Trailer Hitch
By Eric Hughes
July 30, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Tyler Perry's The Family That Preys – Opens September 12th
Wait, no Madea?! It's true. Tyler Perry looks like he's definitely matured somewhat in The Family That Preys, a film that appears to be a hearty helping of good, old fashioned melodrama. In this one, best friends Charlotte Cartwright and Alice Pratt (Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard) learn they must come to terms with unwarranted turmoil between them and their families when their adult children experiment with, oh, extramarital affairs and unethical business practices, which threaten to unravel hidden secrets and lies that will affect all involved parties. This is the first time, actually, that I've watched the preview to a Tyler Perry product and would willingly see it in theaters.
Grade: B
Also expected to be released on this date: Righteous Kill, The Women, Burn After Reading, Towelhead, Phoebe in Wonderland
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People – Opens October 3rd
The latest from Brit Simon Pegg is painful. And not Oliver Stone's W. painful (see next trailer review), but British Office painful. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is chock full of the awkward moments and pauses that made that little show (and Ricky Gervais for that matter) both popular and famous, whether it's questioning someone's sexual orientation in an interview or mistakenly inviting strippers into the office during take your daughter to work day. Whoops.
In this one, Pegg stars as Brit writer Sidney Young, who is offered a job one day from Clayton Harding (Jeff Bridges) at Post Modern Review, a magazine in New York City. Once across the pond and in the Big Apple, Sidney begins his ascent to success, both within the company and also with women, especially in his budding relationship with colleague Alison Olsen (Kirsten Dunst). Although this isn't to say his transition to American life is completely smooth, because that would be lying. The film is based on Toby Young's 2001 memoir.
Grade: A-
Also expected to be released on this date: Beverly Hills Chihuahua, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Blindness, Religulous, House, What Just Happened
W. – Opens October 17th
Is this for real? I can't believe this is the infamous W. movie that I've been keeping tabs on since production began in mid-May. It just looks...sloppy. And on top of that, possibly nothing short of parody, whether or not Oliver Stone claims it's comparable to 2006's The Queen or his own acclaimed Nixon, released in 1995. I'm not buying it, especially now that I've seen the movie's direction.
And I discovered the preview's worst near its conclusion, where the trailer transforms into this who's who, actors vs. real people comparison. By showing the cast with the name of the person they are portraying, instead of the true names of the actors themselves, I'm half-expecting to next see Amy Poehler as Hillary Clinton, Darrell Hammond as Bill Clinton and Fred Armisen as Barack Obama. I had to keep reminding myself that what I was watching wasn't SNL, but in fact an actual movie that may or may not want to be taken seriously.
OK, seriously?
Grade: F
Also expected to be released on this date: Flash of Genius, Max Payne, The Secret Life of Bees, Doubt, Morning Light, Filth and Wisdom
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince – Opens November 21st
So Warner Bros. owns the summer with box office behemoth The Dark Knight, and what does it go out and do next? Own the Christmastime season, of course. Well, at least that's what practically anyone would think about the latest in the Harry Potter franchise, due in theaters on November 21st. These films have been nothing but gravy for WB, earning upwards of $280 million apiece, and showing no signs of slowing down. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, released summer 2007, accumulated the second-highest total – both domestically and worldwide – in the series, falling short only to 2001's debut film.
This fall, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince concerns Harry's sixth year at Hogwarts, and in my mind is a standout in the series in that its main purposes – exploration of the past, further development of character, set up for the series' final chapter – had never been charted on quite this scale. It's all set up, really, for what's to come next.
And as the books continue their descent into darkness, the films surely have followed suit. The one-minute preview released this week is no exception, either, as Harry's troubles with that pesky Voldemort are only growing increasingly severe.
Grade: A
Also expected to be released on this date: The Soloist
Terminator Salvation – Opens May 22nd, 2009
If the future – in this case, 2018 - is anything like the Terminator franchise predicts, I certainly don't want to be around to see it. What, with its giant, flying machine monsters (which are, in few words, quite hostile) and vast deserts of nothingness, the future Terminator Salvation hints at in this sneak peek certainly makes the Iraq war and the West's fear of terrorism a bit petty.
The film, which thankfully dropped its ridiculous The Future Begins tagline in its title, looks very promising and certainly quells my fears of the series making its first misstep, especially since the franchise's fourth departs greatly from the Arnold Schwarzenegger-led trilogy. Not only are there new scribes and a new director in McG, the series itself has undergone a complete reboot as well. A Terminator no longer arrives from the future to either attack or protect humanity. Instead, we are finally in the future itself, battling against machines in a war to end all wars.
You know why else I have faith in this title? Two words for you: Christian Bale. Talk about striking while the iron is hot, Warner Bros.
Grade: B+
Also expected to be released on this date: Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian