TRAILER: Map of the Sounds of Tokyo

So, what the hell?! I just found out that my beloved Rinko Kikuchi's new film has a trailer online, and no one has bothered to post on it? (Update: It turns out some people actually have posted the trailer online... whatever. I had to find out for myself)


Anyways, for those of you who haven't heard of this film, it is the latest film from Isabel Coixet, who recently directed Elegy. The film, with an estimated budget of $8 Million, stars the lovely and talented Rinko Kikuchi. The film actually just had it's world premiere at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Golden Palm, and where Aitor Berenguer (the film's sound recordist) took home the Technical Grand Prize. Here is the synopsis from the film's Official Website:

Ryu (Kikuchi) is a solitary girl whose fragile appearance is in stark contrast with the double life she leads, working nights at a Tokyo fish market and sporadically taking on jobs as a hit-woman.

Mr Nagara (Takeo Nakahara) is a powerful impresario mourning the loss of his daughter Midori, who has committed suicide. He blames David (Sergi López), a Spaniard who runs a wine business in Tokyo.

Mr Nagara's employee, Ishida (Hideo Sakaki), was silently in love with Midori and hires Ryu to murder David.

A sound engineer, obsessed with the sounds of the Japanese city and fascinated with Ryu, witnesses this love story which searches the shadows of the human soul, reaching deep into places where only silence has the power of eloquence.

Sounds amazing, no? Well without further ado, I give you the trailer... oh, and just a warning, it is NSFW.

Oh and here is an extra tidbit. The folks over at Nippon Cinema have a great article that goes behind the scenes of Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, and there are some behind the scene stills available over there as well. Enjoy!

-Cigarettes

Read More...

Summary only...

Lovely Trailer Music

I am an avid watcher of movie trailers. I love them. In fact, the only reason why I make it to the movie theatre on time is so that I don't miss the trailers. 2 minutes of condensed romance, action, comedy, horror, etc. set to catchy music and with spitfire editing. I dig it. In fact, these days a lot of my love for trailers is attributed to the music selection. The other day I watched the trailer for the remake of Wes Craven's "The Last House on the Left". I loved Bergman's "The Virgin Spring" and so was itching to see Wes Craven's 1972 version of the ol' Swedish ballad, but have yet to find it anywhere. When I heard that it was to be remade I became wary. Not because I have any sort of loyalty to the original, as I've yet to see it, but because these horror remakes generally pale in comparison to the originals, and even when not being compared side-by-side, tend to be severely lacking in terms of quality film-making. After watching the trailer for the remake, however, I found myself itching to see it. Those clever little trailer editing folk used a lovely cover of Sweet Child o' Mind by Guns N' Roses by Swedish pop/folk singer Taken by Trees. What a beautiful, beautiful choice! It's certainly not an original idea to have the carnage and brutality of these horrific events heightened by having them juxtaposed next to a sweet, innocent, classic song (in fact, I'm under the impression that Wes Craven's film featured light and fun songs), but this particular song couldn't have been better selected in my opinion. I won't say much more, but post the video and a couple of other trailers where I was taken in by the music.









-Popcorn

Read More...

Summary only...

Lots of Reasons to Go to the Theatre in 2009

I've come across a lot of blogs that are now posting "Top 10 Most Anticipated Films of 2009" lists, and I thought I would do something similar too. This post is going to be dedicated to the films that I am looking forward to seeing in 2009. I also think it will be fun to look back at this list come 2010 and see what was great and what was terrible. However, this post does come with a warning because I think it is going to be a very long one (edit: I have decided it is probably a better idea to do this in a series of smaller posts), so only trudge ahead if you are committed. (And I also want to hear what films I've left off of this list that you are looking forward to!)

Ponyo on the Cliff

First up, we have one of my most anticipated films of the year, Ponyo on the Cliff. This film is directed by animated-film legend Hayao Miyazaki and animated by his studio, Studio Ghibli. Do I really have to add anymore? This is the guy who brought My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind into existence (and many, many more classics... too many to list them all here). Miyazaki has also been considering retiring from directing and animating since 1997, so any more films that we get from him should be considered blessings.

And even though I generally HATE English dubs of foreign films, I must say that Walt Disney (who is in charge of releasing Studio Ghibli films in North America) usually does a fantastic job with dubbing Studio Ghibli films, and has assembled an amazing cast of actors to lend their voices to the film. The assembled cast includes (but is not limited to) Cate Blanchett, Liam Neeson, Matt Damon, Tina Fey, Lily Tomlin, Betty White, and Cloris Leachman. If that is not enough to get you go to see this film in theatres, there is no hope left for you... Okay let's pretend you are living in a fantasy world where you are still not convinced to go see this film, here is my final argument to convince you. The exceptionally talented composer Joe Hisaishi is back to compose the score of Ponyo, and you can watch a clip of him conducting a piece of the score below.

Duplicity

Duplicity (opening on March 20, 2009) is a film that reunites the stars of 2004's Closer, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. The film is written and directed by Tony Gilroy whose last directorial and writing effort resulted in the excellent film Michael Clayton. The film's supporting men include Paul Giamatti and Tom Wilkinson (who got an Academy Award nomination for his last collaboration with Gilroy). The film is about two spies (Roberts and Owen) who infiltrate two rival corperations in order to pull off a huge con job on their respective bosses (Giamatti and Wilinson). I think it has been too long since we've seen Julia Roberts on screen as a lead actress. Don't get me wrong, I think she is a great team player and a wonderful supporting actress to a large cast, but I think she really shines when she is in the lead role. I hope these two actors still have the same amount of chemistry together that was pretty evident in Closer.

The link to the High Definition trailer is here.

The Youtube trailer is below.

-Cigarettes

Read More...

Summary only...

Coming Soon

Nathaniel over at The Film Experience created this hilarious little teaser trailer for the upcoming Supporting Actress blog-a-thon that is happening over at StinkyLulu. I for one will be participating and creating a special little post about a supporting actress I think deserves some recognition this year. If you want to know who it is, you are just going to have to wait until January 4, 2009.

So until then!


P.S. If you wish to participate, you can go here to see all of the details. Any blog (it doesn't have to be a movie blog) can participate, so why not? Here are the links for The Class of 2006 and The Class of 2007.

P.P.S. I love Amy Adams in that trailer!!

-Cigarettes

[Source The Film Experience]

Read More...

Summary only...

TRAILER: Mei Lanfang is Forever Enthralled

This post comes with some good news and some bad news. I will tell you the bad news first. The English title of Chen Kiage's new film Mei Lanfang has been retitled Forever Enthralled. This is probably one of the most vomit-inducing changes in a film's title I have heard in awhile (another film that comes to mind is another Zhang Ziyi film, The Banquet which was retitled Legend of the Black Scorpion for its American DVD release).


Now it's time for some good news as well. Twitch has just unveiled a new trailer for the film which actually looks decent. This is great news for me because I have been dying to see Zhang Ziyi on the big screen for awhile now... the last time I saw her, it was at the Toronto International Film Festival Gala Screening for The Banquet back in 2005.


I have no idea if anyone out there is a fan of Zhang's work, but this film looks as though it could be something special. The director's past credits include The Emperor and the Assassin and Farewell My Concubine. The estimated $15 Million film not only boasts Zhang Ziyi, but also Honglei Sun (who also appeared in Mongol and Zhou Yu's Train) and Leon Lai (from Comrades Almost a Love Story and Fallen Angels) who is taking on the title character.


Above is a still of Leon Lai in costume as Mei Lanfang. The trailer and a little something extra is available after the jump.

I also have an extra tidbit for those of you who are interested. There is a music video with Zhang Ziyi and Leon Lai titled "You Feel My Love" which also (in between shots of both of the stars singing) shows off some gorgeous stills from the film. (Unfortunately if you don't speak Chinese, the lyrics will do nothing for you.)





-Cigarettes

[Source Twitch]

Read More...

Summary only...

TRAILER: Sunshine Cleaning

Today we have the trailer for Sunshine Cleaning. The film is directed by Christine Jeffs and it premiered on January 18, 2008 at the Sundance Film Festival, with a reported budget of $5 Million. It began filming way back in February 2007, and has yet to find a distribution date. Overture Films (the distribution company that picked up the rights to this film) has stated that they plan on releasing this film before the year's end.


The film centers around two sisters, Rose Lorkowski (Amy Adams) and her sister Norah (Emily Blunt). Norah is living with their father Joe (Alan Arkin) while Rose has a job cleaning the houses of rich people. When Rose's son Oscar (Jason Spevack) gets into trouble at school one too many times, she decides to send him to private school. However she does not have enough money to send him, so she is put in the position of habing to find a new, well-paying job fast. Enter Mac (Steve Zahn) the man with whom she is having an affiar with, who informs Rose that there is a lot more money to be made in the crime scene cleaning business than she thinks. She takes his advice and decides to go into the business with her sister, creating a company called Sunshine Cleaning. Hilarity and drama ensue.


I have to say I have been looking forward to this film a lot longer than I would admit. I am a huge fan of all of these actors and putting them all together into one film seems like a perfect fit. It's sad that this has been on hold for so long, but when it comes out I will be sure to be there on opening weekend. Judging by the trailer (which is usually not a good idea) I would say it looks like everything I wanted and expected... and then some. Emily Blunt falling face first into a mattress covered in the blood plasma of some stranger sold me on it.

Adblock

-Cigarettes

[Source JoBlo]

Read More...

Summary only...

First Margot, and now Rachel...

First off, I would like to apologize for not updating sooner. Things just keep coming up, so now that I finally have some free time, I will try to post more frequently.

So a new trailer just hit the internet, and it is for the new film by Jonathan Demme entitled Rachel Getting Married. The script is written by Jenny Lumet, a first time screenwriter. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt and Debra Winger.

The film centers around Kym (Hathaway), a girl who has been in and out of rehab for a decade and has a long history of personal crisis. She returns to her family for her sister Rachel's (DeWitt) wedding, and brings a lot of drama along with her, acting as a catalyst that exposes all of the tensions that lie within the family.



This film is actually a tough sell for me. Jonathan Demme who has done some really great work in the past has been churning out less than stellar works as of late. Although I have to say Anne Hathaway looks pretty decent in the trailer that has just been released (the trailer can be found here). I like that she is finally moving onto some smaller edgier roles, and I might dare to say she might be picking up some cred come award season.



Despite obvious similarities to the film Margot at the Wedding, I think (judging by the trailer) that this film will be leading in a different direction, just in familiar territory. The whole thing looks like it has been shot digitally, which should also be interesting. Also, unlike Margot, this film looks more like an ensemble piece.

The film will be making its North American Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival as a Gala Screening... I'm just hoping for a little more information before I take a leap of faith and buy a ticket to see this.

-Cigarettes

[Source Cinematical]

Read More...

Summary only...

TRAILER: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Today, the world (outside of those who attended the new Indiana Jones) can finally witness the awe and wonder that is The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This is an exciting project for almost a million reasons. First off it is being brought to us from none other than David Fincher, the brilliant director behind films like Se7en, Fight Club, and the recent Zodiac.

Not convinced? Well the screenplay is written by Eric Roth, the guy that also wrote Munich, The Insider, and Forrest Gump for starters. Still not enough? Well the story is also adapted from a short story of the same name, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It also has some great names attached to star, including Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, and Cate Blanchett.


The story centers around a man named Benjamin Button (Pitt), who is born in 1919 at the age of 80. As his life continues, he begins to age backwards, which causes some complications when he falls in love with a thirty year old woman named Daisy (Blanchett). Button's life comes to a close at the millennium.


The idea for this movie has been floating around for a long time now, all the way since 1994. It is finally getting made after going through many different drafts. I am glad that this story is finally going to see some light. The $150 Million film finished production in September of 2007 and was slated to open during May 2008, but was pushed back to November 26, 2008, and then pushed back once again to December 19, 2008 presumably to make it a big contender for the Academy Awards.


The cast is brilliant, and the trailer looks stunning in HD, so without further ado, I present the trailer for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button... errr... well actually the link for the trailer here. Enjoy!

Read More...

Summary only...

TRAILER: Transsiberian

Another new trailer today, and this one is for the new film Transsiberian (which premiered at Sundance). This film stars Woody Harrelson, Emily Mortimer, Kate Mara, Sir Ben Kingsley, and Eduardo Noriega, and is directed by The Machinist director, Brad Anderson.



The film, budgeted at an estimated $15 Million, centers around a young American couple Roy (Harrelson) and Jessie (Mortimer) who decide to head over to Moscow by taking the train. While on their ride they meet another couple in their cabin, Carlos (Noriega) and Abby (Mara). Things go sour after Roy gets separated from Jessie during a stopover, and Jessie discovers that Carlos and Abby are not exactly who they seem to be. Soon Jessie and Roy find themselves caught up with Grinko (Kingsley) a Russian police officer, mobsters, and locals on their journey.
The film is set to be released in theatres in the U.S.A. on July 18, 2008.

I have been looking forward to this film for a long time now, way back when Samantha Morton was attached to play the Jessie role (Morton had to drop out of the film due to health problems, and was replaced with Mortimer). I think the cast that Anderson has assembled is fantastic, and the trailer for the film looks pretty decent. Mortimer is a sensational actress, and I cannot wait to see her acting alongside Harrelson and Kingsley. Kate Mara has also been an actress I have been watching ever since her role in the film Brokeback Mountain, which I thought she was great in.
However, a review over at Bloody Disgusting paints a much different picture for the film which is unfortunate (The review can be found here). Hopefully this film will defy early reviews and go on to be great. One has to hope.

[Source JoBlo]

Read More...

Summary only...

TRAILER: The Women

So here is the new trailer for the upcoming film The Women. It has an all female ensemble consisting of Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Carrie Fisher, Candice Bergen, Jada Pinkett Smith, Debra Messing, Cloris Leachman, and Bette Midler starring in the first feature film from Emmy-winning director, Diane English.



English, who is best known for her work in television, wrote and directed the film. The Women centers around Mary Haines (Ryan) a wealthy clothing designer who discovers that her husband is having an affair with Crystal Allen (Mendes) a perfume salesgirl working at Saks Fifth Avenue. The situation becomes a hot topic among her close friends Sylvia Fowler (Bening), Edie Cohen (Messing), and Alex Fisher (Smith), and puts their loyality to each other to the test. The film is set to be released in the U.S.A. on September 12.

Adblock

Now of course this films comes with a lot of red flags. Messing hasn't done anything on film worth mentioning since the end of her show Will & Grace. (Although I have not yet seen Purple Violets, which looks watchable.) Meg Ryan hasn't done anything worth watching since... well... actually, she hasn't done anything worth watching in the last decade. However, this film does have Annette Bening, so that probably means I will be there in the theatre on opening weekend to bask in all the glory that is the Bening. Respect the Bening. Tame Meg Ryan.


[Source JoBlo]

Read More...

Summary only...