User blog:Ceauntay/Trailer Talk: 'iCarly: The Sequel', 'The Watch', 'Step Up Revolution', 'Killer Joe'

Last week I caught Christopher Nolan’s final Batman flick “The Dark Knight Rises,” which turned out to be a satisfying conclusion to his trilogy. Nolan ups the dramatic stakes significantly in “TDKR,” by introducing incredibly dark themes and a vile villain. While I didn’t like it as much as “The Dark Knight,” I actually found “TDKR” to be more enjoyable than “Batman Begins.” It’s hard to top the Joker as a bad guy, but Bane is much more ferocious and imposing than Ra’s Al Ghul.

As I suspected, Bane is a bit hard to understand at points, although his speech is clearer than I thought it would be. Anne Hathaway surprisingly plays Catwoman well, holding her own in action scenes and using minimal camp to get the job done. Nolan wraps things up nicely, almost too neatly in some ways. While he effectively uses the 144 minute runtime, he gets slightly distracted trying to focus on the wealth of new characters that are introduced. My Grade: B

This week you’ll have a chance to watch the alien invasion comedy “The Watch,” teen comedy sequel based on the hit TV show from Nickelodeon “iCarly” in “iCarly: The Sequel”, the fifth film in the “Step Up” dance franchise “Step Up Revolution,” and the William Friedkin crime thriller “Killer Joe.”

MY PICKS FOR THE WEEK: "The Watch" and “Killer Joe”

THE WATCH



Four suburbanites (Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and Richard Ayoade) start a neighborhood watch as an excuse to escape their boring lives. After they discover that aliens have infiltrated their neighborhood though, they must band together to save their town and the whole world from a hostile takeover.

Director: Akiva Schaffer (“Saturday Night Live,” “Hot Rod”)

Co-Writers: Writing team Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (“Superbad,” “The Green Hornet”) with Jared Stern (“Mr. Popper’s Penguins”)

Notable Actors: Rosemarie DeWitt, Will Forte, R. Lee Ermey

ORIGINALITY RATING: Medium. This moderately humorous trailer reveals “The Watch” to be a bizarre mixture of your typical Vince Vaughn buddy comedy with some rap music and alien invaders. The concept of Average Joes taking on extraterrestrial visitors is reminiscent of last year’s “Attack the Block,” but this flick will obviously lean more on its jokes than blood and guts. Stiller seems to be the straight man, something he can do pretty well, while Vaughn plays the goofy one, Hill becomes the basketcase, and Ayoade serves as the oddball/perv in the group. My biggest worry about this film is that it will try too hard to straddle the line between sci-fi and comedy, resulting in a mediocre tale. Hopefully there will be enough laughs and action to keep all kinds of viewers happy.

WHO SHOULD SEE IT: Sci-fi fans who like lighthearted movies about humans fighting off alien invaders. If you’re used to seeing Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller as enemies, and you’re excited to see them on the same team for a change, then you should see “The Watch.”

ICARLY: THE SEQUEL



Spencer (Jerry Trainor) took her sister Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) and her friends (Jennette McCurdy, Nathan Kress and Noah Munck) on a trip to the cruise.

Director: Dan Schenider

ORGINALITY RATING: High. I feel like that the entire family could feel how they are really interested in going on a relaxing vacation on a cruise ship. Also, it is kinda a great idea kinda wanting to take some time off for working on things they have been bust working on lately. And yet, this is a sequel to the 2010 hit “iCarly: The Movie”, which features the characters going on vacation to Los Vegas. Nickelodeon Movies has once again brought the fun and exciting adventure for Carly and her friends.

WHO SHOULD SEE IT: Fans of “iCarly”. Ever since they saw the show in 2007, they will get emotional when the show is ending this year in November. The show wrapped up with only six seasons and will have more than 100 episodes. Hopefully fans will flock to theaters seeing the latest installment.





STEP UP REVOLUTION

Emily (Kathryn McCormick) arrives in Miami with dreams of becoming a professional dancer. She quickly falls for Sean (Ryan Guzman), the leader of a dance crew called “The Mob,” a group which engages in elaborate flash mobs. When a real estate developer (Peter Gallagher) threatens to tear down The Mob’s historic neighborhood, Emily and Sean turn their performances into protest art in an effort to stop him.

Director: Scott Speer (“The LXD 2: Secrets of the Ra”)

Writer: Newcomer Jenny Mayer

ORIGINALITY RATING: Medium. I feel like I should rail against the ridiculousness of this being the fifth “Step Up” movie; however the premise to this one isn’t that terrible. It’s incredibly stupid that Sean’s group has a tough sounding name like “The Mob” considering they’re a bunch of flash mob people. They do put together some interesting looking shows whether they’re in traffic, at the museum, or in full business attire. I like that they utilize their skills as a form of protest, even though they probably wouldn’t make any impact in real life. While I still don’t have a desire to see this myself, I’m hopeful that those who do watch it won’t be walking into the dumbest entry in this franchise.

WHO SHOULD SEE IT: Dance aficionados who dig the idea of performers staging large scale numbers as civil protest. If you’re a glutton for punishment and you have to see every “Step Up” film, then you should catch “Step Up Revolution.”



KILLER JOE

When a large debt places a young man’s life in danger, he decides to put a hit out on his evil mother in order to collect on her life insurance policy.

Director: William Friedkin (“The Exorcist,” “To Live and Die in L.A.”)

Writer: Tracy Letts (“Bug”)

Based On: A play by Tracy Letts

Notable Actors: Emile Hirsch, Juno Temple, Matthew McConaughey, Thomas Haden Church, Gina Gershon

ORIGINALITY RATING: High. The NC-17 rating for this flick should be the first giveaway that this crime thriller will involve some messed up stuff. The second indicator is director William Friedkin at the helm. Friedkin’s dark crime drama “To Live and Die in L.A.” is still one of the most disturbing films I’ve seen to date. If there’s any doubt leftover that your stomach will be tested, it’s erased by the twisted web woven by this movie’s trailer. The family’s conspiracy to take out its matriarch by hiring a cop who moonlights as a hitman is sickening. The trailer would have been enough to compel me, but after a colleague told me “I’d never look at fried chicken the same way” after watching “Killer Joe,” I decided that I definitely need to catch it.

WHO SHOULD SEE IT: Friedkin followers who are excited to see him delve into another wildly violent crime flick. If you’re curious to see Matthew McConaughey play a rare role as an unscrupulous villain, then you should seek out “Killer Joe.”