Trailer Round-Up: Jobs, Free Birds, The Spectacular Now, Smurfs 2, The Frozen Ground, Killing Season, & Getaway
In the inaugural post regarding this last week’s trailers, I have compiled a pretty diverse group of new trailers. Continue on to watch trailers for Jobs, Free Birds, The Spectacular Now, Smurfs 2, The Frozen Ground, Killing Season, and Getaway.
The Steve Jobs biopic, starring Ashton Kutcher and Josh Gad as Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, released its first trailer. It has kind of a Social Network feel to it, and based on the trailer, people can stop worrying about Kutcher’s involvement. The mostly comedic actor was forced to play a more dramatic role and it looks good so far. Directed by Joshua Michael Stern (Swing Vote), Jobs will release on August 16th.
Adding to the animation war this year, Jimmy Hayward’s (Horton Hears a Who) Free Birds will purposefully release near Thanksgiving. The animated film is about turkeys traveling back in time in order to stop them from being a traditional Thanksgiving meal. The newest trailer highlights Woody Harrelson and Owen Wilson’s chemistry. This, too, looks familiar to a great movie (Fantastic Mr. Fox), but it’s not quite as witty so far. Free Birds releases November 1.
I’ve actually already seen The Spectacular Now (it played at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival), and whole-heartedly endorse it. It’s a coming-of-age tale (which I know have flooded the market), but it’s not really preachy or concerned about creating a “moral of the story.” The trailer smartly doesn’t use drinking, a main part of the film, as a plot crutch. While I ultimately like the movie more than the trailer, I think it begins showing the quality of Mile Teller and Shailene Woodley’s acting. James Ponsoldt’s (Smashed) film releases on August 2nd.
I never did see the original The Smurfs because it looked a little too childish for me. According to the new trailer for The Smurfs 2, the follow-up is about the same. Voice starring Hank Azaria (Happy Feet) and Katy Perry, the sequel is about a group of evil wannabe smurfs that kidnap Smurfette (Perry) to find a way to become real smurfs. While in London (highlighted too in the trailer), the villains will try to use the city to their advantage. Look for Raja Gosnell’s film next month on July 31.
The Frozen Ground, a crime thriller set in Alaska, stars Nicholas Cage and John Cusack on different sides of the law. Cage will play a struggling detective that tries to bring a serial killer to justice. The trailer has very Insomnia-like vibes and actually looks semi-intriguing. I say “semi” because I have this vendetta against Cage. However, if the story is told right (like Adaptation), I can look past him as an actor. The Frozen Ground, directed by Scott Walker, releases limitedly (and on Video on Demand services) August 23rd.
The first trailer for Killing Season, a Mark Steven Johnson (When in Rome) film, released two weeks after the first poster. For those interested, the film, according to the trailer, follows two ex-military men as they hunt each other. Donning an accent (pretty badly I might add), John Travolta headlines the film. It also stars Robert De Niro and will release July 12th.
Not to be outdone by movies like The Fast and the Furious or The Transporter, Courtney Solomon (Dungeons & Dragons) is teaming up with Ethan Hawke (The Purge) and Selena Gomez for Getaway. Gomez doesn’t look like the pop icon she’s known for though as she plays a street-hardened criminal. She intersects with Hawke’s character, who is forced to steal a car in order to save his wife, and they’re set on action-packed ride completely at the mercy of a mysterious caller. For those interested, it’ll release later this summer (August 30).
That’ll do it for now. Check back next Monday for the next edition of Trailer Round-Up!
