Nerdboy Blog: 10 - Movies movies and more movies...

So I sat down today and decided to check out some movie trailers.  A couple from movies I'm wanting to see this year and a lot more of movies I haven't even heard of that'll be coming out soon.  The following is my take on what I've just experienced.

 

9

 

9 takes place in a world parallel to our own, in which the very legacy of humanity is threatened. A group of sapient rag dolls, living a post-apocalyptic existence find one of their own, 9 (Elijah Wood), who displays leadership qualities that may help them to survive.

 

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/9-feature/trailer

 

Impressions:   I found out about this movie December 24th last year.  I had by chance stumbled upon the trailer and since then have anxiously awaited more information.  Based off the short film by Shane Acker "9" looks to expand upon the original short in great ways.  Now I'd hate for this to be one of those "it has Tim Burton's name on it that's all you need" kind of movies but there's a good chance some will view it that way.  However for me...I've watched the original short film...and it was very good.  Which gives me hope that "9" will turn out to be the amazing movie it is looking to be.

Original Short Film:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IQcMeNh7Hc

 

Monsters vs. Aliens

 

When human-hating aliens disrupt Earthbound cable-television signals, it's up to a monster-hunting superhero to take out the pesky extraterrestrials and ensure that television viewers are not deprived in this adaptation of the popular comic-book series. The vocal cast includes Reese Witherspoon, Hugh Laurie, Seth Rogen and Will Arnett

 

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/monsters-vs-aliens/trailer-b

 

Impressions:  After seeing the Super Bowl trailer and hearing about this movie for a while now it was hard not to be interested.  However after watching the trailer above I have to admit I am pretty excited to see this movie.  While the 3D will be seen by quite a few as a gimmick I think there are good possiblities that it'll work for this film.  The trailer above had me laughing out loud (which few can do) and I'm itching for more. 

 

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince:

 

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, as Harry begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort wreaks havoc throughout Britain, and the pressure to defeat him grows stronger. Using an old Potions book which previously belonged to the "Half-Blood Prince," Harry is able to increase his magical knowledge and prepare for battle. First, however, he must help Dumbledore discover the secret to Voldemort's quest for immortality -- the location of his Horcruxes. But the quest for the Horcruxes and the resulting battle at Hogwarts produce a tragic outcome -- leading Harry to believe he must head out on his own to conquer the Dark Lord

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/harry-potter-and-half-blood-prince/internet-trailer

 

Impressions:  Naturally as a big Harry Potter fan I'm excited for this movie.  Though after seeing the trailer above I'm not sure who wouldn't be.  It shows a lot of pensieve action and the effects look quite amazing.  The series has grown tremendously and while some past movies haven't quite been up to par with expectations I have high hopes for the last 3 films (since "DH" will be split into 2 films).  I do believe it'll be quite hard waiting for this one.

 

Up

 

From Disney-Pixar comes Up, a comedy adventure about 78-year-old balloon salesman Carl Fredricksen, who finally fulfills his lifelong dream of a great adventure when he ties thousands of balloons to his house and flies away to the wilds of South America. But he discovers all too late that his biggest nightmare has stowed away on the trip: an overly optimistic 9-year-old Wilderness Explorer named Russell. From the Academy Award-nominated director Pete Docter, Disney-Pixar's Up invites you on a hilarious journey into a lost world, with the least likely duo on Earth. Up will be presented in Disney Digital 3-D in select theaters.

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/up/trailer-b

 

Impressions:  I'm going to go out on a limb here and say this movie will be very very good.  I was hooked from the first trailer and the introduction of the dog in this trailer keeps me going.  Up looks to be a hilarious adventure anyone can enjoy...hopefully.  Like "Monsters vs Aliens" many will see the 3D as a gimic or even the movie itself as a "childrens" movie.  I'm remaining optimistic however about Up and will be highly anticipating it's release.

 

Planet 51:

 

Planet 51 is a galactic sized animated alien adventure comedy revolving around American astronaut Captain Charles "Chuck" Baker, who lands on Planet 51 thinking he's the first person to step foot on it. To his surprise, he finds that this planet is inhabited by little green people who are happily living in a white picket fence world reminiscent of a cheerfully innocent 1950s America, and whose only fear is that it will be overrun by alien invaders...like Chuck! With the help of his robot companion "Rover" and his new friend Lem, Chuck must navigate his way through the dazzling, but bewildering, landscape of Planet 51 in order to escape becoming a permanent part of the Planet 51 Alien Invaders Space Museum.

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/planet-51/trailer

 

Impressions:  For the majority of this trailer I really didn't know what to think.  In the last twenty seconds however it was slowly drawing me in.  I'm interested to see more however I really don't see Planet 51 being anything more than an average movie.  The trailer showed that it's likely their are a few "funny moments" but I'm doubting there will be enough to make the movie worthwhile.

 

Franklyn:

 

The official trailer for Franklyn comes courtesy of IGN. Franklyn is set between the parallel worlds of contemporary London and the futuristic metropolis of Meanwhile City, and weaves a tale of four souls, whose lives are intertwined by fate, romance and tragedy. As these worlds collide, a single bullet determines the destiny of these four characters

 

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/franklyn/trailer

 

Impressions:  Certainly "Franklyn" looks to have the makings of a great movie.  And I can't say that I'm not interested in seeing more.  Normally I'd label this as a "watch out" type movie as it could definitely be very good.  However, there's something about it that looks "eh" to me.  For some reason or another I can't let go of the feeling that this movie may not turn out to be very good at all.  All of this remains to be seen and all I'll say is keep an eye out for more info...

G.I. Joe:

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/gi-joe/super-bowl-spot

 

Impressions:  I never would have dreamed (prior to the trailer) that I would be excited for the G.I. Joe movie.  In fact I laughed at the thought of even giving it a chance.  Then again I did the same for Speed Racer and that ended up being my favorite movie of last year.  G.I. Joe is looking to follow in "Speed Racer's" footsteps in that it looks so rediculous (jumping through the windows of what looks like a bus) that it'll actually be very entertaining.  In short...I'm actually very excited to see how this movie pans out and (shockingly enough) I have high hopes for it.

Battle for Terra:

 

The trailer for the Battle for Terra. The film tells the story of Senn (Justin Long) and Mala (Evan Rachel Wood), two rebellious alien teens living on the beautiful planet Terra, a place that promotes peace and tolerance, having long ago rejected war and weapons of mass destruction. But when Terra is invaded by human beings fleeing a civil war and environmental catastrophe, the planet is plunged into chaos. During the upheaval, Mala befriends an injured human pilot (Luke Wilson) and each learns the two races are not so different from one another. Together they must face the terrifying realization that in a world of limited resources, only one of their races is likely to survive

 

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/battle-for-terra/trailer

Impressions:  It has potential...and could be great.  But in all honesty.  If there's a movie this year where the 3D will truly be a gimick....Battle for Terra will be that movie.  I like some of the ideas storywise and was slightly interested at certain scenes but I can't see this doing well.

 

Ice Age:  Dawn of the Dinosaurs

 

The trailer for Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs, which is to be fully produced in 3-D, is the latest installment to the hit Ice Age franchise, which has grossed more than $1.2 billion around the world. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs will be directed by Oscar-nominated Carlos Saldanha, who directed Ice Age: The Meltdown and co-directed Ice Age. The film is being produced by Academy Award-winning Blue Sky Studios, the creative force behind all the Ice Age films and Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who.

 

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/ice-age-3/trailer

 

Impressions:  I loved the first.  Second I have few memories of and this new installment had me chuckle a few times during the teaser.  I think there's hope for this movie to be quite good but again...I think the 3D will make or break this movie.  If it does well then we'll have the 3D to thank..though chances are it'll be seen as a gimmick.

17 Again: Zac Efron and Matthew Perry star in the age-defying comedy 17 Again, in which a magical transformation finds Mike reliving his past in the present day as a 17-year-old in the same high school he attended 20 years ago. But this time around, his own teenage kids are his peers and his wife is the unsuspecting object of his affection. Can this knowledge help him navigate teen angst while at the same time validate the life choices he has made? Zac Efron stars as the 17-year old Mike and Matthew Perry co-stars as Mike's former self - the 36-year-old husband and father of two

 

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/17-again/trailer

 

Impressions:  I don't wanna be one of those people who will say "Zac Efron is in this....it's going to suck."  Yet at the same time...I can't find a reason to do so.  I'll be honest in saying that I liked Hairspray....though I didn't like Zac Efron in the movie I did find that I liked the movie.  With this however I'm all kinds of confused.  The story of having the dad be the same age as his daughter does set up for what could be quite a few funny and awkward moments but...I just don't know.  Zac Efron doesn't look particularly good in the movie but he doesn't look all that bad either.  Though in the end...I'll say this has a shot at being a decent movie with a few good laughs but nothing memorable.

 

Pandorum:

 

From the creators of the Resident Evil film franchise comes Pandorum, a terrifying thriller in which two crew members wake up on an abandoned spacecraft with no idea who they are, how long they've been asleep, or what their mission is. The two soon discover they're actually not alone -- and the reality of their situation is more horrifying than they could have imagined.

 

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/pandorum/trailer

 

Impressions:  This looks like it'll turn into a horror movie...in space.  Now where Dead Space suceeded with it's "horror in space" theme....I see nothing but failure for Pandorum.  None of it really looks all that entertaining and not that scary either.  Pandorum looks to be a mediocre film with really no hope of anything more or less.

 

Mutant Chronicles:

 

At the end of the Ice Age, The Machine came from the outer space with the purpose to change men into mutants. However, a hero defeated the device and a great seal was laid over The Machine. In 2707, the depleted world is ruled by four Corporations: Mishima, Bauhaus, Capitol and Imperial that are in constant war. During a battle between Capitol and Bauhaus, the great seal is broken and The Machine works again transforming soldiers and civilians in hordes of mutants. A small part of the population escapes to Mars, leaving millions of people behind. The man of faith and leader of an ancient brotherhood Brother Samuel is a believer of God and the Chronicles, a bible about the mutants. With the city under siege of the mutants, he visits the Corporations' leader Constantine asking for an aircraft and twenty men for a suicide mission to destroy The Machine, planting a bomb and a detonator following the knowledge of the Chronicles. He recruits the tough Major 'Mitch' Hunter; the Bauhaus Lieutenant Maximillian von Steiner; the keeper of the Chronicles Severian that is under a vow of silence; the gorgeous and lethal Corporal Valerie Duval; Corporal Juba Kim Wu; Captain John McGuire; and Corporal Jesus 'El Jesus' de Barrera. Together they become the last hope of Earth against the evil mutants.

 

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/mutant-chronicles/trailer-b

 

Impressions:  This is one of those movies where the trailer starts and you're not really sure what to think but by the time you've reached the end you're pretty sure you want to see it.  There are parts of that trailer that don't make me very excited at all however the majority of it really has my interest peaked for what the rest of the movie might hold.  I think Mutant Chronicles has a very good shot at being a great movie and should be on the eye of many movie goers until proven otherwise.

 

The Princess and the Frog:

http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/princess-and-the-frog/teaser-trailer

 

 

Impressions:  I saved this one for last for a few reasons.  1)  It is probably my most anticipated movie of the year 2) It's Disney's first 2D animation movie in God knows how long 3)  It's being directed by the people who directed both Alladin and The Little Mermaid.  These classic Disney movies were some of the best and a return to form would be greatly welcomed by many.  The teaser shows very little but has my interest peaked for too many reasons to list.  If they can pull off a full return to form I may have hope for Disney yet.  This all goes without saying...I'm very excited for this movie.

 

Watch out for:  The Princess and the Frog, Mutant Chronicles, G.I. Joe, Up, Harry Potter, Monsters vs. Aliens and 9 all look to have the potential to be very good movies and I would suggest watching out for them when they release.

 

Stay away from:  Pandorum, Battle for Terra, Planet 51 you should really stay away from.  I don't see any of these movies fairing well.

 

Maybe/Maybe nots:  17 Again, Ice Age, Franklyn all look to be movies that COULD do well but it's still very possible that they won't  If I had to choose a movie of these three that will bomb...I'd say Ice Age but all of that still remains to be seen.