Tuesday’s Top Trailer: 10 Cloverfield Lane

Welcome back to the inaugural 2016 edition of a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

10 Cloverfield Lane – Opening March 11, 2016

What trailer could be better to restart this feature for the first time in months than what may well be the most talked-about trailer in some time? Unlike many delighted moviegoers, I did not have the opportunity to see this trailer in a theatre before a movie without knowing what it was for and experience the rush of realizing it. I’m most intrigued by the way in which this film has been marketed, completely under the radar and then gaining considerable momentum just two months before its theatrical release by catching the world by surprise. While I did get a serious headache from the handheld camera cinematography, I thoroughly enjoyed the 2008 film that spawns this sequel of sorts. This film looks like something completely different, showing a much more contained and isolated world that exists as a subset of the greater universe of the original film. The cast is small and strong, featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, John Goodman, and John Gallagher, Jr., a great trio if ever I’ve seen one. It appears, from the trailer, that these three live in an underground bunker in whatever remains of the world that was torn apart by the mysterious monster from “Cloverfield,” and Winstead’s character, possibly a daughter, is eager to escape despite harsh warnings from Goodman’s character, possibly her father, not to go outside. It’s sure to be just as mysterious and enthralling as the first, and hopefully not as headache-inducing. I’m not sure that I need to rush to go see it in IMAX the day after my birthday when it comes out, but I’m definitely interested and most of all curious.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens – Opening December 18, 2015

When I watched the new official trailer for the seventh installment of one of the most popular film franchises, it occurred to me that I had probably already written about the first trailer released a few months before. I have no qualms about revisiting what may well be one of the most anticipated films of all time. I’ve noted before that I actually liked the first two prequels, and so I expect that I’ll enjoy this one plenty. What this trailer shows, more than anything, is that this is not a departure from the fantastically dated style of the original films, valuing the old-fashioned look of the pilot uniforms and backdrops over the more futuristic technological colors and styles of the prequels. There’s something about seeing a TIE fighter and the Millennium Falcon that just conjures up so much excitement. I was concerned that this film would feel like too much of a throwback to the original movies, emphasizing cameos over actual plot, but it doesn’t look like that’s the case. Hearing that the Jedi are but legends and that everything we know to be true is a story from the past makes it infinitely more interesting, and therefore the return of Han, Leia, Luke, and all of them will be crucial and celebrated as Darth Vader’s apparent successor decides to wage war on all that’s left of them. It’s crazy to me that tickets are already on sale when the film won’t be out for nearly two months – I guess I should get mine soon! This film is going to be a truly invigorating experience, even if it ends up being disappointing.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Hail, Caesar!

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Hail, Caesar! – Opening February 5, 2016

It’s always strange to me to see a movie premiering after Oscar season advertised this early, but I think that’s just because of how much time I invest in Oscar predictions around this time of year. February has always struck me as a strange time for release, but that’s the same timing as the last George Clooney film I saw, “The Monuments Men.” This is the latest film from the Coen brothers, a fact that is hardly surprising even just a few seconds into the trailer. Their two most recent films – “Inside Llewyn Davis” and “True Grit” – have skewed a bit more serious, and their newest project looks a lot more like “Burn After Reading” or “Intolerable Cruelty,” an absurdist comedy with more than a bit of energy and enthusiasm to go around. The cast, as usual, is stacked high, with some familiar faces such as Clooney, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, and Josh Brolin, and with an eclectic and diverse list to add that, including Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, and Jonah Hill. Its 1950s Hollywood setting looks like a lot of fun, and if there was a directing duo I’d trust to make this an adventure to remember, it’s the Coen brothers. The movie-within-a-movie looks entertaining enough, and I think that, while this could be wildly out of control, it could also be a biting indictment of the ridiculousness of old-fashioned Hollywood. Either way, it’s sure to be an experience, one that the desolate landscape of new releases in February could definitely use.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: The Big Short

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Big Short – Opening December 23, 2015

I saw this trailer before a showing of “Steve Jobs” with no knowledge whatsoever of the film. This trailer was the first in a while that really surprised me in terms of the actors who showed up as its stars. The first was Christian Bale, who did wow me with his Oscar-winning turn in “The Fighter” but hasn’t usually impressed me too much in other roles, including his unnecessarily Oscar-nominated performance in “American Hustle.” Bale has worked with a number of actors, and Brad Pitt makes some sense since he too has tended to jump around from action films to more serious movies without much concern for whether he’s the lead or a supporting player. The two who I wouldn’t have pegged for this are Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling. The former has been foraying into more dramatic films recently, earning an Oscar nomination for “Foxcatcher,” and here he appears with blond hair messy on his head, and the latter, a dependably intense actor, has completely different hair, making him look much more buttoned-up and less reckless than usual. These four make a formidable foursome to take on big banks, a natural faceless but omnipotent enemy for a film like this. With this diverse talent, this film is sure to be electric and watchable; it’s just a question of whether, with this potential, this will be a big Oscar contender or somewhere more along the lines of “The Company Men,” which looked like it could have been that and then turned out to come and go with no fanfare at all. Director Adam McKay’s credits are essentially all Will Ferrell movies, which conjures up a bizarre resume for this movie, and the screenplay is based on a book by Michael Lewis, the author of both “Moneyball,” which was adapted by Aaron Sorkin as a fantastic script, and “The Blind Side,” which was not. We’ll see what happens here as this film opens just around when every other big film does: Christmas.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: The Intern

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Intern – Opening September 25, 2015

Often, the job of a trailer is to whet the appetite of a potential viewer just enough to ensure that he or she will actually go see the film to find out what happens. In other cases, the end result is less of a surprise and spoiling it isn’t as big a deal. In the case of this particular trailer, however, it doesn’t even seem that there are any obstacles that need to be overcome. This trailer skips the comedy of the situation and goes straight for the schmaltz and sentimentality, which I think makes it seem more endearing than it otherwise might if more was left to be discovered during the actual theatrical experience. Nancy Meyers has served as writer-director for five films in the past – “It’s Complicated,” “The Holiday,” “Something’s Gotta Give,” “What Women Want,” and “The Parent Trap.” I never saw “The Holiday” or “What Women Want,” but the other three are all strongly enjoyable films that were better and more entertaining than I expected, even if they weren’t totally terrific (though I remember an aspiring actress being incredible in “The Parent Trap,” one who has since gone down an unfortunate path). This looks very much in line with those, a fun instance of Robert De Niro, who gave his best performance in decades three years ago in “Silver Linings Playbook,” acting his age. It’s likely that there’s more comedy about him being old and an intern than just the introductory “Where do you see yourself in ten years” quip at the start of the trailer, but this is ultimately a sweet story about De Niro’s Ben befriending CEO Jules Ostin, played by Anne Hathaway, who is nothing like her former boss from “The Devil Wears Prada.” A few recognizable TV faces, including Andrew Rannells from “Girls” and Adam DeVine from “Modern Family,” are in the supporting cast, and it looks like Rene Russo is there too to give Ben a more age-appropriate romance than Jules. I won’t rush to see this, but I’m sure it’s the kind of heartwarming simple comedy that should prove more than pleasant and maybe even very fun.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Terminator: Genisys

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Terminator: Genisys – Opening July 1, 2015

I was nearly positive that I had already written about this trailer in a previous edition of this feature. It seems that I hadn’t, and I definitely have a lot to say about the trailer, particularly the newest one which fills in one major important detail about the film’s plot. If there’s one thing I love more than time travel, it’s alternate realities, and the notion that so many Terminator films have produced so many different timelines is absolutely terrific. This trailer makes a purposeful revision of a scene we all know – “Come with me if you want to live” – but changes the speaker so that it’s Sarah Connor welcoming a confused Kyle Reese to a place very much unlike the past he thought he was being sent back to change. His governating days are over, and so now Arnold Schwarzenegger is back full-time to acting in the role that made him famous, and he’s cut his work cut out for him here, playing a range of different characters, including the young Terminator he debuted in 1984 and a gray-haired version who is bad-ass enough to jump out of a helicopter to save the day. What I didn’t realize in the first trailer is that John Connor plays a big part in this film, and that’s because he’s been modified so that he too is a Terminator of sorts. I like the casting of two unrelated Clarkes, both not actually American, familiar for their TV work above all else. Emilia Clarke is Daenerys on “Game of Thrones,” and this kind of action role may be good for her. I’m more excited about Jason Clarke, from “Brotherhood” and “The Chicago Code,” playing John. More than anything, this should be a fun blockbuster that may not be as mindless as many expect it to.

Tuesday's Top Trailer: Entourage

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Entourage – Opening June 5, 2015

Eight years ago, I started Movies with Abe as a blog where I wrote reviews of film and television. A few months later, I decided to split the focus into two blogs, one for film and one for television. Occasionally, the two do interact, and I can think of no better example than this, a movie being made as a rather unnecessary culmination to a long-running TV show. Looking back over my reviews of the last few seasons of the show, I actually liked the eighth and final season better than the seventh, sixth, and fifth, though it was nothing like the quality of seasons two and three, when the show was really good. I’m sure the film will be fun, but it strikes me as extravagant and extraneous, but that’s sort of what always defined the show. There are a bunch of big names rattled off visually in the trailer, and, out of everything I’ve ever seen, this show and its expanded cinematic universe is probably best equipped to handle star presence without letting it get in the way, allowing celebrities to play themselves and be a part of the plot. The addition of the likes of Haley Joel Osment and Jessica Alba shouldn’t hurt, but instead should enhance the celebrity culture of the film. I’d liken this most to the “Sex and the City” movie, a more exaggerated blowout of the same type of stories, one last hurrah for this group of four friends and Ari. I’m not sure I’ll rush to see it, but it’s set to be an entertaining, explosive, possibly worthwhile ride.

Tuesday's Top Trailer: Man Up

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Man Up – Opening April 19, 2015 at the Tribeca Film Festival

There’s something about an accent that can just ruin a film. One of the best examples is Nicolas Cage’s Southern drawl in “Con Air.” It’s rare to find an American actor putting on a British accent rather than the other way around. In this case, New York City native Lake Bell is acting like a Brit who meets a woman on a train and accidentally ends up taking her place on a blind date. What’s just as strange as Bell’s British accent is the casting of her beau in the form of Simon Pegg. Both Bell and Pegg are great comedic actors, but they’re rarely cast in these kinds of parts. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since it seems like a toned-down Pegg might actually be quite charming and endearing, and Bell, able to control her talkative nature, could serve as a decent romantic lead. I’m not sure I could get past her accent, though, and I think that her natural persona could have worked just fine here. Instead, she’s part of a distinctly British clan, supported by the likes of Olivia Williams and Ophelia Lovibond, which makes the whole thing far more romanticized and sappy instead of inherently comedic. The trailer gives away a whole lot but this film might still manage to be entertaining in spite of its gimmicky premise and presumably predictable ending. Bell and Pegg playing against type might just work, and an opening at the Tribeca Film Festival is certainly a promising indicator of success.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Adult Beginners

Welcome to the inaugural 2015 edition of a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Adult Beginners – Opening April 25, 2015

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good trailer, and that’s mainly because the last time I actually saw a movie in a theater was over a month ago when I saw “Timbuktu” as Lincoln Plaza Cinemas, which was only playing trailers for films I had already seen. With the AFT Awards concluded, I figured it was time to bring back weekly features, starting with this one. I had seen this title come up on IMDB as a featured trailer, and found it at my usual site, Movie-List.com. I didn’t notice until the end of the trailer that this is being executive produced by the Duplass brothers ,which makes a lot of sense given what the content looks like. The film’s title, which apparently references Jane Krakowski’s adult swimming class, is a very fitting title for its premise: grownups, particularly Nick Kroll’s Jake, who haven’t yet learned how to act like an adult. I like Kroll from what I’ve seen of him, mainly as the Douche on “Parks and Recreation,” and I think this is a role for him. Rose Byrne has grown on me a lot lately, and I think that her “Annie” costar Bobby Cannavale should be much better suited to this part than his part in that film. The supporting cast also includes Joel McHale, Josh Charles, and Caitlin FitzGerald, three familiar TV faces who I’m very happy to see on the big screen. This seems like a comedy that isn’t obsessed with originality but might still have a distinctly entertaining and enjoyable story to tell.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Big Eyes

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Big Eyes – Opening December 25, 2014

I saw this trailer a few weeks ago when I was at the movie theatre and I found it both intriguing and very weird. It’s mainly the poster that does it, with the very large and haunting eyes coming off as more creepy than artistically attractive. What doesn’t necessarily come across from the trailer is that this film is the work of Tim Burton, who is known for odd and eclectic projects. I liked “Frankenweenie,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Sweeney Todd,” three of his recent projects, and I’m a big fan of “Big Fish.” This seems to be a lot less fantastical than any of those, but there’s still something about painter Margaret Keane and the way that she connects to those eyes. I wouldn’t have thought to pair Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz, particularly because he’s nearly twenty years older but also because I don’t see them as being terribly compatible. Yet Waltz, in this film, appears to have an ageless quality about him, and it seems like he’s a good fit. Adams is the likelier one to earn buzz for this performance, one of an endearing and hard-working artist who has to hide what she does so that her husband can sell her work. I’m excited to see Jason Schwartzman and Krysten Ritter, who just appeared together in “Listen Up Philip,” in the supporting cast, in addition to traditional heavyweights Danny Huston and Terence Stamp. This film’s Christmas release date suggests that it’s going to be one of the big movies of the end of the year, and I hope it proves to be both enjoyable and memorable.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Furious 7

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Furious 7 – Opening April 7, 2015

I heard about this trailer hitting the Internet a few days before I watched it, but that's mainly because I decided to put it off and save it for later because of just how pumped I was to watch it. This trailer wasn't actually as exciting as past sneak peeks for this series have been, but I think that's because a lot of the action sequences are being saved for the film and not spoiled here. That said, we still do have these guys launching cars out of planes and Paul Walker jumping through the air to defy gravity and land on a hood much like Vin Diesel and Michelle Rodriguez did in the last entry. It's interesting to see Walker so present in the trailer since he tragically died in a car accident while the film was still shooting, but it's great to see that he's still a big part of this and had the chance to film plenty of awesome scenes before he died. Jason Statham, no stranger to car racing himself, should prove to be a strong villainous addition, and I really look forward to seeing this cast back in action come April. My love for this franchise doesn’t quite match any of my other cinematic tastes, but I don’t apologize for that. These films are a lot of fun, and this is high on my must-see list for 2015. This concept and all the action that comes with it just doesn’t disappoint, and I can’t wait to see what happens in installment number seven.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Avengers: Age of Ultron

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Avengers: Age of Ultron – Opening May 1, 2015

Simply put, I would be excited for this movie no matter what. I liked a handful of the individual series films that led up to the first big blockbuster, which I thought was a fantastic combination of elements that together worked enormously well for an unforgettable action piece. I am glad to see that this film’s plotline dwells purely on Earth, and tackles a villain who is inherently man-made. I was a big comic book fan as a kid, but I was most into X-Men and don’t know about the Avengers and their stories. Casting James Spader as the voice of an artificial intelligence being who becomes far too self-aware seems like a slam dunk, and I’m sure he’ll be a fantastic villain for the Avengers. This trailer was apparently viewed by over 34 million people within 24 hours of it being posted online last week, and there’s certainly much to talk about. Bringing all these characters together presents immense opportunities for character development and the addition of supporting players like Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, who I believe will also appear in the next “X-Men” movie but can’t officially be considered the same characters because of which studios own the rights to the franchises. Potential tie-ins with the TV show “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” also seem likely, and I think it’s exciting to live in a time when a mega-franchise like this is getting off the ground, with plenty of chances to tell exciting stories about cool superheroes that may not actually need rebooting for another decade or so.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Horrible Bosses 2

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Horrible Bosses 2 – Opening November 26, 2014

Sometimes my movie tastes don’t quite make sense, and “Horrible Bosses” is just one of those movies that I didn’t necessarily expect to like but then did even though it doesn’t jive with the much more serious awards fare that I tend to prefer. There was something undeniably funny about the first film and the combination of miserable employees and their horrible bosses that just worked, and I wasn’t sure whether they could replicate it again for a second go-round. Fortunately, the first film had plenty of funny moments that weren’t in the trailer, so let’s hope that that’s the case again here. Putting Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, and Jason Sudeikis together again to come up with another hairbrained scheme to take control of their lives seems like a terrific idea, and they’ve enlisted more than able talent to help them. Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Spacey, and Jamie Foxx are back in supporting roles that appear to be funny. Christoph Waltz gets to play some sort of CEO who is initially big on the trio’s new business but then decides to change his tune. And then there’s Chris Pine, who is effortlessly charismatic in the “Star Trek” series and any other film in which he stars, and who here seems to be having a blast, competing with the trio and then deciding to get in on his own kidnaping (purposeful misspelling) plot. This could be stupid, sure, but from the looks of it, this could actually be a solid and worthwhile sequel.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Focus

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Focus – Opening February 27, 2015

My first thought when I saw this trailer featured on the IMDB home page was that it was a remake of the 2001 film of the same name starring William H. Macy as a man mistaken for a Jew after he gets new glasses in 1940s New York. This is most definitely a different movie, and one that has the potential to be good, though I’m not sure how well it will deliver. I do think that Will Smith is a strong anchor of action films like “I Am Legend,” and I didn’t much care for him in the last thought-provoking drama he did, “Seven Pounds,” or in his Oscar-nominated role in “The Pursuit of Happyness,” for that matter. What this film seems to do is to get him back to his charismatic roots, if not quite his comedic ones, allowing him to play a con man skilled in the art of charming others into believing that he’s their best friend. More enticing than Smith is his costar Margot Robbie. I thought that the Australian native was absolutely terrific in “The Wolf of Wall Street” and ignored in favor of her more well-known male costars, and I would love to see what she can do with another role that emphasizes seduction but allows her to tone down her strong fake American accent. She and Smith are an intriguing pair, to be sure. I’m happy to see Gerald McRaney and Robert Taylor in the supporting cast since that constitutes a “Longmire” reunion, and I’m eager to see both of them in new roles. February isn’t usually a great time for movies but this looks like it could be decent if it manages to us its eclectic cast and fun premise to solid effect.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Exodus: Gods and Kings

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Exodus: Gods and Kings – Opening December 12, 2014

I never got around to seeing the biblical epic from a renowned Oscar-nominated director staring more than one Oscar-winning actor that opened earlier this year, “Noah.” I will say that, based on trailers alone, this one looks like the better and ultimately much more exciting choice. Ridley Scott has made some movies recently that have not been terrific, like “The Counselor,” but he’s also proven himself to be an action master, most notably with his Best Picture winner “Gladiator.” While he lent star Russell Crowe to Darren Aronofsky for that other movie this year, he did enlist someone else who has proven prolific and more than capable of assuming the action lead, and that’s Christian Bale. Casting him as Moses and Joel Edgerton, who has appeared in everything from “Attack of the Clones” to “Animal Kingdom” to “Warrior,” as his brother/nemesis Rhamses (the spelling can never be the same in two places) seems like an excellent choice since the two are action stars but also have proven acting chops. Throw in Emmy winner Aaron Paul and Oscar winner Ben Kingsley, plus Sigourney Weaver, Jon Turturro, Ben Mendelsohn, and Hiam Abbas in the supporting cast and you have a definitively eclectic ensemble. “The Prince of Egypt” was a roaring success sixteen years ago, and this film is taking a remarkably different approach, namely in what looks like an extremely dramatic and thrilling interpretation of the plagues. The exodus from Egypt is a story ripe to be told as an action movie, and I think Scott is just the one to do it.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Inherent Vice

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Inherent Vice – Opening December 12, 2014

I would have wanted to see this film based on its director and cast alone, and now that I’ve seen a trailer, I’m pretty much equally excited and perplexed. This film is premiering at the New York Film Festival, and I’d love to attend the press and industry screening if it wasn’t scheduled during Yom Kippur. Paul Thomas Anderson is a director who doesn’t make movies too often and puts enormous care and effort into every project he takes on, and therefore it’s worth anticipating this next feature. I’m personally a big fan of “Magnolia,” and though I had some issues with “Punch Drunk Love” and “There Will Be Blood,” there are plenty of things I can appreciate about both. Anderson’s previous collaboration with Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master," was an enormously successful one, and this is sure to produce another zany, immensely watchable performance from the once-crazy actor. This film is all about the costumes and time period, something Andreson has done to rave reviews in the past with “Boogie Nights.” He’s enlisted a formidable cast, including Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, and Michael K. Williams. This looks like a film that could easily get lost in its own depraved world over the course of 148 minutes, but I imagine that it’s going to be a mesmerizing experience throughout anyway. Let’s hope it’s a good mix and that the scenery and casting choices are equaled by a compelling story and fine acting all around.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Bird People

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Bird People – Opening September 12, 2014

This trailer is reminiscent of two films I recently wrote about for this feature. The first, “Birdman,” is because of its title, though I think this film has more to do with actual birds given how many times the animals appear in the trailer. The second, “The Guest,” also stars a TV actor who made a famed exit from his plum weekly role and is out to prove competence in cinema. Josh Charles is a seasoned actor who has had two regular TV gigs before “The Good Wife,” for which he was recently nominated for an Emmy. He was in the first season of “In Treatment” opposite Embeth Davidtz and Gabriel Byrne, and before that, he was the star of Aaron Sorkin’s first television effort, “Sports Night.” Now, he gets to calm down a bit from his fiery law partner role and detach from society. I’m eager to see him play a nice guy since I think his character was very charged with anger and passion throughout the last cycle of episodes of “The Good Wife.” Charles’ Gary Newman is only half of this film’s story, and it’s very interesting to see who his costar is. I was impressed by Anais Demoustier in “Elles” a few years ago when she played a likeable prostitute, and this looks like a fantastic part for her. I’m still not really sure what this film is about, but its trailer and its IMDB description - An American arrives in Paris, checks into a hotel, turns off his cell phone and starts his life anew – look mighty appealing.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Maps to the Stars

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Maps to the Stars – Opening September 2014

I hadn’t heard anything about this film, which was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and won Julianne Moore the Best Actress prize, prior to watching the trailer, which was featured on the IMDB home page. David Cronenberg is a director known for head trips, and this appears to very much be that. I never got around to seeing “Cosmopolis,” his last feature, but I did see his Viggo Mortensen trilogy before that – “A Dangerous Method,” “Eastern Promises,” and “A History of Violence,” three affecting films about seriously disturbed people. This looks to be a combination of those ensemble narratives and the truly wild and weird nature of a film like “Spider” with Ralph Fiennes. The cast is stacked, to say the least, with Julianne Moore in what appears to be one of the meatiest roles she’s had in a while in the lead. John Cusack has had a variety of parts in recent years, and it’s hard to tell if this will be a dramatic breakthrough for him. I’m glad to see Mia Wasikowska taking on another challenging – and seemingly creepy – character, and Robert Pattinson is back for his second consecutive Cronenberg acting to show that “Twilight” doesn’t define his acting abilities. Add in Olivia Williams to the supporting cast and it’s sure to be a very watchable film. Examining Hollywood and celebrity life will definitely be insightful, and a cast like this might just enable Cronenberg to cross over to the mainstream again.

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: The Guest

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

The Guest – Opening September 17, 2014

Wouldn’t you like to know what Dan Stevens, best known as Matthew from “Downton Abbey,” has been up to recently? I know I would, and I tried to find out when this film screened at the Sundance Film Festival back in January, but couldn’t make any of the screening times. Now I got a chance to see the trailer, which makes me just as curious as I was before I knew anything about the film. It’s always interesting to see British actors don American accents, and it seems like Stevens does pretty well adopting a slight Southern drawl. Stopping by the home of the family of one of his military buddies killed in action seems very innocuous at first, but it’s clear that Stevens’ David has quite a profound effect on all of the inhabitants of the home. This looks like a powerful, endearing drama in some senses, and also like an enthralling thriller by the looks of the second half of the trailer, which introduces the inevitable twist of our good friend David not being completely honest with his new adoptive family about his reasons for being there. I’m interested to see what Stevens can do with a role that isn’t so antiquated and melodramatic, and he looks great in the trailer. Director Adam Wingard’s resume is basically all horror films, and I think this could well be a productive departure. This kind of film has the potential to be a surprising, invigorating thriller but could also end up being poor and entirely forgettable. Let’s hope for the former!

Tuesday’s Top Trailer: This Is Where I Leave You

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

This Is Where I Leave You – Opening September 19, 2014

This trailer has been out for a while now, but I actually got the chance to watch it for the first time at a theatre this past weekend. This ensemble comedy takes four actors who honed their skills on television, all on very different series. Tina Fey was a player on “Saturday Night Live” and “30 Rock,” and Jason Bateman was the star of the immortal “Arrested Development.” Adam Driver broke out on “Girls,” for which he was nominated for back-to-back Emmy Awards for his prickly performance as Adam, and Corey Stoll was in the first season of “House of Cards” and now stars in “The Strain” and soon on season four of “Homeland.” Bringing the four of them together to play siblings and children of Jane Fonda’s wacky mother suggests plenty of comedy potential, though I’m hoping this is a more serious effort from director Shawn Levy, known for the likes of “The Internship,” “Night of the Museum,” and “Cheaper by the Dozen.” Contrasting that resume is Jonathan Tropper, who wrote the novel on which his screenplay is based, and whose most notable recent credit is the creation of Cinemax’s dark but fantastic series “Banshee.” I think this will be an effective vehicle for Driver, who does a great job playing the fish out of water, while Fey and Bateman have played these same roles many times before. The ensemble cast has many familiar faces, including Rose Byrne, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Abigail Spencer, Timothy Olyphant, and Dax Shepard (all TV faces too). This is set to be this fall’s big comedy, and I think that, at the very worst, it will be pretty funny and generally enjoyable.