Wednesday, August 05, 2009

The Lovely Links

But first... The Lovely Bones trailer with intro by Peter Jackson. Are you counting down the days? Have you read the novel?



Does this make you more or less confident in regards to its Oscar and/or box office potential?

links...

Cinematical Hugh Jackman to make a circus musical on P.T. Barnum. Anne Hathaway and Mika sought out for contributions? You don't say...
Only Good Movies picks 25 must see military themed pictures -- nice variety of genres represented here.
AV Club weighs in on the probably crappy GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra's decision to skip the usual screenings for critics. Nevertheless some critics in the fanboy community have seen it / like it. I wonder what will happen to film criticism in the long run now that the critical community is going to be even less diverse than it already was. Doesn't it seem like most people writing about movies these days are of the genre-loving geek variety? Nothing wrong with being a genre-loving geek but it doesn't seem like that makes for a good representative pool for critical discussions of film aesthetics you know? I'm just thinking out loud. Don't mind me.

/Films a new Little Red Riding Hood feature? Sure. Why not actually?
Pop Hangover
if plots reflected movie posters
Kirk Demarais offers up "family portraits" of movie clans. I love it though I would've chosen different families had I come up with the idea myself. Cursed self! Where are those ideas this month?
IndieWire Young Victoria to close Toronto. My god that movie is taking a long time to get to America
Kenneth in the (212) sticks it to the reliably dumbass "critic" Michael Medved in regards to those gay Sherlock Holmes rumors
Strange Culture looks at Oscar statistics regarding first time director nominations. Which newbies in the race this year do you think have the best shot?

29 comments:

NoNo said...

I liked it a lot with the exception of Ronan's narration (man they are killing me with these voice overs on trailers). I wish Ryan Gosling was still playing the father. I don't care that he's young, I think he's a more solid actor than Marky Mark. I loved him in The Departed but his work after...

...yeah.

Box-office wise? Who really knows? I'm feeling (or at least hoping) it will go in the way of Benjamin Butt or Marley & Me. That book adaptation made A LOT of money which was surprising to me.

Rachel Weisz looks good and Sarandon does too (love her). I'm not so sure on that detective (Someone mentioned that Wahlberg should've played that part. I agree.), that sister or Tucci. For some reason I feel (or hope) like the trailer will not do his performance justice.

And after I saw this last night on apple.com, it did make me want to run to the nearest Barnes & Noble and get the book. I can't think of any other trailer that made me do that (maybe Atonement?) and I'm a bookie.

Cristhian said...

For one I love the use of Cocteau Twins' Alice in the trailer. LOVE THAT song! wish they could have used it for a bit longer.

Anonymous said...

Definitely not what I was expecting with The Lovely Bones, which is not necessarily a bad thing, just far more grandiose than I thought.

Tucci looks terrifying, nice to see him getting a solid part.

Jorge Rodrigues said...

Growing in confidence now... From the trailer we can see he's changed the way 'heaven' is in the book... It seems to change depending on her mood...


And from this trailer, Saoirse is a lead.

Movies with Abe said...

Thanks for posting!

Can anyone tell me what the music track at the end of the trailer is? I know I recognize it but can't for the life of me place it.

Ben said...

Interesting trailer. I thought the book was overrated, but I see how it could make a really good movie.

Well-cast from what I remember of the book, and I like the fantasy elements (it is Peter Jackson after all)

Movies with Abe said...

Never mind - found it. Remembered that is was the same music used in the Changeling trailer, and went from there. It's House of Cards by Audio Machine.

K.P. Durkin said...

Having read the book, it seems that they glorified Sarandon's part a bit. I enjoyed that character in the book, but it didn't have a lot of dramatic meat from what I recall. This trailer makes it look like she has a rather important part in the scheme of the film.

I must say that the yheaven sequence, thus far, looks absolutely breathtaking. Saoirse also looks great. In all honesty, I wasn't a big fan of the book, but the film looks like an improvement. A rare case indeed. Anyone agree?

adelutza said...

Have doubts about it. I didn'lt like the book, I found it really cheesy and I don't think the film is going to be much different. Hopefully the acting will save the day , given the cast, but other then that I don't expect much.

Jim T said...

Having seen the trailer maybe 10 times I have to say that it now seems fine too me. I believe it has more emotion than suspence despite what the trailer suggested. Still, good effects, good music (if it is the film score) and I loved the way Susan delivers that line. It definetely still is my most anticipated movie.

Oscar? Technical nods for sure but I can't really say about screenplay, director and picture though I think picture will not be very hard since there will be 10.

Box office? I don't really care but I think it will do at least OK.

Kurtis O said...

Though I'm not incredibly impressed with the trailer (it, like the preview for "The Road," is another example of studios' need to give everything that loud, marketable, DA-Dum! spectacle), this is one of the few instances in which I'm expecting the film to be better than the book. I don't like Sebold's writing, but I love, Love, LOVE Jackson's filmmaking, so I'm counting on him to deliver where the book fell short.

Loved the rose blooming under the ice.

FrenchGirl said...

i saw "young victoria" and actors are really good(but the movie is very academic)

John O'Neil said...

Is anyone else sick of trailers for dramas being disguised as thrillers? What a disgusting lack of faith on the studio's part. It's so condescending to mainstream audiences. Just because a movie does not have non-stop action, doesn't mean the general public won't be interested. I also as so sick of the trailer music that starts playing halfway through. I've heard it on like four other trailers.

Marketing qualms inside, I think the movie looks good, but not great. Some of the acting seems so-so. I have a feeling Tucci, Sarandon, and Ronan will have the best shots at nominations, but we won't really be able to tell until we see the movie. I'm also concerned about the film's tone, which seems all over the place based off the trailer. Hopefully, Jackson will be able to balance both the human drama and the mystery/fantasy elements.

Terence said...

I have read the book and while I didn't like the ending, I think that the movie will be excellent.

The biggest threat to the movie survival was not Mark for Ryan Gosling (I think Mark is better if not just for the age appropriateness) but how Heaven and the tremendous amount of fantasy would work in a really devastating novel. The trailer pretty much answered those questions.

I think it has shots for most of the major awards especially the acting noms for Tucci, Surandon, and Ronan.

DJ said...

The first thing I noticed was the visuals (breathtaking!), and the acting looks phenomenal. I betcha anything Ronan will be campaigned lead - leaving room for Weisz and Sarandon.

Anna said...

Heaven kind of reminds me of that (underrated, imo) movie "What Dreams May Come" with Robin Williams.
This is Peter Jackson, so I have complete confidence that this will be good.

Juno101 said...

I liked the first half a lot but than all of a sudden it turned into a thriller movie. The dad becomes obsessed with finding the killer and Saoirse isnt in it as much and a lot of running. Reminded me of disturbia with the whole neighbor is the killer thing and paranoia. I've seen it in other movies. I really hope the neighbor isnt the killer because than it makes it predictable. Saoirse ronan and susan surandon seem like they're gonna do great but mark wahlberg worries me. He never impressed me and his career is built on his looks. He was alright in the departed, I think his character had great lines and his personality matched marks which made him seem good. Definatly not impressive. All his other movies (or most) were horrible. He seemed fine in the trailer but I think there is without a doubt way better actors for that role. I hope he doesn't have more screen time than the other actors.

Jorge Rodrigues said...

Juno101, he's THE LEAD. He'll definitely be the one with the most screentime.

Saoirse is a lead as well although that can go both ways since she's the one narrating the story but she's not a character. She tells the story by her point of view but she'll obviously appear a lot.

Sarandon and Tucci have tiny parts in the book and I can't imagine them getting much bigger in the film.

Weisz's was probably the most fascinating character in the book and I don't know how they'll play it out but she definitely OWNS a decent part of the book along with Mark's character.

Anonymous said...

Looks pretty damn fantastic. The Visuals...whoa! Beautiful yet weird and crazy. Love it. I'm looking forward to Ronan and Tucci's performances the most. Damn, the stuff w/ Tucci seemed really creepy, i like how they used the "Rage cam" when he was chasing down the sister...makes it feel really gritty in contrast to the vibrant afterlife stuff.

Ronan seems pitch-perfect in the role. I was kinda waiting to hear some cheesy voiceover delivery but nope....she really seemed to nail it...especially the dialogue near the end w/ a kinda undertone of dread in her voice.

Julienne said...

@Juno101: well, you won't have to predict because the killer in this story is not a mystery.

Glenn Dunks said...

In regards to returning directors, I think we're obviously looking at a year favouring returning directors with only Lee Daniels, Kathryn Bigelow, Lone Scherfig and Michael Haneke with any shot of getting in.

Although if Samson and Delilah got a release I'd like to imagine Warwick Thornton would have a slight hope.

Timothy Griffiths said...

They should've made the "killer" look a little more like a stereotypical 70s pedophile. Perhaps a mustache and some male pattern baldness? Big square glasses? DING DING DING!

I think this kind of looks like crap. Cheesy, overdone story from a bad book, like something out of Chicken Soup for the Soul. And don't even get me started on those visuals. It looks like Bozo the Clown farted out a paint by numbers on some celluloid.

Too bad. I like PJ enough. I don't think he has the touch for this sort of thing.

anna said...

I agree with Kurtis O, I think I might actually end up preferring the film to the book. I liked the book well enough until one particular scene towards the end (the "sex scene"). That pretty much ruined it for me with its cheesiness. I heard they've cut it from the film, hope that's true.

Bailey said...

Yes, in the book it says who the killer is one one of the first couple pages. I assume the movie does not turn it into a "whodunit."

The book was ok, but yes a little maudlin and cheesy. I don't remember a ton about it to be honest. Saoirse Ronan looks good, and I like the visuals of heaven, they kinda match what I imagined while reading the book.

Mark Wahlberg, bleh. Rachel Weisz, bleh. Stanley Tucci...well, let's just say he reminds me more of Tobias Fünke in disguise than creepy Robin Williams from One Hour Photo. Overall, I expect this movie will be just ok, like the book.

jess said...

Tucci is getting nominated for this or Julie & Julia. good year for him.

Chuck W said...

I really wish Lynne Ramsey was still attached to this project, before Jackson unceremoniously stole it from her. Because this trailer does not inspire much confidence.

JoeW said...

I think this will be the movie where Mark Wahlberg finally and truly impresses people. Ronan also looks fantastic in this. I have high hopes for this movie and Peter Jackson always hits the right emotional keys and gets terrific performances from all of his actors.

Picture
Director
Actress - Ronan
Sup. Actor - Tucci
Screenplay
Cinematography
Editing
Score

Alfred Soto said...

The book was a peculiar kind of rubbish, but if anyone can make something weird out of this it's Peter Jackson.

Anonymous said...

Something about the trailer (the trailer itself; not Jackson's suspicious omission of Ronan in his list of actors in his introduction) made me feel that Saoirse Ronan would be in the Supporting Category.