Trailer Park

Behold! Some of the newest trailers for some of the most exciting films in the pipe.

By R. Kurt Osenlund, The Good Life film critic


THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE
There are some serious problems with this preview. In roughly three minutes, it seems to reveal the entire plot of director Robert Schwentke's treatment of Audrey Niffenegger's 2003 romantic novel (about a woman who has the perfect husband, aside from the fact that he vanishes into alternate eras at the drop of a hat). Such a show-it-all approach will have many viewers thinking, "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to see what the lovely Rachel McAdams does with her role.




SHUTTER ISLAND
No gangsters. No aviators. This time out, Marty Scorsese and his new muse, Leo DiCaprio, go for primal fear with this creepy, beautiful-looking screen translation of the 2003 novel by Dennis Lehane ("Mystic River"). DiCaprio stars as a federal marshal investigating an escaped inmate case at a secluded insane asylum. The dynamite supporting cast includes Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow and Emily Mortimer.




DISTRICT 9
From executive producer Peter Jackson ("The Lord of the Rings" trilogy) comes this chilling, documentary-like science fiction thriller about an alien race living as refugees on Earth. Set in South Africa, the movie is the feature debut of director Neil Blomkamp, who expands his own short. The cast is comprised primarily of unknowns, facilitating the true-to-life tone. The trailer exhibits great promise, suggesting a scary, smart and subtle entry in a genre that's too often bang-you-on-the-head predictable.