Father son relationships and the death of a parent are both ripe themes for movies, but the films based on these themes often turn into very so-so or melodramatic affairs. I think what distinguishes the good ones from the bad ones is, mainly, well developed characters and relationships that ring true.

A trailer is not enough to say whether And When Did You Last See Your Father? will have those things, but this one certainly seems to indicate it will. At the very least the acting should be superb.

This looks just trippy enough to be interesting, doesn’t it?

Bending a film’s reality in order to better portray the internal feelings of the characters can lead to some very interesting scenes. And bored at work has great potential for comedy. Both of those things are hard to do well, but I’m hopeful for this one.

I really love Ang Lee. So you can bet that I’m looking forward to this film. And the trailer was just enough to wet my appetite. It really doesn’t show us much, but it clearly conveys what the story is about and gives us a good idea of what the general mood of the film is going to be. And I think that is just the right way to go with this film.

Richard Gere is still one charming dude. And seeing him playing a charming and funny character stuck (willingly in this case) in a hard situation seems like a good way to spend a couple of hours. And the setting, a war torn Bosnia, does offer plenty of opportunity to tell interesting and even important and meaningful stories.

The later part of the trailer does seem too much like a typical thriller for my tastes. Not that typical thrillers can’t be good, but many times when the filmmakers go for typical they hit mediocre. So, I’m not completely sold. But it sure has potential.

It’s been a long while since Robert Redford directed or acted in a truly worthwhile movie. And I don’t think Lions for Lambs will break the spell.

I’m all for smart political thrillers. But the trailer make the movie seem preachy and hackneyed. And the little we get to see from the acting worries me a lot.

It’s a short trailer, so maybe it’s giving a wrong impression about the movie. But I’m not hopeful.

David Cronenberg’s films aren’t always good, but they are always interesting. So I’m definitely looking forward to this film. The trailer makes the movie look a little too typical, but I’m sure Cronenberg will deliver something unexpected.

I’m very interested in this movie because of the talents involved and because there is a real dearth of good women centric films out there. But the trailer doesn’t do it for me. A little too confusing, and it fails to really establish any of the characters and doesn’t let us make any emotional connection with them.

I understand that this being an ensemble piece makes things a little more complicated, but you still have to convey a clear message with any trailer. And I don’t think this one does it.

Man, doesn’t this trailer make you want to go out of the house right now to experience some nature?

Well, actually I’m pretty comfortable in my chair right now, but it definitely makes we want to see a movie where some guy goes out of the house and experiences some nature. Preferably on DVD. So I don’t have to get out of the chair.

I’m a big fan of Noah Baumbach’s The Squid and the Whale. The film manages to be both really sad and really funny, without ever hitting a false note. Making people and their interaction seem as real as he did in that movie is very hard, and something we rarely see.

This will be his second movie as a director, and it seems to thread a somewhat familiar ground, also dealing with dysfunctional families. However, I get the feeling from the trailer that this movie will be somewhat lighter than The Squid and the Whale, which was quite heavy in parts. The use of Jack Black adds to that feeling. He is a very good comic actor, but doesn’t strike me as someone that would be able to deal with heavier material very well.

Regardless, I’m still very anxious to see this one. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a release date yet, but it should open at some point during the fall.

What’s up with Sam Jackson’s voice? After watching the trailer a couple of times I got used to it, but it was very strange at first. Hopefully it will work in the movie.

As for the rest of the trailer, well, this is the type of story that could be really interesting or really boring. Rod Lurie, the director, did a good job in The Contender, which similarly had a story that could go either way. So I’m hopeful. And the trailer didn’t strike any notes that felt false or too cheesy. But this is definitely not a sure thing.