Some Favorite SDCC18 Trailers

As has been the case for the last few years, I wasn’t at Comic-Con in San Diego this week. The reasons I don’t go are varied, but the main one is after going pretty much every year for the last 30 years or so, I’m kinda burned out.

Also, I’m waiting for my son to get a wee bit older before I scar him for life by taking him to the con. I’m not sure he’d be able to handle it right now. There’s just too much of it and it’s all happening at the same time. If you’ve ever been you know what I’m talking about.

Heck, I’m an adult with decades of con experience and I’m not sure I could handle it right now either. Well, I probably could. Probably.

Even though I didn’t go this year I did keep tabs on most of the things happening during the week, especially the trailers for new movies and TV shows. Here’s some of my favorites.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

As a huge fan of OG Godzilla movies, and especially Destroy All Monsters, this made me very happy. I’ll be seeing this as soon as I can.

Star Trek: Discovery Season 2

Say what you will about this latest Star Trek series (and about CBS All Access which, let’s face it, kinda sucks) this trailer looks great and I’m very interested in the new season.

And the one I’m most excited about: Glass. Been waiting a long time for an Unbreakable sequel, and now it’s here. Looks great. And yes, I realize Split was a sorta sequel, but this is more what I had in mind all along.

There were, of course, a lot more trailers, news, announcements and whatnot from the show. It is Comic-Con after all. But these were the highlights for me.


'Blade Runner: 2049' May Not Be Terrible

I was against the idea of a Blade Runner sequel when I first heard about it. It’s one of those movies that stands on its own and I never really felt like I needed more of the story. They didn’t know how long they had. But then again, who does?

For me, that ending worked. And that was it.

However, as I’ve heard more about the sequel and what elements are involved (writer, director, stars), I became more interested. And now with the first trailer released today, that interest has turned to actual desire to see the movie.

Yes, I’m as surprised as you are.

Here’s the trailer if you haven’t already watched it a bunch of times. Gotta say, it looks pretty darn good. And no, I don’t think it will be terrible now. In fact, I’m glad it doesn’t seem so. I don’t want things to fail. Really I don’t.

Enjoy.


'The Silence of the Lambs' As a Romantic Comedy

Sure, The Silence of the Lambs is a creepy, psychological thriller/horror movie about women’s empowerment, cannibalism and the search for a serial killer. It also won a lot of awards (including the Oscar for Best Picture) and is, at least to me, an exceptionally well done film.

But what if it was a romantic comedy? This trailer shows you how that just might work.

Enjoy.


The First 'Star Wars: The Last Jedi' Teaser Has Arrived

I’m sure you’ve already watched the teaser for The Last Jedi a hundred times, but I just wanted to make sure. I’ve watched it quite a few times myself. In short, I like it.

It’s a Star Wars movie. Of course I like it. That said, it didn’t have quite the same impact as the first teaser for The Force Awakens did, at least for me. The Force Awakens was the first real Star Wars movie in a long time. A long time.

So, it was more of a big deal to me. And no, I didn’t have the same feelings about Rogue One either. The move itself was okay, but it was hard to make much of a connection to any of the characters and the story was, well, lacking in some areas. I still enjoyed it, but in my mind it’s more of a whimsical diversion and will never be a real Star Wars movie. Fight me.

But The Force Awakens had Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess/General Leia in it and looked, felt and smelled like a real Star Wars movie. So naturally, as those are the characters and story I grew up with and loved since that first dark Valley Circle, CA theater in 1977, those were the characters and story I was, and am, most interested and excited about. I don’t see that changing any time soon.

Don’t get me wrong, I like the new characters, especially Rey and Poe. And perhaps if I was seeing these movies for the first time as that kid who saw the first Star Wars, I might feel differently. I’m pretty sure I would. But it’s just not the same. It can’t be.

And that’s not to say The Last Jedi won’t be great. I’m sure it will. Once the movie hits and I get a chance to see it, I have no doubt I’ll love it. Will I love it as much as the original trilogy?

Not on your life. And that’s okay. I’ve always got my copies of the original, un-altered trilogy to watch. In fact, I think it’s about time for a rewatch.


The 'Thor: Ragnarok' Trailer Looks Awesome

I realize this has been out for a bit, but I just watched it again and, gotta say, I still love it. The whole vibe seems just right as does the look, the tone and pretty much everything else. Of course, you can’t tell everything from a trailer.

Still, if the movie ends up being close to this, I’ll be very happy indeed. Plus, who doesn’t love Led Zeppelin?

Anyway, if you haven’t watched it yet, what are you waiting for? Here it is.


'Star Wars' 'Suicide Squad' Trailer

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As I’m a huge fan of Star Wars (of course) and also looking forward to Suicide Squad, this mashup trailer by The Usual Suspect amused me quite a bit.

Enjoy.


The 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Supercut Trailer Is Pretty Great

forece-awakens-han-solo-cu

I love Star Wars. You love Star Wars. Pretty much everyone loves Star Wars. And, what’s even better, we live in a world where we can expect more Star Wars movies and will get the first of the new ones this December. Yes, I have tickets. Would you expect otherwise?

No, of course not. Attendance is mandatory.

Seeing as you love Star Wars, I’m sure you’ve watched the new trailer a hundred times already, right? But have you watched the Supercut trailer? The one where all the available footage from the move that’s in the wild has been cut together to make one big, well, super trailer? Maybe not.

So, in the interest of helping you get all the Star Wars you can (at least until December 18th), here it is below. I’ve also included the un-Supercut version (aka the “official” trailer) as well.


Happy Christmas and Merry New Year

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For most of you, today is Christmas. For some others, it’s just a Thursday. For that first group, I hope you get everything you asked for this year, and one or two things you didn’t.

After all, what fun would it be if you just got everything you asked for. You gotta have a few surprises in life. Christmas is a great time for surprises.

I didn’t ask for too much this year and I was lucky enough to get everything on my list. The truth is, though, all I really wanted was for my family to be healthy and happy, especially our youngest member. His health and happiness is my first priority. I guess I must have been pretty good in 2014 because I’m happy to report he’s doing great.

Sure, 2014 had a few rough spots (very rough, let’s face it) but those times haven’t dampened my enthusiasm, or my optimism, for 2015. In short, I’m looking forward to the new year and all it will bring.

Until the new year, though, I’m going to pass the time enjoying a few of my favorite holiday movies. I’ll give you a couple guesses what some of those might be. You can also hear Joe and I discuss our favorite holiday movies, and whatnot, on the latest episode of The Flickcast.

Happy Christmas and best wishes for a spectacular 2015!

Don’t worry, I’m not only watching action movies during the holidays. This one has almost no action at all, except the bedroom kind. Plus, it has Rick from The Walking Dead and Hans Gruber from Die Hard. That’s gotta count for something.


'Mad Max: Fury Road' Is Looking Good

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I’ll admit I was a bit skeptical when Mad Max: Fury Road was first announced. I’m not entirely sure why, really. Maybe it’s just that I’m skeptical about everything these days?

Perhaps. But that doesn’t mean I’m wrong about many of the crap movies and TV shows that seem to come out rather frequently. Those still suck.

Fortunately, it appears Mad Max: Fury Road won’t be one of the ones that suck and my concerns about it have pretty much been put to rest by the new trailer for it that’s come out today. In short, it looks pretty amazing. I won’t even try to find things wrong with it, although I’m sure I could if I really wanted to. But where’s the fun it that? Right?

No, I’m not going to look for problems. I’m just going to enjoy it for what is is: action-packed fun.

I think I’m growing.


Here's the LEGO 'Walking Dead' Season Five Trailer

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Due to “circumstances” I need to keep this brief. So, here’s the trailer for Season Five of The Walking Dead made with LEGO, thanks to the efforts of Kristo499.

I like it. Perhaps the actual show should be LEGO all the time? Might be an improvement.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tEhGm7xSlc?rel=0&w=560&h=315]

Oh, here’s the “real” trailer for Season Five featuring humans. Which is better? You decide.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4GAs9TJVjM&w=560&h=315]


I Want to See Christopher Nolan's 'Interstellar' Right Now

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I have what could be described by some as “patience issues.” For the layman (or woman) that means I don’t like waiting … for anything.

Of course, in life you often have to wait for things, so over the years I’ve developed my skills and refined my technique. These days I can pretty much do it – if I have too. But occasionally, it’s really, really difficult.

The source of my difficulty at the moment is the movie Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain and Michael Caine. I’m really having a hard time waiting for this one to come out. It has all the things I love in a movie: space, spaceships, cool science, drama, action, mystery and more.

You can see what I mean if you watch this new trailer, which arrived a few days ago. In a word, the movie looks amazing. November can’t come soon enough.


Michael Keaton As 'Birdman' Is Something I Want to See

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved movies. Good ones, bad ones and everything in between. There’s just something about a movie that does it for me.

Truth be told, I’ve seen a lot of movies over the years. I’m not really sure how many. And when I see one that looks as entertaining, as interesting and, let’s face it, as crazy as Birdman, I feel I should point it out so others can hopefully enjoy it too.

So, with that in mind, here’s the new trailer for Birdman, featuring the somewhat underrated (IMHO) Michael Keaton.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJfLoE6hanc?rel=0&w=560&h=315]


David Lynch's 'Return of the Jedi'

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You’ve probably heard George Lucas once offered David Lynch the job of directing Return of the Jedi back in 1981. Lynch, of course, turned it down and the movie went on to be directed by Richard Marquand (at least most of it).

But what if Lynch hadn’t turned it down?

That’s what user C-Spit on YouTube wondered too. But instead of just wondering forever, he did something about it. He made a trailer for Jedi as if Lynch had directed it.

It’s pretty spot on. Enjoy.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PALjbTo1D5U?rel=0&w=560&h=315]


The 'Akira Project' Trailer

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Hollywood has been trying to make a live-action version of the classic anime and manga Akira for a long time. They should just let these guys do it.

Sure, this trailer isn’t exactly a trailer, nor is it without a few issues. It is, however, pretty damn good. And with the movies Hollywood is turning out these days, pretty damn good is likely much more than good enough.

Here’s more about the Akira Project from the source:

The Akira Project is a crowd-sourced, non-profit project meant to create a live action fan trailer of AKIRA, the renowned manga-turned-anime film from the late 1980′s. After a year and a half in post-production, we are proud to present the project to Akira fans the world over. We hope to have done justice to the timeless work of Katsuhiro Otomo and look forward to, someday, seeing the full scope of the Akira story translated to the big screen as a live-action.

I do too.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1GO-93Nt3c?rel=0&w=560&h=315]


Now I Have a Reason to Get an XBox One or PS4 (Maybe)

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I have not made the change to a “better” console for gaming yet. I’m still using my trusty old XBox 360 (and occasionally the PS3) for all of my console gaming needs. And for me, it handles the task nicely.

In truth, I don’t have a lot of time for gaming these days and it didn’t seem like a priority to upgrade for what little time I do have. Also, I hadn’t really found a game compelling enough to make me want to switch.

But now, perhaps, I have. Enter Project CARS. Simply put, the game looks amazing and shows what real power these new consoles have. But don’t take my word for it, check it out below.

Fortunately, the game doesn’t come out until November, so I have some time to save up. Excuse me while I go check the sofa for change.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBLMscFP5ec?rel=0&w=560&h=315]


'Jodorowsky's Dune' Tells It Like It Pretty Much Is

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As some of you may know, I worked in Hollywood for a bit. I’m not famous or anything, but I did spend quite a bit of time doing what they call “Production.” Briefly, that’s the nuts and bolts, day to day part of the filmmaking (or TV or commercials) process where you pull all the elements (lights, cameras, locations, vehicles, crew, etc., etc.) together and then push, drag, bribe, cajole, beg, borrow or steal and finally get the whole thing kicking and screaming into the light.

It’s an extremely rewarding experience helping bring something that only exists on paper to life on the big or small screen. It’s also a huge amount of work (I’m talking 15-hour days, seven days a week sometimes) and, on many occasions, a monumental pain in the ass.

The truth is in showbiz sometimes shit just doesn’t go right and often a person in my (former) position is one of the few people who can fix whatever the problems are and get the whole thing working again. But sometimes things just can’t be fixed and you have to cut your losses and move on. Sadly, that happens more often then it should.

That brings me to the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune. In case you’re not familiar, someone tried to make a movie version of Frank Herbert’s novel Dune before we ended up with the one David Lynch (or Alan Smithee depending on the version) ended up making.

That person was cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsk. And this documentary is the story of a monumental failure that ended up changing modern sci-fi movies forever. I have no trouble believing almost (if not) all of what the movie says happened, happened. Hollywood is a crazy bitch sometimes.

Check out the trailer below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WWu1kclNDA?rel=0&w=560&h=315]


'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' Is One I'm Looking Forward To

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I don’t always have a lot of enthusiasm for upcoming movie releases. Some of them don’t appeal to me due to the subject matter or I know they’ve had trouble and are not going to be nearly as good as their trailers make them out to be. And some just look bad.

But that’s the nature of the movie business and my, on occasion, fickle taste in movies. Fortunately, a lack of enthusiasm isn’t something I have to worry about with the upcoming sequel to Captain America: The first Avenger called Captain America: The Winter Soldier.

It. Looks. Great.

Don’t believe me? Check out the latest trailer that dropped during the “Big Game” yesterday.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlILk2WMTI?rel=0&w=560&h=315]


'The Wolf of Bedford Falls'

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I was having a discussion recently with some pals on Facebook in which we postulated what elements a sequel to Frank Capra’s classic film It’s a Wonderful Life would contain. The possibility of a sequel was in the news recently and we wondered just how far Hollywood would go so it would cater to the lowest common denominator and be a hit with the youth market.

I have to say, it was pretty funny. At least to us. Maybe you had to be there. Anyway, today I saw this.

It’s not exactly what we were talking about, but it’s similar. It’s a recut of an It’s a Wonderful Life trailer to mimic the trailer for Martin Scorscese’s upcoming The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo Di Caprio. I think it’s pretty funny, especially if you know the original film well.

Yes, I know the footage is in color. That’s how this was done. Try to enjoy it anyway.

[youtube www.youtube.com/watch


'FDR: American Badass'

fdr-badass

There’s a fine tradition in Hollywood of so called “B” movies. These are the movies that don’t usually feature major stars or have big budgets and often their plots, acting, sets, special effects and pretty much most aspects of the production, to put it nicely, tend to strain credibility.

With the American Film Market in full swing in Santa Monica last week, there’s a lot of these “B” movies being offered for sale to the hundreds of buyers from around the world who come to the AFM each year to get a taste of that Hollywood glamour. And what could be more glamourous than Barry Bostwick starring in a movie called FDR: American Badass?

I don’t know, but until we find it, there’s this:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R898wegx6Y&w=560&h=315]


Trailer for 'Police Story 2013' with Jackie Chan

ps-jc-2013

One of the things you learn quickly when you have a new baby in the house is your time stops being your own. The baby becomes the priority and many of the other things you might want to do have to take a back seat. I’m not complaining, just making an observation.

Having Max is a great thing and I couldn’t be happier about it. He’s awesome and one of the best things that’s ever happened to me.

That said, I also use him as an occasional excuse (intentionally or not) to not do many of the things I’m supposed to do, or would really like to do – such as posting here. Yeah, I know, but what are you gonna do, right? Time just slips away.

I would, however, like to keep putting things here. To that end, here’s the Chinese trailer for Police Story 2013 with Jackie Chan. It looks pretty wild.

Have a great weekend all.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXOE5zm2UH0&w=560&h=315]