Film News Roundup:12

Earlier this week Disney released the first poster and trailer for the upcoming film “Maleficent”, starring Angelina Jolie in the titular role. The film retells the story of “Sleeping Beauty” from the point of view of the self-proclaimed “Mistress of All Evil.”

The poster puts Jolie front and center, teasing us with her malevolent eyes. The trailer only showcases a bit of Jolie, while mostly putting the focus on the young Princess Aurora portrayed by Elle Fanning. Probably the highlight of the trailer is the beautiful production design and the CG fantasy world that has been created for the film. First time director, Robert Stromberg’s forte has been production design and that clearly shows in the trailer; he previously worked as production designer for “Alice in Wonderland” and “Avatar”, winning Academy Awards for his efforts on the films.

Maleficent also stars Sharloto Copley, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, and Leslie Manville. The film opens in theaters on May 30, 2014. 

Another poster and trailer that landed this week was for Darren Aronofsky’s (“Requiem for a Dream,” “Black Swan”) “Noah.” The film is an adaptation of the Bible’s Great Flood story. Not since the golden age of Hollywood have we seen and epic Biblical story come to life.

However, it hasn’t been an easy road for Aronofsky and Paramount Pictures. In the recent weeks mumblings have surfaced that test screenings for the film haven’t done well with general, Jewish, and Christian audiences. This has led Paramount to request Aronofsky to make edits to the film.

That being said, the trailer for the films looks fantastic. Filming for the film took place in Iceland, which gives the film en even more epic look. There are plenty of great visuals ranging from the Great Flood to the animals embarking the ark. Overall, the ambitious film aims to capture mainstream audiences with its great visuals and character-centric narrative; count me in as one that has been sold on the film.

The film stars Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Ray Winstone, Douglas Booth, and Anthony Hopkins. “Noah” opens in theaters March 28, 2014. Check out the poster and trailer below.