Tuesday’s Top Trailer: Inherent Vice

Welcome back to a weekly feature here at Movies with Abe, Tuesday's Top Trailer. One of my favorite parts about going to see movies is the series of trailers that airs beforehand and, more often than not, the trailer is far better than the actual film. Each week, I'll be sharing a trailer I've recently seen. Please chime in with comments on what you think of the trailer and how you think the movie is going to be.

Inherent Vice – Opening December 12, 2014

I would have wanted to see this film based on its director and cast alone, and now that I’ve seen a trailer, I’m pretty much equally excited and perplexed. This film is premiering at the New York Film Festival, and I’d love to attend the press and industry screening if it wasn’t scheduled during Yom Kippur. Paul Thomas Anderson is a director who doesn’t make movies too often and puts enormous care and effort into every project he takes on, and therefore it’s worth anticipating this next feature. I’m personally a big fan of “Magnolia,” and though I had some issues with “Punch Drunk Love” and “There Will Be Blood,” there are plenty of things I can appreciate about both. Anderson’s previous collaboration with Joaquin Phoenix, "The Master," was an enormously successful one, and this is sure to produce another zany, immensely watchable performance from the once-crazy actor. This film is all about the costumes and time period, something Andreson has done to rave reviews in the past with “Boogie Nights.” He’s enlisted a formidable cast, including Josh Brolin, Reese Witherspoon, Jena Malone, Owen Wilson, Benicio Del Toro, Martin Short, and Michael K. Williams. This looks like a film that could easily get lost in its own depraved world over the course of 148 minutes, but I imagine that it’s going to be a mesmerizing experience throughout anyway. Let’s hope it’s a good mix and that the scenery and casting choices are equaled by a compelling story and fine acting all around.