Two new trailers in the right-hand trailer bar (and linked below). Clint Eastwood is always a significant presence come awards season and Hereafter looks like it could follow his usual pattern. I hear great things about Cecile De France in this film, Damon is riding high on last year's Invictus (also for Eastwood) nomination and also appears in a supporting role in the Coens' True Grit this year - doubling his chances again as he did last year with a lead turn in The Informant! alongside Invictus' supporting role.This looks to be an Eastwood film with a rare large scale and effects work. He has done large scale with effects before (most recently in the brilliant Letters From Iwo Jima and it's less successful companion picture Flags Of Our Fathers).
Unfortunately for all Eastwood's greatness as a director he has in the past shown a fatal flaw, the selection of unknown/child actors. Few people could dispute that the young actors in Gran Torino were terrible, especially the boy. Here even just a snippet of the boy in Hereafter gives the distinct impression of a terrible, wooden performance. Unfair to judge completely on a moment in a trailer but the kid could once again be the fly in the ointment here.
Then we have The Fighter. What to make of this? I am well on record as a supporter of the boxing film. I believe boxing is the most cinematic of sports subjects. Raging Bull may be my favourite film but there are numerous great films that revolve around boxers and boxing, such as: Rocky and its subsequent sequels, Cinderella Man (ignoring Zellweger), The Hurricane, Girlfight, Ali, Million Dollar Baby and Somebody Up There Likes Me.The Fighter looks good. Generally i don't like Mark Wahlberg but he just got in my good books by being funnier than Will Ferrell in The Other Guys and this looks like one of those roles he can pull off. Add in the always good Amy Adams (although i admit to not having seen the apparently wretched Leap Year) and a typically immersive supporting turn from Christian Bale (is this finally the year he'll get a long overdue nomination?) and i'm there.
Of course it is David O Russell who made the irritatingly smug I Heart Huckabees and comes off as a total ass! But then he also did the great Three Kings, so i'll give him a pass.
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