‘Una’ Trailer
It’s downright mystifying that Una, Australian theatre veteran Benedict Andrews’ first foray into screen directing, hasn’t found an American distributor as of yet. It’s got two major stars in Rooney Mara and Ben Mendelsohn — and with Riz Ahmed also appearing as a supporting player, they could even work the “Rogue One reunion” angle! — the reviews out of its screenings at the film festivals in Telluride and Toronto were uniformly strong, and it also happens to be excellent. (I was one of the critics praising the film as a superb actors’ showcase back at Toronto.) While there’s no U.S. release date on the horizon, it’s only a matter of time until some clever distributor makes a move, and for now, we’ve got a new trailer.
James Franco Looks Like He’s Actually Trying in the ‘I Am Michael’ Trailer
Showbiz is weird sometimes: director Justin Kelly premiered his first feature-length film I Am Michael at Sundance in January 2015, where James Franco earned scattered praise for his performance as real-life “ex-gay” Michael Glatze. Instead of sitting on his hands and waiting for the film to land a distribution deal, Kelly went right ahead and commenced work on his second feature, the gay porn saga King Cobra, which premiered at Tribeca back in the spring of 2016. “James Franco in a movie about gay porn” proved to be a more hooky angle, and the film was shown in theaters across America this past fall. That bump to Kelly’s profile enabled him to finally land distribution for I Am Michael, the trailer for which surfaced yesterday in advance of its release on January 27. Both debut and not, Kelly’s first film will be his second release. Just a fun film-industry fact.
Crossing $11 Billion Mark, Hollywood Poised for Biggest Year to Date
Even if it feels like things are getting worse all the time, with Hollywood delivering an unholy crop of expensive flops amidst murmurs of cinema’s death in 2016, that may not be the case. At the very least, the American film industry isn’t in danger of collapsing any time soon — quite the opposite, in fact. If we’re to take the total sum of money generated by ticket sales in a given year as a barometer of the industry’s overall health, Tinseltown’s still as strong as an ox, Ben-hur remake or no.
Christmas Comes Earlier and Earlier with Japanese Holiday Teaser for ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’
Christmas means a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To the devout, it commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ and the symbolic coming of mankind’s heaven-sent savior to the earthly plane. To countless more, it’s a time when we gather together with family and loved ones to share in peace on earth, goodwill toward men, and beverages that combine that wonders of alcohol and dairy. To children, it is one of the several annual occasions on which you get presents. And to adrenaline addicts who like to live life to the limit even when slouching in for an afternoon at the cineplex, it’s when xXx: The Return of Xander Cage parkours into theaters.
Amy Schumer and Goldie Hawn Are the Sexual Equivalent of Melted Candles in ‘Snatched’ Trailer
The public’s first look at Amy Schumer’s upcoming crime-comedy Snatched came a couple of months ago, when she posted that video of her and her costar Goldie Hawn doing a lightly choreographed dance routine tribute to Beyoncé’s “Formation” and instantly earned the ire of the internet. Somewhat less likely to earn her charges of cultural appropriation, however, is the official red-band trailer for that movie, which Schumer released today in the hopes that she has not yet fallen entirely out of favor with the general public. The people will most likely smile more kindly on Schumer when she’s getting a beverage spat on her instead of putting her face on an anthem for black womanhood — the spit take can bridge any cultural gap, truly.
Alec Baldwin Is So Excited For You to Watch ‘The Boss Baby’ Trailer, Really
It’s not uncommon for stars to speak for a moment or two before a trailer for their upcoming film, hyping the release a touch while lending their celebrity directly to the proceedings. Especially for animated projects such as the upcoming The Boss Baby, it’s helpful to see the talent’s face as a reassurance of the film’s pedigree. But it almost looks like the Academy Award-nominated actor is trying to hold a straight face when he reads the words, “You are seconds away from seeing a sneak peek of Dreamwork’s new animated film The Boss Baby. I’m so excited for you. Really.” That little “really” tacked on to the end makes it sound like he’s got something to prove. Baldwin knows exactly what he’s gotten himself into. He knows how the phrase “The Boss Baby, starring Alec Baldwin” sounds.
Katherine Heigl Goes Homicidal in Trailer for Erotic Thriller ‘Unforgettable’
What the world needs now, in these turbulent and chaotic times, is more erotic thrillers. They were all over the place in the '90s, and yet somehow they've fallen out of favor in the decades since There have been a few cropping up in recent years, inspiring hope for some kind of erotic thriller renaissance; an obsessive younger man terrorized Jennifer Lopez in last year's The Girl Next Door and Morris Chestnut got caught in between two possessive women in this summer's When the Bough Breaks. Today brings the first look at the next film to join their esteemed ranks and contribute to the slow resurgence of the noble but underserved erotic thriller.
Shirley MacLaine Takes Control of Her Own Obituary in ‘The Last Word’ Trailer
With the upcoming dramedy The Last Word, gem of screen and stage Shirley MacLaine takes on the sort of role that actresses over eighty (hell, actresses over fifty) don’t get nearly enough of. She portrays one Harriet Lauler, a retired businesswoman and an objectively insufferable bee-yotch. She’s rude and condescending when not outright abusive to those around her, insistent on controlling everything and commanding everyone. (The most clutch line from the trailer above: when her OB/GYN recalls being told, “If I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you.”) She’s a difficult, contemptible character, and for mature actresses, those are always in short supply.