It’s such a strange world that we’re living in right now. There are wars going on in the middle east, and genocide in Africa, and yet, I feel so removed from all of it. I mean, I watch the news, and I know the issues, but none of it seems to hit me on a deeper level.

And here’s the saddest part: the only way that I feel like I can connect to it all is by watching movies about it.

I’m not saying this to make a point or to bring everyone down. I’m just stating a fact. The only reason most people are conscious about Global Warming now is because of An Inconvenient Truth. And the only reason most people are conscious about genocide in Africa now is because of Hotel Rwanda.

It’s a shame that people need movies to get them outraged about the things that they should just inherently be outraged about, but I guess that’s the world we’re living in now. And with that in mind, I say we should start making a whole lot more movies about the shitty things that are happening around the globe. If that’s the only thing that can move people anymore, then filmmakers have a responsibility to move as many people as possible about as many important causes as possible.

Darfur Now is probably the biggest movie to date about the genocide going on in Darfur, and hopefully it will have the same effect on people that An Inconvenient Truth had. And if nothing else, hopefully it will at least give people like me a way to connect to something that I should already be deeply connected to, but for some reason am not.

That’s why Darfur Now is a SEE IT for me. I need to care more than I do, and $11 is a small price for a much needed kick in the ass.

Darfur Now is rated PG and opens November 2. (MySpace Page)

Which actors will win an Oscar in the next ten years? That was the question posed by Oscarwatch, and Don Cheadle was on the top of nearly everyone’s list. Sooner or later, the man will win an Oscar, it’s just a question of when. This year alone, Cheadle is starring in Reign Over Me, Ocean’s Thirteen, and Talk to Me. In Talk to Me, Cheadle plays an ex-convict who becomes a controversial DJ in 1960’s Washington D.C.

Could Talk to Me be the movie that lands Cheadle his overdue Oscar? Possibly. Cheadle is portraying a real person, which the Academy always loves. He’s been nominated before (for Hotel Rwanda) and the Academy will often award Oscars to actors who were overlooked in the past. On the other hand, Cheadle’s character, Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene, is an ex-convict who peppers his dialogue with enough colorful language to get Don Imus fired several times.

Only time will tell what awards season has in store, but either way Talk to Me is a definite SEE IT. It’s a biopic (good) that will make you think (even better), and it has a great soundtrack (sign me up), and some really funny lines in the trailer (just take my $11 now). The trailer does a good job of highlighting the supporting cast–and telling you where you’ve seen them before.

Talk to Me is rated R and opens on July 13.

When I first saw the teaser for Ocean’s Thirteen, I could only think back to how disappointed I was in Ocean’s Twelve. From the teaser, it looked like Thirteen was going to be another lackluster movie from Clooney and the gang. But then, I saw the new trailer, and that good old feeling came back.

Guys, you’re forgiven for Ocean’s Twelve! Really! I’m sorry I doubted you, and I now can’t wait to see Ocean’s Thirteen!

Sheesh, what a difference a new trailer can make. Maybe the teaser just wasn’t long enough, but it didn’t show enough of the crackly dialogue, enough of the heist, enough of the comedy that I’ve come to expect from the Ocean’s franchise. Now that I know what Danny Ocean and his (yummy, delicious) gang are actually trying to pull off, I’m intrigued. Really, could I ever go wrong with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, Carl Reiner, Elliott Gould, Scott Caan and Al Pacino? Maybe I just love the idea of Matt Damon playing the comedic role with his giant prosthetic nose.

Whatever the difference is, I am now counting the days until June 8. SEE IT!

Ocean’s Thirteen is rated PG-13 and opens on June 8. (Official site)

So we’ve come to a fairly major decision here at TrailerSpy. Up until now, we’ve mainly posted trailers for movies that are opening soon, along with a bit of commentary. But it has occured to us recently that, while our commentaries are incredibly witty and insightful, we’re not exaclty offering you guys any novel information. After all, by the time we post the trailer on our site, you’ve probably seen it fifty times already on TV.

For this reason, we’ve decided to make a serious effort to bring you more new trailers, trailers that have just been released by the studios onto the internet. This will require a little bit of digging and searching on our part, but given that fact that we’re named TrailerSpy, we should be willing to do a little sleuth work.

With this goal in mind, I wanted to post the trailer for the new Adam Sandler movie, which has only been available online for a couple days. I’m pretty excited about this one, mostly because I loved seeing Sandler’s serious side in Punch-Drunk Love. I’m also damned curious to see how Adam Sandler and Don Cheadle are going to mesh together on the big screen.

Reign Over Me is rated R and opens March 23. (Official Site)

I’m having a really hard time being open minded about Ocean’s Thirteen. Steven Soderbergh’s remake of Ocean’s Eleven is one of my top ten favorite movies (and no, I haven’t seen the original with Frank Sinatra). The movie was such a slick, clever heist, and it owed much of its success to Ted Griffin’s taut script.

My expectations were high for Ocean’s Twelve, but the movie couldn’t live up to its predecessor. Even though it was only ten minutes longer, Twelve seemed to drag. Ted Griffin didn’t return to write the sequel and the difference was notable. There was none of the “aha!” element that made the first movie so great. I left the theatre wishing I could get those two hours back.

I am still bitter about Ocean’s Twelve, and that bitterness is carrying over to Ocean’s Thirteen. Sometimes, sequels are not a good idea. Could you imagine a sequel to Pulp Fiction or When Harry Met Sally? Those movies are not going to be improved upon, and their producers were wise to leave well enough alone. Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen were made simply because they are part of a successful franchise.

There is nothing compelling about the Ocean’s Thirteen trailer, with the possible exception of Al Pacino. Then again, this is still a movie that stars George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Don Cheadle, and the rest of the gang. Steven Soderbergh is back, though Ted Griffin is not. My expectations are low, but I will eventually see Ocean’s Thirteen. This time I’ll save my money and RENT IT.

Ocean’s Thirteen is not yet rated and opens on June 8. (Official site)