Trailer Park: The A-Team

BRADLEY COOPER! That is all.

The A-Team Promo

I have not posted about Bradley Cooper since August. What is wrong with me?! I still love you, Bradley, don't worry. Anyhow, via /Film comes the first official look at The A-Team, in which Coop stars as Faceman. Check out the HQ over at /Film! The A-Team is set for a June 11, 2010 release and also stars Liam Neeson and Jessica Biel.

All About Steve poster

Bradley Cooper plays the titular Steve and gets third billing? THIRD?! Don't get me wrong, I've loved Thomas Haden Church since his Ned & Stacy days, long before Sideways fans hopped on the bandwagon. But Sideways is 5 years ago. What's with the 2nd billing? Bradley Cooper is one of the hottest actors working in Hollywood today thanks to The Hangover. Good Lord, 20th Century Fox, try to bank on that! The movie looks awful, the poster is awful. I don't look at this poster and think it's ALL ABOUT STEVE. I'm wondering why Sandra Bullock looks crazy. And if I didn't have any knowledge about the movie, I'd be wondering which of these guys IS Steve. Step it up, 20th Century Fox.

My Least Favorite Final Girls

I grew up watching the Halloweens and Elm Streets, but never paid much attention to the Final Girl, our female lead, the last chick standing. I was interested in Freddy, not Nancy or Kristen or Alice. It was only after the release of Scream and the resurrection of the (teen) horror genre that I became aware of the 'Final Girl' principle and began rooting for her.

However, there are a few Final Girls I just cannot stand. I was rooting for the killer to you know, kill her. I'm going to present you with my top 3 least favorite Final Girls. Problem here is that I'm not entirely sure it's the characters I hate or the actresses portraying them. I dug up my old (unpublished on this site) reviews and I'm mostly hating on the actresses and their awfulness. I will post these snippets for your my entertainment.

Please note that this blog is written from a Young Hollywood (circa 1997-2003) viewpoint. I miss those days when Freddie Prinze Jr. was in every other release, the American Pie cast was a breath of fresh air and Scarlett J. wasn't overexposed yet, but I digress. Therefore I'm going for post-Scream teen horror Final Girls and not from more obscure flicks. But feel free to post your own 'favorites' from any horror movie in the comment section.

3) Natalie Simon (Alicia Witt) in Urban Legend (1998)
This one pains me, because I actually really like Alicia Witt. It took a few years after Urban Legend for me to like her though. I honestly think she grew into a pretty wonderful actress. But no matter how much like I have for her, I will always hate her character in Urban Legend. Every other character is more interesting than Natalie. She's just kinda there. The rest of the cast seems to be having so much more fun with it: Rebecca Gayheart, Michael Rosenbaum, Tara Reid, Josh Jackson, Loretta Devine, Robert Englund. Even Jared "I don't want to be here" Leto.

An excerpt from my original review after its theatrical release:
'Leading lady Alicia Witt is a bit disappointing. While other films had the likes of Neve Campbell and Jennifer Love Hewitt heading up the cast, Alicia isn't able to keep her character interesting. Her co-stars Rebecca Gayheart, Tara Reid and Michael Rosenbaum are much more entertaining to watch.'

Looking back, I was being kind. Also, why was I giving Jennifer Love Hewitt props for I Know What You Did Last Summer? Her character, Julie James, could be on this list! Anyways, there's a line that always makes me cringe. Natalie says something like 'Someone is taking all these stories and making them reality.' The delivery of that line is just awful. Is it the screenplay? Is it Witt? I don't know, but I know enough to put Natalie on the third spot of my list.

2) Cassie (Melissa Sagemiller) in Soul Survivors (2001)
I have only seen Soul Survivors once, a long time ago, when it was a new rental at my videostore. While time has softened my hate for the movie a bit, I only have to look at my original review to stop me from checking it out again. It's starts with the following sentence: 'Sorry, but this is just crap.' And then I think of Melissa Sagemiller as Cassie and I'm totally cured of the thought of watching Soul Survivors. 'Sagemiller is a terrible actress, who isn't interesting enough to carry a film.' I didn't go into detail in my review and I don't remember Cassie very well, but my strong dislike has remained over the past 8 years.

I also hated Sagemiller in the comedy Sorority Boys, but was kinder when she did Get Over It: 'Melissa Sagemiller as Alison is okay. She seems less bland than she was in movies like Soul Survivors and Sorority Boys.' So I guess that's it. Sagemiller was bland in SS and that's not the kind of quality you want in your Final Girl. She has to be the kind of girl you want to root for!

1) Julia Lund (Laura Regan) in They (2002)
To see how deep my hate goes, you really have to read my original review:

'When Billy (Jon Abrahams) and his friend Julia (Laura Regan) were little, they used to be afraid of monsters, which they called, well, They. Years later, Billy’s still afraid. He calls Julia, they meet up, and he kills himself. Julia starts seeing Them again, and when she comes in contact with Billy’s friends Sam (Ethan Embry) and Terry (Dagmara Dominczyk), she finds out she’s not the only one. Will They get her?
For the love of GOD I hope the answer is YES! Laura Regan has to be the worst actress EVER. And I’m not the kind of person who would say that, but people who are claiming that Tara Reid is awful, have obviously not seen this movie. Laura Regan is the worst actress EVER! I thought Alicia Witt was cringe-worthy, but this is horrible.'

I have never softened up to Regan or her performance. Regan also happened to be the Final Girl in My Little Eye (Bradley Cooper! Kris Lemche!), a movie I have rewatched a couple of times, and it just reinforces my hate for her in They.

I was checking reviews for They and I had to laugh when I read the following over at DarkHorizons: 'Weaker still are the performances. Laura Reagan is as bad as that chick from "Soul Survivors" - overacting and not very convincing at doing the hysterical "seeing things" routine.' I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels this way.

Tell me, who are your least favorite Final Girls?

The Proposal is a success?

I continue to be puzzled by The Proposal's box office success this summer. Box Office Mojo tells me the romcom is currently sitting on $145 million domestically! That's the 13th highest grossing movie this year, sitting right between Paul Blart: Mall Cop at #12 with $146m and Liam Neeson's Taken at #14 with $145m (but a few thousand less than The Proposal). Since the film is still in theaters it's more than likely the movie will surpass Mall Cop.

I saw the movie weeks ago, didn't have time to write/post a review and now I barely remember the movie. I mean, I liked the movie, I'm just not sure what I liked about it. Well, besides Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock.

Or maybe that's just it. People really like Reynolds and Bullock. According to Box Office Mojo, The Proposal's opening weekend gross of $33 million is Bullock's highest opening ever. While Bullock is one of America's sweethearts and most of her movies end up doing pretty well or at least decent, her openings are not that strong. Her previous career best opening is 2007's Premonition with $17m. It's been a while since Bullock starred in a romcom like The Proposal. Romance The Lake House was released in 2006 and comedy Miss Congeniality 2 was released in 2005! Her last true romantic comedy was 2002's Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant! Were people suffering from Bullock withdrawal and en masse flocked to the theater when The Proposal was released?

Then there's Reynolds, who has turned into quite the capable leading man since his days on Two Guys, a Girl, & a Pizzaplace. People generally like him and his supporting role in Wolverine was well received. Excluding Wolverine (which clearly wasn't about him), Reynold's career best is also The Proposal. His previous highest opening was for 2005's The Amityville Horror, which grossed $23.5 million. Reynolds seems to be one of those actors that appeals to both females and males. I never hear guys say they like that Orlando Bloom guy. But Reynolds has appeared in a lot of guy flicks, such as Van Wilder, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, Blade: Trinity and the aforementioned Wolverine. Has his casting helped The Proposal? Would guys rather take their girlfriends to a romcom starring Ryan Reynolds than, say, Matthew McConaughey?

Take McConaughey's latest romcom, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (awful title, btw). The movie opened only a few weeks earlier than The Proposal. It grossed $15 million in its opening weekend and ended up grossing $55 million domestically. To be fair to McConaughey, his previous three romcoms (Fool's Gold, Failure to Launch, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) all grossed between $20-$25 million in their opening weekends. Nothing to be ashamed about at all!

So what I really have been wondering lately is why is The Proposal a big hit and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past came and went without much notice? I wasn't too kind to both movies when I reviewed their trailers, but I gave kudos to GOGP for being less generic than The Proposal. Though it seems pretty obvious how both will play out, yes? I didn't want to see either on the big screen, but ended up seeing The Proposal just because a friend wanted to go see it. She thought it looked funny.

Maybe The Proposal is just the better movie. Maybe people were tired of McConaughey's romcoms and were waiting for Bullock's instead. Maybe Ghosts of Girlfriends Past just isn't an appealing title. Who knows?

Bullock & Cooper in All About Steve

I'm hoping to figure at least part of this out when Bullock's next romcom, All About Steve is released on September 4. She plays an eccentric crossword puzzler who think CCN cameraman Steve (sexy Bradley Cooper) is her true love and follows him around the country. I've seen the trailer and the movie looks awful. But both Bullock and Cooper are at career highs at the moment so I expect the movie to do well despite its awfulness. If so, it seems it doesn't really matter how awful or generic a romcom is, as long as you have two appealing leads, the movie will do well at the box office. To be continued...

Bradley Cooper for the Win!

Haven't been around much. Whoops! I haven't posted about Bradley Cooper in about 3 weeks. What is wrong with me?! Anyhow, that doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about posting about him. I mean, The Hangover topped the box office this weekend, which is AMAZING! At first, when the estimates were released, I was bummed. Bummed as in 'Damn you Up!'. But then I saw the actuals on Monday and well, that was just the best part of my day. Which actually says more about my crappy day, but hey. Nearly $45 million for an R-rated comedy. That is serious business kids. Plus, the movie has good reviews. The movie is even fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (77%). Good word of mouth will make sure this movie has legs and make it one of the most profitable films of the summer! It's $35 million production budget has already been earned back in one weekend!

I will finally check the movie out this upcoming Tuesday. Can't wait!

Also, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed Coop is in talks to play Faceman in The A-Team. Good lord, Fox, cast him already!

Coop, you're killing me

Seriously, Bradley Cooper, I don't have time to post about anything else anymore! Important things like how in the world Man-Bangs got cast in Footloose! That will now have to wait because Chud.com talked with Coop, who told them his earlier A-Team comments were taken out of context and that he hasn't even read the script.

No Green Lantern. No A-Team. Somebody hire this guy already, kay?

The Weekly Cooper Update

I meant to post this yesterday, but I was busy with other stuff. Anyhow, new week so new Bradley Cooper scoop!

IESB.net reports that Coop is playing Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck in the new The A-Team movie. Surprised? I was! There have been a lot of rumors going around Cooper was in the running to play the Green Lantern. Now that he has joined The A-Team remake, it seems unlikely he'll go green as well. The A-Team has franchise potential, just like the Green Lantern. I don't see him doing both, especially because the movies aren't for the same studio. The former is set up at 20th Century Fox, while the latter is a Warner Bros production. Plus, it already bugs me that Christian Bale is Batman AND John Connor. No need to have Coop go down that road.

And in even more important news: People reports Cooper is NOT dating Jennifer Aniston. Halle-friggin-lujah! Now I can focus on my Star Trek post.

Random thoughts

• I want this poster (via). Justin Bartha is adorable. I can't really explain it, but this poster amuses me.

• Was surfing JoBlo.com and read the most recent C'mon Hollywood column, which made me laugh. Its title? Bradley Cooper as Green Lantern: make it happen! It's basically the same post I wrote last week. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks Cooper would be a good choice, you know, despite not knowing anything about the Green Lantern.

• Scrubs has been renewed for a 9th season and Zach Braff will be back for 6 eps (source). While I didn't really like the supposed series finale as a whole, I did think it gave Braff a nice send off. I wonder how they'll write him back in and how many original castmembers they'll get back for the new season as some are attached to pilots.

• I finally remember which trailer was attached to 17 Again: it was Fame. Watching it, I didn't think it was a bad trailer. Apparently it wasn't memorable either.

AWWWWWWWWW!

• Finally saw the season finale of Grey's Anatomy. It was sad. AWWWWWW! :'( I really want to love the episode, but a certain ER episode is still too fresh in my mind to find this GA ep shocking or original. I miss Grey's Anatomy's glory days.

• I saw Star Trek! Will post my thoughts later! But for now, two thumbs up!

Come on, Warner Bros!

The Bradley-Cooper-is-the-Green-Lantern rumors have been driving me crazy. Look, I don't know anything about the Green Lantern, but having Bradley Cooper play him seems like a perfect choice. Other people who have been rumored for the role: Ryan Gosling, Chris Pine and Anton Yelchin? Seriously, I have never been so confused about casting before in my life. All these guys barely have anything in common. Gosling is all broody and serious. Pine is Captain Kirk and he was also in the Princess Diaries 2 (why do I know that?). He's the pretty boy type. Yelchin is young. In my mind he's still 12. He will always be that kid in Hearts in Atlantis to me. I don't know what type they are looking for. I don't think Warner Bros even knows!

So why do I think Cooper should play the Green Lantern even if I don't know anything about the Green Lantern? Cooper has a regular Joe vibe, but also the charisma to carry a superhero movie like this. Plus, he has a pretty decent track record (Alias, Wedding Crashers, Failure to Launch, Yes Man, Nip/Tuck, He's Just Not That Into You and the upcoming, much buzzed about The Hangover). If I were a studio investing many bucks into a project like this, I'd have more faith in Cooper pulling this off than any of the other actors. And hey, I love Gosling. He's an excellent actor. Better than Cooper (sorry, Brad), but not the type for a movie like this.

In conclusion: I know nothing about the Green Lantern. I just have a good feeling about this casting idea. Warner Bros could do a LOT worse, that's all I'm saying. So, Cooper for the win!

And in other news: for the love of God, Bradley Cooper, don't date Jennifer Aniston. No good could come of it! You were married to Jennifer Esposito! This is what we call trading down! That is all.

Trailer Park: Wolverine and 17 Again

I don't watch a lot of trailers online, so this feature will mostly feature (hee!) trailers that were attached to movies I've recently seen. Keep in mind that I live in The Netherlands, and that the trailers attached wont necessarily be the same as the ones in your country. In this post I'll review the trailers that were attached to Wolverine and 17 Again.

First up is Wolverine and all trailers attached were for 'guy flicks'.

Fighting
Fighting = Step Up - dancing + fighting. I haven't seen Step Up (unfortunately, I have seen Step Up 2), but it looks like the same movie. Channing Tatum needs to branch out. I think he has it in him to become a big star, if he moves away from these flicks. Let's see it as a 'step up' for something greater.
To be viewed: probably never

Star Trek
I was kinda looking forward to this. I like the cast, the promotional pics look good. Then I saw the trailer and it reminded me I don't like Star Trek. I do like John Cho and Zach Quinto. Hmmm...
To be viewed: on DVD unless one of my friends wants to see it on the big screen, which probably won't happen

Terminator: Salvation
I thought the first two Terminators were great and I liked Rise of the Machines (apart for the Claire Danes factor). The trailer for T4 did nothing for me. I only liked seeing Bryce Dallas Howard! Maybe if Nick Stahl was John Connor again, I'd see it. I don't understand why Christian Bale's playing him now. Bale's already Batman! What's next yo? Superman?
To be viewed: DVD

The Hangover
I already mentioned The Hangover here. It looks good! And Bradley Cooper! *squee*
To be viewed: hopefully on the big screen

Girl-friendly films were attached to 17 Again (this shouldn't be a surprise).

The Proposal
I already mentioned here that The Proposal looks awful. I'm still feeling bad for Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock. Now that I'm remembering that he gets to be married to Scarlett Johansson and that Sandra gets millions for a flick like this, that bad feeling is fading away.
To be viewed: on DVD

Ghosts of Girlfriends Past
I hate the title! Hate it! Hate it! Hate it! I do love Matthew McC, Jennifer Garner and Breckin Meyer so that partly makes up for it. At least this doesn't look as generic as The Proposal.
To be viewed: on DVD

I Love You, Man
Paul Rudd amuses me, Rashida Jones is lovely and I love Jason Segel and Jaime Pressly. I want to see this! But probably won't in theaters.
To be viewed: on DVD

I'm sure there was another trailer shown, but I can't remember which... :S

And now time for my monthly Bradley Cooper post

I haven't been around much.. anywhere actually except for work or over at Ali Larter Fan. My girl has a new movie out (that would be Obsessed), so she's been keeping me busy with updates. I read two Bradley Cooper related posts over at JoBlo.com days ago that I've been wanting to talk about.

First up is the poster for Coop's upcoming comedy The Hangover with Ed Helms and Justin Bartha. It looks like such a guy movie.. I like that! I'm getting tired of crappy chick flicks. Check out the trailer here. Fun poster. Fun trailer. Bradley Cooper. This should be good. And how adorable is it that Justin Bartha gets the "with" credit on the poster? *crickets* Okay, just me then. I thought Heather Graham would be more likely to get it even though she hasn't really been in a successful movie for about a decade. She's still more famous than Bartha I think. Yes? No? I've really enjoyed Bartha in the National Treasure movies and Failure to Launch so I'm happy for him.

Next up is the trailer for a movie I knew nothing about, Case 39. I didn't even know Bradley was in it when I started watching it. How is that even possible? Anyways, Case 39 stars Renée Zellweger as a case worker and Jodelle Ferland as a creepy little girl. I have never seen Ferland play anything else but a creepy little girl (see also: Silent Hill, Kingdom Hospital, Supernatural). She does it well, but it kinda gives me a "been there, done that" feeling. Like I've seen it all before. There must be other creepy kids out there. Trailer looks interesting. Not sure what to think of what's going on. I hope it's not a ghost movie, because I don't like ghost movies. Not in a 'they scare me sense', but they kinda bore me. Like all those J-horror movies.


It's quite a Bradley Cooper year we're having. First Yes, Man (well, it was released in my country in 2009), then He's Just Not That Into You. Now we still have Case 39, The Hangover and All About Steve to look forward to.

Trailer Park: Confessions of a Shopaholic

I don't watch a lot of trailers online, so this feature will mostly feature (hee!) trailers that were attached to movies I've recently seen. Keep in mind that I live in The Netherlands, and that the trailers attached wont necessarily be the same as the ones in your country. In this post I'll review the trailers that were attached to Confessions of a Shopaholic.

My guesses: He's Just Not That Into You, Bride Wars, 17 Again

Sunshine Cleaning
This was unexpected! I didn't think a little movie like Sunshine Cleaning would get a theatrical release here. I mean, the movie is doing well in the US, but in limited release. Isn't that usually code for direct-to-DVD here in The Netherlands? Guess they are wising up. Anyways, loved seeing the trailer on the big screen. Amy Adams is adorable. I want to see this movie now!
To be viewed: probably on DVD cause it will end up getting a limited release here as well and no one I know wants to see it.

17 Again
Except for the Zac Efron factor, this movie looks pretty entertaining. But the scene where Leslie Mann abuses Zac's face, made me cringe. He looks exactly like her husband, played by Matthew Perry? Yeah, right.
To be viewed: on DVD. I will not support Zac Efron projects until he leaves Footloose alone.

He's Just Not That Into You
I'm just not that into this movie anymore. The more I see this trailer, the more it bores me. How is that possible when the cast includes Bradley Cooper, Ben Affleck, Jennifer Connelly, Scarlett Johansson, Justin Long, and Kevin Connelly? Did I mention the Bradley Cooper factor?!
To be viewed: on DVD

The Proposal
Poor Sandra Bullock. Poor Ryan Reynolds. Okay, not poor Ryan Reynolds. He gets to be married to Scarlett Johansson. But they both deserve better than this. The Proposal doesn't look bad, it just looks awful. Nothing we haven't seen before. I'd rather see Bullock's other romcom, All About Steve. Not that that movie looks like a winner, but at least it has Bradley Cooper in it.
To be viewed: on TV

Review: The Midnight Meat Train

How did this movie end up in dollar theaters? Really, I'm mad right now. It's better than most of the (horror) crap that gets a decent release. Seriously! Shame on you, Lionsgate!

My fave actor du jour Bradley Cooper plays Leon, a photographer trying to capture the dark side of the city and humanity for an upcoming exhibit. He starts to suspect that a man he has photographed, Mahogany (Vinnie Jones), may in fact be a serial killer. Leon's obsession with Mahogany not only puts his life in danger, but that of his girlfriend Maya (Leslie Bibb) as well.

I haven't read Clive Barker's short story on which the movie is based, but I was aware of the ending. I think most people who hate on this movie aren't aware of the story's ending. Confusion strikes, which is followed by hate.

*SPOILERS-R-US* I quite like the ending with Leon having turned into the next butcher. If only he hadn't been so obsessed! I felt Maya's death was a bit pointless at that moment when it happened. Really, if they wanted to kill her off, why not while trying to help Leon fight Mahogany? I mean, the girl showed guts going into Mahogany's apartment and into the subway. Why not let her fight or at least attempt to? */SPOILERS*

I liked the cast. I'm very pro Bradley Cooper. There should be more of Bradley Cooper in movies. I'm very pleased to see him here. He's a capable leading man, while having this regular Joe vibe about him. I don't see Josh Hartnett or Jude Law playing Leon. Leslie Bibb is someone I love and who doesn't get enough credit. Her character kinda bugged, but that's not her fault. Vinnie Jones gave a good performance. He wasn't just a menacing bad guy. There was something more underneath. So rock on, Vinnie! Okay, Roger Bart, I can't take him seriously. I've seen him on Desperate Housewives! He's not a bad actor, but seeing him hanging upside down was more funny than disturbing. Oops.

I'm a sucker for great cinematography so bonus points for that. Also, interesting camera angles! Especially during certain kills. Great stuff.

Overall, Lionsgate sucks ass for dumping this movie. Rent it. Buy it. Love it. A solid 4/5.

Review: Yes Man

I caught this movie yesterday. I liked it. Jim Carrey was in top form. Zooey Deschanel is a delight (I dig her voice). She's a bit too young (or looks too young) to be Carrey's love interest though. Nice supporting turns from Bradley Cooper, Sasha Alexander, and Terrence Stamp. The movie had some good jokes, but overall it was maybe 10-15 minutes too long.

The movie was a bit inspiring though! It was based on Danny Wallace's book with the same title about his own experiences with saying 'yes' to everything. I've ordered it and can't wait to read it!

Enjoyable! I don't have much else to say about Yes Man. A worthy 3,5/5.

Trailer Park: Good versus Bad trailers

I innocently surfed over to YouTube and staring at me on the index page was the trailer for the Prom Night "remake". I wasn't interested in this movie, but then again, I wasn't interested in the remakes for The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Dawn of the Dead and The Hills Have Eyes either, and they turned out to be pretty damn great. Of course, those movies had (besides good scripts and cinematography) excellent casts to carry them. While watching the Prom Night trailer, the only person I even recognize is that Brittany Snow girl in the lead role. And Brittany Snow ain't no Jessica Biel, Sarah Polley or Aaron Stanford.


Trailer starts with the preparations for prom night and it makes me feel like I'm watching a commercial for One Tree Hill or something.. A cover of Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time plays. It's not even a completely horrible cover and might just be the best thing about this trailer. Hmmmm... After about a minute we get to the "scary parts" and I come to the conclusion that this in no shape, way or form even resembles the original Prom Night. It looks like another generic, PG-13 teen horror flick. Plus, the trailer gives too much away. I feel like I've seen the entire movie already. Isn't a trailer supposed to leave you wanting more? IMDB reminds me that Johnathon Schaech is in this film and by David-Boreanaz-in-Valentine-logic, he must be the killer.
To be viewed: on TV

Now a good trailer, and one that definitely leaves me wanting more, is the Midnight Meat Train trailer. MMT is based on a short story by Clive Barker and stars Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields and Vinnie Jones.


Cooper plays a photographer who runs into a brutal killer (Jones) on the subway. The trailer looks creepy, doesn't give too much away and leaves me with questions like 'Why does Cooper go after the killer by himself?', and 'Why does his girlfriend (Bibb) go on the subway if she knows there's a killer?' Aaarghh the wait is killing me! Plus, I really like Bradley Cooper and Leslie Bibb, and an appealing cast is always important to me.
To be viewed: opening weekend!