CITYist

Unless you live under a rock, you’ve heard of Joaquin Phoenix’s descent into madness, aka performance art. Whether or not Phoenix really did intend to retire from acting, grow a Zach Galifianakis beard and embark on a rap career (or simply engage in some sort of public prank), there’s still a documentary following the whole spectacle, I’m Still Here, directed by Phoenix’s brother-in-law Casey Affleck. And now, a ridiculous, vaguely philosophical teaser trailer has arrived to whet our appetites (watch after the jump). We’re just wondering whether it’s worth seeing for sheer camp value.

The trailer for the Serge Gainsbourg biopic, simply titled, Gainsbourg, has hit the Internet. With frightfully dramatic, stereotypical instrumental music and appearances from all the key players (Bardot, Birkin), the clip is an ostentatious, deliciously over the top rendering of the life of the French musician. While we can’t say this is dramatic gold (perhaps the story of a musician who rises out of despair into a life of wild success and hedonism has been told one too many times), it certainly looks like great fun.

If James Franco has been surfing a wave towards a mixture of high brow avant garde figure and A list movie star, then Howl is the climax of his transformation. Franco plays Allen Ginsberg in a movie based on the poet’s most famous work and the beat writers surrounding it. It’s the 50s, and the social tides are just beginning to churn: the Howl is deemed profane and a lawsuit seeks to block its distribution. Jon Hamm takes a turn as Ginsberg’s defense attorney Jake Ehrlich, while Mary Louise Parker, Jeff Daniels and David Strathairn play the squares (the latter two appear in Good Night and Good Luck, a movie that shares the same beautiful black and white cinematography). If it feels a bit similar to Milk, that’s because it is: the filmmaker’s directed the documentary on which that film was based. Excited yet?

The trailer is out (with Spanish subtitles, no less) for Woody Allen’s latest neurotic, intellectual, adulterous ensemble cast romantic comedy (though this one takes place in London, not New York), You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger. And with Naomi Watts, Josh Brolin, Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Gemma Jones and Slumdog’s Frieda Pinto, the cast isn’t too shabby. The story follows two couples with shaky marriages. The elder husband leaves his wife, prompting her to seek out the advice of a fortune teller (hence, the title), while Naomi Watts and Josh Brolin’s characters seek some fun outside their union. Crazy, tangled love mix ups? Check. Older men attracted to younger women? Check. Must be a Woody Allen film. Read on for the trailer.

While Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film Marie Antoinette was something of a “love it or hate it” experience, we were in the “totally worship it and listen to the soundtrack every day” category. That’s why it’s so momentous that the trailer for her followup, Somewhere, is finally out. This returns to more of a Lost in Translation vibe, which is fine by us. Stephen Dorff plays a melancholy bad boy actor whose life is meaningless until his adolescent daughter, played by Elle Fanning (yes, the Fannings are taking over the world) is dumped on his doorstep. The trailer is a quiet exploration of this situation, with suitably lo-fi music from Julian Casablancas and the emotional imagery that Coppola does so well. Enjoy it after the jump—and hold your breath until December when it comes out.