Video of the Week > Shame Trailer 2

I've been a fan of Michael Fassbender since seeing him in 'The Devil's Whore' which was shown on Channel 4 in the UK in 2008. Since then he's been a rising star and I think it's safe to say he is hot property at the moment! He is currently a well sought out actor in Hollywood with the box office hits such as X-Men: First Class which was amazing, a beautiful retelling of Jane Eyre and 3 highly anticipated films coming out next year: Haywire, A Dangerous Method and Shame. The trailer for Shame really caught my eye which was directed by Steve McQueen. McQueen had directed the hard-hitting drama, Hunger featuring Fassbender 3 years ago which brought Fassbender into the limelight. The pair have teamed up again and Shame looks like an intriguing, mesmerizing drama. Fassbender plays Brandon who has a sexual addiction in New York but when his sister comes to stay everything is turned upside down. Though my very short synopsis of the film seems very shallow the trailer speaks for itself. From just looking at this short trailer it shows that McQueen is certainly a director to watch. My favourite part in the trailer is at 1.00 / 1.34 when Brandon (Fassbender) softly touches a woman's hand on a vertical rail on the NY subway. The mere touch has a sexual energy which I find fascinating.

The film is due to be released 13th Jan 2012 in the UK, rated 18. It also features Oscar nominated Carey Mulligan from An Education, another star in her own right.

Watch it here:

I also love the poster promoting the film. How the meaning of a word can change with the presence of a picture. Text placement and images are powerful tools in advertising. I particularly like how they've used an image of crinkled bed sheets with the simple noun, 'Shame' written in plain sans serif white font. I'm thinking it could be Helvetica however I think the subtext is, not the main title. If anyone knows please drop a comment below! Thanks!

Sources

IMDB: Shame

Youtube: FilmsActu

Shame Poster

M.A.S.H

Video of the Day > Horrible Bosses - 15+ Trailer

A trailer can really 'make or break' a film (hence there's big money in trailer production!) and this new 'red band' (I assume is some American phrase) trailer for Horrible Bosses is very funny. I hadn't heard of this movie until today and watching the trailer (below) has certainly made me want to see this in the cinema! To be honest, I'm not a fan of films that Jennifer Aniston features in (don't get me wrong I love Friends to the extreme!) however this film looks genuinely funny and taps in to everyones' humour from around the world. There are many American blockbuster comedies that I don't find funny, but the Horrible Bosses trailer made me laugh a lot. I enjoyed Charlie Day & Jason Sudeikis performance in Going the Distance and I think Kevin Spacey is an amazing actor. Also Colin Farrell is totally rocking the half-bald look (reminds me of the Tom Cruise look in Tropic Thunder) and I liked Jason Bateman in Juno. So this certainly has a solid cast, not to forget Jamie Foxx and Ioan Gruffudd also features, so I'm expecting big things!

The basic plot is that 'Three friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness.'- (IMDb.com) This is going to be released 22 July 2011 in the UK.

My favourite dialogue in the trailer is:

KURT                          Wait Wait, what's this for?

WETWORK MAN                   Wouldn't want to a leave a stain now, would we?

DALE                          Your ad says you do 'wet work'

WETWORK MAN                   I urinate on other men for money. Why else do you

                              think my ad was in the 'Mens  seeking men' section

KURT                          You fucking idiot!

NICK                          Could you be any dumber?

DALE                          We are MEN looking for a MAN!

M.A.S.H

Burlesque Trailer ft. Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera stars in her first film role in Burlesque, alongside a great cast with Oscar winner Cher, Cam Gigadent, Stanley Tucci, Eric Dane, Alan Cumming and Kristen Bell. The movie looks great if you love dancing, singing and Christina Aguilera, which I do! Watch the trailer here:



The basic plot for this story is: (source: IMDb)

The Burlesque Lounge has its best days behind it. Tess (Cher), a retired dancer and owner of the venue, struggles to keep the aging theater alive, facing all kinds of financial and artistic challenges. With the Lounge's troupe members becoming increasingly distracted by personal problems and a threat coming from a wealthy businessman's quest to buy the spot from Tess, the good fortune seems to have abandoned the club altogether. Meanwhile, the life of Ali (Christina Aguilera), a small-town girl from Iowa, is about to change dramatically. Hired by Tess as a waitress at the Lounge, Ali escapes a hollow past and quickly falls in love with the art of burlesque. Backed by newfound friends amongst the theatre's crew, she manages to fulfill her dreams of being on stage herself. Things take a dramatic turn though when Ali's big voice makes her become the main attraction of the revue. Written by Bobby_John

Though this may be the typical recipe for singing/dancing Hollywood films I believe this may be more lavish and exciting due to Aguilera's big husky voice and a 'hot' cast who can actually act! This is directed and co-wrote by Steve Antin who is also an actor, producer, screenwriter and stunt man. This is his first directed movie that will be shown in cinema's so hopefully this will be a hit. Christina Aguilera has had disappointing sales from her latest album Bionic even though I think it's amazing. One of her strongest albums yet.

I do hope this movie which is to be released in USA 24th Nov and the UK, 17th Dec 2010 up sales of Bionic and puts her back on the hot celebrities of 2010/11 even though she didn't go anywhere, many people have thought that she has 'copied' Lady Gaga which is absurd seeing that Aguilera has been around for a decade setting new trends/looks and always creating 'ear-exploding' albums, mind blowing shows and eye-catching videos such as Beautiful.

I think casting Aguilera is a great choice as she has portrayed the 'pin up/burlesque' image before in her 'Back to Basics' album in 2006, especially in her singles 'Ain't No Other Man' and 'Candyman' where 1940's influence featured heavily.

The storyline for Burlesque may sound cheesy for some where Ali Rose wants to make it in Hollywood, words in a club, becomes fascinated by  Burlesque, makes it big in Hollywood, can't handle the fame, falls in love etc. However I think this could be a mix of 'Dreamgirls', 'Step Up', 'Make It Happen' and 'Fame'.

Here are some pin up shots that Christina Aguilera has done for magazines:

See more at the official film site: Burlesque

Go to Christina Aguilera's Official Page

M.A.S.H