"Brothers" Brings its A-Game

A week after the dodgy bootleg version that premiered on Entertainment Tonight hit the Web, Apple has the intense trailer for Jim Sheridan's "Brothers" (Lionsgate; 12/04) in crisp HD, along with the film's poster. The spare, thematically relevant construction appropriately renders the stripped down, shoulders-up presence of the film's central marriage (on-screen husband and wife Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire, looking gaunt and nearly unrecognizable) as the focal point, with the likeness of a contemplative, mournful Jake Gyllenhaal lingering in the extramarital periphery with a threat of impending disquiet.

Based on Susanne Bier's superb 2004 original (the Danish drama received a limited stateside run the following summer), "Brothers" centers on Grace, the young wife (played by Portman, whose capably adult mannerisms in the trailer suggest a broader range than we've seen before, standing in for Connie Nielsen in Bier's original) of Marine captian Sam Cahill, a devoted family man whose simple life with Grace and their two children provides every satisfaction. During Sam's extended tours of duty overseas, Grace and their two young kids go about their daily lives in a patient routine awaiting Sam's safe return. When Grace receives word that Sam has been killed in the line of duty, her life collapses.

In the wake of their devastating loss, Grace finds comfort from Sam's reckless brother Tommy (Gyllenhaal), a constant source of disappointment and conflict for Sam and a near stranger to Grace and, especially, the children. Having been governed by the lingering impulses of youth well into adulthood, Tommy's attitude is jolted into perspective with the realization of Sam's permanent absence and the newly invested relationships he builds with Sam's wife and children upon making the decision to remain with Sam's family indefinitely until the grief subsides.

Assuming the roles of defacto husband and father figure left by the debilitating loss of Sam, Tommy and Grace belie their better judgment as their relationship becomes romantic, then sexual, forged on the mutual loss they experienced together. Normalcy sets in, with Tommy having effectively replaced Sam in the lives and emotions of Grace and her children. Then comes the real shocker: Somebody made a mistake; Sam is alive, awake from his coma, and returning home to the wife and children who have already mourned his death, to find the brother he'd written off as a failure in his bed.

Originally (if tentatively) slated for an obligatory year-end release in 2008, Sheridan wisely opted to take his time in post-production rather than enduring the inevitable self-sabotage of an eleventh-hour blitz to land a final cut in theaters by New Year's Even and ultimately qualify for Oscar contention. While the trailer for "Brothers" is propelled along the same path of narrative conflict that made Bier's original so compelling, and we can infer that Sheridan's update sticks to the proven formula, the forward momentum of emotional intensity is largely illicited by standard manipulation techniques of modern film advertising. The entire second half plays out against the musical stylings of Top 40 faves The Fray, made famous, tellingly, by providing "Grey's Anatomy" with its unofficial theme song. It's an effective tactic, admittedly; and it's highly unlikely that such brazen commercial pandering will be a factor beyond Lionsgate's promotional push, a hefty challenge for no greater reason than the fundamental presence on camera of a war in the Middle East.

Opening on December 4 in limited release (if the studio knows what's best for commercial and awards season prospects, alike) before rolling out nationwide over the next couple of months, "Brothers" boasts the considerable cinematic pedigree of Sheridan's past directing accomplishments "In the Name of the Father," "My Left Foot" and "In America," with a script adapted by David Benioff ("The Kite Runner," "25th Hour") and a supporting cast that includes Mare Winningham, Sam Shepard and the odds-on Best Actress nominee Carey Mulligan, who has the much-lauded lead "An Education" (Sony Classics; 10/13) in the can as well.

"Jennifer's Body" Looks Mighty Fine from Here

Given my disdain for the annoying, persistent injection of dimly witty pop cultural references into every other line of dialogue throughout Diablo Cody's inexplicably Oscar-winning screenplay for "Juno," I wasn't expecting "Jennifer's Body" (Fox; 09/18) to light up my radar anytime soon. As such, my immediate enthusiasm for "Jennifer's" red-band trailer is a sizeable surprise. Filling the titular miniskirt of Cody's impossibly lusty high-school cheerleader with ample volume, Megan Fox amps up her "Transformers" appeal to new comic heights as the undead temptress hell-bent on exacting bloody revenge on the boys who made her living years in high school, like, totally angsty. Amanda Seyfried plays Jennifer's mousy best friend whose loyalties are tested once Jennifer starts offing the student body and spouting off Cody's trademark sass like it ain't no thang. The trailer strikes a pitch perfect tone between comic mayhem, high school hijinx and hellblazing horror, raising the stakes for "Jennifer's Body" to unexpected heights (see "Drag Me to Hell" for a prime example of genre mastery) if it lives up to the potential established here. Kudos to Cody for bucking conventional post-Oscar expectation of traditional stabs at serious fare in favor of a decidedly different sophomore effort.

Entering "District 9"

Quietly poised to capitalize on the inevitable disappointment of audiences foolish enough to bank on "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" being anything but disastrous, "District 9" (Screen Gems; 08/14) opens a week later on the heels of a killer viral campaign that's gives just enough away without spoiling its promise to deliver something genuinely unique (an increasing rarity, especially in the dumb, hot days of Hollywood summer). The title refers to a quarantined zone in South Africa where alien visitors from the recent past have been indefinitely contained without public disclosure of the catastrophic implications of human contact. Peter Jackson is presenting the film as executive producer, and his endorsement bodes well for commercial prospects and geek appeal alike. The trailer speaks for itself, and smacks of "Cloverfield" with its you-are-here approach to the conventional alien invasion set-up.

Lady in Lavender

"Bright Star" (09/18) marks Jane Campion's first film since the bizarre 2003 thriller "In the Cut," which I've tried to love several times but have repeatedly failed. This lovely image is hope that Campion's latest, a suitably poetic Keats biopic that received rapturous reception at its Cannes premiere, is assurance enough that this one won't be a challenge to love.

Pick a Pair "Precious" Posters

I recently read "Push," the novel by Sapphire on which "Precious" (Lionsgate; 11/06) is based, and if Sundance buzz for Lee Daniels' adaptation is to be believed, the movie is bringing its A-game and won't disappoint. The film represents a commercially risky bet, but potential for payoff is big. Acquired for a reported $5 million after a Park City tussle with Weinstein over distribution rights, most of the gamble arrives this fall when Lionsgate ramps up marketing efforts to convince the masses to spend $12 to see the inspirational story of an obese, illiterate Harlem teenager, living in poverty with an abusive nightmare mother and pregnant for the second time by her deadbeat rapist father, who struggles against unfathomable odds to empower herself with an education and a sense of self-worth. Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry bolstered "Precious" exponentially by signing on as executive producers shortly after Lionsgate's pickup, meaning that they will "present" the film to audiences when it opens in limited release on November 6. The unlikeliest of Oscar buzz for Monique (!!!), the boisterous, sassy comedienne not otherwise known for her acting chops, will surely help stir up commercial curiosity. Monique reportedly sinks her teeth into the horrifying role of Precious's verbally, physically and sexually abusive mother, and emerged as the early frontrunner for Supporting Actress kudos as soon as word spread from Sundance. While it may sound frankly cruel to state that audiences are likely to shy away from an ad campaign featuring the prominent likeness of a morbidly obese nobody (newcomer Gabourey Sidibe is the film's eponymous heroine), it is a testament to the story's fundamental truths and the harsh realities of the world shown in "Precious." But the first glimpses of Lionsgate's promotional campaign are so artfully rendered, so breathtaking as images themselves that the notion of advertisement barely registers even once you realize you're looking at the the film's poster(s). The first, with its demonic hand dividing Precious's silhouette into distinctly broken pieces cast in pitch black against the shock of an orange canvas, a provocative allusion to horror genre convention, is disturbing and unshakeable. Its counterpart, using the same basic color scheme to opposite effect, tempers another portrait of the film's iconic central figure with angelic swaths of white to evoke the soft innocence and cerebral beauty that serve to predicate Precious's salvation. If the initial pair of "Precious" posters are any kind of fair indication, the promo push is going to be just right.