Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers?
That short silent film which Neil Gaiman is currently in the midst of directing, and as reported on earlier, is to start shooting this Sunday. From the info now available, we know that it’s going to be called Statuesque, will star Bill Nighy and Amanda Palmer, pop star and Gaiman’s girlfriend, and is one of a series of films commissioned by Rupert Murdoch’s UK based Sky TV, each to mark one of the twelve days of Christmas. The film is going to be short, at eight minutes long, and I’m prepared to bet it ends up rather sweet too.
After the break: where and when the shoot is taking place.
Posted on Thursday, July 16th, 2009 by Russ Fischer
It wasn’t long ago that Bill Nighy was first rumored to be in the last two Harry Potter films as new Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. Then he confirmed the role and now, as Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince opens, he’s talking a bit about the role. Read on for Nighy’s comments to SciFiWire and quite a few potential spoilers. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 by Russ Fischer
Every other major British actor seems to have a part in the Harry Potter series, so why not Bill Nighy? The actor tells The Independent that he’s just nabbed a part in the final film(s) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Who’s he going to play? Speculation and possible spoilers run rampant after the jump. Read More »
The Boat That Rocked, the latest directorial effort from Richard Curtis (Love, Actually) never looked like a stone cold comedy classic, but it has such a fun cast (Nick Frost, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Kenneth Branagh, Rhys Ifans) that it should have been a good time, at least. But reviews overseas, where the film has already been in release, have been fairly bad. Many focused on the length (129 minutes, ambitious for a comedy) and so the film may be cut by as much as 20 minutes as it moves from Universal to subsidiary Focus Features for distribution in the States. Read More »
Posted on Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
United Artists has provided /Film with four new production photos from Bryan Singer‘s Valkyrie. Apparently, a new trailer will premiere tomorrow night around 8:00pm PT, so check back then. As always, click on the stills to enlarge.
Official Plot Synopsis: In a country in the grips of evil, in a police state where every move is being watched, in a world where justice and honor have been subverted, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power decide to take action. Tom Cruise stars in the suspense film, VALKYRIE, based on the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (CRUISE) and the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known. Director Bryan Singer (THE USUAL SUSPECTS, X-MEN, SUPERMAN RETURNS) re-teams with Academy Award®-winning USUAL SUSPECTS screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie to bring to life the story of the men who led the operation to assassinate Hitler. The film also stars an acclaimed cast including Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel and Terence Stamp.
A proud military man, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg is a loyal officer who serves his country all the while hoping that someone will find a way to stop Hitler before Europe and Germany are destroyed. Realizing that time is running out, he decides that he must take action himself and joins the German resistance. Armed with a cunning strategy to use Hitler’s own emergency plan – known as Operation Valkyrie – these men plot to assassinate the dictator and overthrow his Nazi government from the inside. With everything in place, with the future of the world, the fate of millions and the lives of his wife and children hanging in the balance, von Stauffenberg is thrust from being one of many who oppose Hitler to the one who must kill Hitler himself.
Valkyrie is scheduled to hit theaters on December 26th 2008.
Posted on Thursday, October 23rd, 2008 by Peter Sciretta
I fell asleep in the movie theater while watching the first Underworld film. It was a point in my life when I was working an overnight shift. Friday and Saturdays were my nights off, and I often attempted to get back to a normal sleeping schedule for the weekend, which rarely worked. I have a feeling that I still wouldn’t have enjoyed the film even if I had remained awake for the entire thing. I never gave it a second chance. I never saw the sequel. But I did see the trailer for the sequel, and I think thats all I really needed to see.
Patrick Tatopoulos‘ Underworld prequel Underworld: Rise of the Lycans doesn’t look any better. Oh, and did I mention that before this, the director was a costume designer and special effects makeup artist? But I know there are many people who enjoyed the first two movies, who are interested to see the trailer for the third film. Heck, enough people had to see these films to warrant a trilogy, right? You can watch the trailer below, and please explain to me why I am missing out.
Official Plot Synopsis: The prequel story traces the origins of the centuries-old blood feud between the aristocratic vampires known as Death Dealers and their onetime slaves, the Lycans. In the Dark Ages, a young Lycan named Lucian (Michael Sheen) emerges as a powerful leader who rallies the werewolves to rise up against Viktor (Bill Nighy), the cruel vampire king who has enslaved them. Lucian is joined by his secret lover, Sonja (Rhona Mitra), in his battle against the Death Dealer army and his struggle for Lycan freedom.
Watch the trailer in High Definition on Apple. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans hits theaters on January 23rd 2009.
Posted on Thursday, November 8th, 2007 by Peter Sciretta
Pre-Marketing for Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie has begun to heat up. Last week we brought you a behind the scenes promotional trailer for the film, and this week the official trailer has been unleashed, attached to Lions for Lambs, and available online right now.
Based on true events, Valkyrie tells the story of a scheme hatched by German Generals to assassinate Adolph Hitler at the height of World War II. Tom Cruise plays Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg. The film’s cast also includes Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Eddie Izzard, Christian Berkel, Thomas Kretschmann, and Carice van Houten.
Check out the new trailer after the jump. Read More »
