Trailers-A-Go-Go, 4/5

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

I thought the first Hellboy movie could’ve been stronger (my review), but I still enjoy it. I think the characters are fascinating, the world of the film and comic books make for all kinds of interesting possibilities, and who doesn’t love a Lovecraftian reference now and then.

As such, I’m glad they’re doing a sequel. At this point, I’ll see pretty much anything that Guillermo del Toro does, and it helps that this latest trailer for Hellboy 2: The Golden Army looks all kinds of awesome. Red-skinned demon hero? Check. Weird fish-man? Check. Albino elvish-looking prince dude bent on destroying humanity? Check. Lots of icky-looking beasties? Check. Explosions and kick-ass action sequences? Double check.

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army comes out July 11, 2008.

Tropic Thunder

I don’t know how many times I’ve watched this trailer, but every time I do so, it brings a great big smile to my face. Directed by Ben Stiller, the movie follows a group of actors shooting a Vietnam War-era flick. When their director gets pissed off, he sends them off into the jungle for training. However, when the actors get caught up in a real firefight with some drug lords, they assume it’s all part of the movie and respond accordingly.

Everything about this looks hilarious, especially Robert Downey, Jr.‘s turn as an Australian actor who has undergone plastic surgery to play the role of a black man in the film. Which could have all kinds of unpleasantness around it, but reports suggest that Stiller and Downey handled it incredibly—and hilariously—well.

Tropic Thunder comes out August 15, 2008.

Mongol

I’ll admit it, the primary reason that I’m so interested in Mongol is because it represents a chance to see Tadanobu Asano—one of the best actors you’ve probably never heard of—in a big screen action-packed epic. But beyond that, the film—which tells the story of Genghis Khan and his rise to power (albeit it not in the most historically accurate way possible, it seems)—looks absolutely gorgeous, and the battle sequences are just massive.

However, according to Twitch, the movie is more than epic fights, but actually has some substance and considerable character depth and development. All of which sounds fantastic to me.

Mongol comes out June 6, 2008.

Flight of the Red Balloon

When a mere trailer makes me tear up, I take that as a very good sign that the film in question is a must-see. Such was the case with the trailer for Flight of the Red Balloon, the latest from Hou Hsiao Hsien. I’ve only seen one film by the man—Café Lumière (though Millennium Mambo has been sitting in my “to watch” pile for a long time)—but that was all I needed. His long, atmospheric, and patient style had me instantly enthralled, and this trailer had a similar effect.

Inspired by Albert Lamorisse’s The Red Balloon, Flight… tells the story of a young boy and his babysitter as they make their way through Paris. Juliette Binoche stars as the boy’s mother, a harried woman with little time for her son. Sounds threadbare, I know, but Hou’s films are not necessarily about plot, but rather observing, patiently, the little details.

Jeffrey Overstreet loves the film, calling it Hou’s most playful work to date, and notes that Flight is meant to be observed the way you might study art in a museum, or the way you might wander down a street in one of the world’s great cities just to watch people and light.

Flight of the Red Balloon is currently playing in select theatres.