Tom Cruise is back to his action ways as Jack Reacher, who has one shot to find the perpetrator of a five-victim slaying in the teaser trailer for this adaptation of the popular Lee Child novel. Jesse Eisenberg then teams up with Melissa Leo and Tracy Morgan for the road trip dramedy Why Stop Now about an aspiring pianist who must deal with his addict mother and her drug dealer.
Then, Dustin Hoffman makes his directorial debut in geriatric opera drama Quartet which stars a handful of British legends including Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon. Lastly we have the slick second theatrical trailer for upcoming sci-fi action flick Looper, which hints at a much greater time-travel conspiracy at play. Set off the fireworks and let the festivities begin – it’s Trailer Tracker.
Jack Reacher
A highly developed military mind, near-inhuman investigative skills, savant intelligence, an anti-hero personality and above all, an absolute moral clarity defending victims, Jack Reacher is one cop you don’t want to mess with. Adapted from the Lee Child novel One Shot, this is the ninth literary appearance by the former Army Police Major and the first to be adapted into a major motion picture. In Jack Reacher, the tough enforcer uncovers a larger conspiracy after a gruesome five-person slaying.
Overall, this film looks awfully generic, pulling plot points from everything from Dirty Harry to The Punisher. The books are incredibly popular so there must be something special in the source material, so it’s just a matter if director Christopher McQuarrie (writer of The Usual Suspects and Valkyrie) and Cruise can pull the material above its seemingly well-worn setup. One thing I truly don’t understand is
Why Stop Now
Hijinks ensue in Why Stop Now, as a young piano prodigy Eli (Jesse Eisenberg) is swept up in an adventure with his addict mother (Melissa Leo) and her drug dealer (Tracy Morgan) as they try to score a re-up while trying to make it to Eli’s audition on time. The principle cast is certainly strong here and it looks as if Morgan has toned down his shtick enough to avoid another Cop Out catastrophe – thank you for that Mr. Morgan – but we’ve seen this story told in slightly different ways hundreds of times before. It is almost certainly going to come down to the cast to elevate this material unless the rather erratic trailer is hiding something special. Why Stop Now will hit theaters in limited release later this year.
Quartet
Legendary actor Dustin Hoffman joins the ranks of thesps who have turned to directing in The Best Exotic Marigold Retirement Home – I mean Quartet, an elderly ensemble dramedy about four retired opera singers who decide to put on one last show. Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly, Michael Gambon and Tom Courtenay round out the principle cast of bellowers in this script from Oscar winner Ronald Harwood (The Pianist). To be completely honest, this is far from my usual cup of Earl Grey Tea and plate of scones, but if it actually turns out to be as charming as its components hint, the geriatric in me may have to make an appearance – but not after eight.
Looper
If you thought things couldn’t get any trippier for Rian Johnson’s Looper (any more explosion-filled and any more badass looking), trailer number two will put those fears to a permanent (and likely bloody) rest. It’s still unclear if Looper (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Looper Prime (Bruce Willis) will be at odds for the entire running length, but this peek seems to indicate they team up at some point to right an instance of future betrayal. Whatever the case, I’m more excited for this brain-twister than ever.
