Welcome to the Trailer Park, where we at Player Affinity blindly judge and analyze the newest trailers hitting the web. This week we will take a peek at The American starring George Clooney, the latest comic book adaptation Jonah Hex, the fake-trailer-turned-feature-film Machete, the new 3-D horror film Piranha and the newest teaser for the Sundance hit Buried starring Ryan Reynolds.
The American
George Clooney has quickly become one of Hollywood's most reliable and likeable actors with his charming smirk and salt and pepper locks adding zest to every project with which he is involved. With the latest trailer for The American, we find him in a time-tested scenario playing an assassin on one last job. But despite the familiarity of the plot, the scenery looks stunning and Clooney seems to be in fine form so if there is any chance for that sub-genre to be revived this could be that prospect.
Jonah Hex
Josh Brolin, Megan Fox and John Malkovich ham up the screen in the adaptation of the popular DC comic. Whether Jonah Hex will keep with the spirit of the source material remains to be seen, but the trailer indicates this will be less Unforgiven and more Wild Wild West. But if you’re a fan of the Ghost Rider style of big screen treatments and miss seeing Malkovich chew scenery like a pro, this may, ironically, be your blessing.
Machete
Happy Cinco de Mayo! If you thought the fake Machete trailer with the Robert Rodriguez/Quentin Tarantino collaboration Grindhouse was as awesome as awesome could get, take a gander at the real preview in all its blood-spurting glory. The cast, including the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Jessica Alba, Steven Seagal and Robert DeNiro, had been revealed some time ago, but this is our first glimpse of the gang in action. Whether this can re-launch the careers of Segal and Lohan is still a big if, but what remains a fact is Machete looks like one hell of a good time.
Piranha 3D
French director Alexandre Aja has experienced an instance of diminishing returns since he broke into the horror scene with the instant cult classic High Tension in 2003. His follow up, the remake of the Wes Craven flick The Hills Have Eyes, was well received by fans, but his last film Mirrors was far from magic. Tackling another remake, this time in 3-D, Piranha seems to proffer a blend of camp and bloody violence. Thankfully, the "terror from below" approach to horror is an easy way to corrupt the mind and even though it will no doubt be Jaws light, (very, very light) I’m already feeling less inclined to take a dip this summer. Plus, I’ve never seen a fish roar…
Buried
One of the most buzzed-about films at this years Sundance film festival, Buried finds Ryan Reynolds trapped in a box underground. Anyone prone to claustrophobia will already be shuddering at the thought of being confined and the trailer seems to capture that sense of dread quite effectively. The plot synopsis states Reynolds will play Paul, a U.S. contractor working in Iraq, who after an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes up to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. We will have to wait for the theatrical trailer to find out more about what this crisp looking indie film has to offer.
