A marvelous massing of movie trailers 3: C. O. G., Last Vegas, The Husband, Her, The Family

 

Build yourself a cinematic raft people – there is a tsunami of movies on their way.

Yes, yes I hear you say – I have exceptionally good hearing and the NSA lets me borrow their doodads from time to time which is nice – there are always plenty of movies on their way.

True, true but there are even more than usual on their way as we head into awards season and you have to be prepared to YouTube yourself till trailers are bleeding out your eyes and ears.

Or you could save yourself all that mess and simply check out the five movies in this post.

Yes much cleaner … have fun with that!

 

C. O. G.

 

(image via huffingtonpost.com)


SNAPSHOT
After grad school, David looks forward to working on an apple orchard in Oregon with his best friend Jennifer, but ends up working solo when she backs out on the trip. The young, witty, and over-educated traveler encounters some interesting characters along the way, all who impart on him life lessons that are somewhat harsher and less romantic than he had hoped. (source: screencrave.com)

 

Believe it or not, this is the first time that a story by one of the most talented autobiographical essayists out there, David Sedaris, has been adapted for the big screen.

Known for his incisive observations, and pin point accurate, if sarcastic, wit, his stories are a perfect blend of character studiy and dramedy, and it looks, if the trailer is an accurate guide, as if C. O. G. has perfectly captured Sedaris’ wholly unique voice.

Reviews of C. O. G. would seem to back that assumption up, giving me hope that this could be one of the more satisfying indie movies to emerge this year.

C. O. G. premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year, and open nationally in USA on 20 September.

 

 

*You can also view a clip from the movie at vulture.com

 

LAST VEGAS

 

Last Vegas (image via moviegos.com)

 

SNAPSHOT
Starring four legends like you’ve never seen them before, “Last Vegas” tells the story of Billy, Paddy, Archie and Sam (played by Academy-Award winners Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline), best friends since childhood. When Billy, the group’s sworn bachelor, finally proposes to his thirty-something (of course) girlfriend, the four head to Las Vegas with a plan to stop acting their age and relive their glory days. However, upon arriving, the four quickly realize that the decades have transformed Sin City and tested their friendship in ways they never imagined. The Rat Pack may have once played the Sands and Cirque du Soleil may now rule the Strip, but it’s these four who are taking over Vegas.
(source: comingsoon.net)

 

We’re constantly hearing that “40 is the new 30” and “70 is the new 50”, leaving us with the impression that life is limitless in its opportunities no matter how old we get.

While I heartily endorse that sentiment, being a lifelong card carrying member of the “Rage, rage against the dying of the light” school, the reality is that some things do change and we need, however reluctantly allow for that.

This movie seems very much to be in that vein, acknowledging that the spirit to push boundaries never really dims, it simply runs into more obstinate obstacles as the years go by.

Fun and with a message? My kind of movie.

Last Vegas opens in USA on 1 November 2013 abd UK on 8 November 2013 with Australia following on 1 January 2014.

 

 

 THE HUSBAND

 

Maxwell McCabe-Lokos stars as The Husband (image via twitchfilm.com)

 

SNAPSHOT
Henry (Maxwell McCabe-Lokos) the hero of Bruce McDonald’s gutsy The Husband, is having a really bad year. His wife, Alyssa (Sarah Allen), a former teacher, is in jail for sleeping with a fourteen-year-old student Colin (Dylan Authors), leaving Henry to raise their infant son alone. He loathes his ad agency job — and his co-workers even more. Moreover, the burden of single-parenting has essentially cut Henry off from his friends, leaving him to stew. Henry has kept a lid on things so far, but as Alyssa’s release looms, he finds it increasingly difficult to contain himself. (source: twitchfilm.com)

 

There have been a number of stories in recent years of teachers ending up on the wrong side of the desk with their students.

The breathless and lurid reporting of these morally questionable relationships by the media usually focuses on the teacher who is rightly punished for their breach of trust, and on the student who is again rightly viewed as the victim of emotional manipulation by their more powerful partner.

But little thought is given to the innocent associated parties affected by these events … until now.

This powerful Canadian movie, directed by Bruce McDonald, tells the story of the spouse of the perpetrator, grappling with the aftereffects of his wife’s thoughtless actions, with the sort of power, conviction and raw truth that only comes from no-holds-barred drama.

The Husband premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 9 September 2013; no other release dates available at this time.

 

 

HER

 

(image via impawards.com)

 

SNAPSHOT
Set in Los Angeles, slightly in the future, the movie follows Theodore Twombly (Joaquin Phoenix), a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” (Scarlett Johansson) a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. (source: wikipedia)

 

Right so we’ve all heard the jokes about falling in love with Siri, the proto-artificial intelligence of sorts that allows Apple iPhone users to source information and execute demands with just a few well chosen words.

The Big Bang Theory even devoted a rather comical episode to the phenomenon of Siri-devotion in its sixth season.

Her takes a rather different approach, wondering what would happen if it wasn’t just the user falling in love with the entity but the entity reciprocating those feelings.

It may be a quirky premise but it holds the promise of a richly-rewarding story that examines the nature of love in a world where what it means to be human is getting increasingly blurred around the edges.

her premieres at New York Film Festival on 12 October 2013 with limited release following on 18 December 2013 and wider release on 10 January 2014. 

 

THE FAMILY

 

(image via flicksandbits.com)

 

SNAPSHOT
An American ex-Mafia boss and his family are transplanted to France through the witness-protection program, but draw the attention of underworld figures who are determined to see them dead in this darkly humorous action comedy starring Robert De Niro, and directed by Luc Besson. Brooklyn kingpin Fred Manzoni (De Niro) had it all until the day he became a snitch. Now no matter how many times Agent Stansfield (Tommy Lee Jones) relocates Fred and his family, danger is never far behind.

When they blow their cover once again, Fred, his wife Maggie (Michelle Pfeiffer), and their two kids Warren (John D’Leo) and Belle (Dianna Agron) are shipped off to a sleepy village in France. It seems like the perfect place to escape the long arm of the lawless until the criminally-inclined family resorts to their treacherous old ways, once again becoming a blip on the syndicate radar. Now the thugs are moving in, and they mean business. As the Manzonis use their unique set of skills to survive the relentless storm of bullets, bombs, and rockets, the citizens of this peaceful French village suddenly find themselves in the middle of an all-out Mafia war zone. (source: movies.msn.com via Jason Buchanan, Rovi)

 

In anyone else’s hands, the story of a murderous mafia family in witness protection who have to defend themselves against old enemies who discover there whereabouts and come looking for them would be little more than a B-grade comedy movie.

But hand the same story, based on the 2010 book Malavita by Tonino Benacquista, to the likes of Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones and Michelle Pfeiffer and you have a comedy a cut above the rest which may just surprise with its depth and intelligent delivery.

Of course it could also fall in an annoying The Heat-like mess but I choose to believe that with a director like Luc Besson calling the shots this will be the sort of movie you’ll get a real kick out of watching (no pun intended).

The Family premiered at New York Film Festival on 10 September 2013 with wider release following 13 September; it opens in Australia on 24 October.

 

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