I’m gonna make you an offer you can’t refuse: watching Trailer Tracker, the feature where we at Player Affinity hunt down the latest trailers like gangsters hunt down a snitch in the witness protection program. You can’t stop our first trailer about a runaway train starring Denzel Washington and directed by Tony Scott. Things then become more low-brow with Jonny Knoxville and gang in Jackass 3-D, sleazier with the musical Burlesque starring Christina Aguilera, creepier with the alien invasion film Skyline and finally more wholesome with the sports comedy The Winning Season. Take the clips, leave the cannoli.
Unstoppable
Denzel Washington reteams with his Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 director Tony Scott in this based-on-true-events action thriller. Unstoppable finds a train loaded with explosives and poisonous gas, unmanned and hurdling towards a major city. Washington is joined by Star Trek star Chris Pine, Rosario Dawson and Ethan Suplee as they try and halt the metal menace before disaster strikes. In recent years I have found Scott’s manic style increasingly distracting and amateurish. Hopefully things are toned down for this effort but by the looks of the trailer that may be extremely wishful thinking.
Jackass 3-D
It seems as if nowadays movie studios are simply quivering in their seats waiting for when a movie franchise becomes a threequel so they can add the “D” to the end. But what better way for Jackass 3-D to one-up its brazen predecessors than with an extra dimension? The Jackass crew knows how to give low-brow comedy a kick in the balls and after two hilarious, if utterly juvenile, films, Knoxville, Steve-O and Bam put their bodies in harm's way for this pain extravaganza.
Burlesque
Another singer makes her desperate break for the big screen in Burlesque, the oft told tale of a small-town girl who wants to make the big time. This time it’s Christina Aguilera in the lead role alongside fellow musician and Oscar-winner Cher. This will be the 30-year-old pop superstar’s very first starring role and if history has shown us anything, these debuts tend to flop. That is not to say that singers can not turn into successful actors, but with the exception of Ice Cube in Boyz in the Hood it normally takes time for them to mature. But hey, if you’re in the mood for a naughty, glossy musical in the
Skyline
Now is this an alien invasion film or a tribute to Steven Hawking? I’m still torn. Set for a November release, this flick is directed and produced, by The Brothers Strause who are also handling the special effects independently. The directing team previously helmed Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, but we won’t hold that against them. The bigger question is if this time-tested story can bring anything new to the genre other than flashy CGI. Skyline stars Eric Balfour as the lone recognizable star and will get a theatrical release in-line with a debut on Netflix.
The Winning Season
Another week, another movie starring Sam Rockwell, and that is not a complaint. Unfortunately this basketball dramedy has been sitting on the shelf since before 2009 so it is difficult to have unwavering faith. Rob Corddry and Emma Roberts also star in this tale of a washed-up coach (Rockwell) mentoring a down-and-out girls basketball team. Like most of his films, I can see Rockwell being the standout in a movie that seems to have nothing new to add to a genre that has been all but stripped clean.
