On Thursday, the first trailer for next February’s RoboCop reboot/remake was released. I watched it twice – the first time squinting and achingly readjusting my eyesight as a YouTube embed played on my trading card-sized cell phone screen; the second time in high-definition on my laptop. Viewing it initially with lackluster screen resolution and barely passable sound quality, I felt that I couldn’t judge the content fairly, since I was only able to process a flurry of rapid-fire images. The most visually appalling that I could recall were Samuel L. Jackson‘s hairpiece and some the sight of the iconic cyborg police officer of a crime-ridden Detroit re-envisioned (and I use that term so loosely it would not stick even if I used applied super glue and hammered nails into it, crucifixion style) as the stillborn love child of Mike Baron and Steve Rude’s sci-fi comic book superhero Nexus and one of those Jaeger pilot suits from Pacific Rim.

So I waited until the second time when I could finally hear and see everything the trailer had to offer to decide for myself if this 2:20 spot that us fans of the original RoboCop had been waiting for with the kind of anticipation that can reduce your stomach lining to beef jerky was a positive sign of things to come. As it turns out, I shouldn’t have bothered with the second viewing because I hadn’t really missed anything on my initial viewing of the trailer. No matter what size you watch it on, be it Google Glass or IMAX, the trailer for the rebooted RoboCop represents everything the bad buzz that has been gathering and festering for months like locusts feasting on the decaying remains of Bubonic plague victims was priming us for: ugly, bland, humorless, monotonous, and derivative of not only the original RoboCop movies, but of every jacked-up and failed superhero movie ever made by a major studio.

Back in July at SDCC, we told you about the first trailer we got to see for the reboot of RoboCop, starring Joel Kinnaman, Abbie Cornish, Gary Oldman, Jackie Earle Haley, Michael Keaton, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Now, that trailer has been released online. Watch it here below.

RoboCop, directed by Jose Padilha, is scheduled to hit theaters on February 7, 2014.

Jackie Brown
Netflix | Amazon | Hulu | iTunes | Vudu | Xbox | YouTube
DVD | Blu-ray
Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Starring Pam Grier, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Forster, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro
Miramax Films
Originally Released: December 25, 1997

It was with great sadness to learn that Elmore Leonard died this week. The great American novelist contributed some thorough and comprehensive work that was both engrossing and entertaining. From 3:10 to Yuma to Get Shorty to Out Of Sight, many of the author’s publications got the movie treatment, some with mixed results.

In tribute to the writer, I decided this week to look at Quentin Tarantino‘s adaptation of the phenomenal book Rum Punch, retitled after the primary central character Jackie Brown.

Before jumping into the review, the first thing that I want to point out concerning Jackie Brown is the amazing soundtrack Tarantino uses for the movie. While the director has a reputation for outstanding music selection in his films, for me, Jackie Brown always stood out in many ways.

Not only does the music reflect the plot, the characters, and the setting magnificently – the movie also introduced me to some of the finest soul, funk, and R&B I’ve ever come across; and being a music addict, I have a somewhat sentimental attachment to Jackie Brown. For me, the soundtrack is so meticulously focused; it is reason enough for viewing the movie alone.

But Jackie Brown has so much more to offer than just the tunes.

Anticipation for the RoboCop remake has been hit or miss since the project was announced, which made the Sony/Screen Gems panel at San Diego Comic-Con today the first big chance the filmmakers had to get everyone on their side. On hand to talk about the film were director Jose Padilha, and actors Joel Kinnaman (The Killing), Abbie Cornish (Sucker Punch), Michael Keaton, and fan favorite Samuel L. Jackson.

The panel started with a solid 5-minute clip showing Samuel L. Jackson as a TV host, sending out a broadcast showing some ED-209’s in action in the Middle East, while Michael Keaton’s character tries to convince members of the government that robots can be used as police instead of humans.

Director Jose Padilha explained that he wasn’t going to attempt to do the same movie that came out in 1987, but wanted to take elements and put them in a modern context where combat drones are a very real thing.

Those who had been slightly turned around on the decision to remake the sci-fi classic RoboCop thanks to the very impressive cast that had been assembled were again disappointed when it was announced that Hugh Laurie, who was once in talks to play one of the film’s villains, had departed the project. But now it looks like an equally appealing name will be stepping into Laurie’s villainous role.

It’s being reported that the great Michael Keaton has joined the cast, where he’ll play the not-so-friendly CEO of the company that builds RoboCop.