The Headliner

The Artist

Hey, it's that thing that won all the things!

You should maybe go see Wrath of the Titans, the sequel to Clash of the Titans, this weekend. Why?, you ask? It looks really dumb, you say? It’s not even clear that any Krakens will be released, you astutely point out? Listen: I have it on good authority that it is, at least, better than the awful first movie. None other than its star, heroically candid Australian-Na’vi Sam Worthington, said so!

4:44 Last Day on Earth (March 23)

Silver: “It’s an end-of-days movie, written and directed by Abel Ferrara.” Now that’s a statement that separates 4:44 Last Day on Earth from the glut of other apocalyptic thrillers thrust upon us (seemingly) once a month.

After such affirming and sunny features (kidding) as Bad Lieutenant and King of New York, it’ll be interesting to see what Ferrara does with the topic of Judgment Day. And for good measure, he’s even brought along Mr. Creepy himself (a.k.a. Willem Dafoe) to sprinkle in some crucial bug-eyed gawking.

Jibes aside, I actually kind of dug this trailer, and am sincerely intrigued by this film. I’ve always thought there are two ways to make a good sci-fi horror/thriller: (1) straight fun (Zack Snyder’s 2004 Dawn of the Dead), or (2) use the subject matter as a way to comment on society (George Romero’s 1978 Dawn of the Dead). It appears Ferrara took this metaphor-ripe material and went with option no. 2, and, at least based on the trailer, seems to say that we civilization are on our last breath ... and that we had it coming. Now that’s an Abel Farrara movie.

Browne:When the phrase "today it doesn't matter where you live or how much money you have, we are all about to face the same fate at the same moment" was stated, this film immediately had my attention. That's the opposite of every "the world is ending" film that's come out, in preparation for the real thing, because the premise of each previous has been "today, if you live in the right place or have seven billion dollars, you can secure yourself a different fate on an ark or a spaceship, unlike the rest of the common folk." Bravo, Mr. Ferrara, for finally keeping it real with us. I can't wait for this.

Wrath of the Titans (March 30)

Dan Silver: When discussing the Wrath of the Titans trailer, the predictable snide critiques would most likely revolve around how the filmmakers have clearly channeled their inner “Michael Bay-hem” to forgo any sense of story and just create an orgy of computer rendered havoc OR how it’s now clear that any producer can play dress-up with such venerable performers as Ralph Fiennes and Liam Neeson if you pay them enough OR even how the best part of the trailer is the use of Marilyn Manson’s “Sweet Dreams”. Even though all this is true, the pieces of the trailer which stood out most to me were how fresh and unsoiled the film’s female lead (Rosamund Pike) looked. She’s in four shots (at :59, 1:08, 1:35, and 1:36) and in each one she almost sparkles. For a film that is supposed to take place in the sand and dust enveloped ancient Greece, she looks like she’s just walked out of her trailer after taking a shower. It’s immensely distracting. But ultimately, who cares right? Although beautiful and talented, audiences are not coming to the theater to see her. They're buying their ticket to see a two sided, sword wielding monster tear people down on a battlefield.

Rembert Browne: Silver, I’m so glad you brought up that two-sided monster, because it’s actually the only thing I have to discuss regarding this horrible trailer. Just curious, is that the first two-sided monster in the history of film? If not, I want to see any past films with two-sided monsters, ASAP. Judging by its skill set, agility, and complete disregard for life, it seems pretty unstoppable, so if this movie actually contains a plot where two-sided monsters are defeated, it better be by a four-sided monster. If not, I’m calling shenanigans and spinning out of the theater.