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Trailer Tracker: Django Unchained, The Bourne Legacy and More

Coming off his biggest success yet, Quentin Tarantino responds to the Oscar-winning Inglorious Basterds with Spaghetti Western Django Unchained, which gets a Mississippi spin and its first trailer. The ripples of Jason Bourne’s actions continue to spread in this August's The Bourne Legacy, which adds Jeremy Renner as another Treadstone agent on the run, this time being pursued by the fiercely determined Edward Norton. 

Also just debuting today is the trailer for Disney’s high-concept animated tale Wreck-It Ralph, which finds a video game character “bad guy” who is tired of the monotony of being evil and sets off to find a more heroic venue. Finally is mindbender Red Lights about a mysterious psychic, which assembles Robert De Niro, Sigourney Weaver and Cillian Murphy in the second effort from the director of Buried, Rodrigo Cortes, and we have the first full trailer. You are getting sleepy. You will watch all the trailers. This is Trailer Tracker.

 

Django Unchained 

Django is off the chain! Despite his eccentric roots and dialogue-driven offerings, director Quentin Tarantino has been able to break free of any status limited to that of the “cult” persuasion to become a popular, mostly mainstream director worth reckoning with. Switching gears from an alternate-reality WWII to the Deep South during the pre-emancipation era, Tarantino brings us his latest, Django Unchained, starring Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio. 

This brand new trailer (which will be attached theatrically to Prometheus) is nothing that could be mistaken for anything but Tarantino. We have the oddly (but perfectly) chosen soundtrack (which in this particular case features Johnny Cash and James Brown in perfect contrast), pithy dialogue and the gritty Spaghetti Western style we have come to expect from the man (even when his film is not an overt Western). DiCaprio’s Calvin Candie is mostly absent from this debut clip save a few juicy moments whether because his role is not fully filmed or Tarantino is keeping the extent of his villainy under wraps for impact's sake. Whatever the reason, I can’t wait to see more. 

Through and through this is how you cut a trailer. With the far-from-mainstream premise and bizarre name we’ve seen countless examples how a film of this ilk can be mis-marketed. The trailer for “Django” outlines the main character’s arcs and who the cowpokes and evil-doers are, all while explaining the revenge storyline in a perfect use of voice-over. With a dash of added starpower, this looks like a sure-fire hit this Christmas. 

 

If the link happens to die (those Weinstiens are the rambuctious sort) you can see the trailer : here.

 

The Bourne Legacy

Earlier in May we were treated to some peaks at what the post-Matt Damon “Bourne” series may entail. Now with the full trailer released, it’s become quite clear just how linked Jeremy Renner’s character of Aaron Cross is to the patriarch of the series. Don’t expect a surprise appearance by Damon, but The Bourne Legacy appears to take place parallel to the events of The Bourne Ultimatum that were triggered by the train station shooting that left journalist Simon Ross with a bullet in him. 

With David Strathairn’s Noah Vosen and Joan Allen’s Pamela Landy still very much in play, the Treadstone architects will be joined by an even greater villain in the form of Edward Norton, who deems it appropriate to strip the program to its roots – i.e. kill all liabilities. Rachel Weisz’s roll is also revealed in the clip, she will play a government-employed doctor who goes on the run with cross when the shit hits the fan. The action is slick and Renner looks as badass and capable as ever and with hints at a genetic engineering subplot, The Bourne Legacy doesn’t look to just be a rehash of the previous entries.


Wreck-It Ralph

Destined to repeat his duty of smashing down a building in an arcade game (only to have Fix-it-Felix come out on top every time) Wreck-it-Ralph (John C. Reilly) becomes tired of being labelled the bad guy and sets off on a journey across the arcade to find his true calling—as a hero. Such is the plot of Disney’s upcoming, nostalgia-laden animated effort which also stars Sara Silverman and Jane Lynch voicing other game characters. I love the premise and Reilly as the lead and it’s sure to hit home with kids (thanks to the eye-popping visuals) and adults who grew up in a video arcade. This is one of the ballsier efforts Disney has put forth in terms of concept, but everyone likes an underdog story, even if that underdog is a hulking brute.

 


Red Lights

2010’s Buried won the hearts of many critics with its intensely claustrophobic setting, unsettling direction and one-man show from Ryan Reynolds. Now, director Rodrigo Cortes brings us his follow-up effort, Red Lights, which debuted at Sundance earlier this year to mixed, if mostly positive reviews. This psychological thriller follows a paranormal investigator (Sigourney Weaver) and her assistant (Cillian Murphy) as they seek out a renowned psychic (Robert De Niro) who has resurfaced years after a detractor of his mysteriously died. Elizabeth Olsen will also appear in an unspecified roll and all things considered, Red Lights brings us more stellar actors than most films twice its scope. Catch Red Lights in theaters July 13.

 


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