Two new big trailers released last night/today, Kathryn Bigelow’s Zero Dark Thirty and Ruben Fleischer’s Gangster Squad. Watch ’em both below, ya lucky so-and-so.
Zero Dark Thirty
You can’t overhype the pedigree here, with Kathryn Bigelow reteamed with her Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal and a cast that includes Jessica Chastain, Chris Pratt, and Mark Strong, taking on the events of the Bin Laden raid. Oh and look, it’s Kyle Chandler playing a government dude again. Oh Kyle Chandler, why do you love the government so? But I’m not gonna lie, I’m not sold on this. Can you name me a single example of a good movie that was made depicting events as recent as this? It takes time to digest history into nice, nuanced story. They couldn’t have made Argo in 1981. Maybe they’ll prove me wrong, but so far I’m seeing a lot of explosions and dramatic music without a lot of substantive content. Plus the title sounds like bad dialog from an interracial porno. “Come here, baby, you know what time it is. Aw yeah, girl, isss zero dark thirty.” (*schlong*)
Gangster Squad
It seems like a bad sign that a film originally supposed to open in September, with this much star power (Penn, Brolin, Baby Goose, AND Nick Nolte, are you kidding me?) and sexy content, is being dumped in the January season usually reserved for Season of the Witch. I’m wondering if Ruben Fleischer (Zombieland, 30 Minutes or Less) completely whiffed on the tone of the movie like he did on 30 Minutes or Less. (Yes, it was postponed because of the theater shooting, but why stick it in January dumping ground?). Putting Jay-Z in the trailer for a period piece also seems slightly desperate. That said, I’m almost certainly going to see it, because I’m a sucker for the idea of forties gangster Baby Goose.
Oh, a wise guy, eh? Boss, what say I take this joker in the back and give him a cup of cocoa.