‘Sucker Punch’ Clips Are Short & Sweet

The eye-popping scenery, exuberant action and visual panache of the Sucker Punch footage released so far indicates that Zack Snyder explored the deep recesses of his imagination (or, rather, revisited the doodles he made as a 14 year-old comic book nerd with sugar pumping through his veins) in order to come up with this stuff.

Five new clips have been released from Snyder’s Sucker Punch -- which is based off a story of his own creation -- and while they’re brief, they pack quite the visceral punch (pun mildly intended).

Brunette Emily Browning died her hair platinum blonde to play Babydoll in Sucker Punch, which revolves around the character’s attempt to escape a brutal mental institution via the assistance of her fellow inmates: Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (dark-haired Vanessa Hudgens), Amber (Jamie Chung) and Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish). Villains in this video game (cheap shot, we know) darkly fantastical adventure include the cruel Blue (Oscar Isaac), Madam Gorski (Carla Gugino), and the mysterious High Roller (Mad Men‘s Jon Hamm).

The second Sucker Punch trailer and official movie synopsis provided moviegoers with a better idea of what to expect from Snyder’s project, in terms of story and style -- though whether or not that’s a good thing depends on your personal point of view.

Those that found the plot elements and dialogue on display in the most recent Sucker Punch theatrical preview to be a distraction from the jaw-dropping visuals -- these short, no-holds-barred, action-packed clips will be much more to your liking.

Watch all five Sucker Punch clips below:

Battlemechs, dragons, orc-like monsters, samurai, explosions, gunfire, and a pack of young attractive women clad in black leather armor, ready for battle -- Sucker Punch‘s fantasy sequences look to cover all fanboy bases and feature something for anyone who consider themselves even remotely geeky.

Will the gloomy tale at the heart Sucker Punch be as engaging as the visual mayhem on display? Early reviews are split as to whether or not the film works as a whole, but we’re still eagerly awaiting the arrival of this one in theaters, if only because, well… battlemechs and samurai.

Sucker Punch hits theaters in the U.S. on March 25th, 2011.

Source: Warner Bros.

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‘Winnie the Pooh’ Trailer Conjures Sweet Nostalgia

35 years have passed since A. A. Milne’s tubby little cubby all stuff with fluff, Winnie the Pooh, last graced the big screen in his own adventure from Disney animation (though his pals Tigger, Piglet, and even a purple heffalump were featured in their own respective movies during that time).

An official trailer has been released for Walt Disney’s new Winnie the Pooh, which will bring the classic residents of the Hundred Acre Wood to life via hand-drawn, traditional animation.

Computer animation has been the norm for years now and the old-school animation style of Winnie the Pooh look all more fresh for it. The titular bear’s new cinematic venture is based off five of Milne’s original stories, which more or less revolve around Pooh’s attempts to get ahold of some delicious honey (he’s a simple mind and we love him all the more for it).

Disney stalwart Jim Cummings will provide the yellow fellow’s voice, alongside Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime in the Transformers movies and TV show), Craig Ferguson (How To Train Your Dragon), Tom Kenny (voice of SpongeBob SquarePants ), and Gilbert Gottfried (Iago in Disney’s Aladdin).

The Winnie the Pooh trailer combines Keane’s “Somewhere Only We Know” with classic images of Pooh getting chased by bees, bounced by Tigger, and romping around the woods with Christopher Robin in order to conjure up feelings of nostalgia in those viewing it.

Does this approach work? Just watch the trailer below and find out:

We’re not passing judgement, but even the most cynical moviegoers out there have to admit there is something charming about that Winnie the Pooh fellow and that watching him, Eeyore, Piglet, Rabbit, and the rest of the classic gang be brought to life in beautiful 2D animation is quite pleasant.

A. A. Milne’s Pooh stories are about as family-friendly as it gets and yet they often employ little bits of cleverness (like having the characters break the fourth wall) that provide entertainment for folks both young and old. It’s difficult to imagine that won’t be the case with this new movie as well.

Winnie the Pooh arrives in theaters in the U.S. on July 15th, 2011.

Source: Walt Disney Pictures

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