As I write this, the summer season has officially begun, but our featured trailer is not an exposé on the use of 3-D, but the latest from oddball and inciter of controversy David Cronenberg with A Dangerous Method, the twisted tale of a love triangle between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortenson) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender). Also, and with a much more sun and sandals vibe is Moneyball starring Brad Pitt and scribed by recent Oscar winner Aaron Sorkin. Rounding out this week’s picks are two black comedies beginning with the second (and hilarious) red band trailer for 30 Minutes or Less, followed by pseudo crime flick The Guard with Brendon Gleeson and Don Cheadle. Crime may not pay, but do you know what does? Reading on – it’s Trailer Tracker.
New Clips this week:
A Dangerous Method
Moneyball
30 Minutes or Less
The Guard
A Dangerous Method
Years worth of slumming it in the bizarre with Crash, Scanners and Videodrome (to name a few) finally paid off for David Cronenberg (in a mainstream sense of course; I’m sure many would argue his early work is his best) with the critical and financial one-two punch that was A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Both of those efforts starred newly christened prestige actor Viggo Mortenson and the duo unites again with A Dangerous Method, now joined by the well-matched talents of Michael Fassbender and Keira Knightly. ‘Method’ circles around famed psychologists Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung (Mortensen and Fassbender respectively) and their burgeoning love triangle with a patient named Sabrina (Knightly) which eventually gives birth to some of their greatest findings.
The talent on display at every angle is nearly unshakable and the period setting blending with Cronenberg’s atypical sensibilities piques interest on principle alone. The trailer sports a vibe which crosses The Prestige with Kinsey and as the clip ads, boasts the sure hands of Christopher Hampton (the man behind such Academy favorites as Dangerous Liaisons and Atonement). Many have pointed out that Cronenberg’s latest efforts have been his most mainstream and accessible and while this sports the glossy look and recognizable cast, this surely will not have leverage against the casual viewer unless awards consideration is forthcoming. But as a fan of the man and his muses, this late fall release certainly stacks up well for this critics amongst the most buzzed of projects in speculative contention.
Moneyball
Everyone loves a good Aaron Sorkin movie, and that is to say, everyone loves an Aaron Sorkin movie, because after decades in the business he still seems to be on top of his screenwriting game (does The Social Network pick at anyone’s memory?), delivering wit and insight at all turns. But I digress, words on a page does not a good movie make, though thankfully Moneyball has the premise and cast to support that singular expectation. Moneyball centers around the true story of a manger of the Oakland A’s who instead of suing tradition drafting means, assembled a club with a computer, much to the chagrin of his more traditional detractors. Sports films don’t always fare well as clichés amongst restrained fan bases which usually limits potential. However, star power and a unique twist could turn this take on
30 Minutes or Less
Damn the average viewer for being offended by gratuitous language and semen innuendo, red band trailers are the golden ticket of the teaser world. The second trailer for 30 Minutes or Less with Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari and Danny McBride is just as funny as the first and gives the same darkly comedic but action-oriented vibe that director Reuben Fleischer gave us in Zombieland. This looks to be one profanely crude viewing and frankly I can’t wait as just the outrageous premise of a pizza delivery dude getting coursed into robbing a bank blended with such a mature delivery has my fingers twitching over my friends' phone numbers and a six-pack.The Guard
Far from a household name, Brendan Gleeson has had his time in big releases including 28 Days Later and Green Zone. Closest to The Guard in parallels would be one of my personal favorites from the last half-decade, In Bruges, with both oriented in a foreign setting with that deft blend of snarky black comedy and fish out of water antics. The cast is boosted by Don Cheadle as a straight-laced FBI agent liaising in