Our featured trailer this week is a look at the upcoming reimagining of The Three Musketeers. We've also got Owen Wilson living it up in Woody Allen's latest, Midnight in Paris. Japanese master Takeshi Miike sends us back to the age of the samurai in 13 Assassins. And Kat Dennings gets her sexy on in Daydream Nation. It's time for what the whole nation daydreams about—Trailer Tracker.
New trailers this week:
The Three Musketeers
Midnight in Paris
13 Assassins
Daydream Nation
The Three Musketeers
In December 2009, Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes presented an old hero to a new young audience. In doing so, it transformed Arthur Conan Doyle's crack investigator into a rough and tough action hero. Paul W.S. Anderson appears to be emulating Ritchie with his latest film, The Three Musketeers. Based on Alexandre Dumas' classic novel, the film follows a young man as he teams up with three former legends to try to take down an evil tyrant and save Europe from war. Starring Logan Lerman, Luke Evans, Matthew McFadyen, and Ray Stevenson, the film is slated for an October 2011 release.
The film's trailer leaves something to be desired, frankly. The Sherlock Holmes comparisons are all too apparent, yet the one area in which the film doesn't model "Holmes" is charisma. Matthew McFayden is no Robert Downey, Jr. In fact, he might be the complete opposite. An action trailer needs to be full of energy, yet McFayden just seems to be going through the motions. And it's not as though Anderson's resume is littered with action classics. Resident Evil, Death Race, AVP—nothing here inspires much confidence. So I'm wary about The Three Musketeers, but I'll keep an open mind until we get closer to October.
Midnight in Paris
Few filmmakers work as hard as Woody Allen; the guy releases a new film seemingly every year. But his efforts have gotten increasingly hit-or-miss as the great director and Father Time become more acquainted. Although films like Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona were exceptional, last year's You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger may have been the nadir of Allen's career. His upcoming film, Midnight in Paris, shows promise. Besides being named the opening night film for the Cannes Film Festival, the trailer looks like a charming blend of comedy, romance, and mystery. And Owen Wilson appears in his element as a man who goes on after-dark adventures in Europe's most beautiful city. Count me in.
13 Assassins
I know very little about Takeshi Miike's filmography. I do know, however, that he's a VERY respected filmmaker, and his latest film—13 Assassins—has received quite a bit of praise since it landed on the festival circuit last fall. The trailer promises action, action, action as 13 men head off on a suicide mission to kill a group of evil warriors. What ensues is sort of left up to your imagination. I'm imagining lots and lots of blood. 13 Assassins hits theaters Apr. 29.
Daydream Nation
Kat Dennings, like her Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist co-star Michael Cera, has been a one-role type of actress. She's the Juno-esque, smart, sassy girl—the kind you'd enjoy being friends with as much as you'd enjoy dating her. Her newest film, Daydream Nation, turns that on its head. She plays a new girl in town that seduces both a student and teacher at her school. The trailer looks interesting at first, something reminiscent of American Beauty. But around the halfway mark, things take a strange and off-putting turn. Guns, blood, screaming, crying—it's all quite bizarre. And the fact that Michael Goldbach is making his directorial debut with this feature has me thinking he might lose control of the material. Consider me skeptical, but we'll find out for sure May 6.