Scream 4

You can't keep a good franchise down. When Scre4m hits theaters in April, 2011, it will have been eleven years since the last installment of the series. However in the era of digging up the corpses of 80's flicks and adding new installments (Rambo, Rocky, Indiana Jones) this is hardly a record. Blessedly, Scream is a 90's franchise, so the kitsch of "oh, they're bringing this back?" isn't quite as, well... kitschy.

The three surviving cast members from the original trilogy, Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette, return for this fourth jaunt. Also returning is Roger Jackson, the 'voice' of the ghost-face killer from the originals.

My first observation has to be that this preview feels oddly unexcited to be a Scream movie. I recall the previews for 'The Lost World: Jurassic Park,' 'Terminator 2,' or even something as silly as 'Bad Boys II,' and there was once a delight in announcing that a sequel was upon us.





Scre4m's trailer starts right off with the familiar, "Hello, Sydney." Boom, Neve Campbell. Boom, phone voice. Hm. We must be watching another Scream movie.

Anyway, aside from that disappointment, the teaser sticks to the rules (ha! See what I did there? Cause it's a scream movie?) that it has set up for its trailers. The trailer just shows the movie geek sharing the 'rules' of the latest installment while footage of people running from Ghostface play over it. Scream 2 had a very similar teaser with Jamie Kennedy explaining the rules of the sequel to Arquette.

Interestingly, the trailer walks the line of major spoilers, yet like the True Grit trailer, I suspect these are mis-leading at best. Especially considering that within the span of the same preview, we see Courtney Cox apparently being killed by Ghostface, and then taking off the mask, revealing herself as Ghostface.

While I suspect that one of the survivors (likely Cox) gets offed in this installment, I doubt very much they would show us any of her death scene in the preview. And while it's fun to imagine Cox and Arquette being the killers this time, I highly doubt that as well.

Meta-movie references, pretty girls, silly jokes, and mass murder aplenty, this looks like, dare-I-say, just another installment in yet another horror franchise. What will be interesting to see is how the film acknowledges the era of horror films today (a hint of which is seen as Cox finds a camera, over the suggestions that the killer today films his murders).

I enjoy the Scream movies, and I'm sure I will enjoy Scre4m. On the interest in a new installment, I will give it high marks, but on the strength of the trailer alone, this one gets an 'In Theaters.'

Pic opens April 15, 2011.

True Grit

Well, I won't pretend that the trailer for the Coen Brothers' 'True Grit' tells me everything about the movie, despite the appearance that it does just that.

Not like it matters anyway. I mean, is there anything more awesome than Jeff Bridges as a hardened, one-eyed cowboy shooting people ruthlessly to the chords of peppery molasses that is Johnny Cash? If you think of something, you let me know.

'True Grit' is a remake of a 1969 John Wayne western that I have never seen and likely won't before this film comes out, as I dare not ruin an ending that might be similar to the original. Though again, knowing the Coens, the minds behind "No Country for Old Men" and "The Big Lebowski," who knows what to expect?

The trailer for their epic keeps things taught and gruff, the way a good western should be. Jeff Bridges plays 'that guy' who is tough, worn, and icy cold, but deep down has a heart of gold. You know the type. Probably. Matt Damon shows up as a Texas ranger who assists Bridges as he leads little Mattee Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) on a hunt for the man who killed her father, played by the always-interesting Josh Brolin.

Only one major plot-point is spoiled in the trailer, that Brolin eventually gets his hands on the little girl and this makes Jeff Bridges unhappy. And as unhappy cowboys tend to do, he appears to grow more violent.

The music helps this trailer pop, again, using the famous vocal chords of Johnny Cash. "God's Gonna Cut You Down" (an uplifting title) is the song that carries the second half.

Additional kudos go to the trailer cutters for keeping on-screen text to a minimum.

The elements all come together and make for a delightful promise of great cinema. Again, were it anyone but the Coens, I would think too many surprises got ruined, but knowing them as I do -- I am gonna call it "Opening Day."

Picture opens in limited release on Christmas Day.