Trailers Of The Week: ‘Friends With Kids,’ ‘The Raven,’ ‘The Raid: Redemption’ And More

Friends With Kids

Fink: I love the ensemble in this, which looks like a reunion of Bridesmaids stars and another favorite actor of mine, Adam Scott (excellent in Party Down and Parks and Recreation). This film looks fresh and charming as hell, but I’m worried that it will draw the wrong crowd to it expecting to get Bridesmaids level laughs, instead of reaching a more mature 30-something crowd. Maybe it’s because I’m only 22, but this type of film always leaves me in a melancholy mood. The thought of growing up, growing apart, and seeing everyone you know do the same is a bit unnerving…And then there’s having kids on top of that. I hope that this uneasy reality makes a refined comedy out of the film, and I wish it the best, though I’ll probably wait to see this one after the theaters.
Sidenote: Jennifer Westfeldt is directing and starring alongside her real-life partner, Jon Hamm. So even if her film bombs, no biggie right? Because…Jon Hamm.

Muska: Some thoughts:

—I’m glad the cast of Bridesmaids is doing this instead of a Bridesmaids sequel. And that Adam Scott gets to be in it. I was hoping they wouldn’t go the Hangover ‘sequel-as-a-cash-grab’ route. This approach has worked well for David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer/Role Models/Wanderlust). I’ll definitely see this for that reason, and because I love romantic comedies. Especially if they’re heavy on the comedy.
—I would bet money on a Melissa McCarthy cameo.
—Someday, when I am in bed with a woman, I will ask her if I ‘may approach the bench.’
—Kegeling is a good things for guys to do as well, because it is said to improve longevity and bladder control.

—I’m 24. That feeling you’re having now? It doesn’t go away, Fink.

The Raven

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PGDV1SWRkQ

Muska: I love Edgar Allan Poe and John Cusack. Not sure how much I’m going to love Cusack as Poe, but I’m still really excited to see this one, and will definitely do so in theaters. Probably while I’m too drunk to stand, in homage to my man Edgar.

The plot seems great, too. Somebody is offing people in a style inspired by Poe’s stories, and the cops bring Poe in to help them investigate. The murderer challenges Poe to find him, and shit seems to get real quicklike. At one point in this trailer, Poe vows to kills this guy/girl. To kill him/her dead. I like the intensity.

I’m a fan of this newish thing where filmmakers/writers go back in time to valuable historic figures and create a fictional account of something they did. Like, if you can mix Abe Lincoln’s factual history into him hunting for vampires, that could be a fun way to learn about him. Same goes for Poe; I’m sure a lot of people who are unfamiliar with his short stories will see this and decide to read some of them, which is excellent because the dude was boss.

Fink: Is someone considered a copycat killer if their murders are copying fictitious killers? Anyway, Edgar Allan Poe is throwing a murder party, and I’m RSVPing right now. I love that John Cusack is playing Poe, and he looks like he’s going to do the man justice by being a complete badass detective. The trailer has a nice balance of plot and kickassery, both of which get me excited to see this. I’m going to join Muska and be totally drunk to see this, and hopefully I won’t end up in a gutter with some other dude’s clothes on (which is how Poe died, that’s how boss he was).

The Raid: Redemption

Fink: “Come on honey, let’s go see The Raid: Redemption tonight.” — No one’s girlfriend.
Alright, so guys might have to get a little clever to sell their ladies on this one, but if you love martial arts action flicks as much as I do I’m sure you can find in your heart that special combination of words and strike a deal. Ever since I was a kid I have loved well choreographed martial arts that add to a fresh or unique plot, and this looks to deliver all of the above. The Linkin Park musician credit made me cringe for a second, but hey, if it’s just the background noise of people back flipping and neck breaking I think I can deal. For some reason I was reminded of both Game of Death and Oldboy while watching this, and I’m not mad about either of those connections. Here’s to hoping that the film isn’t just completely style over substance which is what the trailer suggests, though I suspect it has a few interesting tricks up it’s sleeve. If I can’t catch this one in theaters I will definitely see it at home, where alcohol can amplify my senses to match the big screen hits and explosions.

Muska: I’m usually not much of a fan of action minus plot, but I think I would go see this one, and I would be happy without a complicated plot. From what I’ve seen, these cops (one of whom is going to be angry as Hell because his wife is pregnant back home, and also sort of drained physically because he was working out in his house before going on this raid) get locked in this huge ass building and have a battle royale with a ruthless drug dealer and his henchman. I’m going to have to wait and see this at home, though, because I know there are going to be a bunch of those moments where I really want to shout ‘OOOOHHHHHH’ like Blake Griffin just put his nuts in somebody’s face, and I lack restraint.

Ice Age: Continental Drift

Fink: I don’t have a huge amount of interest in this one, though I do think that the Ice Age franchise should be respected for turning out 3 fun films that have grossed an incredible amount of money. The reason I am neutral on the Ice Age films is that despite being cute, funny, and harmless, I don’t even remember the three main animals’ names after 3 movies, or the plots for that matter. Other animated franchises like Toy Story bring on the nostalgia at the very mention of the names Woody and Buzz. So with Continental Drift we have Scrat chasing the nut again, losing the nut again, and ruining everything…again. Adventure and hilarity obviously ensue, with our usual cast of voices plus a handful of some interesting looking new characters (Peter Dinklage voices the pirate, Captain Gutt). Parents: take your kids, guys: take your girlfriends. You might score some points and what’s more, you may end up being a lot more into this film than I am.

Muska: I haven’t been one of those people who has kept up with every Pixar movie that comes out, so I’ve only seen the first Ice Age installment, and I remember very little from it. (I was drunk when I watched it and it was just before I accidentally told a girl I loved her, but that is another story for another time.) But I think a lot of the desire people will have to see this movie is because it stirs in them the nostalgia we get from Toy Story, since we were tiny when the first one came out. People a few years younger than us might be feeling the same thing about this Ice Age. I can see this being a movie that, if I had children, I would take them to see like it was a treat for them, but knowing there would be some solid parts I could get some enjoyment out of. Thinking about this trailer has made me feel old.

Also, are these like the next attempt at something like the Land Before Time series, where you make a bunch of sequels to a movie about prehistoric animals?

Men In Black 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyaFEBI_L24

Muska: I was about 11 seconds into this trailer when I started singing this in my head, and I don’t think it’s going to stop for the rest of the day. I wonder if Will Smith is like Mark Wahlberg, where he’s at a place in his career where he thinks he’s too good/serious to make rap music with whacky lyrics. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Smith bust out some sort of rap during this movie or when the credits roll or something, because he’s just a more fun-seeming person than Wahlberg, who prefers to spend his forties not beating off and making asinine remarks about 9/11.

I cannot get over how much Josh Brolin looks like Tommy Lee Jones. To have him play young Jones is probably one of the best casting moves I’ve seen in a while.

Fink: If Will Smith does throw down some whacky lyrics to this, let’s just hope that it’s with DJ Jazzy Jeff and cool sunglasses/flattops will be involved. It’s been 10 years since MIB2, which I thought sucked, but this trailer looks like it will be a fun watch. I like the addition of Brolin to the squad, who I always enjoy seeing. Another name I see on the cast list is Jemaine Clement, half of Flight of the Conchords and hilarious Kiwi, so that’s a bonus. While I probably won’t see this in theaters, I can say that I won’t hate on all of the promo and marketing this one shoves in our faces just for the nostalgia factor. Every kid my age loved the original MIB, and if they didn’t see it that was probably just because “man….Parent’s Just Don’t Understand.”

________

Josh Finkenbinder is a senior Cinema and Digital Arts major at Point Park University in Pittsburgh, PA. Outside of school and work, Josh loves film, reading, writing, music, and a good beverage. His heroes include Bill Murray and Benjamin Franklin, because he always wondered who would win in a fight. Josh aspires to work in the arts, though he would be quite happy to settle down and open up a snow cone stand, providing there’s plenty of sun. If interested, follow him on Twitter: @jfinkenbinder

Scott Muska is at @scottmuska.

Comments