Okay, now that the small matter of electing a new leader of the free world is over and done with, we can get back to focusing on movies again. Hurray! And handily, we’ve got three new TV spots for some of the most anticipated films on the winter calendar.
First up is a new look at Tom Hooper’s Oscar hopeful, “Les Misérables.” The star-studded musical adaptation hits theaters on Christmas Day, and in this new TV spot, things look suitably epic as we get some new glimpses of Amanda Seyfried and Eddie Redmayne. There’s still little to be seen of Samantha Barks’ Eponine (who was the highlight when this writer caught the stage version in London last year), but perhaps she’s being kept back as the film’s secret weapon.
Next up is Judd Apatow’s “Knocked Up” spin-off, “This is 40.” The film sees Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann return as Pete and Debbie, and they’re still trying to make their marriage work a few years after the events of "Knocked Up." It’s still difficult to tell whether this is going to get anywhere near replicating its predecessor's success, but with a supporting cast, including Jason Segel, Melissa McCarthy, John Lithgow, Albert Brooks, Lena Dunham and Chris O’Dowd, there’s every chance. It’s a fairly pedestrian new TV spot, however, and at the moment this one’s getting by on "benefit of the doubt" alone.
It’s another trip to Middle Earth with one more look at “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.” Most of the focus is on Gandalf again, and the familiar faces of Galadriel and Gollum are present in order to catch the attention of those casual “Lord of the Rings” fans, and convince them that they need to experience part one of three of “the adventure that started it all.” There’s something incredibly familiar about all of these snippets of Peter Jackson’s movie (perhaps overly so), and the real challenge that Jackson faces is making this adventure feel as vital as his previous trilogy. “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” premieres in three weeks time and hits cinemas a couple of weeks later on December 14th.
Lastly, we get another look at Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence in a new spot for David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook." This one is headed to theaters in just a couple short weeks, and it's really there to remind you that this movie about two people struggling with some major life obstacles, is warm, funny and totally winning. See it when it opens wide on November 16th.
