Trailer - "Pearl Jam Twenty"

Trailer - "Intruders"

Spanish director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo has been mostly quiet since 28 Weeks Later four years ago. Well here's the new trailer to his more recent offering of horror. Starring Clive Owen, it tells of a young British suburban family getting targeted by an ever escalating state of supernatural events. What seperates this from other haunted house pictures like Insidious and the upcoming Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is when a rural Spanish family comes forward with very similar experiences happening to them as well. How are they both connected? The trailer is suitably eerie and is very atmospheric stuff indeed. While 28 Days Later didn't do much for me outside of it's fantastic opening, it is still obvious that Fresnadillo is a talented director and should hopefully be able to mine more menace from this film. That is only however, if the CG apparition that is glimpsed at the end of the trailer is kept to a minimum. Note to all film makers: CGI is not and never will be scary. Intruders is released on January 27 2012. Here's hoping........

First Look - "The Avengers" Character Artwork

The first glimpse of the assembled Avengers has been revealed, albeit in art form. So it may not be a live action shot as exciting as those chairs from a few months ago, but it is still very intriguing stuff. Also of note here is the first shot of Mark Ruffalo's Hulk, looking more faithful to the original comic it was based on than any of the more recent cinematic treatments have and Cobie Smulders' new addition to S.H.I.E.L.D., Maria Hill. While a live action teaser or picture of the entire cast is due for release any day now, this will have to do for the time being. Until it's release on April 27th next year, Joss Whedon has his work cut out for him.

Horrible Bosses

It's been a while since we have seen a decent black comedy on the Hollywood scene. More times than not, America is unwilling and insecure about dark themes such as murder for laughs. While Horrible Bosses is not a classic by any standards, it is still nice to see a film like this in a market usually stuffed with romantic comedies or males bonding over acting like adolescents. That the film is the reasonably diverting experience that it is, is down to it's lead cast. They help sell the darkness of the premise through, so it doesn't leave a bad taste in the mouth. The film is pure farce, but coasts by on it's lead trios sensibilities. Falling somewhere in between Strangers on a Train and Throw Momma From a Train (something the film gleefully name checks) the film follows three undervalued and very frustrated workers played by Charlie Day and Jason's Bateman & Sudeikis. All of them are good people and just want to work in a non hostile environment and in a place where they can be allowed to reach their full potential. However, all three are hamstrung in their respective positions by their evil bosses. Their bosses are each played with relish by Kevin Spacey (psychotic, morally duplicitous) Colin Farrell (cokehead, clueless and ignorant) and Jennifer Aniston (sex crazed, nympho). Each one goes for their ugly characters with aplomb and show no qualms about acting against type. Sure Spacey has done his bastard office boss a few times in the past but we have never seen Farrell or more importantly Aniston go this against previous conventions like this before. So after one drunken night, the guys decide to hire a murder consultant called 'Motherfucker' Jones played by Jamie Foxx (the story of how he got his moniker is priceless) to help them off their respective bosses. Of course, it is from here that things spiral wildly out of control for the guys.

The film flirts dangerously with going off the rails at a few points. Luckily Seth Gordon (who directed the masterful The King of Kong) and his leading trio keep things on track just as your mind begins to wander. The film is very uneven and features a large overabundance of missing gags from it's beginning and end. This top ended feeling stems from people trying too hard for those laughs that just aren't there. Thankfully, the second act of the film finally shifts into gear as they have to get information on their different targets. Featuring cats, bathroom utensils, a syringe and some cocaine, the extended sequence certainly provide the films funniest moments. Praise as well to everyone for trying even as slightly as this film does, to push the darkness. Of course, the fact that the bosses are as broad as they are only helps sell the reasons why anyone would want them dead. Although Farrell is underused and Aniston's performance is largely one note, they still help control the films charms. At the end of the day there is nothing here truly remarkable or memorable, other than a reasonably diverting Saturday night. You'll laugh and chuckle with the guys, but don't expect anything to truly register. It features it's fair share of contrivances and is wildly uneven, but it is an at times very funny comedy. In the end, your enjoyment will depend on whether or not you can accept the fact that any man would ever want Jennifer Aniston dead for trying to have sex with him.

Verdict: 6/10
A noticeably short supply of jokes at both ends of the film do not hamper what for the most part, is a raucous comedy. Events coast by on the easy charms of it's leads. Just don't expect to remember it afterwards.

"Horrible Bosses" Trailer

Trailer - "Drive"

I've been quietly waiting for this one for a while now. Drive is the latest film from Dutch director Nicholas Winding Refn, a director who is certainly one of the more interesting working today. His last two features were very memorable in their own right - Bronson was an awesomely original biopic about the british psychopath with an incredible powerhouse performance from Tom Hardy and Valhalla Rising was more so for the wrong reasons, featuring hypnotising, frequently trippy visuals and a nothing plot. Drive looks set to be more accessible than his prior work and houses one of the best casts of the year. The film casts Ryan Gosling playing a movie stunt driver, who gets ever more dangerously embroiled in a life of crime. Also featured include Carey Mulligan, Ron Perlman, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Oscar Isaac and Albert Brooks. Refn seems to be channelling a great 70's vibe for his film and knowing the directors inability to shy away from the more gritty and violent element of things, it will almost certainly feature it's fair share of hair raising moments. The film is released on September 23 later this year.

Production Blog #3: "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey"

After slowly revealing the entire band of twelve dwarves the past two weeks, Peter Jackson has released yet another Production Blog. The entire cast and crew are taking a well earned break after the first block of shooting, so the timing is perfect for Jackson give us more tantalising glimpses from the set. In it, as is befitting the last week, we spend most of our time with the dwarves and get a better sense of their personality and look. Jackson has amazingly managed to give each member a distinct and memorable personality from the last - something the man says was certainly a bone of contention in early stages of design. Everyone looks as if they share the same camaraderie as the original fellowship did ten years ago. Speaking of the original trilogy, we also get our first look at Cate Blanchett's ethereal 'Galadriel', Hugo Weaving's 'Elrond' and even John Rhys-Davies turning up to give some much needed dwarfing advice. Everything looks set in place for another epic and stunning return to Middle Earth. How Jackson is maintaining his sanity after undertaking such a behemoth is beyond me. Also included below is the released pics of the dwarves in full. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey will be released on December 14th 2012.

Nori, Ori & Dori

Oin & Gloin

Balin & Dwalin

Fili & Kili

Bombur, Bofur & Bifur

Thorin

Trailer - "The Amazing Spider-Man"

There's been a dodgy cam leak floating around online for the past few days now, but finally the official trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man has finally debuted, in all it's HD glory. It looks like director Marc Webb has brought some of his indie cred from 500 Days of Summer and the whole film has a distinctly darker tone than the previous trilogy. Coasting on Nolan's coattails, it looks to have taken a leaf out of Batman's reboot. However, whereas Batman sorely needed a reboot to fix the abomination that had gone prior, there really is no need for yet another stab at Peter Parker's backstory. With the original film still fresh in everybody's mind not even nine years ago, the recent (disastrous) broadway production and countless comic book lines, there really is a huge dollop of 'unnecessary' surrounding the film. It simply is not a story I wish to see repeated for the umpteenth time. Surely just assuming everybody knows how Parker came into being Spiderman and skipping straight onto the good stuff was the better way to go when Raimi left? Hopefully the film will dispel my doubts, but Webb et al have their work cut out. At least the extended POV at the end is cracking. It is scheduled for release on July 3rd 2012.