I love Woody Allen, but I have to admit that I’m a bit of a fair-weather fan. Annie Hall is one of my favorite all-time movies, and because of it, I’ve watched pretty much every movie that Woody Allen has made since.

That is, until I saw Small Time Crooks, which is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, and I swore I wouldn’t waste my blind faith on a Woody Allen film ever again. Of course, then he made Match Point, and I was so excited because I thought that Woody Allen had been reborn. And then I saw Scoop, and I realized that he hadn’t.

And therein lies the problem. You never know what you’re going to get with a Woody Allen film: is it going to be the work of the comedic-genius who pretty much defines the word auteur, or is it going to be the work of the past-his-prime director who doesn’t understand the idea of taking a break to recharge your creative battery?

This trailer for Cassandra’s Dream gives me reason to hope, because it seems far more in-line with Match Point than with some of the other busts that have come to define the latter part of Woody Allen’s career. But like I said, you never know what you’re going to get with a Woody Allen film, and this movie could easily be terrible.

I know most die-hard Woody Allen fans will be lining up to see this thing in the theaters, but I am going to wait and RENT IT. I’ve just been disappointed too many times in the past to automatically dole out $11 just because the movie has Woody Allen’s name in the opening credits. Plus, I could really care less about this Colin Farrell guy (didn’t his career end a couple years ago?)

Cassandra’s Dream is rated R and opens January 4. (IMDB page)

This trailer hit the internet a few days ago, and I have to say, it’s one of the best trailers I’ve seen in a while.

I’m always curious about how much input a filmmaker gets into designing the trailer for their movie. I know that most trailers are made by big marketing firms like Trailer Park, but when I see a gutsy trailer like this one for Slipstream, I just can’t imagine that the director (in this case Anthony Hopkins) had no creative input into how it got made.

Judging from the plot description (and from the trailer!), Slipstream seems like it’ll be an interesting movie. It’s about a screenwriter whose mind goes haywire, causing him to slip into his movie and his characters to slip into his real life.

That plot reminds me a bit of Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five, where Billy Pilgrim becomes unstuck in time. I loved that book, and it seems like that sort of a trippy, disjointed story could play really well on film. Unfortunately, such a story would have to be directed exceptionally well to pull it off, and as much as I like Anthony Hopkins, he’s just too inexperienced of a director to make me believe that he’ll succeed.

If this thing was directed by David Fincher, I’d be all over it, but seeing how Hopkins has only directed two previous movies, I’m going to have to wait and RENT IT. But if it’s any consolation to Sir Anthony, I’m going to watch the trailer a few more times, perhaps with some popcorn and a large soda.

Slipstream is rated R and opens in limited release on October 26. (Official Site)

Julie and Tal have been kind enough to allow me to be the default reviewer of any movie musical trailers, which is both a good and a bad idea. On the one hand, I am a musical theater freak (geek, nerd, loser, etc.) so I definitely have a passion for any movie musical coming out. On the other hand, I’m liable to give every one a SEE IT review without even caring how good the trailer actually looks.

Luckily, the trailer for Sweeney Todd looks absolutely fantastic, so my SEE IT review is completely justified. My only complaint about it is the very thing I’m looking forward to the most…the fact that it’s a musical. There isn’t a whole lot of singing going on in the trailer, so I have to wonder if someone who knew nothing about this show would even be aware of all the singing they’re in store for. A big concern for many of the fans of the stage production has been the casting. Sure, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are amazing, but can they sing? I’m still not sure. But I’m sure as hell going to be at the movie theater opening weekend to find out.

For the uninitiated, Sweeney Todd is indeed a musical, composed by Stephen Sondheim, and it was originally staged on Broadway in 1979. It tells the tale of Benjamin Barker, a well-liked London-based barber whose life is destroyed by the corrupt magistrate, Judge Turpin, who lusts after Barker’s wife. Barker is arrested under false pretenses and exiled for 15 years. Upon his return, he learns that his wife is dead and Turpin has named himself the adoptive father of Barker’s daughter (and would prefer to be more than a father to her, if you know what I mean). Hell-bent on getting the revenge he deserves, Barker adopts a dark and sinister alternate persona; Sweeney Todd, the demon barber of Fleet Street. He opens up a barber shop above the pie shop of the questionable baker, Mrs. Lovett, where he offers “the closest shave in town”. So close, in fact, that you may wind up with your throat slit and your body disposed of in a most unusual way. Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett become partners in crime and eagerly await the day when Judge Turpin will cross their murderous path.

Clearly, this is not your typical musical. There are no gangs dancing in the streets and the hills are definitely not alive with the sound of music. Sweeney Todd is probably one of the blackest and goriest musicals ever created. Which is why I think Tim Burton was a perfect choice to direct the film version. Johnny Depp was an interesting choice for Sweeney, but his collaborations with Burton have never let me down before. I think Helena Bonham Carter looks a bit too young to be Mrs. Lovett (whose supposed to be middle-aged, and not a pretty middle-aged), but again, her work with Burton has yet to disappoint. Alan Rickman is Judge Turpin, and has he ever been a wrong choice in anything he’s done? No, he hasn’t. Don’t even try to argue with me, I’ll just stick my fingers in my ears and pretend I can’t hear you.

I said it before, but here it is again. SEE IT. Even if you’re a musicals-hater, give it a chance. This is definitely not your grandmother’s kind of musical (it got an ‘R’ rating, after all).

Oh, and for the record, there’s a movie version of Mamma Mia! being filmed now for release next summer, and I’m going to tell you now to go see that one, too.

Sweeney Todd is rated R and opens December 21 (Official site)

Perhaps I’m just having one of my ‘slow’ days, but I find the trailer for Funny Games to be a bit confusing. Is it a suspense thriller, or a dark comedy? Let’s play a game of Funny/Not Funny.

Seeing a pair of slimy yuppies in tennis whites hold a family hostage in their summer cabin, where they threaten to torture and eventually kill said family.

Not Funny.

Setting these scenes to a piece of upbeat classical music most recognized from Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Funny?

I’m really not sure what to think, but I am reminded of the trailer for A Clockwork Orange, which was set to “The William Tell Overture”. And if there’s a more confusing suspense thriller/dark comedy/funny/not funny movie than A Clockwork Orange, please tell me, I’m willing to learn. Funny Games is apparently a remake of a 1997 movie of the same name (with the same writer/director) that I haven’t seen. Perhaps someone who has seen it can enlighten us all as to what to expect.

Confusion aside, I am intrigued enough to RENT IT. I’m also intrigued as to why a writer/director would feel the need to remake one of his films a mere 10 years after the original was released, so I may actually rent the original as well.

Funny Games is rated R and opens in limited release February 15.

Remember all the hubbub about the new J.J. Abrams production, where Manhattan is mysteriously attacked by some ominous roar? Supposedly it had a fake working title of Cloverfield, but Vulture is now reporting that the movie is (most likely) named Monstrous. Grainy camera-phone pictures show the title on posters for the movie, and Paramount has bought the domain TheMonstrousMovie.com.

Monstrous? That’s the best they could do? Really? Well, I guess Chtulu would be a little hard to pronounce. Judging by all the excitement this movie has already generated, the movie could be called Reading From the Dictionary and it would be a hit.

Previously:
Transformers Comes With a Mystery “Cloverfield” 1-18-08 Trailer
Comments From a Cloverfield Insider

Update (11-19-07): A new, longer trailer just hit the internet. Check it out here.

Update (07-16-07): Since the debate still seems to be going strong, I thought I’d add this poll, just so that I can quantify exactly what you guys think this movie is really going to be about. Please take a second and place your vote.

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Update (07-09-07): It looks like Paramount is taking the “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” approach, because they just officially released the trailer through Apple. I’ve embedded an HD version of it below. On the other hand, if you get nostalgic for the grainy cell-phone camera versions, you can still find them here.

Update (07-08-07): Check out our TrailerSpy exclusive: Comments from a Cloverfield Insider!!

Update (7-24-07): The movie has a title! And it’s lame!

Want to create a viral marketing campaign for your untitled movie? Run a trailer for it before a hot summer blockbuster, and only mention the new movie’s release date. That’s right, before showings of Transformers, a mysterious trailer says little except that it’s a J.J. Abrams film that will open on 1-18-08.

I have my own (very strong) opinions about this trailer, but I’d rather hear your opinions first. Thoughts? Let’s hear ‘em.

Untitled J.J. Abrams movie (with a fake working title of Cloverfield) is not yet rated and opens on 1-18-08. Thanks to Defamer for the tip. Also, check out the movie’s official site and IMDb page.

I have a lot of respect for the Coen brothers. Most directors essentially make the same film over and over, only with different plot-lines. Every Coen brothers film, on the other hand, seems to be a complete 180 from their previous one. And if not for their trademark quirky humor, you’d hardly guess that all of their films were made by the same two brothers.

No Country for Old Men is a perfect example of this. Based on a Cormac McCarthy book, No Country for Old Men seems to be completely different than all of their previous films. Most notably, it appears to be the darkest movie they’ve ever made. And kudos to them for continuing to challenge themselves creatively.

Unfortunately, though, my respect for the Coen brothers usually surpasses my actual appreciation for their films, at least as of late. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Fargo, and The Big Lebowsky is one of my favorite movies, but their last few efforts (Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers) have been a complete waste of both my money and my time. Like I said, I respect their willingness to take creative risks, but I expect those risks to result in something at least a tad bit better than those two stinkers.

I guess what I’m saying is that I’m gonna have to pass on No Country for Old Men. I’ll RENT IT just to be sure, but I refuse to risk my $11 on these guys anymore…just because they like to gamble, that doesn’t mean I have to.

No Country for Old Men is rated R and opens sometime this fall. (Official Site)

Ah, Lindsay, Lindsay, Lindsay, why do you keep making movies that look like they stink? Why? Unlike your (ex?) buddy Paris, you can’t get away with making crappy movies because people know you’re actually talented.

I mean, come on, who didn’t like Mean Girls? Freaky Friday was a gem of a remake. The best part of A Prairie Home Companion was your song at the end. Aside from those movies, you’ve taken some awful career advice lately. It turns out that you cannot open a movie on your own unless it actually has a good script. People can smell “Lindsay Lohan” vehicles coming from a mile away. And boy does I Know Who Killed Me reek. (That is, unless your fans just want to see you as a stripper. That’s right folks, Lilo goes pole dancing in I Know Who Killed Me.)

So, please, Linds, hole yourself up in Vancouver and make an independent ensemble movie for no money. Or star in a big-budget musical adaptation of a Broadway smash. (If Spring Awakening gets made in the next two years, you’ll still be young enough to play the female lead.) You could still become your generation’s Jodie Foster if you play the cards right.

I Know Who Killed Me is rated R and opens on July 27. SKIP IT. (Official site)

If Hollywood has taught me anything, it’s the children fall into one of three categories: wise beyond their years, annoying as hell, or creepy as f***. In this “psychological thriller” (the trailer’s words, not mine), the titular child falls into the third category. He’s a creepy little boy with a vacant stare and a monotone voice (and he’s wearing a suit the entire time, so he looks like an eerie miniature maitre d’). When his parent’s bring home a new baby sister, Joshua turns into an even bigger freak. He starts silently lurking behind doorways, animals that come into contact with him mysteriously turn up dead, and he wants to throw a rock at a hobo. Then the baby sister disappears…or something. I kind of stopped paying attention to the trailer after the hobo scene.

I’m going to give Joshua a SKIP IT. The genre of creepy kid psych thriller has been done to death, and better than this. The Omen, The Good Son, and The Sixth Sense all come immediately to mind. And anything Dakota Fanning has starred in. Hollywood seems to think she’s adorable, but there’s nothing scarier than a child who doesn’t even act like a child.

Joshua is rated R and opens in limited release July 6. (Official site)

I can’t lie. I think Will Smith is a genius. His movie career started because directors wanted to take advantage of his obvious charisma, but his last few movies were all him. Ever since he started his own production company, he’s chosen to make films that are not only exciting and entertaining, but also really smart and interesting. A lot of people didn’t like I, Robot, but I knew it was the beginning of a really interesting career path. And after The Pursuit of Happyness, I’m hooked.

Even though I Am Legend looks suspiciously familiar, I’m definitely gonna SEE IT. I have a feeling this will be a lot smarter and a lot more interesting than all of the other post-apocalyptic films we’ve seen recently. I’m glad Will Smith keeps churning these things out, because he’s making the exact kind of movies that I love to watch.

I Am Legend is not yet rated and opens December 14. (Official Site)