Poster art for Victoria

Trailer for Victoria Teases Entire Film Shot in One Take

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The "trend" of long takes has been growing in recent years thanks to films like Alfonso Cuaron's Children of Men and Gravity and, most recently, Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance). In fact, both Gravity and Birdman were huge hits at the past two Oscars, with each film winning a plethora of awards, including Best Cinematography and Best Director (amongst many others). However, while each film showcased clever editing and long takes, they don't quite push it as far as the upcoming German film, Victoria.

Directed by Sebastian Schipper, Victoria is an action/thriller about a the titular Victoria, a party girl from Madrid visiting Berlin, who gets wrapped up in a crime with a group of men she just met. More importantly, the entire film was shot in one take. No edits, no cuts, no CGI, just a camera rolling non-stop for two and a half hours. The concept is amazing, but so hard to accomplish, especially for an independent film. The trailer, obviously, is cut and edited to set the stage for the film.

The film debuted earlier this year and won a Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Feature Film, Direction, Actress in a Leading Role, Cinematography, and Music at the German Film Awards 2015, which is a great sign for the film.

Victoria will be in theaters on October 9th.

Victoria, a young woman from Madrid, meets four local Berliners outside a nightclub. Sonne and his friends promise to show her a good time and the real side of the city. But these lads have gotten themselves into hot water: they owe someone a dangerous favor that requires repaying that evening. As Victoria’s flirtation with Sonne deepens into something more, he convinces her to come along for the ride. And later, when things become more ominous and possibly lethally dangerous for Sonne, she insists on coming along. As the night takes on an ever more menacing character, what started out as a good time, quickly spirals out of control. As dawn approaches, Victoria and Sonne address the inevitable: it’s all or nothing and they abandon themselves to a heart-stopping race into the depths of hell.


The Good Dinosaur concept art

Pixar Turns Back Time with The Good Dinosaur Trailer

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What would have happened if dinosaurs never went extinct? That's the question Pixar wants to answer with their upcoming film, The Good Dinosaur. Of course, like all things Pixar, the film has a fun side to go along with more serious themes, which are on display in this first trailer.

Directed by Peter Sohn (who originally co-directed the film with Bob Peterson before the latter was removed from production due to story problems back in August 2013), The Good Dinosaur is about a young apatosaurus that befriends a caveboy after being separated from the rest of his family. Together, they traverse the wilderness and its various threats.

The film is Sohn's directorial debut, and would have been Peterson's directorial follow-up to Up; don't worry, Peterson is still with Pixar and is currently working on another unnamed film. The Good Dinosaur was originally scheduled for a May 2014 release, but was delayed due to the aforementioned story problems, causing Pixar to lay off 60+ employees. The film's new direction also caused many re-writes and re-casting, with actors like Neil Patrick Harris, Bill Hader, and Judy Greer removed and/or replaced.

The Good Dinosaur will be crashing into theaters on November 25th.


Promotional art of Daniel Craig as James Bond in SPECTRE

New SPECTRE Trailer Reboots The James Bond Iconography

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With the end of Skyfall having left Daniel Craig's rebooted James Bond at effectively the same point in his timeline where his predecessors started, the latest trailer for SPECTRE, set for release in the UK on October 26th and the rest of the world on November 7th, sets up much of the series' most famous iconography for a spectacular return.

Most notable for fans will be the remix of John Barry's On Her Majesty's Secret Service theme, a piece of music somehow even Bondier than the main Bond theme and an important signal for the direction we can expect the SPECTRE plot to take. On Her Majesty, of course, was the movie which saw Bond get married before his bride was cruelly murdered by supervillain, Ernst Stavro Blofeld. That this trailer showcases not only the OHMSS theme but also plenty of snowy mountain action and heavy hints at Blofeld's return - check out Christoph Waltz rocking that Nehru jacket - suggests now would be a very good time to revisit George Lazenby's only outing in the series... not least to reappraise the Australian actor's hugely underrated performance.

The trailer contains plenty of other nods to the series' heritage. The SPECTRE meeting recalls Thunderball. Bond on a train brings back memories of From Russia With Love, while his white dinner jacket - let's hope he's in slightly warmer climes than the mountainous region glimpsed earlier to avoid a satorial faux-pas - marks the return of a classic Bond look. The sitting back in a white-shirt-with-holster combo is pure Dr. No and also referenced in Tomorrow Never Dies. Monica Bellucci gets a similar unzipping - if lacking a certain magnetism - to Miss Caruso in Live & Let Die, while the return of Mr. White directly connects the movie to two of Daniel Craig's previous Bond adventures, Casino Royale and Quantum Of Solace.

Of course, as Star Trek Into Darkness so ineptly proved, a reboot cannot thrive simply by rearranging its history. The trailer shows off some cool new stuff as well, not least a jaw-dropping barrel roll from a helicopter (just in time for Starfox Zero!), some gorgeous cinematography, Ralph Fiennes' M getting his first opportunity to be grumpy in an office, and an endearingly hammy villain line from Waltz ("I am the author of all your pain"). Less encouraging is Bond going rogue yet again, his unforgivable collar pin (Tom Ford, sigh), snippets of clichéd dialogue ("Right now, I'm your best chance of staying alive.") and a few scenes which feel a little too close to similar moments from Craig's three previous movies. Making such a direct connection to OHMSS also threatens to hugely raise the stakes for Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann if she's to go head to head with Diana Rigg's Teresa Di Vicenzo, aka Bond's missus and the series' most fully rounded female lead.

Regardless, it's a new Bond film and therefore excitement was mandatory even before that exquisite OHMSS theme kicked in. Having read a fairly recent draft of the script, there's one major narrative problem which needs to be sorted out, but if it can overcome that, the result could be a fitting successor to the hugely enjoyable Skyfall. I wasn't mad about the Casino Royale script when that leaked either, so there's a positive precedent here at least. Anyone looking to bone up on their Bond lore ahead of time might want to check out all the movies listed above - hell, just watch all of them - plus the OHMSS novel and Octopussy short story.


Film still of The Revenant

Trailer for Alejandro G. Inarritu's The Revenant is Astounding

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What happens when you combine perennial fan-favorite Leonardo DiCaprio, Mad Max: Fury Road's Tom Hardy (who is a fan-favorite himself), and Academy Award-winning Alejandro G. Inarritu (Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance))? Hopefully, one of this year's best films, if this first teaser trailer is any indication of the final film.

The Revenant is inspired by the true events of Hugh Glass (DiCaprio), a frontiersman during the 19th Century that was left for dead by his hunting team following a bear attack. However, he still perseveres through the struggles... even after a betrayal by his close friend and confidant, John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy).

The trio of DiCaprio, Hardy, and Inarritu is enough to elevate the hype for The Revenant. It looks amazing, the aesthetic Inarritu established with Birdman is sound and in tact, and DiCaprio and Hardy of two of Hollywood's best actors. The wait for The Revenant will be a long one, as it receives a limited release on Christmas with a wider release on January 8, 2016.


Film still of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in Sisters

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler Reunite in Sisters Trailer

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The team of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler has become a force to be reckoned with in recent years, strengthened by their real life friendship (and the public spillover that has ingratiated the duo even more with fans). They're banking on their natural comedic chemistry with one another to empower their upcoming film, Sisters, teamed together with another rising comedic voice in Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore.

Fey and Poehler star as polar opposite sisters who have to clean out their childhood bedroom before their family sells the house. Wanting to re-live the glory days of their youth, they decide to throw one final house party. The script is writer Paula Pell's first feature screenplay, but she has also written for Saturday Night Live30 RockBridesmaids, and This is 40.

The trailer has its ups and downs, but the real highlights are when Fey and Poehler can build off of one another's jokes, the kind of chemistry we've grown to love in Apatow films. Plus, the more we can get out of Fey and Poehler sharing screen time, the better.

Sisters will be out in theaters on December 18th.


Promotional Fantastic Four photo of Michael B. Jordan, Miles Teller, Kate Mara, and Jamie Bell

Fantastic Four Flex Their Powers in Final Trailer

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While San Diego Comic Con 2015 was a huge hit for superhero films, Fantastic Four unfortunately got buried beneath the hype surrounding DeadpoolBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and Suicide Squad. After all, it's hard to build more excitement for a film with no new information and scheduled for a release less than a month away.

Nevertheless, Fox is prepared for Fantastic Four to be a big hit, as showcased in this final trailer for the film. The trailer holds no punches back (pun intended) by showing off each of the Fantastic Four's powers. The new cut is decidedly more action-oriented and should help sway any potential moviegoers on the fence. Don't forget, this is the year for Michael B. Jordan.

Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, and Toby Kebbell all star with Josh Trank directing. Fantastic Four will be in theaters on August 7th.


Film still of Michael Fassbender in Steve Jobs

Watch Michael Fassbender as Steve Jobs in New Trailer

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Aaron Sorkin has made quite the name for himself in recent years thanks to the success of The Social NetworkMoneyball, and The Newsroom, and can be characterized by his punchy dialogue. Danny Boyle has been a bit more quiet recently, but is known for his stylistic aesthetic in films like Trainspotting28 Days Later127 Hours, and Slumdog Millionaire. The combination of both Sorkin and Boyle's styles comes together in the upcoming Steve Jobs, a biopic on the Apple magnate that focuses on three of his product launches, culminating with 1998's iMac release.

Michael Fassbender (FrankX-Men: Days of Future Past) portrays Steve Jobs alongside a star-studded cast that includes Seth Rogen (The Interview) as Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Kate Winslet (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), and Jeff Daniels (The MartianThe Newsroom) as former Apple CEO John Sculley. While there are similarities to the Ashton Kutcher-led Jobs, the critical reception for that film has been terrible, with those portrayed in the film balking at their portrayals and the film's script.

However, with Boyle and Sorkin at the wheel, Steve Jobs looks to be a bigger, better beast than Jobs, and it has the talent and star power (sorry, Ashton) to be the de facto Steve Jobs biopic. Steve Jobs will be in theaters on October 9th.


Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis in Sleeping with Other People film still

Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis Star in Sleeping With Other People Trailer

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Alison Brie has been a charming presence on both Community and Mad Men over the years, but finally, it's time for her to break out and cement herself in Hollywood. What better way to do that than by starring in a sex-filled rom-com?

Written and directed by Leslye Headland (About Last Night), Sleeping with Other People stars Alison Brie and Jason Sudeikis (SNLHorrible Bosses 2), two sex addicts who've reunited years after their first encounter. As they both face similar problems, the duo decide to keep their relationship platonic despite the intense attraction they feel towards one another. As is often the case, shenanigans and antics arise that will test just how strong their will is.

Sleeping with Other People premiered at Sundance earlier this year, and while I didn't get a chance to catch the film due to scheduling conflicts, it's been on my radar since. Hopefully, general audiences will keep it on theirs when the film hits theaters on September 11th.