I was out of the country all last week, living in a fun bubble breathing movies 24-7 for EW in Toronto. Had no time to stay abreast of world affairs—or brand-new movie trailers. So let’s get caught up.
Check out the preview for Juno, the new movie by Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking) that EW.com has kind of already has covered to death, following its debut in Toronto last week. Let’s scale back the hype—the movie’s not opening till December—by simply saying here: most excellent trailer!
Here now is a less excellent trailer. This one’s for Funny Games, a remake of the 1997 Michael Haneke movie that Haneke himself is re-directing. (Naomi Watts and Tim Roth star.) I liked Cache and loved, loved, loved The Piano Teacher, Haneke’s two other high-profile previous films; I haven’t seen the original Funny Games but I hear it’s intense. You figure this new one will be too — but something about the way this trailer overuses Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” strikes me as stale and not very creepy and even unintentionally amusing in places.
Back to feel-good trailers. Opening December 25 and starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman, The Bucket List sure comes off looking like a gooey, warm slice of Christmas pie. They’re two guys with cancer out to live-it-up before they croak — I’m hoping for Scent of a Woman mixed with The Shawshank Redemption and not, I dunno, The Evening Star.
You wanna see any of these movies?
Comments (1-17) of 17
No, not really. Don’t know why, but they all sound kind of boring. And I’ve already seen the preview for Bucket List, and it looks so … eh.
No offense to Morgan Freeman.
I would agree, The Bucket List looks “eh”. I wouldn’t mind seeing Juno. From the preview it has the same sort of feel that Thumbsucker had. Kind of a female version. I have no interest in Funny Games. I don’t particularly like any of those actors.
I’ll probably see Juno and Funny games, mostly because I like some of the actors in each of them (Michael Cera and Jason Bateman in Juno and Tim Roth in Funny Games).
definitely interested in seeing Juno..love most of the actors in it – michael cera is too funny and ellen page was fantastic in “hardy candy”
“samsies”
I’m tempted just to hang out in the lobby of movie theaters when “Funny Games” is ending, just to see the look on the faces of the audience. There may be rioting.
I’ll probably see the bucket list with my mom over the holidays. I will go watch Juno. Michael Cera, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner in the same movie. Not to mention Alison Janney. Looks good.
Juno looks like a must-see. A good year for George Michael, eh? The original Funny Games was truly disturbing. I don’t like remakes of high quality European or Asian movies by Hollywood because they always pale in comparison to the original. Only Departed was a satisfying remake. Even though Haneke himself is directing the American version and i utterly adore him i feel like why should i pay $12 to see something i’ve already seen done by the same artist? I’ll definitely watch it on DVD out of curiosity, but i’m not paying top theather dollars.
is it just me or did anyone else get teary-eyed when jack nicholson hugs his grandaughter in the trailer for the bucket list?
also love j. garner and would really like her to get recognition for something other than alias and 13 going on 30.
Thanks for the shoutout Gregory K. I might never have watched the previews for those movies without your recommendation and now after getting teary-eyed from only the trailer of The Bucket List it’s a must-see on my list
Juno was already on the list due to the awesomeness that is Allison Janney.
Whereas I have no interest in seeing the Jamie Foxx/Jennifer Garner/Jason Bateman military flick, Juno looks great.
I thought Ellen Page was fantastic in “Hard Candy,” so I’m glad to see she’s in a film that looks as though it’s going to get some attention. Love the trailer, love her delivery (no pun intended).
Juno looks excellent… GREAT CAST!!! Funny games looks very cliched but id pay to see Naomi Watts read the phone book in dutch.
Wow, Juno looks fantastic. I wish it was coming out sooner, once the publicity starts kicking in I’ll probably be tired of it before it even gets here.
They have the original Funny Games at Netflix if anyone’s interested. The wo strangers seem creepier in the original than these guys. The movie’s pretty disturbing though the trailer kind of gives it all away.
“Juno” has Kitty Pryde (Ellen Page, X3), Elektra (Jennifer Garner, Daredevil) and J. Jonah Jameson (Spiderman 1, 2 & 3). Despite that, I’m sold.
“The Bucket List” looks kinda treacly, despite Nicholson and Freeman’s best efforts. Very excited to see “Juno” – funny and prickly together, my favorite!
Good Lord, is it in Morgan Freeman’s contract that he must provide voice-over in every single movie he makes now?
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