The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug
Release Date: December 13, 2013
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The second in a trilogy of films adapting the enduringly popular masterpiece The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug continues the adventure of the title character Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) as he journeys with the Wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellan) and thirteen Dwarves, led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) on an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor.
Never watched the first Hobbit film, so I have to catch up before I watch this one.
Snowpiercer
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The surviving members of humanity struggle to survive amidst a world covered in ice on a supertrain where the poor and the rich are constantly at odds in the English-language debut of filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (The Host). Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton star.
Weird. I think I posted a trailer for another ice age post-apocalyptic film in here somewhere. Oh well.
Anyway, Snowpiercer doesn't have an official release date yet, and Chris Evans as the leading man kind of worries me.
Magic Magic
Release Date: August 5, 2013 (straight-to-video)
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A vacationing insomniac loses the ability to distinguish dreams from reality while traveling the Chilean countryside with a group of adventurers that includes her best friend and an enigmatic American in this downbeat saga. Though it came to the U.S. billed as a thriller or a horror picture, Chilean director Sebastian Silva's Magic Magic is more aptly described as a dark psychological drama with tense overtones. Juno Temple stars as Alicia - an emotionally fragile young woman in her early 20s with a murky history. She joins her cousin Sarah (Emily Browning), Sarah's boyfriend Agustín (Agustín Silva), the couple's eccentric friend Brink (Michael Cera) and Agustín's sister Barbara (Catalina Sandina Moreno) for a retreat in the countryside, but from the beginning, things don't go as planned. In the days that follow, more tension erupts between Alicia and the other members of the group, particularly Brink, who displays extreme anti-social tendencies and grows fond of malevolently pushing the girl's buttons. After Sarah returns, all hell threatens to break loose: Alicia is accosted by a local dog that attempts to copulate with her leg; Brink and Agustín play a dangerous game that threatens to cause Alicia grave physical harm, and it becomes increasingly apparent, throughout, that Alicia is now teetering on the brink of a full-scale mental breakdown, which terrifies the others.
I think we're all used to seeing Michael Cera portray a quirky and awkward outcast, but he's got an evil edge in this film. Magic Magic could be pure trash, but I'm interested in Cera's dark side, so I'll give this a try at some point.
Man Of Tai Chi
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Keanu Reeves makes his directorial debut with this martial arts production starring Tiger Chen, a stunt veteran who worked with the actor of the two Matrix sequels. Yuen Woo Ping provides the fight choreography, with The Raid's Iko Uwais heading up the supporting cast.
Martial arts flicks are not my cup of tea, but I'm interested in Reeves' directorial debut here. And I'm looking forward to watching another Keanu Reeves film, because it's been a while. I dunno. I just stopped paying attention to him (with the exception of The Day The Earth Stood Still & Street Kings) after The Matrix films ended.
In A World
Release Date: August 9, 2013 (limited)
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Lake Bell ("Children's Hospital") stars in In a World..., a hilarious romantic comedy about a struggling vocal coach who strikes it big in the cutthroat world of movie-trailer voiceovers, only to find herself in direct competition with the industry's reigning king-her father. Written and directed by Bell, who won the Sundance 2013 Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for the script, In a World... also stars Fred Melamed (A Serious Man), Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine), Demetri Martin ("Important Things with Demetri Martin"), Michaela Watkins ("Enlightened"), Ken Marino ("Burning Love"), Nick Offerman ("Parks and Recreation"), Alexandra Holden (The Hot Chick) and Tig Notaro ("The Sarah Silverman Program").
Good trailer. Looks like a good comedy so far, and it's a satire jab at Hollywood, but everything isn't so over the top and obvious.
New trailers for The Wolverine, Red 2, and The Heat:
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