Watch George Clooney's THE IDES OF MARCH Trailer & Salivate At The Poster!

As we've just heard, George Clooney's down and dirty political thriller The Ides of March will open this year's Venice Film Festival on August 29th and if you were unsure of it's potential Awards credentials before the announcement came that it would be THE big player at the festival and are still unwisely doubting it now, wait until you get a load of this newly released poster and trailer. We'll start with the poster which is hands down the best we've seen from any film this year as it cleverly blends the faces of our two lead actors together via the cover of Time Magazine. What an original idea and very smartly executed piece; Somewhat based on Howard Dean's 2004 Democratic primary run, The Ides of March follows an ambitious presidential campaign spin doctor (Ryan Gosling) as he bends the rules and plays it dirty to ensure his candidate (Clooney) wins the nomination against a rival senator. Given what is going between the relationship with the press, politicians and the public right now... for the U.K. audience at least, the movie could be in danger of receiving an apathetic reaction. Or it could just as easily swing the other way and hit the zeitgeist. Just like Clooney's Oscar lauded Good Night and Good Luck, his new movie has one of those delicious acting heavyweight ensembles featuring the calibre of actors who are routinely challenging each other in the Oscar stakes. Paul Giamatti is the campaign manager to the rival candidate played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman, with Jeffrey Wright in there too. I wonder if the amount of roles all three men have vied for (usually sleazy supporting characters) against each other has hit double figures yet. I bet it has. Then there's the two ladies from The Wrestler - Marisa Tomei (as a NY Times reporter) and Evan Rachel Wood (an intern for Clooney's campaign) who also support. The movie was co-written by Clooney and his The Men Who Stare At Goats director and long time producing partner Grant Heslov and is somewhat based on the play Farragut North. Clooney himself directs, fullfilling his near half a decade desire to get this film out in theatres (he nearly made the film with Leonardo DiCaprio before feeling that the political climate wasn't quite right for it). Watch the fast moving and highly intriguing trailer below and be reminded why Clooney is to now, what Robert Redford was to America's political conscious in the 70's; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMFPh_ZrrjE The Ides of March is due to open in the U.S. on Oct 7th and Oct 28th in the U.K. but in a month's time we should have a clear idea if this is going to be the big Awards contender of the year.