Sneak Preview: Pixar’s Presto
Pixar has released a 30 second preview of Doug Sweetland’s computer animated short film Presto, which you will see in front of WALL-E. I’ve seen it and will tell you that it’s probably the best Pixar short since 2000’s For the Birds. Very reminiscent of the old Warner Bros cartoons.
Official Plot Synopsis: Dignity. Poise. Mystery. We expect nothing less from the great, turn-of-the-century magician, Presto. But, when Presto forgets to feed his rabbit one too many times, well, there’s really no telling what to expect! This latest comical short film from Pixar Animation Studios follows the escalating high jinx of the amazing Presto, his rabbit Alec, and what happens onstage when a star magician’s ego provokes some clever revenge from his neglected costar.
WALL-E hits theaters on June 27th 2008.
via: CharacterDesign
Burn After Reading International Teaser Trailer
Focus Features have released an international teaser trailer for The Coen Brothers’ Burn After Reading on MSN. This is a perfect example of a fast cut, no nonsense teaser trailer which gets it right. And you have to love Brad Pitt’s “Appearances can be Deceptive” line. Classic. And why isn’t JK Simmons getting a topline credit? He’s all over the trailers. Tell me what you think in the comments below!
Official Plot Synopsis: A dark spy-comedy from Academy Award winners Joel and Ethan Coen. An ousted CIA official’s (Academy Award nominee John Malkovich) memoir accidentally falls into the hands of two unwise gym employees intent on exploiting their find.
Burn After Reading hits theaters on September 12th 2008.
Valkyrie Movie Trailer
The bad buzz for Bryan Singer’s Valkyrie has been building over the last few months. Extensive reshoots/additional photography, added with a complete release date shift to February (after Awards Season), resulted in the release of negativity in Hollywood. It also doesn’t help that Crusie’s last film Lions For Lambs bombed. But so far everything I’ve seen about this film has been very impressive. From the screenplay, to the first production photos which included a comparison shot of Tom Cruise against the real life Col. Claus von Stauffenberg, to the teaser trailer that was released a few months back. Even bitter, angry Variety editors have recently written “several people I trust have seen VALKYRIE and testify that it’s a superb thriller. ‘Bryan Singer is back in form,’ says one source.”
The desire for this film to be a failure is massive. Everyone has purchased a pair of hater pants from the anti-Tom Cruise store (metaphorically speaking, I hope). I think everyone needs to watch the Valkyrie movie trailer below (note: it’s not new), and form an opinion based on what is shown. Forget what you’ve read about the production, and put your passive aggressive Cruise-bashing feelings away. Tell me what you think in the comments below.
Official Plot Synopsis: The “July 20 Plot” on Hitler’s life is one of the most heroic but least known episodes of World War Two. Severely wounded in combat, Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg returns from Africa to join the German Resistance and help create Operation Valkyrie, the complex plan that will allow a shadow government to replace Hitler’s once he is dead. But fate and circumstance conspire to thrust Stauffenberg from one of many in the plot to a double-edged central role. Not only must he lead the coup and seize control of his nation’s government… He must kill Hitler himself.
Valkyrie hits theaters on February 13th 2009.
Adam Sandler Kicks Off Horror Label, Scary Madison, With Shortcut
Yes, watching Zohan is like sucking on a blow dryer with a mouthful of expired tuna, but don’t brush off Scary Madison just yet. That’s the name of Adam Sandler’s new horror label, an off-branch of his production company, Happy Madison, and the first SM film is a thriller entitled Shortcut. The reason why I’d hold out the trash talk for the time being? Shortcut will be directed by Nicholaus Goosen, whose previous film was Grandma’s Boy; a pretty effing assured, laid back and original comedy if you actually saw it. Here’s the plot synopsis: “two brothers come upon a rarely used shortcut in their new town and soon discover the reasons why it’s so rarely used.” Sounds like Pet Sematary with a scary Penguin.
Stars include relative newbies like Adam Seeley, Shannon Woodward and Dave Franco (cameo in Superbad, Greek). Maybe it’s blind faith on my part, but I’m looking forward to what Goosen has in store. Filming commences next month.