The TV Addict 

GET SMART
I loved GET SMART as a kid, so when I heard that particular television show was yet the latest to receive a feature film treatment, I was wary. Then I heard Steve Carell was cast in the role of bumbling, inept spy, Maxwell Smart, and small hopes were kindled, because if anyone was perfect for the role it was him. Now that the trailer has come out, I can even say I’m a little excited, because it looks like those involved totally nailed the silly spirit of the original show. It’s also the ideal vehicle for someone with Carell’s comedic talents, if the “I’m so happy” scene doesn’t prove it. Also I’m pretty sure I’ve never heard anyone in a film ever say “We’re not people who jam staples into other people’s heads,” let alone see someone actually do that. On a totally unrelated note, when did Anne Hathaway turn into such a hottie?
Watch the trailer here.

THE LOVE GURU
It’s been five years since Mike Myers last live-action performance (I don’t really count 2003’s THE CAT IN THE HAT, because he basically was an animated character in it), so you would think the guy would make a bit of an effort to bring something new to the table in his new film THE LOVE GURU. Instead, based on this trailer, we just get the same old Mike Myer jokes recycled. Again, there’s dance numbers, the border-line embarrassing comedic use of a little person, there’s a spin on the “Mole” spiel he did in AUSTIN POWERS: GOLDMEMBER, and your run of the mill penis jokes. Sure, there are some gems here (The “Then my Mom got a job” bit, for example), but it’s all just jokes we’ve seen him do too many times before. Actually, the funniest thing going in this trailer is – of all things – Justin Timberlake’s humorous Québécois impression.

As a Canadian though, I do have to chuckle at the fact that long-time Toronto Maple Leafs fan Mike Myers found a way for his team to actually be Stanley Cup contenders, even if it’s in a fictional world. Sure, a bit hard to believe, given the current state of the team, but no more unbelievable then Jessica Alba playing their general manager or Romany Malco playing their star player (seriously, he looks ridiculous in the Leafs uniform).
Watch the trailer here.

THE HAPPENING
Even though many of his films have not been good (I like to call those ones “interesting failures”), I still make the effort to see every one of M. Night Shyamalan’s films. Heck, the thesis I wrote to earn my Masters Degree in Film was on the guy’s films. You invest that amount of time in a person, you’re kind of committed to them, through thick or thin. THE HAPPENING looks like it’s going to challenge that commitment. The problem is in my research I came across an early screenplay draft of this film, and therefore know what is actually happening in it, and it’s so ridiculous that it removes any of the tension and suspense this trailer may (or may not) create for others. Admittedly, it’s possible he changed things. But even while trying to watch the trailer objectively, there seems little to be excited about given how vague it is, and how we’ve become quite used to being teased by Shyamalan at this point. Sure, Shyamalan’s wonderful visual style is here (that shot of the falling bodies especially), but plot wise there doesn’t seem to be much to get excited about. And after THE VILLAGE and THE LADY IN THE WATER, how willing will people actually be to still go see his films?
Watch the trailer here.

STEP BROTHERS
Yes, this looks like yet another Will Ferrell comedy that I’m pretty sure he can pull off his sleep by now. I mean that literally. He could sleepwalk and still pull of this film he has it down so pat. But like most of Will Ferrell’s films, though I grumble a bit about the repetition of it all, I still end up laughing a lot as I did watching this trailer, whether it’s the “I was watching COPS” line, or the “Buried Alive” and the “Did we just become best friends?!” conversations. Also, I have yet to get tired of John C. Reilly’s always amusing venture into comedy of late.
Watch the trailer here.