The Impossible

I can't begin to imagine the horrors suffered by the people who both died and survived the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. I remember feeling hopeless and helpless as I watched video of tourists and natives in Indonesia being swept away in one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history. Over 220,000 lives were lost in Indonesia; Sri Lanka; India; Thailand and the surrounding island nations. Among many others, openly gay American Interior Designer Nate Berkus lost his life partner, Fernando Bengoechea in Sri Lanka during the event.

Screenwriter Sergio G. Sanchez and director Juan Antonio Bayona (both best known for the excellent 2007 Spanish-language horror film The Orphanage), have collaborated again to tell the story of one family affected by the tsunami in the upcoming film The Impossible.

I first saw the trailer I am about to share the day before yesterday and found myself weeping almost uncontrollably within the first few minutes. Ewan McGregor (I Love You, Philip Morris; Moulin Rouge); Naomi Watts (Mulholland Dr.; King Kong) and Geraldine Chaplin star in this true account of one family caught up in a truly horrific event.

Director Clint Eastwood briefly visited this theme with his 2010 supernatural drama Hereafter and the tsunami scene in that film was devastating. 

Watching the trailer for The Impossible a second time still has me sobbing like child. I don't know what seeing the actual film will do to me, but I know that I MUST see it. The Impossible is scheduled for release in the U.S. in December. Watch both of those clips in Full Screen for the fullest effect, though I can't promise you won't be profoundly affected by them. I was and am.

More, anon.
Prospero

More New Movies

This is director Christopher Nolan. He's made a couple of little films you might have heard of: Memento; The Prestige (one of my favorite recent films); Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. His next picture, Inception stars an actor of whom I have never been particularly fond, Leonardo DiCaprio. He's always just given me the creeps. I hated Titanic (a titanic snore-fest) and The Beach was just plain stupid. But I must admit he's finally maturing into his looks and the upcoming Martin Scorsese horror movie Shutter Island certainly looks promising.

Inception also stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Ellen Page; Marion Cotillard; Micheal Caine; Ken Watanabe; Tom Berenger; Lucas Haas and Drag Me to Hell's Dileep Rao. That's quite an impressive line-up of talent. Of course, working for a director of Nolan's reputation is probably incentive for a lot of terrifically talented folks.

The good folks over at Trailer Addict have just added the teaser trailer for Inception and it looks like another mind-bending psychological thriller from Nolan:

And though I posted it before, here's the trailer for Shutter Island:

Come on. Patricia Clarkson's presence alone makes me want to buy tickets now. Add Ben Kingsley, Max von Sydow, Jackie Earle Haley and Michelle Williams to the mix and I have to see it.

Finally, also from Trailer Addict, comes this very amusing trailer for George Clooney and Ewan McGregor's psychic-soldier comedy with unlikely title, The Men Who Stare at Goats. Actor turned director, Grant Heslov has assembled an amazing supporting cast which includes Kevin Spacey; Jeff Bridges; J.K. Simmons; Robert Patrick and Stephen Root. This one looks like it could have come from the Coen brothers:




Rehearsals for "A View From the Bridge" kick into high gear next week, so I probably won't be posting as regularly as usual, but I'll do my best to keep you informed and entertained. By the way, you can see my most recent headshot at that link, if you are so inclined. I'll leave it to you to figure out which one is yours truly.

More, anon.

Prospero