Weekly Trailer Recap: Horror and Oscar Bait

Kidnap: 

To me this looks like a total miss. I like Halle Berry, and think she is an extremely talented actress, but this movie looks horrible. The story looks ridiculous even from the trailers. The shots of her using the gear shift in her minivan to chase after her son's kidnappers is just plain silly. Who thinks shifting a minivan into drive promotes tense action? Plus the trailer shows her causing numerous car crashes after she goes to the police. She is causing more damage and possibly loss of life because she isn't listening to the police. I understand wanting to do whatever it takes, but I'm going to guess the movie lets her get away with this and she won't have to go to jail after everything works out. Kidnap is a pass for me, because of the image the trailer presented of the movie. 

La La Land: 

I wasn't really impressed with the first trailer I saw for La La Land. I like Ryan Gosling and I love Emma Stone. They had great chemistry together in Crazy Stupid Love, and their interactions were the best thing part of Gangster Squad. I am not sure why I didn't like the initial teaser trailer, but something didn't mesh with me on that one. I really enjoyed this first full trailer. It still doesn't give much of the story, but we get to see more interaction between Gosling and Stone and hear her sing, which is not a negative by any stretch of the imagination. Musicals are tricky to pull off, but I'll give this one a shot based on the two main leads. 

The Dressmaker: 

I'm not sure about this one. I like Kate Winslet, but I'm not sure this is the type of movie I would want to see. It looks to have a similar story to many other types of movies.  A person leaves town and makes it big, comes back and tries to integrate with the people she once knew. The trailer hints at some misfortune before Winslet's character left, but this is also typical for the type of story told. Oscar bait isn't a bad term to me, but this seems like a film which may not live up to the hype. I will wait to see some initial reviews before I go and check it out.

Rings: 

I've never seen any of the Ring movies. I'm not a horror fan, and I was in college when the first one came out. It didn't catch my interest then, even though I knew there was a massive buzz around it. I just wasn't interested. This looks like a cheap knockoff for a dying franchise. The things which made the first Ring scary, from my understanding, aren't even applicable in today's society. They should have updated the premise for the changes that have happened in technology since the first movie was released. It doesn't seem like they have from the trailer. How many people really have land lines anymore?

Manchester by the Sea: 

This was one of the films to come out of Sundance with major buzz behind it. Everyone who reviewed the film that I saw talk about it said Casey Affleck is amazing in the movie and were blown away with how good the movie is. It is one I have been eagerly awaiting to be released. The content seems heavy, but something which can easily draw an audience in. The trailer managed to get me interested about the story. I want to know the journey these characters go on in the film.

My Blind Brother: 

This is the only trailer this week that isn't in the horror genre or might have some awards consideration. Though watching the trailer it seems this might be a comedy with more heart and story than it appears on the surface. The concept could easily be thought of as screwball, but with the way the trailer is cut it gave the impression of a more serious comedy. I'm not sure if it is a film I want to see, but the trailer has me intrigued.

The Disappointments Room: 

This looks like a standard horror film. The "based on the true story" always amuses me in these trailers. It is designed to try and get people more invested, but it has the opposite effect on me. I see this in front of a horror movie trailer and I check out. The Conjuring is a film that bucks the trend in this regard, but it is more of the exception to the rule than the standard. I won't be seeing this film, because it looks the same as thousands of other horror films to come out before it.

Lion: 

This one looks emotional. I'm not sure if it will be a good tug at your heartstring story or a sappy mess which has little emotional impact. The trailer sets it up to be the former, but it could easily fall into the second category. I can't get a good idea from the trailer. The story seems interesting, but I get the feeling it is trying to hard to setup the emotional punch. I might wait for some initial reviews to come out before going to see this one. 

Jack Goes Home: 

Jack Goes Home at least looks different than most horror films which come out. I'm not sure if I want to see it, but it may offer something unique. The mom in the trailer gives off a super creepy vibe. The trailer gave me the chills, but I'm still not sure this will be a good movie. It did play at South By Southwest this year, but it there aren't any reviews posted. I can easily see this one being to far out there for me, but I'm sure it will have an audience. 

A United Kingdom: 

This one screams Oscar Bait, but that doesn't mean it won't be a good film. Rosamund Pike proved she could be a compelling leading lady in Gone Girl, and this could potentially lead her to another Oscar nomination. I am a sucker for historical drama's and this one looks interesting. This is a part of history which should be investigated and explored more by film, and I'm glad this is getting a chance.