Trailer Hitch
By Eric Hughes
August 27, 2008
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Ping Pong Playa – Opens September 5thWait, a film starring a stable of Asian actors that isn't related in any way to martial arts? Yes, you've read correctly. IFC Films ventures into seemingly brand new territory with a comedy from writer-director Jessica Yu centering around one of the most renowned sports played by Asians and Asian-Americans: ping pong.
In Ping Pong Playa, Jimmy Tsai stars as Christopher "C-Dub" Wang, the supposed black sheep of a family whose entire world revolves around the sport. One day, Christopher is forced to learn the benefits of ping pong after taking over as instructor of a class that his mother taught before getting injured in a car wreck. He then puts his family's ping pong history on the line by entering in a national tournament in place of his ping pong champion brother, who like his mother, cannot participate because of the accident.
As for the trailer itself, it really didn't strike me as all that funny. It was entirely too slapstick for my tastes, and the story appears to be just as formulaic as it sounds. This is the overused plot of a slacker son who proves he's really a winner when it counts, but in new clothing.
Grade: D
Also expected to be released on this date: Bangkok Dangerous, Everybody Wants to Be Italian, Walking on Dead Fish, Mister Foe, Save Me, Un Secret
Forever Strong – Opens September 26th
Based on a true story, Forever Strong is a sports film (high in dramatics, as we've seen before), though one whose subject admittedly is something a bit uncommon. It's rugby. You know, that sport that's kinda catching on as of late, especially among the muscle jocks, yet one that the common man still has no idea how to play. Well, maybe Forever Strong can serve as your intro (as it would mine, too).
Here, Sean Faris plays lead high school rugby player Rick Penning, who loses his spot on an Arizona rubgy union team when bad behavior forces him to move up to Salt Lake City. There, he joins a renowned high school team, which eventually advances into the national championships to face off against his former team (coached by the boy's father, played by Neal McDonough, no less). Other cast mates include Gary Cole as coach of the team in Salt Lake, Arielle Kebbel as Rick's love interest and Sean Astin as his social worker.
Grade: B-
Also expected to be released on this date: Eagle Eye, Miracle at St. Anna, Nights in Rodanthe, The Lucky Ones, Trainwreck: My Life as an Idiot, Choke, Smother, Humboldt County, Blindness, Obscene
The Brothers Bloom – Opens October 24th
Reminiscent of the sleek and uber cool men (and their style) previously seen in the Ocean's Eleven series, The Brothers Bloom pairs up Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody as two of the world's greatest con men who come together for one last great gig. This time it's an heiress named Penelope (Rachel Weisz), whom the boys want to take for a trip around the world, while at the same time conning her out of her precious $2.5 million. Along the way, however, Brody's character, Bloom, falls in love with Penelope, obviously complicating matters.
The trailer lays it all out for you, too (actually a little bit too much, to be quite honest). The setup, the locations, the players, the con. It's basically all there for the taking. Like seeing the entire feature squeezed down into no more than two minutes (save for the ending, of course). The Brothers Bloom sneak peek is a classic example of when the trailer just gives too much away.
Grade: C+
Also expected to be released on this date: High School Musical 3: Senior Year; Saw V; Crossing Over; Pride and Glory; The Changeling; Passengers; Roadside Romeo; Synecdoche, New York; I've Loved You So Long; Family Life
Yes Man – Opens December 19th
It's good to see Jim Carrey's back in the comedy game, having been in basically nothing (save for the terribly awful The Number 23) since 2005's Fun with Dick and Jane. In Yes Man, Carrey steals the formula previously seen in Liar Liar and spins it on its head. This time, instead of being the unfortunate man named Fletcher who can't tell a lie, Carrey is an unfortunate man named Carl who can't say no. Better said, it's yes to everything, including simple things from taking guitar lessons and learning Korean to more obscure activities, like pounding down a case of Red Bull and pulling through an all-nighter with his buds (as referenced in the trailer).
Admittedly, I like what I see (not completely original, but then again we haven't seen something just like it before). The trailer has a few good gags and appears to be the kind of comedy film we've come to expect from Carrey. And given this one's Christmastime release, I expect Yes Man to do good holiday business for New Line, similar to how Meet the Fockers and Night at the Museum used the time frame to its advantage in recent years.
Grade: B+
Also expected to be released on this date: Seven Pounds, Nothing But the Truth, The Tale of Despereaux
Knowing – Opens March 20, 2009
Nicolas Cage is trading in his symbology expertise viewers have grown accustomed to through the National Treasure franchise for something with a bit more substance. Because this time, the final result isn't a large sum of money, but in fact the end of the world as we know it. In Knowing, Cage plays Ted Myles, a professor who comes into contact with contents of a time capsule at his son's school that has boldly predicted catastrophes since 1959 through a unique numbering system. Due to its accuracy, Ted starts believing that he is living in the time of the apocalypse, given that the numbers on the sheet eventually run out.
The bone I'd like to pick with this one, however, is the casting of Cage in the lead role, which ends up being, at least for me, just as awkward as I thought it would be when I first heard about this project. Because really, would you ever want the fate of the world in the hands of the man who starred in Ghost Rider?
Grade: B-
Also expected to be released on this date: This Side of the Truth, Duplicity, Fired Up