Category: Directors

Maid Marion.

“Indiana Jones. I always knew some day you’d come walking back through my door. I never doubted that. Something made it inevitable.” Careful Cate…Dr. Jones’ original inamorata is back on the scene, and she’s got a mean right hook. Official word (and picture) comes down that Karen Allen is returning as Marion Ravenwood in Indy 4, which is definitely a welcome inclusion. Update: More pics, and a Comic-Con presentation rundown, here.

Hitmen, and Solar Power.

Another slew of trailers: Tim Olyphant goes Wild Bill (to the strains of “Ave Maria”) in the teaser for Hitman (which I appropriately saw before Live Free or Die Hard yesterday — review on the way), Jason Bourne wants answers from Stiles, Allen, and Straitharn in the full trailer for Paul Greengrass’ The Bourne Ultimatum, and astronauts Cillian Murphy, Rose Byrne, Chris Evans, Michelle Yeoh and others attempt to reignite the sun in a spoileriffic “synopsis” trailer for Danny Boyle’s Sunshine (I’m linking to it ’cause it’s there, but if you have any interest in this flick, I probably wouldn’t watch it.)

Promises, Wonders, Jokes.

Several trailers of note over the past week: Aragorn continues his History of Violence and returns to the unsettling world of Cronenberg in the new trailer for Eastern Promises, also with Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, and Armin Mueller-Stahl. Shopgirl Natalie Portman looks adorable facing up against stiff-suit Jason Bateman in the otherwise cloying trailer for Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, also with Dustin Hoffman as Willy Wonka, uh, Magorium. Nicole Kidman tries to stop her sister (Jennifer Jason-Leigh) from marrying Jack Black in this look at Noah Baumbach’s Margot at the Wedding. (Not usually my bag, and Jason-Leigh can be a huge red flag, but Baumbach has earned a look after Squid & the Whale.) A bit-player in the Russian mob and a recent emigre to Liberty City (you) tries to move up the ranks of his organization in two new trailers for Rockstar’s eagerly-awaited Grand Theft Auto IV. (I may have to break down and get a 360, just for this game.) And, finally, a Kramerfied, really poor quality version of may very well be the teaser for Chris Nolan’s The Dark Knight has emerged online. (I’ll reserve judgment until a higher quality version emerges, but for now I like the laugh.)

Harry, Indiana.

It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage…lots of depressing news about the sorry state of our government today, so here’s a mental sorbet of sorts: Steven Spielberg and the Indy 4 powers-that-be have released an official still of Harrison Ford back in costume as America’s favorite crusading academic, Henry Jones Jr. (a guy who, it may be remembered, also tried and failed to get this government to cough up its secrets. From the Ark of the Covenant to Abu Ghraib and Cheney…sigh.)

Indiana, Hurt and (Broad)bent.

Dr. Henry Jones, Jr. garners some more distinguished colleagues for Indy 4 with announcements that John Hurt has joined the film (some sites say as Albert Einstein, others as Abner Ravenwood), as has Jim Broadbent (in what’s likely to be a Marcus Brody-type role.) Already on board: Cate Blanchett, Shia La Boeuf, and Ray Winstone.

Bats Goes Torque.

I’d be more excited to see Heath Ledger’s Joker in action, but for now on The Dark Knight front, we’ll have to content ourselves with pics and video of Batman’s goofy new trike (the “Batpod”) and Flickr-ized shots of Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart as Katie Holmes and Harvey Dent respectively. Hmm, ok.

Unforgiving.

As seen on Aint-It-Cool, and by way of Variety, the trailer for the Coen’s much-anticipated take on Cormac McCarthy’s No Country for Old Men, starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones, Kelly MacDonald, Woody Harrelson, and Stephen Root, is now online. Looks like the Coens are back in form (and looks like they captured the tone of the book perfectly.)