Check out this week's featured clip if you dare – you’ll have to be Brave (and love Pixar). Yes, Pixar’s latest is here, about a warrior-at-heart who just happens to be a woman, but is nevertheless shoved into the role of dutiful daughter in this period spectacle. Amanda Seyfried then may or may not be crazy in Gone, the thriller which finds a woman searching for her kidnapped younger sister who (again) may or may not have been taken by the same man who attacked her years earlier. Next, The Rock goes to a rock in the semi-sequel to Journey to the Center of the Earth, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Last off, Woody Harelson is a cop embodying the worst of the worst in the crime thriller Rampart. We watch things gallantly streaming – it’s trailer Tracker.
New clips this week:
Brave
Gone
Journey 2: The Mysterious
Brave
Even if they never publically reveal such a confession, Pixar Animation is undoubtedly looking for a face-saver after the critical and financial disappointment that was Cars 2 from earlier this year. They may get it swiftly with Brave. The period fable centers around the fiery Princess Merida (voiced by Boardwalk Empire leading lady Kelly Macdonald) who pines more to be a warrior than a “proper” lady in the kingdom her father rules, but is then called to arms after a threat emerges. From the trailer, the movie looks excellent and promises the trifecta of gorgeous animation, kid-friendly humor and poignant issues (in this case gender barriers and equality), though I cannot help revert my thinking back to DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon – probably just the sweet outfits.
I seem to say this a lot: the remaining cast is loaded with stellar actors, but those not
recognizable enough to draw attention; Kevin McKidd, Emma Thompson, Robbie
Coltrane, Julie Waters, Billy Connolly and Craig Ferguson (among others)
populate the talented British cast and, judging by those names, expect plenty of
very funny scenes from each. Hopefully, number thirteen will by lucky for the
classy animation house and the addition of first time director (but
Oscar-winner for his short One Man Band)
should add some freshness to what is at heart a basic story. Brave puffs out its chest June 22 of
next year.
Gone
Not gone, baby just
missing. Amanda Seyfried desperately searches for her missing sister in this
psychological thriller and is convinced the same man who abducted her years
earlier (but who is apparently non-existent according to authorities) is
responsible. With no help from the 5-0, it is up to Seyfried’s Jill to play
detective. The trailer really seems to boast the “is she crazy or not” angle,
which is always the foundation of a film like this, but Seyfried looks gorgeous
as ever and the addition of Jennifer Carpenter can’t hurt. If Gone can avoid the last-act melt-down
that plagues so many thrillers, this could be a satisfyingly low-key little
endeavor.
Journey 2: The Mysterious
Well, it appears Dwayne
“The Rock” Johnson has not completely shied away from family films, as he
headlines the sequel to the hit 3-D adaptation of Journey to the Center of the Earth – which I quite enjoyed for what
it was. This seemingly bloated sequel however recalls the disastrous Land of the Lost more than the Jules Vern
novel and has attempted to melt my corneas with as many vivid and fantastical
images as possible (though I will give it credit for a decently clever sequel
title that puts the likes of the “Alvin and the Chipmunks" follow-ups to shame).
I have faith that The Rock will exude his usual charisma, as will Michael Caine
as a new addition, but the story looks too dopey to be engaging or
awe-inspiring in any capacity.
Rampart
Reuniting with his The Messenger director Oren Moverman,
which earned him an Oscar nod, Woody Harelson plays the plainly named Dave
Brown, who is nothing of the sort when on the job as a (corrupt) cop. The
eye-popping cast includes Sigourney Weaver, Robin Wright, Ned Beatty, Ben
Foster, Ice Cube and Steven Buscemi in this gritty drama, which is based on the
true-to-life Rampart scandal of the 1990’s. Many have already hailed Harelson’s
performance as Oscar-worthy, and while I know he will never get a nomination,
that does not make me any less interested in checking this one out.