Every once in a while, one jumps out and takes the world by storm, getting everyone fired up for the eventual feature film.
The latest to pull of that feat is Les Miserables, which is strange considering that it's the third longest-runnning musical on Broadway. You'd think people would have already seen the show.
In any case, the trailer just hit and it looks like it's going to be huge. So, with another reminder that this has nothing to do with sports, let's get to our second iteration of "Spoiler Alert" and take a look at this week in movie trailers.
Les Miserables
This is going to be a big year for Anne Hathaway. She's already getting buzz for her turn as Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises, and now she takes a try at being serious in the movie adaptation of Les Miserables.
The good news? She has some serious singing talent and has shown a willingness to dance, too. The better news? She won't be doing either of those things with James Franco. Instead, she gets to cavort with Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman, two infinitely more talented performers.
(Side note: Jackman is crazy talented. Go watch this again if you're not convinced Wolverine belongs in a dramatic musical. I think he and Justin Timberlake are neck and neck for the title of "Most Talented Person on Earth," but I'm open to debating this.)
I haven't read the book or seen the original musical, but this trailer hints at a grand-scale adaptation that will soar beyond the constraints of the stage. As far as turning a musical into a movie goes, I'm guessing this is more Dreamgirls and less The Producers. Which is a good thing, if you're scoring at home.
Total Recall
This is the kind of movie that needs a remake.
I don't need another Spiderman, I don't want them to try Red Dawn again. But rebooting a 1980s-era Arnold Shwarzenegger sci-fi action flick, now that they have the right special effects to do a story about living on Mars justice? Sign. Me. Up.
I buy Colin Farrelland Jessica Biel as action stars (not necessarily in that order, either) and I like the idea of going gritty instead of Arnold's campy style. However, it will be a challenge to not go overboard changing the plot of the old movie and adding a twist or two.
And yes, before you ask, I'm sure they'll find a way to fit that nice lady everyone remembers from the original into this version too.
Snow White and the Huntsman
Um… Did I totally misunderstand the moral of Disney's Snow White?
Apparently there is a lot more to the iconic fairy tale than we were originally told. I'm not going to make those same tired jokes about Kristen Stewart's and Chris Hemsworth's other more well-known roles, because I'm more interested in how this matches up to what happened in ABC's Once Upon a Time.
Man, I bet the producers of this movie were upset when they found out another alt-Snow White project was going to beat them onto the screen. In any case, I bet this movie is OK, but if the Twilight crowd shows up just because of Stewart, they're going to be disappointed.
Battlefield America
Everything about this trailer confuses me.
Who is this movie made for? Kids who love dancing? Why wouldn't those kids just go see Step Up 9? Do these wildly intense dance competitions exist in real life?
Beyond all that, the fact that a movie with actors that all appear to be younger than 13 managed to earn itself a PG-13 rating boggles my mind.
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter
Good for you, Hollywood. Good for you.
This looks absolutely absurd — but absurd works if you're adapting a script from the same guy who wrote something called Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. I'm guessing the same people who were on board for Snakes on a Plane are all about this.
If you've been watching the Celtics play, you've already seen this trailer a billion times, so I won't go too in-depth here. Besides, this movie is about a former President on a vendetta against vampires. You're either all in on this movie or you aren't.
