August 23, 2006

The Trailer Park: Idlewild

Of this coming weekend's new releases, I think this one holds the most promise. It is not an action movie, or a comedy, or a new science fiction or horror film, nor does it immediately seem like an Oscar contendor. What it does look like is a dramatic, music filled tale set around a 1930s speakeasy.

Idlewild stars Andre Benjamin and Antwan A. Patton, better known as Outkast, as longtime friends from opposite sides of the track who find a common ground in music. Despite their obvious differences in how they lead their lives, they come together to make some great music at a club they run.

The trailer looks very good. The movie promises new music from Outkast, plenty of choreographed dance sequences, and potentially a story worth watching. It has a lively look, and plenty of recognizeable performers, including Ving Rhames, Macy Gray, Patti Labelle, Terrence Howard, and Ben Vereen.

Andre Benjamin has impressed me the few times I have seen him. He was funny as Dabu in the otherwise drab Be Cool, and was excellent in Four Brothers, hopefully the streak will continue here. I don't care for Macy Gray, so hopefully she won't have a terribly big role.

The movie was written and directed by Bryan Barber. Barber is making his big screen debut with this outing. Previously he has been a collaborator with Outkast on some of their music videos. It looks like he has the right vehicle for translating from the small screen to the big.

There is a music postcard up, where you can sample some of the new Outkast songs from the film. In addition to that, there are also a number of clips online, including the trailer:
Trailer, Clip 1, Clip 2, Clip 3, Clip 4, Clip 5, Clip 6, Clip 7, Clip 8

Click for a larger image:


0 comments:

Post a Comment