Teaser Trailer for FIFTY SHADES DARKER

I didn't see Fifty Shades of Grey. I don't have much of a desire to. My wife didn't read the books and I didn't read the books. My wife had no interest in seeing the movie and I certainly wasn't going into this one by myself and so whatever it is about this series that seems to capture supposedly off-limits sexual subjects and entice so many females will likely forever remain a mystery to me. All of this is to say the sequel to the 2015 franchise starter finally received a trailer today as the promotional campaign officially kicked off yesterday with a glimpse at the poster and clip from the teaser trailer. Fifty Shades Darker chronicles the continuing and presumed developing relationship between Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan) and Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) as Christian wrestles with his inner demons and Anastasia confronts the anger and envy of the women who came before her. While I admittedly don't know much about the story contained in the pages of E.L. James's best-selling series this first look at the sequel certainly seems to keep in step tonally with Sam-Taylor Johnson's first film who won't be returning for the remainder of the series. Rather, both Darker and Fifty Shades Freed will be helmed by James Foley, the now sixty-three year old man who made Glengarry Glen Ross and At Close Range, but whose last feature film was the out and out 2007 bomb Perfect Stranger that starred Bruce Willis and Halle Berry. How this might effect not just the tone of the movie overall, but the way the series handles the extremely sexual subject matter could be interesting and is what I would look for if I were to ever make it around to seeing these things. Add to this the fact writer Niall Leonard, who has done strictly serialized television work, is taking over for the more inexperienced Kelly Marcel and adapting both the second and third novels for film and there might be some interesting layers to look for as the series progresses. Still, it is somewhat alarming that in light of Taylor-Johnson walking away from the franchise that Universal would immediately hand it over to men to take control of. Fifty Shades Darker also stars Kim Basinger, Tyler Hoechlin, Bella Heathcote, Hugh Dancy, Max Martini, Marcia Gay Harden, Luke Grimes, Rita Ora, and opens on February 10th, 2017.

MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT Review

This marks the fourth year in a row that I have seen the annual Woody Allen feature in theaters and it would be a lie to say I'm not growing fond of the tradition. Of course, there is no telling how much longer this tradition might continue as the prolific writer/director is nearing seventy-nine and I can only imagine will continue to remain as consistent for so much longer. Allen continues to defy expectations though as he continues to both craft interesting enough stories for relevant actors to embody and piece them together in rapid fashion. It is hard to even pinpoint at what stage of life Allen first put the idea we're currently watching on screen to paper, but I can only imagine he has a drawer full of premises that he pulls from every year and crafts a screenplay around yet all the while is jotting down more ideas to add to the drawer. It will be interesting to see what he leaves us with as the next few features are likely to be some of his final ones, but if there is anything particularly telling about his latest it is that the guy isn't scared of getting old. Magic in the Moonlight may be able to pull off seeming like a romantic comedy for intellectuals and even as the film slogs to its inevitable conclusion it seems Allen would have liked to convince himself of this as well, but really the film is simply another exercise for Allen, the writer, to voice his complaints about mortality, the mystical side of life and belief in a higher power. He does this with both vigorous and insightful dialogue that is conveyed through what is at least an inventive situation. It also doesn't hurt he has placed the film in what we perceive as a more innocent period of time (1928) to soften the blow of his logical observations and make them feel more farcical than forceful. I am one who doesn't mind the arrogant, slightly egotistical nature of Allen especially when it has been imbued upon as charming an actor as Colin Firth and there truly is, as is typically the case, some finely-crafted dialogue here that cuts to the heart of the conflict our central character feels, but as a film in and of itself Magic in the Moonlight feels more minor than the significance of its ideas.

First Trailer for FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

I have no idea and no real desire to find out what the big hoopla around Fifty Shades of Grey is all about and the first full length trailer for the film does little to change that line of thought. I understand they were originally some kind of offshoot of Twilight fan fiction that drew fire for its sexual content and forced author E.L. James to publish the stories in an episodic nature on her own site. I understand how this can be seen as a win for viral marketing and do-it-yourself publishing, but the content has always been at the question of its validity for me. I know little of the story except for the fact it contains some seriously sexual content and has been made into a film by a female director that might at least bring the masses of mommy's over thirty who devoured the books the adaptation they've been craving. It seems husbands will be oblivious to what their wives are watching while the trailer makes it explicitly clear that the presumably R-rated film will contain all of the carnal pleasures and erotic nature of the source material. The one thing that does intrigue me about the trailer is the look of the film. Director Sam Taylor-Johnson (Nowhere Boy) applies a sleek, very modern aesthetic to the worlds of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey that will likely look dated and categorize the film squarely into this decade in the future, but also hints at an oddly pure and direct tone that seems in line with the narrative and its central character. Fifty Shades of Grey stars Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Ehle, Luke Grimes, Marcia Gay Harden, Max Martini, Eloise Mumford, Dylan Neal, Rita Ora, Victor Rasuk, Callum Keith Rennie and opens on Valentine's Day 2015.

First Trailer for Woody Allen's MAGIC IN THE MOONLIGHT

It is at this time the of year, every year that we begin to see the promotional material for the annual Woody Allen film appear and 2014 looks to be no different as we've finally received a first look at the trailer for Allen's effort this year. I have enjoyed more of Allen's work than not over the past few years and with the talent he has rounded up for this one I can't see it going anywhere but in the column of those more appreciated than the black sheeps of his filmography, but there is always the chance it could simply exist and leave nothing of an impression on the directors ever-expanding catalogue. Set in the 1920's against the backdrop of France and it's wealthy jazz-age socialites it tells the story of an Englishman, played by Colin Firth who seems to be in a countless number of movies these days, who travels to assist a wealthy family in unmasking the spirit medium that has tricked them into believing her. This mystic of sorts turns out to be none other than Emma Stone who, as the plot thickens, is so charming and likable that he is either falling under another of her spells she is fraudulently perpetuating or she actually is the real deal. Firth's charming yet older Englishman is cautious to buy into such uncertainties that seem to challenge his common sense. The trailer hints at a possible love story near the end, but I hope that with Firth being fifty-four and Stone turning twenty-six later this year they hold off on what could be perceived as rather creepy and simply keep this to a light-hearted comedy that explores the psychology of faith and beliefs as Midnight in Paris did with our perception of time and nostalgia. Magic in the Moonlight also stars Eileen Atkins, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, Simon McBurney, Jacki Weaver and opens in limited release July 25.

PARKLAND Home Video Review

There has always been an intense amount of interest around the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and with good reason. It was a horrific event in which the President was murdered in front of countless people with any number of possible suspects, there was a race to get Kennedy to the hospital, the immediate man hunt for the suspected shooter and countless other avenues were followed that fateful November day. What writer and director Peter Landesman has attempted to do, in his directorial debut no less, is condense these events into a feature that runs a mere hour and a half long (including notes at the end and the credit sequence). There is not nearly enough time here to develop the several intriguing stories the film documents, much less get to know the the actual emotions felt by the people placed under these extraordinary situations. Parkland would be a film that justifies a run time of at least three hours, but it seems Landesman is keen on hitting the high points of these events and highlighting little more than small moments of that day in brief, almost news clip-like segments that intertwine to piece together November 22, 1963 and the subsequent days following as both the President and his suspected killer were laid to rest. I am a sucker for historically-based films and have read plenty on the JFK assassination, the investigations around this event and the countless conspiracy theories that continue to plague it nearly fifty years after it occurred. I also know better than to get my history lessons from the movies and so I approached this film with a sense of both optimism and caution as it seemed both ambitious while at the same time a balancing act of moments pulled straight out of the history books with little more intention that bringing to life how this death affected unsuspecting, regular citizens while adding nothing more to the story and having no particular point of view it was going to approach the subject matter with. Unfortunately, while the actual events of that day remain engaging as ever Parkland is only able to take us so far because it only gives its content so much attention before moving on and taking the audience, no matter if we have lingering questions or deeper interests, with it. I can admire the film for what it is trying to do and the dots its trying to connect, but ultimately this is more a failed experiment than anything else with an execution that doesn't come close to what it promised.

First Trailer for PARKLAND

My favorite segment in Lee Daniels' The Butler was that of seeing our titular character interact with President John F. Kennedy. James Marsden does a terrific job of portraying the young man elected to lead our country under some of the most polarizing moments in this country's history, but his death is an event in itself that has shaped many citizens memories and has left a mark on our history books that is still widely discussed and the circumstances of that day still widely speculated upon. The feature film debut of director Peter Landesman, Parkland, seeks to recount the events from the perspective of some of the more unsuspecting civilians involved that day. Getting its title from the Parkland Hospital in Dallas where Kennedy and both Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby all died the trailer nicely sets up the tone and period piece aspect. The comparisons will certainly come up and be made to Oliver Stone's 1991 film JFK and though I was somewhat tepid to the idea of getting another film based around the death of Kennedy I must admit the trailer pulled me in and made me want to see the film. Taking on the events that occurred that fateful day and opening up the landscape to explore avenues such as the doctor who had to attend to the President with little warning or the man who captured the assassination on his camera who would become a more integral part of the investigation than he ever imagined seems an interesting route to take. Backing this choice up is the casting of actors more than capable of making the everyday person someone we could learn to follow and become invested in. Zac Efron and Paul Giamatti seem as if they should receive special mention as they look to be doing the heavy lifting here while a stellar supporting cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Jackie Earle Haley, Ron Livingston and Colin Hanks as well as being produced by Tom Hanks doesn't hurt the films credentials. I wasn't aware of Parkland before seeing the trailer, but it is certainly on my radar now and I'm eager to hear of the reception it receives when it premieres at the Venice Film Festival and hopefully hits theaters before the end of the year. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.