Mood Indigo
It’s not easy to draw an actual plot from this trailer being that it’s one, a Michael Gondry film, and two, in French, but the basic synopsis seems to be about a guy who falls in love with a woman who’s dying due to the water lily that’s growing inside her lungs. This looks like a fantastically surreal love story with some awesome Gondry-esque visuals, and I’d really like to see it when it eventually comes to the US. After all, I’m a huge Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Amelie fan. (To clarify: Gondry didn’t direct Amelie. But with Audrey Tautou as the lead, I can’t be the only one who went there. Also, it doesn’t hurt that I really like “Ho Hey” by The Lumineers, either, even if it is a little overplayed right now.)
Upside Down
Speaking of surreal love stories . . . I’m pretty sure I posted a trailer for this movie, like, a year ago, but a new trailer for Upside Down has come out, and apparently the movie will finally hit theaters in March. I’m curious about this one too . . . if you’re going to have star-crossed lovers, you should at least make it interesting, and this certainly looks interesting, very Romeo and Juliet with The City and the City. I’m a tiny bit concerned that it’s going to be super serious, all the time — I tend to like my love stories with a bit of quirk and a lot of humor — but I’d still like to see this one, regardless.
Knights of Badassdom
Oh, this movie. I’m sure I’ve posted a trailer for this movie before too, but it’s been stuck in Release Hell for, what? Couple of years now? Anyway, this trailer’s new, and I still so desperately want to see it. It’s the nerdiest premise (LARPers vs a succubus from Hell) with the nerdiest cast (Abed from Community, Tyrion from Game of Thrones, Jason from True Blood, and River from Firefly).
(Also starring Mary Lightly from Psych, Will Bailey from The West Wing, and Fuller Thomas from Joyride. Whenever I think of Steve Zahn, I almost always think of Joyride first — which is particularly funny, because I haven’t even seen it.)
Apparently, Knights of Badassdom still doesn’t have a release date, but I’m crossing my fingers for sometime this year.
Byzantium
Okay, this looks pretty cool. I haven’t watched a lot of Neil Jordan movies — I still need to see The Company of Wolves –– but Interview with the Vampire is my one of my favorite vampire movies of all time, and yeah, that includes Tom Cruise. Yes, I know. Yes, I know. You’re not going to make me dislike his version of Lestat, so please don’t bother trying.
I’m excited about the idea of a mother/daughter vampire story, and the visuals in this trailer look gorgeous. Also, I like Jonny Lee Miller, even when he appears to be playing the Evil Asshole of the movie. Don’t know about the leads themselves — I actually haven’t seen any of Saoirse Ronan’s movies yet, and the only thing I’ve (unfortunately) seen with Gemma Arterton in it is Clash of the Titans. It seems unfair to solely judge her on that. Anyway, this looks dark and intriguing, and I’m hopeful for this one.
And finally . . . From Up on Poppy Hill
This is Studio Ghibli’s latest movie, and if you want a trailer with subtitles, you’ll have to go elsewhere. I’m a snob about live-action dubbing, but I watch most animated movies dubbed, especially when they have voice casts like this one, which includes Gillian Anderson, Christina Hendricks, and Anton Yelchin.
I’m not head over heels for this trailer — the story looks so-so to me — but I’ve enjoyed the majority of Miyazaki films that I’ve seen. (Although not all of them. Have you prepared yourself for the blasphemy? I didn’t enjoy Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind at all.) Miyazaki isn’t directing From Up on Poppy Hill, but he did write it, so we’ll see. I’m somewhat interested, but it’s definitely a rental.
My Geek Blasphemy 
I don’t know how to feel about Mood Indigo. The Science Of Sleep is one of my favourite romance movies, Eternal Sunshine is flat out my favourite movie (tied with May) and I love Audrey Tautou, but I strongly dislike that whole “Oh, I’m dying, isn’t it tragically romantic?” depiction of illness. Maybe the movie won’t portray it that way? I hope so, because apart from that it really looks like something I’d enjoy.
Hopefully not. I don’t mind tragic dying lovers, exactly, but the characters themselves — particularly the person dying — really needs to be an actual well-drawn character, not just Dying Cliche. I’m not sure which way this will go, but I’m still interested.
Mood Indigo
On the one hand I’d say Michel Gondry is very hit and miss. But then on the other hand AUDREY TAUTOU ZOMFG YAY!!!! On the other hand, this looks like some of the most over-indulgent super-quirky BS I’ve ever seen. Most of the trailer shows the two protagonists kissing and that SO doesn’t appeal!
Upside Down
I hope Taylor Kitsch has more luck with this than he did with John Carter of Mars. (No seriously, Jim Sturgess is a complete doppelganger of that guy. They look entirely identical to me!)
I’ve as yet to see Melancholia which apparently showed that Kirsten Dunst has genuine acting talent. Still, I feel I can at least trust her not to screw up a film, even if she’s not exactly an acting powerhouse. The concept of “Upside Down” seems fantastic. It’s good to see a really interesting sci-fi premise.
Saw the trailer for “Knights Of Badassdom” before. Not quite sold on it yet…
Not sure about “Byzantium”. If you want a good Gemma Arterton movie I’d highly recommend “The Disappearance of Alice Creed”. Though I wouldn’t say her own performance was much to write home about, it’s a good little film. Eddie Marsan is great in it, but then again he’s awesome in everything. 🙂
I don’t have any particular problem with Kirsten Dunst, although I’m not always terribly interested in her movies. I’ll force myself to watch Melancholia eventually. It sounds, at the very least, interesting, if hopelessly artsy and tragic. (I can deal with hopelessly artsy, but I usually need a sense of humor to go along with it.)
As someone who’s seen and liked Melancholia, I’d say “interesting, if hopelessly artsy and tragic,” is a pretty accurate assessment. Although I guess I don’t regard that as a bad thing necessarily, depending on what kind of tragic. Kirsten Dunst (and Charlotte Gainsbourg) is terrific in it though.
The premise and cast of Knights Of Badassdom make me want to see it, but it looks like it might be coasting on that premise a bit. And I don’t know, the mix of a succubus as the villain and the group apparently one having Token Girl who’s also there as the fanservice and probably the love interest, is putting my inner feminist on alert. And also, I love Summer Glau, I want her to have more to do than just be The Girl.
I remember being sort of interested in Alice Creed when it came out, but I somehow missed or forgot that Eddie Marsan was in it. Maybe I’ll have to check it out now, I loved him in Mike Leigh’s stuff.
The very basic premise I just read for The Disappearance of Alice Creed didn’t do a lot for me, but I might try it out someday.
I get what you’re saying, about The Girl, and I’d be personally happier if there were more geeky women characters — because of all that BS fake geek girl nonsense — but I’m still too happy with the rest of the cast to get particularly worked up about it now before I’ve watched the film. If Summer Glau’s role isn’t horrifically egregious, and if they can pull off the premise without turning it into, “Aren’t nerds hilariously stupid? Ha ha HA.” Well, then I’ll probably be happy.