First Trailer for ONLY GOD FORGIVES

Like many people who love cinema and are obsessed with film, Drive was my absolute favorite film of 2011. Myself and those that share this opinion have been anxiously awaiting a peek at the next collaboration between Ryan Gosling and his Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn, Only God Forgives. Today, we have received that in all its red band glory. While I've tried not to read too much about the film with the desire of being genuinely surprised by what Refn will unleash upon the world next, I couldn't wait to watch this trailer. As hinted at by the bruised and beaten Gosling in the poster and the few seconds of footage we caught a few months ago this is going to be a violent and unflinching look at the seedy underworld in Thailand centered around a boxing club that is a front for a drug smuggling operation. Gosling seems to be doing his best silent and socially awkward personality while being a badass all the same. If these characteristics sound somewhat similar to the nameless driver he played for Refn last time around then I hope this film packs as much a punch as their last effort. Refn seems to have a specific style in mind as he saturates everything in red light and again has chosen a haunting yet weirdly original soundtrack. The whole mood of the piece is like a toxic roller coaster building to a showdown that we are left wondering as to how it might all go down. The clip is short, only a minute and a half, but in that time the film gives us reason enough to be excited without giving anything away at all. Kristin Scott Thomas and Vithaya Pansringarm co-star. Only God Forgives is expected to open on May 23rd and play at the Cannes Film Festival. Hit the jump to check out the trailer.

THE HOST Review

Let it first be known that I did not go to see The Host because I am a fan of the Twilight series or of the author of the source material for those films, Stephanie Meyer. When the whole Twilight boom went off and everyone was paying a ton of attention to the films and how they might be adapted I was interested in what all the fuss was about. I even tried to begin reading Twilight just to see if it was any good and to prepare myself for the movie that was coming out later that year. I didn't make it through the book. I don't remember much of it now or even why I decided to quit reading it, but I imagine it just wasn't for me and I'm clearly not the target audience so that was fine. I still gave the films a chance though, seeing both Twilight and New Moon, both of which failed to impress me or bring me back for the final three films. I say all of this to bring up the point that I had the biggest of doubts when it came to another film based on a novel by Meyer. Her token idea didn't entice me so why would I be interested in anything else she has put out? Given that I knew nothing about the book, The Host, which was billed as Meyer's more adult novel and upon seeing the first trailer for this film I wasn't aware it was based on Meyer's book until the trailer told me so; I was intrigued by the story and the concept it seemed to be toying with. I am an avid science fiction fan and when any film even mentions the ideas of life on another planet, space exploration, or grand themes explored through these unknown areas of our universe I am immediately hooked. That it what The Host had on me and that is why I felt I needed to give it a shot. I am clearly in the minority on this, but I rather enjoyed the film and thought it had some interesting things to say if not at least serving as light entertainment.

MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE: PHASE TWO Preview

In one short month Iron Man 3 will be released and thus will begin Phase Two of Marvels grand plan that has created a universe of super heroes co-existing with one another and helping each other. It is something fresh and new, not necessarily in the individual films necessarily but in what the company is doing over all. it is a win/win for everyone as the fans have waited years upon years for super hero movies to recognize their is a bigger world beyond their two hour run time and that they are not the only ones trying to save the world from a certain bad guy. With the release of the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assembled Blu-ray boxset this week Marvel has also unveiled a slew of new images and concept art as well as a few videos discussing their plans for Phase Two which include Thor: The Dark World in November, Captain America: The Winter Soldier in April of 2014, Guardians of the Galaxy in August of 2014 and capping it off with The Avengers 2 at some point in 2015.

First Trailer for GROWN UPS 2

Every summer there are countless sequels released some that are highly anticipated and others that are completely unnecessary. Upon first hearing they would be making a sequel to Adam Sandler's hit 2010 film Grown Ups it certainly seemed this second film would fall into that latter category. Still, though Sandler usually puts out at least one film a year and most of the time in the summer the guy has never made a sequel to one of his movies so I guess he was due for one. There are a handful of other characters Sandler fans (are there any left?) would have preferred to see re-visited but Grown Ups was also Sandler's most financially successful film and thus we have Grown Ups 2. This isn't all bad though, if the first movie was good for anything it was getting a fun group of guys together and hanging out with them for two hours. Though I feared the worst from the sequel it seems Rob Schneider has flown the coop (though I'm sure they'll have have some ridiculous excuse as to why his character didn't move home) and I actually genuinely laughed multiple times during this trailer. There are some solid jokes and a ton of great cameos here that seem to add to the hilarity of it all (though I wish they would have saved some as a surprise). Shaquille O'Neal and Taylor Lautner seem to be having a blast with Lautner (who I don't think can act) doing a kind of self-deprecating thing that could be for the best and a whole slew of SNL cast members taking part in the car wash scene. If you freeze frame it you'll notice the entire Lonely Island gang Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer along with former cast members Will Forte and Paul Brittain as well as current members Taran Killam and Bobby Moynihan. The film also sees the return of Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maria Bello, and Maya Rudolph. Grown Ups 2 opens on July 12th. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.

UPSIDE DOWN Review

The concept of Upside Down is enough to intrigue anyone, but what that concept ultimately becomes is a bit of a let down in terms of what the synopsis and trailers seemingly promise. That isn't to say this is a bad film or that I'd accuse it of false advertising, but it is more The Notebook than Inception. When a film promises it will take place in a different solar system where two twin planets each with their own and opposite gravity causing a disruption between societies there is reason for a sci-fi fan to be excited and optimistic. More than simply societal differences, these two worlds are better compared to the Capulets and Montagues. It is an interesting thought, to take the star crossed lovers story and apply it to an original idea that might allow the functions and rules of a new universe to give bigger and fresh obstacles to our two protagonists, but the entire time I was watching this film it felt more like the makers had become so entranced and swept up in making sure the logistics of this world worked properly that they forgot how well (or not so well) they were developing their characters and the story they were trying to tell. It is easy to see how Upside Down might have been a roller coaster adventure as a novel or seemed absolutely engaging as a script (the thoughts of how this might all look being too ambitious an undertaking for the actors to turn down), but as it is delivered in a brief hour and forty-seven minutes the film never seems to find its footing and dig into where it could have gone until way too late. The narration from Jim Sturgess' Adam hints at the idea that writer and director Juan Solanas would like to make a few more films set in this universe, and I wouldn't mind venturing back, but before he does so he would need to make sure the story will be just as involving as the visuals.