Do you have a problem with Trailer-only scenes?

The trailer for Predators looked amazing. It showed an escalation way above anything we've seen. There are more humans, more guns, they're on a different planet, and the hero gets lit up by a dozen predator laser sights getting ready to blast him into a billion pieces. The only problem is that shot that helped escalate the anticipation, along with the stakes never appears in the movie. Producer Robert Rodriguez told MTV he often films scenes just for the trailer to give the audience a taste, but not to ruin the movie. Is this a good idea, or is kinda like movie false advertising?

I can understand not wanting to ruin the best parts of the movie in the trailer. There is nothing worse than seeing every good moment before stepping foot into the theater. When it comes to trailers, less is more, but it seems like Rodriguez believes different is more in the case of the Predators trailer.

The trailer does infer that there are 13 or 14 predators getting ready to kill star Adrien Brody, when in the movie, we see a total of four predators, and in the scene, 13 lights are replaced by just one, which seems like advertising something great, and instead of replacing it with something equally great, Rodriguez replaces it with something average. Now, I did love Predators, but the famous scene from the trailer is noticeably absent. Next time, I'll take the chance of seeing pieces of the movie before, so I can make a better opinion of the movie.

So, what do you think, is it false advertising, or just another trick in the Hollywood machine? Sound off in the comments section, it's what that section is for!

Check out the goodness that is this post...only at Creative Loafing by clicking HERE!

Predator Remake

This is another instance where the creativity on the Internet astounds me. Well, maybe "astounding" is a bit excessive, but it does make me laugh. Check out this remake of the classic Predator, except, with all women.

Now, this is something I need to get working on!

Movie Review - Predators

Here is the post that ended up on Creative Loafing. You can check out the finished product HERE. A struggling writer always appreciates the support!

When I was younger, and even now, for that matter, I loved the original Predator movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger. The movie had a great cat and mouse game, some good suspense and two larger than life foes going at it. Sadly, the franchise hit a down note with every installment since, but Robert Rodriguez looks to revitalize the franchise with a return to basics in Predators, and more interestingly, he chose Adrien Brody (and his nose) to lead the movie. So, as a fan of the first one, I have some serious standards. In a summer of disappointments, Predators surely can’t live up to the hype, can it? It can, and I’ll stop calling you Shirley.

Predators starts off incredibly with our hero (Brody) free falling. As he wakes up and realizes the ground is coming really quick, he works to free his parachute. It’s a quick smack in the face to get you awake for what is to come as Brody’s bad ass character meets up with 7 other characters who make up some of Earth’s greatest predators. They are dropped on this alien planet to duel with all kinds of predators, and some of their new toys. The movie quickly shows you a Predator we recognize that is beaten and tied up, showing us that these predators are so much bigger and more terrifying than any previous visitors. Now, these loners have to work together to get off this game preserve before the predators hunt and kill them all.

The biggest thing you will notice is that this movie is more than just a return to form, it takes everything that was great from the first Predator movie and amplifies it. You have a few larger than life characters in the humans, and you have not one, but several predators hunting you. There are many traps and pitfalls, and even a guy dueling a predator with a Samurai Sword. You also have the jungle landscape, which played such a big part in the first movie making a dominating return on an alien world, here. And, the most important parts are the one-liners, there are a few similar to the classic “get to the choppah,” like “you’re ass is awesome!” or my favorite “it’s 5 o’clock, it’s rape time,” which is said by the meak Topher Grace, by the way.

The other thing you will notice, besides the landscape will be the cast. Brody is surprisingly good in this movie. I had some doubts going in, but was really impressed by his bad-assery (it’s a word). Although the movie had to have the stereotypes like the Asian guy, the black guy, and the Mexican guy (Machete’s Danny Trejo), they all were quite impressive. My favorite however, was Laurence Fishburne’s character. He stole the movie in the short time he was on screen as the crazy survivor who somehow lived. The other jewel was Topher Grace. His character is dropped down, and is a total wimp, and is completely Topher, but the good part is finding out why he was chosen to be hunted.

Overall, there was very little not to like. If you like the first one, you will love this one. The pacing is good, there is some good suspense, some larger than life characters, and some amazing battles that make this one of the more fun summer popcorn flicks this year. This will please anyone who is looking for a big, fun, slightly cheesy way to get out of the heat.

Predator teaser trailer

This could be really good, or really bad. It's too early to tell, but I do love the Predators.