Trailer Trash Feature: 26th May – 8th June

(Bi-weekly feature written for Lost In The Multiplex)

Fancy knowing more about the past two week’s trailer releases? Well you’re in the right place. This week we have some brilliant first trailers for films including Django Unchained, The Bourne Legacy, Les Miserables and Wreck-It Ralph. What a collection! And if that isn’t enough, you’re just going to have to carry on reading.

Django Unchained

First up is quite an exciting first trailer, and that’s for Quentin Tarantino’s new film Django Unchained, which follows a slave-turned-bounty hunter (Jamie Foxx) who, with the help of his mentor (Christoph Waltz), sets out to rescue his wife from a brutal Mississippi plantation owner (Leonardo DiCaprio). Introducing us to these leading men, the new trailer isn’t amazing but it sets up the plot quite well. Following the director’s last film, Inglorious Basterds, I’m positive that we are in for a treat with this. Whatever the case, with Waltz in the lead role as the film’s bad guy, it almost definitely cannot be bad!

Bourne Legacy

Another big trailer this week is for the latest Bourne instalment, with Tony Gilroy’s Bourne Legacy. With Jeremy Renner now in the lead role, the film carries on from the franchise with his character whose life-or-death stakes have been triggered by the events of the first three films. With a supporting cast headed up by Rachel Weisz, Edward Norton, and Stacy Keach, as well as Albert Finney, Oscar Isaac, Joan Allen, Scott Glenn, and David Strathairn reprising their original roles, the film is set to be released on 13th August.

Les Miserables

On a musical note, we have the first trailer for Tom Hooper’s big screen adaptation of the epic musical drama, Les Miserables. Adapted from the hugely successful stage show that’s based on Victor Hugo’s classic 1862 novel, the film is set in 19th century France and follows a paroled prisoner named Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who seeks redemption. The new trailer features the voice of Anne Hathaway who plays the role of Fantine and, having not seen the theatre production myself, I think it looks pretty good. Also starring Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Aaron Tveit, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Samantha Barks, the film is set to be released on 11th January 2013.

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

One of my favourite new trailers from the past couple of weeks is the first for Steven Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, an adaptation of his acclaimed novel of the same name. Following Logan Lerman in the lead role, the film follows his character as an introverted high school freshman who finds acceptance in two senior students, one played by Emma Watson and the other by Ezra Miller, as he is caught between trying to live his life and escape it. The trailer looks like a bit of light-hearted fun, but it’s the casting that is something we might have to get used to, with two of the leads – Watson and Miller – playing very different roles from what we are used to. Watson, best known for the innocent and hard-working Hermione from the popular Harry Potter franchise plays much more of a rule-breaking character here, whilst Miller, recently seen as the murderous and creepy son in We Need To Talk About Kevin appears to be someone we will have to get used to laughing a long with. Also starring Nina Dobrev, Paul Rudd and Mae Whitman, The Perks of Being a Wallflower is set to be released on 14th September in the US, but has no UK release date as of yet.

Wreck-It Ralph

Another great first trailer is the first for Disney’s Wreck-It Ralph which debuted on MSN. With a voice cast including John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch, the film is directed by Rich Moore and follows game character Wreck-It Ralph (Reilly) who longs to be as beloved as his game’s perfect Good Guy, Fix-It Felix (McBrayer). But nobody loves a Bad Guy, so when a modern, first-person shooter game arrives featuring tough-as-nails Sergeant Calhoun (Lynch), Ralph sees it as his ticket to heroism and happiness. He sneaks into the game with a simple plan—win a medal—but soon wrecks everything, and accidentally unleashes a deadly enemy that threatens every game in the arcade. The new trailer looks absolutely fantastic. Set to be released in the US on 2nd November, the film is currently awaiting confirmation for a UK release date.

Branded

A trailer that has intrigued me this week is for the sci-fi thriller Branded. Starring quite a decent cast including Ed Stoppard, Max von Sydow, Leelee Sobieski, and Jeffrey Tambor, the film is set in a dystopian future where corporate branding has run amok. Co-directed and written by Jamie Bradshaw and Aleksandr Dulerayn, the film looks at a radically changed world were visions of bizarre and terrifying creatures with the ability to influence people’s thoughts, desires and actions are used as part of a company’s advertising campaign. The trailer reminds me of the upcoming Cosmopolis with the weird visuals and futuristic nature; I’m not sure what to think yet but I definitely won’t be able to get this one out of my head. Set to be released in the US on 7th September, the film has no UK date as of yet but it’s sure to get one soon with all of its promotion.

Red Lights

Another thriller with a first trailer is Rodrigo Cortés’ Red Lights, which stars Robert De Niro, Cillian Murphy, Elizabeth Olsen, and Sigourney Weaver. The film explores the human brain’s perception mechanisms and the diffuse frontiers between belief and science which starts out from the experiences of two rationalist scientists who dissect phenomena from the metapsychic world, and the clash of forces with a world-famous psychic they bring about. Sounds complicated, huh? The trailer makes it a little easier to understand, and if for nothing else the cast makes it look worthwhile. Written and directed by Cortés, Red Lights is set to be released on 15th June.

Get Lucky

Directed by Sacha Bennett (Bonded by Blood) with a script by T.J. Ramini and Walter Taylaur, we also have a new trailer for British Indie film, Get Lucky, which follows two brothers living on the wrong side of the law who become involved in a casino heist. Starring Luke Treadaway, James Cosmo, Craig Fairbrass, Emily Atack, Rebecca Ferdinando, Jason Maza, Terry Stone and T.J. Ramini, the trailer isn’t anything amazing or particularly original but it may pick some of your fancies. No release dates for this one yet though.

Flight

From Back to the Future director Robert Zemeckis, the first trailer for Flight opens up the film’s plot, as it tells the story of a pilot (Denzel Washington) who miraculously crash-lands his plane after a mid-air catastrophe, saving nearly every soul on board. There is more to be learned however as questions begin to arise as to who or what was really at fault, and what really happened on that plane. Also starring Don Cheadle, Melissa Leo and John Goodman, this action-packed mystery thriller looks pretty good, but I’m not sure if it will stand out from the other thrillers we have already discussed.

Shadow Dancer

Nearing the end of this week’s feature (I promise!) we have the trailer for Shadow Dancer which premiered at this month’s Belfast Film Festival and which will also show later on in the month at the Edinburgh Film Festival. Directed by James Marsh and written by Tom Bradby, the film stars Clive Owen, Andrea Riseborough, Aidan Gillen, Domhnall Gleeson, Brid Brennan, David Wilmot, Stuart Graham, Martin McCann and Gillian Anderson. Following single mother Collette McVeigh (Riseborough), a Republican living in Belfast with her mother and hardliner IRA brothers, she is arrested for her part in an aborted IRA bomb plot in London, when an MI5 officer Mac (Owen) offers her a choice: lose everything and go to prison for 25 years or return to Belfast to spy on her own family. With her son’s life in her hands, Collette chooses to place her trust in Mac and return home, but when her brothers’ secret operation is ambushed, suspicions of an informant are raised and Collette finds both herself and her family in grave danger. The film will be with us from 25th August.

Hot Potato

One I’m not so sure about is the trailer for Hot Potato, which stars an unusual combination of Louise Rednapp and Ray Winstone as a married couple. Directed by Tim Lewiston, the film has quite a classic comedy gangster feel to it but I don’t know if the trailer is enough to sway me. Set in the year of 1969 and after a government research centre explodes, Kenny (Lois Winstone) and pal Danny (Jack Huston) obtain a potentially lethal package. But after discovering the value of the radioactive material, they rope in Danny’s girlfriend to help them broker a deal. Also starring Colm Meaney, David Harewood, and John Lynch, the film is set to be released in the UK on 10th September.

Lay the Favourite

Unfortunately it goes downhill from here, ending with a final first trailer for Lay The Favourite. Directed by Stephen Frears, the film has a great cast including Rebecca Hall, Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta Jones, Joshua Jackson and Vince Vaughn, but this just doesn’t seem to do it any justice. To me, at least, it looks complete rubbish despite this decent cast list. Nevertheless, the film is based on the true story about ex-private dancer Beth Raymer (Hall) as she travels to Las Vegas to pursue her dreams of becoming a cocktail waitress. The trailer will explain more, and it is set to be released in the UK on 22nd June.