Remember that hilarious movie with Chris Rock in it? Me neither. For such a talented comedian, Rock has never had much success on the big screen, with his funniest material coming from TV shows and stand-up specials. Nonetheless, he’ll be starring in Neil LaBute’s new film “Death at a Funeral,” alongside Luke Wilson, Martin Lawrence, Danny Glover, and Tracy Morgan. The movie is a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name, which was apparently at least decent, according to a quick perusal of Rotten Tomatoes. LaBute is responsible for directing “Lakeview Terrace” and 2006’s “The Wicker Man,” two of my least favorite films in recent memory, so I’m hardly optimistic about this project. Enjoy the painfully unfunny and slapstick trailer below, and ponder how filmmakers always manage to waste Rock’s talent.
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If you saw “The Departed,” you’ll remember Ray Winstone as Frank Costello’s tough-as-nails right-hand man, Mr. French. He’ll be keeping the persona of a gravel-voiced badass in the new movie “44 Inch Chest,” where he plays Colin Diamond, a man getting revenge on his wife’s new lover with the help of his thug friends. And by getting revenge, I clearly mean Colin’s going to tie some poor sap to a chair and beat the shit out of him, as the trailer seems to indicate. The film boasts a good supporting cast, including Tom Wilkinson and Tom Hurt, although Winstone’s acting alone would be enough to make me want to see it.
I’ll end with one of the more offbeat trailers I’ve seen in a while: “Saint John of Las Vegas.” It stars Steve Buscemi as John, a loser and a gambling addict akin to William H. Macy’s Bernie Lootz from “The Cooler.” After taking a job at an insurance company and trying to straighten out his life, John is sent to Las Vegas as part of an insurance fraud investigation. The movie seems more outright strange than funny, but I’m always interested in whatever Buscemi’s in, and I’m looking forward to seeing Romany Malco in another big supporting role after his hilarious turn as Jay in “The 40 Year Old Virgin.” Besides, who wouldn’t want to see a movie involving little people, a human torch, and a fraudulently-disabled stripper?
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