Saturday, September 27, 2008

Trailer Expo: THE SPIRIT and W and JUST BURIED and SPLINTER

I wasn't too taken with the first teaser that Frank Miller released for THE SPIRIT nor with the first trailer. True, a lot of it feels like a story from the Sin City pages but Will Eisner had a very different thing going in his head than Miller when he wrote this. This trailer blew me, away, and though it didn't get me the same giddy the QUANTUM OF SOLACE trailer did, any giddy is good giddy.


So, knowing Oliver Stone, for some reason I still thought that Bush biopic was going to be despite all else, mostly dramatic. But this new trailer really makes it clear, right? I wasn't anticipating this film as much as I was several other Fall biggies but it's now making a bigger blip on my mental map. October 17th is when you can catch it at your local filmoplex.

Yeah yeah, we all thought R.Downey Jr. was great in TROPIC THUNDER but the best part of the film wasn't retard jokes nor the blowjob proposals, it was Jay Baruchel. He played it pitch perfect and was the only real part of the film. Now, here comes a film with Jay that is not really a big studio film and yet I would pay just the same to watch it as THE SPIRIT. JUST BURIED stars Baruchel as a young man who inherits a funeral home in a small town and must think fast to keep the business running or it will be shut down due to little need for a funeral home in the town. Enter the beautiful Rose Byrne, the town's mortician, who with a strange opportunity comes to light.

And finally, a horror film, yay. I was ready to shut it off after 20 seconds but I'm glad I didn't because it offers something a tad bit different than most other horror films that start the same way, creatures. I really don't want to say much else because it could just as well suck gorilla testicles but the trailer does look interesting. In theaters October 31st. Enjoy.

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2nd and perhaps final trailer for THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON


Strange buzz has been revolving around this film ever since it premiered earlier this year at festivals and it's stuck with it while making rounds at other festivals. The main problem Paramount has with Fincher's final cut is that, like ZODIAC, it's just too long. Find me someone who cares and I'll find you someone who doesn't love to hate Daniel Plainview. Warner Bros. has a similar problem with Zack Snyder's WATCHMEN with its final running time being about four hours. Just suck it up people. I for one am waiting for the day our general attention spans increase and we have films that are four and five hours. Art is art and no muzzle will fit, should fit. BUTTON is still on course for December the 25th.

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Friday, September 26, 2008

New VALKYRIE trailer and poster beg the question: Do you really need more motivation to go see this film? The answer should be, no


With the Fall season closing in on us and the Oscar contenders lining up for a thorough physical, VALKYRIE is here today to make sure it also gets its testicles groped. Singer released a trailer almost nine months ago and then released the final trailer about two months back. But now we have the final final trailer and it's meant to be even more griping that the last. It's good but it really doesn't work for me, though I didn't really need much more to get me in the theater. Enjoy.

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Tuesday, September 23, 2008

I guess I'm the only one not drinking the Megan Fox kool-aid

Sorry Ms. Fox, but until you prove that you can actually act and not just look smokin' hot, I'm just going to think of you as the Hollywood movie star you set out to be. How about this, I'll just think of you as exactly the way you are in this clip from Simon Pegg's new film, HOW TO LOSE FRIENDS AND ALIENATE PEOPLE, alright?

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Sunday, September 21, 2008

Trailer Expo: REVOLUTIONARY ROAD and SYNEDOCHE NEW YORK and GOOD DICK and EQUATION OF LOVE AND DEATH

Yes, I really enjoyed TITANIC and praise James Cameron for making such an incredible film and for casting two youngsters that would soon become huge movie stars. Well, though they are both huge movie stars, the two couldn't be making films that have been more opposite from each other's. Winslet has done films like LITTLE CHILDREN, ETERNAL SUNSHINE, FINDING NEVERLAND and QUILLS. Then we have DiCaprio who has done THE AVIATOR, THE DEPARTED, THE BEACH, GANGS OF NEW YORK, BLOOD DIAMOND and CATCH ME IF YOU CAN. But now, after over a decade, both actors are starring together again in a film that might have Oscar nomination written all throughout it. I do think it does look great though and I'll be sure to catch it alongside FROST/NIXON and DOUBT this December.


Released earlier this week was the trailer for Charlie "Screenwriter Extraordinaire" Kaufman's directorial debut film, SYNEDOCHE NEW YORK. Much like his other films, ADAPTATION, ETERNAL SUNSHINE, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, this film seems right on par with being completely out there. What can we expect from this one when we finally see it? We can expect to expect to watch it a second time, I'm sure.

Seriously, don't let the trailer turn you away, this looks great. GOOD DICK stars the writer/director Marianna Palka and tells of a strange romance between a porn-addicted young woman and a clerk at the film rental shop she frequents. Not only does this push the envelop, it looks witty and smart at the same time and you can begin to feel the psychological angle of the film towards the end of the film. Looks really interesting and fun and hit select theaters October 10th.

This year, a lot of great foreign films played at the Toronto International Film Festival and among them was a Chinese film, EQUATION OF LOVE AND DEATH. Mostly anticipating this one because it looks like a coaster ride we seem to only get from neo-noirs and certain crime dramas which this film just so happens to be, the latter I mean. Sorry to our non-Chinese speakers out there but tell me just from the trailer that this doesn't look like a thrill ride, and a dramatic one at that?

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Tina Fey: next in line if Sarah Silverman is still unavailable


Politics, we don't get into it much here on GREEN HOUSE FILM REVIEWS, but this video is probably the closest we're going to get. I have plenty of my own views to un-sponge but this just isn't the place for that; Starbucks is. Enjoy.

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Saturday, September 20, 2008

Does Will Ferrell blow boat people? The answer below

See more Will Ferrell videos at Funny or Die
Come on, I've always liked Will Ferrell and his comedy, it's just that I want him to have some color on his little pallet. No, I don't mean he needs to do a comedy about Native Americans, I would just like to see him do more subtle comedy like STRANGER THAN FICTION and WINTER PASSING or even some straight forward dramas. But the above video is a good one, is it not? Here's hoping he does a cop drama soon with John Tuturro, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Alice Eve, Francis McDormand and Rebecca Hall.

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Tuesday, September 16, 2008

7 minutes of: THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (2008)


Well, whatdyathink? I'm a big fan of the original and believe Robert Wise to be one of the greatest American directors. And now, I am just as much looking forward to this "re-invention.". What better time to remake DAY THE EARTH than now? Many of those original concepts of paranoia and conspiracy I believe will transfer well for audiences to grasp. December 12th is THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, along with TWILIGHT.

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Terry Gilliam's DR. PARNASSUS already look stunning, and they're no where near completion


It's said that when you walk into a Terry Gilliam film, you know what to expect. Well, I expected greatness when I watched THE BROTHERS GRIMM, and what I got was...
But then you have to remind yourself that this is Terry "TIME BANDITS" Gilliam and he's been working on a little flick since last year titled THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS. Starring the late Heath Ledger, whose role is then continued by Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell. This film seems epic, much like how many Gilliam's usually seem in concept. Just by my impressions of the artwork and previsualizations, it feels like METROPOLIS or CALIGARI. Still a year until its release. I'll keep you posted, as always.

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Sunday, September 14, 2008

LIFELESS: When zombies attack...during prime-time


With the success shows like LOST, I'm surprised networks haven't picked up shows like LIFELESS already. You saw the trailer above, basically the show is based around the survival of a group of people who have lived through some sort of plague, infection, who knows, that has turned much of the city (state? country? world?) into zombies. I think a show like this has definite potential and I'd like to see it on Sci-Fi if not FOX or ABC. What do you guys think? Zombie TV show?

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Friday, September 12, 2008

The Tale of Two Trailers: DOUBT and CHANGELING

Here again, both of these trailers have very little in common other than both will be present as Oscar nominees, I'm sure. The first stars the still beautiful Meryl Streep as the head of a christian school. Amy Adams, who I swear could have been alive and made a hell of a career back in the 50's as well, also stars as a young sister at the school who is caught in some accusatory blame game between Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman over an alleged molestation of a young black boy. The trailer is strange in that whoever edited it did a poor job and although they include the plot, maybe a little less yelling and a little more mystery would have been better.


The second is CHANGELING by the one and only Clint Eastwood. No it isn't a remake of the awesome 1980's George C. Scott film though I almost wish it was. CHANGELING tells the story of a mother (Angelina Jolie) who's son goes missing. But when local authorities find and return the missing child to the mother, she is convinced that the child is obviously not hers. I'm always glad to see Angie taking these roles to remind to the world that yes, she does also act remember, not just look smokin' hot. Both films open right around Christmas before year's end.

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Thursday, September 11, 2008

THE SOLOIST trailer kills the ache and creates a new one


A couple of years back we had Don Cheadle and Adam Sandler play an unlikely duo in a film I enjoyed called REIGN OVER ME. Although it didn't have the duo dynamic going for it, PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS had a good heart to it. And this year, I believe FLASH OF GENIUS will also be of the same nature but this has something going for it that not even Greg Kinnear's charm can champion: Robert Downey Jr. and Jamie Foxx. Screw the Year of the Rat, we are all witness to this being the Year of the RBJ. I think that if someone was to tell Robert 10 years ago while he was on ALLY MCBEAL, that in a decade his career would take a 52 week steroid boost during which he would play a flying-suit wearing superhero and a black man back to back, I think he would've just hit the heroin harder. But look at the man now. To tell you the truth, the first big movie I ever saw him in was U.S. MARSHALS in which he play a corrupt FBI agent. After that, I would always see him as that limey fed. But then it wasn't until 2003 that I started seeing him in films that I actually liked him in. I went back and saw CHAPLIN in which he plays, you guessed it, Charlie Chaplin. Great film. Then afterward, NATURAL BORN KILLERS. It wasn't until 2005 and 2006 that I started seeing him in some memorable films. KISS KISS BANG BANG, GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK, A GUIDE TO RECOGNIZING YOUR SAINTS, A SCANNER DARKLY. Then, the underrated masterpiece that is ZODIAC really got me pumped to see what he would tackle next. Sure enough, 2008 rolled around and he was the talk of the town. This year has seen some great performances already but it's only September and we know that the Oscar attractions don't start making it to the theaters until October or so.
You saw the trailer above and yes, it does look to be gunning for Best Male Lead and Supporting Performance of the year. Still, there are several greats coming out before the year's end and the competition will be rigid. There's Oliver Stone's W, Clint Eastwood's CHANGELING, Baz Luhrman's AUSTRALIA, Van Sant's MILK, David Fincher's CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, Bryan Singer's VALKYRIE, and Ron Howard's FROST/NIXON. Oof, this is definitely going to make for a great year-end after all. THE SOLOIST opens wide November 21st.
BTW, I just had to post this video of Darth Vader below. Just had to.

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Wednesday, September 10, 2008

New QUANTUM OF SOLACE trailer is almost as cool as racecar beds were, and that's pretty darn cool


Damn, I saw it, and it blew my knickers off. Remember the new photos from last week, well those weren't even butter on the 10-stack of pancakes that is this new trailer for QUANTUM OF SOLACE. As much as a love CASINO ROYALE and the grittiness of it, I just hope they don't try to push that envelope too far. What do you think?

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Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Van Sant's MILK gets a trailer and Sean Penn announces FAST TIMES 2, nah, not really, but the former's true

I had never even heard of Harvey Milk before I read that Gus Van Sant's next feature (after PARANOID PARK) would be MILK. When the news was first released, this flyer was posted alongside and the it was announced that Sean Penn would be portraying Milk in the film. Automatically, you can see the resemblance, so high five to the casting director, or Van Sant himself, or Penn; whoever first attached Penn to the project originally.
Harvey Milk was a well known gay rights activist and soon after became City Supervisor for San Fransisco making him the first openly gay elected official in America since President Millard Fillmore. Wait, I am getting word that that isn't entirely true, at all. Aside from conflicts and confrontations regarding his views and stance, Milk was the target of threats and attacks. Harvey Milk was killed one year after he took his official public position along with the city's mayor George Moscone by another city supervisor who had multiple issues with Milk, Dan White played by the re-invented Josh Brolin. All-American boy wonder Emile Hirsch also stars as Cleve Jones who became close friends with Milk and later went on to become a heavy AIDS Awareness activist. Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN, CRIMINAL, and most recently MISTER LONELY's Diego Luna also appears in the film as does James Franco.
Van Sant's past few films have been very technical and almost an exploration of style though I believe he definitely establishes it fully in PARANOID PARK. I'm currently unseen on the trailer that was just released earlier today through Apple Trailers but don't you worry, I do this for your betterment. Fancy yourself the gander below at the trailer for Gus Van Sant's MILK starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna, and James Franco.

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Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Red band trailer for ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO; if there was ever a film more deserved of a red band trailer

So here we have it, an obligatory red band trailer for Kevin Smith's new cinematic venture with Seth Rogen and Liz Banks. Apparently, the film is getting a lot of rave and why shouldn't it? It opened at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars two funny schmoes in a funny situation directed by one of the funniest men in the film world. Yes, a bold statement I know, but I didn't didn't get the name, Nizar "The Bone Crusher" by feather dusting furniture in a maid's outfit. Check out the red band trailer below, or FACE THE CONSEQUENCES.

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Monday, September 1, 2008

Acess Hollywood get a First Look at TWILIGHT

Here it is. Again, I won't be watching any of the videos I post this month because of Ramadan, but take pleasure in being able to. Let me know what you think in the comments. That's it for now. Tata...

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More QUANTUM OF screenshots

Earlier today, IESB received a nice little package of screenshots from Sony for the Bond 22, QUANTUM OF SOLACE. Sony took advantage of the release slot left vacant from HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE being pushed well into next summer by pushing QUANTUM back one week from November 7th to the 14th. No biggie, though, I can't say the same for the WATCHMEN situation going on right now. Word is that with litigation court dates in April, WATCHMEN just may being delayed to the summer where it may get competition it hadn't planned for in March. Well, hopefully, the suit between FOX and WARNER BROS. is settled outside of court earlier than April but FOX is really trying their hardest not to let WATCHMEN even see the light of day. In a way, both companies are at fault. Enough of that though, take a look at the SOLACE going on below. The screen captures don't pump me up anymore than I already am, but I don't mind seeing photos of Gemma Arterton wrapped in bedsheets. I've posted only a few shots, visit IESB for the rest. Enjoy.







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Become the cultrured thinker you've only pretended to be

Today is an important day for Muslims around the world for it marked the first day in the month of Ramadan. The month is famous for the Prophet Muhammad receiving the revelation of the Quran. So,as part of the month's traditions, we are obligated to fast. For some, we not only fast from food during the day, but we fast from many other entertaining activities for the month's entirety. For me, this includes, watching films, television, playing videogames and a few others that done for entertainment. Being the cinephile that I am, it is of course a difficult task but it's not supposed to be easy.
So for this month, I will still be bringing you film news, updates, and screenshots, but I will not be viewing any of the trailers that I post on the site and therefore will not really have any input. Don't your worry, we'll manage.
Stay tuned and enjoy the month of awesome films like BURN AFTER READING, GHOST TOWN, TAKEN, BLINDNESS, BATTLE IN SEATTLE, APPALOOSA, EAGLE EYE, MIRACLE AT ST. ANNA, and CHOKE. Also, enjoy the month of excellent television premieres like THE SHIELD, SONS OF ANARCHY, IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA, FRINGE, TRUE BLOOD, ENTOURAGE, and THE SARAH CONNER CHRONICLES. Whoa, that's a lot of good stuff. I hope my DVR doesn't run out of space...

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