TRAILER TALK- CATCHING FIRE! HANGOVER: PART III! THE PURGE! ELYSIUM!

So for the past couple weeks there are have been some exciting trailers hitting the theaters and the web. Some are exciting, most will at least get you to raise an eyebrow. I personally indeed love a good trailer, and I think previews get a bad wrap in the theater. Yes, they may run a bit too long at times, but if you wasted your money on something terrible, at least you got to see some cool trailers.

And the trailers I am going to discuss today I would definitely define as cool.

HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
Of all the films coming up this winter, this one I am probably the most excited about, next to "The Hobbit Part II" and "Thor: The Dark World," I went into the first Hunger Games last year cold turkey. Never heard of the books, knew very little about the central premise. But Jennifer Lawrence had me in, she's been an actress to look for since her debut in 2010 "Winter's Bone" and I found her great as Mystique in "X-Men First Class." I felt the first Hunger Games film was great, completely floored me. The comparisons to "Twilight" make me wanna  puke. Because aside from being based upon a trilogy of popular novels and involving a love triangle (barely) the two stories are completely different stories. "Twilight" tries to sell a corrupt idea to a target audience too young to fully grasp that idea. "Hunger Games" tells a compelling story about a sad future, not the same whatsoever. So you know right off the bat I was excited to see this trailer.

Check it out...

I can tell right off the bat, Katniss is under lots of angst. I love that Donald Sutherland has what seems like a ton more to do in this entry than last time. I am also loving that Phillip Seymour Hoffman is involved as the new Games Designer. I have always felt PSH is a national treasure, and I'll be talking about him very soon as I review "The Master" in an upcoming Overlooked Movies column. He's especially great when he's playing a slimy sonofabitch, which is what looks to be the case here. If you didn't catch the first film, I still think there's going to be lots to enjoy from this entry this winter.

HANGOVER PART III
If you remember the summer of 2009, the first Hangover felt like a bomb going off, a great concept for a comedy taken to the extreme. Sadly, the second film a few years later was a generic carbon copy of the first film, just set in Bangkok, so at first I was hesitant to learn about a 3rd entry to the series. Color me surprised to learn that the makers of this odd trilogy is ending with an idea unlike the previous films.

check it out...

  see what I mean? I have big hopes that the Wolf Pack will end this trilogy with a bang, I am loving the inclusion of John Goodman as the antagonist, however I kinda think it stinks that Doug is absent..again. Lets hope come May they stick the landing.

THE PURGE
Imagine that our country's crime rate has plummeted, and unemployment is at an all time low. This happens to be because one night each year, all crime is legal. Murder, rape, theft..you name it. No cops on duty, no emergency broadcast system initiated, no hospitals open. Complete anarchy for 12 hours. This is the central premise for "The Purge" a new horror film coming out this May centered around a wealthy family who barricades themselves in their mansion as the world goes crazy for one night...And of course, something has to go completely wrong...

Personally, I don't know what to think of the trailer. First of all, I think the concept, while silly is kind of a neat idea. However, I think this high-concept is wasted on what looks to be a generic home invasion film. What a wet blanket. The idea doesn't belong in horror, I feel it would have been better suited as a dark satire, and lets see this idea on a massive scale. Watching craziness from all over the country, from the wealthy to the poor and how they cope. That would treat the idea with lot more respect. Second of all, we get from the trailer that everybody has 12 hours to do whatever they want, no punishment whatsoever will be  handed down to anyone. So why would murderers wear masks? Seems like the film is trying a bit too hard.

This may not have been how I would have treated the idea, but we'll see in May if this film sinks or swims.

ELYSIUM
Neil Blomkamp is a name I have had on my radar sense "District 9" another big surprise from 2009. I have been revving up for his return to the big screen and this summer he finally returns. To sci/fi no doubt, but this time with a completely different idea.

So I am digging a bold Matt Damon right off the bat. I am digging the premise quite a bit too. I think summer 2013 is going to be a HUGE summer for sci/fi, hoping a fitting throwback to the 70's and 80's and I hope all of it is good. I think if Blomkamp gets his second film right, we are in for a long run of great films from an upcoming filmmaker and we will be richer for it

Tell me what you think of the trailers. Keep an eye out.