"Abduction": If your friends strong-armed you into watching the "Twilight" (2008, '08 and '09) movies like ours did, you'll be disappointed by the number of bullets Taylor Lautner manages to avoid in the "Abducted" trailer — what if they were silver?
Gimmicky, death-defying stunts aside, you can tell this is Lautner's endeavor into "real acting" because he's wearing a shirt throughout the entire trailer. The film, which seems to marry the plots of "The Bourne Identity" (2002) and Caroline Cooney's 1990 novel, "The Face on the Milk Carton," presents lame action and a mope fest worthy of, well, a "Twilight" star. Against a montage of attempted flirting, rad pool parties and wrestling matches, Lautner laments, "Inside, I just feel like I'm a stranger in my own life." One creepy abducted-kids-meet-aging-software website later, it becomes clear that he probably is, and suddenly, cops are knocking on Lautner's door, some major FBI butt is getting kicked, and Lautner, who is apparently a BFD to national defense for unexplained reasons, is on the run with a lady friend, a sexy silver car (Cullen envy?) and a moody hoodie.
"Crazy, Stupid, Love.": It's barely been six years since "Hitch" (2005) hit the big screen, but with Hollywood's remake epidemic, it comes as little surprise that studios would try once again to bank on a successful formula. Enter "Crazy, Stupid, Love." — a movie that promises to be a mix between "Hitch," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" (2003-07) and, to a lesser degree, an ode to Ryan Gosling's abs.
The story follows a young, hot playboy (Gosling) who gives tips to an older, less suave male (Steve Carell) on how to score with the opposite sex. While the majority of women will seemingly sleep with anything in a fitted suit jacket, the actual love interests (Emma Stone and Julianne Moore) prove to be more complex, suggesting that one in 10 women may actually have a brain. "Crazy, Stupid, Love." is a clear step down from Ryan Gosling's recent "Blue Valentine" and Julianne Moore's "The Kids are Alright" — but we guess movie stars have bills to pay, too.
"The Beaver": Walter Black (Mel Gibson) has lost all hope. He's not successful, he's not happy and his wife (Jodie Foster) has kicked him out of the house indefinitely. But right when things are looking their worst, a miracle happens: He finds a beaver puppet in a dumpster and begins working through his issues by talking to it.
Soon enough, he's taking The beaver everywhere he goes (including the shower) and communicating with others through him. He even quits his job and leaves The beaver in charge. While playing crazy isn't much of a stretch for Gibson, we're still confident he'll deliver the laughs and tears like he always does. And yes, this movie is actually real — Foster directed it herself.
"Rise of the Planet of the Apes": This is Hollywood's seventh entry in the "Planet of the Apes" film franchise, yet it seems like they still haven't gotten it right. First off, there are far fewer apes in the world than humans, so it seems unlikely that they could overthrow gun-toting armies just because they gain a little intelligence. Not to mention the United States' annual defense and military budget, which alone is roughly $1 trillion. Surely some of that must be spent on anti-monkey weaponry.
Secondly, why do half the shots look like they were left over from "King Kong" (2005)? Computer animated primates running around and climbing on buildings doesn't have to be revisited.
James Franco stars in this prequel and even his acting can't save all the overdramatic clips. People keep saying things like, "Some things aren't meant to be changed!" And there are enough intense reaction shots to make these generic phrases seem groundbreaking. Apes aren't humans, huh? Thank you, Brian Cox, for clearing that up, because we really weren't sure for a second there.
"The Help": Originally a novel by Kathryn Stockett, "The Help" (2009) was the talk of suburban book groups for the past year. The movie trailer was just released, and you can almost hear the collective soccer-mom shriek and the rustle of the calendar pages as group outings are planned and babysitters hired. People love when their favorite books become movies (see Weekender feature), and this will certainly be no exception.
Focusing on a small town in Mississippi, the story follows a journalist attempting to give credence to the black maids of the town, often slighted and ignored by their white employers. Our generation recognizes Emma Stone as the girl who wouldn't sleep with Jonah Hill in "Superbad" (2007), but in the lead role as a crusading 1960s southern journalist, she may have a chance to prove herself.
—compiled by the Daily Arts Department
