WOLVERINES! Trailer for RED DAWN Remake Finally Arrives

I have a confession to make: I've never seen the original Red Dawn.

I know.  It's embarrassing.

This is the kind of movie that is totally in my wheelhouse, so I have no explanation as to its absence from my film vocabulary.  Thankfully it's streaming on Netflix right now, so I plan to rectify the situation this weekend. Maybe even tonight.

In the meantime, we've finally got our first look at the remake, a movie that has been sitting on a shelf for three years now:

Usually movies get neglected that long because they're flat out bad, but that's not necessarily the case here; much like Cabin In The Woods, this was one of the last movies made by MGM before the company went belly-up, thus delaying its eventual distribution.  Cabin In The Woods (also starring Chris Hemsworth) was jaw-droppingly awesome, which was little surprise as it was the brainchild of Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard.  On the other hand, Red Dawn is from long-time stunt co-ordinator and first time director Dan Bradley, so while the action looks appropriately badass (that image of the sky full of planes with what I assume to be enemy troops parachuting into the suburbs is creepily cool) the rest of the film still feels like a crapshoot.

Here's what doesn't fill me with hope: MGM seems to have gone through with their cockamamie scheme to change the film's villain from China to North Korea completely in post.  To be clear, the film didn't do major reshoots, as the decision was made almost two years after principal photography ended.  Instead they've simply re-edited scenes and digitally changed various flags and signage from Chinese symbols to North Korean symbols.  (This is evidenced by the flags visible in the background which prominently feature a red star in a grey circle.)  And what motivated this change?  They want to be able to sell the movie in Chinese markets and the Chinese government is not a fan of western films with Chinese villains, as evidenced by the complete removal of Chow Yun Fat from the third Pirates Of The Caribbean movie.

Here's what does fill me with hope: they've got a great cast.  Hemsworth has proven his big screen worth, Adrianne Palicki's work on Friday Night Lights was utterly fantastic, and I'm a long-time fan of the Joshes Hutcherson and Peck.  Isabel Lucas is certainly easy on the eyes, and I'm curious to see her portray a character that doesn't have a giant robot tongue.  And while I'm annoyed that they seem intent to make Connor Cruise a thing (nepotism ahoy!) the grizzled face of Jeffrey Dean Morgan, aka The Comedian aka Papa Winchester is always a welcome addition.

The movie hits theaters this Thanksgiving.  Follow me @donniedarker for the eventual live-tweet while I pop my Red Dawn cherry...

TRAILER OF THE DAY: Hunger Games Revels In Some Old School Sci-Fi Style

My fiancee and all her children's lit cohorts will be doing cartwheels all day long after the revelation of the first full-length trailer for The Hunger Games, based on the trilogy of bestselling books by Suzanne Collins.  As you'll recall, the initial teaser was underwhelming to say the least, but here we've got a much better look at what we can expect to see from director Gary Ross (Pleasantville).

First off, that's one heck of a cast, even if most of them are bordering on unrecognizable.  You may not believe it, but Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Woody Harrelson, Wes Bentley and Lenny Kravitz are all featured there.  Go ahead, look again.  Banks is easily the most bizarre, while Donald Sutherland just looks like Donald Sutherland Who Never Learned To Shave.

Ross and company are certainly going for broke in terms of the costumes, hair and make-up work here.  The stark difference between the simple mining folk of District 12 and the over-the-top, cartoonish styles of the "civilized folks" of Panem, combined with the clean, cold production design of the city and the white-clad stormtroopers marching around the background actually feels like a real throwback to the sci-fi tales of the 60s and 70s.  There are serious shades of Logan's Run, Dune and THX-1138 on display here, so I'm curious what, if any, sources of inspiration Ross will cite as we get closer to the release.

While I haven't read these books, (I probably will after watching all the movies) I'm told that the story is top-notch.  Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are some of the best young talent working today and they're more than capable of carrying a lot of the weight here.  Here's my hesitation: while it will certainly set the movie apart from other "grittier" competition, there's always the danger that these bold style choices will come off as silly and off-putting to audiences.  (Remember Speed Racer?)

But I give them credit for having the courage to make a bold choice.  Hopefully it pays off for them.