Friday, September 28, 2012

Our Preview of This Week's New Releases (for Friday, September 28th)


Andrew: Hello readers! We're back with another weekly preview (sorry for them being sporadic lately) and boy is this one a doozy. We have a few wide release films coming out such as the new Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis film Won't Back Down; the Anna Kendrick led a cappella film Pitch Perfect; a new animated kids film in time for Halloween, Hotel Transylvania; and most importantly, one of the most highly-anticipated science-fiction films to come along in quite a while - the Joseph Gordon-Levitt/Bruce Willis time travel film Looper.

Sarah, I want to kick things off with the one we're most excited about, and that's Looper. It's directed by Rian Johnson, who isn't very well-known to the general public but he started to make a name for himself with 2005's high school noir film Brick (also starring JGL), 2008's The Brothers Bloom, and a couple of well-received episodes of AMC's Breaking Bad. The exciting thing about Johnson, to me, is that he wrote the film as well and it has a killer set-up. (More after the jump)

Official Trailer for Looper



JGL plays Joe, an assassin in the not-too-distant future called a Looper. The way he does his job centers around the fact that time travel has been invented but has been outlawed and the only people who use it are the mafia. So the mafia takes people they want dead and sends them back 30 years into the past, where Joe and his fellow Loopers are waiting for them and shoot them as soon as they arrive. Except eventually the mob sends the future version of their assassins back in time to be killed, unknowingly, by themselves (thus "closing their loop"). Future Joe (Bruce Willis) is sent back to be killed but manages to escape and then it's a chase between the old and younger Joe. How awesome does that sound???

Sarah: Pretty damn awesome, Andrew! This one looks so intriguing I have to say! Especially because JGL and Willis aren't the only two actors in this one that I am excited to see. Emily Blunt (The Five Year Engagement), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Piper Perabo (USA’s Covert Affairs), and Jeff Daniels. Daniels is quickly becoming one of my favorite "serious" actors after his amazing role on The Newsroom! I am so excited to see Blunt is her role as Sara too.

A: I've heard plenty of good things about the job Blunt does in Looper, so I'm excited to see what all the hullabaloo is about with her. She's actually said that this film is the best thing she's ever been a part of. That would come off as pure hyperole if it weren't for the fact that Bruce Willis pretty much said the same thing. And this is from the star of Die Hard! Suffice it to say, VERY excited for Looper.

S: I am actually really excited to see Hotel Transylvania! I am in the mood for some laughter and with its all-star cast: Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi (HBO’s Boardwalk Empire), Kevin James (Hitch) and many more! While it looks extremely predictable, I also like the concept of Count Dracula running a secret resort as both an escape for other monsters but to also shield his 118-year-old daughter from humans. I'm hoping that it will provide me with some very cheap laughs. And of course we will be seeing it because people LOVE to know about the movies that are appropriate for kids.

Official Trailer for Hotel Transylvania

A: Very true. Our most popular reviews have been for animated films, so along with enjoying a movie we'll give the people what they want to know! I'm sort of looking forward to Hotel Transylvania but it really has nothing to do with the voice cast (though pretty impressive, I will say). I'm more excited because it's the feature film directorial debut of Genndy Tartakovsky, who's notable for being the creator, director, writer or producer of such popular Cartoon Network shows as Dexter's Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars. Dexter's Lab was without a doubt one of my favorite shows as a kid, so yeah, I'm excited for Tartakovsky's movie.

S: The next one that I am pretty excited about is Pitch Perfect. Starring Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air), Brittany Snow (Hairspray), Rebel Wilson (Bachelorette) and Anna Camp (The Help) as girls in an all-girl college a capella group. When Kendrick's character comes in, she shakes things up with a new repertoire the group takes on new life. This "Glee-like" movie looks to be a fun one! I think that it looks pretty simple, but I'm excited to see the comedy that Wilson brings to the singing world and to see Kendrick actually sing.

Official Trailer for Pitch Perfect

A: I might have some guys asking for me to hand over my Man Card here, but I'm actually looking forward to Pitch Perfect, too. I've never been afraid to admit it, but musicals or movies that use music heavily are certainly my cup of tea. This looks very much like Glee but with the talent involved, and in particular the lead role played by Anna Kendrick, it looks like the singing could be quite good and Rebel Wilson looks to be pretty hilarious. (Editor’s note: Pitch Perfect is actually in limited release this weekend but goes wide on October 5th.)

The last film that comes out this weekend is Won't Back Down, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis as a pair of mothers who go up against their principal of their kids' school and the head of the teacher's union in an effort to make it better. The trailer makes it look kind of generic and schmaltzy (Kelly Clarkson, anyone?) despite the relative acting strength of its two leads. Academy Award winner Holly Hunter (who will always be Mrs. Incredible to me) is also in this movie, though barely in the trailers. What do you think?

Official Trailer for Won't Back Down


S: I think it looks like the perfect movie for Gyllenhaal, but Davis? She's an Oscar nominee who gave an amazing performance last year in The Help. I'm a little concerned that she will give the exact same performance, because it seems like the exact same character but set in present time. Riddled with cheesy lines (all from the trailer) I have to say if we don't see this one in theatres I won't be that upset.

A: Agreed. I’m sure both ladies do a fantastic job but there’s just something about the trailer that causes it to miss the mark with me. The plot is actually pretty timely considering the state of schools, especially in bigger cities, but I’m not sure if the star-power and the marketing will be enough to draw us into the theatre for this one.

Ok! That about wraps it up for this preview! Tonight is the night we go to see Looper, so be on the lookout for our review of that within the next day, and we have a new review of a documentary/concert movie about my favorite band of all-time, Queen, coming out later today! So check that out later, and as always thank you for reading! 

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