First Trailer for M. Night Shyamalan’s THE VISIT

I was a bit surprised last week when sitting down for my Unfriended screening that one of the trailers that played before it was one I hadn't already seen. In highlighting the major trailers on this site and watching a good majority of them regardless (as well as sharing them on the sites Facebook page) I'm typically well aware of what might play in front of any given film given the genre. While I suspected I'd get a barrage of previews for upcoming horror flicks prior to Unfirended I certainly didn't expect to get my first look at the latest from M. Night Shyamalan. While the director who was once heralded as the next Spielberg has since fallen far from those graces it seems that if his latest is anything in the grand scheme of his career it would be the best shot he has to redeem himself. Not only is Shyamalan the man who reinvigorated the twist ending and engineered a new generation of horror, but he is the writer/director combo that ran out of steam and resorted to studio pictures that turned out to be worse than his original outings. While his last four films have been almost unarguably awful this take on the found footage genre from a script all his own can only be seen as a hopeful return to form. The trailer is more straight-up scary movie stuff than anything we've seen from the director before as well and so I look forward to seeing what he can do in this realm as much of his early, more heralded work resides in the thriller/mystery/drama categories. While this experiment could very well prove to be another dud in a career that once was on fire with creative juices it is hard to believe those first three (almost four) films were complete flukes. The Visit stars Kathryn Hahn, Peter McRobbie, Deanna Dunagan, Ed Oxenbould, Olivia DeJonge and opens September 11th.

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.