Bumper Bits

A quick rundown of the trailers I saw in front of Michael Clayton:

The Bucket List: Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman play old guys who try to complete a list of “things to do before I kick the bucket.” Freeman is once again King of the Narrators, trading on The Shawshank Redemption cred, and Nicholson is apparently his usual lovable bastard self. Still, the trailer makes it seem a bit trite, and Rob Reiner’s direction may confirm that, but it could be saved by the power of its leads.

Rails and Ties: Kevin Bacon runs over a kid’s mother with a train. Then he and his wife, Marcia Gay Harden, wind up taking the boy in. Not quite as exciting as the first sentence would suggest, and it seems like “a touching story about the importance of family,” although with a dark and moody tone. Go for it, if you’re into that kind of thing.

Lions for Lambs: A politically-charged drama, featuring Tom Cruise as an apparently Republican Congressman haggling with reporter Meryl Streep while soldiers fight in Afghanistan and Robert Redford tries to punch public apathy in the face. The preview, however, kinda felt like I was watching the pundit shows, and every dramatic line felt like something I’d heard a hundred times on the news. With any luck, this will cut through the chaff and get people on their feet again and involved in what happens in this country, but it’ll likely be dismissed as another polemic.