While I’m not working on TrailerSpy, I actually make my living as a scientist. And on more than one occasion, I’ve heard my scientist friends exclaim that someone should make a movie about life inside the lab. And not some Hollywoodized movie about a horrible genetic experiment gone wrong, but an actual drama about what it’s really like to be a scientist working in the research world.

But whenever I’ve heard this proposal, my response has always been the same: “It’ll never happen.” And it’s not that there aren’t some interesting story-lines that take place in a real laboratory. It’s just that the realities of science do not jive with the realities of Hollywood. I mean, what’s the chance of Hollywood making a movie about a bunch of socially awkward, not-so-attractive intellectuals, grinding out experiments in relative solitude?

But then I saw this trailer for Dark Matter, and I’ll be damned if Hollywood hasn’t just made a movie about what it’s really like to be a scientist working in the research world. Granted, they’ve obviously taken a few creative liberties, and it’s obviously dramatized quite a bit. But in general, it really does look like a pretty realistic depiction.

And what I’m really impressed by is the fact that the lead-character is Asian. Granted, it’s based on a true story, but they could have easily changed the character to a European and then just taken a well-known Hollywood star, slapped a pair of glasses on him, and given him an accent. But instead, they made a movie about a very real phenomenon in science: an Asian immigrant who joyfully comes to America, only to work for an overly critical boss, who pressures them into spending 24/7 in the lab, at the expense of their both family’s and their own well-being (I’ve had more than a few co-workers who fit that description perfectly).

Since Dark Matter is going to have a limited release, I’ll probably just RENT IT when it hits DVD. But I am definitely very intrigued by this movie. And kudos to Meryl Streep for joining the cast and giving this movie some leveraging power. I doubt it would have even gotten its limited release without her.

Dark Matter is rated R and opens in select cities on April 11 (Official Site).

As I promised in my Sweeney Todd trailer review, I’m going to tell you to go see Mamma Mia! this summer. I’ve seen it on Broadway (at the request of my ABBA-loving mother) and can sum up the show in a few brief words: cheesy, unsubstantial, and bloody good fun.

The story is as flimsy as tissue paper: Girl wants her dad to attend her upcoming wedding, but she doesn’t know who he is. She finds three possibilities by digging into her mother’s sordid past, and invites them all to the wedding. They all show up, mom gets flustered, girl attempts to find out which one is her dad, lots of silly singing and dancing ensues.

But as most Mamma Mia! fans will tell you, the story doesn’t matter, it’s all about the music. The show was constructed around the tunes of everyone’s favorite 70’s Swedish pop group, ABBA (if you can’t at least admit that “Dancing Queen” is a catchy tune, you may have no soul). And in trying to create a show around preexisting songs, some (OK, a lot) of artistic license is taken with the storyline.

While the stage show is certainly entertaining, I’m somewhat concerned about how well it’ll translate to film. What makes the stage show so entertaining is the fact that it’s all live; you feel like you’re at an ABBA cover band concert. Audience members can even sing along and dance in the aisles at the end of the show. So how well will this translate to the screen, where you’re supposed to sit in the dark, quietly, and watch actors who are unable to feed off the audience’s energy? I don’t know, but I’ll be at the theaters to SEE IT opening weekend and find out.

Mamma Mia! is not yet rated and opens July 18. (IMDB page)

This trailer hit the internet about two weeks ago, and I really wanted to post something, but I just didn’t know what to think about it.

Anyway, I’ve taken two weeks to contemplate this trailer, and to be honest, I still don’t know what to think about it.

Robert Redford is a great director (if you haven’t seen Ordinary People, put it on your Netflix que ASAP), and even though I hate Tom Cruise, he does make some great movies. However, when I saw this trailer, I couldn’t help thinking that this movie is nothing more than anti-Bush Administration propaganda. Granted, it’s propaganda that I happen to agree with, but I’m not sure that excuses it.

Hollywood has always been a place for questioning authority, and especially our government, but it’s usually done in much more subtle, creative way than this movie seems to be doing it. And even if it’s not surprising to see this movie get made at this point in history, what the hell is Tom Cruise doing in this thing (and playing a Congressman!)? I don’t know, I guess I’m just confused by the whole movie.

I’m personally planning to SKIP IT, but I’m curious what other people’s thoughts are about this movie. Am I missing the point or is this movie just a really expensive hit-job?

Lions for Lambs is not yet rated and opens November 9. (Official Site)

I was going to do a review of the Evening trailer last month, but I just couldn’t get into it enough to think of anything to say. But I was still willing to give the movie a chance. The list of actresses appearing in it is unbelievably impressive: Vanessa Redgrave, Meryl Streep, Claire Danes, Toni Collette, and Glenn Close. With a pedigree like that, it’s bound to be a good movie, right? Sure, the trailer was a bit of a snoozer, but it must be pretty hard to make a trailer for a movie about a dying woman waxing poetic about a lost love seem exciting. It’s not like there are any high-speed car chases or random acts of violence to liven things up. This was going to be a quiet drama, with lots of talking, female bonding, and tear-jerking scenes. Nothing wrong with that. Some of my favorite movies are quiet, talky dramas where not a whole lot “happens.”

Unfortunately, Evening will never be one of those quiet films I love, since it is such an utterly horrendous piece of crap. I was going to add it to my Netflix queue, but then I received a pair of free passes for a screening last week. Never being one to turn down anything free, I went, and spent two hours fighting the urge to stab myself in the eye just so something interesting would happen.

As predicted, it was a quiet, talky drama where not a whole lot happened. But instead of the lack of action being compensated with interesting relationships, witty dialogue, or touching moments, it was compensated with nothing. The story was trite and unbelievable. The lost love Redgrave reminisces about for the entire movie is essentially a one-night stand she has with a gorgeous man she just met at her friend’s wedding. There is no connection or spark between them and no reason for the audience to believe they should have ended up together. There’s a jilted wannabe lover that we’re meant to feel bad for, but he’s too annoying and one-dimensional to even care about. In fact, everything in this movie is too annoying and one-dimensional to care about. So I’m not even going to talk about it anymore. SKIP IT.

Evening is rated PG-13 and opened June 29. (Official site)