Trailer Tracker: John Carter, Being Flynn and more

It seems as if the impending holiday season had put a kibosh on new clips this week (and new releases for this coming weekend as well), but we’ll work with what we have and hope the dawning of December will be fruitful in more ways than one. First off, we have the first full-ish length trailer for the mega-budgeted Disney sci-fi epic John Carter, which aims for an audience I haven’t quite pegged as of yet. Secondly is Being Flynn, the redemptive tale of an author and his son, played by Robert De Niro and Paul Dano respectively. Finally, we bring to you a con-man thriller with Samuel “Mother f$+%&#!” Jackson entitled The Samaritan. We’re always the good kind here – it’s Trailer Tracker (lite).

New clips this week:
John Carter
Being Flynn
The Samaritan

John Carter

Though it debuts next summer (close for a blockbuster of this magnitude), Disney had only revealed snippets of its “John Carter of Mars” reboot, and after seeing the recent trailer, it’s clear why. Its exorbitant $200 million budget is all on display with the CGI, which is both extensive and very well done, especially for a film that has time for touch-up work and post-production polishing. The movie itself remains the elephant in the room, as the intergalactic setting, green aliens galore and an unknown lead seem less like a risky endeavor than it is an inevitable flop. It’s financial success aside, director Andrew Stanton and his cast populated with rising talent has my interest, and the acclaimed source material doesn’t hurt one bit. Storytelling will be the key for John Carter as many will just be expecting (at the least) a senseless summer spectacle. This movie’s hope lies in the possibility it could be something more.

Being Flynn

Originally going by the much cooler title “Another Bullshit Night in Suck City”, Being Flynn finds young Jody Flynn, played by Paul Dano, who by chance reconnects with his brilliant estranged father, portrayed by Robert De Niro. This feature is from Paul Weitz (American Pie) from a memoir by Nick Flynn about his real experiences with redemption, and though he does not have a role in contributing to the actual movie, the talent about should make for a solid flick, even if I have personally come to quite hate Paul Dano – but hey, what do I know. 

The Samaritan

Samuel L. Jackson goes the way of The Sting with The Samaritan, about a recently paroled grifter who is dragged back into the life he looked to give up. “The Samaritan” refers to an actual con (in the movie at least); an extremely elaborate grift with the expectedly large payoff. Tom Wilkinson also stars in this film helmed by television director David Weaver. Though Jackson seems to be in a movie every other week (with most of them not being of the highest caliber), this one has potential if it can avoid the curse of too many twists and turns. 

The Samaritan Trailer