Hot Tub Time Machine

This movie was brought to my attention over the weekend, and I just can't get over it. Here is the trailer:



The title of the movie reminds me of Snakes on a Plane. The title says it all. I enjoyed Snakes on a Plane because it was fun. You can't go into a movie with a title like that, and expect anything serious. I saw it in theatres with my parents, and my Mom, who is terrified of snakes, screamed numerous times throughout it, which only added to the "experience". I have it on DVD, and it's one of my favourite "party" movies.

I figure Hot Tub Time Machine will be similar. Light fun that is best enjoyed with a group. I am hoping to catch it in theatres. I haven't gone to see many movies lately, because school has been keeping me busy, but I think I will have to make the time for this one.

I just want to say one thing about the trailer. There's a gag in the trailer involving one of the characters lamenting the fact that he has to "come find" a girl he's dancing with. I hate to say it, but I did sympathize with him. I've had a cellphone for about four years now, and I have a hard time imagining life without one. If I'm meeting someone and I can't find them, I'll send them a text to find out where they are, instead of risking missing them. If I'm running late, I can text the person so they're not wondering where I am. After experiencing life with a cellphone, I'm not sure I could live without one. I'd panic if I was waiting for someone, and they didn't show up when they were supposed to. How am I to contact them to make sure they didn't get lost? What if I am in the wrong meeting place?

I suppose I am a product of my time. I know very few people who don't have cellphones. Even my Dad, who for years swore he'd never get a cellphone, has one.

Some "Bad" Previews I've Seen Recently

I haven't actually been to the theatre at all this year, which is rather unusual for me. This Friday I'll be going to see Zooey & Adam, however. I did want to bring attention to some really poor trailers I've seen recently (let's face it, I just want to mock something).

Valentine's Day



Here's a checklist:

-Knock off of Love Actually-check
-Padded cast for no real reason, other than being able to say "look at all these FAMOUS people"-check
-Stupid movie about an even stupider holiday-check

When I first saw the trailer, I thought of the deplorable He's Just Not That Into You, which I wrote about here. Clearly, they're aiming at the exact same audience. Here's another thought: Bradley Cooper is a pretty funny guy. Why is he doing movies like these? Give me more of The Hangover and less He's Just Not That Into You, please.

And Hollywood, please churn out some intelligent and witty romantic comedies. Stop making drivel like this.


The A-Team




You will notice that Bradley Cooper is in this one as well. I understand this one a little better, because the guy's career is on fire right now, it's a major blockbuster, and he's probably getting a decent paycheque for it. Same with Liam Neeson. This movie looks like it will be similar to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, which I have not seen (and don't intend to, unless I'm making some sort of game of it). I didn't know a lot about The A-Team before I saw the trailer, and my parents told me the basic premise after I told them a movie version was being made. It sounded like campy fun to me, but I find that many TV to movie adaptations fall flat. Generally you have to recast the roles, and most actors can't capture the "magic" of the original actors.

The new Star Trek is an obvious exception though, but it was placed in the expert hands of J.J. Abrams, creator of Lost; the best show on television.


Clash of the Titans




I don't much care for trailers that are merely a display of all of the "action scenes" to be contained within a film. I find this one cuts from clip to clip far too fast, so it's difficult to follow, and I had difficulty concentrating when I first saw it before Avatar. That being said, I might actually see this one. There are a lot of movies out there with terrible trailers that have ended up being fantastic. The cast is what makes it seem a bit more promising to me. I like Liam Neeson, and Sam Worthington probably has a great career ahead of him. I think Avatar will do for him what Titanic did for Leonardo DiCaprio. Worthington was also pretty good in Terminator: Salvation.

And here is one that I shouldn't find enjoyable...but I just can't help myself.

MacGruber (this is the 'Red Band' trailer, therefore it is not safe for work)

It looks enormously stupid, but I'm a sucker for the MacGruber sketches on Saturday Night Live, so I'll be going to see this. At least it'll be rated R, which means they can go farther with the humour than they ever could on the show. I'm not overly familiar with Val Kilmer, but I've liked everything I've seen him in, and he was very funny in Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang.

The movies based off of SNL sketches have had mixed success. Wayne's World is legendary, but there is also It's Pat!, which bombed magnificently at the box office. I have hopes for this one, it looks like it will be dumb fun at the very least.

Daybreakers

Kirk and I went to go see The Men Who Stare at Goats on Saturday, and they played this trailer before the movie. We both agreed that it looked interesting, so I thought I would share the trailer with you all: