First Trailer for AMITYVILLE: THE AWAKENING

When looking over the 2016 release schedule in anticipation of making my most anticipated list for the year I scoffed at the fact there was another attempt to reboot an old horror franchise on the books. That said, I didn't expect to see much in the way of marketing for the film as the April Fool's Day release currently pits it against Rings (another attempt to reboot a now eleven year old franchise) and it seemed as if the distributor would drop the film without much heads up and simply hope for a little bit of return on the brand name alone. Even stranger than pitting two similar movies against one another on a weekend primed for a horror breakout (the original Insidious made $13 million on a $1.5m budget on this weekend five years ago) though is that Blumhouse and The Weinstein Company have released the same trailer that was originally posted for the film almost two years ago. This new Amityville was actually shot in 2014 and was originally set for a January 2015 release, but clearly that didn't pan out. What has happened and why the film was delayed more than a year is anyone's guess, but star Bella Thorne has confirmed having to do re-shoots as late as last week. No word on whether or not writer/director Franck Khalfoun (P2, Maniac) has been involved in those re-shoots, but it seems the two production companies are finally ready to distribute the film even if they're not up for delivering a new trailer with some of this new footage that is apparently being shot. Either way, the original release date doesn't bode well for the films quality and the long road to release could definitely mean bad things for the final product, but the last time we visited the Amityville house (2005's re-make of the original starring Ryan Reynolds) MGM raked in $65m domestically on a $19m budget so the reasoning behind this is understandable. Amityville: The Awakening also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Cameron Monaghan, Thomas Mann, Taylor Spreitler, Kurtwood Smith, Mckenne Grace and opens on April 1st, 2016.   

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY Review

It's funny to think of the role that live action children's movies play in our current cinematic landscape because, for the most part, they seem to be easily dismissed. As a child of the 90's it is the kids sports flicks of the decade (The Sandlot, Little Giants, The Big Green, The Mighty Ducks) that immediately come to mind as nostalgic reminders of what a carefree stage in life that was which seems to be why new movies categorized as such don't register with a large audience due to the fact every generation already has their own adolescent picks. Those who are between eight and fifteen right now though will surely appreciate this adaptation of Judith Viorst's hit 1987 childrens book, but not necessarily because they love the source material but because Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day is a perfectly fun, perfectly suitable family movie that captures the ups and downs that middle class caucasians might typically encounter. These are first world problems we're dealing with, clearly, but they are relatable issues that the target audience will understand. The content operates on a level for those just below the cusp of when the Catcher in the Rye will blow their minds wide open. Alexander's Bad Day (as it will be referred to from here on out) is exactly the kind of remedy "tweens" these days need, but don't know it because not enough movies like this are being made anymore. That studios are seriously lacking in terms of pumping out quality entertainment for adolescents isn't something I necessarily have a right to complain about; I have all the nostalgia I need when the time calls for it (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Home Alone, Hook, Hocus Pocus, Blank Check, Homeward Bound, First Kid) but it would be nice to think that those in their current state of flux will have more than Alexander and his no good , very bad day to look back on when they get to college and reminisce about the movies they loved when they were "kids". All of that said, Alexander's Bad Day certainly isn't a bad place to start, but let's hope it is only the first step in a rejuvenated direction.

Trailer for ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY

Ever since realizing Hollywood made more than just family friendly entertainment I have yearned to return to a world where I am surrounded by the likes of fun, innocent family fare that reminds me of my childhood and it is always reassuring to know that the children of the current generation are receiving their fair share of memorable movies that might put them in a sense of nostalgia when they get older and discover the brutal action films or raunchy comedies. I only bring all of this up because today we have the first trailer for Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day which has been adapted from a short story by Judith Viorst and it looks to perfectly fit into this aforementioned canon. Centered around our young titular character (Ed Oxenbould) who is experiencing one of the worst days ever his troubles only become amplified when the rest of his family (who typically have the best of luck it seems) begin having horrible experiences as well. The comedy looks light and cheesy and this definitely seems to be in the vein of live-action Disney flicks where the kids are able to understand and grasp the life lessons being taught more so than the adults and bring a resounding sense of peace to the family unit when faced with troubling circumstances, but it also looks as if it could be surprisingly entertaining if not interesting for older audiences, mainly due to the caliber of talent on screen. I'm pretty much game to see anything that features Steve Carell and so I'm intrigued by what he saw in the screenplay or if it was simply his relationship with director Miguel Arteta (Cedar Rapids, Youth in Revolt, The Good Girl) that led him to take on the project. The film also stars Jennifer Garner, Bella Thorne, Dylan Minnette, Megan Mullally and opens October 10th.